# 34
Diana sank into the bathtub, letting the maid's hands massage her body. The warm water and gentle touch eased her fatigue.
'Being a rich noble is truly the best,' she thought, humming a light tune and enjoying the moment.
After finishing her bath, she headed to the couple's bedroom, where she saw Harold's broad back.
“Harold, are you already here?”
He had mentioned discussing the greenhouse garden with the servant, so she didn't expect him to arrive before her.
“You're a little late today.”
“I was deciding where to put the flowers, and the shower took longer.”
She chose to place it at the window to enjoy its freshness every morning. Satisfied with her choice, she admired the roses on the windowsill.
“Diana, come to bed.”
They sat on the bed, holding hands. As the sacred energy flowed out of her, Harold's facial muscles relaxed.
I imagined he felt as if his pain was fading away, which explained his soft expression. Diana glanced at their joined hands.
...It's so big.
She had always thought about this, but Harold's hands were big. His fingers are long and thick. The first time they held hands, Diana had to spread her fingers so much that she felt pain.
'I wonder how much bigger his hand is compared to mine?'
Suddenly, she thought about it and moved her fingers. I imagined there was at least one or maybe two joints of difference between their hands.
She moved her fingers and her curiosity grew.
“Diana.”
"Yes?"
She flinched and raised her gaze. Harold raised an eyebrow, narrowing his sharp blue eyes.
“Your reaction is strange. I just called your name.”
“What's so strange about that? You surprised me, that's all!”
“It was like someone was caught doing something strange.”
Yes. Diana bit her tongue lightly. She just flinched, but the way Harold stared made her feel like she had been caught thinking strange thoughts.
‘No, I wasn’t thinking anything strange.’ She reassured herself, raising her gaze confidently.
“I was just thinking about how big your hand is compared to mine,”
She said quickly.
“Hand?”
"Yes, our hands! Nothing strange about that, is there?"
Harold looked at their hands, which were still joined.
He had held her healing hands before, but he had never compared their sizes. He extended his other hand, which Diana did not understand at first, but Harold simply said:
“Try it.”
"Let's go."
Yes. Wants to compare the size of hands.
Not expecting this suggestion, Diana hesitated before pressing her hand to his.
His hand was more than two knuckles larger.
“It's bigger than I thought,” she said.
“Just you little one.”
“No, you have the big hands. My hands are very average size.”
“That's average? I've never paid attention to women's hands before, but this doesn't seem right.”
Harold folded his fingers around her hand, completely covering her small hand.
“Is it these little hands that used to heal me?”
he asked.
“Well, something like that,” Diana said with a proud smile.
Harold let go of her hand and looked into her eyes.
“It's surprising that you only asked for 10,000 gold coins. Isn't that very modest?”
“I'm even more surprised that you think 10,000 gold coins is modest! It's a fortune!”
“It is the price of my life.”
Well...that's why I asked for 10,000 with confidence, she thought, and now she was doubting herself. 'Should I have asked for 20,000?'
Diana thought for a moment, realizing that she had probably devalued his life by such a small amount. She looked away.
“Diana, are you really satisfied with such a small amount?”
“…”
She was satisfied a minute ago, but now she regretted not asking for 20,000 gold coins instead.
“Since you saved me, you must aspire to something greater,” Harold whispered, his voice low and seductive.
Her eyes widened. Wait, do you mean...
“Offer more?”
“Yes, I'll give it to you,” Harold said, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
He gently grabbed her arm, guiding her closer. Diana's hand, with his help, landed on his cheek.
“…?”
Wait, what?
She stared at his hands at his face, then back at Harold's smiling eyes.
Diana realized something.
'Just a moment. Harold never said he'd give me money directly, did he?'
No, he just said he would give her “more,” but he never mentioned money.
“Take me.”
"…What?"
Harold's head tilted slightly and he kissed her palm.
“If you have me, you'll have everything I have,” he whispered, his warm, soft lips moving over her skin with every word.
Diana glanced out the window to check, but the sky and earth were completely normal.
I thought: ‘Everything must be upside down, but everything is fine. This is strange.'
"Harold, can you let go of my hand for a moment? I need to pinch my cheek," Diana said.
Harold narrowed his eyes slightly at her request. Then…
Bite.
“…!”
He gently bit the soft, fleshy part of her palm.
“Isn't that more effective than pinching your cheek?”
Diana blinked in stunned silence, her lips parted in disbelief. She couldn't get rid of the feeling of his teeth on her palm, and she found herself thinking seriously:
'Has he gone crazy?'
Or perhaps there was a hidden intention behind his actions. Harold was a man of great wealth, and Diana was someone who openly lusted after riches.
'Maybe this is a test,' I thought. It might come true if I were to be tempted by the wealth and power I enjoyed as a Duchess.
Realizing how close she was to falling into a trap, Diana felt a cold sweat run down her back.
“Harold, honestly, I am completely satisfied with 10,000 gold coins. No more, no less,” she said firmly.
“You claim that money is your top priority, so why do you settle for so little? You seemed happy when I mentioned giving more,”
Harold said, moving so close that his robe opened slightly, revealing a smooth, straight collarbone. Beneath him, his taut chest seemed to tempt her senses, making her feel dizzy.
Yes! Diana quickly rolled her eyes, feeling vulnerable to this temptation. After just rejecting one, the other was very serious.
“…”
Harold remembered how pleased she was when he offered more rewards. Clearly, she didn't hate wealth, but it wasn't her first priority either.
As a duke, Harold met all kinds of people, including those who put money above everything, even their lives.
'Your words and actions don't match, Diana,' he thought.
If money was truly her top priority, she would have taken up Harold's offer immediately. He had assets from his personal businesses and had accumulated wealth for centuries; He was the one who could make her rich easily.
So, if money isn't what's most important to her, what is?
What could I use to entice her other than wealth or power, things everyone desires?
Harold's dark blue eyes seemed to devour Diana, scanning her from head to toe, looking at her deeply.
Her freshly washed pink hair gave off a pleasant fragrance, and his gaze stopped on her round forehead, her eyebrows, her eyes, her nose, and her lips, studying every detail.
Then, he noticed something strange:
As Diana looked out the window, her blue eyes glanced at his clothes before quickly turning away.
Ah, so, here's the thing.
A smile almost escaped his lips.
“Diana, are you feeling very tired now?” he asked.