Following Liliath’s instructions, Sairi and Hilvia stepped into the washroom located along the corridor.
The room continued the luxurious and exquisite style of the Vampire King’s palace, with massive intricately carved Silver Mirrors adorning the walls, a neat Obsidian Washstand, and a spacious bathroom that looked as if it had been carved from a single slab of Warm White Jade.
At this moment, however, Sairi and Hilvia only needed to freshen up briefly.
Hilvia looked at her reflection in the mirror—somewhat dusty and disheveled, her black hair tangled and knotted from the earlier battle and unconsciousness, with specks of dirt from when she fell to the ground.
She frowned slightly.
Though Hilvia wasn’t a neat freak, she still insisted on maintaining a basic level of cleanliness. These past few days of fleeing and hiding had left her barely any chance to properly take care of herself.
“Tsk… my hair’s all knotted up…” she murmured, then naturally turned to Sairi, who was curiously examining a faucet handle inlaid with a purple crystal.
“Sairi, could you get the Hundred Flowers Shampoo from the wash supplies I had you keep earlier? I want to wash my hair a bit.”
“Huh? But aren’t there all kinds of toiletries right here?” Sairi pointed to a small table beside the Silver Mirror, which held a variety of washroom products.
“Ah, I’m used to that shampoo, and there’s only a little left. Might as well use it up these past few days.”
“Oh! Got it!” Sairi responded promptly, focusing her attention and reaching up to touch the pentagram-shaped hairpin on her head—a small bottle filled with the fresh, elegant scent of Hundred Flowers Shampoo appeared in her hand.
It was the very shampoo they used often back in Milu Town when they lived together, the one Hilvia had specially asked Sairi to hold onto before leaving.
Hilvia took the bottle with a hint of nostalgia on her face.
She settled her personal needs first, then walked to the washstand, expertly loosening the hair tie at the back of her head.
Her beautiful black hair cascaded down like a waterfall—though a bit messy, it remained stunning.
Hilvia bent slightly, turning on the faucet. Clear water gushed out, soaking her hair.
Sairi watched from the side, her big pink eyes blinking as she shook the shampoo bottle in her hand, noticing there really wasn’t much left. It would probably be used up soon.
Suddenly, a “brilliant” idea popped into her mind.
She sidled up next to Hilvia, volunteering enthusiastically, “Hilvia-neechan! Let me wash your hair! I’m really good at it now!”
Hehe, now that Hilvia’s body was mostly fine, it was time for some payback for when she teased Sairi during their last bath. Sairi definitely remembered that.
Hilvia was a bit surprised, but looking into Sairi’s “sincere” eyes—so bright they almost sparkled—her heart softened. She smiled and nodded.
“Alright then, I’ll trouble our little Sairi.”
She relaxed, closing her eyes, sitting in front of the washstand, and gathered her wet hair behind her head to make it easier for Sairi to work.
Sairi grinned secretly and eagerly squeezed a generous dollop of the fragrant shampoo into her palm, then hastily rubbed it into Hilvia’s black hair.
Opportunity!
Sairi’s small hands were indeed soft.
At first, she earnestly massaged, trying to imitate the technique Hilvia used when washing her hair—clumsy as it was—while feeling the smoothness of Hilvia’s strands, helping to straighten and untangle some of the knots.
But soon, Sairi’s mischievous nature revealed itself.
She began to deliberately scratch Hilvia’s scalp lightly with her fingertips or smear foam around Hilvia’s ears and the back of her neck.
“Hehe, Hilvia-neechan, your hair’s like black silk~”
Sairi teased in a sugary voice, trying to distract Hilvia.
Hilvia chuckled lightly at the ticklish sensation. “Stop fooling around, Sairi, wash properly.”
“I’m being serious!”
Though Sairi said this, her hands became even more “excessive.”
Taking advantage of Hilvia’s closed eyes as she relaxed—actually because Sairi’s technique was poor and foam was splashing everywhere, and Hilvia was wary it might get in her eyes—Sairi secretly squeezed out more shampoo.
Sairi was planning to add even more shampoo.
One wave after another of shampoo was secretly added. Mixed with the warm water, it created an absurd amount of thick foam, like an avalanche on a snowy mountain.
Before long, Hilvia’s entire head was almost completely buried under a huge mound of dense white foam, looking like a massive marshmallow.
Though the faucet was still running, rinsing part of Hilvia’s hair, it couldn’t keep up with the amount of foam Sairi kept adding.
Hilvia continued rinsing for a while before realizing the foam just wouldn’t go away.
“Hmm?”
She finally sensed something was wrong. There was far too much foam. The more she rinsed, the more it seemed to expand.
The originally light scent of Hundred Flowers had grown so strong it nearly overwhelmed her.
“Sairi… isn’t this a little too much foam?”
Hilvia asked doubtfully, subconsciously opening her eyes to check.
Seeing this, Sairi knew her prank was about to be uncovered and quickly suppressed a laugh, pretending innocence.
“Huh? No way! Maybe Hilvia-neechan’s hair was just too dirty, so there’s lots of foam?”
Hilvia:
At this moment, Sairi wasn’t helping to smooth Hilvia’s hair at all. Instead, she was using the mountain of foam to craft a goofy hairstyle tailored just for Hilvia—one that was sure to make anyone laugh out loud.
