Arranged to Love

Chapter Two

Morning came too quickly as the sun streamed in through the windows. The curtains hadn't been drawn shut before climbing into bed. Ash groaned as the bright light lined up with his eyes, rolling over to hide his face. The bed was supportive and extremely comfortable, something he should have expected of an expensive bed. His mattress back home was a single and had spots to avoid, either due to a loose spring or because it had taken an awkward shape.

He was fully ready to go back to sleep when there was a feminine clearing of the throat. Ash lifted his head from the pillow and looked around the room to see Amelia and two other omega servants waiting for him. All of their sleeves were rolled up and he could see steam coming from the bathroom behind them.

"Good morning, sir. We're here to assist you with your bath." Amelia was the one to speak but the other two were moving around her toward the bed. Oh no.

"I'm able to take my own bath, thanks," Ash said while hoping it would be enough to deter them from trying to bathe him. While a bath sounded divine to ease the tension in his shoulders, Ash was fairly certain that being bathed by other omegas wouldn't help relieve his aches. If anything, it would only stress him out more.

Amelia had a discouraged look on her face as she chewed on the inside of her mouth.

"Very well, but you will do it now before you dine for breakfast with the Lord."

Ash blinked at her and nodded his head. It might be too early in the morning to argue an attempt at standing his ground. There was no need to stand his ground on bathing though as cleanliness wasn't a terrible fate to endure. Being bathed though was an entirely different story.

The omega climbed out from under the sheets, a slightly sour look on his face as he trudged over to the bathroom. With a large yawn and stretch, Ash closed the door behind him. He was certain if Amelia had conceded to him bathing himself that she wouldn't want to watch his entire morning routine.

Ash went through his routine, which ended with the prepared bath. He remained in the tub longer after washing though, enjoying the warmth of the water as it calmed his nerves. He would have stayed in the bath until the water turned cold, but the knocking interrupted his peace and quiet.

"Breakfast is in twenty minutes. Please make haste." Amelia called through the door. Had she been waiting for him the entire time? Grumbling to himself, Ash located the towel rack beside the claw-foot tub and wrapped himself up. Was there no end to being waited on? He could already feel the tension trying to ease its way back in between his shoulder blades.

The only mistake he'd made was entering the bathroom without a clean set of clothes with him. Ashley mentally cursed himself out for such a silly error in judgment. The door opened and the omega popped his head out to see Amelia waiting for him next to the bed. His eyebrow quirked up as he had to wonder what she'd been doing while he'd bathed. His eyes landed on the outfit that was laid out for him and he felt sheepishly thankful. While the idea of being catered to didn't sit right with Ash, he was thankful that he didn't have to rifle through the meager possessions he'd brought with him. It would appear that some of the clothes that were laid out for him were new as he'd never owned such a regal, blue shirt before now. It was vibrant in color with gold trim on the sleeves and would surely make his eyes pop in appearance. Ash told himself he'd have to look through the wardrobe later.

"Thank you for picking an outfit for me. I can get dressed by myself though."

"Very well, I will wait outside to escort you to the dining hall." Amelia did exactly as she said, bowing before leaving his room and Ash to his devices.

He picked up the shirt and was surprised to feel the soft texture of the fabric. It looked silky and was smooth like silk but was soft as though it were well-worn. The shirt made Ash think that it could be a hand-me-down of sorts. Was he the first person to wear it?