It was quite exhilarating to see Asha freeze with her mouth half open in surprise.
Now, how will Asha Pervaz respond?
He pretended not to be interested and nonchalantly picked up the bottle of wine next to him to refill his glass.
Asha remained frozen, not even moving a muscle.
'If I do this much, she won't ruin my mood again by saying she'll pay the price.'
But that was underestimating Asha Pervaz.
"...I understand."
"What?"
The noise around him was so loud that Carlyle thought he had misheard someone else's words.
"Tonight… is that okay with you?"
Now it was Carlyle's turn to freeze with his mouth open.
"Do you understand what I mean?"
"Yes. I don't know if it will be enough of a price to pay, but I will do my best."
Carlyle laughed at the answer, which sounded like she was going out to another battle.
But the absurdity gradually turned into a strange anger. He was angry at Asha, for some reason he couldn't understand.
"Don't expect anything. Tonight, to my room."
Asha nodded as if she understood and took another sip of wine.
Unlike a man and a woman making a secret promise, both of them had hard faces.
***
Asha, who refrained from drinking and got up a little early from her seat, asked Nina to wash her body.
'It's probably the cheapest way, without burdening Pervez or owing anything to His Highness Carlyle,' Ashah thought as she soaked in the tub.
She was surprised when Carlyle demanded a woman, but upon reflection, she found it to be a blessing. Once again, he had demanded the lowest price.
Regardless of whatever perverse desires he had, Asha was determined to endure.
"Nina."
"Yes, My Lady."
Asha hesitated a bit before speaking.
"Um… Do I have the ointment I received from His Highness Carlyle?"
"Yes! Shall I fetch it for you?"
"Yeah. Please."
Since she only recently heard about matters concerning the bedchamber from Della and the other maids, she had no idea how to please a man. But she decided to make an effort and use the ointment she hadn't bothered with before.
'I wonder if His Highness likes this kind of thing.'
As she applied the refreshing scented ointment, she felt a bit awkward, feeling like she was becoming someone who prepared for guests.
Nina, unaware of the situation, smiled softly and whispered, "Ointment also helps in rejuvenating tired minds, so how about occasionally giving a scented ointment massage in the future?"
"Well… We'll see."
Asha couldn't bring herself to respond affirmatively.
Perhaps from now on, every time she used this ointment, tonight would come to mind.
As they exited the bathroom, they could hear everyone in high spirits, shouting and singing in the distance.
"They all seem lively. It's almost midnight."
"If they keep this up, they might pass out anywhere. Since it's not cold, there won't be anyone freezing to death."
"Haha. My Lady, are you going to bed now? I'll bring your nightclothes."
"Oh, um…!"
"Yes?"
Asha pretended not to notice the heat creeping up her neck as she spoke.
"Um, the nightclothes I wore last time…"
"The ones you wore last time… Ah!"
Nina's face suddenly lit up.
Silently, she rushed to the adjacent room and brought out the nightclothes Asha wore when she slept in Carlyle's room last time.
Nina asked cautiously, her eyes filled with anticipation, "Um… by any chance, is my lady planning to sleep in His Lordship's chamber tonight?"
Asha felt too embarrassed and pursed her lips.
Seeing Asha's flushed face, Nina smiled knowingly, as if she had received the answer.
"If I had known that, I would have put in more effort earlier."
"Oh, no, it's fine as it is."
"But still, it's a pity. You just returned from war, and there wasn't even time to take care of your nails or skin…"
Asha sighed and finished drying her hair. Then, with Nina's skilled assistance, she changed into a light nightgown. Since there was nothing underneath the nightgown, it hung loosely around her.
"I'll bring the robe."
Nina brought a robe and gently draped it over Asha, who had lived under heavy armor for a long time. Suddenly feeling nothing constricting her body made her feel uneasy.
After dressing her, Nina meticulously dried Asha's hair with a towel and carefully brushed it.
As she undid the tightly braided hair, Asha's scalp felt relieved, but it also felt vulnerable, which made her uncomfortable.
"All done. Shall I do a little makeup?"
"No, it's okay. What's the point of makeup at night?"
While showing effort might be better, Asha refused to go as far as putting on makeup, as it might make it seem like she was eagerly anticipating this.
"Oh, um, Nina. About today… I'd appreciate it if you could just pretend you didn't see anything."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind. What about breakfast tomorrow?"
