After walking down a seemingly endless corridor, I finally made it outside. However, the scenery was different from when I arrived; it turned out that this was the inner courtyard of the castle, in the opposite direction from the gate.
There was a building at the back of the garden. It was a round structure with white walls, about the size of a commoner's house.
When Mio opened the door, I was enveloped in a cloud of white smoke.
...Steam? Beyond it, there was something that looked like a pond, though it was hard to see clearly.
"Could this be a bath!?"
If so, it's incredible, the amount of water and firewood it must consume! It could use up the Shaderan family's entire winter's worth of fuel in a single day.
As soon as I thought that, it all made sense.
I see, how clever. Now I understand why I was brought here.
They want me to chop firewood. And then clean the bath.
With this size, it will be an all-night job. It's a punishment, a way to cleanse my rudeness.
I was moved. My Lord, Earl... what a compassionate person.
"Alright, I'll do it," I rolled up my sleeves and marched forward with determination. There was someone already there.
"Ah, welcome. I've been waiting for you."
She was probably in her mid-twenties. A blonde with blue eyes, she wore a simple, easy-to-move-in garment.
With a broad smile, she opened her arms and welcomed me warmly.
"Are you Lady Marie? My name is Tunic. Nice to meet you."
Despite her relaxed tone, she bowed quickly. I bowed even deeper.
"Nice to meet you. Please tell me what you need. I'm quite experienced with housework, so I can handle most tasks. I can also take on the heavy lifting."
There was no response to my greeting.
"Tunic, as I mentioned earlier, please proceed as planned. Not only to wash off the dirt from the journey, but also to thoroughly beautify her skin and hair."
"Understood. Hehe, I have a special beauty bath ready for you."
...Huh? I'm being left out.
...What should I do? I can't keep up.
Finally, Mio introduced me.
"Lady Marie, this slow-speaking maid is Tunic. She is in charge of the baths at the Earl's family."
"Baths... a dedicated bath maid!?"
"Yes. She not only boils water and scrubs, but is also well-versed in medicinal properties. She knows effective soaps and bath agents for health and beauty, as well as effective hair washing methods and massages. She is an excellent pharmacist, despite her appearance."
Wow...? I don't really understand, but it sounds impressive. No, it must be impressive.
As I stared blankly at the large bathtub, the constriction on my body suddenly disappeared.
Huh?
It suddenly felt cooler—looking down, I saw that I was naked.
"Ah! W-Why are you undressing me!?"
"Because, you're going to take a bath, so you need to take off your clothes."
"Bath!?"
From behind me, Tunic had apparently undone the ribbon on my back and stripped off my undergarments in an instant. Before I could react, I was completely naked. Tunic let out a cheer.
"Oh, what a surprise. Lady Marie, you have a surprisingly ample chest."
"Ah!"
Panicking, I tried to cover myself. Mio, in her maid's uniform, waved her hand with her usual expressionless face.
"Good luck, Lady Marie. Don't worry, if Tunic is too unpleasant, feel free to slap her."
"W-What? I was supposed to chop firewood, clean the bath—"
"Ahahaha, what are you talking about, Lady Marie? The one getting cleaned up is you, not the bath!"
Tunic laughed heartily. I blinked, completely at a loss.
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