Compared to his upper body, which had a lipstick mark near the collarbone, his lower body was a disastrous sight.
At first, Kane frowned as he wiped the marks away, but when he saw that the wiping only left stains on the towel that would need washing, he simply took another hot bath. He used the hot water to wash away those terrible-looking, ice-blue marks.
He did not know exactly who had done it, but that person had better hope he never found out. Otherwise, he would certainly give them a harsh lesson in etiquette.
‘What is the meaning of this? If the goal was just to frame me with the Queen, the marks on my upper body would have been enough. Why did they actually go that far? There’s no way that Ice Queen would do something like this before she’s even been charmed. Doesn’t this just prove it wasn’t her?’
Moreover, to prevent Kane from waking up halfway through, there was a high probability that some kind of hypnosis magic had been used on him while he was fast asleep.
It was truly foul.
If Kane were still a prince, he could naturally conduct an investigation, whether openly or in the shadows. But now, he was merely a visitor from another world. He had no one to command and could only proceed with caution on his own.
***
“Lord Kane, was today’s meal to your liking?”
“It was flawless. Please convey my gratitude to the chef. Of course, I am also grateful to all of you for taking care of me. May the gods bless you, beautiful ladies.”
“Lord Kane, you are far too kind. This is only our duty~”
Shortly after 7:00 AM, when the maid who had delivered his meal and two other maids prepared to clean his room appeared before him, Kane had already returned to his usual self.
With such a polite and refined demeanor, no one would ever suspect what had happened to him last night. After all, even Kane himself did not fully know.
In any case, after a round of polite pleasantries, Kane proceeded to the library as planned, while the maids remained to clean and tidy his room.
After his bath, Kane had returned to the bed to check it thoroughly. Fortunately, no other marks had been left behind, so there was no risk of the maids discovering anything.
Upon arriving at the library, Kane told himself to temporarily forget that unpleasant incident. He focused on leafing through books, learning about the knowledge of this world to better understand how to survive here.
When a person focuses intently on a task, time passes quickly. He remained immersed in the sea of knowledge, completely losing track of time until someone spoke to greet him.
“… Lord Kane, I know this is rude, but do you have a moment?”
It was a young woman’s voice that sounded very rational. Although the tone itself was cold, the manner of speaking was quite polite. Just hearing the voice allowed one to vaguely imagine an intellectual and elegant noblewoman.
“Hmm? Ah, of course. Lady Altina, is there something you need from me?”
Hearing the voice, Kane looked back. After confirming it was indeed the blonde, blue-eyed “Cold-Blooded Lady,” Altina, he naturally responded to her with a smile.
“… I appreciate your generosity, Lord Kane. If it is convenient for you, please ensure you head to Her Majesty’s office at 1:30 PM. If it is not convenient, I hope you can provide a specific time so that I may report back to the Queen.”
If Kane was a polite gentleman who was courteous to everyone, then Altina spoke to Kane like a subordinate addressing a superior. Her words were filled with respect for him.
Conversely, her attitude was strictly business, devoid of even a hint of personal emotion. It could be said that she strictly observed her status, offering no superfluous words or actions.
Since the “Cold-Blooded Master” from the original work had a similar personality, Kane did not mind. Rather than Altina’s personality, he was more concerned about the fact that Queen Corellia wanted to see him.
‘Could it be that the Queen knows about last night? It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it?’
“I have no other business. It is my honor that Her Majesty wishes to see me. I will arrive on time.”
There was no point in useless speculation; it was better to face the Queen directly. Therefore, Kane clearly stated that he would go.
“… I understand. Then, please follow me now.”
Hearing Kane agree, Altina simply nodded with a calm expression and made a gesture inviting him to move.
This surprised Kane. ‘What, we’re going right now?’
Wouldn’t it be a bit early if they went now… ‘Wait, it’s already 1:10 PM?!’
Startled, Kane instinctively looked at the clock hanging on the library wall. Realizing there were only 20 minutes left until 1:30 PM, he felt somewhat awkward.
Before Altina could ask if there was a problem, he quickly closed the book in his hand, returned it to the shelf, and began to move quickly.
Once he started walking, Altina followed behind and to his side like a bodyguard. Although Kane did not speak, his recent actions were silently observed by Altina, who was evaluating his character in her mind.
The reason she walked behind and to his side was to facilitate observing how he interacted with others.
‘He cannot ignore my presence the way Her Majesty does. Does he find it uncomfortable to have someone following him? No… even if he isn’t a prince in this world, he was one in the other. He should be used to having followers. Then why is this?’
Because Kane kept turning his head or glancing back to check on her on the way to the Queen’s office, Altina — who was dressed in a form-fitting gown that highlighted her figure — was somewhat puzzled.
However, she was not a dull person and soon realized where the issue lay.
‘Is it because the “me” in his world was of the same sex? But in this world, I am of the opposite sex, and he is likely not used to being followed by a woman. I see. That explains why his reaction is different from Her Majesty’s.’
Without asking, Altina came up with an answer to her own question. And she wasn’t entirely wrong.
Kane was indeed uncomfortable because Altina, a prominent beauty with high status and extraordinary looks, was following him.
Feeling that it was awkward to have Altina behind him, Kane tried to find a suitable topic — preferably one that wouldn’t increase their emotional bond but was appropriate for colleagues.
However, every time he thought of a topic and looked back at Altina’s cold and exquisite face, the words died in his throat. Kane had a premonition that no matter what he said, Altina would likely respond in a serious, subordinate manner.
What Kane actually wanted was to avoid acting like they were master and servant. Having distance was a good thing, but this attitude of treating him like the Queen still made him feel uneasy.
What Kane did not know, however, was that while he was only observing Altina to ease the awkwardness, Altina was giving him a very high evaluation in her heart.
After all, knowing how to be mindful of others already made him better than the current Ice Queen.
‘As expected, compared to the current Queen, this lord is more suited to be the ruler of this country…’
In this manner, while Kane remained hesitant to speak, the cold-faced Altina straightened her slender and tight waist even further. Her legs, clad in black silk stockings and high heels, moved with more forceful strides, as if she were guarding a true King as she escorted Kane to the door of Queen Corellia’s office.