Chapter 61
Jonathan came in carrying a basin of water and a towel draped over one arm, dressed only in a thin shirt.
It was because he hadn’t gone home yet—he had been preparing to sleep on the sofa in the study just moments ago.
Although he had deliberately driven Noah into the forest, he had said he couldn’t return home and rest comfortably. If something happened inside, he would have to go looking for Noah, even if belatedly.
So Jonathan brought the basin, the kind usually used for washing hands, and set it down in front of the weeping Christina.
At the same time, he knelt down, carefully lowered his gaze to her feet, then lifted his head cautiously and opened his mouth.
“Lady, pardon me, but may I place my hands on your feet?”
“Sniff… my feet, why…?”
“You cannot possibly return home like this, can you?”
Evelyn and Amelia, who had been called back out of bed, were preparing Noah’s bathwater.
Since Rosé’s existence was still a secret, they couldn’t summon any other maid, nor could Rosé move around freely. The only one who could take care of Christina was Jonathan.
“I would like to wash your feet and check if there are any wounds. Would that be all right?”
Though he could have asked Rosé to do it, having brought the water all this way, Jonathan rolled up his sleeves himself. He even went so far as to kneel right in front of Christina.
“Excuse me, then.”
When Christina, still tear-streaked, gave a small nod, Jonathan carefully removed her shoes.
Then, as though her feet were touching water for the very first time in her life, he lowered them into the basin with utmost gentleness.
“Do you feel any stinging or pain?”
“Mm… no, nothing feels uncomfortable.”
“That is a relief.”
Lest his touch make her uncomfortable, his hands were delicate, tender as they washed away the dirt.
And his expression—his face bent close as he inspected Christina’s feet—was gentler still.
His usual stern demeanor had softened into an unfamiliar warmth, so strange that Rosé herself felt almost ticklish watching it.
‘So he was sincere…’
She had thought Jonathan’s act was just another calculated move to earn favor, given that Noah’s plan to protect her had gone awry. But Jonathan was far more genuine than she had expected.
Almost as if he had secretly cherished Christina all along.
“Oh dear, the heel here is slightly chafed. I’ll clean it thoroughly and treat it afterward.”
“…Okay.”
While Rosé had been thinking this, Christina, who had completely stopped crying, now had a faint blush on her cheeks.
Rosé shook her head inwardly.
‘Honestly, Christina…’
She had chased Noah until her feet were in ruins, and now she was blushing because of Jonathan.
Not that Rosé was in any position to judge—but still, Christina was undoubtedly a hopeless fool for love.
In any case, thanks to Jonathan, Christina’s tears had dried and her mood seemed better. That was fortunate.
‘Ha… but what now, really.’
What would Christina tell the Duke when she returned home in such a disheveled state?
At this rate, Duke Raymond would cut Noah off even before the hunting festival.
Even if Christina managed to smooth things over somehow… Noah himself was the real problem.
Rosé had expected this to be difficult from the start, but this wasn’t just difficult—it was nearly impossible. No matter what she tried, there seemed no chance of Noah and Christina working out.
As she sat there soothing Christina, Rosé realized every single topic between the two of them had revolved around her. Even the subject of cats.
Noah only went along because Rosé kept pushing him, but he had never once initiated a question or shown genuine personal interest in Christina. He didn’t even seem curious about what kind of person she was.
‘There’s no faster, easier path than this…’
If Christina gave up and Duke Raymond eventually became an enemy, just like in the original timeline, then how could Rosé hope to rally the nobles’ support later?
With no ideas coming to mind, Rosé felt her head pounding for the first time.
* * *
Wearing the indoor shoes the maids had brought her, Christina left the inner chambers—only to burst into tears again.
—I’m sorry, Lady Christina. It’s all my fault… I’m so sorry.
Rosé apologized again and again, saying it was because she had wandered into the forest that Christina had suffered. But Christina’s heart did not heal.
