The White Cat That Swore Vengeance Was Just Lazing on the Dragon King’s Lap - Volume 4 - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Second Day

On the morning of Ruri’s second day in the Nation of the Beast King, she was awoken by the presence of several other people in the room with her. She looked around to see a group of women standing by her bedside. It wasn’t clear how long they’d been there, but they all stood in silence, simply staring at her. Ruri couldn’t help but flinch.

Startled wide awake in an instant, Ruri jumped up in surprise. “W-What’s going on?!” she screamed.

Also in the room were the many caretakers assigned to her. They were filed in behind the women standing by her bedside, eagerly awaiting Ruri to awake.

“Good morning, Lady Beloved,” greeted one of them with a sweet smile.

As if in adherence to that, all the other servants said in unison, “Good morning, Lady Beloved.”

Ruri felt a headache coming on despite the early hour. That was when one of the girls presented her with a pail of water. Ruri looked up at her in bewilderment, unsure of what to do with the bucket thrust in front of her.

“This is hot water from the springs of the Nation of the Beast King, milady. Please, use this to wash your face. It will surely make your skin smooth and soft.”

The words “skin,” “smooth,” and “soft” instantly blew away the pain in Ruri’s head. Normally, she would clean her face and teeth with Purification magic, but in the Nation of the Beast King, they usually used the hot springs to wash their face in lieu of magic. Upon closer inspection, Ruri could see that the skin of all the girls in her room seemed rather immaculate. The idea of it being a result of the spring water sent her hopes sky-high. If she wanted silky smooth results, then the hot spring water was her best bet.

As soon as she washed her face with the water from the pail, another woman handed her a towel to dry herself with. Once that was finished, the women immediately started to strip her of her sleepwear. Ruri’s eyes widened in surprise, but before she could object, they unclothed her and started reclothing her in new apparel.

At first they were going to put her in something more revealing like Celestine’s outfit, the typical local attire, but she stood firm against it, opting to wear the simple, short-sleeved dress she brought with her from the Nation of the Dragon King. However, the ladies even assisted her into that.

After dressing her, they combed her hair for her—the caretakers were truly pulling out all the stops. It started to make Ruri feel like some sort of pampered princess. Granted, since she was a Beloved, the royal treatment was probably only natural. After all, Celestine apparently had a slew of attendants assigned to her. However, since Ruri wasn’t used to being treated in this manner, she felt hugely embarrassed.

Since her experience with other Beloveds was limited, Ruri didn’t know if this or the Nation of the Dragon King’s way was standard practice for Beloveds. She tried to recall how Cerulanda’s former Beloved, Azelda, had been received, but Ruri had only really met her when she went to stop her rampages back at the castle. Considering she had no idea what kind of life Azelda led, she couldn’t use her as a frame of reference.

“Your breakfast is ready, milady,” said the attendant.

In the corner of the room, dishes were lined up on top of a beautiful, intricately designed tapestry. Unlike the tables and chairs used in the Nation of the Dragon King, the Nation of the Beast King’s style was to eat sitting atop a tapestry laid out on the floor. Ruri was raised in a land where it was tradition to sit on the floor on their knees, so she had no aversion to eating in this manner. But as she sat as instructed, she could feel the strong difference between this nation’s culture and that of the Nation of the Dragon King.

They must have brought the food in while Ruri was getting ready because it was still piping hot. The assortment and the amount present was big enough to feed everyone in her room, much less Ruri herself, and she wondered if the others would eat too. But once she saw no one aside from Kotaro, Rin, and Chi was sitting with her, it confirmed that all this food was meant for her alone. Then again, perhaps they figured that Kotaro and the others would be joining her. In fact, Chi was raring to eat. Nevertheless, this was still a little too much food. Even with Ruri and Chi both digging into the meal, there was still a lot left over.

Also, just like Joshua mentioned, the spice-laden dishes were a bit too rich for breakfast. This could cause issues if it was going to be a daily occurrence. Ruri proceeded to eat, but she picked out the lighter foods and avoided the heavier ones.

As Ruri sat full and satisfied, taking a post-meal breather, one of the attendants offered her a suggestion. “Lady Beloved, I was informed that you were greatly interested in our nation’s hot springs. Would you care to take a visit?”

“Absolutely!” Ruri replied instantly. This was her initial goal, after all. It wasn’t long before she headed toward what was considered the biggest and most luxurious hot spring in the castle, reserved exclusively for royalty.

