Taking a Bath with Freida
When I left the kitchen with Freida’s hand in mine, the maid from before was waiting outside. “Please take a bath before wandering all over the place, if you would.”
“My my, it seems Myne and Jutte think alike,” giggled Freida as she walked on.
Jutte had already prepared hot water for us, having predicted that we would get dirty while baking sweet. She held a box containing a change of clothes, towels, and the jar of rinsham as she guided us to the bath. “Please follow me.”
My eyes widened as I saw Jutte walking down the stairs. Benno’s office had a staircase leading up, so the fact that there were stairs dotting her home leading down to the store wasn’t surprising at all. But would it be okay for me to go down there myself? I stealthily asked Freida for confirmation. “...Won’t these stairs take us down to the store?”
“Don’t worry.”
Jutte passed by the first floor door leading to the store and kept going down. Upon reaching the basement, we found two doors. One was a finely crafted, decorated door and one was a normal door. Jutte opened the decorated door and we went inside.
It led to a room with floors so warm that I questioned whether or not it had heaters beneath them. There were two large wooden benches with cloth spread on top of them. They looked like massage benches.
“Now then, please take off your shoes and clothes.”
It seemed that the room was a massage parlor slash changing room. At Jutte’s urging, I took off my clothes. Freida took off her clothes as well with Jutte’s help.
We then passed through another door, which led to a decently sized bathtub. It was about the size of a single family onsen in Japan, and two to three adults could fit inside with stretched legs.
“Bwuuuh?! What is this?!” I hadn’t expected to see such a fancy bathtub and reflexively let out a cry of shock, which echoed throughout the room.
The floor was made of white marble and the tub, made of similar material, was wafting with steam. At the tip of the tub was a statue of a girl holding a jar, and hot water was flowing out of it. Water overflowed from the tub at the same speed as new water was poured in, so the water stayed warm. The ceiling was tiled and a window, positioned at the top of the wall, let sunlight inside. That light reflected off the white marble and gave the room a bright atmosphere.
I froze in the doorway in shock, which made Freida laugh in amusement and pass by my side to get into the tub. “Ahaha, surprised? My grandfather recreated the design of a bathing room he saw in a noble’s villa. I do not normally use it, but as my baptism is tomorrow, he gave me special permission.”
“There are actual bathtubs here...” I had not entered a bathtub in over a year, and now one stood before me. And it was larger and more decorated than my old Earth bathtub.
“The design came from another country. And it seems to be popular among nobles for their health and beauty.” Jutte entered the room with her clothes still on. Her apron, made of a harder material made to absorb water, was useful for wrapping around her skirt and keeping it up. And so she did, wrapping her skirt up so that it wouldn’t get wet.
Jutte was clearly about to start washing Freida, so I hurriedly took out the rinsham. “Jutte, please use this when cleaning her. You kind of like, shake it a bit, and...” I explained how to use the rinsham, but Jutte just looked down at Freida with a troubled expression.
“Jutte, I think it will be fine for Myne to wash my hair today.”
“A-Are you sure you’re fine with that?”
Jutte moved aside, so I started cleaning Freida’s hair. Meanwhile Jutte rubbed soap onto a towel and began cleaning Freida’s body.
“When you have a lot of hot water like this, you can put it on your hands and rub it into your hair directly. Rub your fingers against your scalp, carefully so your nails don’t scratch anything.”
“That tickles, but feels quite nice.”
I could imagine that Jutte kept Freida well groomed. Her hair was smooth and a little silky to begin with. Perhaps this rinsham was wasted on her. It might be the case that nobles are already so concerned with cleanliness that rinsham won’t sell that well. I might need to report this to Benno, I thought while cleaning Freida’s hair.
“Once you’ve cleaned all of it, you rinse your hair. Do so thoroughly to get all the rinsham off your scalp,” I explained, after which Jutte washed the bubbles off Freida’s body with a bucket. With her body now clean, Freida walked to the tub and entered it with a splash. I waited to see what she would do, and soon she rested her head on the edge of the tub with her hair hanging off the edge. Jutte took her hair and carefully rinsed it.
...Oho, so that’s how she does it. I’m glad I didn’t offer to rinse it and then dump a bucket of water on her head. That would have been bad.
Jutte finished washing Freida’s hair while I was still processing what she was doing. It was nice to be somewhere with easy access to hot water.
Freida was done being cleaned, so I reached out for the rinsham to wash my own hair. Freida left the tub with her eyes shining and walked over. “I would like to try washing your hair as well, Myne.”
Um... Should a rich girl really be doing that kind of thing with a commoner? I glanced at Jutte to see her reaction. She let out a quiet sigh and sat next to me too.
“Very well, my lady. We can clean her together. I would like to get practice using this rinsham as well.”
She says practice, but I bet she means that she wants to be there to guide Freida along before she makes any mistakes. I owe you my life, Jutte.
Small and large fingers rubbed my head as they washed my hair together. It felt ticklish, but I couldn’t let myself laugh. I held it all in.
“Your hair is so nice and straight, Myne.”
