Bathing ritual

"Ilene, it's morning already." Agatha's nagging voice pulled her out of her sleep.

"I want to sleep more." Her sleepy voice bubbled out in annoyance.

"As a lady, you must follow the etiquette and wake up early." Agatha reached out for the curtains, drawing it aside in one motion.

The streaks of morning sunlight flooded in, bathing Ilene in its warm golds. She tossed in her bed, pulling the quill over her head and covering her face.

"I am still not over from last night's banquet, so let me rest for a while." Ilene complained.

Despite her response, Agatha tried to pull the quill. "Talking about etiquettes, My lady needs to travel afar, so it's better for her to wake up now and head for her destination."

"And where's that?" Ilene snapped her eyes wide, jumping out of her sleep. Oh good god, it can't be her mom playing another trick again.

"Aunt Dorathy's place." Agatha informed as she started to pack necessary stuffs for Ilene.

"For what?" With a frown, she shot Agatha with another question.

"You need to visit your aunt for your etiquette lessons." Agatha looked at her, replying with a smile.

"Why?" Ilene snapped. In no time, she got off her bed, crawling her way to Agatha. "Is the governess resigning from her job?"

"Or the etiquette lessons she is providing, isn't enough for me?"

Agatha hummed. "I will go with the second reason." Her face flickered from Ilene's face to the stuffs she was packing. "Plus, you need to pay your visit to your aunt because it's been long since you have visited her last."

"Isn't this Mama's decision to send me to the Aunt's place?" Her curiosity morphed into annoyance.

Agatha blinked, "Then who else could it be, my sweetie?"

A frustrated sigh escaped out of Ilene before she had a chance to squash it.

"I have prepared your bath, so kindly make your way towards the bathhouse, my lady." Holy god, Agatha couldn't find better place than this to show off her dramatic skills.

Ilene stepped down into the bathtub, removing her sleeping gown. She gingerly lowered herself into the wooden tub filled with cold icy water.

Releasing a heavy sigh of relief, Ilene reclined, resting her back on the wooden tub. Last night's incident was playing in a rewind mode inside her head. From the tremor that almost overtook her to the meeting with the Duke, what a night she had!

Her purple eyes on the ceiling, she was idly wondering about the possible consequences hadn't the Duke made his appearance there.

"Would I have lost my sanity?"

"Should I be thankful of his sudden appearance?"

Ilene mumbled under her breath.

Anything could have happened, but it didn't happen. Nonetheless, Ilene had safely reached the manor last night from straight two hours of sitting in the carriage. She is safe and everything around her is sane at the moment. That's what she should be grateful for!

"You must have enjoyed your time in the banquet last night." Agatha's voice along with the splash of water caught her attention, pulling her outside from her thoughts.

"Well, you know the answer." She forced a weak smile on her face, which somehow overshadowed the turmoil inside her.

"Attending banquets, dinners, tea parties, isn't my cup of tea." Ilene scowled. Her smile faltered before sliding back into place.

"And what if it ends up becoming the only reality of your life?"

"Agatha!" Her forehead creases. "I am attending this year's social season only on mama's request. Don't take it otherwise. If you think I will settle into marriage after my debut, then keep on daydreaming." Ilene's voice dropped, bravely stronger than a whisper.

"Yes, I am aware of that." Agatha nodded slowly. "However, you have to tolerate this rigorous events, my dear. For this purpose, you are going to Aunt Dorathy's place." Concern seeped into her voice.

Ilene rolled her eyes, shifting her attention back to the ceiling. "Don't even remind me about it, Agatha."

"I will go and fetch some ice water for you." With the bucket Agatha left, giving her space to soak. Agatha knows that bath time for Ilene is something that she hates to share with anyone else. Before leaving, she closed the door behind her with a click.

Soaking in the icy water, feeling it hug every inch of her skin so gently. Breathing in the aroma of the water….it was her heaven….a place to breathe deeply and let her inner peace return.

Ilene has always preferred bathing in the cold water instead of water mixed with aromatic rose petals. With everything that was creating chaos inside her, her bathing ritual was there to sooth her, after her mama's embrace.

After a moment of solitude, a burning sensation dug into her skin with immense force. Ilene gasped.

An ocean wave of uncontrollable pain washed over her body, through her bones, tearing her whole body apart. She tried to move, but every single muscle seemed paralyzed, too heavy to move.

Her breathing accelerated, loud inhales and exhales seem to fill her lungs with anything but air. A blazing spike of pain sliced her skin, burning her exhausted muscles and making way for shiny, bright blue scales.

Not surprised to see them, Ilene grazed her skin to feel the scales visibly lurking in the surface, that had outgrown her skin.

Sharp. Shiny. Harmless.

Along with that, small patches of blue scales with a silver tinge began to appear on the corner of her eyes too.

Only when the scales appeared, her body slumped losing it's stiff posture. She closed her eyes, drawing in a lung full of air and the coldness on her skin. Her panicness quieted with scales disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

Whenever Ilene took her bath, her skin had reacted in a way that was blissful as well as hurtful for her. She could never understand her connection with the cold water.

Calming. Peaceful. Yet, Horrible. Itchy.

During the process, her body has witnessed strange changes and she could feel something undergoing inside her.

Since her mother made her bath in the cold water, the changes have been limited. Otherwise, Ilene would undergo such changes anywhere. Anytime.

On being asked to her mother, Iris has replied with it being a family disease. Such thing being genetics that was transferred from her grandmother to Iris and now, from Iris to Ilene.

As if the cold water is the only cure for their disease.

With such changes lingering around, this has made Ilene question her own existence as a human.