I had originally planned to throw her over my knee, but my physical presence alone turned out to be more than enough. Still, the day was young, and we had a journey ahead of us.
I walked over to Eliza, took her firmly by the wrist, and looked over at Elder Lily.
"Fetch me some soap and a fresh dress that will fit her," I instructed.
Elder Lily gave me a skeptical look, but I narrowed my eyes, and she immediately turned to carry out the task. I couldn't blame her for questioning me, but getting Eliza cleaned up was the immediate priority.
"What are you going to do with me?" Eliza asked from beside me, her wrist still in my grasp.
"We're going to get you cleaned up before we leave," I said.
Eliza looked up at me with genuine confusion. "Why? Wouldn't it be more humiliating for me to be marched back to my town looking like this?"
I shrugged. "Sure it would, but that's not my goal. I'm sorry I frightened you so badly, but you were making terrible choices that were about to get people hurt."
"You're... apologizing to me? Shouldn't I be the one apologizing?" she asked, blinking in surprise.
I raised an eyebrow. "What did you do to me directly? You didn't order your guards to attack me, and I'm the one who laid them out."
Elder Lily returned, carrying a bottle of liquid soap, a clean blue dress, and a green towel. "This should work. The washing spot is just downstream—a quiet bend in the river," she said. She turned to leave, but I cleared my throat, glancing down at the young Countess.
Eliza hesitated, then swallowed hard. "I'm... I'm sorry..." she whispered softly.
Elder Lily froze, looking back at us in absolute shock.
[1 Karma Point Gained. 3/5 for First Skill.]
"How on earth did you manage that?!" Lily gasped.
Without answering, I took the supplies and led Eliza down the path toward the riverbank.
"What's your name?" Eliza asked as we walked.
"Don't have one," I replied.
"What? How can you not have a name? Everyone gets named when they hatch from the Golden Eggs, right?" Eliza asked, sounding momentarily unsure of her own knowledge.
My attention snapped to her instantly. Golden Eggs?!
"Wait a second. Are you telling me children in this world hatch from golden eggs?!" I asked, thoroughly bewildered.
Eliza gave me a baffled look. "Everyone knows that. Have you been living under a rock?"
As we drew closer to the water's edge, she began to pull back slightly against my grip.
"Something like that," I said, catching her resistance. "Do you not like water?"
"I can't swim, and I've never bathed in a open river before!" Eliza confessed nervously.
I let out a sigh. "Then how do you suggest we get you clean?"
Eliza looked up at me. "Can't you come in with me and wash me? Or is that too much to ask?"
I froze. "You want me to wash you? Are you sure about that?"
I tried to keep my composure, but my body was reacting on its own—my shaft was already swelling against my pants.
"Yes. You're tall, so you can hold me on your lap," she said matter-of-factly.
My mind raced, but I forced the stray thoughts aside. I was the one who had terrified her into this state, so taking responsibility was the right thing to do.
The main issue was that I couldn't exactly hide my growing erection, though she clearly had no framework for what it meant. This world was getting stranger by the second—and yet, I certainly wasn't complaining.
"Fine, I'll help you," I said. "But there's something you should know first. My body is built differently from yours, especially between my legs."
Eliza merely shrugged and turned her back to me.
Taking a deep breath, I unfastened the ties at the back of her dress. She let the fabric drop, standing completely bare before me. I pulled my shirt over my head and untied my pants, stepping out of them. As they slid down, my fully hardened shaft sprang free, snagging on the waist fabric before I kicked the trousers aside.
Eliza stared at my groin in sheer fascination.
I took a brief moment to admire her slender figure before she stepped forward without warning and wrapped her hand directly around my shaft.
"Wow, it's so hard! That's completely different!" she marveled, her tone entirely casual. "Okay, let's get in! But you have to hold me in your lap. Don't worry, I won't sit directly on it—I'll just spread my legs so it fits right between them."
My heart hammered against my ribs. "Don't touch it too much, or I'm going to get way too excited," I warned, pulling back slightly.
Eliza offered a quick shrug and held her arms out for me to lift her.
This is absurd, I thought. How am I supposed to stay composed when the women in this world act like this?
"Are you going to wash me, or are we just going to stand around naked?" she prompted.
Sighing, I picked her up in my arms. Surely this will be fine, I told myself, though a small voice warned me that taking a stark-naked, completely uninhibited girl into a cold river while rock-hard was playing with fire.
I waded into the stream, sinking waist-deep within five steps. Eliza squealed as the chilly water hit her skin, but I welcomed the temperature drop—I desperately needed something to cool my system down before I lost control.
At the same time, I made a mental note to have a very long conversation with Elder Lily about these "Golden Eggs" the moment we got back. If women here hatched from eggs, I was genuinely curious what would happen if I introduced actual biology into the equation.
Given the direction this bath was heading, I had a feeling I might find out sooner rather than later.