Droit du Seigneur: His Lordship's Right of the First Night - Chapter 11
His Lordship’s Bedroom
“Head maid, we’re finished.”
In the bathroom of the castle, misty with steam against the flat stone walls, a maid lifted a silver bucket filled with rinse water and poured it over Louise’s head one last time.
Swoosh.
The bathwater, initially warm, had cooled significantly during the lengthy process of scrubbing her skin and washing her long hair. As the now cool liquid cascaded from her head, Louise couldn’t help but shiver.
Despite the cooled water, being bathed by someone else was an unimaginable luxury for someone like her, just a poor resident of the fief. However, she couldn’t enjoy this situation at all due to her anxiety about what was to come.
“……”
Stepping out of the large wooden bathtub and standing on the floor, the maids moved back and waited. Water droplets, now cold, dripped from the ends of her wet hair, soaking her bare shoulders and chest.
She desperately wanted to cover her exposed body. But in her current state, all she could do was stand there, stark naked, in front of them, enduring the shame as best she could.
With her round green eyes and light auburn hair that seemed to catch the sunlight, she was the kind of beauty that people would find lovely and enchanting. Her delicate features and clear, jade-colored eyes gave an impression of youth and purity, though there was a subtle sadness in her gaze that often evoked a sense of melancholy in others.
“Well, now that you’re clean, you look presentable enough. Turn around.”
The head maid, with her dull gray hair meticulously styled and her stern face reflecting dissatisfaction throughout the entire process, scrutinized Louise from head to toe with a critical eye.
Her dress, a dark blue with a high collar, spoke volumes about her rigid personality. The head maid, likely due to her lower noble pride, showed no kindness towards Louise, especially after learning that she was here to pay the marriage tax by offering the right of the first night. Since then, she looked at Louise with a mix of disdain and contempt.
Knowing well how most nobles viewed commoners, Louise had expected this, but the head maid’s disdain was particularly harsh. It was unfortunate, given that she had no choice but to spend the night in the castle.
“Make sure she’s thoroughly clean. His Lordship must not feel any discomfort during the night.”
After taking Louise from the butler, the head maid immediately summoned the maids to fill the bath.
Upon hearing that Louise came from a poor village on the hill, she grimaced as if Louise were a sewer rat, ordering the maids to scrub her thoroughly.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Inspecting Louise’s pale, slender legs, white skin glistening with moisture, and wet hair, the head maid finally nodded.
“Bring the scented oil and apply it all over her body. There mustn’t be any unpleasant odor.”
“Yes, head maid.”
Hearing this command, the young maid blushed deeply. Such a comment, made so indifferently right in front of Louise, could be deeply hurtful, but she tried to let it slide.
Even the entrance of the castle and this bathroom alone were many times larger than her house. Despite her efforts to keep it clean, to the nobles, her tiny home must seem like nothing more than a pigsty. And the people living there would seem no different.
She had little access to luxuries like facial creams or even hot water, but she always made sure to keep herself clean using water from the village well and homemade soap. The head maid’s assumptions felt unfair.
“You smell like flowers, Sister!”
“Do you feel good?”
“Yes, Sister, Millie loves you so much!”
Mildred… she must be sleeping soundly by now….
Thinking of her young sister left at home made Louise feel a bit sad. Mildred would surely cry when she woke up and found her sister gone. Could she return early in the morning?
“Alright, raise your arms.”
“Ah, yes.”
A maid, holding a large towel, wiped the remaining moisture from Louise’s body and then applied a fragrant cream from a jar all over her skin.
After applying a moisturizing ointment to her hands, rough from constant work despite her soft inner skin, even the scratches and rough patches became nearly invisible.
