Chapter 80 : Secret (15)

Tug-of-War.

The nobles considered it a pointless activity, but Ayla had played it as a child.

No, perhaps calling it “childhood” wasn’t quite right. Both she and he had already grown too much by then.

Though Ayla was the illegitimate daughter of a noble, she had grown up among commoners. Even if those around her treated her as a noble, there were no distinctions when it came to training.

The only consideration given to her was that she was only matched against female opponents.

So, the only male she ever competed against was him. And the only opponent she ever lost to was also him.

His presence always felt like a shadow trailing behind Ayla.

The commoner girls her age often made remarks suggesting their relationship was something more, but officially, he was merely Ayla’s possession.

Ayla never truly thought of him that way, but it was more convenient to leave things as they were.

He didn’t seem to mind much either.

He understood that staying by her side was easier that way.

Spending time with the commoners occasionally led to her joining their games a few times a year.

One time, that “game” happened to be tug-of-war.

Ayla never really understood how it came to that.

It started as a verbal argument among the commoners, then their instructor intervened to mediate, and in the end, it turned into a contest of strength to determine right from wrong.

To balance the teams, both Ayla and he were added to the game.

Since he was Ayla’s shadow, he naturally ended up on her team.

After some strategic discussion, Ayla was positioned at the very back of the group of commoner girls.

He stood behind her.

The opposing team was disgruntled about having a boy on Ayla’s side, but by that point, the excitement of the game had taken over, and no one made a big deal out of it.

The outcome was predictable.

Ayla was already far stronger than the other commoner girls, and he was even stronger than her.

Losing was never an option for their team.

The winning team cheered, while the losing team, expecting defeat, merely shook their heads in disbelief.

Looking back, Ayla suspected that their instructor had orchestrated the whole thing as a way to help them blend in better.

But that wasn’t what stood out most in Ayla’s memory from that day.

As the thick rope was pulled toward their side, Ayla lost her balance.

The opposing team had let go faster than expected, surrendering too easily.

But the one behind her did not lose his balance.

With a thud, Ayla fell into his embrace.

A warmth enveloped her from behind.

“Ayla.”

His voice tickled her ear.

“Are you okay?”

Flustered, Ayla couldn’t respond properly.

She hesitated, stealing glances.

What would it feel like to lean on those broad shoulders?

What if she wrapped her arms around him, held on tight?

But even though they had held hands and linked arms before, she couldn’t bring herself to cross that line.

It felt like too much.

Even when he hinted that he would give up his own life for her in the end, she had been too afraid to act.

She told herself it was because she didn’t want him to die, but deep down, she knew that was just an excuse.

If she could go back, she would never make the same choice.

She only realized the depth of her regret after searching for him—only to find that he had vanished without a trace.

Why did she suddenly think of that now, as she looked at Luna’s back?

She wasn’t even looking into those familiar purple eyes.

When Ayla ordered, “Change into your nightwear,” Luna slowly undressed.

Ayla hadn’t even allowed her to step into the bathroom.

Did she feel humiliated?

Was she disgusted by the situation?

If the Count had given such an order to Ayla, she knew she would have felt the same way.

Ayla had hidden a sword in her room.

When Luna first came to find her, Ayla had never imagined she would appear like this.

At the very least, Ayla had wanted to protect herself—so she had hidden the blade.

But the time that sword had remained hidden was exactly the same amount of time that Ayla had been living in this mansion.

Had she truly only intended to use it against an intruder?

If someone asked whether she had hidden it to cut off the Count’s head instead…

If someone asked whether she had locked herself away and forbidden any servants from entering to maintain at least the bare minimum of swordsmanship…

Ayla wouldn’t be able to deny it.

Did she deny his determination and then suddenly think, ‘I don’t want this’ now?

Did she believe it was only proper to uphold the pure affection she couldn’t bear to abandon?

Once she killed the Count, only death would await her.

Srrk.

Luna’s maid uniform slipped off her body.

Her back was fully exposed, and the fabric that usually clung to her like black armor collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

A white back was revealed.

Completely unblemished, as white as a blank canvas.

Even though no one was watching from the front, Luna stood with her hands crossed over her chest, her back appearing delicate.

Her short hair swayed precariously, partially hiding the nape of her neck, which led down to soft shoulders.

And beneath that, a flawless, straight back.

Her waist, so slender it looked like it could be held in two hands, dipped inward before curving out again into rounded hips.

That part, at least, was covered by underwear, making it impossible to see.

A soft sigh escaped.

It was Luna’s voice as she let her clothes fall.

That sound abruptly pulled Ayla’s mind back to reality.

She felt a faint sense of revulsion.

She had rejected the title of ‘Countess,’ insisting that Luna call her ‘Ayla.’

And yet, her actions now were a complete contradiction, making full use of the authority of that title.

Ayla had no idea what Luna was thinking as she offered herself.

But with time, it became increasingly clear that her thoughts were closer to ‘devotion.’

Could she really make Luna do something like this?

“……No.”

“……Lady Ayla?”

The room was so quiet that even Ayla’s whispered words reached Luna’s ears.

Luna turned her head slightly toward her.

As her waist twisted, her upper body became partially visible, and despite her arms pressed against her chest, a bit of flesh peeked out below her forearms.

From Luna’s back and waist alone, her body seemed undeniably thin.

And yet, that one part looked oddly ‘plump’—so much so that it seemed almost surreal.

“No.”

Ayla hastily corrected herself.

Right. No.

This wasn’t about tormenting Luna.

It was about uncovering the truth.

Finding out what secret Luna was hiding.

Understanding what she was really thinking.

There are many ways to evade a ‘command.’

Countless ways to withhold the truth without telling a lie.

Luna could do the same.

This was a game of tug-of-war.

A battle between Ayla and Luna.

Between the one hiding her true feelings and the one determined to uncover them.

So, if Luna refused to speak, she was the one in the wrong.

That was how Ayla chose to see it.

It made things easier.

Just as she had once thought rejecting his heart was ‘for his sake,’ this was another self-serving, cowardly excuse.

But that was just who Ayla was.

“Yes, no. You can’t just stay like that, can you?”

So Ayla spoke, concealing her thoughts and feelings beneath an authoritative tone.

“I told you to get dressed.”

“Understood.”

Luna carefully reached for the clothes on the table.

They belonged to Ayla.

Even though Ayla had told her to stay in the next room, she hadn’t moved her belongings there.

Fortunately, Ayla was the bigger one, but their body types weren’t drastically different.

The only noticeable difference was that the hem of the dress fell slightly lower on Luna than it did on Ayla.

Swish.

The soft silk of the dress brushed against Luna’s smooth back.

“How is it? It’s one of my dresses.”

Ayla asked.

“Does it smell like me?”

Both Ayla and Luna knew that was impossible.

Everything was washed thoroughly every day.

Ayla trusted Luna’s housekeeping.

By now, Luna had proven herself reliable enough that there was no reason to doubt her.

And yet, Luna blushed at Ayla’s words.

“Well, whatever.”

Ayla said.

“There’s not much else for you to do anyway, but until I go to sleep, you’ll serve me.”

“Understood, Lady Ayla.”

Luna, her face still flushed, answered without even looking Ayla in the eyes.

Ayla decided to be generous.

After all, Luna hadn’t fainted—she deserved some praise for that much.