There are many ways to spend time, such as reading or training late into the night.
Some nobles may enjoy secret meetings.
But Ayla has rarely lived that way.
She has never allowed her body to anyone, nor is she particularly ambitious.
If she had to choose one, she would pick swordsmanship, but finding a worthy sparring partner is not easy.
For Ayla, whose appearance and physique are important, lacking such skills is worse than having none at all.
Did the baron truly believe that Ayla needed sword training?
Ayla did not think so.
If the baron had intended to sell her off as a concubine to another noble, he wouldn’t have let her do anything that might scar her body or roughen her hands.
Rather, in reality, Ayla’s master was likely there just to watch over and protect her.
To keep her pure and pristine.
To ensure she would become the perfect bride.
Though, ironically, the master acted quite the opposite.
That was why she felt grateful.
More than the baron, who only saw her as a tool, her master—who, despite his indifference, at least gave her a chance to dream—was the better choice.
Even if it was simply because he didn’t care.
At least, those days were the happiest moments of her life.
Regardless, Ayla had no particular hobbies now either.
If a shadow, a witch’s apprentice, or the empress herself decided to talk to her at this hour, she would listen—though that had never happened before.
In this room, only Ayla and Luna remained, doing nothing.
It was still a bit too early to call it the deep night.
For commoners who woke at dawn to work in the fields, maybe, but for nobles, this was the time for banquets and balls.
Even Ayla usually stayed awake at this hour—
“I’m feeling a bit tired today.”
Ayla spoke drowsily.
Then, she rose from the sofa.
Luna, who had been silently by her side, stepped aside.
The dress she wore still clung tightly to her figure, making the moment seem slightly absurd.
“Shall we sleep early?”
As Ayla said this and headed for the bed, Luna followed.
Ayla carelessly kicked off her indoor slippers and climbed onto the bed, while Luna picked them up and neatly placed them beside the bed before standing by Ayla’s side.
As Ayla slipped under the blanket, Luna bent forward.
Her demeanor carried an unmistakable sense of relief, which slightly irritated Ayla.
“Have a peaceful night.”
Luna then turned to turn off the lights—
“Wait.”
At Ayla’s words, Luna halted.
“I’m not asleep yet.”
With those words, Ayla turned Luna back around.
“You have a job to do until I fall asleep.”
“……………I was careless. My apologies, Lady Ayla.”
Luna bowed deeply as she answered.
When offering the dress, Ayla had overlooked something.
Since it was fitted to Ayla, who was slightly taller than Luna, not only did it cover what should be covered, but it also left exposed what didn’t need to be hidden.
The slightly wider neckline revealed too much when it slipped down.
Though nothing truly improper was visible, it was still enough.
Luna straightened her back, erased all expression from her face as if on purpose, and gazed into the distance.
Was she planning to stay like that until Ayla fell asleep?
Ayla once again felt uneasy.
Why?
Surely, she had no inclination toward women.
The ballroom was always filled with beautiful ladies.
Many revealed their cleavage just as much as Luna did, and there were women with pale, soft skin, beautiful hair, and enchanting eyes.
But Ayla had never felt any desire for them.
No, she wasn’t even sure if this feeling was desire.
If she compared it to what she had felt for him, maybe—
“Luna.”
Ayla, lying with her head on the pillow, looked toward Luna and asked.
“You are my doll too, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you just standing there?”
It was irritating.
Luna, who was trying so hard to maintain distance.
Luna, who was making her feel this strange, unfamiliar emotion yet keeping her distance.
Ayla was annoyed.
She wanted to do something about this feeling.
…She knew it was a strange thing to say.
Ayla, who had gone so far as to hide a knife in her room in the name of purity, was now feeling this way toward a female servant.
Perhaps the nausea in the pit of her stomach was guilt toward him.
…Why?
Even as she thought this, Ayla found it difficult to suppress her emotions.
“A doll, right?”
“Lady Ayla?”
“A big doll should naturally be held while sleeping, shouldn’t it? Soft and warm.”
