Chapter 219: Your satisfaction
"Your Highness, these docunts need your signatures," said Zerah as he presented Izaak so papers with a fountain pen above them. He couldn’t help but notice the stormy expression on Izaak’s face, and he wondered if sothing had upset the prince.
Izaak signed the papers and returned them to Zerah.
"Your Highness, is everything alright?" Zerah asked in a humble tone.
"Hmm. Why do you ask?" Izaak’s gaze flickered towards him, sharp and probing.
"You seem sowhat perturbed, Your Highness. That’s why I dared to ask. I beg your pardon if I have overstepped," Zerah quickly bowed, his gesture one of sincere apology.
Just as Izaak was about to dismiss Zerah, a maidservant delicately intruded, announcing that the bathhouse was prepared for the prince’s use. The ntion of the bath jolted Izaak’s mory - he had nearly forgotten about it amidst his conversation with Lillian.
His sister, Lillian, had thrown a wrench into his carefully laid plans. He had intended to gradually unveil his life to lody, to let her understand him at her own pace. But Lillian’s untily intervention had shattered his strategy to pieces.
Why, of all tis, did she have to appear when lody was present?
"Very well. You may depart," Izaak commanded.
Zerah, however, lingered for a mont, a frown creasing his forehead. He watched as the prince, usually so full of vitality, trudged towards the bathhouse, his shoulders slumped and his energy noticeably diminished.
"What could possibly have caused His Highness such distress?" he murmured to himself, his gaze lingering on the retreating figure of the prince.
Shaking off his concerns, Zerah turned his attention back to the docunts in his hands. They were of utmost importance and needed to be dispatched to the council without delay. With a final glance at the now-empty chamber, he hurriedly left to fulfill his duty.
Shrugging off his regal attire, Izaak made his way towards the expansive pool of water. As he eased himself into the warm embrace of the water, he could feel the tension seeping out of his muscles.
His elbows found rest on the wooden ledge of the bath, his gaze drifting aimlessly across the ornate ceiling. The soft sound of the sliding door caught his attention, causing his eyes to darken. He knew it was lody.
His fingers instinctively curled, his gaze dropping to the water that was a beautiful canvas of rose petals, their fragrance mingling with the aromatic essential oils, creating a tranquil ambiance.
"Your Highness, I shall assist you with your bath today," lody announced, her gaze firmly fixed on the ground. Her voice held a tremor, a hint of fear that was uncharacteristic of her.
Izaak allowed her to proceed, choosing to remain silent. He was at a loss, unsure of how to nd the rift that had ford between them, uncertain of how to reveal his true nature to her.
The undeniable truth lood over him like a dark cloud - he had been responsible for the deaths of his four previous wives. If lody were to question him about this, he was unsure of what he would say. These thoughts only intensified the throbbing headache that was beginning to form.
lody applied the soap to Izaak’s shoulder while keeping her eyes low. Her hand was trembling, in fact, her whole body was after what she heard earlier through Lillian’s mouth.
Izaak, the man she served, had a dark and bloody past. He was a widower four tis over, each wife eting a tragic and untily end at his hands.
The realization hit her like a bolt from the blue, filling her with a dread she had never known before. Suddenly, the reluctance of certain maidservants to serve Izaak made sense.
His volatile temper was infamous, but this... this was sothing else entirely. It was a chilling insight into the man she was bound to serve, a man capable of such heinous acts.
"You’ll scrape my skin off if you keep lathering the sa spot," he remarked, pulling her back to the present.
Startled, lody quickly retracted her hand as if she had touched a hot stove. Hastily, she doused the area with water, washing away the excess soap. "My apologies," she murmured, "I’ll be more mindful."
Once her task was complete, Izaak dismissed her, instructing her to wait in the dressing chamber. With a respectful bow, lody made a hasty exit from the bathhouse. The man she had once perceived as kind-hearted now filled her with fear.
The terrifying thought of becoming his next victim haunted her. What if her service was not up to his standards? Would she et the sa fate as his previous wives?
As she navigated the corridors towards the dressing chamber, she found herself wrestling with a difficult question.
"Should I inform the prince that I wish to terminate my service here?" she mumbled to herself, her heart heavy with uncertainty and fear.
She contemplated, trying to find a way to run away. Now, she understood why Izaak pampered her with the gifts. She was his target and he wanted to feed her before showing her the end.
’I can’t die this early. I have yet to...’ her thoughts paused as Izaak entered the chamber.
"Did you take out my clothes?" His voice reverberated in the chamber as he walked toward the dressing table in a robe.
lody headed to the cupboard. She carefully selected a crisp, well-pressed outfit for Izaak. As she presented the clothes to him, she found herself voicing the thoughts that had been plaguing her.
"Your Highness, I’ve been contemplating resigning from my position," she confessed, surprised at her own audacity to address Izaak so directly.
His eyes, which had been blinking rhythmically, ca to a sudden halt. He turned to look at her, his gaze piercing.
"Why?" Izaak asked. "Is the work not to your satisfaction?" he inquired further. "Or is it because of the conversation between
and Lillian?"
"N-no," lody stuttered while answering him.
"Why don’t you look at ?" Izaak questioned in a cold voice.
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