IGLAC 05

Chapter 05

“Where is the client… or rather, the owner of this house? I’ll speak to him before I leave.”

“I don’t know either. I only just arrived because the chief aide ordered me to attend to you, miss. Please… let me do my job. I made a mistake yesterday too, and if you leave, my younger siblings who are waiting for me will go hungry.”

Feeling the soft towel in her hands, Luna fidgeted with her fingers.

The client had seemed rather strict.

Besides, she hadn’t actually completed the commission. Leaving now didn’t feel right. And after hearing that children even younger than this maid depended on her wages for food, Luna found herself unable to take another step.

“I suppose I don’t have much choice. Where’s the bath?”

* * *

Wearing an awkward expression, Luna undressed inside the enormous bathroom.

She had often seen bedrooms connected to studies.

But a bathroom this gigantic attached to someone’s bedroom?

That was a first.

Does the owner simply have strange tastes… or is this just how obscenely wealthy people waste money?

Having spent her entire life struggling to make ends meet, she could only laugh bitterly.

After dismissing the maid, Luna wrapped herself in a bath towel.

Like the bedroom, every lamp here had been extinguished.

Fortunately, moonlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, making the room bright enough to see.

As she walked farther toward the bath, warm steam enveloped her entire body.

A refreshing fragrance reminiscent of a forest at dawn drifted pleasantly through the air.

“My favorite scent.”

The displeasure on Luna’s face quickly melted into a rosy blush.

Parting her lips slightly, she cautiously lowered one toe into the steaming water before slowly sinking in.

“…!”

Warmth washed over her.

Every ounce of tension dissolved.

“Haa…”

“So the client really is rich.”

The luxurious bath was so extravagant that she couldn’t help speaking aloud.

I shouldn’t have hesitated.

I should’ve agreed to bathe immediately.

She even found herself looking forward to the meal they had promised after her bath.

Scooping up warm water, Luna rinsed away the rain and sweat clinging to her body.

Soon she was humming to herself.

The sound of dripping water echoed softly, almost harmonizing with her tune.

Just how enormous is this bath?

The opposite side was hidden behind thick steam.

She couldn’t even see where it ended.

Stretching her shoulders lazily and rolling her neck, Luna curiously admired her surroundings.

“What’s… that?”

Something caught her eye through the mist.

In the distance—

A faint violet glow rippled gently through the steam.

At first she assumed it was some sort of decoration.

But the light brightened…

Then dimmed…

Almost as though it were alive.

I should just finish bathing and leave.

That would be the polite thing to do.

Yet once her curiosity had been piqued, she couldn’t stop glancing toward it.

Eventually…

Luna waded through the water until it reached her thighs.

I’m alone, so what’s the harm? It’s not like anyone’s going to scold me—

Her amused smile froze.

Her legs stopped moving.

As she approached the purple glow…

She realized it belonged to a person.

Startled beyond belief, Luna couldn’t even scream.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Her trembling eyes stared at the naked man before her.

H-He… he’s asleep… right?

The broad-shouldered, muscular man leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.

Every slow breath he took caused the mysterious violet light beneath the water to pulse gently before fading again.

Luna’s gaze unconsciously drifted lower—

Then she hurriedly looked away.

Gulp.

Heat rushed into her ears.

She had immediately recognized him.

The client.

The purple glow she had been so curious about…

…was the mark that identified someone afflicted by the curse.

Luna desperately tried to calm herself.

This is obviously just an accident.

She simply needed to quietly leave.

She had wanted to meet the client.

But certainly not like this.

Taking a careful breath, she silently stepped backward.

If she climbed out of the bath now…

Everything would be fine.

Splash!

“…!”

Without warning, a large wet hand seized her wrist.

Luna lost her balance as powerful strength pulled her forward.

Startled, she instinctively reached out to catch herself.

Her skin brushed across thick muscles.

The unfamiliar sensation widened her eyes.

“Hah!”

Her heart nearly stopped.

Every tiny hair on her body stood on end.

Instinctively lifting her gaze—

She met a pair of pale blue eyes.

Whenever the dim violet light shimmered beneath the water, his sharp gaze cut through the darkness.

“I am rich.”

His calm voice drifted into her ears.

Yet something about his tone was distinctly cold.

What is wrong with this man?

