Warm steam filled the bathing chamber.
Soft golden mana lamps illuminated the room with gentle light.
Marble walls reflected shimmering patterns across the water's surface.
The scent of lavender and winter blossoms lingered throughout the air.
For centuries...
Lyra had bathed in rivers.
Lakes.
Underground springs.
Natural pools hidden within mountains.
This was different.
Very different.
The ancient serpent sat quietly within the enormous bath.
Warm water surrounded her body.
The heat eased muscles she hadn't even realized were tense.
Everything felt strange.
The room.
The mansion.
The city.
The people.
Especially the people.
Head Maid Eleanor stood nearby.
Her movements remained graceful.
Professional.
Efficient.
The woman carefully prepared towels and clothes while occasionally checking the water temperature.
Lyra watched silently.
Observing.
Studying.
The same way she had studied humans for centuries.
Yet Eleanor confused her.
Greatly.
Eventually.
The serpent woman spoke.
"...May I ask something?"
Eleanor smiled politely.
"Of course, My Lady."
The title still felt strange.
Very strange.
Lyra looked toward the rippling water.
Then toward Eleanor.
"You seem curious."
The head maid laughed softly.
"Was I that obvious?"
Lyra nodded.
"Yes."
The maid smiled.
"I suppose I was."
She carefully folded another towel.
Then finally asked.
"So..."
A pause.
"How did My Lord find you?"
Another.
"And why did you agree to come here?"
The question carried no hostility.
No suspicion.
No fear.
Only curiosity.
Genuine curiosity.
Which somehow felt stranger than fear.
Lyra remained silent briefly.
Then answered honestly.
"He came into the Mana Crystal Mine."
Eleanor listened quietly.
"He killed the serpents living there."
A pause.
"He fought a giant python."
Another.
"That python was me."
The room became silent.
Steam drifted lazily through the air.
Water rippled softly.
Lyra watched carefully.
Waiting.
Humans always reacted.
Fear.
Shock.
Hostility.
Something.
Anything.
Instead—
Eleanor's expression softened.
"Oh."
The response surprised Lyra.
Very much.
The head maid looked toward several healing scars visible upon Lyra's shoulder.
Then toward another faint mark near her arm.
Concern appeared in Eleanor's eyes.
Genuine concern.
"Oh..."
The maid's voice became softer.
"I'm sorry."
Lyra blinked.
"...Sorry?"
Eleanor nodded.
"So that's where those injuries came from."
The serpent stared.
The conversation was not proceeding as expected.
At all.
Eleanor sighed quietly.
"My Lord can be incredibly ruthless toward monsters."
The statement came naturally.
Without hesitation.
Without exaggeration.
Simply truth.
The head maid continued arranging bathing supplies.
"If he had decided you were dangerous..."
A pause.
"You would have died."
Another.
"Without hesitation."
Lyra remained silent.
Because strangely...
She agreed.
The memory of those lightning swords surfaced again.
The Mountain Tyrant.
The mine.
The battle.
She had no confidence she could survive if Kel genuinely wanted her dead.
The realization still bothered her.
Meanwhile Eleanor smiled softly.
"So it's fortunate that he chose negotiation."
Lyra stared.
The head maid sounded relieved.
Not relieved for Kel.
Relieved for her.
That confused Lyra even more.
The serpent woman finally asked directly.
"Don't you find it disturbing?"
Eleanor tilted her head.
"What?"
Lyra looked directly into her eyes.
"I'm not human."
The room became quiet.
The warm water no longer felt quite so warm.
The serpent continued.
"I am a monster."
A pause.
"A serpent monster."
Another.
"A creature capable of transforming into a human form."
The words echoed softly.
Lyra carefully watched Eleanor's reaction.
Waiting.
Yet surprisingly...
The head maid simply nodded.
"I know."
The serpent blinked.
"You know?"
Eleanor smiled.
"My Lord wouldn't tell me directly."
A pause.
