Chapter 11:
The Villainess Enjoys Her Stay
A PINK SKY PEEKED through the window. Between stints of prayer, Claudia and Lestea had spent their time chatting with Carlo, then briefly had tea. It wasn’t as tiring as Claudia had expected. If it had been, she would’ve been concerned about her own stamina.
Their day’s worship was at an end, and Carlo was currently giving an explanation about their stay.
“As you’ve already experienced, Lady Claudia, the faithful retire early. This is partly to conserve candles, but you’re welcome to use the lantern in your room however you see fit.” That said, they needed to wrap up their schedule while the sun was still out, which meant they’d need to eat dinner quickly and take their baths. “A sister has been assigned to help you with that, so she can give you further details about bathing. I will excuse myself for the night.”
“Thank you for today,” said Claudia.
“You as well, my lady.” He bowed and left, a warm expression on his face.
As soon as he was gone, the sister took over. She was the same age as Claudia and Lestea. Her hair was parted neatly in the back and tied low, falling over either shoulder.
On their way to the cafeteria, Lestea happily declared, “What a delightfully affable priest!”
“Yes, yet he’s direct and wise with his words,” said Claudia. “I truly admire him.”
A priest oversaw other members of the clergy. Some were strict, some were warm. There was quite a variety of personalities among the priesthood, but the one thing they had in common was a knack for leadership. One specific cardinal stood out as the worst possible incarnation of those skills, but she shooed him from her mind. He was an exception to the rule. An exception among exceptions.
The cafeteria was inside a monastery on the grounds of the grand cathedral. The baths and guest rooms were in the same building. Claudia and Lestea dined with the sister, and once their bellies were sufficiently full, they moved to the baths.
“We prepared a medicinal bath for you today,” said the sister.
“Thank you.”
This was part of their purification process. Incidentally, the church also provided Claudia with the herbs for medicinal baths at home whenever she liked.
The sister joined them for their bath. Generally, a nun was required to attend to everything herself, but Claudia and Lestea were noblewomen. The only reason to have one of the nuns accompany them through their meal and bath was so that she could offer support where necessary.
Claudia was accustomed to doing everything herself, especially because she’d very recently done so for two weeks as part of her princess training. Lestea was similarly used to dressing herself without any aid. She had no problem peeling off her uniform the moment they entered the changing room.
Claudia regularly performed stretches and other light exercises to maintain her shape. Lestea, on the other hand, focused more on building muscle, as evidenced by her well-defined abs.
“Muscular women are beautiful in their own way,” Claudia remarked, impressed.
“Your praise means the world to me,” replied Lestea. “But personally, I think you’re the true definition of beauty, my lady.”
While they complimented each other, the sister glanced between them and muttered, “I didn’t realize noble ladies were concerned enough about their bodies to exercise as well.” She probably thought aristocrats were too pampered to bother. That was true of some people, such as Lady Thomas.
“In my case,” said Claudia, “I’m only trying to pursue my ideal body type.”
“The same for me,” Lestea chimed in. “I’m more muscular than most ladies, save for perhaps those in Parte Kingdom.”
Parte was unique in being a warrior nation where all were expected to train and bulk up regardless of gender or age. However, in more recent times, women from influential families weren’t held to the same standards and could get away without training too much. Lestea’s figure was probably rare even among them.
The sister nodded thoughtfully as she digested their answers. She reached down and pinched her stomach. “That’s incredible. I ought to exercise too.”
“If you’re interested, I’d be happy to teach you my methods. As long as you don’t overdo it, you shouldn’t build too much muscle,” said Lestea.
The woman’s eyes lit up. “You mean it?!” She eagerly took Lestea up on the offer, but they agreed to save it for after their bath. As warm as the changing room was, it was no place to stand naked and chat at length.
As soon as they stepped into the bathroom, Claudia cried, “Oh my!”