There were a multitude of bathhouses in the castle—ones for royalty, ones for the queens, and ones for the castle workers. The bathhouses for royalty and the queens were especially ample in variety, each with different interiors. Since the bathhouses for royalty were open to Beloveds as well, Ruri gladly took the chance to utilize one of them.

Considering that Ruri also had her caretaking attendants and her guard detail—Joshua, Ewan, and the dragonkin soldiers—the walk to the bathhouse wound up being quite the mass migration. Once there, Joshua and the other men stopped and held at the entrance since they couldn’t follow her inside. But the problem lied with Kotaro and the others. Rin always spoke in a feminine manner, so it was probably safe to assume that she was female. Maybe it was also safe to assume that Kotaro and Chi were male since they spoke pretty manly. However, there were always cases like Euclase.

Ruri was at an extreme loss, but she decided to ask them anyway. “Hey, so, what about all of you? Are you coming with? Staying out here?”

“I’m going with you, Ruri,” Kotaro replied.

“Of course we’re going with you,” Rin added.

“I wanna take a dip in the springs,” Chi said.

All three were eager to follow her.

“I don’t mind if you all come along, but what are you guys? Male? Female?” If they answered with male, then, as much as it would pain her, she would have to make them wait outside with Joshua and the rest.

Chi replied, “We ain’t either.”

Ruri cocked her head at the vague response, but Rin came fluttering in. “Spirits don’t have the concept of sex or gender. We’re technically neither male nor female, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Oh, I see,” Ruri said, satisfied with that answer. She proceeded to bring Kotaro, Rin, and Chi inside with her.

The bathhouse was rife with the evocative aroma only hot springs could provide. The bath itself was massive and seemed to be great for a nice, long soak. Ruri slowly dipped her toe into the water to check the temperature. Finding it just right, she dipped herself in up to her elbows.

“Aaah, this feels wonderful~”

The spirits then followed her into the bath. Kotaro and Rin were first, followed by Chi—who rambunctiously dove into the water with a loud splash. They all seemed delighted.

“Lady Beloved, how does the temperature fare?”

“It’s perfect. No complaints here. It’s heavenly~”

“I’m relieved it’s to your liking, milady.”

It’d been so long since Ruri had taken a bath in a hot spring that she forgot how great it felt. The sense of relief and comfort from soaking in the hot water was indescribable. The people of the Nation of the Dragon King were definitely missing out. It made her want to build a hot spring there so she could share this splendor with them. She was positive they would all get hooked once they experienced it firsthand.

Ruri’s hot spring fever was starting to climb higher and higher. “I want this in the Nation of the Dragon King toooo! I’m building one once I get back.”

“Hear, hear!” chanted Rin and Chi, both comprehending how great hot springs could be after soaking in one. Kotaro didn’t seem opposed to it either. Judging from how he was smiling, his body submerged up to his neck, it seemed the hot spring suited his fancy. They were all enjoying it in their own way. Kotaro and Rin silently soaked while Chi swam all over the place like it was his own personal pool.

By the time Ruri’s body warmed up, one of her caretakers addressed her. “Lady Beloved, preparations are set if you wouldn’t mind stepping out of the bath.”

Ruri had noticed the women bustling around for a while now, but it appeared that whatever they were preparing was ready. Staying in the bath for too long was bound to make her light-headed anyway, so she stepped out of the water as instructed. That was when she saw the cot the women had laid out for her.

“Would you mind lying down here?” one of them asked. Ruri followed instructions and sprawled facedown on the cot.

“Now then, pardon me as I proceed,” the caretaker said as she applied a thick, sweet-smelling oil onto Ruri’s body and started a massage. Her technique was so good you’d suspect she was a professional masseuse. Ruri felt like she was in some high-class spa as the oil’s delightful scent untensed and relaxed her.

“This feels so extravagant...”

As Ruri lay on the cot, absorbed in sheer bliss, Chi came trotting up, brimming with curiosity. “Hey, hey! I wanna try that too!”

“Oh, would you? Step up here, please.”

As soon as Chi lay down, the woman lathered him in the same oil as Ruri and proceeded to massage his capybara body.

“Ooh!” he exclaimed from the pleasure.

“I’m so glad we’re taking this trip,” Ruri said. This was an invaluable treat that she couldn’t experience in the Nation of the Dragon King, and it was one that she wished to spread there as well. Massages might already exist, but if anything, she wanted this kind of high-class spa. Euclase would probably know about beauty treatments like that. She decided to ask when she got back.

As such, Ruri closed her eyes in delight, with hopes that Euclase would help her build a hot spring of her very own.