Spring Forward, Fall Back (Alucard x Chubby! Reader)

Chapter 84 - The Dream Ever Closer To Reality

Carmilla P.O.V.

"We've gotten everything ready, mistress," a guard said at my doorway, his eyes cast to the floor as I'd required them to do. No one I don't want looking at me will do so in my home. Never in my home.

"Thank you," I said simply and watched as he turned his back and walked away. Standing up from my bed, I moved toward the area where I would get my bath. Two servants awaited me with the water steaming in the tub, the scent of roses permeating the air due the large amount of petals they'd added to the water.

One of the servants rushed to my side and removed my clothing, careful not to touch my skin. No one was allowed to touch my skin. Never in my home. I extended my arms and the two servants took my hands to lead me into the water, careful to ensure I didn't slip. The steam from the water began to warm my face, the scent of the rose petals stronger than before as I eased down into the tub. Carefully one of the servants pulled my hair back and twisted it up into a loose knot at the base of my skull and quickly grabbed one of the large cloths to begin washing my body. No direct contact with my skin was allowed. Never in my home.

I was excited to get ready to go, the ride to Braila would be long, but it would bring me closer to my goals. My dream of becoming the queen of these measly vampires, stepping on the necks of those who wouldn't listen and killing them in their sleep should their eyes displease me was just a few days ride away. A few days. I smiled in content as the two servants continued to bathe me, their silence only disturbed by the sound of scrubbing and gentle gurgling and splashing of water.

"Sister," I heard from the doorway to my room, "are you ready yet?"

"Calm yourself, Lenore," I uttered back to my visitor. "I'm just getting bathed now and should be ready to go in moments. Feel free to wait for me in my room if you wish." Shortly thereafter I heard Lenore let out a sigh. The blankets on my bed shuffled as her weight was added to them meaning she had decided to stay.

"Why didn't you take your bath earlier, Carmilla?" I heard her question in an exasperated tone. "It is you who wished to go as quickly as possible, so you should have prepared yourself before now."

I shooed the servants away and rinsed myself off. I then held my hands out to my sides again to have them aid my way out of the bath. They dried me off quickly and wrapped a cloak around my shoulders before leaving me to my own devices.

"I know I what I said. I have every intention of leaving today, just as I told you I would. I just felt that I should be clean now because we won't be able to bathe on the way there." I thought my argument made perfect sense, but Lenore had other ideas.

"You won't even be getting dirty on the way there. You haven't been dirty for the past month. All you've done is walked about the place and complained that things weren't going faster." She ran her fingers over the fur that lay over my bed, the gray and white shifting to slightly darker versions of themselves and back again as she passed her hand back and forth over it.

"Now here we are all ready to go and you're dallying about taking a bath?" I was at my wardrobe pulling out one of my warmer gowns as a smirk pulled at my lips.

"It appears to me that someone is a bit upset that she didn't think of it first," I said haughtily. "You could have bathed yourself, you know. It wouldn't have been that much trouble, if that's the way you want to think of it."

"I bathed last night," she snapped. "It isn't that I'm upset that you did bathe. Its the fact that we all have heard nothing but your bitching and complaining that we haven't moved fast enough to carry out this plan of yours. The moment we've done everything, packed everything, ensured that the soldiers are ready, the night creatures are in their lines and our blood is packed up ready to go, you're sitting in rose water like there's not a care in the world."