The Guide Played Her Role as a Stand-in a Little Too Well - Chapter 175
When I look at Hedonia’s face, it often feels like the facts I know are turned upside down.
For example, there’s the angle at which photos are taken.
Usually, people prefer taking photos from the front or from above rather than from below.
That’s how most people are…
“It’s already 2 PM, you know? You were sleeping so heavily that I couldn’t wake you up.”
Why is Hedonia so beautiful even from this angle?
“I told the maid to inform me if you seemed to be awake, but you didn’t wake up at all. It seems that wasn’t necessary.”
I was wrong.
Hedonia’s face must have never known the word ‘humiliation.’
Hearing his words, it felt like I was the only one who had fallen asleep at the break of dawn.
In fact, there was someone else who tormented me until then.
I felt wronged.
Compared to me, Hedonia looked perfectly fine.
Naturally, memories of when I first met him came flooding back.
‘He had similar stamina to me back then.’
…This was the moment I realized that the Hedonia of that time no longer exists.
“You didn’t even wash properly before sleeping. I wiped you down after you fell asleep… but if you want, you can wash now.”
Hedonia, who was shaking water out of his hair with a towel, walked towards me.
His hair, still dripping with water, sparkled in the sunlight, reminiscent of a glittering surface on the water. And the body visible through the loosely draped robe was no less striking.
‘Nice.’
Seeing, touching, and talking to the face that had only appeared in dreams until now was incredibly satisfying.
But wait a moment.
As I admired his face, my mind finally started to process what Hedonia had said.
‘He wiped me down?’
No wonder my body felt so light despite having sweated. My body, which should have been sore and aching from the strain, felt so fresh and clean…
‘Did Hedonia clean me thoroughly?’
The more I recalled my body from yesterday, the more my face heated up. Even though we had seen each other naked before, it still felt embarrassing.
“How do you feel?”
Hedonia, sitting next to me, placed the back of his hand on my forehead and asked. Just having him close by gave me a sense of calm.
“Well, since you personally cleaned me… I was planning to take a bath anyway…”
Hedonia tilted his head in confusion.
“Of course, I had to do it.”
Hedonia narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at me with a gaze that wasn’t unkind.
“…Did you expect someone else to do it?”
He overlapped with the usual prickly Hedonia.
“No, I was just surprised that you did it yourself. You could have had the maid do it.”
I answered honestly.
“After all, you’re a duke.”
Even though I was a modern-day Korean, accustomed to life before being transmigrated, I understood how high his status was.
“What does status have to do with it? I’m just the same as when we first met.”
Hedonia smiled and his hand slipped under the blanket. His hand brushed over my thigh, still not clothed in pajamas.
“…I don’t like the idea of anyone else’s hands on you, no matter the reason.”
Feeling the tension rising again, I swallowed hard.
Hedonia’s fingers lightly poked my knee.
“Ugh.”
A groan slipped from my lips, and he asked teasingly.
“You’re thinking strange thoughts, Karina.”
Who’s to blame for this in the first place? Feeling wronged, I glared at him. But this only made Hedonia laugh.
“Pff…”
Seeing his relaxed smile, I tried to steady my weakening resolve and spoke in a low tone.
“Who kept me awake until dawn yesterday?”
Hedonia shamelessly replied.
“That would be me.”
His quick answer left me speechless.
“And I will continue to do so.”
His confident words made my heart skip a beat.
“But where did you go this morning?”
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed.
“You should have stayed with me.”
I whispered, filled with a longing I wouldn’t normally express.
The more Hedonia treated me with care, the more I felt like a child in his presence.
Even though he looked handsome and freshly washed… I wanted to see him relaxed and asleep next to me.
‘I like his tousled look too.’
I felt a desire to monopolize the side of him that others couldn’t see.
“…”
Hedonia’s eyes widened, a rare display of surprise that made me uneasy.
‘This doesn’t seem like a good sign.’
