81: Smells Like A Girl

Smells Like A Girl

Meanwhile, after the little entertainment he enjoyed amidst his bath, Arlan came out of the side chamber with a refreshed smile. His body wrapped in a towel, he called for his own attendants before walking towards the wardrobe room attached to his bedchamber.  2

The Crown Prince brought his own palace servants with him to the city residence of the Ahrens. Only people he trusted could serve him and touch his possessions, including his clothes, and would generally decline outsiders from attending to his needs, unless one of his knights was there to oversee their work. The Count's people, including the Head Maid, could only play supporting roles in serving him.

Oriana was the only exception, but in Arlan's mind, he already treated her as his so it didn't count.

The two attendants started drying his body and hair, but both servants found themselves surprised when they noticed the floral scent on the prince's body.

"Seems like the new attendant used the wrong essense on you, my Lord," the first servant remarked. 

The second servant let out a wry smile. "Lavender is a scent generally loved by noblewomen."

"What's wrong with it?" Arlan frowned.

"Some people might speculate it's from a lady's perfume, my Lord. This could start a rumor that you have a lady you fancy." 

"It's alright."

The two servants shut their mouths and resumed their work. They began to help Arlan with his clothes, the two of them discussing which coat the prince should wear that day. 

In the end, Arlan decided to forgo the coat and went ahead with only a white long-sleeved shirt, paired with black pants and boots. He had no important meetings for the day and only planned to deal with paperwork. Rather than layers of vests and coats, a more leisurely attire would be best. 

As the attendants rolled his sleeves up his forearms, Oriana's earlier mumblings before he entered the bath seemed to repeat in Arlan's mind.

"Let's put whatever smells good." 

"Lavender. It really is the best scent. No wonder it's my favorite. Same for the soap as well. Only an ignorant stinky old man would not like this scent."

'She loved the scent of lavender,' Arlan concluded. 'If she carries the fragrance that I like, it is only fair that I wear the fragrance she likes.'

Getting ready when Arlan stepped out of his bedchamber, his two knights Rafal and Imbert were present outside. 

The moment Arlan stepped out, both of them smell the scent of lavender. Rafal looked at Imbert to which his captain acted as if he didn't notice anything. 

Rafal still whispered to Imbert, 'Why does His Highness smell like a girl?'

Even before Imbert could reply, they heard Arlan who was walking ahead of them, "If you liked this scent that much, Rafal, I will make sure to send a nice box of it to your place so your servant can use it daily on you without a miss."

Cough!

"T-Thank you, Your Highness, but I am fine," Rafal replied. 'I don't wish to smell like a girl for sure.'

—--

Oriana made quick work of changing into a new uniform. An attendant's uniform was a simple black suit with a white dress undershirt and a black bow at the collar. It was the same uniform worn by the butlers, only an attendant had no brooch on the chest. The brooch had the insignia of the House of Ahren on it, signifying that 'butlers' are trusted aides of the family and are a cut higher than ordinary servants. 

However, her long hair was still wet and would take time to dry. She decided to keep it bundled on her head while she drank the tea the Head Maid gave her.

The tea was still hot, and its heat seemingly spread all over her body.

'I feel warm now. It tastes nice as well, not bitter like the cheap ones in the market. I wonder how she mixed her tea leaves.'

She then began to attend to her long hair, drying it with the towel. 

'Well, though my hair feels sticky, at least it now smells like lavender. I wonder if I can wash my hair tonight. It's been so long since I gave it a proper wash. I hope that pervert dismisses me early tonight. Washing and drying hair takes time.'

After making sure her headwrap was in place and not a single blemish could be seen on her uniform, she hung her wet clothes outside to dry. By the time she returned to the second guest mansion and arrived at Arlan's bedchamber, she found it empty. 

'Eh?'

It happened that a passing servant told her that Arlan left for his morning meal. She was then led to the kitchen where Janella called for her, "Orian, just in time. Help bring the food to the dining room."

The kitchen of the second guest residence was relatively small compared to the main mansion, but it was the largest Oriana had ever seen. The space was enough for twenty people to move around without bumping into each other. There were an array of pots and pans of various sizes, and there were baskets and barrels filled with different ingredients, from poultry and dairies to vegetables. 

Aside from the servants like scullery maids washing pots, there were five cooks in aprons making different dishes all at once, their movements precise while they bark orders for ingredients to be peeled or chopped by the other servants. It was the first time Oriana was seeing such a grand kitchen with that many people working together. 

'Wait, how many people are they planning to feed? I thought only that perverted lord would be eating. Is there a celebration of sorts? Do we have more guests joining him?'

In the largest table placed near the doorway, there was another cook in charge of plating, and that cook was carefully arranging the food in a way that improves its aesthetic appeal, before covering it with a silver domed lid to retain its heat. 

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