In my previous life, I had no experience with the opposite sex.

  Beyond basic courtesy and female coworkers, I was never considered a good match back in my town because of my father’s political affiliations. And although my time at the institute made me intellectually known, my social life never grew beyond a few contacts at recurring events.

  I never had a girlfriend or a partner—but that was by my own choice.

  If I had devoted part of my time to socializing, maybe I would have found love near the end of my university years.

  In any case, there was no use crying over spilled milk. What happened, happened.

  It seemed that in this life I wouldn’t be able to experience true romance either. I had been engaged since childhood, and I wouldn’t be given the chance to choose my own wife. A shame—but it didn’t bother me too much. Though I longed to know that feeling, it didn’t keep me up at night.

  And besides, I wasn’t alone anymore.

  I had many friends and family who loved me.

  “Right. I need to return Sora’s handkerchief.”

  That afternoon, I’d stained myself with ink while signing documents. Luckily I only dirtied my clothes and not the important papers—otherwise I’d already be yelling in frustration across the entire place.

  I walked through the wide corridors toward the public baths—the ones used by soldiers, servants, and guests from the common folk. Just as I’d expected, nobles and commoners lived in constant segregation, and classism ruled the day.

  As for me, I tried to be fair to everyone and never looked down on the servants. Without them, life in the castle would be difficult, and for that I was deeply grateful. Gonzalo came from the common folk too—he had risen to personal tutor through knowledge and skill with books.

  “I won’t miss this doublet,” I muttered as I entered the common baths. “Hey, Sora, I brought your handkerchief—where should I leave it?”

  Sora had said she would be cleaning the place, but I found no servants or anyone inside. The bathhouse consisted of a large pool that served as a hot spring, similar to the ones in Nuevo León and Saltillo—massive stone basins filled with hot water.

  But they were empty.

  No one was using them at the moment.

  The noble baths, on the other hand, were covered in marble and extravagant decorations. Very pretty—until I nearly ate shit because of how slippery the floor was.

  Why hadn’t anyone warned me that marble was dangerous with wet feet?

  At least these baths weren’t constantly threatening to knock me on my ass.

  “Your Highness?”

  Sora’s voice came from behind me—specifically from the stone cubicles lining the rest of the bathhouse.

  “I came to return—”

  And I ran out of words.

  Sora—my kind, sweet personal maid—stood before me exactly as God had brought her into the world.

  Naked.

  She had full, firm breasts, elegant and shapely. Hips that would leave any man speechless. A soft belly that matched perfectly with generous legs and her calm, tranquil gaze.

  And yet… my body didn’t react the way I expected.

  I didn’t sweat. I didn’t get aroused. In fact, I was shocked by how calm I was—as if it weren’t a big deal at all.

  I only blushed from embarrassment and quickly turned around so I wouldn’t make her uncomfortable.

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  “Your Highness, I’m sorry. I’ll find a towel right away.”

  Sora hurried to the lockers and wrapped herself in a thick cloth, perfect for drying off her wet body, which still dripped water.

  “Servants don’t have a fixed bathing hour, so the baths are always in use.”

  “That makes sense,” I murmured. Since there were far more servants than nobles in the castle, the baths couldn’t be limited to certain hours. Instead, they stayed open constantly to avoid crowding and unnecessary lines.

  Keeping the secondary baths always available made perfect sense.

  Still…

  Something bothered me.

  I had just seen a beautiful naked woman—and this body hadn’t reacted at all.

  Of course I felt morally uncomfortable. What I did wasn’t praiseworthy, and my social position was no excuse to invade a woman’s privacy.

  However…

  I…

  I wasn’t aroused. It didn’t even catch my attention in that way. I had reacted exactly like a child my age would.

  Oh.

  That was why.

  Of course.

  This body hadn’t reached sexual maturity yet, so it was impossible to feel lust or desire. Even my adult mind was affected by this mismatch—my mature thoughts meant nothing if my body couldn’t produce the hormones required for arousal.

  “I’m really sorry,” I whispered again, lowering my gaze.

