Chapter 33: Not so skinny after all

"Enjoying your bath, little servant?!"

Della’s eyes snapped open and she almost jumped. She quickly looked around, recalling she was in Cassian’s chambers. Wait...did she really fall asleep again? After sleeping all day already?

"I know you’re in there," Cassian said again.

"Y...yes," She replied, now feeling a little lightheaded, "It’s quite nice,"

"Good,"

Silence.

"May I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"How long have I been in here?"

"Two hours,"

This time, she flew out of the bath so fast she almost slipped, "Two hours?!" She cried, "You said you’d only let me soak for thirty minutes!"

"Two hours isn’t so bad either,"

"You don’t understand!" She reached out to grab a towel, but paused, "I have work to do! I’m supposed to be in the healing wing by now, and it’s my first day!"

Then, she grabbed her gown.

"I’m going to burn that dress on your body if you wear it one more time," The warning and threat that had suddenly swallowed his casual tone had her stopping, "Leave that there. There are clothes out here on the bed you can wear instead,"

He gave her a bath and now...a change of clothes? Weird.

"Come out here and wear the clothes," He growled.

"Uhhh," She glanced briefly at the towel, "Maybe you should hand them to me here. I’d like to change in the bathroom, please,"

There was a brief pause, "And your hair?"

"What about it?"

"Is it dry?"

"It doesn’t matter, I—"

"Or are you avoiding touching the towels?"

She didn’t answer at first.

"Little servant," Hr growled again.

"They look very clean," She admitted, "I can’t...touch them. I’ve never actually—"

"Wear them, NOW!!!"

She grabbed the first one and wrapped it around herself, then the smaller one around her hair, putting it up with the towel.

"Uhhh," she scratched her head, "The...clothes?"

"You’re not dressing in a bathroom, little servant," She didn’t hear him moving at all, but then she heard the door open, "The clothes are on the bed. I’ll be gone for a few minutes so come out and change!"

Then, she heard the door shut.

At first, she peeked out to make sure the room was clear before she finally stepped into the bedroom completely. Being treated like this made her unable to understand.

He wasn’t Beatrice, who faked it, because now she knew the difference between real and fake.

Maybe...he was just a nice Alpha who felt bad for her.

But then again, he’s Selene’s brother. Could she really trust him?!

She approached the bed, hoping to find the clothes she would change into. Instead, she saw a small bundle sitting by the edge.

Della untied the simple leather cord around the bundle, then slowly unfolded the thick cream cloth wrapped around everything inside.

The first thing she noticed was the scent. Fresh cedarwood, clean linen and a faint trace of leather.

They smelled new.

She lifted the first piece, surprised at what she had just unveiled.

It was a gown.

Soft ivory.

The neckline was modest, the sleeves long and fitted at the wrists before loosening slightly toward the shoulders, and the skirt flowed in generous folds that would move beautifully with every step.

There were no jewels or unnecessary embroidery, only delicate silver stitching around the cuffs and hem, tiny vines curling almost invisibly through the fabric.

"This can’t be for me," She murmured to herself, and began folding back the cloth when she noticed the next cloth.

It was a pair of dark charcoal trousers.

Women’s trousers.

Everything about the fabric had been made and stitched almost to perfection. It wasn’t too strong or soft, but had been tightly woven, sturdy enough to survive branches, stone walls and hard labour, yet surprisingly light in her hands.

The knees had been reinforced from the inside with another layer of cloth, while the seams had been double stitched so they wouldn’t split easily.

Whoever had made them had expected someone to climb, kneel, run and work in them. Each pair of coloured trousers came with a matching upper garment.

And they all had pockets.

Della smiled without meaning to.

The final set was darker.

Grey trousers and a grey shirt.

And over both rested a sleeveless leather vest, soft from careful tanning, meant more for protection than appearance.

Everything felt practical.

She could cook in them.

Ride in them.

Run through the forest if she had to.

Fight in them if life demanded it.

Even the boots tucked beneath the clothes reflected the same thoughtfulness.

Supple leather and flexible soles.

Built for walking long distances instead of impressing nobles.

