Chapter 7: 7. The bath

Julia walked under Mirei’s lead through the hallways. This place was unbelievably big, yet there was barely anyone here. They only passed by three maids on their way to the bathroom. When they did the maids stopped cleaning and bowed with a nervous smile and once Julia and Mirei passed by them they let out relived sigh and returned to their work, Julia started to wonder why all maids here were like that.

“Here it is, your high- ehem, your excellency.”

As Julia was thinking about maids behavior, Mirei’s voice brought her attention to her surroundings. The bathroom they arrived to was just like the rest of the palace, enormous. Did Loriam had some sort of complex thanks to which she needed compensation in form of this needlessly huge palace?

The floor was covered with what Julia suspected to be polished marble, while walls of this room were decorated with a highly detailed mosaic, its motive seems to be some vampiric legend about some of the ancient queens subjecting a dragon. The bath itself was located on the opposite side from the door and just like rest of the room it was big. If asked Julia would compare its size to the swimming pool that her school had.

“Please excuse me your excellency.”

Mirei approached Julia who was wondering how much did this waste of taxpayer’s money cost. Julia was only brought back from her thoughts once she felt her night gown being removed.

When Mirei removed Julia’s clothes and folded it on nearby bench. She then led Julia in to the swimming pool sized bath all the while avoiding setting her eyes on Julia’s naked body. Not that Julia would mind.

As Julia started to soak in the pleasantly warm water, she let out a slightly relaxed sigh. Just as Loriam said taking bath was really helping her relax. But there was just one thing that didn’t allow Julia to relax completely. And that one thing was her own body.

For the past week Julia refused to acknowledge changes that happened to her body, even if she was willing to acknowledge turning in to a vampire, she wanted to believe that she was still man. Maybe a bit feminen looking but still a man. But that was no longer possible with her clothes removed.

The moment Julia looked down not only would she see pale body of a vampire but also pair of slightly developed breasts. No matter how much she wished otherwise, these lumps of fat were part of her body now.

Her entire body frame shrank, her old muscles nowhere to be found, in place of the frame of a muscular human male there was just slim frame of an underdeveloped vampire girl, there could not be better word to describe Julia’s current appearance than a loli.

“May, I?”

Julia shifted her attention from her body on to Mirei, who was kneeling next to Julia with a bar of soap. Based on its rosily smell it was at least by vampiric standards expensive high quality one. Julia nodded her head slightly to Mirei, who in response started to wash Julia’s arms with the soap.

“Wow, your skin is so soft, just like an new born child. Is perfect, just as expected of the royal family.”

Mirei was visibly enjoying how Julia’s skin felt under her fingers, as she continued to wash Julia’s body. Julia wondered what was Mirei so excited about. But opted to say nothing and just lay back and relaxed with her eyes closed. Mirei’s hands moved on to Julia’s shoulders and started to massage them as Julia relaxed in the bath.

“Kya!”

To feeling of Mirei’s touch on her shoulders Julia let out an adorable scream of surprise. No way, was that my voice?! Julia blushed from embarrassment at her own girly voice.

“I am sorry your excellency. I didn’t consider that your body would be this sensitive.”

Mirei smiled slightly at Julia’s reaction as she apologized. To thing such girly voice would come out of her highness's mouth and here I thought that she wasn’t girly at all… wait, am I perhaps the only one who heard this side of her? What an honor. Mirei’s smile deepened as she continued to massage Julia’s shoulder, this time more lightly than before.

Julia on the other hand was utterly embarrassed by this situation. The moment when she left out that girly squeak replaying in her mind, only making her desire to disappear stronger. Julia took a quick peek at Mirei’s smiling face. It irritated her that Mirei was visibly enjoying this, but was grateful that Mirei wasn’t teasing her about it. And after some time even Julia’s own face relaxed in to a light smile.

“…I have some really nice maid.”

Mirei was taken aback by Julia’s murmur, wondering whether her mistress was merely talking to herself or was her comment perhaps addressed to Mirei? She couldn’t be sure but regardless it meant that her mistress…her royal highness the crown princess was satisfied by her services so far.

“Your excellency, Should I start working on your hair?”

“…Yea, please do.”

Once she received permission, she took some short of shampoo and started to carefully wash Julia’s long hair, as well as massaging Julia’s scalp. Taking several minutes to do so, Julia was wondering how long will this take.

“Say, Mirei. How much longer will this take?”

“Your excellency, taking proper care for hair this beautiful in a way that they would not be damaged take time. Even more so when they are this long.”

Julia started to get bored so, she asked Mirei when will they be done. However, Mirei’s answer displeased Julia.

“…then cut them so it does not take this long.”

Julia voiced her wish to Mirei purely out of boredom, but the more she thought about it the more she wondered why she didn’t make this demand sooner. She had no reason nor desire to have hip length hair instead of her old short cut.

