Chapter 49: Moonlight Above the Imperial Roofs

One of Judith’s most important daily duties was dragging Fria, barely awake even after washing his face, to sit before the mirror so she could carefully brush his silky golden hair strand by strand with a jewel-studded ivory comb.

Even after he changed into his nightclothes before bed, Judith would inevitably appear carrying the comb again.

According to her, she couldn’t possibly let him sleep without brushing his hair at least one hundred times, and Fria usually nodded off with his head surrendered to her hands.

When Fria had abruptly chopped off the long hair that once reached his waist, Judith had fallen into despair for a few days, but she recovered quickly enough and resumed wielding her ivory comb with determination.

Had she seen the scene unfolding in the emperor’s bath now, she would have fainted on the spot.

After thoroughly brushing through Fria’s wet hair, Owen picked up a bar of soap and rubbed it directly over his head. Soapy water streamed down Fria’s forehead and into his eyes, making them sting badly enough that he squeezed them shut.

How had Judith done it again?

First she would finish brushing until his hair gleamed with shine, then massage scented oil gently into it before rinsing it several times with warm water.

She would rub perfumed soap onto a sponge until it formed a rich creamy foam, spread it evenly through his hair, leave it for a while, then rinse it thoroughly with hot water. Finally, she would add perfume to the last rinse water.

Fria had endured the entire exhausting process as though humoring a child playing with dolls, but he had never expected to graduate from a maid’s doll to the emperor’s pet dog.

Owen filled a bucket with water and poured it over Fria’s head. Suds cascaded down his body like a waterfall. His wet hair clung to him so much like a drenched puppy that Owen unconsciously reached out and stroked it, only stopping when he heard the sigh escaping Fria’s lips.

He claimed he used to wash and brush his hunting dog after walks every day, yet he was this clumsy? Whatever happened to that dog had surely ended with it running away.

Fria himself had once briefly raised a dog. While playing in the hills, he’d met a stray that became unusually attached to him, and he couldn’t bear to leave it behind. It was already fully grown, not a puppy, but afraid Gir would scold him, Fria hid it in his room anyway.

Eventually he was discovered. He had even gone on a hunger strike to protest when Gir objected because of the risk of rabies, yet one day the dog vanished without a trace.

Fria had shared his meals with it and treasured it dearly, so its disappearance without even a goodbye had hurt more than he liked to admit.

Thinking back now, perhaps he really had done something wrong back then.

Just like he himself currently wanted to run away from an incompetent owner.

“Are you going to keep wearing that?”

At Owen’s comment, directed toward the soaking wet nightshirt, Fria looked troubled. The thought of climbing naked into the same bath as the emperor had been too overwhelming, so he had entered fully clothed instead.

But now the drenched fabric clung to him uncomfortably, making it difficult even to wash properly. If only Owen would leave first once they were done.

Fria looked at him with eyes full of desperate hope.

“You’ll have to take it off if you want me to wash you.”

Completely misreading Fria’s gaze, Owen urged him to undress. The sponge clenched in one hand somehow made him look absurdly confident.

“How could I dare commit such disrespect toward Your Majesty? I can wash the rest myself, so perhaps Your Majesty should retire early and rest first?”

At this point, worrying about manners was laughable considering all the disrespect the concubine had committed since their first night together.

Fria’s transparent attempt to pretend concern for him was painfully obvious. Besides, the wet nightshirt was several dozen times more provocative than complete nudity.

After considering briefly, Owen handed the sponge over.

Taking it, Fria slipped his hand beneath the soaked fabric and began washing himself. Even if they had already shared a bed, he refused to become overly familiar with the emperor, so he stubbornly endured the uncomfortable bath anyway.

Owen’s indifferent expression as he openly watched from arm’s reach irritated him enough that Fria briefly considered splashing water in his face, but barely restrained himself.

Finally, Fria scooped clean water from the bucket beside the tub and poured it over himself before standing up. Owen climbed out after him and tilted his head again toward the linen cloth waiting nearby.

‘Imperials really don’t have hands of their own.’

Sighing deeply, Fria picked up the cloth and began drying the water streaming down Owen’s body. Why were his shoulders so broad and his height so ridiculous? Fria had to stretch both arms upward and rise onto his toes just to reach properly.

