Can I Really Trust You?

Eight

The sound of running water could be heard as Emily drew a bath for me. The scent of roses quickly filled the room and I carefully stood from the chair and walked over towards the sink. I grabbed the hand towel that was folded neatly in the basket, and ran it under the water. Slowly, I made my way back to the chair as I cleaned the bottoms of my feet. I didn’t like the idea of taking a bath with dirty feet. One thing I truly miss is the actual shower. Baths are great and all but there’s just something about standing under a hot shower after a long day and letting the water drip down your body, down to your feet. It was soothing.

“My Lady?” Emily called me as I finished wiping my feet. The white towel was now colored brown and Emily gave me a confused look. “If you had wanted to soak your feet, I could’ve done that for you”.

“No, thank you. You were already drawing my bath, I didn’t need to distract you with something I could do myself”. Emily gave me a small nod and made her way towards me. I stood, giving my back to her as she released me from the heavy-weight of my skirt. She then pulled onto the string of the corset and I felt as if I could finally breathe. Corsets are the devil, and whoever invented them should go to hell.

I limped my way towards the bath with the help of Emily, and placed my right foot in first before completely settling into the bath. It was warm and silky as if I was laying in a bath full of soft cream and butter. Emily had left only to come back with a basket of toiletries; a sponge, bottle of soap and an empty tin cup. She placed the basket next to the tub and took out the sponge, dipping it into the water before wringing it out. The toughness of the sponge rubbed against my back and neck before going down my arms and down to my feet. I could see the color slowly begin to turn and I scrunch my face up in disgust which didn’t go unnoticed by Emily.

“Is everything alright, My Lady?” She asked, still scrubbing my toes.

“Yes, I would like to rinse myself with clean water after this”, I told her and she stopped scrubbing momentarily. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound demanding or difficult. I could do it myself after the water has drained”. I just don’t get how when people get transported to their favorite book or Manhwa live as if they hadn’t experienced advanced technology once in their life. Emily just smiled as she continued cleaning my feet.

“That’s alright, I’ll do it for you”. She ringed out the sponge and placed it onto the rack to grab the bottle that was in the basket. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back as something cold touched the top of my head before fingers began to massage it. The smell of lavender with a hint of vanilla filled my senses as she lathered my hair with the shampoo.

“Do you think my hair is too long?” I asked Emily. I remembered once when I was a child I had chewed gum and fell asleep. I woke up to the gum stuck to my hair after recently getting it trimmed. My grandmother had tried her best to remove the candy out of my hair but to no avail. She ended up chopping it all off and I cried throughout the entire process. That was the start of my love for shoulder length and bobbed hair styles. I was afraid to let it grow in case something like that happens again.

“No, My Lady. I think it’s beautiful the way it is”, Emily complimented. “Your black hair is a rarity in these parts of the town. Everyone either has blonde hair or brown hair, with the exception of red here and there”, she giggled. It’s true, the only reason why my brother and I have black hair is because our mother had come from a country where black hair was dominant. It was said that people with hair as dark as night holds a special gift that had been gifted by Tasnia herself. Although that is just a rumor that had started in the School of Magic. I haven’t seen or heard of a black haired mage before.

The water drained and I finally sat myself up, watching the water level decrease as it drained. The final drops disappeared and Emily turned the tap on, adjusting the temperature so as to not scorch me. She grabs the tin can from the basket and rinses the shampoo out of my hair. It took longer than expected but it had done its job. After washing my hair she washed the rest of my body with the clean water before shutting it off. Still seated in the tub, she wringed my hair out of any excess water and helped me into a robe.

I stood in front of the mirror waiting for Emily to come back with my clothes but instead, Eren walked in. My face flushed red as I tried to hide my body even though it was already hidden. “What are you doing in here?” I asked him, face red and burning with embarrassment. First the incident with my mother and now this.

“I’m sorry, My Lady! I had only told him that I was out to get your outfit for the evening. I didn’t expect him to come in here!”, Emily explained as she ran in behind him.

Eren walked over to me, and I stepped back when something hard touched my lower back. “Wait! Wait, wait, wait!” I yelled as I lifted my palms up in defense. Eren pulled me by the robe and I smacked into his hard body. His arm hooked under my bosom as he lifted me out of the bathroom. “Put me down!” I said as I struggled against his hold. My bed quickly approached me and my mind went straight into the gutter. I closed my eyes expecting him to toss me onto it but instead he had set me down gently.

“Tell me when she’s dressed”, he looked at Emily before walking out of the room. Not once did he try to explain his behaviour to me. I waited for the door to close before letting out a frustrated scream.