And if she would have to have longer hair because of some sort of vampiric tradition she would be willing to compromise with chin length hair. So, after considering it for a little bit she turned her face to Mirei. Waiting what would the maid do, after all she was given an order.

“Wha… But your excellency. You have such beautiful silky hair… it would be waste to cut them.”

Mirei seemed opposed to Julia’s idea. But Julia already made up her mind and she wasn’t going to back down.

“If you like them so much then take them and make a wig or something. Just get to cutting.”

“…. As you wish.”

Mirei sighed slightly as she failed to convince her mistress to change her mind. And wend out the bathroom, only to reappear few minutes later with a scissors in her hand.

“What length would you desire?”

“Hmm, Lets go with shoulder length for now since you seem to like my hair so much, but I will keep them in that length only if you will not take eternity to wash them. I will cut them shorter if you take too long next time.”

Even though Julia would rather have short hair, she decided to keep her hair slightly longer since Mirei thinks that it would be waste to cut them. Still, it would be nicer if Mirei didn’t take so much time.

“As you wish.”

Realizing that further arguing would be pointless and would only make her mistress mad, Mirei swallowed her words of protest and began cutting her mistress’s hair. As her hand touched Julia’s hair, her hand holding the scissors stopped moving. She was unwilling to cut such beautiful hair. In fact, she couldn’t comprehend why would her mistress; a noble lady of royal lineage want to get rid of symbol of her pure-blooded origin. My noble step sisters would not stop bragging about their slightly silverish black hair, they would never want their hair cut, so why…

True maybe this is not so important for the princess as is it for regular noble ladies. After all her mother is the queen there could be no doubt about her highness being pure-blood…

“Mirei?”

“S-Sorry.”

Mirei shook slightly as her mistress spoke her name.  Mirei shook her head to clear her thoughts and started to move the scissors. Just as her mistress commanded Mirei unwillingly cut Julia’s hair to shoulder length like she was instructed.

“It is done, just like you instructed I had… What?”

“Huh? If you really cut them then why can I still feel them on my backs? Mirei don’t lie to me.”

Mirei was looking at Julia with dumbfounded expression, she only come back to her senses when Julia accused her of lying.

“No, I would never dare to lie to you! Please take a look these are your hair that I cut, see?”

“It really looks that way but then why are they still on my back?”

To Mirei’s relieve Julia seemed to believe her words, once she saw cut strand of silver hair in Mirei’s hand. As a maid of royal family, she could not afford to have her trustworthiness being questioned. And right after I was praised by her highness too…

Julia reached behind her back and grabbed her hair. And began to compare the strand of hair she took from Mirei’s hand with her own hair.

“They do have same silky feeling to them…Color looks identical too…then how?”

“Well, your excellency I don’t know how to say this but…”

“But?”

Mirei talked to perplexed Julia, worried that what she was about to say would make her sound crazy. But regardless she voiced what happened.

“They…kinda…regrow right back.”

“They regrow back immediately? Mirei, are you drunk?”

As expected, Julia looked at Mirei as if she was out of her mind.

“No, your excellency I would never…”

“You would never what? Mirei.”

As Mirei was explaining the situation to Julia, she was interrupted by a voice speaking in vampiric language coming from the door.

“Lady Liora?! Why are you here?”

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Julia looked at the door when she heard unknow voice from them. There in the door stood young looking maid with black hair holding a something that seemed like change of clothes and a towel. Even though she was engaged in conversation with Mirei when she noticed Julia looking at her, she bowed and addressed Julia in vampiric language.

“This humble maid greats your royal highness the princess.”

“Lady Liora, her highness doesn’t speak language of the blood clan.”

Liora had a slightly embarrassed expression as Mirei remined her of this unpleasant fact of a language barrier between her and the crown princess.

“I had forgotten about that…In any case why are you taking so long? Her majesty started to worry that her highness drowned in the bath… also why are you holding a scissors?”

“…Her highness expressed her desire to cut her hair so I was attempting to but…”

“Wait. You were trying to cut her highnesses hair with…these?”

“Yes?”

Liora facepalmed herself once she heard Mirei’s words.

“So… you tried to cut hair of member of a royal family with normal scissors? Are you an idiot?”

Mirei looked confused by Liora’s words she didn’t understand why would she be idiot for wanting to cut princess’s hair with these scissors. Liora on the other hand looked like she was experiencing biggest headache of her life.

“How could you even hope to cut her hair with these? Did you forget how perfect is the regeneration of the royal family? Every part of their bodies gets regenerated almost immediately.”

“Huh? even the hair? I never saw anything like that with my step sisters.”

 Mirei looked impressed by this and looked at Julia with eyes sparkling from admiration. Julia herself had no idea what was happening.

“Mirei! Did you seriously compere her highness with some count’s daughters? I should have your whipped for such insolence.”

