The warm water enveloped me like a borrowed sanctuary, perfumed with essences of dark roses that permeated the air with a dense, almost hypnotic aroma. Crimson petals floated around me, sticking to my damp skin as if wanting to mark me with their fragrance. My fingers, distracted, played with the foam, creating small ephemeral shapes that dissolved instantly, a futile attempt to silence the murmur of voices filtering in from my room.
I could hear Corina, her firm and precise voice cutting through the air with quick orders, like a general directing her army. She moved the other maidens with the precision of someone who mastered every detail, pieces on a board she governed without hesitation. At times, the echo of nervous laughter, hurried footsteps, and the unmistakable rustle of agitated fabrics reached me, cruelly reminding me of what I had tried to bury in oblivion.
Stephan's welcome ball.
