"Is there something on my face, ladies?" I asked, meeting their gaze.

"No, it's nothing," Nymeria replied, immediately turning her face away.

"You look like an abandoned puppy in that shawl," Ume giggled, patting my head.

"Be careful, Lady. This puppy can bite as well," I replied, obviously annoyed by her remark.

After a couple of minutes, the carriage stopped in front of a luxurious building built like a mansion with glass doors.

"Young Miss, this is the best inn in the city and the only one that remains open at this time," the old man said. "I would have informed the innkeeper in advance, but the knights told me that your stay here must be kept secret."

"It's alright," Nymeria replied plainly. "Thank you for giving us a ride."

Nymeria drew a golden coin from her pouch and handed it to the coachman.

"Y-young Miss, I can't accept this," the old man protested. "It's too much—"

"Keep it. I don't like to repeat myself," Nymeria responded before descending from the carriage.

I stepped out and offered my hand to Ume, helping her climb down as well.

"Ume, what's wrong with her? Her demeanor keeps changing," I whispered. "Is it that time of the month?"

"Wh-why are you asking me such a question?" Ume hissed. "Ask her yourself if you're that curious."

"Hehe, I'll pass on that. I'd like to live a few more years."

"What are you two muttering about?" Nymeria asked, looking at us with her arms crossed.

"Raj was asking if you are on your monthly—"

"I was asking why you're wearing that headband!" I blurted out, my hand flying to Ume's mouth.

"Oh, this?" she replied, pointing to the bandana on her forehead. "It'll become troublesome if someone recognizes me."

She tied her silver hair into a bun and put her sword into the pouch before entering the building.

The inside of the inn was even more impressive than the outer structure. A huge hall with red and golden velvet sofas welcomed us. The floor was covered with the same material, and the white walls were adorned with yellow lamps, giving the entire place a royal vibe.

We passed by the sofas and approached the counter where a young man in a black tuxedo, wearing a warm smile, stood.

He greeted us elegantly, hands placed near his belly button. "Good morning. How may I help you?"

"We want three rooms for a week's stay," Nymeria replied, her tone cold again.

The receptionist flinched at her sudden demand, but as the professional he was, he didn't lose his composure.

"I apologize, but since it's still early, we only have one room available. However..." He side-eyed me with a judging look as he continued, "One room for a night costs fifty silver coins, so for a week's stay, the total would be three gold and fifty silver coins."

His voice carried a warm tone, and not once did he lose his smile, yet there was poison hidden in his statement. He was indirectly questioning whether we could afford a room in his luxurious inn.

"Pretty lady, let's go somewhere else," I said, clearly annoyed.

"No, we will absolutely stay here," Nymeria replied. "And this rude boy will take us to our rooms himself."

"Excuse me—"

Before the receptionist could speak further, Nymeria drew a handful of golden coins from her pouch and threw them at his face.

"Three rooms. One week," Nymeria declared. "I don't like to repeat myself."

All the professionalism of that snake-like receptionist went out the window the moment his eyes fell on the golden coins. He immediately bent down, scrambling to catch the rolling coins.

"I apologize for my earlier rudeness, esteemed guests," he said after gathering every last coin. "I shall take you to your rooms."

"Didn't you say there was only one room available?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Did I? My goodness! I must be tired from staying awake all night."

He laughed awkwardly, grabbed three keys from the counter, and jumped to our side.

"Please follow me, esteemed guests," he said, bowing slightly before climbing the stairs beside the reception.

"Tch tch, it amazes me how a person can change for a handful of coins," Ume sighed.

The stairs led to a long hallway with wooden doors on each side. He gave us three rooms connected side by side.

I took the one in the middle, while Nymeria and Ume took the ones on either side.

The room was even more extravagant than I expected. A large bed that could easily accommodate a family of four was placed by the wall beside the door. In front of it stood a small table with two chairs and a large wall almirah. On the right side was a full-sized dressing mirror with dozens of expensive-looking makeup products, while on the left was another door.

"This must be the bathroom," I murmured, opening it.

Inside, the bathroom was divided into two sections—one for the bathtub and another for the shower.

"How long has it been since I last had a shower..."

I removed the only scrap of pants I had and switched the tap to hot water.

"So relaxing..."

After a long bath of almost an hour, which obviously included a hair wash, I came out and jumped directly onto the bed, deciding not to wear that ragged pair of pants anymore since I was feeling clean and fresh.

I closed my eyes and was about to fall asleep but then—

Knock, knock.

"Let the man rest for a moment," I sighed, climbing off the bed and walking toward the door.

"Oh crap, I almost forgot."

I ran back into the bathroom, wrapped a towel around my lower body, and returned to the door.

Knock, knock...

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's me. I-I apologize if I disturbed your rest," Ume's nervous voice came from outside."I wanted to ask you for a favour."

"No need to apologise Ume," I replied. "What do you need?"

"Could you..."

"Could I?"

"Could you help me with the bathing?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.