Chapter 10: Princess Mia...Will Not Rest Until She Has Her Revenge!

“...Ugh, what a terrible day.”

With tired, squishy steps, Mia made her way to the communal baths. Anne walked alongside her.

“It’ll be okay, milady. We’ll get it washed off right away,” said the maid in a comforting tone. “You’ll be your usual beautiful self in no time!”

As she rolled up her sleeves, her eyes gained the fiery glow of someone rising to meet a challenge. Fortunately, Saint-Noel’s communal baths were sourced from natural hot springs and always had plenty of water and could be used at any time.

“Hnnngh, I’m dripping with snot...”

Mia peeled off her wet clothes, but a disgusting stickiness lingered on her face and in her hair, dampening her mood. With an exceptionally long face, she stepped into the bathing room...

“Oh?”

Her curiosity was piqued by how the room smelled. Wafting among the steam was the fragrance of some sort of grass or herb. It was a pleasant, calming aroma that seemed perfect for lulling people to sleep.

“Mmm... It smells so nice.”

She looked around, searching for the source of the new scent.

“Good day, Your Highness.”

“Huh? Miss Mia? Why are you here?”

Voices sounded from the pool. As she squinted through the vapor, she noticed a pair of familiar figures.

“That’s my question, Bel. And Citrina too. What are you two doing here?”

She eyed her granddaughter and her new friend.

Hmm... It seems a little unusual to be taking a bath together at this time of day.

With an eyebrow raised, Mia walked over to the washing area and sat down on one of the wooden stools. Anne immediately appeared and began rinsing her hair. The sensation of the maid’s fingers running through her hair and scratching at her scalp was wonderful, and Mia closed her eyes to enjoy the process. She could gradually feel the usual silkiness of her hair return as water washed away the slime.

When Anne was almost finished with her hair, Mia spoke to Citrina.

“It’s a rare sight to see you here. I thought Tearmoon nobles weren’t very fond of the communal baths,” she said, glancing in the girl’s direction.

You might think you’ve won me over, but I’ve got my eyes on you!

Mia huffed out a pugnacious breath. The Yellowmoons were still high up on the potential enemy list, and Citrina was their Duke’s daughter. There was no way she was going to let her guard down around them. She sharpened her gaze, ready to vigorously denounce any suspicious behavior she perceived.

Citrina sat on the edge of the pool, her slender limbs and dainty torso exuding an aura of elegance despite her youth. Clothed or not, she still looked like a doll, and one of exceptional quality at that. The skin on her delicate arms and legs was pallidly white. The girl, Mia thought, must have been telling the truth when she said she was born in poor health. She certainly looked weak.

I’m pretty sure even I can take her in a fight...

After giving her opponent the patented Mia once-over and analyzing her potential in battle, Mia was imbued with a strange confidence. Citrina, meanwhile, responded with a sweet smile.

“As a matter of fact, I was just telling Bel that we should ask Your Highness to join us.”

“Oh? Join you here, you mean?”

“Yes. I know a little about herbs, so I asked Miss Rafina and received permission to add some scented ones to the bath,” Citrina said, demonstratively cupping a handful of water from the pool.

“Huh, did you now...?”

It occurred to Mia that the herbs must be the source of the pleasant fragrance she’d noticed when entering the room. With her wash-and-rinse session completed, she got up from her seat and approached the pool. On closer inspection, she noticed a satchel of dried flowers bobbing on the surface of the water.

“What kind of plant is this?”

“It’s a type of herb called moonbead. It’s said that moonbead is good for relieving muscle stiffness. Please, come in and see if it works for Your Highness.”

Lured by Citrina’s welcoming smile, Mia lowered herself into the water. As the warm fluid enveloped her body, she let out a sigh of relief.

“This...does feel very good. It’s like the tension is just draining out of me. So nice and warm...”

Slowly, she sank lower and lower into the pool until only her head remained above water. With a lazy grunt, she stretched her limbs as far as they would go, feeling the heat seep into her pores from her toes to her neck. The “Oof...” she let out was, perhaps, a tad too guttural to be entirely appropriate for her regal image, but no one commented upon it.

Citrina slipped into the pool beside Mia.

“I heard from Bel that recently, Your Highness has been spending a lot of time practicing horseback riding, so I looked for ways to relieve fatigue. I hope it helps.”

Faced with this exceedingly thoughtful gesture, Mia...

“My! That’s so very kind of you!”

...Was moved to the core! She got so many warm fuzzies that she almost teared up. Mia was, in general, rather gullible and prone to liking anyone who showed an interest in bathing. Furthermore, the comfort of being in her natural habitat—the bathhouse—had made her drop her guard. These two factors combined had turned her into an affection point pinata, which Citrina had just smashed open by conveying her consideration through the medium of the bath, claiming all those precious affection points for herself. If she’d then presented some sort of bath-friendly sweet for Mia to enjoy, she’d probably be the official Princess’s Soulmate by the time they left the bathhouse.

“I see that you’ve made a wonderful friend,” said Mia, turning toward Bel.

The two traded smiles.

“Ehe he, I’m glad you think so, Miss Mia. I really like Rina too.”

Grandmother and granddaughter proceeded to chuckle in concert, sharing a moment of familial harmony.

“Aaaah...this truly is some quality bathing...” remarked Mia.

She raised her right arm above the water, appreciating the way water droplets rolled off her smooth, unblemished skin. She cupped a handful of water and splashed it onto her face. The sensation of warmth permeating her cheeks was simply sublime. As a connoisseur of baths, Grandmother Mia preferred ones on the slightly hotter side. Those infused her body with enough heat for her to enjoy a lingering sensation of warmth for some time even after stepping outside.

“By the way, Your Highness,” Citrina said abruptly, “since you’re practicing so much, does that mean you’ll be entering the Horsemanship Tournament in the fall?”

“Ah, I suppose I can’t fault anyone for thinking that. The truth is that I never intended to do so, but with the way things are going, I think I might have to...” she answered, sighing as she recalled the day’s events.

“In that case, is it okay for Rina to go and watch you practice?”

“My, are you interested in horseback riding too, Citrina?” Mia’s look of surprise quickly changed into a smile. “By all means then. Come and take a look. The horses are quite adorable. Well, most of them, anyway...”

A vision of a certain grinning equine sneezer arose in her mind.

I will never forgive that horse... Absolutely never! I’ll get you back for this, you smug jerk! Mark my words!

She clenched her fist as she swore to even the score with the horse that had so wronged her. She would not rest until she’d had her revenge.

Next time, I’m going to eat a whole carrot cake right in front of your face! We’ll see how you feel about that, you stupid horse!

On an unrelated note, said carrot cake was, in fact, one of the vegetable desserts invented by Tearmoon’s head chef. He’d sent the recipe over, and it would soon be incorporated into the academy’s cafeteria menu.