When Lya spoke of “her,” Lin Shu knew she was referring to Sefina.
Another pang of pain shot through her heart.
‘Why bring her up again?’
‘Is this jealousy born from liking me, or is it just her competitive nature treating me like a prize to be won?’
Lin Shu couldn’t tell, and she was too tired to try and distinguish between them.
She turned around, her back to Lya. “Whatever you want.”
She raised her hand to unfasten the ties of her clothes when she suddenly remembered something and reached for her dress pocket.
When she felt the stitching of the pocket still intact and the bulging sensation from within, Lin Shu let out a sigh of relief — ‘Thank goodness, the key is still here.’
The string around her neck was prone to snapping during combat. To keep the key safe, she had removed it from her neck and placed it in her inner pocket. As a precaution, she had even used a needle and thread to sew the open pocket shut.
Fortunately, Lya and the others hadn’t searched her thoroughly. They probably never imagined that a shackled human could do anything with the contents of her pocket. This was her “talisman,” and perhaps it would save her life once more when danger struck.
Lin Shu took off her clothes, folded them, and set them aside.
The water level in the bathtub gradually rose, and the steam thickened, filling the entire bathroom. She sat on the edge of the tub, lifted her feet into the water, and then slowly submerged herself.
The warmth instantly enveloped her entire body.
‘Phew…’
If Lya weren’t right beside her, she could actually relax a little. But Lya was staring at her constantly, which was quite uncomfortable.
Lya walked to the edge of the bathtub and kicked off her high heels. The exquisite shoes hit the floor, making two crisp *click-clack* sounds.
She stood barefoot on the bathroom floor, reached behind her back, and unlaced the ties of her Gothic dress.
Lin Shu instinctively stood up while turning her back. “I’m finished washing.”
“Stay.”
The sound of fabric rustling followed, and Lin Shu heard the very faint sound of the dress hitting the floor.
‘Is she coming in?’
In the past, Lya had very high standards for her baths. She never allowed anyone to disturb her, and special relaxing incense had to be added to the water. What was she trying to do now?
“Young Mistress, I just washed. The water is dirty.”
*Splash.*
Two sounds of someone entering the water came from behind her as Lya stepped into the tub. Her voice was very close. “I don’t mind.”
A hand rested on Lin Shu’s shoulder, firmly and forcefully pressing her down. The two of them were submerged in the bathtub together again. The water level rose instantly, and the overflowing water spilled onto the floor with a loud *splash*.
“Do you know, Lin Shu?”
“Sometimes I can’t sleep at night. When I think about how Sefina understands you better than I do, I feel like I’m going crazy with sadness.”
Her voice gradually grew quieter. “Even though I am your master.”
Lin Shu looked at the mirror on the wall ahead. The mist had blurred the glass, leaving only two hazy figures snuggling together visible.
One of Lya’s arms wrapped around Lin Shu’s neck, her warm body pressing tightly against her back.
“How do you like it? I can do it too…”
Lin Shu pried her hand away and moved forward a bit, avoiding her touch. “I just want to bathe in peace.”
Intimate contact with someone she didn’t like made her feel uncomfortable.
Lya remained silent for a moment before suddenly standing up, sending water splashing everywhere. She stepped out of the bathtub without looking back, as if using her departure to express her protest.
Lin Shu silently closed her eyes and dipped her chin into the water.
‘Whatever.’
If she suddenly became affectionate now, it would only make Lya suspicious. As long as she maintained a polite distance without provoking her, it would be fine. Once Lya slowly lowered her guard, she could look for where the collar key was hidden.
—
After finishing her bath, Lin Shu changed into a new set of clothes and carefully tucked her old ones away. Facing the bathroom mirror, she dried her hair and gave it two simple strokes with her fingers.
By the time she stepped out of the bathroom, Lya was already dressed.
“Sit here,” Lya said, pointing to the chair in front of the vanity.
“I’ve already combed my hair,” Lin Shu declined politely.
Lya was taken aback for a moment, then she tilted her chin up, trying to regain some of her dignity as a young mistress. “You didn’t do it right. I’ll comb it for you again.”
“…”
Seeing that Lin Shu wasn’t moving, Lya walked straight toward her with a comb in hand. She pressed Lin Shu down into the chair and began combing through her damp black hair without giving her a choice.
As the teeth of the comb moved through her hair, the movements were initially a bit rough and stiff. However, after Lin Shu let out a small *hiss* of pain, they immediately became gentle.
Lin Shu felt this scene was somewhat familiar.
Back at Tepus, Lya would occasionally allow Lin Shu to comb her hair; that was before they had gone through all of this. But now, even though they were doing the same thing, their positions had switched, and their feelings for each other were no longer the same.
Lya set down the comb. “Alright. I’m going to look at the family reports for a while. You should rest.”
“Mhm.”
Lin Shu pretended to pace around out of boredom, taking a simple lap around the room to look for useful tools. Before she had left, she often helped Lya tidy the room, so she was very familiar with the layout.
But it seemed Lya had taken away everything sharp…
Lin Shu felt a bit discouraged.
Before going to sleep, Lya walked to the bedside and lifted a corner of the silk bedding. “The spot next to me is available.”
Lin Shu walked to the bed and picked up another blanket from the mattress. “I’ll just sleep on the floor.”
She laid the blanket beneath her, curled up on the spot, and turned her face toward the underside of the bed.
“Why? You don’t want to sleep with me?” Lya’s voice came from above.
“I have a complex about that spot,” Lin Shu answered calmly.
After all, that was where she had been tied up.
Lin Shu’s gaze was drawn to a dark pile of things under the bed.
‘Huh? What’s that?’
She had circled the room earlier, but the space under the bed was a territory she hadn’t explored yet. She reached out toward the underside of the bed.
“What are you doing?” Lya asked.
Lin Shu didn’t answer. Her hand touched a stack of things that seemed to be a pile of books. She grabbed the edge of the stack and carefully dragged them out.
“You!” Lya suddenly became agitated and jumped off the bed. “The things down there are dirty. Don’t go rummaging through them.”
She snatched the top book and threw it away with force.
“These… these are all books I don’t read. I just put them under the bed temporarily.”
‘Why is she so worked up…?’
Although Lya had moved quickly, Lin Shu had caught a glimpse of the cover of the top book the moment it was pulled out. The cover was colorful, and the title was actually *The Overbearing Bishop Falls in Love with Me, the Wealthy Holy Lord Pets Me Cruelly*.
‘Why would the Young Mistress of the Tepus family have something like this under her bed?’
Though puzzled, Lin Shu was quickly drawn to another book. With the top books gone, an old book with an ornate cover was revealed underneath.
“This is…” She picked the book up.
Lya looked over, her emotions calming slightly as she gave two light coughs.
“That one? It was given to me by my mother,” Lya explained.
Lin Shu turned the book over. On it was written *Quick Magic: From Entry to the Grave*.
A magic textbook?