“This is the deep end. You should go over there.” Tiana’s voice came from above her head. She pointed toward the shallow area, then naturally extended her hand. “Never mind, I’ll help you.”
Sylvie’s heart gave a violent lurch.
If she was pulled away, the syringe under her foot would be exposed immediately. She had to find a way to stay in place.
“No, there’s no need to trouble Lady Tiana…” Her voice came out muffled from holding her breath underwater.
“Sylvie… likes this feeling of being completely enveloped. It gives Sylvie a very reassuring sensation. Mm.”
Tiana’s outstretched hand paused in mid-air. A subtle expression flickered across her face.
Likes the feeling of… being enveloped?
She repeated the words to herself. It sounded like a rather strange preference, but considering Sylvie’s usual calm, almost numb demeanor, being fully surrounded by warm water might truly give her a rare sense of security.
“All right, as you wish.” She did not insist and withdrew her hand.
As long as the girl stayed here and got clean, that was what mattered.
Tiana stepped onto the smooth stones at the edge of the pool with her slender bare foot. Her toes gently dipped into the water, creating faint ripples. Her cold body slowly adjusted to the scalding heat, and her fair skin instantly flushed with a light pink hue. Once she had acclimated to the temperature, she slowly lowered her long, shapely legs into the water.
Then, she sank her entire body into the pool until only the area above her neck remained visible. The hot water instantly enveloped her, bringing a wave of comforting warmth. She could not help letting out a soft, satisfied moan from deep in her throat.
~
She leaned back against the smooth stone wall of the pool, her eyes half-closed in bliss. Her silver hair spread out in the water like rippling waves.
“Ah… It’s been so long since my last proper hot bath. This trip was definitely worth it.”
She sighed contentedly.
After a long moment, she seemed to remember something and turned her head to look at Sylvie, who was still standing to the side with only her head above water.
“Right, I almost forgot. Her Majesty told me to help clean you properly. Even if the mud has been rinsed off, just soaking won’t completely get rid of that stench.”
“Come over here. I’ll wash your hair and back. You can handle the front yourself.”
Sylvie’s heart tightened once again.
Being washed under Tiana’s close supervision and touch meant she would have to leave the syringe under her foot. And she would have to do it while being watched by Tiana… Although this vampire woman seemed much gentler than most of her kind, that did not mean Sylvie, as a blood livestock, had any right to refuse. After all, she was still a noble…
“Yes, thank you, Lady Tiana.” She replied softly and forced herself to slowly lift her foot. She felt the syringe scrape against the bottom of the pool.
Sylvie finally moved over to Tiana’s side. The water temperature here was noticeably higher, the steam thicker, and visibility slightly lower.
She turned her back to Tiana and stood stiffly in the chest-deep hot water…
Tiana looked down at the girl, who had only her eyes visible above the surface, feeling that something was off.
This way she would not be able to wash her properly… Although she could simply take Sylvie out of the pool, she had finally gotten the chance to enjoy such a comfortable hot bath and did not want to waste the opportunity.
In that case…
She looked around the edge of the pool and, sure enough, found a lower section of the rim where one could sit.
Tiana sat down on it and sank further into the water. Even so, her tall figure still allowed a seductive view of her upper body.
Then, she patted her thigh beneath the water and spoke in a tone that left no room for refusal.
“Come here. Sit on my lap.”
“Lady Tiana…” Sylvie tried to find an excuse to decline.
“Sylvie’s body isn’t clean yet. I’m afraid I might dirty you.”
“That’s exactly why you should sit here. It’ll be more convenient for me to wash your back.” Tiana’s tone was matter-of-fact, even carrying a hint of impatience. She patted her submerged thigh again. “Hurry up, don’t dawdle. The Queen will get angry if we keep her waiting.”
Ripples spread across the water from the movement of her hand, outlining the full curves beneath the surface. The moment Sylvie’s skin made contact with Tiana’s warm, supple thigh, the sensation felt foreign and highly intrusive. The warm water and the heat from the other woman’s body transmitted over, making her feel deeply uncomfortable.
She sat extremely upright, her back ramrod straight, hands placed properly on her closed knees. Yet her legs strained to keep stepping on the syringe at the bottom of the pool.
However, this rigid posture struck Tiana as strange. The next moment, she wrapped her arms around Sylvie’s slender waist and pulled her firmly back against her chest until their bodies were pressed tightly together. Only then did she seem satisfied.
It was at that exact moment that the syringe beneath Sylvie’s foot… drifted away.
This is bad…
“Stay like this. Don’t move around.”
As she spoke, she began washing Sylvie on her own.
Sylvie’s eyes darted anxiously through the water, trying to locate the drifting syringe. But with the ripples created by Tiana’s movements and the floating flower petals obscuring the view, she could not tell where it had gone.
Tiana, on the other hand, seemed completely focused on washing her—or rather, she was thoroughly enjoying the process of cleaning someone. She even hummed a few bars of a slightly off-key tune from time to time.
It was hard to imagine she was actually one of those cold-blooded nobles. It was only while being washed that Sylvie’s body, soaked in hot water, rose slightly. The numerous bite marks, bruises, and teeth prints covering her fair skin were fully revealed, causing Tiana’s movements to falter.
“…Did Her Majesty leave all these?” Tiana asked subconsciously.
“They are Master’s gifts. Sylvie should feel honored and happy.”
She replied numbly.
“And it looks like more will be added soon… Does the Queen demand you so fiercely?”
These frenzied marks were far beyond mere affection or attention. They represented a far more cruel form of possession and… sadism.
Tiana was not unfamiliar with injuries on blood livestock. For vampires, abuse and punishment were the norm.
But seeing such dense, heavily personal marks concentrated on this particular individual still felt strange to her. It looked more like a twisted form of indulgence.
Moreover, this child was so small and frail. She looked no older than nineteen.
It must be hard on her…
A long silence fell between the two. Only the sound of Tiana washing Sylvie’s body echoed through the spacious bathroom.
Suddenly, Sylvie’s flat voice broke the silence again as she asked abruptly, “Lady Tiana, may I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” Tiana agreed without hesitation.
“Are you a noble as well, Lady Tiana?”
Tiana’s washing motion paused. She had not expected Sylvie to ask this.
She turned her head slightly, looking at the back of the wet-haired girl in her arms and her slender, vulnerable neck.
“Mm, you could say that.”
Her answer was somewhat vague, with no trace of pride or any other emotion in her voice.
“I’m one of the Sixteen Blood Overseers. I handle some of Her Majesty’s daily affairs and communications… Is that important?”
“No… I just felt that Lady Tiana seems a bit different from the others.”
After those words, silence fell between them once more. They asked nothing further. Sylvie had no intention of pressing the matter. Even asking this much was already overstepping her bounds…
Some time later, every inch of her body had finally been thoroughly cleaned. The disgusting stench had been replaced by the fresh floral fragrance of the petals.
“It’s done. Dry yourself off, get dressed, and I’ll take you to see the Queen.”
“Yes…”
In the end, she still had not found the syringe.
Sylvie slid off Tiana’s lap and tried to stand. However, just as she was about to climb out of the pool, her foot suddenly stepped on a smooth object—the missing syringe…
Splash—
Caught completely off guard, her foot slipped. She lost her balance and fell heavily back into the water, sending water splashing everywhere.
In her panic, she felt a sharp, icy pain on the outer side of her upper thigh, as if something had suddenly stabbed her.
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