BXBX NOVEL Chapter 154
“That’s right… Let’s take her to the communal bath for the time being.” Mia tells Anne while the little girl was gaping at them.
The communal bath in the women’s dormitory basically has a fixed bathing time. But that’s just more of a formality. Because the source comes from the hot springs, there is always hot water. And if it is absolutely necessary, it is possible to just say nice words to the manager and be allowed to sneak in.
It is said that it is very atmospheric to take a bath at night time with the moonlight shining through the glass ceiling of the communal bath. But such a thing has nothing to do with Mia who knows no better night-time activity than being soundly asleep.
“For the time being, wash this child’s clothes… and… Anne, can you prepare a change of clothes for her. Just give her something from my wardrobe for now.”
“What about you, milady?”
“Huh? Me?”
Mia looked down on herself and realized that she was sweaty. This is not surprising considering that she ran all the way down the corridor earlier.
Sleeping like this is definitely gross.
Nodding a little, Mia got up from bed.
“Well then, might as well see the allure of moonlit bathing.”
Mia went to the communal bath with Anne. The girl was following them closely while being utterly silent.
I wonder what’s the matter with her. Is she plotting something against us?
Mia gave her a suspicious look. However, the girl didn’t seem to be ill-mannered, but rather confused. When she arrived at the dressing room, Anne quickly takes off the girl’s clothes. The girl did not resist and allowed to be undressed without any complains.
Mia was casually observing the whole the situation…
Hmm, she doesn’t seem to have any weapons… And it looks like she doesn’t do any martial arts.
Without clothes, the girl looked more or less the same as her, except skinnier. Her ribs are slightly visible, indicating that she hasn’t eaten for awhile. Pallid skin and sinking cheeks, and her complexion was pale. And now that Mia has thought about it, even her hair felt rough.
Despite suspecting the girl as a Chaos Serpent disguising as a slum dweller, now that she is fully bared, she was a pitiful little thing, and Mia couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.
It reminds me of my life in the dungeon.
Mia knew what it was like to have nothing to eat… and it was painful. Mia instinctively regrets of thinking that this girl is a sucker from the way that she reacted to the cookie. If it was Mia who had been hungry, she would worship the person who would giver her food as a goddess…
No, I would not go that far. After all, I think this child is a little sucker.
“Milady…”
Anne’s serious tone pulled Mia out of her thoughts.
“May I have your permission to use your shampoo and body cleanser? As well as your perfumed oil for moisturising her skin?”
Anne is always helping Mia with all kinds of care. She is particularly proud of her work. As such, Anne took it as a professional challenge to rectify the situation of the girl’s appearance.
“Yes, you may. I’m just going to wash off this night sweat, so don’t mind me. Please help the child take a bath.”
Then Mia smiled with a mischievous smile,
“In fact, why stop there. Clean her up to the point that she won’t be embarrassed if she is going to a ball.”
Mia quickly washed away her sweat and soaked in the bathtub. She then let out a sigh of pleasure.
Ah, I’ve come back to life…
She stretched out her limbs and loosened her tired muscles. While she hadn’t been doing any exercise, the sprint earlier proved to be quite taxing for her body that was unaccustomed to physical exertion.
Whoops. I can’t take it too easy.
After changing her mood, Mia looked at the girl again. The girl seemed to have surrendered herself to Anne’s hygienic attack. She sat there with her eyes closed tightly and stayed still like a cat in the bath.[i]
I wonder who in the heavenly moons is this child…
At first, Mia suspected that she was a saboteur, or something sent from the Chaos Serpent, but when she saw the girl, it seems too ridiculous to suspect such a girl.
And the words that that child whispered earlier…
Mia was sure that she heard the girl say “Mother Anne” earlier.
Eventually, once the girl was filth-free, she joined Mia in the bathtub.
“Then milady, I’m going to bring a change of clothes and prepare the perfumed oils.”
“Yes, thank you Anne.”
Anne bows and went off to retrieve the items she mentioned. The girl watched her until Anne closed the bathroom door and left.
“It really is Mother Anne… but…”, the girl muttered, “It’s strange. It’s her… but younger.”
The girl muttered and mumbled in a confused manner. But she suddenly raised her face and clapped her hands together.
“Oh! I know what’s going on. This is a dream!”
In an impressive display of the girl’s mental resilience, Mia couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity in her behavior.
Wh-What’s with this child? And why do I get the feeling that we are related?
When she looked at her again, she somewhat resembled Mia herself. The color of the hair that was thoroughly washed and cleaned was the same platinum color as Mia. The color of her beautiful eyes is different from Mia, it is emerald-green but its shape is still similar to Mia.
Suddenly, the girl’s eyes looked toward Mia, and Mia was surprised to see them wide open.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I am late in introducing myself. I’m Bel. Miabel Luna Tearmoon. I am your granddaughter.”
“Eh?”
Unbefitting of a princess, Mia’s mouth fell open from the surprise introduction.
Mia tends to refer to Miabel mostly as “child”, only sometimes as “little girl.” And for unknown reasons, it seems that in the novel version, their eyes are both the same color.
[i] I don’t think the author really have tried bathing a cat. If he did, then he would know that a cat would rather kill you than allow herself to be bathed.