Chapter 180: Grandiose Accommodation

The silence between Evanna and Conrad was unbearable, and the Princess found herself clutching her arms and avoiding his gaze. It made the walk back to his tent seem long and strenuous. She started to worry that he might stand guard outside the tent or, worse, share it with her overnight. Unlike the time she travelled with her companions in Direwood forest, she knew Conrad would follow some form of etiquette. It wasn’t proper for her to sleep outside with the other soldiers.

It was also inappropriate for them to share a tent. But while Evanna was worrying about what was to come, the Prince watched her curiously.

"Did it really take you this long to cut out of those roots and vines?" Evanna finally asked, filling in the nerving silence.

"Yes," He grunted. "They kept growing and rejuvenating every time I cut into them." That was why he looked a little tired. Evanna had to refrain from smirking though the look on his face showed she did not completely hide the amusement in her eyes.

She quietly cleared her throat as they stopped just before the tent. Conrad placed his hands on Evanna’s shoulders and turned her to face him. "How did you do that?" He searched her eyes inquisitively. "Is it a part of.. your heritage?"

Evanna stared back at the Prince, her thoughts still spinning about her powers continuously working while she was gone from the area. She didn’t know a lot about her powers yet, and her gift was a rarity that didn’t have a lot of written works to gain further insight. Yet she was still getting accustomed to both her powers, they were unreal and something she never thought possible especially considering she was only part elf. It was still unbelievable even as the power surged through her like a simmering force of life beneath her skin and witnessing her creations.

For the roots to keep reforming without further command by herself revealed how much her powers had grown. Evanna could tell her endurance had improved because she did not feel drained from the constant usage over the last few hours that Conrad was separated from the group hacking into the roots and vines that kept growing. Maybe her fatigue was delayed, but images of the past week flashed before her eyes, fighting the faceless and Scarecrow in particular, reminded her of how much she strained herself.

"Evanna." Conrad’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. Evanna blinked and realised she’d been staring back into Conrad’s golden eyes, but he knew her well enough to know that she was not mesmerised by him. She flicked her eyes to the side away from his scrutiny and furrowed brows.

"Yes. It is something I learnt recently about myself," Evanna replied and turned to open the flap to the tent, but Conrad’s voice made her pause.

"Since you turned eighteen?" He enquired as though he already knew more than what she spoke.

"Am I to stay here tonight?" She asked instead, changing the subject. Conrad narrowed his eyes slightly but did not ask further on the topic. He knew more about her than she preferred, but the Princess knew a lot more about him and those dark powers of his. And that was how she wanted it.

"Yes," He replied and chuckled when Evanna let the flap to the tent fall back down in his face. She walked ahead, now accustomed to the magic used to create the grandiose interior of the tent. Conrad followed behind her, and she paused, placing her hand on the sofa and looking back at him warily. "I will show you how to use the bath."

How to use the bath? Evanna’s gaze flicked to the far left of the tent, where there was a wicker room divider, and a wooden floor was raised. Conrad beckoned her towards it, and she peered over the side of the divider to see a four-legged golden bathtub. The Prince smiled at her as he lowered his hand into the empty tub and pulled out a golden coin hooked to a small golden chain. He laid it flat on the palm of his hand before lowering it into the bath and slotting it into a hole at the bottom.

As soon as it was pushed in correctly, the bath slowly filled with warm water. Evanna’s eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly, but she cleared her throat and wiped the stupid expression from her features when Conrad smirked back at her.

"You did not have these at the palace," Evanna remarked, crossing her arms, feigning nonchalance though she felt anything but excited.

"Hmmm, they are quite new, and only the King and Arvid had these specialised tubs. There is only so many made, which makes them expensive even to a wealthy kingdom like mine," Conrad replied and started to step away, rounding the divider and heading towards the entrance to the tent again. He paused and looked back at the Princess as though he wanted to say something of importance but shook his head. "Everything you need will be in the chest." He tilted his chin toward the black chest in front of the large four-poster bed.

"Take my bed, and.. don’t try anything. I’m already sleeping outside with the others; if you try to escape, I will share that bed with you," Conrad threatened with a piercing stare before leaving the Princess in the overly large tent.

Evanna’s gaze slowly took in the tent’s décor again, and shook her head. If there was no noise or occasional shiver running down her spine warning her to danger in the forest, then one might assume she was on vacation. She chuckled to herself as she went to open the chest while her thoughts were still consumed with the first days she camped out in those tiny tents at the start of her journey. That felt like a lifetime ago now.

Evanna wasn’t surprised to find a towel, soap, a nightgown, and a robe specifically for her use upon opening the chest. They magically appeared before her eyes, and she was in awe of it. When she returned to Dunhurst, maybe she could persuade her father to agree to own magical items. But it was doubtful; the rules were set before her father’s reign.

The Princess sighed, placed the items from the chest on a wooden chair near the bathtub and began to undress. Evanna glanced at the entrance as she was overly exposed, naked in the middle of a camp full of men. She made sure to leave her sword next to her and lowered herself into the steaming warm water, releasing a long sigh as her muscles began to relax. She closed her eyes, slowly undone her plait, and let her hair fall around her shoulders before dipping her face under the water and then leaning her head against the tub.

The water trickled down Evanna’s face with her lids still closed, making her lashes glisten under the warm candlelight. Unfortunately, her relaxing bath was interrupted by the sounds of rowdy men and nearby laughter. Though she knew most of the men were positioned or readying for bed now, the one to laugh was Conrad. That made her glance warily in the tent again for any of his little spies, but she found none. Still, she couldn’t completely relax and instead grabbed the soap and began washing.

Once she was done, Evanna relaxed back against the tub as she heard the camp beginning to quieten. She strained her ears to hear Conrad’s voice and looked to her sense for anything amiss, but everything seemed fine. Was that a little eery, though? Or had she become a bit suspicious now that she had been on the road? Indeed anything good meant it wasn’t real, or the quiet and happy moments would soon be followed by something terrible.

"*Relax while you can, Raven. These comforts will not be around for long,*" Evanna murmured as the warmth of the water seemed to massage the tender spots on her body. It was utterly divine, and she began to drift off, her head sliding to the left as the smell of lavender soothed her.

An icy chill rippled across her arms, bringing forth goosebumps across her skin, and Evanna instantly reached for her sword.

"* Is that any way to greet a dear friend? *" A silky-smooth voice, like a warm caress against her skin, made her lips part, and her eyes searched for the man who held such power over her.

"Arawn," Evanna whispered to the shadow behind the wicker room divider.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read