Nateaser: Reborn As My Love Interest

Nati - Chapter Forty Four

Finally, my stomach calmed down.

Going through my first cycle was quite a shock, and Fenna's remedies or not, I was practically useless for the last two days. But now that the bathhouse became operational, I wanted to wash away all my stress in its private chamber. I justified the extra wing with Hana's sensitive case, but I just wanted to soak myself in the hot water alone.

Of course, this didn't bother Mabel, and she nearly gave me a heart attack, sneaking in the moment I submerged.

"Who let you in?!" I yelled, my voice echoing in the large room. She pinched my sides, only her face above the water. Grinning wildly, she raised a sponge and swung a waterskin in my face. I should have expected her and locked the doors. "This place is off-limits for kids."

"Come on, Nati, who cares about the rules?" She giggled, flashing her tusks at me. "I'm here to wash your back and your hair too."

"My hair?" I asked, pondering. In the three weeks in this world, I never got to rinse it with anything but cold water, and it started to look messy. Even with all the care Mabel put into brushing and braiding it daily so was curious. "What do you have inside that?"

"Oh, this?" She opened the waterskin so I could smell it. "It's egg yolk mixed with ashes, soapwort, lavender, and cinnamon from the swamp."

"What's that for?" It had a nice fragrance.

"Fenna told me it's to get the grease out of your hair." She put it simply. "It should make it nice and shiny. Wanna try?"

"If it's already here..." I said, feeling a little reluctant to share the bath with her. I forgot about the necessities, busy trying to improve things for the tribe. Inventing shampoo was on my list, but I wanted to sort out many things before that. And this world already had something to that effect, or at least Fenna did.

"Okay, here it goes. Close your eyes so it won't get in there." Mabel announced, and I was too late to stop her. The use of chemicals was considered bad manners in a public bath's pool, and the place even had shower booths. One was supposed to rinse herself before entering, at least in the larger, common ones. But it was the private chamber, only meant for me and a selected few...

The plans for the bathhouse evolved rapidly. My first idea was to raise a roof over the stream to protect us from the elements.

However romantic it might have seemed to bathe outdoors, the water was cold, and the winter approached fast. A heated pool was necessary for the tribe. Then again, there was a difference between providing services for fifty people, or the two hundred, who lived here permanently now. The village just kept on growing.

Not to mention traveling merchants, envoys, and other guests we expected. The plans had to be adjusted and enlarged so that everyone could access the bath every time and all at once. Other than increasing capacity, we had to provide privacy for everyone.

Complete separation was required, and by that point, the bathhouse became a large complex. It had to include all the luxuries this world had yet to encounter. I introduced gravity-fed shower booths, and on top of the heated pools, I had the beastmen build a sauna.

"How does it feel?" Mabel asked, massaging the peculiar liquid into my scalp. This was the first time someone washed my hair in both of my lives. It was never this long either, beautiful but troublesome.

"Hmm... It's nice." I admitted, finally starting to relax. She scratched my fluffy ears, but I refused to let her do the tail. Just by being naked in this body, I felt all kinds of awkwardness. Even if I was alone, add another naked body to that, and it got way worse. This was the reason why I wanted the private chamber to begin with. But of course, when I needed to justify it, I only talked about Hana's delicate situation.