Chapter 110

I looked away, embarrassed because his body looming above me was so close.

‘I like seeing him like this, but… why is he like that?’

His expression looked more shocked and surprised than any I’d seen before.

“Did you see something bad? Why are you like that?”

I finally started to get worried.

When our eyes met, his pupils trembled violently, then he carefully buttoned his shirt I was wearing from collar to hem. He even picked up a beach towel a short distance away and wrapped me up tightly once more.

Only then did I realize the reason.

‘But there’s just the two of us here?’

Anyone watching might think I’m completely naked.

When we went to Yuno, I saw many men and women walking around in thin, light clothing. Some men even walked around in just shorts without a shirt. Vespera watched that with me back then and didn’t react at all. Since it was a private beach with only us, I thought there’d be no problem.

‘They call it a bikini, but it’s not that provocative.’

I stamped my feet, looking down at myself tightly wrapped up.

‘In R-rated web novels they barely wear anything when walking around! So scandalous!’

I felt wronged. I didn’t want to play in the water wearing a trailing dress. I wanted to plunge into the water, flap my arms and swim joyfully. Secretly, I wanted to show him a new charm with a slim, attractive figure.

“…Not good?”

He only made eye contact after confirming that my bare skin wasn’t visible. My body was so flushed red someone might think I’d visited a volcano. Still, I thought he’d adjust with time.

“Do you even realize that you are a noble?”

“…Yes?”

Vespera’s expression, back to normal, had stiffened like an ice slab.

“Even if your title was only recently restored, a lady showing bare skin in public like this… Don’t you know nobles must maintain modest behavior and dignity?”

No, do I have to hear this just because I wore a swimsuit at the pool?

“This is the castle I was given, and there’s no one here.”

“What if the servants had come in?”

“They’d probably just think I’m playing in the water. I’m not completely undressed.”

“What kind of clothes are those tatters!”

Tatters?! I tried hard to dress well to look good.

‘Fine, then I don’t care anymore.’

I couldn’t reason with his rigid attitude anymore. My clothing didn’t need anyone’s permission anyway. I took off the tight beach towel and unbuttoned his shirt one button at a time.

“Then go in first. I’ll stay and play unladylike by myself!”

He approached with a terrifying look, wrapped the towel around my body, and slinged me up onto his shoulder.

“Kyaaah! What on earth are you doing!”

“I don’t think you understood a single word I said. We’re going back.”

“What? The water fun is just starting…!”

“You’re absolutely not allowed until you throw away that hideous outfit and put on something decent.”

“Hideous?!”

“No. Abso. lute. ly. not.”

So I returned to the castle without even touching the water.

“I mean, risqué couple lingerie sells with all sorts of outrageous designs. Why are they making such a fuss over a standard swimsuit like this?”

I didn’t expect such an intense reaction. After stomping around for a while, I quickly became gloomy. We came on this trip to enjoy a nice atmosphere and ended up fighting.

“Is this the difference between worlds?”

After what happened today, I could really feel it.

I’m from the modern world. So while a swimsuit might be a bit surprising, I never expected it to have this much impact. I usually like summer and wore thin, light clothes, so living at home in suffocating dresses didn’t seem very appealing.

“Don’t you know that nobles must maintain modest behavior and dignity?”

The ‘modesty’ here seems like something from a historical drama—could I accept that? My thoughts continued to expand.

‘Okay, the swimsuit—if he dislikes it I can not wear it. But what about everything else? Do I have to mind every single outfit all the time? What if, when married, I’m told to behave like a noblewoman and only manage the household? What if I’m forced to host prim tea parties? In this world, if you don’t marry, even with a good atmosphere you can’t spend the night together?’

Things that felt natural and obvious to me were very far from the modest noble he described.

‘My soul settling here wasn’t everything. To fully blend in, I lived in my previous world too long.’

I finally confessed and hoped for a sweet romantic period, but a bigger next hurdle awaited than I expected. Even lovers in the same world break up for reasons like personality, values, religion. But in my case, the conflict stemmed from a more fundamental difference in assumptions.

I needed a solution. I was tired of being treated as an unladylike woman every time.

‘He’s not at fault.’

He was born into this world and raised with strict noble education. Cold and arrogant, he was also a fine man who diligently fulfilled those old-fashioned noble duties. Could such a man have imagined meeting a lover with such a radical mindset?

“We need to talk.”

I was sad and gloomy, but I couldn’t let the relationship continue like this. I hadn’t taken him lightly either.

I ordered that the meals be brought to our rooms separately. I had a lot to think about and needed time to sort things out. If I saw his face in this state, unintended words might just burst out.

“It’s suffocating, really.”

They say traveling to a foreign place brings emotional hardship, and apparently that applies in another world too. Since coming here, I’ve had more mental struggles than physical ones.

I went outside to look at the dimming night sky. Staying in my room corner made useless thoughts keep popping up.

“The castle’s night view is very beautiful. It’s a fine night—go and see it.”

I asked a steward for a good spot and decided to go to the top of the castle. I took off the trailing dress and put on comfortable pants and a shirt. Come to think of it, since coming to this world I think the only other time I wore pants was when I infiltrated Rinus. Maybe it was an instinctive effort to adapt to this world.

In modern times I usually wore simple outfits like slacks, jeans, sweatshirts, and shirts. Wearing them again after a long time felt right, as if the fit matched me even if the design differed.

‘Is this the place?’

I strode up and quickly reached the top. The view was open and the territory lay below at a glance.

‘This is the territory I will rule from now on.’

The peaceful coastal territory never grew boring to behold. The stars stitched across the night sky twinkled as if greeting their master. I felt glad I came out.

‘Screw it.’

I lay down right then and there. The Private Beach incident seemed to have been a catalyst, loosening some rein that had been controlling me. The night sky I saw was enchanting. It was like being in a planetarium—the world filled with stars. My worries felt like tiny stars in comparison; everything seemed overwhelmingly vast. I found myself staring like I’d been mesmerized by his red eyes.

“Cornelia.”

At that moment, the star-filled view shifted to the Duke’s face.

“Vespera?”

“I hope you’ll quickly think of a pet name to call me.”

As I tried to get up, he naturally reached out his hand to steady me.

“You said you dislike ‘Vess.’ How did you get up here?”

He said that as he gently brushed dust from my clothes with his own hands.

“I don’t like it because it sounds like a woman’s name. I thought you liked open spaces.”

He came looking for me without asking the steward. Seeing his face, my irritation melted away. His beauty was unreal, truly.

“You said you disliked ‘Bebe’ and ‘Vera’ too.”

“I’m not as cute as you.”

He swooped in like that again. I couldn’t say anything and had to keep my mouth shut until he finished dusting me off. After checking me thoroughly to the last detail, he stared intently at me this time.

“Why? Is my outfit displeasing you again?”

“…Are you feeling a bit better?”

It seemed he was checking my mood rather than my clothing. I sullenly replied.

“Well. It seems the Duke was angrier than I was.”

“That’s why I came to apologize. I’m sorry.”

“…Yes?”

His unexpectedly sincere apology drained my resolve in an instant. What? The empire’s top elite-type guy apologizing this fast—does he have no pride?

“It was an unfamiliar situation so I couldn’t remain calm. I should have calmly listened to you through conversation. Your… the sight of it was flashing before my eyes, and I only thought to cover it with something.”

Contrary to his stiff expression, he said he was terribly flustered. Seeing him run his hand over his face, unable to meet my eyes as he confessed his feelings, touched something inside me.

“Vespera, aren’t you curious why I haven’t been able to accept your feelings until now?”