"But he pointed at you."
Another.
"And asked me to prepare you."
Another.
"So naturally I became curious."
Lyra had absolutely no idea how those events connected.
The head maid continued.
"Then I heard your story."
A pause.
"And understood."
The serpent frowned.
"Understood what?"
Eleanor's answer came immediately.
"That you're not a monster."
Silence.
The words lingered.
Lyra stared.
Then laughed slightly.
Not because she found it funny.
Because she genuinely couldn't understand.
"What?"
Eleanor calmly approached.
Then offered a towel.
The serpent accepted automatically.
The maid continued speaking.
"If you were truly a monster..."
A pause.
"My Lord would've killed you."
The certainty within her voice shocked Lyra.
Not because she doubted it.
But because Eleanor believed it completely.
Without hesitation.
Without question.
The head maid folded her hands together.
"I trust his judgment."
Simple.
Direct.
Absolute.
Lyra stared.
"That much?"
Eleanor smiled.
The smile carried years of experience.
Years of observation.
Years of understanding.
"You've known him for a day."
The maid's voice became gentle.
"I've watched him for months."
Another pause.
"I've watched him work until dawn."
Another.
"I've watched him ignore his own comfort."
Another.
"I've watched him spend fortunes improving lives."
Another.
"I've watched him create opportunities for people who had none."
The room became quiet.
Eleanor looked toward the window.
Beyond it.
The lights of Frostbound Coast illuminated the night.
"This city changed because of him."
The words carried immense weight.
Not admiration.
Faith.
The serpent slowly listened.
And for the first time...
She realized something.
The people of Frostbound Coast didn't simply follow Kel.
They believed in him.
Truly believed.
The concept felt unfamiliar.
Because monsters followed strength.
Humans followed something far more complicated.
Eleanor eventually clapped her hands gently.
"Now."
A bright smile appeared.
"Let's get you dressed."
Lyra immediately became suspicious.
Far more suspicious than she had been during battle.
The head maid led her toward an enormous clothing room.
The moment the doors opened—
Lyra froze.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Hundreds of outfits.
No.
Thousands.
Elegant gowns.
Noble dresses.
Formal attire.
Winter cloaks.
Jewelry.
Shoes.
Accessories.
The room looked more terrifying than the Mountain Tyrant.
The serpent woman slowly took a step backward.
Eleanor gently pushed her forward.
The hunt had begun.
For nearly an hour.
The head maid searched.
Measured.
Compared.
Evaluated.
Rejected.
Selected.
Rejected again.
Lyra simply stood there.
Completely helpless.
Eventually.
Eleanor finally stopped.
Her eyes brightened.
"Ah."
The head maid carefully lifted a dress.
Dark midnight blue.
Silver embroidery.
Elegant design.
Flowing fabric resembling starlight reflected upon water.
The dress was beautiful.
Eleanor held it against Lyra.
Then smiled.
"Perfect."
The serpent looked uncertain.
"You think so?"
The maid nodded immediately.
"Absolutely."
Then Eleanor began helping her change.
Throughout the process.
Lyra's thoughts remained occupied.
One question repeated endlessly.
How?
How could this woman trust her?
How could she remain calm?
How could she show kindness?
Simply because Kel trusted her?
The concept felt absurd.
Yet...
As Eleanor carefully adjusted the final details of the outfit...
The head maid suddenly spoke.
Without looking up.
As though reading Lyra's thoughts.
"Trust is strange."
The serpent froze.
Eleanor smiled softly.
"Sometimes people earn it themselves."
A pause.
"Sometimes someone lends it to them."
Another.
"My Lord trusts you."
The head maid finally met her gaze.
"So until you give me a reason not to..."
A warm smile appeared.
"I'll trust you too."
Silence filled the room.
And for perhaps the second time that day...
Lyra found herself completely unable to understand a human.
Yet strangely...
She found herself smiling.
Just a little.
Because perhaps...
Trust truly was something that could be shared.