Chapter 80
While checking the chicken coop, Eir got bird droppings on her shoulder, stepped in horse manure, and was even attacked by a chicken that suddenly flew up and showered her with feathers.
It was as if the world had decided to create situations where she absolutely had to wash.
When Rubel came home after finishing his work, he immediately pinched his nose at the stench.
“What is this? Did you bring a dog or a cat into the house……?”
“No! It’s not that!”
When Eir panicked and ran over, Rubel chuckled.
“I was going to ask if you’d brought a dog or cat into the house, but I guess not.”
Eir finally relaxed her tense shoulders. She sighed and muttered, ‘Don’t joke around.’ It had already been a tough day.
After such an ordeal, she came home, took off her shoes, and managed to wash her feet with one hand. But when she tried to do the rest with one hand, she realized it was impossible.
Trying to take off her clothes, she nearly tore the already scarce fabric.
The problem stemmed from the fact that Rubel had helped her into a button-up dress that morning. She had managed to undo the buttons at the neck, but the ones at the back were impossible.
Thanks to that, she had been smelling the foul bird droppings all day, to the point where her head was pounding. Eir vented her mild irritation at Rubel.
“Why would you give someone with an injured hand clothes like this? Aunt Jane is so inconsiderate!”
Rubel naturally ignored her complaint and came inside.
“What’s this? Bird droppings?”
“Yes.”
“Did you step in every kind of droppings there is? Do you want me to wash you?”
When Eir glared at him with pursed lips, he shrugged as if there was nothing he could do about how it looked.
“No, it was just chaos. I was on my way to the chicken coop, and because of the cart, I didn’t see the horse manure and stepped right in it. Then there were the birds, and even the chicken…….”
“There are feathers stuck in your hair.”
Rubel plucked a thin, fluffy feather as he spoke. Eir let out another deep sigh, despairing. Since it didn’t seem like a big deal to Rubel, he casually suggested.
“Let’s just wash you.”
“Huh?”
It was an obvious solution, but the woman overreacted, shrinking her shoulders and even trying to run away.
“No way!”
She crossed her arms, shielding her upper body from a distance.
Rubel realized there was a huge gap between what he meant by “washing” and what she thought he meant.
He had only planned to wet a towel and hand it to her from behind a screen……. What on earth was she thinking?
Did she really think he was going to strip her down and wash her with soap and water? Had Aunt Jane been washing her like that all this time? As he sorted through his wandering thoughts, he absentmindedly rubbed his slightly reddened cheek with the back of his hand.
If she was under that misconception, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to let her keep thinking that.
Rubel persuaded her with even more enthusiasm than before.
“I’ll close my eyes. If you don’t wash, you’ll keep suffering. How are you going to eat later with that smell?”
Eir knew she had to wash. She rolled her eyes at his persuasion.
“You’ll really close your eyes?”
Of course, it was a lie. But Rubel answered sincerely.
“Yes. I will.”
How fortunate that he wasn’t a priest who would be punished by the gods for lying. Even if he were, he would have taken the divine punishment and lied in this moment anyway.
He could feel Eir’s guard lowering. Rubel took a step closer to her, wedging his foot into the gap.
“Isn’t it uncomfortable? You smell.”
“I know. I know that.”
“Then what’s the problem? I said I won’t look, and I’ll just help. Are you having some indecent thoughts?”
Rubel subtly lowered his voice. He knew this would provoke Eir.
As expected, Eir huffed and grabbed the end of his sleeve, pulling him along.
“Let’s go wash, then!”
Idiot.
Rubel thought this to himself as he let her lead him.
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
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