"Your Majesty, if the water feels too hot, shall we reduce the fire and add some cold water?"
Seeing the unnatural flush on the Pharaoh's face, one of the maids asked with concern.
"No need. It was just a moment of discomfort. You may withdraw."
Enduring the strange sensation of being watched by an invisible man, Nitocris gave the order.
Already accustomed to their Pharaoh's solitary habits, the maids lightly bowed and once again withdrew from the hall.
The vast bathing chamber grew silent again, leaving only the girl's slightly hurried breathing.
After confirming that the maids had gone far away, Nitocris immediately stepped out of the pool and grabbed a strip of white gauze that had been folded nearby, wrapping it around herself.
However, in Alaric's eyes, the brown body faintly visible beneath the semi-transparent white gauze was even more alluring.
Nitocris quickly realized this as well.
At that moment, she suddenly felt a wave of regret, why did the white gauze she used for bathing have to be so translucent? Why hadn't she chosen a less transparent fabric?
But if she were to put on proper clothes here, it would take much longer, and she would be taken advantage of even more.
After all, as Pharaoh, Nitocris's attire was anything but simple, though gorgeous, it was also extremely complex. Dressing herself alone was no easy task.
And the movements involved in dressing would be even more revealing. In comparison, it was better to just wrap herself like this.
Thinking so, Nitocris finally, blushing deeply and bracing herself, spoke.
"N-now… you… you can show yourself."
And so, the familiar male body appeared before her once again, making her shut her eyes in embarrassment yet again.
"C-can't you put on some clothes?!"
Nitocris protested shamefully.
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Seems like you're enjoying it quite a bit, though," Alaric teased.
"Pervert!"
Seeing the girl grow even more flustered, Alaric shrugged.
"Alright, alright, as you wish."
From somewhere, Alaric produced a splendid white robe and casually draped it over his perfectly sculpted, water-beaded body.
The limited mystic code of the Third Magic, the "Dress of Heaven," now looked just like an ordinary bathrobe.
"Alright, you can open your eyes now," Alaric said.
Nitocris opened her tightly shut eyes, only to see Alaric wearing nothing but a single "bathrobe," with not a stitch underneath, and immediately shut them again.
"Y-you-you-you're only wearing one piece of clothing! Bastard!"
This well-bred princess truly lacked any talent when it came to insulting others.
"That's still better than you wearing nothing but a towel," Alaric shot back.
"I-I was… I was…" Nitocris tried to explain, but the words were too awkward to say aloud. In the end, she only let out a humph.
Faced with Alaric's roguish behavior, this female Pharaoh, accustomed to a life of privilege and constant dealings with the upper class, was completely at a loss, like a scholar meeting a brute.
Left with no other choice, she endured her embarrassment and steeled herself to speak with the strange man before her.
"Impudent intruder, appearing suddenly in my bathing chamber, who are you, exactly?"
Confronted with her questioning, a mischievous urge suddenly rose in Alaric.
"Weren't you just praying to me earlier?" he said solemnly, suppressing his laughter.
"You even complained that I was indifferent to your suffering, so here I am, coming to help you."
"W-what? Are you Lord Horus? Or Lord Anubis?" The young Pharaoh froze for a moment, then her face lit up with joy, before she asked uncertainly.
"N-no, that can't be right… Are you telling the truth?"
"Of course, " Alaric deliberately dragged out his words, then burst into laughter.
", I'm lying! Look at your face, you believed it for a moment, didn't you?!"
"B-bastard! Liar! Blasphemer! You shameless wretch, how dare you impersonate a god to deceive me!"
Realizing she had been tricked, Nitocris nearly exploded in fury, jumping to her feet to punish the man.
Even though the Egyptian gods had not responded to her prayers, she still held them in devout reverence.
But the next instant, she realized her recklessness, she was still barely shielding herself with a semi-transparent towel. Standing up like this would only give him an even better view.
"Uuuugh, damn it!"
"Hey now, it was just a joke. Why get so worked up?" Alaric shook his head at the squatting Pharaoh. "You're completely like a little kid."
"I am not a child!" Nitocris retorted loudly. "You despicable scoundrel, defiling the noble body of the Pharaoh, one day, I, Nitocris, will make you pay for this!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Alaric replied indifferently.
"Then I really look forward to that day. But before that, have you considered cooperating with this despicable scoundrel? After all, I can offer you the power of revenge."
Faced with the man's teasing words, Nitocris clenched her teeth, tears of grievance welling up in her beautiful purple eyes.
She had not even pursued his crime of infiltrating the palace, yet he continued to treat her this way, even using revenge as leverage to threaten her.
However, the moment revenge was mentioned, all her shame and anger instantly cooled.
Revenge was the deepest desire buried in Nitocris's heart.
She already had her own plan, her own arrangements for revenge.
Yet whether those plans would succeed, she had no confidence at all.
But the power this man had just demonstrated left a deep impression on her.
Whether it was the invisibility that even the palace's magic could not detect, the ability to produce clothing from nowhere, or the magnificent robe she could barely comprehend, everything about him spoke of the extraordinary.
If she could borrow his power, then surely…
As if she had come to a decision, Nitocris suddenly stood up, flinging the towel aside.
The perfect creation of the gods was revealed without reservation before Alaric's eyes.
"I-if… if you can help me take revenge,"
Blushing deeply, yet resolute, Nitocris forced herself to speak words that filled her with shame:
"This body of mine, I will let you do whatever you want. Anything at all."