These weren’t tears of hardship. They were tears from the wound Noah had given her.
—Do you see, Tina? One day, that seat beside the Emperor will be yours.
Christina still firmly believed the words her father, Duke Raymond, had whispered on the day Noah ascended the throne.
Right now, Noah was too busy adjusting to his role as Emperor, too busy making the crown truly his own, to spare her any time.
—Yes, Father. I’ll show you—I’ll become the Empress.
She had no doubt that if Noah met her, if he got to know her, he would come to think the same way.
That was why Rosé’s proposal of becoming a secret “play-maid” had been so precious.
Even if part of it was just to keep an eye on her since she knew the secret, Christina had been grateful for the chance to stay by Noah’s side.
It wasn’t only because of her father’s wishes. Christina had dreamed of being beside Noah long before his coronation.
—You, who are you?
Five years ago, when Zion was still Crown Prince, Christina had once wandered into the rear gardens.
Even now she was second to none in curiosity, but back then, as a child, it had been even stronger.
For such a girl, the vast palace gardens and forests were the perfect playground.
That day, exploring again, she ended up in the little-used garden before the inner chambers.
There, tucked between narrow alleys by the palace walls, she discovered a door leading into the gardens beyond—sealed shut, overgrown with weeds as though no one had opened it in years.
Her heart thumped with excitement at the sight of this new, unexplored place. Despite several failed attempts, she finally managed to climb over the iron gate.
—I asked who you are.
That was when she discovered a garden she had never seen before—and Noah, dazzling even more than the flowers.
Still carrying the freshness of youth, Noah was enough to capture Christina’s heart at first sight.
Even if he had never become Emperor, Christina thought, she would still have wanted Noah.
—His Majesty is so magnificent. I can’t understand the adults who criticize his eyes.
—Right? When I once followed my father to the palace, I saw His Majesty, and I thought my heart would stop.
Among friends who all praised Noah, saying his eyes didn’t matter, Christina took pride in having recognized him first.
But now…
—Your Majesty, my feet… could we rest for a moment?
Even when she said her feet hurt and begged to stop, Noah didn’t spare her a glance.
If she faltered, his broad back only grew farther away.
Her feet had ended up ruined, her heels scraped raw, just as Jonathan had pointed out.
“I’ll escort you.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, my lady. I cannot let you travel home alone, late at night, with your feet injured.”
Noah hadn’t even stepped out of his chambers to see her off.
So His Majesty has not the slightest interest in me.
That thought brought tears to her eyes again.
In the end, it was Jonathan who came forward, boarded the same carriage, insisting he could not allow her to go alone. He even remembered to offer his hand as she climbed in.
As the carriage rattled along, the darkness outside the window felt like a mirror of her heart, and Christina thought she might cry again.
“I’m glad to see you’re completely calm now.”
Indeed she was—but when Jonathan, who had been watching her face for a long while, spoke to her with a faint smile—
“I’m a strong girl, after all.”
—for some reason, the urge to cry disappeared completely.
* * *
“Lady Rosé! Something terrible has happened!”
Christina had said she would rest at home for a while. Understandable—she had hovered so close to Noah, only to realize he had no interest in her at all.
—Safe travels, Noah.
After that day, her temper had quickly cooled, though things between her and Noah felt a little more distant.
—I’ll be back in time for lunch. Don’t eat without me—wait for me.
—Okay!
It wasn’t much different otherwise. Clearly, she hadn’t given up yet. Rosé admired Christina’s resilience and thought maybe there was still hope.
But the real problem exploded elsewhere.
It was while Rosé was still in her bedroom after breakfast. Without warning, Amelia—back from who knows where—burst in without knocking.
“What do we do?!”
“What! What happened?!”
Rosé asked, thinking it was nothing more than Christina telling the Duke about that night.
“His Majesty… just now, in the council chamber—he revealed your true identity!”
“…Huh?”
Noah had really done it this time.
