The carriage glided at low altitude for a distance, then smoothly landed on a patch of lawn.
They had returned to the Drago family’s estate.
After getting out with Sefina, Lin Shu looked around at her surroundings.
Under the night sky, the spired castle was ancient and solemn. Most Blood Clan noble estates had a similar style, but compared to Teppes’s estate, the Drago estate was planted with even more roses. Clusters of red and white roses embraced the spire castle.
This family really does seem to love roses. No wonder Sefina’s contract skill is rose-related, Lin Shu thought to herself.
“Squeak—”
Sefina pushed open the castle’s main doors and led Lin Shu through a spacious hall, then up a spiraling staircase.
Lin Shu followed her to an ornately decorated bedroom. Sefina opened one of the adjoining rooms, and a spacious bathroom appeared before them.
“My room isn’t that big, but at least the bathroom’s decent,” Sefina said, turning her face toward Lin Shu.
Marble with white patterns was inlaid all around the bathroom. In the center sat a huge bath.
With a wave of Sefina’s hand at the stone lion-shaped faucet, it slowly began to pour hot water, filling the tub, and mist soon filled the bathroom.
“Master, you want to bathe? Then… I won’t disturb you,” Lin Shu said, preparing to slip away.
“Wait.” Sefina called to her. “Isn’t it obvious who needs a bath more?”
Her gaze intentionally fell on Lin Shu.
Ever since returning from the camp to the Drago estate, Lin Shu was still wearing her tattered, filthy clothes, stained with blood.
“Take your clothes off.”
“Eh?” Lin Shu froze. “Here? I can just use the servant bath…”
To be honest, being allowed to bathe in the master’s bathroom made Lin Shu a bit flustered with surprise. Even when she was with Lia, she’d never had such treatment.
“You’re already here,” Sefina offered that irrefutable reason, a glint of amusement in her eyes. “No need to make another trip—unless you need my help?”
“No, no!” Lin Shu hurriedly refused.
But… was she just going to stay here? Even though Sefina was her master, bathing in front of someone she still wasn’t familiar with was pretty embarrassing.
“Um… Master, could you maybe turn around?” Lin Shu quietly requested.
Sefina laughed softly and turned her back. “Then I’ll let my little cutie do it herself.”
Seeing Sefina wasn’t watching, Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief and started unbuttoning her shirt.
As she brushed against the key hanging around her neck, Lin Shu remembered Sefina’s comment earlier—that she recognized the intricate carvings on it. Lin Shu asked,
“That key—Master, you said before the design was from the Holy Clan?”
“Ah, that one~ yes, that’s right,” Sefina answered readily.
“How did you know, Master? Have you been to the Holy Clan’s land?” Lin Shu pressed on.
“I saw it in the library.”
The library? Again with the library… Just how many books does the Drago family have?
Lin Shu was mulling this over when she heard the rustle of fabric behind her.
She looked back in confusion—and was met with a glimpse of Sefina’s fair back, as her lace dress slipped from her smooth shoulders.
“Wah!” Lin Shu quickly turned away, shielding her eyes. “Why are you taking your clothes off?!”
“Of course I’m going to bathe—am I supposed to soak with my clothes on?”
“Bath?!” Lin Shu suddenly realized, “You’re going to bathe with me?!”
This can’t be right, can it?
“Isn’t there a saying among humans… ‘meet with frankness’? Now that we have nothing to hide, bathing together is a great way to build trust between us.”
Isn’t it ‘meet with honesty’?! And it definitely doesn’t mean this kind of literal ‘nothing to hide’!
“Splash.”
The sound of someone entering the water echoed; in the end, Lin Shu couldn’t get away and obediently soaked in the bath with Sefina.
Lin Shu silently submerged half her face in the water, suspecting the steam was making her cheeks hot.
She sneaked a glance at Sefina, but as soon as her gaze landed on the undulating curve beneath Sefina’s collarbone, she darted her eyes away.
Lin Shu quickly looked away, deliberately avoiding Sefina’s direction.
S-so big…
…
Lin Shu was relieved Sefina didn’t try anything else—she just quietly enjoyed the bath.
The two soaked in the hot water and ambiguous atmosphere for quite a while. Only after Sefina got up, wrapped herself in a towel, and left, did Lin Shu climb out of the tub.
Her bare feet dripped with water, making soft splashes across the stone floor before stepping onto the plush carpet.
Lin Shu followed Sefina into her bedroom.
Sefina sat at the dressing table, her long purple curls damp and sticking to her back. Lin Shu took the towel Sefina handed her and carefully dried the water from her hair ends.
“Master… don’t you have a personal maid?” Lin Shu asked curiously.
When she was with Lia before, her personal maid would help with dressing and grooming. As a familiar, Lin Shu would sometimes help Lia with such things after battles.
But as a noble of a family, Sefina surprisingly didn’t have a maid to serve her.
“Hehe~” Sefina chuckled softly, meeting Lin Shu’s eyes through the mirror. “I’ve just gotten used to doing things myself.”
As if remembering something, her smile deepened. “Oh, why not let my little cutie be my personal maid—how about it?”
“Me?” Lin Shu’s hands paused.
“Mm, you seem to do a fine job.” Sefina lifted her hair. Thanks to Lin Shu’s gentle touch, the water was already absorbed.
“As a reward, let me help my little cutie this time.”
Sefina stood up, walked behind Lin Shu, and pressed her into the chair before the mirror, not allowing any protest.
Lin Shu was startled by Sefina’s unexpectedly intimate move. “No, it’s fine, I can—”
But Sefina ignored her resistance and draped the towel over Lin Shu’s hair. Gazing into the mirror, Sefina sighed, “As I thought, my little cutie looks even prettier after a bath.”
Lin Shu blinked, glancing at her reflection.
Her face was flushed and fresh from the bath, long black hair falling down, and at the center of her brow was the half-rose familiar mark.
Behind her, Sefina gazed at her in the mirror with gentle eyes.
It’s been so long since anyone looked at me like this…
Just then, Sefina’s hand paused in the middle of drying Lin Shu’s hair. She turned her head, staring at the floor-to-ceiling window on one side of the room.
“What’s wrong?”
Seeing Sefina’s expression grow serious, Lin Shu followed her gaze. Outside the glass was only the pitch-black night, silent as always.
But Lin Shu had the vague sense that a powerful pressure was rapidly approaching.
Soon, a red dot appeared in the air nearby, speeding closer and closer.
When Lin Shu finally saw what it was, her pupils shrank sharply.
“Crash!!!”
The floor-to-ceiling glass shattered, breaking into countless shards that flew toward them. Sefina shielded Lin Shu’s face.
A blast of cold night wind swept into the room, scattering all warmth.
“Lin Shu!!”
It was a voice Lin Shu knew all too well.
Lia stood in the shattered window, golden hair flying in the gusting wind. She carried her enormous scythe on her back, her crimson eyes burning with uncontrollable anger.
She shouted sharply, her voice edged with fury:
“Explain yourself right now—why are you here?!!”
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