Chapter 277: Chapter 277 Grooming a Witch
His brows furrowed, and a smirk formed on his lips. "I do?" He continued blinking. "Do you like it?"
I scoffed. "You reek of blood... and it doesn’t suit you."
His lips twitched, his eyes searching mine as if he was looking for something. The spark in his eyes dimmed, when he realized it wasn’t what he was searching for.
I retracted my hands, "I’ll take this room, but it needs to be redecorated." I stepped away from him.
My gaze landed on the young witch. She stood by the wall, her black hair was covered with dirt and black fluid.
Her skin was covered in dirt. "Come with me." I finally said, after a stunned moment of watching her.
’So they don’t shower? Wait... does that mean they don’t want a relationship? Because who the hell would want to date them?’
The witch glanced at Damon, before hesitantly following me.
I stopped midway, turning to Famon. "Where is the bathroom?"
Damon pushed himself from the wall, he walked towards me, "It’s right over there." He nodded towards the door.
I gave a curt nod, before walking towards the door. The moment I opened the door, the familiar view welcomed me.
My chest tightened, and I ran my hand through my hair. Stepping inside the room, I couldn’t help but brush my finger through the wall, I stopped in front of a mirror.
My reflection stared back at me, my skin was pale and worn, my hair was more white than its normal silver-white colour, blood smeared across my cheeks and neck.
My eyes narrowed, my fingers tightening against the cold frame of the mirror. ’Is this what I’ve become now? Not very demure.’
My hand moved to my shoulder, ’Could the mark still be on my skin?’ My fingers itch to remove my clothes and confirm if they were really there.
My eyes grew dull, although the place carries a lot of memories... at this point, I would rather not have them.
They hurt as much as it felt good.
I dragged my gaze away and turned to the witch. She hovered by the doorway, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her eyes downcast. She looked so small now that the corruption had faded away.
She looked very shy for a witch, they were always loud and creepy, especially since my encounters with the witches have never been good ones. She looked different... Maybe she was worth saving after all.
"Come," I motioned her inside.
She hesitated, chewing her lip, before stepping forward with slow, uncertain steps. Her bare feet made soft thuds against the floor, and she kept her gaze glued to the tiles like the walls themselves might bite her if she dared to look up.
I twisted the faucet open, the sound of water rushing filling the silence. The witch flinched, her shoulders jerking like she wasn’t used to the sound. My brows furrowed. "Don’t tell me you’ve never had a proper bath before?"
She shook her head slowly. Her voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper. "We... don’t. Witches don’t... wash like this."
I let out a breath, rubbing my temples. ’So it’s true. No wonder they all smell like rotten corpses boiled in herbs.’
"Sit," I ordered, pointing at the bathtub. She obeyed immediately, lowering herself onto it with trembling legs.
I grabbed a cloth and dipped it in the water, wringing it out before brushing it gently across her face. Dirt and grime came off in thick streaks, revealing pale skin underneath. She winced at first, then slowly stilled, her lashes fluttering as if she was afraid the water itself would hurt her.
"You’re not a cat," I muttered, scrubbing her neck and arms. "Relax. It’s only water, it’s not going to kill you."
Her lips parted, her voice shaking. "Why... why are you helping me?"
My hand stilled for a second. I pressed my lips together, resuming the task. ’Because I see myself in you, especially when I woke up in this strange world, I was terrified and frightened... looking back now, it all feels like a dream.’
’And if you are referring to helping you with your bath, it is because I want to avoid a nasty Lycan.’
"Because you’re mine now. And my servant shouldn’t look like she crawled out of a sewer." I answered.
Silence followed, except for the sound of water dripping. After a while, she whispered, "Crystal..."
I glanced at her. "What?"
"My name," she said, a bit stronger this time, her brown eyes meeting mine for the first time. "It’s Crystal."
I arched a brow, then smirked faintly. "Huh. At least it’s not Rotten Stink."
Her cheeks turned slightly pink, and she quickly lowered her gaze again.
I shook my head, wringing out the cloth one last time. "Crystal Clear, huh? Guess that means you’ll be shining soon... once we’re done scrubbing all this mess off you."
I began to wash her hair wearing a pair of gloves, the water had already turned mucky and black. I opened the drainage, opening the faucet again to refill the tub.
Everywhere reeks from the smell of the dirt and the smell from her. I wriggled my nose, trying my best not to make any expression of disgust.
"How did you end up in this state? I have been to the witches’ Realm, and they don’t look like you. They look happy and clean." I said, my face contorted in pain as stabbing pain resonated through my chest.
"I... I was normal once. But I was taken away from my family... now I’m corrupted... my family gone." She stuttered, fidgeting with her fingers.
I kept rinsing the filth from her hair, the water turning blacker each time I squeezed it out. She sat stiff at first, then slowly her shoulders sagged, her breath shallow as if the weight of something else pressed down on her.
"I used to live in a village on the outskirts of the witches’ realm. My mother had long black silky hair... but she always brushed it with rosemary oil, which smelled so clean and good. My father carved charms for travellers, nothing special, just little spells for luck. We were normal."