Chapter 100
Chikara already sleeping comfortably at the foot of the bed, Anne brushes his head and went to the bathroom to get a fresh bath, the inn matron already draws a bath for her, and one of the considerations of Justice to give the room to Anne, this is the only room with a private bathroom. While Anne refreshed herself in the private bathroom, the other three gentlemen goes to wash the dirt and soreness in the public bathroom along with other people.
The three of them went to the public bathroom with the towel on their shoulder, woman around the inn looks at them and whispered. With beautiful and handsome faces like theirs will very likely draw some attention. One woman even tried to ask them to accompany them to a winter festival.
“What’s a winter festival?” Asked Vale to the girl.
The girl with long black hair smiled coquettishly. “Oh, you didn’t know? It was a small festival in Wolgala. You need more coats, though. Wolgala already snowed for a few days ago.”
“Really? but it’s not wintering yet.” Said, Henry.
Another girl was excited to see Henry begin to take some interest in them. “Oh, but it always happened in Wolgala, my hometown. I brought my two best friends with me to enjoy the festivities.”
The three gentlemen looking at each other seem like they need to have some plan before heading to Wolgala. Justice gave a sign to Henry, and after he and Vale get away from the three obnoxious women, Henry stayed around with them, charming them with his beautiful smile. He tried to gain more information from them, for once, he just asked meaningless questions just to entertain them more, until he goes to ask the real questions.
“So, a winter festival, is it alright for us to go there? I mean, some festival in towns or villages were private and can’t be attended by outsiders like me?”
.....
“Oh, don’t worry, it wasn’t a close festival. Everyone can come, but not many outsiders, though.” The girl was giggling and even twirled her hair in front of Henry.
Henry almost rolled his eyes, before he met Anne, he was dating so many women, a woman like the one in front of him was the most common of all, “Oh, so I just need to go there, and it wasn’t going to be a problem, right?”
The three woman’s eyes were lit like the orb’s light on the ceiling. “Yes, of course, they are probably more welcoming than ever at this time of the year. Oh, please come with us, would you?”
After hearing the information that he needs, Henry then smiled and said to the girls, “I think I need to ask our fiance’s permission first. Hopefully, we will be seeing you there.”
The three woman’s mouths were gaping open, one of them even curses, while Henry goes away waving his hand to them. After reaching the public bathroom and putting off the clothes that he was wearing, Henry goes inside a closed bathroom where only men could enter, the public bathroom is clean and look brand new, with an array of the semi-private bathtub, and also vast bathtub for the customers to join in together and maybe having a conversation. Not everyone loves the idea of changing words with a stranger while naked. That’s why they install some semi-private bathtubs.
Looking around, Henry finally saw Justice in one of the big bathtubs. The public bathroom was almost empty, probably because it was nighttime, and travelers prefer to go to sleep immediately. He plunged himself into the bathtub and joined his friends.
“So, what you get from the noisy woman out there?” Asked Justice. He was in the middle of resting his body on the bathtub, a small towel was wrapping his eyes.
“Besides, we need to buy a thick coat. It will be alright to go there, and they are more welcoming than ever,” Henry explained to Justice while he splashes his face several times with the water.
Vale gave Henry the small warm towel, “Here, use this. I will be checking the store tomorrow morning to buy us some warm coats.”
“I think I need to get to rest until you go back from the store. I was so tired after fighting the gargator.” Said Henry to Vale.
Justice snorted in his seat. “You fought a grey gargator, the weakest from all the gargator species, I mean, come on.”
“Hey! I didn’t see you fighting any gargator before!” Henry gave a big splash of water to Justice, who laughed when he felt the water on his face.
“Joke aside, at least we have the cure for the bewitched spell. Now we can reduce the obsession with Anne... I mean to see her crying because of how we were fighting for her.” Vale remembered yesterday when Anne asked them to stop blaming each other for her expense.
“The three of you need to drink the cure, as for me, I need to find the b*stard that makes me like this.” Said Justice, there was desperation in his voice, “I can feel every blood that I took, and not to mention something else controlling me, I hate every second of it.”
“Don’t you worry, she truly is a brave girl. We will be with you and her until we found the main host.” Said Henry while he patted the back of the crown prince.
“Ah, I missed Xavier, he would love to take a bath together. When’s the last time we have done this?” Vale asked the other. He tilted his head, trying to remember the date.
“It was in the Viora village before the carriage arrived.” Answered Henry flatly.
“Hmm... Yes, I remembered you go visited Anne who was unconscious at that time.” Justice remembered, and a frown came into his face, “Wait, you took too long inside the room. What are you doing there?”
“Nothing, just admiring her pretty face, that was all.” Said Henry with a grin on his face.
“Oh really? Even unsupervised, because, as I remember it, Martha and Ed were with us the whole time.” This time Vale joins the conversation. He looks at Henry full of suspicion.
Henry rolled his eyes and goes to sit on the other end of the bathtub, “I said nothing, really!”
Squinting his eyes towards Henry, Justice warned his best friend once again, “Henry... Tell us the truth.”
Henry took a deep breath, and finally tell them the truth, “Fine, I kissed her.”
“You what?!” Vale and Justice shouted together at Henry.
“Henry, are you mad?! She was unconscious!” Vale frustratingly called out to his friend.
“And you dare to call me ungentlemanly?! Seriously Henry!” Said Justice, glaring at his friend.
Henry was panicking, he felt that the two of them got him in the corner, “Okay, it was wrong, but I just couldn’t help it, she was just... Oh wow, I remember now, after the kiss I change.” He was truly in shock.
“Don’t you dare make excuses, Henry?” Warned Justice.
“No, no! listen to me, I really do change. I mean, I never thought about playing with the woman after we were back in the capital, right? Seems all of my minds just completely goes to her.” Henry explained while remembering those days to Justice and Vale, “I think whenever we go intimate with her, the passion and obsession grew.”
“Too late for the three of us, then?” Muttered Justice without realizing that the other two didn’t know about the kiss.
“Seriously?! When you will tell us about the kiss, your majesty?!” Said Henry, while he and Vale surrounded Justice in the corner.
“Oh, shut up! At least she was conscious and probably loves it.” Justice gave Henry a sassy remark.
Henry smirked and pointed at Vale. “Oh yeah, did you kiss her twice? Because this one was.”
Justice’s mouth gaped open. “Vale! You b*stard!”
Vale just laughed hearing the crown prince get mad at him. They have bickering until one of the matrons told them politely that the public bathroom was closed. The night come and from the distance, a howl from the pack of wolves was being heard throughout the night. Anne was already in her night dress, ready to go to bed. She put the medicine book on the table and added some more wood to the fireplace.
“It was a chilly night, don’t you think so Chikara?” Asked Anne while her familiar was staring out the window, smiling at Chikara, she go to her pet and tried to see what kind of thing piqued Chikara’s interest, “What have you been looking out for, boy?”
Her eyes widen, and she looks into a shadow beyond the woods with fear, a black shadow that looks like a man, but with a peculiar head, a wolf’s head.