I raised an eyebrow at her with a playful smirk tugging at my lips. “Disrespectful, huh? But trespassing isn’t?”
Aurora puffed up her cheeks as if getting ready to retort, but before she could Lucille chimed in with a calm, teasing tone. “You know, she isn’t wrong…” Lucille said from behind, standing just outside the bath, having undressed herself as well, though she wrapped herself in a towel before I could also check her birthday suit out.
She leaned against one of the wooden pillars with a sly smile playing on her lips. “You can’t just dump a bucket of water on yourself and call it a proper pre-bath rinsing.”
The two of them were united in their judgment, and I could feel a playful ganging-up vibe. I sighed dramatically, rolling my eyes but letting Aurora pull me toward one of the stone benches that lined the bath.
“Alright, alright, if it’s such a crime to not scrub down, I’ll allow it.” I sat down and raised my arms in mock surrender.
Aurora’s face softened a bit, her nervousness morphing into a look of satisfaction as she grabbed a washcloth and knelt in front of me. She looked focused, almost too much so, as she began rubbing the cloth across my chest, gently at first, then more confidently as she went on.
Lucille, meanwhile, was relentless as she giggled lightheartedly. “Aurora, you seem to enjoy this quite a bit…”
Aurora’s hands froze for a second, and her blush deepened, but she didn’t falter in her task. “I just… I just want to make sure he’s clean…” she said quickly, trying to maintain her dignity.
I chuckled under my breath, leaning forward to give her more space to work. “I’m sure it’s all out of respect for the owners and the public who will use the spring tomorrow, right?”
Aurora narrowed her eyes, and though she was clearly embarrassed, she kept scrubbing diligently. “Yes. Of course.”
Lucille shook her head with a soft laugh. “Of course…” she echoed, the sarcasm evident in her tone.
I relaxed further into the warmth of my beloved Alchemist’s machinations, letting her do as she pleased.
Aurora’s hands worked across my chest in slow, tentative movements, the washcloth tracing along the contours of my muscles as she moved on to my neck. Her touch was delicate, and uncertain, as if she was still grappling with the intimacy of the moment. Meanwhile, Lucille was standing off to the side with her arms crossed, watching the scene unfold amusedly.
Aurora paused, her voice barely above a whisper as she glanced over at Lucille. “I’ve never washed anybody besides myself before, so… maybe you could help?” She hesitated, glancing nervously between Lucille and me. “Do his back?”
Lucille blinked as her expression changed to one of shock, clearly not expecting to be invited into this situation. Her gaze flickered to me with lots of uncertainty and conflict in her eyes, like she was struggling with the boundaries she had set for herself.
She must have remembered my earlier behavior, the way I’d made it clear I had no interest in women who were still tied to their husbands, especially if they were looking to cheat. But things had shifted since then.
I stood up, distancing myself from Aurora, who had been clumsily washing my front. As I began walking slowly toward Lucille, I could feel the tension rapidly building between us. Her gaze dropped, taking in all of me, and I caught the way her eyes lingered- especially downwards, towards my half-excited Excalibur. She gulped audibly.
Once I stopped in front of her, I towered over the delicate woman. My presence filled the small, steamy room. I placed a hand on her bare shoulder, getting to feel her silky and smooth under my palm and fingers. I noticed that the gesture made her body twitch beneath my touch.
“You should be painfully aware…” I began with a low voice that carried sincere weight, “that I care not for legality. If you’ve decided in your mind that you are no longer with him, then as far as I’m concerned, you are a single woman.” My hand lingered on her shoulder, and her breathing hitched as she looked up at me questioningly. “I know it’s flawed logic, but so what? I simply don’t care.
Whether the country, the king, the aristocrats, or the administration gives you a paper saying your divorce is accepted, it matters not to me. As long as you’ve steeled your resolve to separate, you’ve already done so in my eyes.”
As I stared into her wide and vulnerable eyes I could feel the wall she had built around herself cracking. I leaned in slightly, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off of me.
“Do whatever you want, Lucille. You’ve lived as a shackled woman for long enough already. Be free.” I whispered into her ear after leaning down.
That’s right; I’m ready to bend my own rules a little in her case. She’s been in an unhappy marriage for almost two decades by now, where according to her statement they’ve not been physically engaged with each other for many years. She’s also told him multiple times that she wants a divorce though didn’t take the final step to turn those words into reality.
As far as the law is concerned she is still married, but if she makes the decision to separate I want to accept her right now, without waiting for legal papers to arrive. I simply don’t care for their existence in this case.
After all, if we were to go by law, I should’ve long since been executed/enslaved, and even high nobles like Kaede Fujimori, and the king himself who approved Ayame’s enslavement are illegal criminals. Bending the rules to your will is natural if you can get away with it.
Lucille stood frozen for a moment with rapid, shaky breath as she processed what I said. Aurora meanwhile had followed after me back when I stood from the stone seat, and she finally caught up to me, after which she began scrubbing my back this time instead of the front.