The Transcended: My Lord

Chapter 4

Meya waited for the others to get out of the baths and dry themselves off. With the remaining crowd now at the other side of the room, Meya finally dared to thoroughly clean herself further. Her black eye still stung, so she was careful not to rub her face too hard. Once she was certain all the filth was gone, she continued with the rest of her body. Most of the mud and dirt had already soaked off, but she made sure to check and clean all the various injuries scattered over her body. She sighed heavily. The cuts on her legs and abdomen weren't deep and had already closed, but she still needed to wash away all the dried blood without reopening anything.

Then came the part she'd been dreading: she had to wash her privates. She gritted her teeth, swallowed, and brought her fingers between her legs.

She winced.

Yep, the swine hurt me good. She cleaned herself as gently as possible. Her vulva stung as her fingers touched the several little wounds on the in- and outside.

Tears rolled silently over her face. She tried her best not to cry—she didn't want to give him the satisfaction—but it just hurt too much. She took a deep breath and submerged herself. She finished cleaning herself underwater, ensuring she wouldn't make a sound the other servants might hear. When she could no longer hold her breath, she resurfaced. It took her a minute to find her centre and become calm again.

All will be fine, she told herself. Consider yourself lucky the churlish boar had enough brains to not finish inside. She shuddered. You'll heal and forget, in time. The lie didn't work and she clenched her jaw. I wish I had broken his nose—or worse. She took a few deep breaths as she tried to drive the dark thoughts away. It's alright... What happened, happened, and can't be changed. You're safe now, that's what matters.

When her heart rate had finally slowed down, she splashed some water on her face, took a deep breath, and got out of the bath. As she walked over to where the towels were, she realised she was the last person there. She quickly dried off, wrapped herself in the towel, slipped on her sandals and walked out.

"Ah, there you are!" Juris exclaimed the moment Meya stepped out.

Meya stifled a scream. "J-Juris... You startled me."

He smiled and raised his lantern. "Now, I'm not that scary I hope?"

Meya didn't reply and avoided his gaze.

Juris noticed and looked away, uncomfortable. "I apologise if my presence disturbs you; I just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost."

"It... It's fine," Meya managed to utter. "Thank you." She started to walk towards her room; Juris tagged along in silence.

They stopped in front of the door and, before she could open it, Juris placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to stiffen.

"If there's anything upsetting you, feel free to tell me. You won't get into any trouble—I'll do my best to ensure that."

There's a lot upsetting me, but nothing I'd want to tell you. Meya looked at him and managed to produce a little smile despite the darkness in her head. "Thanks, Juris, I'll keep it in mind."

"I'll see you at breakfast then. I've placed clean clothes for you in the wardrobe. I'll help you get started on your chores, but I'm afraid I can't be by your side the entire day."

Meya nodded. "I didn't expect you to." She bowed her head. "Goodnight, Juris, thank you for your kindness."

Juris bowed his head too. "Thank you, too. I wish you sweet dreams."

As Juris turned to walk away, Meya finally entered her room. Actually, I hope to have a dreamless sleep. She suppressed another surge of dark emotions as she closed the door behind her. No. Not now. Not ever. She swallowed and took in her surroundings.