“It’s kinda annoying since it’s hard to wrap up with a string. That’s why I use a hair stick.”
“It is quite odd to see hair wrapped up in a stick, now that you mention it.”
“Well, it was my last resort. I just didn’t have anything else I could do.”
Once my hair was fairly clean, Jutte left the rest to Freida and started washing my body. I couldn’t escape since Freida was still there, so I just sat still and let her clean me.
“And now you’re clean, Myne.” Freida, sounding satisfied, let go of my hair after giving it all a good rub. But before I could grab the bucket, Jutte quickly picked it up.
“Now then, please enter the tub so I can rinse your hair.”
“I-I can do that myself.”
“You are our guest. Allow me.”
Beaten down by her unwavering smile, I got into the tub and rested my head on its edge just as Freida had done. My hair hung down and Jutte delicately rinsed it for me. Her gentle hands and the warm water touched my scalp. I could imagine that Jutte always helped Freida bathe. She was experienced and skilled, so much so that I nearly fell asleep. Aaah... This is like a spa. Feels so good.
“Hm, Myne. How do you wash your hair without a bathing room?” asked Freida, snapping me back to reality.
This isn’t a spa. I can’t fall asleep. I searched for where Freida’s voice had come from and saw that she had gotten into the tub as well and scooted next to me, with her head in a similar position. I looked at the steam drifting up to the decorated ceiling tiles and explained how I usually washed my hair.
“I usually fill a bucket about as half as big as yours and mix the rinsham into it. I then dunk my hair into the bucket and rub it while it soaks. Once that’s done, I wipe it with a cloth several times to get the liquid out before brushing my hair.”
The rinsham needed to be diluted enough that some staying in my hair wouldn’t be a problem, and I needed to wipe it with a towel a bunch to get as much of it off as possible. That was the only way to survive in an environment without a bunch of hot water. My life would be so much easier with a bathing room like this.
“Do you own this rinsham, Myne?”
“No, I sold all the rights to Benno. He should be putting it on the market soon.”
“I see...” Freida looked like she wanted to say something, but before she could, Jutte finished rinsing my hair.
“Was that enough?”
“Yes, thank you. It felt great.” I sat up to say my thanks and Jutte stood up.
“Then I will be taking my leave to prepare for later. Enjoy your bath, you two.”
After watching Jutte leave the bathing room, I sunk down into the water all the way to my shoulders. I splashed some hot water on my face and let out a deep sigh. Fwaah. This is heaven, just heaven.
“Goodness, Myne, look at that smile. Do you like the bath that much?”
“Of course! I would take a bath here every day if I could. Just having enough hot water to dip into like this is like a dream to me.” I nodded hard with a big smile, but Freida didn’t seem like she was that happy. “...Do you not like this bathtub, Freida?”
“I don’t dislike it, but it’s so hot, and my head always spins once I’m done.”
“Oooh. You’re overheating. You should leave the tub sooner,” I answered on reflex and Freida blinked in surprise.
“But I’m just staying in as long as I do with the normal tub.”
“The water in normal tubs get cold really fast, but that statue is pouring new hot water in here constantly, so you’ll overheat and feel bad if you stay in just as long. Why don’t you try leaving sooner this time?”
“I think I will.”
Freida and I left the bathtub fairly early. Or at least, it was early from my perspective, but it looked like Freida had warmed up pretty thoroughly. Her whole body was flushed pink.
“Do you feel okay? Is your heading spinning?”
“I’m fine this time.”
Jutte offered to give us massages with scented oil once we were done, but I declined. It sounded interesting, but in my case, I wouldn’t have a bathtub to enter afterwards. I had no idea whether Tuuli would be able to wipe it all off me once I got home.
I put on my clothes, brushed my hair, and watched Freida getting a massage. “I can’t believe you get massages, too. That’s so fancy.”
“I don’t like them much myself, but my grandfather said I will need to be used to them once I join noble society.”
Ah, okay. Freida doesn’t like the baths or the massages much, but she does them anyway as practice for when she needs to join noble society. Her life will go very differently depending on whether or not she’s used to these things when the time comes.
“...That’s fair. You should get used to them since you have the opportunity. Practice and experience will make a big difference in the long run.”
“That is why our home has much copied from the villas of nobles.”
I had wondered why Corinna’s home differed so much from this one, but now I see that it wasn’t just the result of the guildmaster being more wealthy. The food, bathing room, furniture, and so on were all a level above in price so that Freida could get used to living the life of a noble.
“He sure loves you a lot, huh?”
“...He’s investing for the future. My grandfather is doing much to ensure that my store in the nobles’ district runs smoothly and that his efforts up to this point do not end up wasted.” Freida pursed her lips, looking a little unhappy. She was probably right, but it was hard for me to say he would have done what he did without love.
“Your dream is to own a store, isn’t it? He’s supporting your dreams. And when he ordered your hairpins, he looked just like a grandfather who would give the world for his granddaughter.”
“Did he?”
