87: Bath

Bath

After Arlan left, Oriana had nothing to do.  1

She simply had one goal in mind—washing her hair that she had not washed for ages. 

She decided to wait for the night and take the chance to wash her long hair while the servants slept. 

When it was time for their evening meal, Oriana went to the common hall of the servant quarters and made small talk with the other people, getting to know them as well as their respective tasks and schedules. She determined that most of them slept quite early.

Hours later, thinking that most of the servants must have gone to sleep, Oriana grabbed her clothes from her sleeping quarters and decided to go to the communal washroom meant for the servants. 

However, she neglected one miniscule detail—that there were two groups of servants currently in the mansion, the resident servants of the Ahren Family and the personal servants under Arlan. Most of those serving Arlan were night owls.

When she reached the servant quarters, she spotted a group of servants mingling about, some playing cards while the others were reading books like studious scholars. The communal washroom was directly connected to the common hall, and anyone could come and go since it was for shared use.

'What are they doing at this hour instead of sleeping? Damn these men, won't even let a lady wash her hair! How can hair washing be so difficult? I feel like I'm going to war.'

She loitered at the doorway, pacing as she thought, 'They don't seem like they would leave soon. I don't have much time. Need to wash and dry my hair before that lord returns. What should I do?' 

Her eyes suddenly brightened up. 

'There is an empty bath that I can use!' 

She glanced out of the window and took in the view outside, gazing as far as she could. 

'There is no sign of anyone. No horses. No group of knights. I think I have enough time before he returns. I will just quickly wash my hair.'

"Orian, what are you doing here?" a servant came from behind her, startling her. "Why did you come down? Are you bored stuck in your room? Do you want to play cards with us?"

"Ah, no. I, uhm, came here to tell you that we have to prepare the Lord's bath in case he arrives soon."

The servant from the palace patted her shoulders. "What a thoughtful young lad. The Lord won't arrive anytime soon. I've been serving him for more than a year now. Everytime he goes out at night, he would generally return only by dawn."

"Really?" Her smile widened. 

"Yes. Of course there have been exceptions, but we have been seeing this pattern for a long time."

"Oh, but still I don't want to be a useless servant in case he arrives early."

"As you wish."

The servants helped Oriana fetch water, soon filling up the bathtub of Arlan's chamber with clean water straight from the well. They also left firewood on the side in order to heat the water for later use. After thanking them, Oriana was left alone inside the side chamber. 

She quickly got to work, and this time, she knew what to do. Minutes later, she lovingly gazed at the tub brimming with hot water, the tendrils of steam lazily curling in the air. Along with scented oils and soap lined up on the side, everything looked perfect for a relaxing bath.

'I am tempted to have a proper bath instead of just washing my hair. Will it be alright? That servant said the Lord won't return till dawn. It's just a little past midnight. Maybe I can take a long, relaxing soak…

She unconsciously glanced at the doorway. Rather than a solid door, there was only a thick curtain separating the side chamber from the main chamber. Though, realizing there was no one at the other side, she allowed herself to relax once more.

'I wonder where he will spend the entire night. Umm, maybe he's with a courtesan? I heard that the brothels in the capital are popular with noblemen. Some of them even get exclusive mistresses, and the luckier ones can even become a concubine. If he always stays out like this, that means he must be a regular patron. Didn't he also begin sticking to me due to my pretty face? He really is a pervert through and through. Well, good for me. He can keep having fun out there with another instead of coveting my beauty.

'Lavender! Let me add my favorite scent. If someone asks me why I smell like it, I can just say I spilled one on me while preparing for the Lord's bath.'

She removed her clothes in its entirety and decided to soak in hot water first. She could not help but let out a moan.

'It feels so good. No wonder these nobles love lavish baths. My entire body feels so good. It is as if tension is leaving all my muscles.' 

She then closed her eyes in absolute bliss. 'Just a little bit more in the bathtub and then I will nicely sit outside and wash my hair.'

—--

While Arlan's new attendant was taking advantage of his absence, the handsome prince was busy taking care of work long overdue.

Oriana was half-correct. Arlan was indeed inside a brothel, but instead of having fun with a courtesan, he was surrounded by knights whose swords were soaked in blood.

His favorite evening pastime? Punishing lawbreakers.

"Your Highness, this pig is one of the main organizers of that underground slave trade market. Those poor women with no background, he puts their families into debt then forces them to sell their bodies. If they do not earn well, he then sells them off as sex slaves. He also abducts young girls from distant regions to cater to the twisted taste of some nobles…"

An older looking man who was the brothel owner was pushed on the ground to kneel. Half of his subordinates were treated the same, while the other half were already cold corpses. 

"No, my Lord! I-I just run a normal brothel for nobles like you. I am not committing any crime! Please don't kill me!" the man pleaded. "Even if you ask the women—"

Imbert coldly continued, "None of the women we saved are willing to make an official statement because their loved ones are threatened to be sold off to the slave market. They also claim that one of the partners of this pig came from a marquis or duchal household. Even though we are royal knights, they refuse to cooperate unless we can guarantee the lives of their families." 

Arlan was leisurely sitting in the chair while sipping red wine.

"Here I thought I finished today's task early, but your crimes become more and more severe with each passing second."

"Trust me, my Lord, I am innocent…"

Stab!!

"Ughh!"

"Did I allow you to raise your head? I think not."

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