  “No, you don’t have to apologize. You are my king,” Sora said, patting my head with wet hands. Then she took her handkerchief and dried her left arm and part of her neck.

  “No. I do need to apologize,” I insisted. “It’s rude to see a woman like that, even if it wasn’t intentional. I’m sorry, Sora. It won’t happen again.”

  She only smiled and turned away.

  “Wait a few minutes while I get dressed.”

  “Yes.”

  This was the first time my body and soul were in conflict. A part of me still refused to accept myself fully as a child. I didn’t understand why I had expected such an adult reaction at only nine years old.

  What a foolish thought.

  The man I had been died in another world. Now my name was Ulric.

  Still, it was easier to say than to feel.

  Twenty-nine years of life weren’t erased in a single one.

  I needed to clear my thoughts and understand, once and for all, that physically I was no longer an adult. I couldn’t drink alcohol (not that I liked it), couldn’t feel sexual desire toward women, couldn’t stay up all night doing work.

  I needed certain foods and care to grow properly.

  “Ready, Your Highness.”

  Sora emerged from the bathhouse wearing a clean maid uniform, her handkerchief tucked away.

  “Let’s take a walk, please.”

  “Yes,” I murmured, still ashamed for having invaded her privacy.

  “You’re still too young to peek at women,” she teased. “But I’m glad you don’t have that sort of habit. Your mother raised you very well.”

  “I-It’s common sense.” Her honest words made me happy. I blushed again, then returned a small, nervous smile.

  “It isn’t, Your Highness. Many nobles abuse their power to cause pain and suffering to young village girls.”

  Sora shut her eyes sadly, as if remembering something painful.

  “Commoners are defenseless against abusive lords. If they want, they can demand we undress before them and touch us without resistance. Age and occupation don’t matter. One coat of arms on their clothing is enough to put any woman at their mercy.”

  “T-That’s horrible… things like that shouldn’t happen.”

  “But they do, Ulric. Very often. And I’m sure that right now, somewhere out there, a poor peasant girl is being sexually abused.”

  The fact that Sora spoke to me about such serious topics meant she understood my “special condition.”

  “I knew you were a well-mannered child, but your reaction today truly surprised me.”

  “Why did it surprise you so much?”

  “I thought you wouldn’t care about my body. You’re a child, and you’ve surely seen how nobles behave at court. I thought it would be normal for you to see me like that—you are the king, the highest authority in this country, and therefore everyone owes you absolute obedience.”

  Then Sora smiled—bright, hopeful—an expression I hadn’t seen from her in the year we’d lived together.

  “Luckily, you won’t only be an excellent king. You’ll also grow into a wonderful man.”

  She patted my head again and smiled like an earthly angel.

  “I-I would never do something like that—hurt people for fun or to prove my authority.”

  That wasn’t a lie. Unlike despotic nobles who treated servants like dirt, I preferred to be kind. A king’s duty was to protect his people, and at the same time, the people had to be willing to fight for their king.

  What kind of person would die for a foolish sovereign?

  No one.

  Not a single soul.

  If I wanted them to love me, I had to earn it. Give and receive—that was the basic principle I learned in my old world, and the one I wanted to apply here.

  “If all monarchs were like you… my husband would still be alive.”

  “Huh?” I asked. Had she once had a husband?

  “An old memory, Ulric. I don’t want to speak of it right now.” She paused, then teased again. “In any case, if you were a few years older, I wouldn’t mind going out with you someday.”

  “E-Eh… if I were older…”

  “Yes. But we have almost twenty years of difference, so save your feelings for the right person, alright?”

  She winked with playful mischief, making me blush even harder.

  “Soon you’ll discover your own love story. And when it happens, that girl will be lucky to have you.”

  “K-Kings can’t marry for love.”

  “And who said anything about marriage?” Sora replied. “Remember what I told you last time: romance and marriage are two different things. Your duty as king is to marry Ingrid—but you are still free to fall in love with whomever you wish. No one can deny you that, not even Lady Girasol. Whether it’s returned or not, sooner or later you’ll live your own love story.”

  We let the subject rest and headed to the main dining hall. Alda and Ingrid were already waiting for us to have an afternoon snack.