Chapter 112: Far dangerous
Her heart lost all sense immediately. Heat rushed violently into her face as she instinctively grabbed lightly onto his shoulders for balance.
He was warm. Far warmer than she expected.
The muscles beneath the thin white fabric shifted easily beneath her fingers as he carried her toward the bathing chamber like she weighed nothing at all. To him, perhaps she truly weighed nothing, but Lucrezia suddenly became painfully aware of everything, including the scent of him that surrounded her instantly.
Woodsmoke, rain, and cedar, she noted. Even his breath carried traces of it whenever it brushed faintly across her skin, unfairly intoxicating in a way that made her chest feel tight. Gods, it smelled wonderful.
Her eyes lifted before she could stop herself. His face was close. Too close that the scars along his skin only made him look more dangerously beautiful beneath the lanternlight. His lips were only inches away, and for one horrifying moment, Lucrezia found herself wondering what they would taste like.
Her entire body flushed hard at the thought. Oh gods. Mortified, she immediately looked away, totally aware of how flustered she appeared.
What she failed to notice was the faint grin that touched Vaeron’s mouth for only a second as though he already knew exactly where her thoughts had gone.
The bathing chamber opened before them shortly after as steam curled softly through the room. The space itself was carved almost entirely from dark stone, lit by low lanterns that reflected gold against the water. Shelves lined the walls holding oils, soaps, folded cloth, and bundles of herbs hanging upside down to dry.
It was far different from what she remember of hers. The large bath rested near the center of the room, filled nearly to the brim with steaming water scented faintly with cedar, crushed lavender, and pale petals drifting lazily across the surface.
Vaeron set her down carefully near the edge, and without a word, he moved toward the bath himself. Lucrezia watched quietly as he tested the water with one hand before adjusting the heat beneath it slightly. He uncorked another small glass bottle and poured fragrant oil into the water before stirring it slowly.
The sight felt strangely... unreal. The idea of Vaeron— the cold, feared, and ruthless to the bones—replaced with this... was something she wouldn’t have ever imagined. This same cold-hearted creature feared across entire kingdoms moved with impossible gentleness beside a bath, ensuring the water would not be too hot for her skin.
What Chapters and episodes had she missed while unconscious?
Lucrezia stared at him silently. That same thing stirred in her chest again, and this time, she didn’t bother to deny it access. Because no matter how terrifying he could be... moments like this made him feel painfully human.
After he was done, Vaeron turned, walking toward her. Lucrezia felt her pulse race at his approached, wondering why her body reacted that way.
Once he stood before her, without warning, he immediately reached for the ties of her gown.
Lucrezia’s eyes widened. "W-Wait."
Vaeron paused.
"I can do it myself," she said quickly, clutching the fabric tighter before he could untie anything. "Just... just turn around."
One dark brow lifted slightly at her request. "You are aware I have already seen you unclothed before,"
The reminder nearly killed her where she sat. "T-That’s very far from the point,"
Something like amusement flickered briefly across his face, or perhaps curiosity, Lucrezia couldn’t exactly tell.
But to her surprise, he inclined his head once.
"As you wish." He said, and then turned away from her completely.
Relief washed through Lucrezia so quickly it nearly made her dizzy. Perhaps it was precisely because he no longer felt like some distant creature of nightmares that undressing before him felt different now.
Before, pain and fear blurred everything together, but now she was aware of him in ways she absolutely did not wish to examine too closely, which that made it unbearable.
Taking a slow breath, Lucrezia carefully reached for the ties of her gown, but the task alone proved difficult. Her fingers trembled slightly as she worked the fabric loose, every movement tugging painfully against healing wounds and sore muscles.
Several times she nearly gave up altogether but stubbornness carried her through each frustrating attempt until eventually the first layer slipped from her shoulders. With it came another undone, and by the time she managed the final piece, her breathing grew uneven from the effort.
Keeping one arm tightly across her chest, Lucrezia carefully slid into the steaming water with a quiet gasp. Warmth wrapped instantly around her aching body, soothing some of the relentless tension coiled within her muscles.
Gods.
For the first time since waking, the pain eased slightly. Whatever that was added to the bath definitely started to work effectively.
She closed her eyes briefly in relief before forcing herself to speak. "I-I’m ready," she said quietly.
Vaeron turned back toward her then. He said nothing at first. Despite the steam clouding the room or the warmth surrounding her, Lucrezia still felt heat rise into her cheeks beneath his gaze.
The water concealed most of her, pale petals floating lazily around her shoulders, but his eyes lingered on the bandages wrapped around her ribs before moving higher, assessing as though making certain she had not reopened anything.
Without a word, he stepped closer before kneeling beside the bath. The white sleeves rolled slightly past his forearms as he reached for a cloth.
Lucrezia immediately stiffened again. "You promised to turn around," She accused softly.
"I did," His voice remained calm. "You are already in the water now."
"It doesn’t change a thing,"
"It changes enough," he stated.
Infuriating creature.
Vaeron dipped the cloth into the water before wringing it out slowly. "Relax."
"That is easy for you to say." She said without thinking. The moment she realized what she’d done, it was already too late.
A faint hum escaped him, "No. It is easy for me because I am not currently panicking over bathwater."
"I am not panicking,"
"You nearly drowned from embarrassment three times tonight alone. What do you call that?"
Lucrezia stared at him in horror while Vaeron looked entirely unbothered by his own statement. Then, before she could sputter out another argument, he carefully reached toward her arm.
His touch was unexpectedly gentle as he cleaned the dried blood from her skin—the one which looked fresh—careful around every bruise and wound. Again, she was even more surprised at how careful and patient he was with every details. Somehow, that made her chest tighten far more dangerously than his arrogance ever could.