At last, Lille understood the source of Charles’s discomfort: apparently, bathing was usually something done alone. It seemed like a waste to go in separately, though, when the bath was so big.
“Okay, then what should I do?” Her eyebrows knitted together.
“Ark…wouldn’t be very useful, since his claws aren’t very dexterous, and Leo… Well, in his case, there are far too many things that could go wrong,” Charles said, speaking with his back to Lille. Although he seemed deep in thought, the tips of his ears were still bright red. “…I’ve got an idea,” he announced, before leaving the bathroom momentarily.
When he returned, Lille’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Surely you can’t see a thing, like that! Master Charlie—”
“That’s the point. I know roughly where everything is, and I can sense any objects that are imbued with magic. We’ll be fine like this,” he explained. He was still fully dressed but had tied a piece of cloth over his eyes, which must have been what he hurried away to fetch.
“First, let’s give your hair a good wash. There’s a small chair somewhere around here, so go sit on that,” he instructed. Then he picked up a translucent, ruby-like bar of soap, and used it to lather a wet sponge. Within seconds, a layer of gentle, sweet-scented bubbles formed on its surface. “All right. Now, use this sponge to scrub your body. You know how to do that, right?”
“Yes. Should I do the same to my hair?”
“For hair, you should use the liquid soap in that bottle, but…do you know how to wash it?”
“No…” She thought back. “I’ve only ever rinsed it with water.”
“…I guess we’re out of other options. All right—I’ll wash your hair today, so make sure you pay attention. Next time, you’ll have to do it yourself.”
Though he couldn’t physically see, Charles easily reached over to the liquid soap and nimbly poured some into his palm. He briefly rubbed his hands together before massaging the soap into Lille’s hair. It made a swish, swish noise as he worked it into her scalp with his fingertips. The sensation was marvelous; she fought sleepiness as she basked under his warm, calming touch.
“You have to rub your hair to make the soap lather up,” he said, showing her. “Take care not to get it in your eyes, or else they’ll sting,”
Once both her body and hair were covered in soap, Charles used a small pail to scoop up some water and rinse the bubbles away. He taught Lille that the huge, bucket-like container was called a bathtub.
“Now, you can soak in the bathtub for as long as you like.” He gestured toward it before turning his head toward the little glass bottles placed to the side. “Say, Lille—what’s your favorite floral scent?”
“Oh! I like anything sweet,” she told him.
“In that case, I think this one’ll be perfect for you,” he said, picking up one of the bottles and pouring some of the gloopy liquid into the bathwater. “It’s bath oil. I make them myself. It warms you up, and I use magic to give it some added benefits. You can try them all out, eventually, to see what they do,” he explained. “Well, I think that’s everything. I’ll leave you to relax, Lille.”
She happened to glance down and saw that the bottom of his robe was completely soaked. His sleeves were covered in soap, too. As he walked away, stumbling slightly on the robe’s wet hem, a strange sensation settled in her chest.
She hadn’t done a single thing to help out since arriving, but Charles was nothing but kind to her, regardless. He had given her a name and taught her how to bathe. Something soft in his gaze told her his kindness was unconditional. She sank lower, until the surface of the water lapped at her chin, enjoying the sweet floral fragrance that hung in the air.
It feels like someone’s squeezing my heart.
She didn’t think it right to call the feeling painful or sore; the sensation was in no way unpleasant. It was a sweet, miraculous pang that she wished she could savor forever.
When she left the bath and glimpsed herself in the changing room mirror, a girl she had never seen before stared back at her. The reflection showed an awfully thin girl with long, straw-colored hair, and big, emerald-green eyes. She had totally forgotten what color they were. In the tower, she never had a mirror—but even if she had, there would have been nothing to see but her dirt-stained face and hair. It wouldn’t have been worth looking at.
In the pile of clothes that Charles had brought her, she found an unbleached, long-sleeved dress. It looked loose and comfortable—just like Charles’s robe—and intricate embroidery curled around the hems and neckline. Once she pulled it on, the dress hid her bony arms and legs, and she dared to think that perhaps she now looked just as elegant as Charles and Leo.
After wiggling her toes into the high-laced boots Charles had given her, she left the bathroom the way she came. Once she found her way back to the living room, she walked through the doorway to see everyone already there.
“Um… I’m done,” Lille announced shyly.
“Ah! How was i—”
The three of them fell silent when they turned to look at her. Their eyes were so wide with shock that Lille started to worry that she’d somehow put her clothes on wrong.
“Oh… Have I done something silly again?” she asked.
“…No, no. We’re just stunned by how pretty you are,” Ark said, impressed.
“Anyone would be after seeing her with all that dirt caked on!” Leo threw in.
“Th-Thank you,” she said, not used to being complimented—or half-complimented, in Leo’s case. She was relieved that she looked presentable but was unnerved by the way Charles was still dazedly staring at her.
“Master Charlie…?” she ventured uncertainly.
He suddenly shook himself. “Oh, sorry about that,” he apologized. “I couldn’t help but stare. You really are cute.”
It felt as though a burst of hot air had swept over her cheeks.
Cute.
No one had ever called her that before. She couldn’t believe how such a short word could make her feel like she was soaring. She wondered if Charles, being a sorcerer, could see what appeared to be a pink mist currently evaporating off her skin. Hopefully, neither he nor the others noticed it, though she didn’t know why she felt so self-conscious about it in the first place.
“I made you those clothes by shrinking one of my robes. Luckily, it looks like I got the sizing just right,” he said, appraising the dress. “Sorry to give you hand-me-downs. Ah, but the boots are new, actually. I bought them for Leo just recently.”
“No, it’s fine. Thank you both very much.” She looked between Charles and Leo.
“It’s no big deal… Besides, if I refused to give a pair of shoes to someone walking around barefoot, I’d look like a jerk.” Leo crossed his arms.
“Leo, you gotta be more honest about your feelings. How often do you hang out with girls your age? Now’s your chance,” Ark quipped.