TDDCS

Chapter 34 - Praise

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Wet lips lightly stuck to Lena’s forehead, then fell off. And Kahel’s hand, which was supporting the back of her round head, gently stroked Lena’s head, which was tightly wrapped with a towel.

“Du…… Duke…… ?”

Lena called out to Kahel in a bewildered voice, but he pretended not to hear her, removed his hand and sank his body back into the bathtub.

“It was a lot of work. You can go now.”

“Yes…… ! That, then…… I’ll just go.”

Lena quickly cleaned the surroundings and got out of the bathroom.

“Hoo, haa, hoo, haa…….”

As she came out of the steam-filled bathroom, she was out of breath for some reason. Lena couldn’t stop thinking about the lips that had just landed on her forehead, even though her body, which had been warmed earlier, suddenly trembled because of the chilling air. And the big, firm hand that gently stroked her hair…….

‘Wow…… Is this being praised?’

She thinks her mother had done it to her before she died, but it was so long ago that she doesn’t remember very well, and when she was living in the Barony, Baroness Fidelia stroked Elliot’s hair like that, or kissed Elliot’s cheek and forehead lightly. On rare occasions, Baron Fidelia kissed Elliot lightly on the forehead.

At that time, she didn’t think much of it because she thought it would never happen to her, but when she received such ‘praise’, her heart seemed to burst.

‘This is very pleasant!’

Lena’s cheeks, which had not yet faded from redness, became plump as she rubbed her eyes and opened her mouth wide and smiled. But she soon realized that she had been standing in the same spot for a long time, and Lena hurriedly looked around and made her stride towards her room.

While changing her wet clothes, arranging her pressed hair again, putting the laundry in the laundry basket and passing her laundry to a maid, Lena kept thinking of one thing.

‘I want to be praised again like before…….’

Desires that she had never known she had until now began to bloom. At that moment, Arder, who was walking down the hallway, called Lena.

“Lena. I forgot to tell you, but the mansion also has to be prepared for winter, so tell the chief maid and ask her to put up winter curtains in the office and bedroom.”

“I told her yesterday. She said she would have the employees take off the autumn curtains and put on the winter curtains tomorrow.”

“Oh my, you’re very quick. Well done.”

Arder smiled curiously, looking down at Lena, who was getting smarter and faster at work. But he sees that Lena wants something. It’s like looking at his hand.

“Huh? Do you have anything else to say?”

“Well, that…… Can you please stroke my hair just once?”

“Yes?”

Arder was surprised, but at the same time, he felt sorry for Lena. He wondered if she would want him to stroke her hair because she grew up without receiving affection, so he raised his hand in embarrassment and patted Lena’s head.

But when he stroked her as much as he could, Lena’s expression became strange. He was smiling, but his expression was somewhat stiff.

‘It’s not it?’