Chapter 55: A Bath and a Battle of Wits

Elara paused, startled by Hilvyn’s gentle reminder.

Only then did she remember.

They had even discussed it earlier today, during their commission.

Moreover, she and Hilvyn had already established their relationship.

Bathing with the exquisite silver-haired elven beauty…

The mere thought was exhilarating.

Elara herself was not unattractive, yet she rarely saw her own face and had always been rather dismissive of her appearance.

Elara felt a touch of awkwardness.

Hilvyn, however, was brimming with anticipation, already turning to fetch hot water.

“Sister, you go in first. I’ll fetch a few more buckets of hot water.”

Hilvyn’s expression remained unchanged as she carried the buckets, appearing perfectly normal.

Elara said nothing, silently entering the bathing room.

The tub was already filled with hot water. Elara, having shed her clothes, was now clad only in a linen chemise.

“Sister~”

The door to the bathing room opened again, this time for the last.

“Why haven’t you started washing yet?”

Hilvyn spoke as she began to shed her own clothes, one by one, soon standing as Elara did.

“Is Sister still shy?” she asked, a hint of playful probing in her voice.

“No.”

‘If I remained stagnant, it would be utterly pathetic.’

With that thought, her hands trembled as she removed her last layer.

Uh…

Elara glanced sideways. Hilvyn had already begun to pour water over herself, washing her body.

She quickly averted her gaze after that brief glimpse.

“Sister,” Hilvyn observed Elara’s every movement.

“What is it?”

“Sister is so cute.”

“Not as cute as you,” Elara retorted instinctively, without much thought.

“Even that sentence is cute.”

“Huh… huh?”

“That ‘huh’—that’s cute too.”

Realizing she couldn’t win this verbal spar, Elara simply closed her mouth, no longer speaking, and quietly scooped water to wash herself.

“Even when you’re not speaking, you’re adorable.”

Hilvyn finished, then lowered her gaze, whispering a soft complaint:

“Just look if you want to, you know~”

Her tone, however, carried a hint of exasperation, as if lamenting Elara’s timidity.

“What are you whispering now?”

The sound of pouring water had just muffled Hilvyn’s mumble, so Elara hadn’t heard.

“Nothing,” Hilvyn pouted. “Just laughing at a certain coward.”

Elara splashed a ladle of water onto Hilvyn’s head.

“That’s for laughing.”

Not to be outdone, Hilvyn scooped up a ladleful and retaliated.

“I’ll laugh, I’ll laugh!”

The two splashed water at each other, creating a joyful, carefree atmosphere.

After a simple wash, they sat facing each other in the tub, just as they had the night before.

The difference was that Elara would not flee tonight.

“Perhaps we should buy a bigger tub.”

Hilvyn’s legs were slightly bent. This tub was not small; one person could stretch their legs fully, and even with two, there was ample space with just a slight bend of the knees.

“We can talk about that tomorrow,” Elara’s mind was once again emptied by the bath. “This truly is the most comfortable feeling~”

Now, by not focusing on Hilvyn’s words, she felt much more at ease.

Hilvyn watched Elara from across the tub, her gaze shifting repeatedly—from her eyes, to her nose, then her mouth. It drifted to her neck, her collarbone, her shoulders.

“Hey, Sister.”

She let out a soft, drawn-out syllable.

“What is it?”

“Let me see.”

Elara snapped back to attention.

“See what?”

Hilvyn pointed to Elara’s crossed arms.

Elara had her arms hugged across her chest, not deliberately hiding anything, but simply from habit.

“I want to see…”

“You…” Elara hesitated for a moment, then slowly uncrossed her arms.

“Sister is so cute…”

Hilvyn watched for a few seconds, a smile playing on her lips, her blue eyes so deep they seemed to spin threads of emotion.

“I’m not showing you anymore,” Elara pouted, feeling a touch of petulance after being called ‘cute’ by the person she herself found adorable.

It was a feeling of… annoyance.

“Tsk~” But Hilvyn was neither angry nor impatient. She turned her face away, mimicking Elara’s annoyed expression.

“Anyway, I saw enough when we were splashing water earlier.”

“You!”

Elara had lost another verbal battle, feeling even more indignant.

But there was nothing she could do.

Hilvyn seemed utterly unconcerned by things Elara found sensitive or embarrassing.

Even if she were to suggest getting physical now, Hilvyn would likely agree. It was Elara who would first crumble under the weight of the atmosphere, admitting defeat.

Then…

Elara’s gaze drifted below Hilvyn’s chin. She had never truly stared before, so why not take her fill now?

Only half a crescent moon emerged from the water, yet it was enough to reveal Hilvyn’s magnificence.

Elara quietly glanced down at herself.

‘Though not exactly meager, it paled slightly in comparison.’

A strange sense of failure washed over her.

She was still intently staring at the half-crescent moon when suddenly, it rose higher, and two full moons appeared before her eyes.

Hilvyn had long since noticed Elara’s gaze and had silently lifted her ‘full moons’.

“Sister, is this enough?”

Elara’s mind was instantly wiped clean. All she could see was Hilvyn’s pure and lovely face, adorned with water droplets, holding up her ‘full moons’ and asking, “Is this enough?”

This was… too lewd…

Her nose felt a little itchy.

“Sister…” Hilvyn suppressed a laugh, wiping Elara’s nose and showing her the red on her finger. “You’re bleeding from your nose.”

Elara’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she sniffed hard.

How embarrassing…

She couldn’t bear to look. To get a nosebleed at a time like this was simply too pathetic.

Elara pressed her face close to the water, her breath creating ripples.

Hilvyn reached out and cupped her face—her expression a little disheartened.

“Sister, what’s wrong?”

She didn’t understand, nor could she guess why Elara would feel embarrassed about a nosebleed at such a moment.

However, she did know the reason for Elara’s nosebleed. As Aunt Martha would say, it was because of her own immense ‘charm,’ proving that Elara liked her very much.

“Nothing,” Elara shook her head.

“Then, do you want to touch?”

Elara was so startled by the question she almost jumped. What a leap in logic and thought process!

“Did Martha teach you all this?”

“Uh, hehehe…”

Hilvyn hadn’t forgotten Aunt Martha’s instructions: ‘Little Hil, you absolutely must not let your sister know I taught you these secret techniques, or Auntie might get arrested by the city guards.’

So, she could only feign ignorance.

Elara sighed helplessly internally. This girl’s lies were transparent.

“Because…” Hilvyn’s eyes darted. “I’m very happy when I touch Sister, so when I see Sister unhappy, I want to make you happy too.”

This reason was perfectly sound. Hilvyn truly believed that touching would bring happiness, and she had verified this when Elara was sound asleep this morning.

Unexpectedly, Elara did not refute her.

“Perhaps.”

“Then, do you want to try?”

“…Forget it.”

Even if she wanted to… she wanted to very much, Elara wouldn’t allow herself, who had fumbled at the height of the moment, to be forgiven.

This was her inner dignity!

Hilvyn, still cupping her face, leaned in. Their lips met gently for a fleeting moment, then naturally parted.

“Then I want to touch Sister.”

“This…”

This was the punishment she deserved for her own fumble.

Elara gritted her teeth, hardened her resolve.

“Do as you please.”