Memoirs 504 - Extra baths (Patreon)

Leaving Rosa to her own devices in the garden, Scarlett returned to her quarters and immediately sank into the armchair in the corner, taking the opportunity to rest. She had been at things since morning, and even accounting for the dip in the Spring of First Morning that had restored her body, her mind was starting to feel a bit worn.

She couldn’t say how much time passed after she closed her eyes. Maybe ten minutes. Maybe a few hours. Regardless, when she finally got up, she rolled the stiffness from her neck and crossed over to the table by the window.

A letter lay there beside the black stone case containing Eidolon’s book.

Scarlett had noticed it earlier as well. She had ignored it at the time because there was only one reason a letter would be waiting for her here. One of the servants had been instructed on how to receive and deliver them when necessary.

There was no seal or crest on the envelope. Scarlett picked it up and turned it over, confirming the initials etched into the back before opening it.

By the time she finished reading the brief contents, a small frown had formed on her brow.

She let the letter crumble into ash over the table.

The timing felt a little too convenient, but it seemed her counterpart wanted a meeting.

The lingering haze of a dream that was already slipping away kept Evelyne caught somewhere between sleep and waking as awareness slowly returned. She was reminded of the ache in her body as it sharpened everything, and her mind went to the steady rising and falling of her chest beneath the blankets. To the distant footsteps passing through the halls beyond her room. To the faint aroma of chamomile hanging in the air.

Her throat felt dry, but she didn’t want to get up.

For a while, Evelyne simply stayed where she was, half hoping sleep might pull her back under. That was an empty hope, though. She had probably already slept longer than she should have, and there was work waiting for her.

It took another few minutes before she forced her eyes open and pushed herself upright among the layers of quilts and blankets around her. After giving her vision time to adjust to the dim room, she reached for the carafe and empty glass on the nightstand and drank until the dryness in her throat eased.

Then her attention shifted to the bottle beside it.

Evelyne grimaced.

The dark liquid inside had the consistency of sludge.

The physician had ordered her to drink the brew twice a day. Supposedly, it helped her body’s strained mana vessels loosen, which in turn made their recovery easier, but Evelyne was beginning to question whether it did anything at all.

Considering how awful it tasted, even if it worked, it barely felt worth it.

Sometimes she wished she could act like a child again. Throw a tantrum and refuse the disgusting medicine. Stay in bed all day and ignore every important task waiting for her.

But she hadn’t been a child for a very long time.

After washing away the lingering taste with another mouthful of water, Evelyne got to her feet with a slow, careful movement, steadying herself with one hand against the nightstand. Cool air brushed over her bare legs beneath her shift as she crossed to the wardrobe and pulled a woollen robe over herself.

She still had to be careful not to overexert herself. Even though Father Abraham had helped enormously by relieving the worst of her mana exhaustion back at Dawnlight Palace, he had warned her that the effect would probably only be temporary.

The passing days had proven him right.

It was frustrating, not being able to move the way she wanted. But usually it improved once she had been up for a while, and she was still thankful that she could move at all. Thankful that she had been able to help, and that this was all it had cost her.

Compared to the weeks she had spent bedridden after the first monster attack on Autumnwell, this was almost mild.

And compared to Scarlett’s condition, she was still better off.

Although…

A faint frown touched Evelyne’s brow.

When she had briefly seen Scarlett yesterday, the woman had looked better.

Scarlett had been busy after that, so Evelyne had only managed a few minutes with her to confirm what Lady Withersworth had said about the proceedings at the palace and Scarlett’s new position as special counsellor to the Crown. Still, Evelyne couldn’t help wondering what had changed.

If she got the chance, she would ask today.

Pulling the robe tighter around her shoulders, Evelyne drew back the curtains and let the morning sunlight into the room before walking over to the desk in the corner. She usually worked from her office through the afternoon and evening, but in the mornings, she preferred to stay in her quarters.

A pot of hot water had been left on the small stand beside the desk by one of the servants. Evelyne set a cup of chamomile tea to steep, picked up her pen, and started reading through the documents she had left there the evening before.

By the time the tea was ready, she was already halfway through the first stack. She cradled the cup in one hand and took slow sips as she continued working.

There were so many people trying to contact them now.

From Elystead and the surrounding regions. From elsewhere in the empire. Even from beyond its borders.

