章 8: Fitting In
After the maids filled the wooden tub, I dismiss them all. After making sure they're all gone, I strip out of my dirty, torn clothes. I step in the bath water and sit down. The water rises up to my shoulders as I sigh with relief.
Nothing beats warm water. I slowly reach up and untie my braids, allowing the braids to fall out completely. I dip my head under the water, holding my breath as I use my magic to wash myself. After making sure I was completely clean, I stand in the tub and grab the gown they left.
I guess they don't do towels here. I slip on the gown with a frown as it sticks to my wet skin. I push the curtain to the side and walk out to find Li Jie frozen. The dress in his hands falls to the ground, forgotten as he stares at me. I cross my arms over my chest and awkwardly clear my throat as I step closer.
His entire body tenses up as I step closer and if I'm not mistaken, he's not even breathing. I stop before him and look up into his dark eyes, wondering why he's being so weird. I suddenly bend over, shocking him even more.
I pick up the dress as I sigh "Thank you." I go to turn around but stop. I turn back to him and lean in before whispering "Breathe or you might pass out." I nod my head and pat his arm before turning around and walking back over to the room with the tub.
Li Jie nearly falls face first. His entire face turns bright red as he covers his mouth. He turns to walk out before coming to a stop. He turns back around and glances at the curtain she disappeared behind.
The blush on his face fades as his dark eyes grow even darker. She was definitely not from around here. When she showed up with his sister before, she was covered head to toe in dirt, sticks, grass, and leaves. Yes, she had a strikingly beautiful pair of eyes, she was a flawless beauty!
Her skin was light and fair, clear of blemishes, and her lips... He shudders and quickly walks out of the room. He didn't know what to think anymore. Do con artists look that innocent and pure!? He needed to clear his head.
There's no way she did the things her sister claims she did. She must be working with those men.
It takes me a while to figure out how to put the dress on but after I get it, I find myself nodding in approval. It was actually nice and soft. Very comfortable. When I come back to the room, I find a maid walking in. She bows and says, "I'm here to help you with your hair."
I frown at her before waving her off and saying, "It's fine, I can brush my own hair, thanks though." The maid looks up at me, slightly flustered and confused. I nod with a small smile to encourage her. She tilts her head to the side with a doubtful look on her face but bows and says, "I will clean up for you then."
She walks over to the room with the tub while sneaking glances at me. I look down at the table and see that there are indeed quite a few things here but when I find what looks like a comb, I smile and start brushing my hair.
My hair isn't hard and since it's pretty much bone straight, it's hard doing anything with it. She watches me and awkwardly smiles as she passes and leaves the room. When I finally get all the knots out, I go to braid my hair again.
I look down but don't see any hair ties. I blink and head to the bathroom, but everything is gone. She must have taken them when she cleaned up. Oh well. I shrug and leave my hair down. I look around the room and the candles lighting it.
Definitely not my world... I touch the wooden walls as I slowly walk around, checking everything out. I used my magic to help speed up the drying process on my hair as I come to a stop by the... bed? I slowly tilt my head to the side as I take in the odd... box.
I lean down and press on the mattress but frown when I notice there isn't one. Doesn't that hurt!? I lean further in but when my eyes fall on the... pillow!? They nearly fall out! How does anyone sleep like this!?
When I hear the door open, I turn to find Li Mei asking, "Do you like it?" Her bright smile tells me this is what is considered nice, so I smile and nod my head before saying, "Thank you." At least it's better than a tree.
She grabs my hand and says, "We want to have dinner with you." I smile at the thought of food and follow her out. She leads me by the hand to a table set up outside. Their mother smiles when she sees me and says "My, you are a beauty that could ruin nations."
I blink in shock before awkwardly clearing my throat. Li Jie keeps his eyes on his food as I sit with Li Mei. The mother-daughter pair begin talking and chatting, trying to include me in the conversation but to be honest, I don't understand most of what they're talking about.
Prime Minister this, Prime Minister that, I really have no idea. I silently pick at my food, happy to at least know how to use chopsticks. So, was this place similar or our oriental cultures back home? They certainly looked the part.
As I lift a piece of food up to my mouth, I glance up to catch Li Jie watching me. He's frozen again. I slip the piece into my mouth and lightly lick my lips to make sure I'm not making a mess, but I notice his eyes seem to be stuck in one place, my lips.
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