Has he been listening ever since I came into the bath?

Then why didn’t he make his presence known?

What is this situation?

Luna’s shoulders trembled.

He hadn’t reacted at all until she’d come this close.

Did I somehow fail to notice him?

Regardless…

She needed to leave.

They were so close now that one wrong movement would send her falling into his embrace.

As the client exhaled lazily, watching his chest rise and fall made her feel dizzy.

Twisting his lips into a faint smile, Khalid silently observed her.

She had become as stiff as a wooden doll.

Without another word, he snapped his fingers.

A magical lamp that responded only to its owner burst into light.

“…!”

The sudden brightness made Luna blink.

Now she could see him clearly.

He was breathtakingly beautiful in an almost inhuman way.

A man who seemed born from winter itself.

Someone who looked as though he would stand amidst a world of pure white snow, gathering every ray of light until he shone brilliantly.

His silver hair looked impossibly smooth despite being wet.

Every feature of his face was flawlessly proportioned.

His pale, flawless skin contrasted with his massive frame.

Below his sharp jawline, his broad shoulders and sculpted muscles were balanced with almost artistic perfection.

Every ripple of water washing over the contours of his body seemed to soothe a furious mountain.

Before she realized it…

Her eyes had wandered back to him.

Was his chest always this intimidating?

Neither of them spoke.

The only sound…

Was the endless rain tapping softly against the windows.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Forcing down the strange flutter in her chest, Luna suddenly realized…

One of her hands was resting against his broad shoulder.

“Hyaaah!”

She let out an odd scream loud enough to echo beyond the bathroom.

She jerked her hand away so violently that the recoil nearly sent her tumbling backward.

Water splashed everywhere.

Khalid frowned and caught both sides of Luna’s slender waist.

“You’re certainly full of surprises.”

“Th-This… um… thank you…”

Regaining her balance, Luna looked up at him with pitifully curved brows.

Never in her life…

Had a nearly naked man who looked like a living sculpture calmly held her by the waist inside a bath.

Thankfully he was sitting down.

Otherwise…

She would have died from embarrassment.

To make matters worse, the towel wrapped around her body was gradually loosening.

What exactly is this man trying to do?!

Desperate to escape, she squirmed helplessly.

Her flushed face lowered, avoiding his increasingly intense gaze.

Then—

“You’re quite the actress.”

His icy voice pierced straight through her.

“…What?”

“Did the Ravens teach you?”

“To approach men innocently while showing off a seductive body?”

“What are you talking about…?”

“You’ve got more nerve than most.”

Luna looked up in confusion.

His emotionless gaze was piercingly cold.

“How desperate are you for money?”

“Mage…”

“Have you no shame at all?”

“…!”

She was desperate for money.

But those words stung deeply.

That’s going too far.

I was forced into this commission in the first place!

“I was going to cut you down.”

“But I’ve changed my mind.”

“You came here to purify me.”

“So do it.”

“I didn’t come for that.”

His overbearing command immediately provoked her temper.

What is wrong with this arrogant, rude man?

The warmth she’d been feeling moments ago rushed straight to her head as anger.

“You didn’t?”

Khalid gave a short laugh.

Tilting his chin arrogantly, the hand that had remained still slowly slid across her waist.

It was as though he found her denial completely unbelievable.

Luna’s bright pink eyes widened before narrowing into a glare.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Clutching her towel tightly to keep it from slipping, she shouted.

Khalid found the little rabbit before him irritating.

Even now…

She continued pretending.

The defiance burning in her eyes stirred something deep within him.

It was an unfamiliar sensation.

Annoyed by it, he immediately buried it beneath cold indifference.

Instinctively sensing the abrupt change in the atmosphere, Luna took a step backward.

That was when Khalid’s expression darkened.

“Ah!”

“Let go!”

His powerful arm effortlessly caught her fragile body.

Grabbing her wrist, Khalid forcefully pulled her toward the side marked by the curse.

“My patience ends here.”

“You’ve delayed long enough.”

“Purify me.”

His voice was low and dangerous, each word squeezed through clenched teeth.

Smack!

A sharp slap echoed throughout the bathroom.

For a brief instant…

The handsome man’s face became as rigid as stone.

One side of his cheek burned fiercely—

As if Luna had bitten into it with all her strength.