Evelyne wasn’t even entirely sure how some of those letters had reached them with Elystead’s Kilnstones out of commission, but clearly some factions were allowing others to make use of their own communication networks.

Most of the questions their barony had received centred on Scarlett. They were asking about the Dragon of Devastation. About the primordial spell witnesses had seen her cast. About what had happened at Dawnlight Palace, and her new relationship with the crown.

And plenty more besides.

Evelyne drafted what responses she could, summarised anything she thought Scarlett would want to know, and made a few notes about finding more reliable ways to send correspondence over the coming months. The mages they knew in Elystead Tower would likely be a good place to start.

As a rule, Evelyne tried to keep to lighter work in the mornings. To help her mind warm up.

The afternoon could be reserved for the increasingly nightmarish logistics of keeping track of all the efforts Scarlett had them pouring an ungodly number of solars into. Any direct correspondence with their partners or other nobles could wait until the evening.

Not that Evelyne necessarily disliked the more difficult parts of the work. At least not entirely.

She understood the purpose behind most of it. In fact, she had personally pushed for many of the efforts that consumed so much of their resources, including the relief work the Hartford barony had spearheaded across several regions.

The problem was that the workload never seemed to diminish.

Once Evelyne had finally understood one project, negotiated its terms, mapped out the logistics, and created a stable framework for how contracted grain, lumber, medicines, tools, and other supplies would move from merchants and fiefs into caravans managed through the Shields Guild, the Followers of Ittar, local mage towers, and whatever other organisations were involved, there was always something else waiting.

Another shipment delayed.

Another contract that needed revising.

Another region asking for support.

Evelyne genuinely wondered how it was possible sometimes.

She had once naively thought that having more wealth, more contacts, and more opportunities available would make it easier to accomplish things and free up time. She could just hire more people and delegate.

But somehow, it seemed to just create more work. Like an avalanche swallowing everything in its path.

She almost wished she could go back and warn her younger self.

Thinking about it, she vaguely remembered Lady Withersworth making a remark about something similar while complaining about her husband. Maybe it had already been too late by then, but Evelyne probably should have listened more carefully.

Her tea had gone cold by the time a knock sounded from the door. Evelyne looked up from her papers, then rose and made her way somewhat unsteadily to the entrance.

Outside, Kerstin—one of the female servants—was carrying a tray with a folded note and several large glass decanters filled with water.

Evelyne looked between the two.

“What is this for?”

Kerstin curtsied lightly, careful not to disturb the tray. “My lady, Her Ladyship instructed us to deliver this to you.”

“Scarlett did…?”

That was odd, even for Scarlett.

What exactly was Evelyne supposed to do with a decanter of water? She already had enough.

She looked from it to the note, then back to Kerstin before finally taking the paper and unfolding it.

Use this to bathe. Do not throw it out after.

Evelyne’s eyebrows rose.

After thanking Kerstin, she took the tray and placed it beside her desk before returning to work.

Or trying to.

Her attention kept drifting back towards the decanter.

Eventually, the curiosity won.

Evelyne put down her pen, stood, and carried the water into the adjoining room, where a porcelain tub waited with its own heating enchantment. She paused in front of it for a few moments, second-guessing what she was actually doing, before shaking her head and pouring the contents of the decanters into the tub.

It only filled about a fifth of it, but she had to assume Scarlett had expected that, so after some consideration, Evelyne filled the rest with ordinary water and gave the enchantment a few minutes to warm everything before gingerly stepping in.

Almost immediately, she was surprised by a light, almost ticklish sensation curling around her foot. It spread up her leg as she lowered herself farther into the water, and by the time she had submerged herself completely, the feeling had wrapped around her whole body.

The ache in her body eased.

Evelyne blinked.

What was this?

Had Scarlett received it as a gift at the palace? Lady Withersworth had mentioned that the crown prince had offered Scarlett a reward. Was this it?

If so, it had to be immensely valuable. That would at least explain why Scarlett hadn’t sent enough to fill an entire bath.

Evelyne leaned back against the tub, her auburn hair drifting around her shoulders as she stared absently ahead. For once, she let herself relax and simply allowed whatever effect the water held to work through her body.

