40.

Madeleine's own breaths sounded so painfully loud into the silent and pristine white room as she caught her own reflection into the large mirror for a moment, that piece of her dress she had previously torn to use as a rag now long forgotten into the sink.

Dark red, seemingly almost black splotches of the Alpha's blood still covered the lower half of her face and her chest, having long since dried out. Her hair didn't look any better either, sprawled out into a tangled and partially dirtied mess, some of her wild curls stuck together by that same disgusting substance that stained her dress as well, generally creating a truly frightening image of herself.

Flashes of what Elias had done to her kept appearing at the forefront of her mind, making her feel so tortured and miserable.

"Shit," Her limbs trembled, lowering her gaze back to the sink as she could feel the sting of those small tears filling up the corners of her eyes.

No. Not today, bitch.

She denied herself that need of bawling her eyes out, drawing in a forceful breath through her nose as she also reminded herself that they were already so far away from Laxian and that monster's annoying ass.

He couldn't reach them there. Couldn't hurt them anymore.

They were safe. For now.

She slowly exhaled a calming breath through her lips, focusing on rinsing that piece of fabric with a little bit of water before exiting the bathroom. And with a determined stride she walked back to Emerick's side, proceeding to clean up his face from all those ugly dark red blotches that marred his beautiful skin.

She patiently traced that rag all over his forehead, cheeks and nose, careful not to rub it too harshly against his skin and accidentally create him any sort of discomfort as he peacefully rested.

She made several trips back and forth between the bathroom and the bed as that rag kept getting so dirty from all that blood, the girl moving even further as his neck, arms and torso were also stained with that horrendous liquid. And since they didn't even know how much time he actually needed to rest until completion, she decided that it was better if she made him as comfortable as possible, at least until he could wake up and take a proper shower.

Finishing up with his neck and chest as well, she continued with his broad shoulders, thoroughly wiping away his left one first as it was harder to reach due to his position over the bed before moving to the right one, surprised to notice that that small gunshot wound had completely disappeared, replaced by smooth and unblemished skin.

What? How the-

Her dumbstruck gaze rose to locate Meoni casually sitting in one of those cushioned chairs, uncertainly staring at her as the princess held her pensive gaze trained on the large glass window, completely ignorant of what Madeleine was doing.

The girl hesitated for a few moments, debating whether to bother her and ask about it or not before lastly deciding that she could just directly ask Emerick once he'd woken up.

So she continued to clean him up between her running to the bathroom and back, only stopping once she'd reached that lower part of his abdominal muscles.

Her cheeks warmed up a little bit as she traced that rag beneath his bellybutton, that image of exactly what rested below that belt popping at the forefront of her mind as she remembered the day she'd accidentally seen him naked in the bathroom.

Okaaay. Cleaning time is over.

She quickly took her hands off of him, taking a step back as she worked to calm down her racing heart and quivering hands, suddenly feeling so goddamn hot.

Damn, is it just me or did someone turn up the heating in here?

She mildly fanned at her face and chest as she stole another glance at Emerick's peaceful and equally enticing figure before her gaze shifted to Meoni again.

"I-I think I will take that shower now," She hastily notified the princess, quickly turning around to make her way back to the bathroom.

"Very well. I will help you with your bathing ritual since there are no servants around," She immediately heard the princess say, her brows furrowing as she watched her hurry right past her and towards the bathroom's entrance.

What?

"I-I don't think I-"

"Do not fret. You cannot bathe alone," Meoni brushed her away, blowing out a snort as if the mere thought of such thing deemed to be so utterly nonsensical.

Madeleine's lips sealed shut, continuing to curiously observe the illyrian princess as she followed her into the smaller room, watching her place her palm over a small tablet attached to the wall right next to the shower cabin.

She worked on the settings for a few short moments before she shifted and opened the glass-like cubicle, graciously inviting her in.

The girl hesitated for a few paces of time, oddly staring between the princess and the generous yet confined space before curiosity won over.

So she slowly and hesitantly stepped in, quickly followed by the princess.

The glass door immediately closed behind them by itself with a soft click, trapping them on the inside.

Madeleine instinctively turned around at the sound and inspected the door with a frown, mildly startling as soon as she felt Meoni's soft and delicate hands touching her shoulders.

"Relax, I have learned from my best servants. I am very skilled in the arts of bathing," She calmly spoke from behind Madeleine's ear, mere seconds before the girl felt her torn and bloodied dress slip from her shoulders and fall off of her body, pooling into a heap at her feet.

