Blood Lily

While I was drowning in embarrassment, I was also curious of learning more about other.. non-humans, I guess? Demons? Monsters? I don’t really know what they’re called, but the hopes of finding out more kept my ears wide open. In spite of my shame.

“Oh, come on Millie, you know she, err, he was just turned, it would only make sense for you to be the first one he saw,” I heard the voice, likely Amber’s, giggle in reply.

Hearing her slip-up caught me off-guard and left me with mixed emotions. I chose to ignore that, as well as Magnolia’s now broken promise.

“Yeah,” Millie responded, “I guess it just surprised me. I mean, we’re assigned to the new heir. I expected someone more…”

“…serious? Like Lady O’Sang?” Amber finished for her.

“Yup, you nailed it sis,” Millie replied with a quiet chuckle.

Sis? Wait, what? Were they sisters? I compared their faces in my head, trying my best to see the similarity, but I just couldn’t see it. If they were sisters, it couldn’t be by blood. Maybe it was just a nickname, after all, I’ve heard weirder ones from strangers in the park.

Like pumpkin. Why would you call someone that terrifying thing? Those things litter the park during the week of Halloween, with their creepily smiling faces and eerily glowing souls…

I shuddered as I felt a chill pierce through both the hot water and my spine.

“He’s more like a…” Millie continued.

“Lil’ O’Sang!” they both said at the same time, resulting in yet more snickering.

But, suddenly, they stopped the gossip and giggles dead in their tracks.

Did they realize I could hear them? I tried to focus my hearing even more.

Click… click…

I realized why as I heard the clicking of heels stop and a third muffled voice, this one too distant to make out the words.

“No, ma'am,” I heard Millie and Amber respond to an unknown question.

Magnolia said something else I still couldn’t make out.

“In the bath still,” they replied in unison.

I raised my head up further out of the water, trying my best to pick up any word.

“…good news…tell him…business…” were the only words I could make out.

Did she have good news for me? That’s about all I could imagine those words meaning.

“As you wish, our Lady,” they responded.

Click… click…

And then complete and utter silence.

Minutes passed and I gave up trying to eavesdrop when I realized the bubbles had almost all fizzled out.

I did really, really enjoy the hot bath more than I thought I would, but I figured it was about time to dry off, I didn’t want to keep them waiting. Plus, I was super curious what the good news could be, I wasn’t sure how much better my day could get, after all. Or perspective-shattering.

With my eyes squeezed shut once again, I slowly rose up and out of the tub. When I was greeted by the chilly air, I nearly chose to submerge back under the comfortable temperatures of the water, but then I wouldn’t get to hear whatever they were going to tell me.

Eyes still shut, I reached down for the towel and… where did I put the towel again? I started to worry as I blindly reached around for it. I could just open my eyes but I wasn’t mentally prepared to catch even a slight glance of myself naked, especially not when I looked like a miniature clone of someone else…

But my worries were put to rest when my hands found it. Turned out it was right behind me, of course.

I wrapped the towel around me, as taught, and safely opened my eyes.

I noticed my towel-wrapped self in the rather large mirror above the sink. I don’t know how, but I looked different? Not noticeably different, but… any skin not covered by my towel just seemed to glow. Not literally, it just felt different. Fresher. Cleaner. I could feel it too, my arms just felt so smooth, soft and clean. I appreciated it.

Was I really that dirty before?

I noticed a bottle with images of bubbles on the counter, though I couldn’t read anything it said. I never learned how to read, or write for that matter. I picked it up and drifted my way towards the door, planning to ask Amber what it said since this was the stuff she used to make the bubbles, I deduced.

“Only a week, can you believe it?”

My hand froze, a mere inch away from knocking on the door. It was Amber’s voice.

“Lady O’Sang sure is resourceful. I mean, it took you months, and I hear it wasn’t exactly cheap either,” Millie playfully responded.

I leaned my ear against the door as my curiosity burned ever so brightly.

“Years, actually,” Amber corrected her. “I’m just glad Lady O’Sang offered me a position as maid, I don’t know how I would have afforded it otherwise. I mean, humans have their own methods but, without magic, it simply doesn’t compare.”

“Jealous of him?” Millie teased.

“A bit, I mean his situation is unprecedented. I pity him, but if it were me I would-”

Knock

Their voices immediately cut off.

Startled and confused, I quickly realized my hand with the bubble bottle had accidentally tapped against the door.

I composed myself as fast as humanly, err, vampirically possible.

The door opened and Millie and Amber greeted me with a bow.

I watched Amber as she glanced behind me, towards the tub and then the bottle in my hand.

“Excuse me,” she said, walking past me to the tub.

I heard an odd click and the water began to drain.

Amber walked back towards me and held out her hand.

“The bottle please, sir.”

“Ah, um, here,” I said, handing it to her. “What does it say, by the way?”

She gave me a confused glance and a second glance towards Millie, finding some form of understanding with her, I’m sure.

“Magically Cleansing Bubble Bath,” she said, straight faced.

“Oh!” I said excitedly. So the bubbles were enchanted, in a way?

I took a step forward, inspecting the bottle more in her hand.

“And, what does this text say?” I asked, pointing to a descriptive paragraph.

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting towards Millie several times.

“Magically Cleansing Bubble Bath will cleanse and clean every square inch of your body. No effort needed, just sit back, relax and enjoy as the bubbles purify and wash away the dirt.”

“Huh? That’s all? But it looks like there’s a bit more text than that,” I tilted my head in disappointment. I enjoyed learning what the different characters meant, even if I wouldn't remember that easily.

Amber’s sky blue eyes went wider and I could swear I saw a drop of sweat form.

“Guaranteed to soften and smooth your skin. Become the…”

She hesitated and gulped hard, looking at me with pleading eyes.

I thought that maybe she had difficulty reading and I felt a bit guilty, but I nodded at her to continue reading anyway.

“…w-woman of your dreams.”

She dropped to her knees.

“P-please forgive me, my lord, I didn’t mean to suggest anything, I-”

Millie stepped forward, in front of Amber.

“It was my fault. I suggested she use it. Forgive her,” she said with a deep, apologetic bow.

I was speechless for a moment but realized they were waiting for me to reprimand or scold them in some way.

“I-it’s ok,” I stuttered out in a shy voice. “It’s not a big deal, and um, I really enjoyed my first bath. The bubbles were really nice, too. Thank you, both of you.”

They looked at each other for a moment, then Amber rose back up.

With a unified bow, they spoke.

“Thank you for your forgiveness, sir.”

While we were breaking some ice, I decided I may as well ask about it now.

“And, uh, you don’t have to call me lord or sir, the formality makes me a bit uncomfortable…”

“As you wish,” they respectfully responded.

Though, it felt weird to be completely nameless again. I blurted out my first idea.

“Why not call me Lil’ O’Sang?

They both stared at me.

Oh. Right. I wasn’t supposed to have heard that.