Ayla looked up at Luna and spoke as if it was nothing.
Luna froze stiff, literally.
“Are you refusing? Should I make it an order?”
Ayla’s heart sank for a moment as she saw Luna’s reaction.
But to escape that fear, she quickly added those words.
She must be fixated on those eyes.
Those rare, violet eyes.
That must be why she was forcing this role onto Luna.
Because he—who once belonged in her arms—could never return there again.
“…Understood.”
Luna’s voice grew small.
She hung her head low, but from Ayla’s position, lying down and looking up, her flushed face was clearly visible.
When Ayla pulled back the blanket, Luna cautiously climbed onto the bed.
And perhaps as a sign of defiance, she turned her back on Ayla and lay down. Keeping a little distance.
As she looked at Luna’s slightly disheveled black hair, which seemed to reveal her emotions, Ayla wondered if this was really okay.
But that thought didn’t last long.
Yeah. At least they weren’t facing each other.
Ayla slowly moved closer to Luna.
When her chest touched Luna’s back, Luna’s body flinched. Then, as if she were a fetus in her mother’s womb, she curled inward.
Was this also a form of resistance?
Yet Ayla herself could not resist. That warmth.
Luna’s body was warm.
Far more than just covering herself with a thick blanket.
It wasn’t about relying on her own body heat—Ayla was realizing for the first time how comforting it was to lean on someone else’s warmth.
That was why Ayla could never forget that one embrace.
But now, their positions were reversed.
Unlike before, when he had held her protectively as she fell backward, this time, Ayla was the one gently embracing Luna.
Before Luna could completely curl up, Ayla slid her hand between the bed and Luna’s waist.
Then, she reached over to the other side and placed her hand on Luna’s stomach, slowly stroking it.
Luna’s body trembled slightly.
Like a child hugging a teddy bear tightly and burying their nose in its soft fur, Ayla buried her face in Luna’s silky hair.
Through the familiar scent of the same soap she used, she could faintly pick up a slightly different scent.
Was that Luna’s scent?
Did she herself smell like this to him?
Squeeze.
Ayla pulled Luna even closer.
Her chest gently pressed against Luna’s back, her stomach met Luna’s, and her thigh brushed against Luna’s hips.
Luna couldn’t bring herself to say a word.
Ayla, too, couldn’t think of anything else.
She felt too at peace in that warmth.
She had forcefully pulled Luna into her arms, yet the relief of not being alone loosened all the tension in her body.
Ah, this is going to be addicting.
Tomorrow, and the day after, I’ll probably do the same thing.
Even as she thought that, she couldn’t bring herself to stop—
—Let’s just stay like this, holding each other until we fall asleep.
That was the conclusion Ayla reached.
But at the last moment, she managed to pull back just a little bit of reason.
That reason was—
“Luna.”
Ayla’s breath brushed against the nape of Luna’s neck, making her shiver.
“Nnhe…”
Luna’s voice seemed to reveal her inner thoughts, and Ayla let out a soft chuckle.
With a playful smirk, Ayla pressed down on Luna’s belly, that sensitive lower abdomen, rubbing it slightly as if to tease her.
“And of course,” Ayla murmured in a half-threatening tone.
“This stays a secret from everyone. Understood?”
“Luna, answer me.”
“Ah… I understand, Lady Ayla…”
Luna whispered back.
With every word she spoke, her back vibrated against Ayla.
Satisfied by that sensation, Ayla let her left hand wander a bit higher.
Soft, soft—this part was her stomach.
A little firmer—these were her ribs.
And above that—
A sudden rise.
Ayla gently traced the area beneath it with her fingers, tickling ever so slightly.
“Hnnng!?”
Luna’s legs squeezed together even tighter.
Maybe beneath the blankets, she was crossing her ankles, trying to endure something—or no, that was just Ayla’s imagination.
“If you ever tell anyone, this is the punishment you’ll get.”
“A-ah… I understand…”
Luna’s response satisfied Ayla.
And with that, she closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the creeping drowsiness.