The day passed quietly. After their little bathtime, they prepared their food from the ingredients they were provided. This time, they made a nutritious meal full of veggies and fruits, packed with vitamins and proteins for a healthy body.
Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, Anthony noticed Amelia's inferiority towards her own body and subtly suggested that they should opt for a more healthy diet since they would have to be locked in this room for who knows how long.
Morning exercises were also included in their daily schedule to achieve his purpose of raising her confidence, and he promised her to train her himself as a form of gratitude for teaching him cooking. Amelia readily agreed with a lovely smile, aware of his intentions.
Ah, as for cooking, Anthony learned how to properly hold a knife from her this time. It was actually funny from her perspective. The one whose hands made her body hot and bothered with a simple touch, the one who made her reach peak pleasure in a matter of minutes, couldn't even hold a knife properly.
Just thinking about it made her giggle and blush at the same time as she looked at her young lover, who was busy reading a book while leaning his head against her shoulders. An incomparable feeling of peace washed over her body and mind at this sight.
"Amelia." His sweet voice lightly flowed out from behind the book.
"Mm, what is it?"
"Aren't you bored? You are only staring at me for some time. Of course, I don't mind if you do more than looking."
"Uh..." Was he aware? Amelia's blush grew a shade deeper as she tried to defend herself. "I just, feel content like this. Yes, it is because it's such a long time that I am relaxing like this."
"Hmm, relaxing is good." He said, peeling his eyes off the book and looking at her, and quietly planted a kiss on her red cheek. "Why don't you read a book? It is a good way to pass time and to learn new things."
"A book...?"
She murmured in thought as she had never read a book before, of course, except from her school books.
"What do you think? Let's read together." He said while gesturing towards a new book with the title "The Love of a Victorian Maid.".
"That... Isn't it a little inappropriate?"
"Inappropriate? It is only a short romance story, though. There is nothing inappropriate about it."
'Is he teasing me again?'
For the first time, Amelia had the urge to beat him to tease her every single moment. She imagined what expression he would make when she spanked his ass to teach him a lesson.
'Huh? What am I thinking? It isn't like me.'
She was a delicate woman, far from any kind of violence. Even raising a hand against someone was impossible for her. Now, such a woman was having the urge to spank a young man's ass... How inappropriate.
'It's his influence. He is changing me.'
Her thoughts deepened even further as she realized how much the young man was influencing her, gradually becoming a part of her life, both mentally and physically.
'What's this feeling?'
Badump. Badump.
"Amelia?"
"Huh?"
At his calling, her chain of thoughts was interrupted, and she exclaimed at being stared by him so intently.
"So, do you want to read?" He asked again as he looked straight into her eyes. There was some forcefulness in his voice, but his clear eyes did not reflect any maliciousness in them.
'I can't hate him.'
"Sure, let's read it together."
"Good descision."
A refreshing smile appeared on his face as he opened the book and started to read the contents. Both leaned into each other, enjoying the shared body heat as the love story of a maid and her young master painted a romantic scene in front of them.
.....
It was the story of a sickly young man, Alan, who inherited the duchy of Rasen from his deceased noble parents.
He had always been a smart and sensible child who was destined to become a wise Duke of the Salen kingdom. Alas, fate had other plans for him, as he was diagnosed with a terminal disease that made his body feeble and susceptible to cold easily. Everyone lamented at his misfortune.
Despite this, his parents never gave up on him and even encouraged him. They were never there with him because of their noble duties, but their immense love still wrapped around him, curbing his loneliness a bit.
But the one who truly soothed his loneliness and devoted her all to tending to his sick body was a maid by the name of Deliah. She was ten years older than him and akin to a mother figure for him who was always by his side.
He was infinitely grateful to her, who never complained even when she had to wake up in the middle of the night to look after him. A strong bond inevitably formed between them. But it was not love.
It was close to dependence on each other. The reason they could proudly live and look forward to the future. Of course, both were unaware of their own feelings.
Then, tragedy struck, and both his parents were killed during a riot. As the only child and the rightful heir, he naturally inherited the duchy his parents left him, but his world had already crumbled down before he could shoulder the responsibilities.
It was Deliah who supported him in his desperate times and who accompanied him during the dark, desolate nights, giving him warmth and the much-needed love. Her presence became much greater in his life, and something new began to sprout between them as they comforted each other in their own small world.
Love began to bloom. The young Duke, who was determined to be with Deliah for the rest of his life, confessed his love to her secretly but was met with rejection by a crying Deliah as she apologized to him countless times, saying that they could never be together.
Devasted and heartbroken, he did something unthinkable. He pushed her down forcefully, ripping apart her clothes, intending to force himself on her in an attempt to make her his.
The crying and helpless Deliah couldn't gather any strength in her body to push him away, afraid that he would be hurt even while being assaulted by the same person she deeply cared for. She just closed her eyes and waited for him to take her body as he pleased, just as it always had been...
But nothing happened.
"What are those marks?"
Clarity returned Alan's eyes as he asked Deliah about the whip marks on her body. All his madness was gone, and deep regret replaced it as he observed the tattered state of her body.
"Who did this?!"
Anger boiled inside of him. Towards himself, and to the one who did something so cruel to Deliah.
The frightened Deliah hurriedly covered her body and tried to dodge the question, but she couldn't disobey her master.
"I-It was your late father."