“By the way, may I ask you something?”
Ekaterina cleared her throat. The words she couldn’t miss as a Japanese in her previous life were written in the memoirs.
“The Forest People… are you familiar with the hot springs in the forest?”
“Yes. There are some in this settlement. However, it is not indoors, so the young lady may not feel at home.”
So, you mean…
A natural hot spring outdoor bath!
***
(Open-air bath!)
Ekaterina slowly soaked herself in the bathtub. She sighed unintentionally.
In the Japanese sense, it was like a secluded, hidden hot spring. The bathhouse was built along a creek, and the temperature was controlled by the river water that was drawn in to keep the water at the right temperature. It was probably left by the inventor Giovanna and was protected for 300 years by the Forest People.
There was a tent to block the view in the direction of the forest people’s residence, but nothing in the direction of the creek or the sky. One could look up at the star-filled sky while listening to the murmuring of the creek.
To say the least, it was the best!
The number of stars one could see was so different from those in my previous life in Japan. The night sky was full of stars. I could see the Milky Way, the Heavenly River!
…The Milky Way of the Heavens was really a swarm of stars that can be seen in the direction of the center of the galaxy. I wondered if the solar system of this world was also located at the edge of the galaxy. Was this Earth in another world or another planet…I should stop, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep if I think about it.
“Miss, aren’t you afraid to take a bath outside?”
Mina, who followed her in, asked, and Ekaterina shook her head with a smile.
“It’s very comfortable, you know. It’s nice to be outside in the fresh air. Besides, it’s nice to be here with Mina.”
“…It’s strange that a Duchess is happy to take a bath with her maid.”
“Oh my, I haven’t heard you say that in a long time.”
When I first met Mina, I was frequently told that [the duchess is strange], but I haven’t been told that much recently. I’m not sure if I’ve grown accustomed to life as a young lady, or if Mina has grown accustomed to me.
But Mina’s abs were wonderful. They were as muscular as those of the world’s best female athletes I saw at the World Championships in Athletics or something similar. Come to think of it, why were female athletes in track and field so revealing? It was a sight for sore eyes, you know.
As for me, the villainess, I felt a little more relaxed than when I was confined to the house, but I was still the same as ever.
Before I left for Yurinova, I had my measurements taken by designer Camilla-san in the capital, and she said to me happily, [You’ve become even more enchanting!] I had enough of that already.
Mina washed my back. There was a thick leaf that the Forest People used for bathing, and when I rubbed it, it felt slimy. I was told that if you wash your body with it, your skin will become clean.
In this world, or rather in the Imperial Kingdom, people were highly conscious about bathing, washing their faces, and washing their hands. Flora told me that there were public bathhouses not only for the nobility but also for the common people in the city.
It was well known that hygiene was quite bad in pre-medieval and early modern Europe. The fact that this was not the case in the imperial city could be attributed in part to Giovanna-san’s restoration of the water and sewage systems.
Besides, the area is abundant in high-quality water. There are many clean and tasty springs all over the place, especially in Yurinova territory, which is rich in forest resources.
And it was also thanks to the Gods. People washed their hands frequently because it was said to be for the god’s benefit.
The Medicine God likes cleanliness, so washing the hands would prevent people from getting sick.
Of course, people didn’t have any knowledge of germs, but they were just doing it as a spell. Scientifically correct! Good job to the Medicine God who told this to the people by oracle a long time ago!
