Chains of Vengeance

Chapter 173: Tranquility and Stress

The struggle had been long, filled with complaints and resistance from Narinder, but in the end, Lambert managed to remove his robe with one agile movement, leaving him exposed to the fresh air. Before he could do anything about it, Goliath held him firmly and, with a smile of pure malice, mercilessly threw him into the water of the jacuzzi.

Narinder dove in with a sharp splash, emerging almost immediately with his fur wet and stuck to his body, his ears flattened by the water and his pupils even thinner in a clear expression of disgust.

"Damn you both!" he snorted, waving his arms in an attempt to shake off the water, although he only managed to splash more.

The first thing he wanted to do was get out immediately. He pushed himself towards the edge, ready to jump out of that wet trap, when suddenly...

"YOU, FROG, PEDAL HARDER!" Lambert's sadistic voice boomed with authority, amplified by a megaphone.

Narinder turned around only to see Lambert standing there, striking an imposing pose, ordering a frog cultist to start pedaling a strange wooden bicycle with a makeshift pulley. The mechanism creaked, and suddenly, the jacuzzi began to bubble with perfect intensity.

The hot, bubbling water hit Narinder's body, enveloping him in an unexpected massage sensation. He felt the stress in his muscles begin to dissipate, almost against his will.

"YOU! DON'T LET IT GET COLD!" Goliath's voice thundered with authority, also with another megaphone in hand.

Narinder shifted his gaze to another poor cultist, a fox holding a hand-operated accordion bellows, pumping air into the flame beneath the hot tub to keep the water at a pleasantly warm temperature.

He watched all the effort his spouses were putting into this, and for the first time felt a little sorry for just going out and ruining it all. He couldn't deny that, while it had been a punishment at first, it now seemed more like a gesture of affection... an absurd and exaggerated one, yes, but affection nonetheless.

So, instead of running away, he sighed heavily and let his body sink a little deeper into the water, letting the bubbles do their work.

After a while of making sure everything was working properly, Lambert and Goliath finally took off their cloaks and bells and climbed into the hot tub with him.

A sigh of relief escaped all three of them at the same time, as if they could finally relax.

The only sound left in the air was that of bubbles rising to the surface and the slight effort of the cultists working tirelessly to keep the jacuzzi running.

Lambert settled into the round seat of the jacuzzi, right next to Narinder. The warmth of the water and the rhythmic sound of the bubbles created an atmosphere of tranquility, something they rarely had the opportunity to enjoy.

Lambert looked down at the bubbling water, gazing at it with a serene expression.

"I know you've been through a lot of stress..." he said softly, his voice warm and understanding. "I know... when you sleep it's like flipping a coin... it can go right or it can go wrong for you..."

Narinder didn't respond immediately, but Lambert didn't need him to. She knew her husband wasn't the type to easily voice his concerns. Instead, she just watched him, noticing the way his flattened ears betrayed his discomfort, even though his posture tried to pretend otherwise.

Meanwhile, Goliath completely let himself be carried away by the comfort of the water, floating a little, with his arms outstretched and his body relaxed as the bubbles enveloped him. His expression, which used to be full of hardness and pride, was now totally calm.