Hm... I wonder if Freida’s lonely? She couldn’t go outside much due to her Devouring, and getting cured meant being bound by a contract with a noble. With her future sealed as a noble’s mistress, she had to live in preparation for living in an environment not suited for making friends. She needed the strength and calculating intellect to survive in noble society and she needed to learn everything it took to run a store before reaching adulthood. There was no doubt that she spent each day immersed in studies.
It wasn’t in the cards for her to live for her own sake. Her life, future, and the expectations of her family were all no doubt putting immense pressure on her young shoulders. Not to mention that despite the money they were spending on her, Freida’s family was expecting a return on their investment in the future, so she couldn’t exactly rely on them too much.
...Maybe that’s why she’s clinging to me so much? We both had the Devouring, were dipping our toes into trade before our baptisms, and according to Lutz, we even were similar about going crazy for our hobbies. There was no mistaking that we were more similar than your average pair of kids. Perhaps all that is making her want me to become a part of her life.
“Amazing, Myne! My hair’s so silky now!” I’d drifted off into thought until the massage finished, and Freida, now with her clothes back on, ran a hand through her hair and let out a cry of excited surprise.
Jutte looked happy too as she brushed Freida’s hair. “Indeed, it turned out quite nicely.”
“I’m glad you both like it. I hope it was a good enough thank you present for the magic tool.”
“Dear me, Myne, you paid for that tool. Far be it from me to accept a present on top of that.”
I smiled at Freida’s very merchant-like reply and shook my head. “I thanked you because I wanted to. If the guildmaster hadn’t gathered those magic tools for you, I wouldn’t have been able to buy one with the money I had.”
With our leisurely bath over, we returned upstairs and smelled something nice in the kitchen. It seemed that Leise was giving the pound cake recipe a round two. “This is one recipe I don’t want to forget, y’see,” she said.
I smiled at Leise’s confident smile. I would love if that recipe caught on and cake became more commonplace, so she had my support. Freida looked pretty excited to see a second pound cake.
“Since you’re making a new one, can we eat the one we’ve already made? I would like to enjoy some tea with Myne.”
“Sure, I’ll take it right out.”
Lutz arrived just as we were preparing tea in the dining room. “Heya, Myne. Sure smells nice in here.”
I laughed to myself, imagining that Lutz had come all this way after smelling the cake, but he narrowed his eyes and peered at me.
“Myne. You been pushing yourself today? Don’t go too far just ’cause your fever went down. Get in bed soon. You’ll get sick from exhaustion.”
“Bwuh? Huh? What? I’m feeling fine.” I patted my face in confusion and Lutz shook his head, brows furrowed.
“You’re just so excited you don’t notice. You’re not doing great.”
“My my, but we just absorbed her Devouring heat with a magic tool and all we’ve done today is make sweets and take a bath,” Freida listed what we had done today in my defense.
“...Alright, I see. You’re a healthy person who got stuck with the Devouring. But Myne? She’s sickly even without the Devouring. She passes out so much it’s hard for most people to tell whether she’s passing out from the Devouring or from exhaustion,” said Lutz, sighing and rubbing his temples.
Freida and I reflexively looked at each other.
“Is that true, Myne?!”
“You’re not sickly, Freida?!”
It seemed that we both assumed too much about the other. Freida thought I would be fine if just my Devouring was cured, and I thought that Freida was just as sickly as me, so doing what she did would be fine for my health.
“I dunno what you mean by taking a bath, but I’m guessing since this is a new place you’ve been trying to see and do everything.”
“Ngh... I haven’t done that much.” Under normal circumstances I was always gripped by anxiety about my health, and it was true that I had been avoiding thinking about it by using Freida as an excuse.
“I can see on your face that you’ve done too much. Don’t forget how weak you are. ’Cause I mean seriously, you can’t get much weaker.”
“Do you have to keep calling me weak like that? It’s kinda mean.”
“It’s the truth. And think about it, aren’t you going home tomorrow? Do you know how mad your family will be if you get another fever here?”
If I got sick in the guildmaster’s home after playing around too much, I would be throwing dirt in the face of their kindness. Dad’s excitement would get stomped on, Mom would yell at me for being such a burden on Freida’s family, and Tuuli would shake her head in disappointment, asking why I couldn’t sit still for just one day.
“Oh noooooooo...”
“I see your point. I cannot allow her to fall into ill health again under my care. Myne, please rest for the rest of today. Okay?” said Freida with worry in her voice.
I answered with a nod. “Okay. Thanks for warning me, Lutz. And... Freida, sorry, but could you share some of the (pound cake) with Lutz?”
“Yes, of course. Jutte, please take Myne to her room.”
Once I entered the guest room and got in bed, I immediately felt just how exhausted I was. My whole body felt heavy and way hotter than could be explained away by the bath. It was the first time I had ever cooked under intense pressure and taken a consistently warm bath in this body, so I hadn’t understood my limits. ...I’m impressed Lutz noticed just like that. I should expect nothing less from him.
By the time the soft blanket had warmed up from my body heat, I had already fallen into a deep sleep.
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