Zelyn felt how Circe's hands slowly passed over her skin. Her face was completely red; it was like receiving little shocks throughout her body, and she didn't dare turn her gaze.
"It really struck me seeing you like that… even Igniel was worried", Circe murmured while she continued delicately washing Zelyn's shoulders.
'Igniel? That name is familiar to me…'
Circe continued washing her skin, slowly tracing circles on her shoulders and descending toward her back. Then she took a sponge from the edge of the tub and began to carefully scrub her body.
She placed her left hand on Zelyn's shoulder, while with the other, the one holding the sponge, she ran it gently all over her back. Zelyn's skin broke out in full goosebumps.
Circe slid her hand under Zelyn's arm to wash her side, lightly brushing Zelyn's chest. A small sound escaped from her immediately.
"Eep!"
"Hehe, what is it, Miss Zelyn?"
'Did I really make that sound? I want to die…', thought Zelyn, giving two kicks under the water. She was about to get up when Circe stopped.
"Miss Zelyn…" Her tone sounded serious. "Don't ever use your fire manifestation again…"
'And when I use that...?', thought Zelyn.
"C-Circe… the truth is I'm still a bit shaken. Could you tell me what happened to me?"
'Tell me everything. Don't hold anything back.', thought Zelyn, forgetting her embarrassment for a moment. It was the perfect opportunity to understand what had happened to this body and learn more about this world.
Then Circe began to speak.
Zelyn listened while she understood that the fire manifestation of demons was extremely powerful. Normally, any demon could control it without problems.
But her case was different. Being the daughter of a Demon King and a common demon meant that her body was not prepared to contain such power. The energy did not completely obey, it clung to her body and overloaded it.
Only someone from the Empress's lineage or, put another way, a Demon Queen, could gestate a child capable of handling that power. That was why she, unlike her five brothers, was incompatible.
Zelyn had understood; she wasn't a normal demon, but the daughter of the Demon King. Although no one knew who her mother was, the place where they were was the Demon King's Castle.
"I see… what you're trying to say is that I was covered in bandages because I damaged myself…?", Zelyn asked.
"...Yes. At that moment you produced many flames, burning your entire body. It must have been because you were very angry. It was very reckless, Miss Zelyn."
"That's why I'm telling you not to use your flames anymore."
'Telling me not to use them… And how am I the Demon King's daughter?' Zelyn stared at her hand, reflecting on everything Circe had told her.
'So, a fire manifestation, huh? I wonder if I actually have it.' Zelyn thought as she extended her hand, observing it closely, imagining what that fire would be like.
"Aggg… I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning."
Her hand ignited in flames. She shook it forcefully, but they wouldn't go out; the skin began to deteriorate while the pain increased.
"Miss Zelyn!" Circe shouted. But she immediately pulled a healing potion from one of the pockets of her uniform.
Zelyn moved abruptly, splashing her hand against the water. Circe tried to take her hand but in the movement, she lost her balance and fell into the tub.
Now she was wet but she hurried and grabbed her hand and poured the potion, extinguishing the flames almost instantly.
The hand regenerated; the wounds disappeared and only charcoal marks remained on the palm and the back.
Circe, now inside the tub, approached Zelyn, taking her by the shoulders. Her face was very close to hers; her eyes were frantic, glowing as if they held tears.
"But, Miss Zelyn… I just told you not to use your fire. Why did you manifest fire, are you trying to scare me to death?"
'She's too close...', thought Zelyn. The smell of the potion and the steam made her dizzy.
Her mind raced being in the same tub with a beauty. "Circe, I understand, I understand... but get out of the tub. That potion was very efficient and... you're too close."
Even though the burns on her hand had healed, she still felt a persistent tingling.
Zelyn was looking at her healed hand. 'To be honest, I didn't think that just by imagining fire... And how does a demon get burned by fire?'
Circe sighed, moving away a bit.
"But don't do that again, Miss Zelyn. They are effective, but only because they are simple burns. Remember that because of that you spent two days unconscious."
'Except that Zelyn wasn't unconscious, she died'
"Fine, fine, I won't do it anymore, I'll just finish cleaning myself", Zelyn grumbled and stopped for a moment to think; here magic is real, that pain was real, demons are real.
'That shitty deity really wants to see me suffer.'
In some way, this ended up being a very hot bath...