Mira moved quickly, setting the perverted underwear aside (carefully hidden under a pile of raw fiber where no one would find it) and grabbing the dress she'd made for Helena.

She hurried toward Bella, her bare feet padding softly against the floor.

"Let me help you," Mira said, her tone gentler now.

Bella turned slowly, confusion flickering across her face. Her eyes darted to the dress in Mira's hands, then back to Mira's face.

She looked like she didn't understand. Like she couldn't comprehend why this woman—this woman she'd tried to kill—was offering her anything.

"I... I don't..." Bella stammered, her voice shaking. She took a step back. "I'll go. I can... I can do it myself."

Mira shook her head, stepping closer. "I was also thinking of taking a bath. Let's go bathe together."

Bella's eyes widened. Her whole body trembled.

'Together?'

She tried to speak, to protest, but the words caught in her throat. Her mind was spinning, trying to make sense of this.

Why would this woman want to bathe with her? Was this some kind of trick? Some kind of punishment?

"I... I don't think—"

Before Bella could finish, Mira grabbed her hand.

Bella jerked in surprise, her breath catching. Mira's grip was firm, warm, and completely unyielding. And then she pulled.

Bella's petite body stumbled forward, dragged along by Mira's surprisingly strong grip.

She tried to dig her heels in, but her bare feet slid against the floor, and before she knew it, they were moving through the hallway, past the spinning wheel, and out into the garden area.

"W-Wait!" Bella protested weakly, her voice barely a squeak.

But Mira didn't stop. She marched forward with the determination of a mother hen who'd decided that this girl was getting a proper bath whether she liked it or not.

They reached the pond, the morning sunlight glinting off the still water.

Mira finally released Bella's hand, setting the dress down on a nearby rock.

Bella stood there, frozen, her mind racing.

'What... what is happening?'

She looked at Mira, then at the pond, then back at Mira before her eyes widened.

Bella's eyes widened as Mira reached for the hem of her dress.

Without hesitation, without shame, Mira pulled the fabric over her head and tossed it aside.

Bella's breath caught in her throat.

Mira's body was... huge. Her breasts were massive, heavy, jiggling with each movement as she stretched her arms above her head.

They were full, saggy a bit and round, the kind that made Bella's own chest feel nonexistent by comparison.

But it wasn't just the size that shocked her.

Hickeys. Bruises. Love bites scattered across Mira's pale skin like a constellation of sin. Dark purple marks dotted her neck, her collarbone, the swell of her breasts.

There were faint teeth marks on her shoulder, finger-shaped bruises on her hips where hands had gripped her hard enough to leave imprints.

Bella flinched, her whole body jerking back.

'What... what happened to her?'

Mira didn't seem bothered at all. She stepped toward the pond, her naked body on full display, completely unbothered by Bella's wide-eyed stare.

The morning sunlight caught on her curves, highlighting every mark, every imperfection, every sign of rough, passionate use.

She waded into the water, sighing softly as the coolness enveloped her legs, then her thighs, then her hips.

The pond was deeper than it looked—Viktor's doing, no doubt. The water reached her waist before she turned around, tilting her head at Bella with a curious expression.

"Why are you not removing your clothes?" Mira asked, her tone genuinely confused.

Bella trembled.

"N-No, this..." Her voice cracked. She looked down, her hands clutching at the tattered fabric of her own dress. Her face burned with embarrassment, her ears twitching nervously.

She couldn't. She couldn't just... strip down in front of someone like this. Not when her body was so different. Not when she had things to hide.

Mira waded back toward the edge of the pond, water dripping from her body as she reached out and grabbed Bella's hand.

Her grip was firm, warm, maternal.

"Come on," Mira said softly. "Remove it."

Bella's hands shook as she slowly, reluctantly, pulled at the ties of her ragged dress. The fabric fell away piece by piece, revealing her petite frame bit by bit.

Her body was nothing like Mira's.

