“Is it that you don’t dare, or that you don’t want to?” I beckoned her over to the side of the tub, reached out my dirty hand, and lifted her delicate chin. Between her elegant brows, though she was extremely shy, there was a faint trace of desire hidden within. When she walked over just now, her steps were unsteady and weak—she must have been aroused. Looking at her luscious, tempting red lips and the passion in her eyes, I could hardly resist taking her right then and there.

“Your servant, your servant is…” Before she could finish, I suddenly and unexpectedly ran my hand over her soft chest. At once, Grace let out a soft moan and collapsed limply into my arms.

With ill intent, I leaned in close to her ear and blew gently, making her whole body instantly go weak and boneless, her breath coming in soft gasps. She wanted to pull away, but was too weak, so she could only let me have my way.

“Grace, help me wash my back,” I whispered softly in her ear.

“Mm!” Grace replied languidly, her slender fingers picking up a towel and beginning to scrub my back.

Such a carefree life—how could a single word like “pleasure” ever sum it up? That guy who was here before me was truly an idiot. With days like these, practically divine, he still ran off to my era and insisted on switching places with me. Would I ever trade places with someone else? Impossible. Not even if you beat me to death.

“Your Majesty, shall I massage your feet for you?” The always-silent Claire exhaled softly and spoke in a gentle voice.

Lost in a daze of enjoyment, I simply grunted in assent. I felt her soft hands gently grasp my right foot.

“Ah—oh!” I cried out as a wave of unbearable pain shot through the sole of my foot, seeming to tug at my waist as well. The pain was so sharp it brought a cold sweat to my brow. But after the pain passed, it was as if I’d drunk sweet nectar—my whole body felt invigorated. Especially my waist, where a wave of warmth seemed to pass through, bringing an indescribable comfort.

“Y-Your Majesty, are you all right?” Claire, worried she’d hurt me, asked anxiously.

“Little Claire, you sure have strong hands.” I wiped the cold sweat from my face, but said lightly, “Try it a couple more times—after the pain, it feels really good.”

Hearing that I felt good, Claire finally relaxed. She resumed kneading the sole of my foot, each wave of pain followed by a wave of comfort. Though she eased up a lot, I was still sweating buckets.

Suddenly, Grace’s tender little hand landed on my shoulder. She began to massage my shoulders, alternating between firm and gentle pressure. Her soft, boneless hands brought me immense satisfaction. With this kind of double enjoyment, even if someone offered to trade places with me and become a god, I would never agree.

“Claire, Grace, where did you learn these techniques?” I asked lazily, eyes closed, enjoying myself.

“Huh? Your Majesty, didn’t your previous palace maids ever give you massages?” Claire asked me in surprise.

“Ah, I never asked them to bathe with me,” I laughed, covering up my slip.

“So that’s how it is?” Claire said softly, “Actually, we sisters didn’t know how at first either. We learned everything after entering the palace, through training.”

“Oh?” I asked curiously, “What do you train for in the palace?”

“Mainly court etiquette and all sorts of rules. And also, also…” Claire suddenly blushed and fell silent, her hands pressing harder, making me cry out again.

“What else? Tell me,” I pressed her, not letting her off even after the pain subsided.

“And also… just some skills for serving people…” As Claire said this, she nearly buried her head in the tub, her voice even softer than a mosquito’s.

“Haha.” I pretended to have a sudden realization and laughed. It made sense—maids like Claire and Grace, specially trained for the emperor, of course would be taught bedroom arts. What if the emperor was in the mood one day and ran into someone clueless? That would be a mood killer.

I stared lecherously at Claire, my mind filled with images of her learning bedroom skills, panting softly. The more I looked at this lovely Claire, the more alluring she seemed—every move was full of temptation. Maybe it was the result of their training.

I could no longer suppress the fire in my heart. My breathing grew heavy as I leaned forward and said in a low voice, “Claire, give yourself to me now!” With that, I lunged at her.

“Ah!” The two girls cried out almost simultaneously, especially Claire, whose small hands pressed against my chest, her beautiful eyes filled with anxiety. “No, no, Your Majesty, this absolutely cannot be!”

---

Chapter Two: Claire and Grace (Part 2)

I knew my eyes were practically blazing with fire as I demanded, “Why not? Don’t you want to give yourself to me?” Was all the tenderness in Claire’s eyes just an act? Or did she already have someone else she loved? At that thought, a sudden stab of pain shot through my heart.

“No, it’s not like that.” Claire grew more anxious, her lovely eyes brimming with tears as she explained, “The day after tomorrow is Your Majesty’s Fengshan ceremony. You absolutely mustn’t bring bad luck upon yourself because of Claire. If you offend the heavens at that time, it could ruin everything.”