“What is his problem?! I’m not some fragile doll that needs to be carried everywhere”, I fumed as I looked over at Emily. “Fetch me something simple to wear for the evening!” Emily jumped, startled at my tone as she quickly made her way to my closet. I didn’t mean to sound aggravated but I was and there was no hiding it. It wasn’t because of Emily, it was because of Eren. His bird may have put me in this position but I didn’t need him to take care of me.

She came out of the closet with a white linen blouse and a simple brown skirt for the night. I pulled the blouse over me, soaking it as my hair hadn’t fully dried yet. “My Lady! I’m sorry, allow me”. Emily raised her hands and chanted something, warm air blew around my hair, drying it before dispersing.

I touched the ends of my hair, shocked that Emily knew how to wield magic. “I didn’t know you were a user”.

“Well, I never told anybody”, she scratched the back of her head as she looked at me nervously.

“Why are you here as a servant when you can make money as a mage elsewhere?” Being a servant to a noble family can be satisfying seeing how everything is being provided and all their earnings are being saved but being a mage can bring in fortunes.

“I come from a renowned family of mages. I’ve seen the things they do and I’m not interested. I’m not smart enough to go to school so I decided that this was my best option. My family had connections with yours, so my father had requested for me to work here to serve you”. I could sense that Emily had seen her fair share of wars in her life. If she had come from a family of mages only three come to mind; The McGuinty , Eregard, and Periano.

The McGuinty family has served the royal family for generations. Their loyalty runs deep in their veins, almost as if they had bound themselves to them.

The Eregard family runs their own shop, doing business for the public. They’re known for working with dark magic and being reckless and dangerous. The Royal family has been trying to shut them down for years but were never able to. The Eregard’s were always one step ahead of the Emperor, as if knowing his every move.

And lastly there was the Periano. They don’t involve themselves in politics or business. They keep to themselves. Some of them decide to join the army while others go to school to gain knowledge in the arts and some stray towards the dark path. The only reason why the Periano is considered one of the renowned family of mages is because every child that had been born into that line, has been blessed with the gift of magic. They’re not of royal blood or with a high noble status, they are all just commoners with great power.

“Which line are you from, Emily?” I asked as she helped me into my skirt.

“Periano”. I figured that she would be a Periano. She didn’t have that arrogance the McGuinty’s carried and her magic didn’t feel dark like the Eregard which could only mean that she was of Periano bloodline. “But can you please keep it a secret from the others? I don’t want them to treat me any different”.

“Yes, Emily. Your secret is safe with me”. I had finished dressing when Emily grabbed me a pair of sandals to wear. “Thank you”. I slipped them on and walked towards the door. The bath seemed to have eased the pain on my ankle. Just as I was about to open it, the door swung and Eren stood there looking at me. I stood still not knowing what he was going to do when he swept me off my feet again and placed me onto the bed.

“What are you doing?” I asked him, annoyed at him treating me like a doll.

“Treating you”, he said as he knelt down in front of me. He slipped the sandal off my foot and it began to glow. The feeling of something cold wrapped around my foot as it traveled up my leg, stopping at my thighs. A small gasp of pleasure escapes me as the feeling of it tickles me. He looked up at me through his lashes and I could feel my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Now that I’ve done my part, I shall take my leave”, he said as he stood.

“Wait”, I said a little breathlessly. “You mean all this time you could’ve just healed me and been on your way?” I tilted my head at him. I didn’t know what to feel. I was slightly angry at the fact that he carried me around everywhere but I was also smitten at the fact that he waited to treat me.

“Yes”, he replied as he adjusted his tie.

“Then why didn’t you just do that in the first place?” I asked as I stood, testing my weight on the foot he had just healed.

“I don’t know. Perhaps I enjoyed your company”, he grinned as one corner of his lip lifted. I blushed and cleared my throat and he grabbed onto my hand, leaning his head down as he left a small kiss at the back of it. “Till the next time, My Lady”.

My door creaked open and the sound of someone clearing their throat could be heard. I pulled my hand away from him and looked to see who was standing at the door. “Ingela?” I said surprised.

“Rizpah!” She sounded shocked as her eyes landed on Eren. The door opened wider and Kai stood next to Ingela, eyes wide and as shocked as she was.

“Kai?” I was confused as to why both Ingela and Kai are here.

“Duke--”.

“Eren”, Eren said as he cut Kai off. “Duke Eren”, he chuckled nervously as he looked at me. I turned my head to see that Kai had a confused look on his face before he began nodding his head.

“Duke Eren, it is a pleasure to see you here”, Kai greeted him with a bow and Ingela followed soon after.

“Wait, you’re a duke?” I asked clueless. “And you know him, Kai?” They both nodded at me awkwardly and Eren squeezed past them to leave. I wanted to chase after Eren because my mind was racing with questions when Kai and Ingela blocked me from going after him.