What hit her first was a wall of steam, followed by an herbal aroma. Once the steam cleared a little, she was awed by the vastness of the room and the size of the tub. This was a sunken bath. The walls and floor were covered in white tiles, some of which had flowers painted on them.
The capital was densely populated, which made land scarce. There wasn’t a single aristocrat with a bath this large. The Lindsays had several in their mansion, but they were all built to accommodate only a single person at a time.
“At most, we can fit about twenty people in here, which is why it’s so large,” explained the sister. “The three of us will have it all to ourselves today because we rescheduled bath time for the rest of the sisters!”
They clapped in delight. Claudia didn’t normally find bathing that exciting, but she was taken by the sheer size of this one.
“White stones—the kind you find in a riverbed—line the bottom of the tub, so I hope you enjoy the feel of them.”
Claudia’s anticipation grew. She and the other two soaped up their bodies and rinsed before dipping into the bath itself. The stones along the bottom tickled her feet, and an unbidden sigh slipped past her lips. Once she was seated, the water rose to her collarbones. It was the perfect depth.
“This is so relaxing,” she murmured.
Today hadn’t been that exhausting, but fatigue built up over time. The hot medicinal bath made her feel like she was sweating it all out.
“The chill crept in as we were praying earlier,” said Lestea as she settled beside Claudia, her eyelids fluttering shut.
The changing room and cafeteria were kept heated, but the chapel in the grand cathedral had no temperature control, save for a few braziers. That was the only reason they hadn’t completely frozen; Carlo always instructed them to pray close to a brazier.
The three women exchanged comments about how relaxing the bath was.
“This feels less like purification and more like taking a bath at a spa,” said Claudia. There was nothing challenging about this. It made her second-guess whether this activity really satisfied the church’s requirements for purification.
The sister grinned at her. “That’s wonderful to hear! If this helps refresh you, that’s exactly what we want.”
Claudia was reminded of what Carlo had said about the importance of rest and self-care. Apparently, those were the important points she was supposed to focus on during her stay.
“The more serious and dedicated a person is, the worse they tend to be at looking after themselves. Busy people tend to prioritize everything else over their own needs. There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy sometimes.”
It was crucial that the saint’s attendants do just that.
Claudia indulged herself, stretching her arms and legs out. Her breasts came bearing through the water. Feeling the other women’s eyes on her, she glanced at them. Both women hastily averted their gazes.
“What’s the matter?” Claudia asked with a tilt of her head. A lock of hair was glued to her cheek from the moisture.
After a short pause, Lestea blurted out, “It’s too much temptation!”
Claudia thought it was a little late for such comments. They had already seen each other naked in the changing room.
“I thought I was used to seeing other women naked since we so often enter the bath in large groups, but I was wrong,” said the sister. “I didn’t realize another woman’s body could make me feel so nervous.”
Claudia blinked. “What is there for you to feel nervous about?”
Lestea planted her hands on Claudia’s shoulders and spun her around. “Regardless, have some mercy on us. Your wet, nude body is too provocative!”
“Of course I’m nude and wet! I’m taking a bath!” Claudia said with growing confusion.
“How are your maids able to keep their composure?” Lestea wondered aloud.
This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. Claudia could already see they weren’t going to give her any real answers.
“The way a normal person does!” she shot back despite it being a rhetorical question.
Lestea, for her part, was doing her best not to look directly at Claudia. “They must be incredibly brave.”
Are they? Claudia had never thought about it. “You’re exaggerating.”
Lestea’s reactions were so entertaining that Claudia spun around and threw herself at her.
“Whoa!”
Lestea’s body was firm, but it wasn’t all hard planes. She had the softness of a woman’s body too, and she was slender enough to fit comfortably in Claudia’s arms.
“Ah! Y-your breasts are pressing against my back!” Lestea stammered.
“They are, aren’t they?”
“Ngh!”
Mere seconds later, Lestea sank into the water, her whole face bright red.