When she finally climbed out, almost all of the pain that had been bothering her was gone. There was still some stiffness around her neck, and her mana didn’t move quite as smoothly as she wanted, but the fact that one bath had helped this much was remarkable.

It was close to a miracle.

After drying herself off, Evelyne was left with the question of what exactly she was supposed to do with the water still sitting in the tub. Scarlett had specifically told her not to throw it away, and given how valuable it apparently was, Evelyne agreed with the sentiment.

At the same time…

It felt a little inappropriate to simply leave used bathwater sitting around, didn’t it?

She would ask Scarlett later.

For now, Evelyne carefully cast a basic spell to lower the water’s temperature and spread a blanket over the tub to keep as much of it as possible from evaporating. Then she got dressed and left her quarters for a morning meal.

When she reached the dining chamber, she found both Allyssa and Rosa already there, with plates of bread, eggs, and sliced fruit set out in front of them.

For some reason, the seat to Rosa’s left was occupied by a strange mirror with a tree-like frame and a blue-tinted glass surface.

Both women greeted Evelyne as she entered, and she returned the greeting. She didn’t bother calling for one of the servants, instead fetching her own meal from the kitchen before taking a seat across from Rosa.

Her eyes moved to the mirror again.

“What is that?”

“Oh, this?” Rosa rested a hand on the frame and clicked her tongue. “It’s our lady and saviour’s great commandment.”

“I…see.”

Evelyne really didn’t know what to make of that answer, but that wasn’t particularly unusual when talking to Rosa. At the very least, she could gather that Scarlett was somehow involved.

She glanced towards Allyssa.

The younger woman shook her head.

“I don’t know either,” Allyssa said, tearing off a piece of bread while reading from an open journal in front of her. “Rosa keeps trying to talk to the mirror, though, so I’m starting to think she might have finally lost it.”

“I’ve lost something, that’s for sure.” Rosa pointed an accusing spoon at the mirror. “My charm, apparently. Because this fellow here refuses to talk back no matter what I do. Do you have any idea how few people have managed to ignore me for this long?”

Evelyne couldn’t suppress a light laugh. “Not many, I imagine.”

“Exactly!” Rosa’s head snapped towards her. “Not even that insouciant sister of yours has managed it more than once or twice.”

“Insouciant?” Allyssa asked. “What does that even mean?”

“Unconcerned,” Evelyne answered. “Although not quite in the particular way Scarlett is.”

Rosa waved the spoon carelessly through the air. “I couldn’t think of a better smart-sounding word off the top of my head. Point stands.”

“If you say so.”

Rosa leaned closer to the mirror and started murmuring something to it under her breath, while Allyssa returned her attention to whatever she was reading.

Evelyne focused on her own meal. For a while, she ate quietly. Then she looked up at the other two again.

“By the way…” she began, before trailing off.

Rosa turned towards her. “By the way?”

“I…was wondering,” Evelyne said.

“A wonderful quality to have. Anything specific, or just in general?”

“Something specific.”

“Then perhaps we’re the good folk who can put those wonderings to rest.” Rosa made an inviting gesture with her spoon. “Come on. Tell us what’s on that fine mind of yours.”

Evelyne gave her a look at the exaggerated delivery, but she didn’t entirely mind it. Rosa was easy to talk to, despite all her affectations. Scarlett probably thought the same. It would explain why the bard had managed to become so close to her.

“Did Scarlett give either of you a…bath this morning?” Evelyne asked.

Both women gave her funny looks.

“I-I mean, did she send any water to you?” Evelyne quickly clarified. “She sent me several decanters with a note telling me to use them for a bath.”

Allyssa blinked a few times before shaking her head. “No. I didn’t get anything like that. You’re saying Scarlett sent that?”

Rosa, meanwhile, had gone quiet. She rubbed her chin, an intrigued look crossing her face.

“So she took some of that with her, did she?” she murmured.

Evelyne straightened. “Some of what?”

“Well…” Rosa waved one hand vaguely through the air. “Apparently, Scarlett had some fateful encounter involving the Wandering Realm while she was at the palace. Let me guess. This water healed you?”

“How did you know?”

The bard shrugged. “I’m just too astute, aesthetic, and academically inclined for my own good. The three A’s, as they call them. Also, I thought you looked spryer than yesterday. Same as Scarlett. Ones and ones put together make a two, and all of that.”

