Chapter 78

Eel? The eel that’s rumored to be good for men’s stamina?

The moment that thought crossed her mind, she nearly dropped her fork.

“It’s been smoked over applewood, so it’s really moist and tender. We’ve removed all the bones, so it’s easy to eat. Please, have a taste.”

Madam Sharon laughed heartily and exchanged a knowing glance with Baron Rodon.

“Not just oysters, but this sea eel is also excellent for you. It’s a great remedy for your health.”

“Is that so? It’s really delicious.”

She shot a sour look at Ignis as he calmly and elegantly cut into the eel.

‘Hey! Does he even realize what he’s eating? Why would he eat eel of all things, especially when he’s sitting next to me? It’s not like he has any use for it.’

Karentina swallowed nervously, remembering that this was a high-rated, adult (19+) novel. Just thinking about those steamy scenes with Ignis made her cheeks burn red.

‘Right, because of Ignis’s overwhelming stamina, they ended up doing all sorts of things… Oh my god!’

[ Lady Karentina, your heart is beating way too fast! ]

Leah’s worried voice kept echoing in her mind, but Karentina didn’t answer. Instead, she took a bite of the smoked eel, trying to calm herself.

‘This is just health food.’

All she wanted was for dinner to end soon so she could silence the indecent thoughts running wild in her head. Unfortunately, the eel she tasted was so good it practically melted in her mouth.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

When the dinner that had felt like a nightmare was finally over, Karentina followed Madam Sharon into the drawing room.

It was customary for the gentlemen to stay behind after a formal dinner, drinking and chatting over conversations left unfinished.

“We’ve had natural hot spring water brought in to create a wonderful bathhouse. Why don’t you relax and enjoy a soak there tonight?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

‘Goodness, a hot spring bath.’

Overjoyed by the unexpected treat, Karentina nodded enthusiastically.

While waiting for the bath to be prepared, she decided to work a little on the embroidery she hadn’t managed to finish earlier. The sharp drop in temperature due to the rain made the fireplace in the drawing room fill the space with a cozy warmth. Ignis hadn’t shown up, likely still deep in conversation with Baron Rodon.

Karentina quietly sighed in relief, thinking it was a good thing.

‘Starting with Zion, and even Madam Sharon…’

Everyone had been making strange remarks that left her feeling restless. She took deep breaths, trying to convince herself that it was the reason she felt so unsettled. The fact that she had let her imagination run wild about Ignis was mortifying. She doubted she could even look him in the eye until tomorrow.

‘Let’s just avoid him today.’

Embroidery was the perfect hobby to soothe her restless mind. Although her stitches had been clumsy at first, she thought she was starting to improve.

“My lady, your bath is ready. Let me show you the way.”

Karentina followed the maid down the hall. The bathhouse was at the very end of the first floor. When she saw the seawater hot spring bath, she couldn’t help but gasp in amazement over and over.

“This is incredible.”

The moment she sank into the hot spring, all the tension melted from her body. Enjoying a warm bath while listening to the soft patter of rain against the window felt like a true indulgence.

‘I wish I could live here. Maybe when I save up enough, I’ll buy a house in the West.’

She wanted to build a nice mansion with money she earned on her own, not from her family. It didn’t need to be huge; as long as it was warm and cozy, like this place, that would be more than enough.

Just imagining it made her smile.

Feeling completely satisfied after a massage from the maids, Karentina finished her bath and headed back to the drawing room. She realized she had stayed in the bath longer than she’d thought. As she got ready to go to bed, she went over to say goodnight to Madam Sharon.

“Sleep well, my lady.”

“Yes. You too, Madam.”

Karentina politely declined Madam Sharon’s offer to walk her to her room and made her way up the stairs alone. Through the balcony window at the landing, she could see that the rain was still falling in a steady drizzle.

“It’ll be a problem if it keeps raining until tomorrow.”

With a quiet sigh, she traced a moon and stars onto the misted windowpane.

“You’re still awake?”

Karentina flinched at the sudden voice behind her.

Spinning around, she found Ignis standing there like a statue. He looked relaxed, dressed in casual clothes as if he had just finished his bath as well.

“Yes, I was just about to head to bed. What about you, Your Highness?”

“I couldn’t sleep, so I went to borrow a few books from Baron Roden.”

“Oh…”

Her eyes instinctively drifted to the book he held in his hand.

Just as Ignis turned away, as if the conversation had ended, Karentina suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve. He looked down at her with a surprised expression.

“I’m sorry! It’s nothing, but… um, I asked Zion about Princess Stella. He said she was doing fine at the castle and went to bed a little while ago. I just thought you might be worried, so I wanted to let you know…”

She stammered, like a machine malfunctioning.

“I see.”

“She went to bed early with Leah. Joseph and Zion are taking turns keeping watch, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

Ignis gave a small nod, his gaze lingering quietly on her.

“Lady.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for caring about Stella as well.”

When his normally unreadable face softened, she couldn’t help but smile in relief.

“Well, I’ll be heading up now. Good night.”

Karentina dipped into a graceful curtsy to Ignis before turning to leave.

“Wait a moment.”

Startled by how suddenly he came closer, she flinched and instinctively reached out to steady herself against the stairway wall.