"Bring it to my room. I'll probably… be back by dawn."
Thinking Asha was embarrassed, Nina nodded respectfully and left the room.
In the mirror on the dresser sent by Carlyle, a woman sat who seemed unimaginably out of place for her neck to have been touched.
With black hair cascading over her shoulders, soft arching eyebrows, eyes with a melancholic gleam beneath thin lashes, pale skin that seemed like it might reveal veins, and lips devoid of color…
There was no hint of shyness or excitement as a wife going to share a bed with her husband in the same bedroom.
Asha stared at the face for a moment before chuckling.
"Anyone would think I'm off to die if they saw this."
She decided to abandon any further self-pity.
She was the one who had coerced a price from Carlyle, who asked for nothing in return.
Carlyle's words, 'I'll do this much for free' were indeed tempting, but Asha's last shred of dignity didn't allow her to overlook it as if she didn't hear it.
'It's too risky to expect anything more.'
Furthermore, her feelings towards Carlyle were too complicated.
At first, she just thought of him as the arrogant and overbearing 'Crown Prince'. It was easier that way.
However, she became confused when he gave Pervaz a tremendous reward, took care of Pervaz's reconstruction, and took the lead in repelling the invaders.
No matter how much I thought about it, he was doing more than he had to.
And Asha kept feeling uncomfortable with herself for trying to find meaning in it. It was pointless, unsophisticated, and hypocritical…
So, I had to draw the line here. Even if it meant 'turning a blind eye'.
'Is it okay to go now?'
Asha put on a robe with a hood over her gown.
Officially, it was known that she and Carlyle had already shared a room on Harvest Festival Day, so no one would say anything, but she didn't want to be seen going to Carlyle's room.
"Phew… It's gonna be nothing.
Asha reassured herself, who was very nervous, and got up from her seat.
***
Knock, knock.
Carlyle, who was looking at the wine glass shimmering and sparkling as it followed the candlelight, furrowed his brows slightly at the sound of a knock with a clean feeling.
"Come in."
There was a creaking sound of the door opening and closing very slightly, but he didn't turn around.
There was a faint scent of lavender.
He pondered, "I've smelled this scent somewhere before," and after carefully searching his memory, he realized it was the fragrance Asha wore when she first appeared disheveled and sweaty at Zyro's mansion.
"Ha…!"
A forced laugh escaped him as he thought about how the woman who never used any kind of scented oil or perfume would take this out to spend the night with him.
And the fact that he remembered this smell was also funny.
However, there was no romantic feeling at all.
'Let's just see how far this woman will take her stubbornness.'
He had absolutely no intention of having his first experience with a woman who was obviously forcing something that was clearly unwelcome.
He planned to appropriately shame Asha and firmly tell her not to mention "payment" in front of him anymore.
He tilted the glass and emptied the remaining wine, then turned his body towards Asha.
"What kind of preparation did you do for the occasion that took you so long…!"
Carlyle, who was about to completely ruin Asha's mood with a rude remark, looked at her and forgot all his previous thoughts.
"I apologize. I hurried as much as I could… but…"
The sight of Asha with the hood of her robe down captivated Carlyle's gaze even more than when the maids dressed her at Zyro's.
They originally said Pervaz had dense forests, but if a fairy lived in that forest, it would feel like this.
Her jet-black hair flowing mysteriously and her white face that seemed to glow even in the darkness, the smooth nape of her neck revealed as she carelessly took off the robe…
He thought it was beautifully creepy.
For a moment, Carlyle's mind went blank, unable to finish his sentence and only staring at her. Asha took off her robe and hung it over the back of a nearby chair, saying:
"Actually, I've never had this kind of experience before, and I don't know much… Since I came here as payment, I apologize, but would you be grateful, Your Highness, if you, who are rich in experience, could guide me?"
At those words, Carlyle came to his senses.
"Ah, that…"
According to his plan, he just had to tease Asha a little and send her back before she got too upset.
However, as mentioned earlier, all the plans in his head were erased the moment he saw Asha.
'Do I really need to… send her back?'
Without realizing it, it seemed like the alcohol had gone to his head a bit, as heat suddenly rushed through his entire body.
'She said she wouldn't feel at ease unless I got the payment.'
It felt like a devil was whispering in his ear.