Her arms remained hanging at her sides as she generally wasn't very shy around female counterparts -since they all seemed to have the same type of bodily features anyway, more or less- her facial features though continuing to express that same utterly clueless look as she couldn't understand what was currently going on.

What was a bathing ritual? What did it even mean? And why did it seem so mandatory that she do it? Was it something of importance on Laxian? But if so, what did it entail?

"Excuse me but what are you-" She tried to turn around and face the princess only to have herself quickly spun back around by the princess' firm hands, coaxing her to remain in that same position with her back turned away and facing the see-through glass door.

"Calm, you have to let go of your negative emotions," Meoni's sweet and gentle voice filled the cubicle like a pleasant song, immediately followed by the warm droplets of clean water pelting down their bodies like those light summer rains on Earth.

"Oooh...o-okay..." Madeleine rather awkwardly mumbled as she felt the princess' hands bury in her wild curls and gingerly start massaging her scalp.

"You will feel entirely serene after the ritual," Meoni continued, patiently working her way through the girl's every nerve ending and pressure point until she was fairly certain that she could move forward to another part of her body.

The princess' hands slid lower towards those places between Madeleine's neck and shoulders as the girl casually stared at the disgusting mess at her feet that was once her dress, watching that red trail wash away whilst Meoni's impressively skilled hands continued to gently massage her skin, little by little, until they reached her firm and plump breasts.

"Ooh!" Madeleine's lips parted to let out a short and entirely surprised squeal, eyes going wide at the unsuspected intrusion.

"Do not worry, it does not hurt. You will see that it feels rather enjoyable," The princess hurried to assure her, her chin resting over Madeleine's shoulder as they were relatively of the same height and build, whilst her hands remained plastered against the girl's soft and heavy mounds, causing a deep red tint to bloom into her cheeks.

"This ritual, is it considered important in your culture? Do you actually have to do it every time you need to take a bath?" Madeleine's weakened voice trembled, sounding a little breathless as the princess commenced to massage them, casually letting a nipple slip from time to time between her fingers and gently tug at it as she expertly kneaded them.

"Yes. It is a way of expressing loyalty and gratitude towards other males or females of higher status, importance or if you just merely desire to express your gratitude towards a certain someone that had done you a great deal of favors," Meoni calmly explained as she worked those large and bouncy globes until Madeleine's knees trembled, completely blown away by what this creature was currently doing to her.

To say that this was something entirely new to her was an understatement. She'd never been touched by a girl before. Much less by an alien girl. An alien girl that kept insisting that they somehow shared ancestry, and not just any kind but apparently the very same one she'd learned about and believed to be just a fantasy, back when she could still live her life and go to school like any other normal child her age.

She did not hate it though. Meoni's touch. It felt rather...weird than unwanted. Weirdly pleasant, actually as her delicate hands kept touching her with such gentleness and care, one palm still kneading her breast while the other kept descending lower, and lower...

She knew that it was wrong and way too intimate but she did not know what to do, actually. Try to stop her and risk having her believe that she was mocking her culture? Or simply endure in silence and let her finish playing with her body like this-

Oh!

Madeleine let out a mewl as the princess' fingers sensually teased around her already pulsing entrance, caressing her lips with slow yet firm motions. She pressed and rubbed her fingers over her puffy lips for a few times more before a single one trailed over her slit and nub, making her throw her head back and mewl again whilst those tiny droplets pelted her face.

Shit. This had to stop.

She trembled as the princess' finger proceeded to gently slide up and down between her soaking folds, coating itself with that slickness that kept leaking from within.

Madeleine let out a moan as she caressed her nub, followed by a longer and louder one as Meoni's other hand found that certain spot on the inside of her thigh that had been bitten by the Alpha, managing to send her back into that hazy and euphoric state previously induced by Elias' touch.

She didn't get to feel another wave as Meoni's hands suddenly left her body. And faster than she could comprehend, the princess shifted so that she was now kneeling right in front of her, expressing an emotion that could only be described as utter dread as she grabbed her leg and stared at the two small and red scars.

"By the seven worlds and all that is sacred," Meoni whispered, her large brown eyes becoming glassy and unfocused as she slowly rose herself back up, seemingly lost into a vivid nightmare rolling right before her very eyes, her breathing quickening.

"We are damned,"