Yara stood before Broken, looking a little awkward. She took a deep breath as if to compose herself, and Broken looked up from the warm water he was soaking in.
“Yara?” he said slowly. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Yara looked at Broken with a confused look. She took a deep breath and began to unbutton her dress, as well as the cloth belt of her maid’s attire.
“My Lord,” she said, her voice trembling, “I have come to serve you and attend to your needs. I did not realize the full extent of my duties until recently. I hadn’t expected to be paid such a generous salary for simply accompanying you to your bath and sharing a bed with you. I had heard other maids mention such things. I’m sorry, my Lord. You have paid me well, so I will fulfill this duty.”
Broken immediately stood up with the underwear that was a default fixture to his body.
“No, I can bathe myself. You should continue with the work you were doing, Yara.”
But Yara continued trying to undo the buttons of her dress.
He continued, “That’s not what I asked of you,” he affirmed. “I’m asking you to do what you have been doing all this time and not what you think you should be doing.”
“My Lord,” she said. “I still want to work here. I have no other place to go. I apologize. I will do this job properly. I have considered it, and I will serve you with all my heart. I’m sorry if I am inexperienced, my Lord, but I promise to do my best.”
Yara then stepped closer to the pool.
“Wait. Stop,” he said firmly. “Listen to me. I didn’t ask you to take a bath with me or sleep with me, okay?”
“But, my Lord,” she asked, her voice shaking. “I don’t deserve this kind of salary. I’m just a maid, not a knight risking their life on the battlefield.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” he declared. “Now, let me finish my bath, and later, we can talk about this matter in more detail, okay?”
Yara stood there, still confused, unsure if she was being tested or if she would be fired for not serving her Lord as she thought was expected.
She then dropped to her knees on the floor, her head bowed, and a sob escaped her lips. “My Lord, I’m sorry, I’m not good enough. I failed you on the first day you arrived. I want to do my best. I want to work hard and do everything you say. But the salary you gave me is too high, and I know all masters pay their maids high wages so that they can spend time with them in their bed.”
Broken took a deep breath and stepped out of the pool, walking over to her. He sat down on the floor in front of her. “No, nothing happened. You’re doing fine, okay.”
But Yara continued to cry, so he reassured her further.
“Listen to me. I’m not asking you to do what you’re thinking. Taking a bath with me or going to sleep with me, it’s not like what you imagine,” he explained gently.
Outside the hot spring bath, Ivana was searching for Yara. As she got closer, she could hear Yara’s sobs from afar. Ivana rushed into the bathroom, but she immediately stopped, shocked by what she saw.
Yara was kneeling on the ground, her face tear-stained and her body shaking with her cries. Broken sat in front of her, wearing nothing but a damp towel.
Broken’s voice echoed through the spacious bathroom as he said, “…Taking a bath with me or going to sleep with me…”
Ivana gasped in shock at the sight. “Yara? Are you okay?” she asked, stepping toward them. Broken was startled when he saw her. “Ivana?”
“Yara is still a minor, Broken,” she said, “Do you really need to have a woman to accompany you in the bath and sleep with you?”
“No! You’ve got it all wrong, Ivana. Who said I wanted a woman to bathe and sleep with me?!” Broken exclaimed.
Ivana’s eyes widened, a mix of confusion and concern on her face. “But I heard you… and seeing Yara like this…”
Freya suddenly appeared at the entrance, her face full of confusion. She took a few steps forward, taking in the scene before her.
Broken’s voice echoed through the spacious bathroom as he said, “…I wanted a woman to bathe and sleep with me…”
“What is that, Broken?” Freya exclaimed, rushing toward them. She saw Yara crying, Broken with a towel, and Ivana standing there shocked.
“Broken,” she said firmly, “are you really serious about what you’re doing? Taking Yara and Ivana to bathe and sleep together? I mean, it’s alright to do it with Ivana, but you have to marry her afterward. But Yara, I’m afraid you’re taking it too far; she’s still a teenager!”
Ivana chimed in. “Freya, I arrived just now and heard exactly what you did.”
“Freya, you misunderstood!” Broken insisted. “You heard it wrong! No, I didn’t do it, I didn’t say that. No one said I asked them to accompany me to bathe and sleep with me!”
At that moment, someone else stepped into the bathroom. It was Melliandra, curious about the noise coming from the room.
“I’m sorry, I heard someone crying. Is there something wrong? Can I help?” she asked.
Broken’s voice echoed through the spacious bathroom as he said, “…I asked them to accompany me to bathe and sleep with me…”
But what Melliandra saw as she came closer made her heart race. There was Broken, draped in a towel, surrounded by three women! She shouldn’t be seeing this! Her eyes! They stung! “Pervert! Pervert! Pervert!!” she screamed, her face flushing red as she bolted out of the room.
After Melliandra left, Broken, Ivana, and Freya were equally stunned. Yara also slowly stopped crying.
Freya, looking puzzled at Broken, asked, “What really happened? Are you just too frustrated and want to take it out on these two innocent girls?” She chuckled slightly.
“Yara, could you please explain to them?” Broken said. “I don’t want any more
misunderstandings.”
“Yes, My Lord…” Yara had calmed down, adjusted her clothes, and then proceeded to explain
the events in order.
After Yara’s explanation, Ivana and Freya exchanged glances and let out small laughs.
“Ah, I thought the same when you gave Yara such a big salary, that you had other intentions
for her,” Freya giggled.
“Really, Freya?” Ivana asked, looking confused.
“No, Ivana! She’s just kidding,” Broken stated firmly.
“But if you really want a woman to do that for you, you’ve got an option, you know,” Freya
continued.
Broken let out an exasperated sigh and urged Yara, Ivana, and Freya to leave the room. “Now, all of you, go. Give me some peace. I want to enjoy my bath.”
But Freya, still in a playful mood, said, “Are you sure you don’t need someone to keep you company, Broken?”
“No, please go away and leave me in peace!” he shouted.
Broken pushed them out, and this time, he made sure to lock the door from the inside.