The shaking car stopped in front of the Duke’s townhouse, releasing white smoke, most likely due to the long drive. Hurriedly, the driver opened the bonnet of the car. Claude calmly exited the car and entered the gate of the townhouse. Seeing his arrival, a maid rushed out of the house to greet him. “Did you not say you were going directly to the academy this week, master?”

“I’m tired. I want to rest.”

“I will prepare your room.”

The Duke’s townhouse was right beside the city, and instead of a garden, had an enormous polo field, tennis court, and horseback riding course.

As Claude lazily climbed up the stairs, he recalled the time he saw hydrangeas in front of Lia’s house. It was the flower that surprised him first, with its strong scent and he was pleasantly surprised again, as the sweet fragrance spread throughout the inside of the house. Such an unmanly person, living in an unmanly place.

Claude stepped into his room and slowly removed his clothes. Standing naked, he opened the bathroom door to reveal the empty bathtub next to the window that overlooked the city of Ataer.

As he climbed into the bathtub and stretched his legs, resting them on the edge, the servants hastily brought buckets of warm water to fill the tub. With a flick of his finger, Claude signaled the servants to leave the room.

The bathroom was now still. Claude relaxed his body, enjoying the warmth of the water. When he opened his eyes, he could see the ceiling which was painted with waves of water that almost seemed to be shaking. It had been painted by a renowned artist from hundreds of years ago and was named ‘The Melting of a Goddess’.

He silently touched his lip. Then he rubbed it roughly, sipped some mouthwash, and spat it out. “Goddammit!” Claude chewed hard on his lip and leaned his head back against the bathtub. He hadn’t intended to kiss him. He just wanted to smell his scent, to see if his breath had smelled sweet too. But when he’d gotten closer, he’d felt an intense hunger and a heat course through his body. He never would’ve imagined that the person he felt such a desire for, would be a man. He was never one who chased after his pleasure and this was something he found bothersome.

Why did it have to be a man out of all people! If the counterpart had been a woman, he wouldn’t be feeling so confused. But Canillian was a man.

Claude opened his eyes. He needed to push his thoughts away and get himself together. It was just a play that his damned curiosity had written because he was too caught up in his foolishness. It’s not too late. Once he replaced this trivial and low-grade curiosity with something else, everything would be fine.

Claude grabbed every bath soap he could reach and threw him into the water. The scent from the water was sweet and nauseating, but it was nothing compared to Canillian. “Damn it, Canillian again!”

After getting out of the bath, he proceeded to brush his teeth three times before he left the bathroom. Before he knew it, it was evening, and the west side of the Leon river was reflecting red from the sun that was setting. Claude’s eyes landed on the white buildings at the end of the river, and he felt shaken, but soon calmed down again.

Wearing his comfortable dressing gown, he diverted his attention to the documents he’d received while he was away, immediately noticing a document sent by the Imperial House, requesting for cooperation; Claude went into action.

***

“Done!” Lia wiped the sweat off her forehead and collapsed onto her bed. Was moving always this hard? It had taken three days in total to organize everything. She insisted that she would clean her room, even if she didn’t clean the others.

While basking in her own little congratulations ceremony, she noticed a delicious buttery smell coming from downstairs. Hypnotized by it, she rushed downstairs and saw Pepe walking out of the kitchen. She was placing a plate, with a waffle and a heap of fruit compote onto the table, and calling her over, “Quickly, come eat. You need to eat to gain strength.”

“How did you know I was starving!” Lia giggled.

“That is why you should have listened when I offered to help.”

Lia grinned at Pepe who was side-eyeing her. And then she cut a generous size of the sweet waffle and put it in her mouth. “It’s my room. I need to know where everything is. Plus, this isn’t Cosoar. I need to learn to do things myself.”

“But I am still here,” Pepe reminded her.

Lia just smiled but didn’t respond. If Pepe found out she was going to become a dead person and disappear in a year, how would she respond? Her throat tightened with guilt, just thinking about it.