Mirei shook slightly as she heard Liora’s words but quickly recomposed herself as she glanced at the still confused Julia. I may have served her highness for mere week but… I am sure she would not mind me using this comparison…probably.

“Lady Liora, I have to remind you that I am her highness’s personal maid. Only her highness or her majesty herself can order such punishment.”

And her highness wouldn’t. But Mirei decided to keep her last remark to herself as she faced Liora with confidence. Liora may be daughter of the duke while Mirei is daughter of a mere count, an illegitimate daughter at that. But the difference between their social statuses meant nothing in presence of Julia; the crown princess of the blood clan. In her presence both of them were more like ants, that could be killed on a whim.

“We will see about that…In any case you should help her highness change her clothes and take her to dining room. And forged about that cutting hair business for now.”

“But her highness…”

“I know, I will inform her majesty about it. You just hurry up before her majesty runs here.”

Mirei nodded with a slight smile and took the clothes from Liora’s hand. Who bowed politely to Julia and then sprinted out of the bathroom. Mirei placed the clothes on the bench and took a towel from the pile.

Must be nice to have such caring mother…Mirei thought with a sigh as she approached Julia.

“So… What was that about?”

“Lady Liora merely brough change of clothes for you. And also…”

Mirei gave detailed explanation of her conversation with Liora to Julia as Mirei helped dry her hair. Julia listened silently with occasional nod of her head while Mirei could feel her heart skip a beet each time Julia nodded with her doll like face. Mirei slightly hesitated as she got to the part when she compared Julia with her half-sisters in abilities, but regardless of her hesitation she said what happened.

“So, you mean I can’t get my hair cut?”

Julia sounded sightly sad as she spoke. Mirei was sure that Julia would really not punish her so harshly but she never expected that Julia would not even comment on Mirei’s comparison.

“No, your excellency, unfortunately.”

Julia was instead more focused on not being able to have her hair cut. Just how kind is her highness to not mind such sin...Do I even deserve this honor of serving her?

 “By the way Mirei. Where are these clothes exactly from?”

“Lady Liora brough them so… I guess that they were sent by her majesty.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

Julia had a bitter smile on her face as she got changed with Mirei’s assistance. When she looked in to the body length mirror that was in what Julia suspected to be changing area. All she could see in it was reflection of a flustered red eyed girl, wearing dresses similar to the ones that Loriam wore. Only the one that Julia was wearing had more puffed-up skirt and were in dark red color.

“…To think that this is me… disgusting.”

What would my family, my comrades and my fiancée thing if they saw me like this…would they recognize me? Would they accept me?

“Your excellency?”

What Julia said could be consider a silent murmur to herself but it was still loud enough for Mirei to pick it up. Which made her worried about Julia.

“…Don’t worry about it, I am fine. Let’s go.”

Julia just brushed Mirei’s worries away and started to leave the bathroom. Leaving worried Mirei behind.

“As you wish.”

…

It didn’t take long for Mirei to catch up with Julia who left bathroom and started to walk towards her room instead of the dining room as she was supposed to.

“Your excellency, I believe your going the wrong way.”

“…What do you mean?”

Mirei carefully pointed out that Julia walked in incorrect direction. However, Julia responded as if there was no mistake in her path. When Mirei thought about it, it made perfect sense after all Julia was in palace merely one week and she spend all of that time in her room. And before that she was unconscious when she was brought here so this was first time that she walked through the palace on her own feets.

“The dining room is in the opposite direction than you’re walking.”

“…I am not hungry, so I will just go to my room.”

Julia merely glanced at Mirei with obviously forced smile, her lack of positive mood was audible in her voice as well. Mirei didn’t know what to do or how to feel that Julia was pretending to be okay to not worry one maid.

“But your excellency you should-”

“I said I am not hungry! … I am just not… I will just go to my room...and rest.”

Mirei was taken aback by Julia’s sudden yell which died down as suddenly as it come and was replaced by a silent almost whispering sad tone. Mirei didn’t know what to do.

“Your excellency…”

“I am fine, really there is nothing wrong, see?”

Julia looked at Mirei with the most obvious forced smile in the world, she was never good at acting to begin with.

For Mirei this situation was more complex than for anyone else. She has been tasked to help her highness relax but now she looked worse than before. Her face was filled with a sadness and little bit of a disgust? Mirei wasn’t good at reading expressions, less so of a princess she barely interacted with. But even she could read this one. Her highness… looks just like me before her majesty…How am I going to explain it to her majesty….

“How am I going to explain it to her majesty…”

“!?”

When she was lost in thoughts her thoughts often slipped out in form of a silent murmurs, just like this time.

“…lead the way.”

Once Julia heard Mirei’s murmur she changed her walking direction towards the dining room. I shouldn’t make things difficult for Mirei. She thought and lead by surprised Mirei she went down the corridor.