“Bella has always seemed like a child in my eyes.”
As she spoke, Aphrodite walked over to Bella’s side and sat down on the wicker stool.
“Can you tell me why little Bella isn’t feeling well?”
Faced with Aphrodite’s hopeful yet worried gaze, Bella slightly lifted her eyes, the remaining bitterness in her heart being replaced by that feeling of ‘care.’
Bella’s smile was no longer forced; it was genuine, filled with true affection.
“Lady Aphrodite, you’re always so sly.”
“Oh? Am I?”
“Of course you are. As others would say, that’s just being slick-tongued.”
Before Aphrodite could retort, Bella took out the Handkerchief she always carried with her.
Embroidered with delicate patterns and showing few wrinkles, it was clear Bella took great care of it.
Raising her arm, she gently wiped the damp strands of hair that glistened with droplets from Aphrodite’s head, under Aphrodite’s curious gaze.
The sudden discomfort on her scalp made Aphrodite emit a soft whimper.
“Mm… Bella?”
“If your hair stays wet, it’s easy to get sick.” Bella’s face showed a hint of concern, her hand slowing down slightly.
After a moment of silence, Bella seemed to have made up her mind.
She took a deep breath and continued, “Since I was little… I was someone nobody needed.”
Her tone was flat, as if muttering to herself, yet also as if confiding in someone.
“I’m a half-blood… no one liked me, no one wanted me… until… until you appeared.”
“You gave me a name, a home, a reason to exist! Only by your side do I feel… valuable!”
“Taking care of your daily life, managing your Residence, preparing your meals… these are the things I treasure most! But… what makes me happiest… is being able to bathe you!”
“Because… only then do I feel… you belong entirely to me! That you need me! So…”
“So… my lady, may I continue to bathe you? I promise to be very careful… and gentle…”
Under the moonlight, Bella lifted her small face, casting a hopeful gaze at Aphrodite.
That look of yearning and fragility was like the most precise arrow, piercing directly into the softest part of Aphrodite’s heart.
At the same time, she understood why Bella was so sorrowful.
But… understanding aside, could she, now fully aware and conscious, calmly accept Bella’s… well, all-encompassing ‘service’?
Just imagining the scene made Aphrodite feel her ears start to flush again.
But… to refuse?
Aphrodite already felt a sense of guilt for leaving Bella alone here, which was why she tried to compensate and indulge her as much as possible whenever she returned.
Now, with Bella’s expectant little face, refusal felt like a huge stone lodged in her throat—impossible to voice.
Depriving her of this humble, nearly sole source of happiness… would be cruel.
Fine, fine… it’s not like it’s walking through fire or boiling oil… it’s just… washing her hair, right?!
Aphrodite’s inner conflict raged, but in the end, her pity and indulgence for Bella won out.
Shame? To hell with that—at least for now!
She sighed and reached out her hand, resigned, saying, “Alright, alright… I’ll agree.”
Bella’s eyes lit up instantly. “Really? My lady!”
“But…” Aphrodite quickly added, trying to regain some buffer, “next time! Next time, okay? You see, I already washed today, and… and you’ve almost dried my hair…”
She pointed to her half-dry golden hair, grasping for a reasonable excuse.
“Next time… I’ll definitely let you… help.”
“Next time?” The joy in Bella’s heart was nearly doused by a bucket of cold water.
That kind of ‘next time for sure’ was often an indefinite postponement, maybe never happening at all!
No! She absolutely couldn’t give her lady the chance to back out! She had to strike while the iron was hot!
Almost instantly, the dazzling smile that had just bloomed on Bella’s face visibly faded.
She lowered her head slightly, thick lashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes, her lips turning downward in a pitiful pout, and even her shoulders sagging a bit, as a dense, almost tangible sense of disappointment engulfed her.
Exactly like that! She had to show her lady her disappointment! Make her soften!
Bella’s inner scheming clicked like fireworks.
“See… my lady must be tired of me…” Her voice dropped to a soft, delicate tone, as if she was about to cry any second, “Next time… my lady always says that… but… but I’m afraid… afraid that next time… my lady will forget again… or… find some new excuse to push me away…”
She lifted her tear-filled eyes, staring straight at Aphrodite. “My lady… do you think Bella is a bother? Do you… not really want to agree to me?”
“No, no! I don’t dislike you at all! And I’m not just humoring you! I definitely won’t forget!” Aphrodite hurried to assure her. “I promise I’ll do it! It’s just… it’s really inconvenient today…”
Then, steeling herself, she tried to shift the topic and offer compensation: “So… besides that, do you have any other… um, little wishes? As long as they’re not too much, I’ll agree to anything! Okay?”
Right now, Aphrodite just wanted to put this matter behind her, unaware she had already fallen into Bella’s trap.
Opportunity strikes!
Bella’s inner little devil immediately perked up!
Other wishes? Of course! And besides… it was her lady who brought it up!
Most of the sadness on Bella’s face vanished in an instant.
Though her eyes were still a little red-rimmed, a sly glint flashed through them.
She raised her head, looking at Aphrodite with a slightly hopeful gaze, speaking softly, as if afraid of rejection: “Then… can Bella… sleep with you tonight? Just like… like when I was little?”
As she spoke, she carefully watched Aphrodite’s expression.
Playing the pitiful card needed to be moderate, but she couldn’t give her lady any excuse to refuse!
“I promise I’ll be very well-behaved! And since your hair’s not fully dry yet, I can help finish drying it before we sleep!”
It was over.
This was Aphrodite’s last internal scream.
She hated it when Bella used that look and tone to make requests, both then and now…
Forget it, forget it… just sleep together then…
Aphrodite rubbed her temples helplessly, feeling she had no principles left when it came to this girl.
“Alright, alright…” Aphrodite sighed in the end. “We’ll sleep together… I really can’t say no to you.”
“That’s wonderful! Thank you, my lady!” Bella immediately brightened, her gloom vanished as if the sorrowful girl who almost cried just moments ago wasn’t her at all.
She stood up right away, linking her arm around Aphrodite’s, affectionately leaning on her. “Then let’s go back to the room now! Bella will help you dry your hair completely!”
Seeing Bella’s swift shift from gloom to bright, even a little proud smile, Aphrodite felt a subtle sensation flash through her heart.
Wait… that girl’s mood swing was… a bit too fast?
Why did it feel like… she’d been played by Bella again?