Meredith.
The moment I limped back into my bedroom, Azul flew to my side, her face etched with the usual worry.
"My lady, are you alright?" she breathed, her eyes scanning me like I was a shattered vase.
"I'm barely breathing," I groaned, dragging each word past a dry throat. "My whole body aches… like he personally hated every bone in me."
Azul slipped an arm around my waist and helped me fully into the room, moving with that soft care that always made me feel relieved.
Before I could catch my breath, Kira appeared from the inner room, her hands still damp from testing the water.
"The hot bath is ready, my lady," she announced, her voice gentle, eyes brimming with sympathy.
Between the two of them, I was half-guided, half-carried to the bath. Steam curled around me, thick with the floral notes of essential oil.
The moment I lowered myself into the water, a hiss escaped my lips, and my bruised muscles sang with both relief and fresh pain.