Orianna smiled and helped Tia take off her cloak.
“It’s the Winter-blooming Christmas Rose, also called Helleborus,” she said. “It blooms around Christmas, but it’s not a common decoration in the palace, so you might not know it.”
“Ah.”
The mention of Christmas made Tia think back to the canceled holiday plans. She felt distracted.
“Bellarenza should be handling things well in my place. They said they’d push forward with the expo plans we submitted. I hope they’re taking care of everything… I wonder if they’re paying attention to the things I was supposed to do.”
Diaz’s wife, who was standing nearby, covered Tiaâs naked body with a large towel.
“The bath is safe with a gentle bottom, so you can relax. But be careful near the center, where the lotus float is. It’s a bit deep there.”
Orianna folded Tia’s clothes neatly and placed them on a rock before leaving with Diaz’s wife.
Tia had always preferred bathing alone since she was young, even though many nobles liked to have their maids assist them in baths.
But, honestly, she wasnât sure if they left to give her privacy or for some other reason.
“Feels like I’m in a cloud,” Tia murmured.
The mist from the hot spring covered the surface of the water, making it impossible to see anything below. Tia stood there for a moment, feeling like a lost child.
âNo one will know if somethingâs hiding in the water,â she thought.
The mystical steam, the smell of the enchanted forest, the bright red berries of the hawthorn tree, and the leaves of the Christmas Rose waiting to bloomâit all felt like something out of a fairy tale she had read as a child.
She thought about the huge seagulls she had seen at the port.
But still, who would think there would be monsters in the hot spring water?
“It’s warm…”
Tia stepped carefully into the water, her feet sinking into the soft, warm liquid.
The water reached up to her knees at the edge, and when she fully submerged her legs, she relaxed.
Suddenly, a loud splash!
A fountain of water erupted from the center of the spring.
The floating lotus float was thrown into the air by the splash.
Tia lost her balance in surprise. Before she could react, something quickly grabbed her arm.
“Ah!” she gasped, but no scream escaped her.
Something tall, with two eyes staring at her from above, was watching her intently.
Its pupils were thin and cat-like.
Was it a monster? A fairy? A beast?
What was it?
“Be careful,” a voice suddenly spoke, a low, calm man’s voice.
The man wrapped his strong arm around Tiaâs waist and pulled her close, holding her against his chest.
“Ugh.”
He exhaled loudly, the scent of wood and musk filled the air, messing with her hair.
“I thought you might faint from holding your breath,” he chuckled.
The vertical pupils that had been watching her changed to normal, round human eyes.
But Tia didnât feel safe yet.
She had never seen a man who smiled like that before.
This man’s emotions seemed wild and untamed. No one in the palace acted like this.
“Well…”
The large man looked at her with pure curiosity, his eyes studying her closely.
Tia stared back at his faceâsilver hair, golden-tinged jade-colored eyes. His features were unusual but striking.
“Not a big fish,” he murmured, showing his sharp teeth.
Tia couldnât tell if he was human or something else, but he was certainly strange.
“Stop staring. I’m not going to eat you,” he added, grinning as he steadied her.
He stepped back, pointing towards the exit. “You can go now. The exit’s over there.”
Tia followed his finger and noticed something oddâhe was wearing a ring.
It was a large, golden ring with the family crest engraved on it.
“Vincente Cali?” she asked, recognizing the ring.
He raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. “Yeah, that’s my name. But whatâs with calling me that? Who taught you to just call someone by their lord’s name?”
Tia remembered something.
The manâs eyes… they looked just like Osvaldo’s had after his military training. His pupils had changed because of some poison from the forest.
“So itâs true… he’s one of them,” she thought.
But the man was standing there, completely unaffected.
“Did you come here because you had no choice?” Vincente smirked.
“Did your parents force you? Things not going well at home?”
He looked her up and down, and she studied him carefully.
Vincente Cali.
The man who was supposed to be her husband.
Tia mumbled, “Youâre…”
She couldnât tear her eyes away from his imposing figureâhe was huge, his body much stronger than most men she had seen, with a broad chest and muscular thighs.
And then, there was the one thing about him that was awkwardly disturbing.
“Did you enjoy the view?” he said with a teasing smile.
“You have guts, barging into a men’s bath like this.”
His gaze softened, but his arms, crossed and looming over her, felt threatening.
“I came to be your wife.”
Despite the strangeness of the situation, Tia didnât mind.
It wasnât as uncomfortable as she thought.
She remembered what people had said about himârough and ignorant. The common man. The one who would be nothing more than a regular noble.
But now, standing in front of her, he didnât seem so simple.
