TPFB 06

Chapter 06 The Bath

“Princess Lilybell, how is the water temperature?”

“Yes… it feels wonderful.”

Sinking into the bath, where the faint scent of roses drifted through the steam, I nodded dreamily.
The bathroom attached to the guest room was spacious, surrounded by beautiful white marble.

Unlike the small bath at the detached palace, it felt as though I were being treated like a true noblewoman.

(…To be treated this carefully.)

The warm water gently enveloped my skin, easing the stiffness that the fever had left behind.
I had intended to simply enjoy this elegant moment—but when I happened to lower my gaze, I noticed the maid’s hands suddenly freeze.

(What’s wrong…?)

Just as I wondered that, Rosarina furrowed her brows and softly took hold of my arm.

“Princess Lilybell, this is…”

“Ah—!”

Where her eyes were fixed, a faint purplish bruise could be seen.
Traces of where I had once been pinched repeatedly and forcefully still remained, even now.

“What… happened here?”

For a moment, my breath nearly stopped.
Then, as the maid’s fingers lightly touched my shoulder, I remembered—there were several old bruises there as well.

—Emma.

Emma, who had served as my head maid, had stayed by Lilybell’s side for many years.

Her hands were never warm.

When dressing me, she would deliberately tug hard on my sleeves or pinch me—an everyday occurrence.
Even when I complained that it hurt, she would simply laugh it off, saying, “My hand slipped. My apologies.”

(She knew Lilybell couldn’t complain to anyone anyway.)

The fact that the bruises still remained made me feel terribly pathetic. Miserable, utterly so.

“It’s nothing at all! I just fell while I was in the garden.”

I forced my face into a smile with all my strength. If I didn’t, I felt like I would fall apart.

“—My apologies, Princess Lilybell. We’ll be careful not to put any strain on your skin during your bath.”

Though clearly unsettled, Rosarina quickly composed her expression.

“Berne, please take care of her hair.”

“Yes! Leave it to me. Princess Lilybell, I’ll start by brushing your hair—please tell me if it hurts, all right?”

“…Yes, I understand.”

They didn’t ask anything further, and with polished, gentle movements, continued the bath.
There was no pulling at my hair—nothing but comfort.

Relief washed over me… yet at the same time, my chest tightened painfully.

(…Emma didn’t hate me from the beginning. I’m sure of that.)

When Lilybell was younger, I remember her being a little kinder.

But as I was confined to the detached palace and became someone no one paid attention to, her attitude gradually grew cold.
Before I realized it, that had simply become normal.

“……”

I gently stroked the arm where the bruises remained. The pain itself should have faded long ago.

So why did it hurt so much now?

Once the bath was over, the maids draped a soft, fluffy bathrobe over my shoulders.
As I felt its warmth, I quietly lowered my eyes.

I should go back—to that place.

“…I was thinking of returning to the detached palace tomorrow.”

I said it because staying in such a magnificent room only made me feel uneasy.

But Rosarina and Berne raised their voices together.

“Absolutely not!”

As if I were a fragile glass ornament that might shatter with even a single step, they pushed me back onto the bed.

“Thanks to Brother Luke and the two of you, I’m completely better now. The bath felt wonderful too, so—”

“You’re still far from fully recovered! What are you saying?!”

“Princess Lilybell, your fever has gone down, but your underlying malnutrition has not yet improved.”

Seeing Berne and the others with tears in their eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to argue further.

It seemed that because I had collapsed, the situation had been exaggerated somewhat. They were simply worried about me.

“I… I understand…”

Giving up on resisting, I let my head sink into the soft, fluffy pillow.

It felt wonderful after all—and refreshed as I was, I soon drifted off to sleep.