I sit up, blinking groggily, and drool slipping from the corner of my mouth. Since there are no windows in this room, I’m not exactly sure what time it is. Whether it’s morning, night, or something in between, I do not know.

‘I must have fallen asleep…’

I roll my shoulders, a groan escaping my mouth. The pain is duller than yesterday, but it is still gnawingly present. With a tired sigh, I toss the covers aside, and sit up, scratching my head. The cold marble floor feels uncomfortable against my bare feet, sending unpleasant shivers up my spine. I stretch my arms over my head, wincing when I catch a whiff of my own sweat.

‘Did no one bathe me for those six days…?’

When I look to my right, I notice a mirror that I had failed to see before. Looking into it, I realize just how rough I look. My hair is disheveled, I haven't shaved my face in a while, and dressed in the simple white gown they’ve given me, I frankly look like a beggar.

Staring at myself, I grimace. ‘I need a shower, clothes, and…’

My stomach grumbles.

‘..Something to eat.’

I’d love nothing more but to go out and solve all those issues, but I don’t know anything about this place. Trying to come up with a plan of action, I sigh, frustrated. “Where’s Reginald when you need him…” I mumble to myself.

“Here, my Lord!”

I nearly jump out of my skin, slowly turning my head to the entrance of the room.. “...Since when have you been here?” I ask.

He wears a proud smile on his face. “I never left! My room is right beside yours!”

I take a few steps toward him. “Is that for me?” I ask, pointing to the bath towel and strange tools in his arms.

“But of course! I suspected you might want to take a bath first thing in the morning. As such, I prepared a bath towel, our finest soap, a mechanized toothbrush with no less than one hundred and eight functions, orthopedic sandals, a toothpa…”

‘Doesn’t take much to get this guy talking huh….’

He smirks, smug and confident. “Oh, and let’s not forget-”

I extend my palm. “Tell me all about it later. I’d like to take a bath for now.”

Interrupted mid-explanation, Reginald falters, flustered, but quickly clears his throat and hands me the items. “O-Of course Lord! I will lead you to the bath house!”

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I raise my eyebrow. “Bath house? I don’t get my own bathroom?”

“Well, individual bathrooms are only available for family members, high ranking staff and…” His voice turns low, barely audible, and he averts his gaze. “Important guests…”

His finger perks up. “B-but bath houses are completely different from plain old bathrooms!! You won’t find any that are as good as those within the FullCaslte estate anywhere else!!”

I roll my eyes, and step out of the room. “Lead the way.”

We walk for a while, even exiting this building to reach another one. On our way, we cross a beautiful, well-maintained garden. I unwillingly find myself captivated by the sheer beauty of the floral arrangements and the complexity of the bush sculptures, lingering at certain displays.

When we arrive, Reginald quickly explains the facilities to me. As in an average bath house, it is commonplace to shower, and properly cleanse the body before entering the baths. In theory, we’re allowed to stay indefinitely, but because of the medicinal properties of the bath, it is considered courteous to stay for no more than two hours as to not waste resources, and also for one’s own safety.

His explanation is thorough, perhaps exceedingly so, and once he’s said everything that needs to be said, he informs me that he will be waiting nearby, ready for anything.

After bidding him farewell, I rapidly do everything that must be done before slipping into the single, immense open-air bath, staring at the sky. Unexpectedly, or maybe not, I find the water quite soothing, relaxing even. I guess it was true that this was a special bath.

‘Healing properly is also part of training…I’ll stay for a bit….’

I look around, taking in the beauty of this strangely empty bath.

‘There’s no one… And also, there’s only one bath. Since there was only one entrance, I guess the woman’s bath is somewhere else?’

Whether it is or not is of no concern to me, so I quickly let the thought fade away. Then, I close my eyes, place a towel over my face, and lean against the wall. This is the only instance since I’ve woken up where I can forget about the pain, my body graced by the soothing embrace of the water.

Jolting me out of my moment of reprieve, a voice resounds beside me, one I know all too well. “I see you’re enjoying yourself.”

‘So that’s why there’s only one bath.’

Against my will, my heart races, and I do not dare to remove the towel over my eyes. I swallow, nervous. “...Been a while, Sylvia.”

I hear her slipping into the water next to me, which only makes my heart even more agitated. Keeping the towel over my face, I blindly pat the ground behind me, attempting to leave the bath. “Well, that was a nice bath. I’ll just-.” r.

Sylvia, however, places a hand on my leg, preventing me from moving any further. “You must have heard… about Zora, and the others?” Her voice is low, filled with something akin to regret, shame even.

“...Yeah.”

The silence between us stretches, broken only by the soft lapping of the water. Slowly, her grip around my ankle tightens, a slight tremor within it. “Being weak really is a sin.”

The words hit like a stone to my chest.

“...Yeah,” I reply. “but I don’t plan on staying weak for much longer.”

I sit beside her, and she lets go of me. Then, my fist crashes into the stone ground, creating a small crater. “I’ll make Adam and Soulweaver pay, even if it’s the last thing I do.” I spit through gritted teeth

She doesn’t answer immediately, and I don’t need her to.

After a few moments, she signs. “I heard of your bet with grandfather. Do you think you can succeed?” She asks.

I shrug. “It’s not about whether I can or not, I have to succeed. I’ve realized there’s just no point if all my problems are solved by someone else.”

“I see…” She jumps out of the water, now sitting next to me. “There’s something different about you...”

‘She’s close…’

She places a hand on my face, caressing it. “But let’s start with this.” With one fluid motion, she pulls the towel covering my face away.

I jump back, and cover my eyes with my hands. “Hey!”

In response, she chuckles softly. “I am wearing a swimsuit, you know?”

Parting my fingers, I peek through my left hand, and as it turns out, she is telling the trith the truth. I sigh with relief and lower my arms. I only take a quick glance at her figure before my eyes dart to the side, however.

She chuckles again. “Are you disappointed?”

I turn around, refusing to let her see my face. “...Not at all.” I say as I begin to walk toward the exit.

My feet stomp the ground on my way out. “I’ll see you eventually.” I exclaim, waving goodbye,

“Yes, you will.”