Princess of Valkier

Chapter Five

The pain stemming from my raw ass rubbing against the mattress awoke me the next morning.

After unceremoniously throwing a pillow at my guard, I went into the bathing chamber to see a warm bath drawn, along with two stiff maids.

When I entered, they walked to me, reaching out their arms to take off my dress.  I backed away instinctively, not wanting them to undress me.

I grew up changing in locker room in front of lots of girls growing up, but then, I'd worn sports bras and cheeky underwear, these women wanted to strip me bare.

No one had ever seen me naked, fully unclothed before, except my parents when I was small.  I didn't want these women to be the first.

When I'd stepped back, they'd shared a surprised glance.  I assumed this was out of the ordinary for them.

I had made a commitment to myself to act like a princess, to be Cossetta for as long as I had to, but could I submit myself to being bathed by strangers?  I knew it meant nothing to them, but it meant something to me.

Letting these two women strip and bathe me was crossing a line. 

Doing so would mean fully accepting my situation, and I still wasn't ready for that.

I thanked them for preparing my bath, then dismissed them, making up the excuse that I wanted to be alone.  It wasn't a lie, I did want to be alone, but I was playing on the tragedy that had occurred earlier.

They protested until I dismissed them again, and something about the finality of my tone made them back off.  They didn't seem eager to help me, but to fulfill their duty; as if they would get in trouble for not cleaning me.

I should have worried about them being scolded, but I didn't have the energy to.

After they left, I locked the door behind them and set to work.

I peeled off my clothing, including my bra and panties, and instead of setting them somewhere they could be cleaned, I threw them in the fire.  As hard as it was to lose a remnant of home, I couldn't keep anything that would rouse suspicion.  Foreign undergarments would definitely do that.

Each time I moved, the ache in my thighs and backside worsened.

I'd ridden a horse for over half the day, it had rubbed my skin raw.

The warmth from the bath went a long way to soothe the pain, but I knew I couldn't stay there forever. 

When I finally brought myself to leave the water, I looked around for a salve or lotion to rub on the area, but I didn't know which products were safe for me, so I didn't use anything.

My two maids had laid out a cream, silk night gown for me, and I put it on, thankful for only a light brushing against my skin.

When I exited the bathing chamber, I noticed Ethan had been replaced with another guard, one I didn't recognize.  Because both Ethan and Andrew had been with us on the journey today, it explained why neither were here tonight; they needed their rest.

I tried not to make eye contact with the man as I crossed my living area and into my bedroom, where I had found my two maids waiting.

One of them, a girl who seemed in her late teens with light brown hair, was pulling back my covers, while the girl, a young woman with honey skin and dark hair, was placing food on a circular table near a window.

I walked over to the window, the wafting smell of the food causing my stomach to rumble, and sat down. 

Both women seemed willing to tend to me, but I dismissed them again, after thanking them.