“I don’t think that’s the saying,” Allyssa said.

“Who said it was? Anyway—” Rosa pointed her spoon at Evelyne again. “I figure Scarlett wanted to see how well whatever she brought back worked on someone else, so she shared some with you.”

Evelyne’s gaze lowered slightly towards her plate.

It was very much like Scarlett not to offer a single word of explanation or consideration along with it. But…wasn’t this her way of showing that she cared?

“What exactly did Scarlett run into?” Allyssa asked. “How would she encounter something related to the Wandering Realm in the palace?”

“You’re asking the wrong savant, I’m afraid,” Rosa replied. “I’ll answer that when you tell me how there was a huge attack on the palace.”

Allyssa fell silent.

Evelyne looked up again, glancing from Rosa to the mirror beside her. “Do you know what sort of encounter Scarlett actually had?”

“Still working on that particular mystery. I just figured out water seems to be involved, so we’ve got a baseline.” Rosa gave the mirror a sidelong look. “Although this fellow here’s as thick as two short planks and isn’t helping much.”

She flicked a finger against its frame, only to wince from the pain and pull her hand back.

“I’ve got to say, Rosa.” Allyssa grinned at her. “I expected more from you. You’re supposed to be our Scarlett whisperer, but you can’t even keep yourself up to date on the latest news?”

“It’s a hard job, okay?” Rosa pressed a hand to her chest. “That lady’s a harsh mistress. You don’t know half the burdens I’ve shouldered to spare the rest of you from the worst of it.”

“Any examples?”

“Hmm. Well, let me think…”

Evelyne smiled at their exchange and continued listening while she finished her meal. Once she was done, she set down her utensils and rose from the table. “Do either of you know where Scarlett is right now?”

“We don’t,” Rosa said. “She left earlier with Fynn. Said she’d be back soon, though, so you might find her in her office or quarters.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Evelyne left the dining chamber and checked Scarlett’s office first. When she found it empty, she continued towards Scarlett’s quarters, her thoughts drifting back to the water Scarlett had sent her.

It made her happy. It really did.

But there was also a part of her that felt…complicated about it.

Like it wasn’t hers to accept a gift like that.

Not from Scarlett.

The worst part was that Evelyne couldn’t even tell whether she was being immature for thinking that way. It felt immature. She had already decided not to dwell on these things right now, because too much was happening, and Scarlett was in no position to have to worry about Evelyne’s worries and concerns on top of everything else.

What had happened at the palace had made her hesitate about some things and think much harder about others. She had genuinely believed she might die there, and there had been things she had wanted to say to Scarlett.

But in the grand scheme of things, Evelyne was too unimportant to force her way into Scarlett’s path right now.

A sombre smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

Even if she weren’t, she hadn’t exactly had many opportunities to speak properly with Scarlett these last few days. Scarlett had been bedbound most of them, and Evelyne had only barely had the energy to carry out the most necessary parts of her own work.

When Evelyne reached Scarlett’s room, she knocked once on the door, but there was no response. She presumed that meant Scarlett still wasn’t back, so she was about to turn and leave when a strange sensation suddenly came over her.

She stopped.

Then turned back towards the door.

For some reason, she found herself staring at the handle.

Evelyne reached out. It turned without resistance, and the door swung open in front of her.

She stood at the threshold for a few moments. Then without her noticing, she had already walked inside.

Her steps carried her towards a table by the window, where a single rectangular case of glass-smooth black stone rested. It looked almost like a tiny coffer, but something about seeing it stirred a strange feeling in her, caught somewhere between discomfort and familiarity.

Something was sticking out from beneath the lid, as if it had been caught between the two halves when the case was closed.

Evelyne reached down to pull it free, and then she was standing there with a folded letter in her hand.

Her brow furrowed.

The paper unfolded beneath her fingers, revealing a completely blank page.

Evelyne blinked.

What was she doing—?

Her eyes widened as all colour vanished from the room.

For a heartbeat, she caught sight of a masked woman standing in front of her.

Then the world lurched, and the room disappeared. Scorching sunlight beat down on Evelyne’s skin as endless sand stretched away in every direction, dunes wavering beneath the heat.

The ground trembled behind her.

A distant, piercing screech tore through the air.

Evelyne’s heart slammed against her ribs.

Where was she?