Lewd Courtship - Chapter 4

A drowsy stillness lingered in the bedroom as the maids began their morning preparations. They gathered the clothes strewn across the floor and opened the windows to air out the room.

The scent of grass from the garden drifted in through the open window. Stirred by the fresh aroma, Rachel sluggishly sat up. Three men had apparently been too much—her body ached, heavy with exhaustion. She wanted nothing more than to rest, but as a princess, she couldn’t neglect her morning preparations.

After washing with the help of her attendants, she sat before the vanity. Her emerald-green eyes, vivid as midsummer grass, met her own gaze in the mirror. Her freshly washed crimson hair, still damp, caught her attention.

Hmm… How should I style my hair today?

Though grooming was a princess’s duty, Rachel did enjoy adorning herself—at least when her body wasn’t thoroughly spent.

Last night, at her birthday banquet, she had pinned up her hair and weighed it down with heavy ornaments.

Because of that, her scalp still felt tight and sore. It seemed best to give her overworked scalp a break today.

“I want a half-up style. Tie it as loosely as possible.”

Rachel’s maid, Maria, replied in an awkward tone.

“That’s a very good idea, but how about putting it all up instead?”
“Huh? Why?”
“His Majesty just sent over a dress as a gift. He also included a message saying it would be nice if Your Highness wore it during the morning greeting. I don’t think a half-up style would suit that dress.”

When Maria pointed behind her, the other maids pulled off the cloth covering the dress.

Rachel’s eyes widened as she looked over the gown. Made of luxurious, pure white fabric, it clung tightly to the upper body and sparkled with silver dust sprinkled along the waistline. The hem was adorned with densely set diamonds, creating a look that was both elegant and extravagant.

It was an extremely beautiful dress, but Rachel tilted her head in confusion. She was the youngest daughter born late to the King and Queen of Porhen and had grown up showered with love—not only from her parents but also from her older brothers, the princes.

Thanks to this excessive affection and constant stream of gifts, the wardrobe rooms in the Princess’s Palace had grown to over thirty in number.

Even so, Rachel found it strange to receive a dress gift first thing in the morning especially since she’d already been given a top-grade sapphire for her birthday yesterday.
No matter how much her father loved her, he wasn’t the kind of man who indulged in extravagance without reason.

“He sent me another dress? And told me to wear it for the morning greeting?”

Rachel didn’t bother to hide her suspicion. At that, Maria gestured to the lower-ranking maids who had been tidying the room. They quickly left the bedroom, and Maria leaned in to whisper confidentially.

“It really is a dress from His Majesty. We were curious too, so we looked into it… and we believe it may be connected to an important guest arriving from the Nemeas Empire.”
“An important guest?”
“Yes. His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of Nemeas is expected to visit the royal castle sometime today or tomorrow.”
“The Emperor…?”

The image of the Emperor’s face, which she had seen long ago, flashed through Rachel’s mind.

It was five years ago, when Rachel had been seventeen. At the time, Nemeas wasn’t yet an empire but a kingdom like Porhen. However, just two years after the third prince, Killian, ascended the throne, Nemeas transformed into an empire. It was thanks to Killian, a workaholic who drove himself mad with ambition, rapidly expanding the nation’s power.

Killian Nemeas.

When he first declared war on neighboring countries, the entire continent mocked him as a mad king. But Rachel’s father, the King of Porhen, was a wise ruler with excellent judgment and intelligence-gathering abilities.

He was the only one who supported Nemeas and was now guaranteed security as the empire’s closest allied nation. Their relations had grown strong; five years ago, during the Nemeas imperial coronation ceremony, most of the Porhen royal family had been invited and treated to a luxurious banquet.

He was incredibly handsome, too.

Rachel recalled the Emperor slicing into his steak with an elegant gesture. His hair was as dark as the night sky—

Her gaze had been captivated by his vibrant teal eyes.
Combined with his fair skin, the reddish hue of his lips, his sharp eyes, and sculpted nose, he exuded a decadent allure. If Rachel had been of age five years ago—rather than just seventeen—she might have dragged him straight to the bedroom. That’s how attractive he was.

Should I try seducing him this time?