She was small, delicate, her breasts barely a handful compared to Mira's massive chest. Her skin was pale and scarred, her ribs visible beneath the surface.

And between her legs—hair. Thick, bushy, untamed. She'd never had the luxury of grooming herself properly.

But that wasn't what made Mira gasp.

Bella's cat ears twitched nervously atop her head, flattened against her skull in shame. And behind her, wrapped in dirty bandages, was a tail—thin, feline, trembling with fear.

Mira blinked, her eyes widening.

"Are you... not human?" Mira asked, her voice filled with genuine surprise.

Bella bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Her whole body trembled as she shook her head, unable to meet Mira's gaze.

Every time. Every single time someone found out she wasn't fully human, they called her a demon. A monster. Something filthy and wrong that needed to be purged or enslaved or killed.

She waited for the judgment. For the disgust. For Mira to pull away and leave her standing there, naked and ashamed.

Instead, Mira just pulled her forward.

"Come on, come down. Let's talk," Mira said gently, guiding Bella into the water.

Bella was shocked. Her feet touched the cool surface of the pond, and she gasped as the water enveloped her legs, then her thighs, then her waist.

It felt... good.

Clean. Refreshing in a way she hadn't experienced in years.

But her eyes widened even more when she looked down into the water.

It was clear. Crystal clear. And at the bottom of the pond, she could see smooth stones, small fish darting between them, and... was that a carved drainage system? This wasn't just a pond. It was engineered.

Before she could process it, Mira reached for something on the edge of the pond—a small clay jar. She opened it, revealing a thick, creamy substance inside.

"Husband made this," Mira said with a proud smile. "It's good for hair. He called it herbal shampoo."

Bella blinked in confusion.

"Sham... poo?"

Mira chuckled and scooped some of the substance into her hands. Before Bella could react, Mira's fingers were in her hair, massaging the thick cream into her scalp.

Bella flinched violently, her ears flattening against her head as Mira's fingers brushed against them.

"A-Ah!" Bella squeaked, her whole body going rigid.

Her ears were sensitive. Too sensitive. And Mira was rubbing them like it was nothing, her fingers working the shampoo through Bella's matted hair with practiced ease.

"Easy, easy," Mira murmured, her voice soft and soothing. She moved to Bella's back, her hands running down the girl's spine, washing away the grime and dirt with gentle, circular motions.

Bella trembled in the water, completely embarrassed. Her face was burning red, her hands clenched into fists beneath the surface. She didn't know how to handle this.

Didn't know how to process the sensation of someone touching her like this—not with lust or violence, but with care.

Mira's maternal instincts had taken over completely. She scrubbed Bella's back, her shoulders, her arms, treating her like a child who needed tending to.

"I-I'll rub myself!" Bella finally managed to stammer, grabbing the jar of shampoo from Mira's hands. She started scrubbing frantically at her own body, trying to create some distance, some semblance of control.

Mira chuckled, a warm, genuine sound. She leaned back in the water, letting out a long exhale as she tilted her head up toward the sky, her massive breasts floating just beneath the surface.

But her eyes glanced toward Bella.

She watched the girl scrub herself with nervous, jerky movements. Her innocent face. Her twitching ears.

Her delicate, firm breasts—not big, but perfectly shaped, a handful at most. The way she moved was careful, shy, like she'd never been allowed to exist in her own body without shame.

Mira's grin widened slightly.

"What is your age?" Mira asked suddenly.

Bella trembled, her hands stilling in the water.

"I-It's nineteen," she said quietly.

Mira's grin grew wider, more mischievous.

"I see... I see," Mira murmured, her mind already turning over possibilities. Young. Innocent. Fertile. And clearly in need of protection. "So what do you think about my husband?"

Bella blinked, confusion flickering across her face.

"Who?" she asked.

Mira blinked back, tilting her head.

"Oh. The young lord. The nobleman."

Bella flinched violently, her eyes going wide as she whipped her head around to stare at Mira.

"What? He's your husband—!?"

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