Naked bath together

A few hours ago.

Deep within the forest, nestled amidst the canopy of lush green trees, lay a magical pond, and within its shimmering waters trapped was none other than Naimishi. Her body was immersed in the cool embrace of the water while her face peered at the world above, cursing at herself for landing in this wretched situation. Her aunt Rosary had insisted on not missing the stunning waterfalls near Aashanti. Even though her brother and Dusen had initially opposed the idea, she persisted until they begrudgingly relented.

While playing in the water with Silas and Alora, Silas's playful push sent her off balance, causing her leg to fall on the slippery rocks. She was swept away by the water, finding herself deposited into this forest. Gripping her heart in fear, she roamed aimlessly, always ending up in the same spot. Exhausted, she rested beneath a tree, her stomach growling with hunger. It was then that her eyes fell upon a mulberry tree, its fruits ripe and tempting.

She tossed aside all logic, ignoring the sight of the sudden tree appearing when she was gripped by hunger. Driven solely by her cravings, she dashed towards it, completely oblivious to the treacherous trap. She plucked a mulberry fruit, and just as she put it into her mouth, the innocent-looking mulberry tree transformed into a pond and forcefully pulled her into the waters.

"You fell for my trap!"

Naimishi's eyes widened as she caught sight of a skeletal figure jumping onto a tree branch. His eyes were beady, and he had a rotten-toothed grin. His bony fingers looked like twigs that had been stripped of their tree's bark. Who is this creature? And not to mention, he was adorned in a red gown that she had worn this morning.

"That's my gown." A whisper escaped her lips as she looked down at her naked body reflected in the water. Did this thief steal her dress? "Who are you? Why are you wearing my gown, you pervert?"

With astonishing agility, the skeletal figure leapt from the tree, landing swiftly on the ground by the pond. His creepy giggle echoed through Naimishi's ears. "Who am I? I am Betaal, the ghoul King of this forest. Didn't anyone warn you that once you step into Betaal's forest, he will steal your clothes and trap you in his pond? Lucky, you stumbled here. It's been a week since I had a visitor."

"Why do you steal clothes? And for how long will you trap me here?" Naimishi questioned in fright. He looked creepily funny in her gown, which ended before his knees, revealing his gangly legs.

Betaal's face twisted into a pout, his lips jutting out like a sulking child. "I am cursed to roam in this forest without clothes. Only when I am dressed in human clothes like you I can take a step out of this forest. Now that I am in your gown, you will stay inside the water while I roam outside wearing your gown."

Underwater until when? A shiver ran down her spine. She would die out of the cold. "You..you can keep my gown, but please release me." While she was curious to know about his curse, escaping from this water was her priority.

"That happens only if you eat the mulberry fruit again." Betaal giggled as he pressed a mulberry fruit against his lips, staining them with a haunting shade of deep purple. "Do not harbour any hope of rescue. Once anyone sets foot in my forest, they fall prey to my mulberries just like you. I am off into the market, and I will return by the evening. Until then, behave yourself." Without waiting for Naimishi's reply, he vanished.

"Come back, you sick pervert! Give back the mulberry fruit," Naimishi shouted. Is he going into the towns wearing women's clothes?

Did her brother and Dusen even have a clue where she was? "Who will feed me the mulberry fruit?"

Her screams for help pierced through the stillness of the forest, and after what felt like an eternity, a voice reached her ears. Naimishi's heart leapt with hope hearing someone's voice in this secluded forest. "Well, Damsel in distress." The voice echoed. "If I rescue you, what's in for me?"

Was he willing to help her if she compensated? "I will offer you one brass coin." When Naimishi didnot receive a response, she blinked. Did he think it was too less for him? "Fine then! Let's make it two brass coins. That's my final offer. You can buy a big jug of cow's milk with that."

"Why should I bother buying milk when I can satisfy my thirst by milking with my own mouth for free?"

A deep flush stained Naimishi's cheeks, her face suffused with embarrassment at his words. "Do you even have an ounce of shame to speak such words to women?"

What kind of shameless men roamed in Aashanti Kingdom? She had just crossed paths with a perverted ghoul who shamelessly stole her clothes, and now she had encountered another lewd deviant who seemed to be skilled in the art of double entendres.

"Why should I be drenched in shame to drink milk from the cow's udder? Don't tell me your perverted brain thought it's your___"

"Stop there! Don't you utter another word." Naimishi interrupted, afraid of what words she might hear from his foul mouth. Was he really innocent or a crafty puppeteer playing with her mind?

Arazhan chuckled at her embarrassment. He deliberately prolonged the conversation with her as he walked to find the source of her voice. It led him to a mulberry tree, where her last words echoed. For some reason, he was unable to resist the temptation and plucked the fruit to savour it. However, a sense of unease washed over him. He had combed this place earlier, and never before had a mulberry tree appeared. Why now? A wave of suspicion gripped her tightly. Don't tell me.. "Did you eat the mulberry fruit?"

"Yes, and don't eat that fruit!" Naimishi shouted, her voice filled with alarm. "It's a trap set by that skeletal ghoul. Once you take a bite, it will transform into a pond, trapping you in water, stripped of all your clothes."

"Doesn't that sound enticing? We could both immerse ourselves in a naked bath together."

Naimishi pressed her lips tightly together, her desire to land a solid punch on his nose growing stronger by the second. She hadn't caught a glimpse of his face yet, but he was driving her to the brink already. "I swear the instant I am out of the water, I would slice that biting tongue of yours."