I Thought You Were A Time-Limited Husband

Chapter 8

The exposed chest and clearly lined abs were so perfect that it was hard to believe that he had been down for six months after eating poison. Your body would be like this if it was sculpted by a male god.

Alice held back the exclamation that was about to come out of her own accord. His beautiful upper body was truly jaw-dropping, but she didn’t want to feel this ecstatic towards someone who was lying unconsciously – because that was a bit perverted.

Coming back to her senses, Alice began to wipe carefully from his chest with a cloth damped with water. She focused her attention by moving the cloth gently as if she was handling a newborn baby.

Is that why? At first, she was nervous about washing a stranger’s body for a while, but Alice soon immersed herself in washing his body – with infinite care, as if polishing an expensive work of art.

After wiping his wide upper body with her best effort for a long time, Alice felt a stiff waist and straightened her body. She put so much effort into it that sweat was forming on her forehead.

“Haa, this will take a long time more than I thought.”

Maris will become annoyed at this point and will offer to lend some help. Then her hand will touch Kaillus’ body.

“… I can’t see it like that.”

Alice’s will suddenly burned.

I’m going to finish it sooner than later. Alice then moved with enthusiasm unlike just now. So she turned his heavy body to the side and wiped his back that was like the Pacific Ocean. she then, very naturally, lowered her hand – towards his pants.

Thinking only about finishing it quickly, Alice came back to her senses just before she grabbed the laces that tied his pants .

“You’re crazy!”

Alice bit her hand in surprise. She just can’t do this.

“… What do I do.”

Alice stared at the laces of his trousers.

It is true that she had to take off those pants to clean his body, however, she couldn’t even dare to take off Kaillus’ pants.

“… Shall we finish here today?”

Alice rolled her eyes.

But then, it seemed like someone was asking her inside her head – will you have the strong will to take off Kaillus’ pants just because it’s tomorrow? The answer was, of course, no.

She would be attending on him everyday, and she couldn’t just keep wiping his upper body.

“Aaah~.”

D**n you, Madam Quillian. I wish your little toe hit the doorsill!

Cursing Madame Quillian for giving her such an ordeal, Alice ruffled her hair. But nonetheless, nothing changed. So Alice hardened her heart.

“I’m taking it off today. You.”

To take off his pants.

She declared bitterly toward his pants, and with a stiff face, she reached out toward the finely tied pants laces.

And at that moment, the door suddenly swung open.

“Little Madam!”

“I didn’t do anything!”

Alice raised her hands as if she had been caught doing something bad and cried out involuntarily.

“Yes?”

“No, I mean, that’s….”

Oh… I messed up.

She regretted it later, but the butler was already looking at her with a puzzled face. Her face heated up with embarrassment.

Mind, in times like these, you need to be more mindful. The more confused you are, the weirder you will look.

Alice pretended nothing was wrong and raised her chin proudly. She then pointed sharply to the butler, “You came in like this without even knocking. What kind of rudeness is this?”

She asked. The butler entered the room so suddenly that Alice was terrified – even without being polite.

Maris, who followed, shouted in sympathy, “Yes! Even if you are a butler, you’re still coming inside a room where the Little Madam is! If the Old Madam knew of this rude behavior, she would never stand still!”

It was fortunate that she avoided being embarrassed by the butler’s mistake, but it was Maris now who was running wild.

Finding fault with the butler, Maris was about to run to the Old Madam. Anyway, the Old Madam was aiming for the butler, but she just couldn’t find any excuses.

Alice cleared her throat and said, “Of course, it was quite rude of the butler, but I think you have a good reason to be in such a hurry.”

“I was very surprised when I heard Little Madam would do a work herself a servant was supposed to do… I became rude without realizing it.”

“Ah, I see. That can happen if you’re too surprised.”

“No matter how surprised you are, the rudeness of the butler must not be forgiven. I must tell this to the Old Madam right now,” Maris said with a determined face.

Her eyes were triumphant, like a hunting dog that caught a big fish.

Let’s go to Mrs. Quillian together. As Maris sends a signal with her eyes, Alice narrows her forehead as if hesitatingly and slowly opens her lips.

“Well… Maris, I think it would be better not to tell mother about this now. The butler didn’t commit a really big crime, so do you think it’s right to make mother uncomfortable with this kind of mistake…?”

What if it gets in the way and make her spark in anger?

“But….”

Maris’ confident eyes shook when Alice hesitated as if she was also afraid. Not missing the look on her eyes, Alice spoke as fast as she could.

