Chapter 48
After a brief stop for lunch, the carriage resumed its journey and didn’t rest again until sunset.
Fortunately, after the meal, even Cayente seemed to find it hard to relieve his boredom with just Yulia’s company. He allowed Lucy to ride in the carriage as well. Conversation flowed naturally between Lucy and Yulia, and they had plenty of small things to talk about. Yulia was especially surprised to learn that Lucy had been working as a maid since the age of twelve.
“Wow! This building looks like a royal palace!”
“It does. Almost like a well-built mansion.”
As the sun dipped low in the sky, the carriage finally pulled up in front of the Bratten Hotel.
It was customary for nobles to stay at their villas when traveling, or to be hosted by acquaintances along the way. But hosting guests was often a burdensome affair, creating awkwardness for both parties. Then someone had a clever idea—why not create a place exclusively for nobles, where, for the right price, one could be treated like an emperor?
The route to the Wedden Strait was lined with vacation islands owned by various nobles, so a rest stop in this region was almost essential. It made the location ideal for a hotel like this one.
“Welcome, Count Clou. Please leave your luggage; our staff will take care of it. May I ask you to sign the guestbook first?”
The Bratten Hotel operated strictly on reservations, and the so-called “right price” was by no means modest. The extravagant price tag was evident from the moment they arrived—the entrance where carriages came and went was more lavish than the rumors had suggested.
The hotel’s facade, made of rare white marble, was so clean it looked like it had never been touched by rain. The approach to the main entrance was lined with tall, sharp-leafed trees rarely seen in the empire, creating an exotic atmosphere. Scattered around were small fountains and wooden sculptures of unfamiliar forms. Everywhere one looked, there was something that made you marvel at how they had sourced and arranged it all so perfectly.
“How did they build the ceiling so high?”
“I’m more curious how they manage that chandelier hanging up there. To shine like that, they must dust it constantly.”
Passing through doors twice the height of a person, they entered to find a ceiling that seemed at least five stories high, crowned with a grand chandelier. Nearby, water splashed cheerfully from a fountain, and cacti and vividly colored amaryllis greeted Yulia—plants she’d only ever read about in books. The feeling of having stepped into another world made her momentarily forget Cayente’s presence at her side, and her heart fluttered slightly.
“It seems worth the money, at least.”
But Cayente, ever the realist, mentally converted every piece of charm and exotic elegance into a price. Yulia found it exhausting, but knowing this was just how he was, she followed the staff in silence.
“This room is quite spacious.”
The room they were guided to was on the top floor of the hotel. As soon as the door opened, they saw a large terrace directly ahead and several doors on either side. The room was so large it felt more like an entire floor of a mansion than a hotel suite.
“Is there… only one bedroom?”
“What if there isn’t?”
With multiple doors and such a large space, Yulia had assumed there would be several bedrooms, but she was wrong. Despite having separate areas modeled after a noble’s home—a bath, a powder room, even a dining space—there was only one bedroom. The lighting was deliberately dim, and in the center sat an oversized bed adorned with rose petals. It was clearly set up for a romantic night between a couple.
“Still… this is too much.”
Though she had anticipated this, the setting was so blatant that she couldn’t help but tense up. Reading her reaction, Cayente’s footsteps—previously still in the middle of the room—began approaching slowly. Yulia clenched her fists out of sight, trying to calm her fluttering emotions.
“You know, at times like this…”
“Yes?”
Yulia turned around with a deliberately blank face, but Cayente was already so close she had to lower her gaze slightly. He raised a hand, twirling a lock of her hair around his long fingers as he spoke.
“It makes me wonder if you don’t actually want me.”
“What… are you saying?”
When Yulia lifted her eyes to meet his, Cayente even smiled playfully.
“Every time we’re alone, you get this nervous. It makes me think maybe you’re secretly hoping for something. So, what do you say? Do you want me to hold you?”
“What kind of nonsense… You’re the one who told me to be scared because this might happen.”
As Yulia’s eyes trembled, Cayente pulled her close by the waist, closing the distance between their bodies.
“Brother!”
“Weren’t you the one who decided not to react anymore? You were so desperate to stay expressionless the whole trip, and now you’re crumbling this easily?”
“Ah…!”
He’s teasing me again. Yulia bit her lip hard and glared at him, refusing to avert her gaze even as she felt Cayente’s hand slowly raise the hem of her dress. She knew that if Cayente truly wanted something, she couldn’t stop him—but she wouldn’t let him see her panic or discomfort. She wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.
“But you know something, Yulia?”
Before she could answer, Cayente leaned in and pressed a short kiss against her lips, then laughed again—a laugh so devoid of emotion, it felt cruel.
“The way you try to push me away or pretend nothing’s wrong—it all makes me happy.”
Yulia was appalled, but even with tears forming in her eyes, she didn’t back down. She held his gaze with unwavering determination.
“Try pushing harder if you like. But I’ll never end up miserable the way you want me to.”
Even if enduring this gave him enjoyment, she wouldn’t collapse. The day he told her he wanted her to suffer—that was the only time she would ever let him see her truly broken.
Earlier, Cayente had only teased Yulia because she’d seemed scared. He had no real intention of doing anything to her that night. He was on his way to visit his mother—there was no room for other thoughts.
His mother, who had once been his greatest comfort, had become a figure he felt awkward around now that he was responsible for her.
He didn’t want to show even a hint of weakness.
So he drank whiskey he rarely touched and read a book he would normally ignore, before returning to the bedroom. There, he found Yulia already asleep in bed. She had gulped down a tea said to aid sleep, and apparently, it worked. Despite being nervous, she had still managed to fall asleep.
The quiet sound of her rhythmic breathing echoed softly in the room, and Cayente chuckled in disbelief.
Did she think he wouldn’t touch her if she fell asleep first?
It never occurred to her that if he really wanted to, he could do whatever he wanted, even with her unconscious. What’s more, despite being wary of him, she was sprawled out with arms and legs flung wide, blanket kicked off entirely. He reached out to adjust her nightdress, which had ridden up to expose her thighs, but his hand hesitated.
“This is why early education matters.”
Even after eight years of not hearing a word from her, his instincts to take care of her still lingered.
“She’s not a child anymore, though.”
Cayente sat beside her and glanced at her chest, partially exposed due to a slipped strap. The sight alone made his breath catch. He gently pulled the strap back up.
How could he still be this shaken? He had once wondered if he could ever bear an heir with her, but now, he wasn’t so sure it was impossible. That he felt no resistance at all toward taking a girl so pure and untainted—it was hard to accept.
“You can’t let your guard down like this, Yulia.”
It was a problem, how defenseless she was. If he kept watching her like this, he might do something he didn’t mean to. So he tucked the blanket around her and lay down beside her. Normally, it took hours for him to fall asleep like this—but perhaps because of the long day on the carriage, his eyes closed quickly.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but suddenly, he was startled awake.
Yulia’s arms and legs were draped over him.
So her bad sleeping habits were no joke after all.
He’d been warned about them, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected—but still, he shot upright in surprise.
“Yulia?”
Her body was burning hot—like she had a fever.
