CHAPTER 78: CH:78 ROYAL BATH, TRAUMATIC PATH

After Dila, Fran, and Zeon finished breakfast, Zeon casually led them back through the castle hallways. His steps echoed lightly as he walked ahead, glancing back at Dila.

"Don’t you plan to take a bath, Dila?" he said lightly, grinning. "Before your big fight, of course."

Before Dila could even react, Fran snapped beside her, ears flicking sharply. "Pervert! Asking a lady when she’s about to bathe—you’re so rude! Hmmp!" She crossed her arms and looked away in a huff, cheeks puffed slightly.

Zeon, unfazed, gave a dramatic bow as he walked, not missing a step. "Ahh... forgive my rudeness, my little cat girl." His grin widened as he added softly, "Merely a concerned knight."

Fran growled under her breath, her tail swishing hard.

Dila, pinching her nose bridge, muttered, "This freak hero’s getting worse..."

Finally, Dila let out a long sigh, giving up. "Oh well... Hero of Injustice, lead the way to the bath."

Fran immediately grabbed Dila’s hand, her ears standing up in alarm. "Sister! Don’t let that pervert lead us! He’s suspicious!"

Dila glanced sideways at her. "What do you expect, Fran? I don’t even know where the baths are." She sighed again, tiredly.

Fran’s ears drooped, her confidence crumbling. "You’re... right, sister..."

Zeon, walking ahead, smiled without looking back. "Follow me to the Royal Bath, Princess Dila."

Fran hmp’d under her breath, tail flicking irritably, yet followed behind protectively.

Dila walked without caring, her energy spent, muttering, "I can’t believe this is my life now with this unnecessary banter..."

As they walked through the long stone hallway, the cold morning breeze slipped through the arched windows, brushing against their skin. Dila hugged herself instinctively, shivering. Beside her, Fran was no better, clutching her arms tightly, her ears trembling as she whimpered softly, "C-c-cold..."

Zeon, leading calmly ahead, didn’t even look back. His voice was casual, almost teasing. "You’ll get used to it. In The Elf Kingdom’s mornings are always like this, He-hehehe."

Then he chuckled faintly, as if the cold didn’t bother him at all. Dila narrowed her eyes at his back, gritting her teeth. "Tch. Freak hero."

Fran shivered harder, whispering, "He’s like an ice statue..."

After some time of walking.

Finally they arrived at there destination.

Zeon has proudly open his arms and said.

"Welcome to the Royal bath." The he grinned looking at the huge double doors enclosed gate.

Steam gently curled from the edges of the giant double doors ahead. The warm mist filled the air, hinting at the heat waiting beyond. Dila stood frozen, her breath caught in her throat as she read the glowing inscription above the doors: Royal Women’s Bath.

Her brain short-circuited then she speak inside her thoughts.

"W-w-women...?" she stammered inside her mind, her cheeks burning. "I thought this was just the royal bath...! You mean... it’s shared? With other women? Like the maids!?"

Nari’s soft voice whispered inside her head, calm yet unhelpful:

☆ Maybe, Master. ☆

Meanwhile, Fran, shivering and oblivious to Dila’s mental breakdown, timidly reached out. Her small hand rested on Dila’s shoulder. "U-umm... are you okay, sister?"

Dila twitched, forcing her frozen muscles to move. She snapped her eyes toward Fran, mustering the most suspiciously fake smile Fran had ever seen. "Y-yeah! Even better!" Dila even flexed her arm awkwardly like some sort of amateur bodybuilder. "Totally fine."

Fran blinked slowly, her ears drooping. "I think you’re just nervous, sister."

Dila stayed in her ridiculous flexing pose for a moment longer, eyes shut, mouth twitching. Then she whispered in her mind, I can’t believe I’m reliving this nightmare again... Stella... you cursed me with trauma...

All the while, Zeon had already vanished into shadows without ceremony, leaving them stranded. The faint echo of his teasing, "Good luck," seemed to linger in the air like smoke.

And Dila was left there, standing like a statue, contemplating life, privacy, and the betrayal of public baths.

Then suddenly Fran has tapped Dila’s left shoulder, as Dila has turn her back at the double door and watching at Fran.

Fran’s blue eyes sparkled. Her tail swayed excitedly she beamed up at Dila. "Sister! Let’s bathe together! Yehey!" she cheered, her ears twitching like playful antennae.

Dila’s soul nearly left her body.

Without missing a beat, she executed a slow, controlled full-body rotation– firmly against at Fran and than Facing again at her, while her back is in the double doors again. Her face wore a smile so serene it belonged in a meditation scroll. Eyes calmly closed, voice dangerously steady, she said, "Yeah... sounds great."

But inside her mind?

AHHHHHHHHH! NO! NOT THIS! ANYTHING BUT THIS!

Why... why me...?! Why again?! When I pee, I don’t even look! I stand when peeing just to avoid it! Now I have to BATHE next to Fran?! Tail and all?!

Her mental screams echoed like a haunted shrine.

