At the Sukyo bath house, two hours later.
Dear goddess, what type of test is this? Lyn nervously sat perched on the bed waiting for Rhys to finish his bath. When they finished their boat ride they took a stroll around the park when all of a sudden it started raining. They briefly took shelter but when they realised it wouldn't stop, Rhys said they ought to find somewhere to spend the night. Coincidentally a famous bath house was nearby, and they just managed to get the last room.
Lyn sighed deeply, what type of coincidence is this? Even if she wanted to get another room, there isn't any anymore. If she reveals her identity as the Queen she might be able to get another room, but that will surely lead to somebody else getting kicked out.
Her thoughts break off when the doors to the bathroom opened. "That was a good bath. I can see why this place has good reviews."
"Y-you've never been here before?" Lyn averted her gaze hearing a rustling sound. He must be putting on clothing.
"Well I have, but only in the restaurant area. This is a good place for privacy so I have had people asking to meet me here. Unfortunately I have never had the opportunity to try their baths until now."
"I see."
Her heart won't calm down, the loud thumping sound isn't going away. Rhys suddenly came over wearing nothing but a bath robe. He reached over for a strand of her hair and softly kissed it.
"You should have joined me."
"N-no thank you."
"I'll have them draw the water again, so you should take one too."
"I guess I should."
She knew she was acting like a fool, but she was having a hard time looking him in the eye. 'I didn't think Rhys liked me this much.' No, now that she has her memories back she is very surprised that he still feels so strongly for her.
It would make more sense if he fell in love with somebody else. Five entire years have passed after all, and yet she recalled his confession on the boat. No she thought about this entire evening, since he escorted her onto the carriage that lead to the town. He has treated her with nothing but kindness.
This entire evening she had nothing but fun, he truly crafted a date plan that she would enjoy.
Rhys leaned forward and mumbled in her ear. "You don't want to kiss?"
"W-what brought this on?"
"I mean you shouldn't be too surprised. We did all that kissing before returning."
Indeed she certainly allowed him to kiss her before. But how could she possibly do that now? The situation has changed. It was almost like Rhys sensed her turbulent emotions since she felt his lips on her forehead instead.
"I understand your reluctance. But, I think you understand better than anybody. That I will never do anything that you don't want."
"A-are you trying to imply that it was something I wanted?"
"Yes, I do think you like me more than you think. Your not the type of woman who would allow another man to touch you if you had no feelings for them."
"I wonder about that."
Rhys sighed. "Are you really that reluctant to accept your feelings for me? But I suppose back then it was difficult to get the words 'I love you' out of your pretty mouth."
Even when he is insulting her he still slips in a compliment. Before she could react to those words, they hear the sound of somebody knocking. Rhys moved away from her and tells them to come in.
"Sir, madam you requested another bath?"
"Yes, could you draw the water again?"
"Certainly."
After a few servants drew the water, they quickly left and she found herself in the bathroom. Lyn stared at the tub and immediately smelled a gorgeous aroma, she peered inside to see different coloured petals. A flower bath? She wonders when was the last time she had such a relaxing bath.
Lyn looked over at the door. 'No lock.' But, she recalled Rhys behaviour just now. It does seem like he is trying to be a gentleman about this. He won't force himself on her. She took a deep breath before removing her clothing and slipping inside the tub.
It felt very refreshing, now she understood why Rhys said 'it's good that we ended up in this place.' It turns out that he intended to take her here for their fourth date.
'It just happened to happen on the first.'
The fourth date? It means he already has plans for the second and third too. He is being so shameless and yet she cannot say that she dislikes it. In fact if she were to put it bluntly again, 'I do feel something towards him.' The words she told Kazuya were not a lie. She didn't say that just to spite him for ditching her this entire time.
Her gaze fell towards the floating red flower petals on the water. Images of what happened on the boat floated through her mind and she played with the necklace made out of shells around her neck.
'You can wear this when you're in the bath too, since I made it from shells from the Rain Kingdom. It won't get damaged in the water.'
Indeed Rhys spoke the truth, there was no trace of damage despite being in the water for a few minutes.
She has to admit that he has been nothing but sweet and kind to her since she started inviting him over to her room the past few days.
'I wonder if it is okay for me to spend time with Rhys like this.'
Kazuya said he would handle everything to make up for his absence. But it doesn't feel right to make him do all the work. Starting tomorrow she should at least take care of the paperwork again. She needs to ask for updates regarding Jen too.
For now it doesn't seem like she is going to attack. It's very strange, how much time has passed by since the report first came that Jen's soldiers were spotted by the border?
For awhile it looked like she would attack. Jen could have easily done so while Kazuya and her were away. It's true that Allen is here but she knew that Jen never saw Allen as a threat. There is something wrong, 'I will have to find master tomorrow, and discuss it with him.'
There is so much to do now that she has returned. She understood that she should have refused Kazuya's offer to take it easy. But like she told Rhys in the three days she spent with him she is very tired. Ever since she became the Queen, it feels like she has had no time to rest.
Is it wrong for her to stop thinking about the affairs of the Kingdom? Perhaps it is, but just for a bit longer. Just for a little while longer, she wants to enjoy her peace and focus on rebuilding the relationships she discarded.
*Unedited*