"Bath time."
Mel immediately backed away.
Arthur stared at her.
"…Don't do this."
She looked genuinely betrayed.
"No escaping."
She resisted for a full minute before Arthur finally managed to convince her.
Mostly by promising another steak tomorrow.
But the bath itself took forever.
Because Mel hated water.
And because Arthur ended up drying her first before washing himself properly.
By the time he finally finished and changed into lighter clothes, his body felt like jelly.
He let out a long breath while walking lazily toward the bed.
Then stopped.
As he noticed Mel was already asleep.
Curled up comfortably and completely knocked out.
Arthur's expression softened immediately.
"…Yeah. You really pushed yourself."
The skill helped her endure it.
But it didn't erase the strain completely.
Not the physical exhaustion.
And definitely not the mental one.
Arthur carefully laid down beside her.
