Chapter 43: Taking a bath? Only a fool wouldn’t do that!

The Adventurer’s Guild bathhouse was a cozy surprise, small but sufficient for Cynthia and Ina.
Steam curled from a modest bathtub, and Ina’s eyes sparkled at the sight.

“Wow, a bathhouse here? And a tub!”

“It’s for guild members, not public,” Charlotte explained with a chuckle.
“Most of us live here, so it’s handy. Put your clothes in the dressing room basket. I’ll bring fresh ones.”

She glanced at Cynthia, seeking confirmation.

“We don’t need clothes, do we?” Cynthia hedged.

Ina piped up, “You’re meeting the lord later. Sure you want to go like that?”

All eyes fell on Cynthia’s dirt-streaked leather gear.
Ina’s new cloak was blood-stained, her outfit worse for wear from their trek.

Cynthia relented.
Meeting the lord looking like a sewer rat wasn’t ideal, even as their savior.
“Fine. Thanks, Charlotte.”

“I’ll leave you two to it. Enjoy!”

Charlotte exited, hanging an “In Use” sign on the door.

Alone, Cynthia pondered as clothes rustled off.
Never bathed with a woman, except Alicia.

Her mind wandered to Alicia’s figure—not skinny, but…
Wait, why am I thinking this?

She shook off the thought.
Am I… accepting this identity?

No, snap out of it! Why care about my figure?

Alicia’s smiling face flashed, sending a shiver through her.
That old hag’s trap.

She refocused.
Just bathe and go.

As she undressed, lost in thought, Ina struck.

“Gotcha!”

Ina, already changed, grabbed Cynthia’s chest from behind.

“Ah!”

Cynthia yelped, arms flying to cover herself, cheeks flushing.
The sound—cute, mortifying—came from her.

She clapped a hand over her mouth, blushing furiously.
Was that… me?

“Oh~ Cold-faced Cynthia-chan makes such cute sounds~”

Ina’s teasing grin widened.

Cynthia, mortified, broke free, grabbing Ina’s face.
“You saw nothing, heard nothing! Got it?”

“Ow… got it…”

Ina’s muffled reply hid her glee.
Worth it to see her like this.

She snatched a towel, stuck out her tongue, and darted into the bathroom.
“I’m washing first!”

“Really?”

Cynthia steadied herself, folded her clothes into the basket, and entered the bathroom.
Ina’s smooth, youthful figure made her avert her eyes.

Calm down. I’m an adult. She’s just Ina.

Deep breaths.
She opened her eyes—Ina was closer.

“Yina! Why so close?!”

“You were spacing out.”

Ina’s towel covered the essentials, easing Cynthia’s tension.
But her next words floored her.

“Oh~? Can’t bathe yourself, Cynthia-chan~?”

“I can too!”

Cynthia stomped to the shower, fuming, but froze at her reflection.
How… did I bathe before?

A horrifying truth hit.
Since becoming a vampire, she’d never bathed alone.
Maids always handled it—she just closed her eyes and let them work.
How do girls bathe solo?

“Was Ina… right?” she muttered.

“Hehe~”

Ina loomed behind, fingers wiggling, her smile devilish.
“Noble girls lack life skills~ Let Ina help you, Miss Cynthia!”

“Wait, don’t come closer!”

Cynthia absorbed the bloodstone’s power, but Luofengte’s mystery lingered.
The Blood Demon’s ignorance forced her to wait for the creature’s return.

Ina’s playful antics—clinging, teasing, and now this bathhouse ambush—kept Cynthia off-balance.
Lorena’s return with guards shifted focus to the lord’s summons, and Cynthia chose to face him as her true vampire self.

Back at the Guild, Charlotte and Tiani welcomed them, unfazed by Cynthia’s nature.
Ina’s insistence on a shared bath, though, pushed Cynthia into uncharted, flustered territory.
The Blood Crown awaited, but for now, she was at Ina’s mercy.