Chapter 243 Helping Dashiell Take a Bath
With Seraphina's support, Dashiell barely managed to stand up.
As he stood up, Dashiell's entire weight was almost entirely on Seraphina.
He couldn't feel his legs and couldn't stabilize himself at all.
Seraphina could also feel Dashiell's struggle; she was using all her strength to support him.
"Seraphina, give me the crutch," Dashiell said.
Seraphina quickly handed the crutch to Dashiell.
He already had one crutch in his hand, and with the addition of the other, he finally managed to stabilize himself.
He just wanted to walk out of the bathroom directly.
He had just rinsed off.
Even though he hadn't really washed anything.
He decided not to continue.
"Aren't you going to take a shower?" Seraphina asked him.
"No need, I can wash tomorrow. There will be a servantcoming over tomorrow," Dashiell said.
Seraphina watched Dashiell's difficult steps as he left.
The floor was very slippery.
Every step Dashiell took was particularly unsteady.
"Let me help you wash," Seraphina suddenly said.
Dashiell was a slight clean freak.
He'd tossed and turned all day today and sweated so much, especially now that he'd rolled on the floor, that getting him to go to bed like that without a shower would probably be worse than killing him.
Yet he was constantly enduring it.
Dashiell's body visibly stiffened.
He seemed not to believe what he had heard.
"Don't overthink it, I just don't want to owe you too much."
As long as she didn't owe him, there would be no entanglements.
Dashiell's lips pressed together lightly.
The most frequent thing Seraphina had said to him today was not to overthink.
She told him not to fantasize, not to daydream.
He said, "Thank you."
Then, he carefully returned to the shower.
Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his underwear at that moment.
Probably because he anticipated that he might have trouble, and if he really fell, it wouldn't be too awkward when Seraphina took him to the hospital.
He even thought, 'If I were completely naked, Seraphina might choose not to save me because of my nudity.'
His consideration also avoided mutual embarrassment.
But he still stiffened all over because Seraphina's hands were on his body.
At that moment, Seraphina had only one thought: she needed to get Dashiell sorted out and then lock the door behind her—she never wanted to see him again.
Yet, as she looked at the multitude of bruises covering his body, a shiver of unease ran through her. The wounds were mostly scabbed over, but the dark bruises that hadn't faded made them appear even more grotesque.
Seraphina bit her lip, and the pressure of her hands as she applied the foam and scrubbed his skin grew noticeably lighter. It was almost as if she was caressing him.
Dashiell told himself he couldn't let any feelings surface. He must remain numb.
As she stood on tiptoe to wash his upper body, she couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between his lean physique and the muscle definition beneath his skin. Despite his emaciated appearance, his body was solid with well-defined muscles—muscles that were obvious to her as she felt them while she washed him.
No wonder he looked so thin but felt as heavy as a block of iron.
"Just wash casually," Dashiell said.
Seraphina's fingers twitched.
At that moment, her fingers were trembling.
She thought, 'What have I just done to feel the contours of his muscles?'
She tried to stay calm and said indifferently, "Don't you know how dirty you are after sweating today?!"
She meant that because he was too dirty, she had to touch him for so long.
Dashiell said nothing.
He just endured it.
At that moment, Seraphina naturally sped up a lot.
After washing his upper body, she squatted down to wash his legs.
She squatted down to wash his legs.
"Do you have no feeling at all?" Seraphina suddenly asked.
She thought, 'Dashiell's long legs are really... useless?'
In her heart, she still felt very guilty.
She even thought about what she would do if she lost her legs.
She would definitely want to die.
"The doctor said my left leg would regain some feeling after a while. The right leg, with post-surgery training, also has a chance to recover."
Dashiell's words made Seraphina feel like he was comforting her.
Seraphina bit her lip tightly.
She couldn't say anything.
She didn't want Dashiell to think she felt sorry for him.
She also couldn't act completely indifferent.
So she chose to remain silent.
In the bathroom, there was only the sound of running water.
Neither of them spoke; Seraphina washed Dashiell's upper body and lower body, except for the area covered by his underwear.
At that moment, her gaze was fixed there.
She thought, 'So, what should I do?
'I'm afraid I would have nightmares.'
"It's a normal reaction," Dashiell quickly explained.
Seraphina was stunned.
She thought, 'So Dashiell thought I'm staring at him because... of his reaction?
'Come on.
'I've noticed it long ago.
'The moment I applied the foam, I saw it.'
And she was well aware of the possibility of any involuntary reactions from a man's body. But she wasn't about to make a fuss with Dashiell over it.
Taking a deep breath, she decided to be straightforward. She said, "Do you want to wash yourself, or should I help you?"
"I can do it myself," Dashiell quickly replied.
There was a strange feeling as if she was taking advantage of him.
Seraphina rolled her eyes. She reached out to steady Dashiell, making sure he had one hand free to use as needed. She naturally turned her head away, trying to give him some privacy.
Dashiell took quite a while to wash himself. It was clear that he was struggling with the awkwardness of the situation, fearing that one wrong move could send both of them tumbling to the floor.
In the bathroom, only the sound of the shower filled the air, adding an odd layer of awkwardness for Seraphina. She even found herself picturing Dashiell's current predicament, her mind running wild with the scene.
After what felt like an eternity, Dashiell finally said, "I'm done."
Seraphina turned around. Dashiell, who had tried to maintain a calm demeanor throughout the ordeal, now looked distinctly flustered.
Seraphina's own face flushed as she saw Dashiell's embarrassment. It was as if they had shared an intimate moment, and the atmosphere had turned inexplicably tense.
"You're a man; why are you so easily embarrassed?" Seraphina grumbled, feeling a bit put off.
She felt awkward herself, as if she had done something wrong.
"I haven't been seen like this before," Dashiell explained, his voice barely above a whisper, his demeanor betraying his discomfort.
"Have you ever seen a man's body?" Dashiell asked quietly, trying to maintain a nonchalant air but clearly treading carefully.
"No, I haven't," Seraphina replied bluntly, not giving it much thought.
Her honesty seemed to catch Dashiell off guard. As he smiled faintly, Seraphina couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
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