“Well then, you go to mother alone. I will just have to do what mother told me to do.”

Maris’ expression became noticeably bewildered when she said that Alice wouldn’t take a hit. That if she had a big wall to defend herself, she would have gone and told the Old Madam herself, but Maris was no stranger to that.

Just like how she scolded Alice with Madam Quillian’s backing, she needs the shield called Alice in front of the Old Madam.

Rolling her eyes, Maris said with a frown wondering if it would be alright, “If Little Madam is alright with it… then it’s also alright with me. Then I will wait outside as I did earlier.”

“Alright, do it.”

Maris quickly left the room and Alice turned her head to the butler. The butler was looking at the wet cloth Alice was holding.

“Butler, aren’t you leaving?” she asked the butler.

“Yes?”

I can only take off his pants when you leave.

Alice rolled the words she couldn’t put out in her mouth. She was just about to take off his pants, and she wanted to get the job done quickly before his determination fades away.

But, a sweet whisper came from somewhere.

“… My apologies, Little Madam. It would be difficult for you to clean the Duke’s body alone. Sweat is still forming on your forehead…. How about I do the rest?”

Alice’s eyes twinkled at the butler’s suggestion.

“But this is what mother told me to do….”

“I am not saying that you should leave all the service of His Excellency the Duke to me. I told you that I would help Little Madam like right now, and you can help a little by my side. You seem to be having a hard time even now.”

The butler glanced at the sweat on Alice’s forehead and said. Alice shook her head quickly.

Although Madam Quillian had ordered her to attend the Duke, she didn’t say she be the only one attendant. So, Maris must have been trying to help her earlier. If she was told to do it alone, then Maris wouldn’t have pretended to even help. That is why, it won’t be a problem to get some help.

Madam Quillian would obviously wouldn’t like her to get help from the butler other than Maris, but if she did it because of eyes of the outsiders, she wouldn’t say much – because Madam Quillian wanted to kill Kaillus so that nothing else could be said. And with the butler’s help, I don’t need to take off his pants every day!

Alice put up with her desire to cheer, and smiled faintly at the butler.

“Then I will leave the rest to the butler. The Duke… will be more comfortable with your hands than mine. So, please take good care of the Duke.”

Contrary to her vague words, Alice quickly handed the wet cloth to the butler.

“… Are you going right away?”

The butler, looking at the wet cloth he was holding tightly in his hand, asked Alice.

“The Duke’s upper body has already been cleaned, so there’s no need for me to be here. Then, do your best.”

Alice left the room afterwards in case the butler’s mind would change.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

The butler looked at the closed door for a moment. The feeling of the Little Madam running away… must be an illusion.

The butler shook off Alice’s strange backside from his mind and approached the bed. And said quietly, “Your Excellency, everyone has go away.”

Then, a deep sigh escaped from Kaillus, who had his eyes closed as if dead.

“Hey, what on earth is this….”

Kaillus woke up and leaned his back against the head of the bed. His top was opened in a clumsy knot. He shrugged his shirt and let out an in disbelief laugh.

He just couldn’t help to laugh thinking of what just happened. A strange woman took off his clothes and wiped his body.

He was reluctant to be touched by others. Other than the butler, other servants could not attend to him. The butler knew that too. So, as soon as he heard the news that Little Madam was going to attend him, he ran to him. He even forgot the right etiquette before entering the room, just in case something went wrong inside and opened the door.

“You must have been very uncomfortable…. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner.”

“It’s not your fault.”

The butler carefully asked Kaillus, who was frowning.

“If you are injured somewhere….” The butler asked anxiously.

Kaillus shook his head, “No, she didn’t do that. Rather… she worked very diligently.”

“Yes?”

The butler had a bewildered face, but Kaillus recalled that absurd moment when she had a strange expression on her face.

She was very nervous even before she took off his clothes. The woman’s eyes scouring his body were very clear even with his eyes closed. It was a very brief moment, but the look in her eyes that scanned his body was never pure – it was a pair of very sinister eyes. It was also a little bit perverted.

But to be called a simple pervert, she was very plain and passionate about cleaning his body. Her first touch was definitely trembling, but he didn’t feel any sinister selfishness from her touch as time goes by. That’s right, as if she was just focused on washing his body – just like wiping dirty things. And he felt that touch… was very dirty.

“… The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it is.”

Kaillus twisted the corners of his mouth and thought of Alice.