Della stared quietly at the two-piece clothes spread across the bed. None of it looked expensive, yet every single piece looked chosen. Chosen by someone who had looked at her and thought...

She’ll need to move.

She’ll need to survive.

And then had looked at the dress and thought...

She’ll also need to look pretty.

She eyed them again, doubting they belonged to her. Cassian must have given her the wrong bundle or something.

"Alpha?" She called out softly.

She thought he was gone and didn’t expect him to answer at all. And what she definitely didn’t see coming, was the damn man opening the door then second the words left her tongue.

"Yes, little servant?"

The suddenness startled the hell out of her, and Della stumbled back a little. She had no idea the towel wasn’t well tucked around her body, till it loosened.

And...fell down.

Time stopped, and Della’s eyes became impossibly wide as her brain refused to process what had just happened.

Cassian blinked once.

Twice.

Then, with a speed that rivalled any person on the battlefield, he snapped his head toward the ceiling, "Oh." His ears immediately turned red, "I..." He cleared his throat, suddenly finding the stone ceiling the most fascinating thing in the entire kingdom. "Well...that wasn’t..."

Della let out the smallest, most strangled sound imaginable before dropping into a bed so fast she nearly hit her head, grabbing the towel with both hands and wrapping it around herself again.

Her entire face burned, "Oh, Goddess..."

"I’m not looking," Cassian said quickly, one hand half covering his own eyes despite already facing the opposite direction. "I promise I’m not looking."

"You already looked!"

"I accidentally looked!"

"You looked!"

"I immediately stopped looking!"

Cassian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, then asked quietly, "...Should I...close the door and pretend I was never here?"

Della slowly covered her face with both hands, "...Please."

"...Right."

He took one careful step backwards, then the door shut behind him.

Only after he was standing outside the room did Cassian let out a long breath and pinch the bridge of his nose, "...Well," he muttered to himself, unable to stop the devious smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, "Turns out I was wrong. You do have some meat on your bones,"

Inside the room, Della buried her face in the towel.

She had officially embarrassed herself in front of a Supreme!!! How could she have made such a silly mistake?!

She didn’t care anymore if the clothes were hers or not. She grabbed the grey pair and threw it over her body as quickly as she could, then she sat down on the floor and buried her face between her legs this time, still absolutely mortified.

After a while, she finally gathered the courage and walked up to the door.

She slowly opened it and walked out.

Cassian was still standing there.

Her hair was almost dried completely, and she held the remaining bundle of clothes in one hand. She could barely look into his eyes anymore, "I uhhh," She squeezed her hand, "Thank you for the bath...and this," She raised the bundle.

Cassian nodded in approval when he saw the clothes on her. They fit almost perfectly. The trousers hugged her waist without being tight, the long shirt fell neatly to her thighs, and

She shifted awkwardly beneath his stare, "I owe you for this,"

"You owe me for more than this,"

This time, she actually glared at him, "I was just being polite. I actually owe you nothing since I never requested for any of it!"

His mouth fell open in shock, "Are you actually... being cocky right now?"

She pursed her lips, then she shrugged.

A tiny laugh escaped him, and he shook his head in amusement, "You are definitely something, Little servant,"

She then looked up at him, "You... don’t want me to pay you back in any way?"

"No," He shook his head, "I do not. It costs me nothing. Moreover, with all that heavy lifting and running and scrubbing you do, you’ll feel more comfortable wearing that, than that old gown that could rip completely at any second,"

Della couldn’t find her voice.

Nobody had ever bought her anything before.

Cassian noticed the way her fingers tightened around the bundle, and how her lips began to quiver.

"...Don’t cry," he said softly.

"I’m not..."

"You are."

She quickly rubbed beneath one eye, "It’s only because..." She stopped herself.

Cassian didn’t ask.

Some things didn’t need asking.

Instead, he simply turned.

"Come on."

"Where?"

"I’m taking you to the Healing Wing,"

Her heart nearly stopped, "Oh, no. I’m so, so late!" She immediately rushed past him, letting out a horrified noise and sprinted down the corridor.

Cassian followed at a much calmer pace, unable to stop smiling.