26. Recovered sight

*THALIA'S POV

"Step into the tub, Thalia." That voice... It belonged to Savior.

My resolve to resist instantly melted. I curtsied as Laura, the chief bath maid, assertively ripped my already fragile fabric dress from my body.

She forcefully guided me towards the tub, commanding, "enter and carry out your duties."

This was not my responsibility. I was abruptly summoned to the maids' quarters to perform the tasks of a bath maid. Despite my attempts to explain that it wasn't within my duties, they insisted my mistress had ordered it for tonight. Her motives remained undisclosed, instilling fear in me.

Janette harbored deep animosity towards me, which is why she insisted I join the bath maids tonight. It was a duty in the castle I had always avoided due to its nature, as most bath maids fulfilled more intimate requests from those they bathed.

The prospect of being compelled to engage in such activities was daunting. However, what I hadn't anticipated was that the royal individual I was supposed to bathe was Savior. Now I was frightened; what game was Janette playing? Why would she assign me to bathe her husband?

A knot formed in my stomach, and the potential consequences of this situation weighed heavily on me. I had no one left to shield me. My friend and protector, Ellie, had been punished and confined in the dungeon for defending me.

"Must I repeat myself, Thalia? You will regret it," Savior warned.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as I struggled to climb into the tub. I shivered involuntarily because of the coldness of the water. It was almost surprising to me that the king was bathing in such cold water, but then I remembered that lycans were extremely hot-blooded creatures; they sometimes preferred their bath cold.

As soon as my skin came in contact with Savior's, I felt a spark that made me recoil, but there wasn't any space to escape.

"Sit," he ordered.

All this time, I had been standing in the tub; although it was a large one, I couldn't avoid touching Savior with my knees.

Clenching my fists, I prepared myself for the worst as my lower body submerged in the water. A sponge was thrust into my hand, but it wasn't what made me tense. It was the fact that Savior grabbed my legs and placed them on his laps.

"Commence," he ordered.

I heard the sound of another person entering the water, and I could only guess that it was the second bath maid.

I exhaled shakily as I soaked the sponge in the scented chilling water. I didn't know why, but my mind conjured a vivid image of Savior before me, outlining his tensed, muscular back.

Starting from his neck, a shudder escaped him as I trailed the sponge down. Soft groans filled the air, suggesting he was not in pain, but rather enjoying it. My cheeks flushed red, and I looked away as I continued rubbing his back, a familiar wetness building between my legs.

"Switch," Savior hissed, breathless.

The sound of someone stepping out of the tub reached my ears, then I felt the presence behind me.

Swallowing, I climbed out of the tub. Following the rim as a guide, I moved away, but before reaching the edge, Savior grabbed my hand. "Join me."

I froze momentarily; the heat from his scalding palm affected me in a way I couldn't explain.

As commanded, I climbed into the tub, but immediately I knelt in the water, Savior pulled me closer, forcing me to part my legs, leaving his between them.

He squeezed my breast with one of his hands while the other outlined the curve of my waist downwards.

"Sit on it, pleasure your King," he whispered, his voice desperate and needy.

I wanted to resist, but my body lacked the strength. I succumbed like the weak fool I was.

My screams echoed through the room as Savior guided me down on his heated wood. I didn't even have the coordination to be ashamed, knowing others were present in the room as I pleasured the king, and they didn't intervene.

When Savior was satisfied, he bathed me himself and then sent me off, my legs shaking from the encounter.

He didn't bother to warn the bath maids to keep quiet about the incident, and I knew he didn't need to because everyone understood the consequences of exposing private bath occurrences.

I slept like a baby but woke up with aching joints, evidence of the encounter with Savior the previous night. I sat up, my mind still reeling.

I thought Savior wouldn't come to me again after what he did a few nights ago. I thought I was finally free from him, but that freedom came at the cost of my sight.

Concerning my sight, something unusual began to happen as the sun rose, casting its golden hue through the window into my chamber.

My eyes widened. "Lila, what is this?" I asked my wolf.

"Why are you surprised?" She licked her snout. "It has happened before, hasn't it?"

I frowned, wondering when it happened; then I gasped, covering my mouth with both my hands. "You mean..."

"Yes." Lila nodded. "You have my sight again because of the intimacy you shared with him. This time, though, I advise you to keep it hidden from him before he finds other ways to make the blinding effect permanent."

"Lila!" I screamed internally, joy in my tone. This cunning wolf tied the improvement of my vision to mating, how mischievous.

Despite everything, I was happy to have recovered my partial sight. With my returned vision I could thr sun rising, it was beautiful even though it was short lived. It has been ages since I last saw like this, it was usually heat signatures I saw in but now I could see things blurred. It was not perfect but I loved it better than before.

However, my happiness was short-lived as the new housekeeper burst into my room.

"Arrest her," she pointed at me.