Meanwhile, Fran, oblivious to the existential crisis unfolding inches away, bounced on her heels, completely overjoyed. "Sister’s going to bathe with me! Sister’s going to bathe with me!" she sang softly to herself, wagging her tail so hard it nearly became a blur.

Dila’s smile stayed frozen in place.

Her mind?

This is nightmare a fuel. An absolute nightmare fuel. Someone please strike me with lightning... Nari? Anything?

☆ ...I think you’re on your own, Master. ☆

And so Dila stood, physically composed... mentally destroyed.

Dila kept her smiling face while her soul died inside. "Ahh... ahh... hahahaha... alrighty," she laughed awkwardly, pushing at the massive double doors. But for some reason They didn’t budge.

Her smile twitched.

"AGGHHH! Why... is this so HEAVY?!"

Fran, blinking innocently, tilted her head. "Sister... do you need help?"

"Yes! Please! Fran! Save me!"

But before Fran could move, a smug voice echoed from the unseen shadows:

"Use your magic, Princess."

Dila froze. Her smile cracked.

"...Zeon."

She snarled between her teeth, "Alright, fine..."

With an irritated flick of her hand, her support magic surged. The heavy double doors groaned, then smoothly slid open like butter, releasing a curling wave of warm steam.

That’s when Fran panicked.

"NYAAAAH!! PER-VERT ALERT! NYOOOOOO!!" Fran cried, hugging her tail and spinning in circles like a siren, ears flattened in full emergency mode.

Dila, deadpan, shouted into the fog, "If I even sense you peeking at me, Zeon, I’ll kill you. I HATE being spied on by men."

From nowhere, Zeon’s voice echoed back, far too casual.

"Don’t worry... I’m way too busy to peek anyway. Welp! Goodbye~ Hahahahaha!"

His laugh echoed, fading into silence.

Dila stood still, fists shaking, eyes twitching. "I’m going to kill him."

Meanwhile, Fran still spun in circles, screaming: "Pervert ghost! Pervert ghost! Nyaaaaah!!"

The royal bath lay silently open, the steam rolling out.

Neither of them wanted to step forward for a moment.

But in a couple of seconds they Finally did.

Suddenly, the thick fog that had been rolling out from the grand bath came to a slow, unnatural stop. The mist lingered, swirling, then thinned out unnervingly fast, almost like it was being pulled away.

Fran’s ears shot straight up. "Nyaa?!"

At the same moment, the massive double doors behind them creaked... then slammed shut on their own.

Fran jumped with a shriek. "NYAAAA!!"

Dila’s entire face darkened. Her body jolted, but she immediately stiffened herself, crossing her arms as if nothing happened. She muttered, half-sarcastic, half-defensive, "Must be... the wind."

Fran, hiding behind Dila, whispered shakily, "Maybe... it was Zeon... maybe he sneaked past us and closed the door."

"Maybe... I’m not sure..." Dila admitted, her voice hollow.

Then the last of the fog cleared.

The full interior of the royal bath revealed itself — glowing like a softly lit lantern, though no window or flame was visible. The walls were lined with pale stone, polished until they gleamed like pearl. The light seemed to radiate naturally from the walls themselves, casting no harsh shadows, only a soft ambient glow.

Twenty polished stone stools formed a circle near the washing stations — each stool smooth, rounded like river stones, and shining faintly from years of use and enchanted polishing magic.

Beyond that, several pools shimmered, their waters clear yet giving off a gentle silver-blue glow, almost like starlight trapped underwater. Thin streams of gentle mist rose from them, yet the air wasn’t too hot — just a perfect warm, like standing near a calm river under sunlight. A faint herbal scent drifted through the air, soothing without overwhelming.

The washing area was clearly marked — neat rows of silver basins and enchanted faucets, with fresh towels folded perfectly along the walls.

Fran, wide-eyed, stepped forward slowly, her tail flicking.

"Wooooooow..."

Dila cleared her throat quickly, trying to hide her own amazement. She folded her arms tighter and forced herself to say, coolly, "Ahem... yeah. Amazing."

But her eyes betrayed her awe as they reflected the soft light of the bath.

Suddenly, while Dila was still admiring the bath’s beauty—she heard it.

The unmistakable sound of fabric slipping off.

Clink... clink...

Her elf ears twitched. Slowly, cautiously, she glanced sideways.

Her soul nearly left her body.

Fran—tail wagging like she’d just caught a mouse—had already stripped completely bare and was happily skipping toward the washing area like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Nyaa~! So warm! Time for bath~!" Fran cheered.

Dila’s entire brain broke.

Her eyes shot wide open, her face turned crimson and her nose is bleeding, and without thinking, she spun away, squatted down against the floor like she was avoiding death itself, and covered her entire head with both hands.

"M-My God..." she whispered, trembling, eyes burning. "I saw something... unethical... Kill me now... just kill me... PLEASE..."

She blushed even harder, steam practically rising from her head like a broken kettle.

Meanwhile, Fran was humming innocently in the background, splashing water without a care, while Dila stayed frozen on the floor like a traumatized statue, too scared to even look in Fran’s direction.