Carefully blurring his gaze to avoid looking lower, Fria finished drying him off. Surely now that he had finished attending to him, Owen would leave first. Unfortunately, the moment had come when Fria would have to remove the soaked nightshirt he’d stubbornly kept on.

Owen draped a towel over Fria’s wet hair, then grabbed another and covered his face entirely. He pressed firmly to absorb the moisture from his skin before unfolding it again over the top of his head. With his vision blocked, Fria tilted his head up irritably.

Then Owen began vigorously rubbing the towel around like he was drying the fur of a soaked puppy.

‘Haah…’

Fria sighed repeatedly while his head shook inside the towel. Today, in many ways, was making him appreciate Judith anew.

“…the.”

At the muffled sound beneath the towel, Owen paused.

“What did you say?”

“The dog. What happened to the dog you raised?”

The puppy he had received as a gift when he was five had reached adulthood before Owen did. As though mocking the late growth Owen only began catching up to afterward, the dog aged far too quickly and eventually died in his arms as an old hound.

“It died.”

Fria flinched beneath Owen’s hand gripping his face. Apparently he’d misunderstood and assumed Owen himself had killed it. Owen chose not to correct the misunderstanding. A little fear would probably make him more obedient in the future.

Fria was too frightened to ask how it had died. Even someone already awaiting death preferred not to meet a gruesome end. Beneath the towel draped over his shoulders, Fria struggled to calm his pounding heart.

“I told them to find something I wore around fourteen.”

When Fria lifted his head toward the two sets of nightclothes waiting outside the bath, Owen answered without changing expression.

“Thank you for such overwhelming generosity.”

Watching Fria answer with a sulky face, Owen’s lips curved slightly upward. Fria immediately interpreted the expression as mockery, deepening the crease between his brows.

‘Do I have to dress him too?’

While Fria was seriously considering it, Owen casually dropped the towel wrapped around his waist and unfolded his own nightshirt. While Owen dressed, Fria hurriedly removed both the towel and his soaked clothes before quickly pulling on his own set.

Owen watched with interest as the slender body he had already seen dozens of times disappeared beneath the loose nightshirt. Though Fria’s words were always polite, every movement and expression carried an undercurrent of rebellion.

A concubine who openly supported traitors truly was unprecedented.

After Owen lay down first, Fria cautiously approached the bed.

Last night he had fallen asleep before becoming fully aware of the situation, but this was the first time he would lie beside the emperor without the purpose of s*x.

His pacing halted at the bedside before he carefully lifted the blankets from the foot of the bed. Leaving as much distance between them as physically possible without falling off the mattress, Fria quietly turned onto his side.

For the first time in a long while, Owen slept deeply without tossing and turning.

****

Volumes one, two, and three of Discussions Between Krohipatos and His Disciples.
Volumes one through six of Lezenon’s rebuttal essays.

Staring at the mountain of books stacked on the tea table, Fria nearly dropped his teacup in horror.

‘Did he seriously bring these for me to read? This is torture.’

Watching Fria’s horrified expression, Owen calmly added another five books onto the pile.

“Please stop. This is more than enough!”

Fria waved both hands in panic, and Owen tilted his chin slightly as though genuinely surprised by the reaction.

“I specifically selected works concerning treasonous thought. They’re not outright banned books, but they certainly aren’t recommended reading. If you dislike them, I’ll take them away.”

“What?”

Startled, Fria hurriedly opened one of the books. They were controversial new works impossible to find in ordinary libraries.

“I won’t be back until late tonight, so behave yourself.”

At Owen’s next words, Fria’s eyes widened even more. There was a banquet scheduled tonight, meaning dinner, reading time, and their nightly walk would all be skipped.

As the wall slid shut again after Owen left, Fria stretched luxuriously across the bed.

After eating the dinner brought by the chamberlain, he relaxed while reading the books Owen had provided. After shifting positions several times, Fria suddenly sat upright.

Perhaps he’d been influenced by all the stories of knights. It suddenly felt wasteful to spend this precious evening without the emperor merely reading books as usual.

The emperor had allowed him freedom within the private garden, but nowhere else. Even if he ventured into the official bedchamber, the servants would notice immediately.

Which left only one possible route.

The roof.

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