Hehe, Hilvia-neechan, don’t turn around! I’m giving you a ‘beautiful’ new hairstyle~
Hilvia, ever serious, detected a hint of hesitation in Sairi’s lie. After all, having lived for thousands of years, she knew her hair well. No matter how dirty, it wouldn’t cause this much foam, she knew better than Sairi.
She quickly wiped the foam around her eyes away and opened her ice-blue eyes.
Through the mirror’s reflection, she caught sight of Sairi sneakily squeezing out another dollop of shampoo onto her hair, her face wearing a mischievous grin.
“Ah! So it’s you little rascal causing all this mischief!”
Hilvia immediately realized why the foam wouldn’t end. She spun around and, with a speed that was lightning fast, grabbed Sairi’s hand as she tried to sneak away, covered in foam.
“Ah! I got caught!”
Sairi shrieked, attempting to run, but it was too late.
“Where do you think you’re going? Wasting so much shampoo and teasing your sister.”
Hilvia put on a mock stern face, but the amusement in her eyes was unmistakable. She knew Sairi’s prank was innocent mischief without any bad intentions.
Without mercy, Hilvia smeared the abundant foam from her hands and arms all over Sairi’s face and hair, carefully avoiding her eyes and ears.
“Wahhh, nooo! Hilvia-neechan, I’m sorry… hahaha, it’s so ticklish, foam in my mouth!”
Sairi instantly turned into a little snowman, white foam covering her face, nose, and golden hair.
She begged for mercy while laughing uncontrollably, struggling with her hands and feet but clearly no match for Hilvia.
The two of them erupted into a raucous mess in the spacious washroom, laughter and shrieks echoing.
Foam flew everywhere—on the washstand, the mirror, even the floor tiles, all coated with white bubbles and the rich scent of Hundred Flowers.
Hilvia didn’t even bother rinsing her own still-foamy hair as she chased Sairi to “return the favor.”
Eventually, with foam-covered hair and face, Sairi was caught and mercilessly tickled until tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks before being released.
“Let’s see if you dare cause trouble next time!”
Hilvia laughed, watching Sairi’s ridiculous appearance—she now truly resembled a little snowman.
Afterwards, Hilvia helped Sairi wipe the foam from around her eyes and turned the faucet on again, motioning for Sairi to rinse the rest off her face.
“No more, no more… hehe…”
Sairi stuck out her tongue, saying she wouldn’t do it again, but her eyes still sparkled with laughter as she obediently leaned forward to wash.
After the commotion, the two helped each other rinse off all the remaining foam from their hair and bodies.
With soft towels, they dried their droplets, looking at each other in the mirror—both refreshed and clean, cheeks flushed (from all the playing)—and shared a smile.
Hilvia then told Sairi to brush her teeth and wash her face first while she went to the restroom.
Looking at her reflection, Sairi couldn’t help but examine her own face again.
Still so cute—her cheeks plump and soft, just perfect to pinch.
Since being embraced by Liliath, her skin had grown even paler, but luckily a mysterious power within her resisted the change, so upon close inspection, a faint hint of blood color could still be seen.
Sairi casually picked up the toothbrush from the table and began brushing her teeth.
Then she seemed to realize something, leaning closer to the Silver Mirror and opening her mouth to inspect.
Her teeth were so bright and white; she wondered if she even needed to brush.
Her hand slowed as she planned to just mess around a little since Hilvia probably wouldn’t notice.
But the next moment, she dismissed the idea, remembering clearly how strong Hilvia’s grip was when she brushed her own teeth and washed her face—Sairi definitely didn’t want to go through that again.
Better to brush properly and develop a good habit.
Both Sairi and Hilvia felt much happier now, as if they had returned to their life together in Milu Town.
After the playful chaos, the slight rift caused by the initial embrace and parting seemed to have completely disappeared, and the two were back to their old close, inseparable selves.
After tidying their damp hair and clothes, Sairi and Hilvia left the washroom together.
The air still carried a faint scent of Hundred Flowers and an atmosphere of joy.
Following Liliath’s earlier instructions, they crossed the corridor and arrived at a dining room much smaller than the main hall but equally elegant and comfortable.
A long dining table was already set with shining silverware and crystal glasses.
Liliath was already seated at the head of the table.
She had changed into a relatively casual dark red court dress, her silver-white hair flowing freely as she idly tapped the table with her fingertips.
Seeing the two enter, her crimson eyes lazily swept over them, lingering a moment on Sairi’s still slightly damp golden hair and Hilvia’s obviously freshly washed black hair, which faintly smelled of flowers.
“Oh? Taking this long just to wash your face? And you even got your hair wet?” Liliath raised an eyebrow, her tone teasing as always. “Looks like you had a lot of fun.”
Sairi stuck out her tongue shyly.
Hilvia just smiled softly and led Sairi to sit in the seats indicated by Liliath.
“Vera, you may begin,” Liliath said to the attendant standing nearby.
Vera bowed slightly and clapped her hands softly. The vampire maids waiting outside then filed in, each carrying a silver-covered dish.
Soon, a lavish array of dishes filled the table, including many sweet treats Sairi liked and delicious-looking meats, along with a steaming pot of what appeared to be Scarlet Dew juice.
Lunchtime had officially begun!