The bell wakes me up the next morning. I'm still on my bed, staring at the cracked celling when I feel a weight pressed on my bed. I sit up and freeze the moment I spot Lyara, sitting comfortably on my bed like she owns it. Her legs are crossed, her arms resting on her lap. Her posture calm. She's not angry, just a soft expression close to smiling.
"What?" I ask and her smile fades.
"Wrong way to start your morning, you want to be smacked or what? Or probably shoved into another iron, your senses might just return."
I'm staring at her in confusion. Wasn't it she who threw a tantrum yesterday? Why was she acting differently. I clear my throat and climb down from the bed. "You're different today."
"Different is a good thing. Go have a bath, so I can apply the ointment on you."
"I can do it myself," I say almost in a hurry.
"It'll be stressful for you. And you have me? Or do I have to give you a kiss before you let me?"
"No..," I take a step backwards. "I'll just have a bath," I say and pull my towel from the hanger. I glance at her before heading to the bathroom.
As I scrub my body, I can't get off the feeling that Lyara's cheerful attitude this morning was suspicious. Too suspicious. I'll ask it over again. Are we that close? She seems to be bothered about me meeting with Alara, and what she pulled up last night explains it. I rinse my body with water, clean myself up and head back to the room.
She's still seated on my bed, still smiling—if anything scares me more. "You need to stop smiling. It's clearly fake," I say, rubbing a towel against my neck.
She says nothing at first. Just grins wider and a shiver pass through me. "Stop," I say, my voice low, "smiling like that. You're scary when you smile."
She laughs, short and low. "You've got nothing to be scared of, Ashen. Not unless you've done something wrong."
I roll my eyes and toss my towel on the bed next to her. "Is that a threat?"
She pats the mattress beside her. "Sit. I brought the ointment."
I sigh, but I sit. "You enjoy this way too much."
She hums, lifting my shirt without asking, like always. I don't even try to stop her this time. Her hands are cool against the sore spot on my side, careful as she spreads the ointment. Her touch isn't rough today it's gentle, almost thoughtful.
"See? I can be nice," she murmurs.
I snort. "Didn't think you had it in you."
The door creaks and we both turn sharply. Matron Hilda stands in the doorway, her eyes narrowing at the scene in front of her. Me half shirtless, Lyara beside me with her hands on my side and a jar of ointment on the bed. "What is the meaning of this?" she snaps, stepping into the room like a storm.
I start to stand. "Matron, it's not what it—"
"Why are you shirtless?" Her voice rises. "What exactly is happening here?"
"I got hurt," I say quickly. "Lyara was just—"
"I don't want excuses!" Her glare flicks between us like a whip. "You both think I'm blind? Foolish?"
"No, Matron, I—"
"Enough! Ashen, you will sweep the dining hall for the next two days. Lyara, you'll handle dish duty. All of it. Alone." She doesn't wait for a response before turning sharply on her heel and leaving, the door slamming shut behind her.
The silence left behind feels like a slap. I pull my shirt back down, glaring at the door. "Great," I mutter. "Thanks for the help."
Lyara shrugs, unbothered as always. "You could've said something," I add. "Begged her to understand. Told her what you were doing."
She raises an eyebrow. "And why would I beg her?
I blink. "Because it might've helped?"
"She clearly had made up answers in her head. Nothing we say would make any difference." She leans back on her hands. "And I never beg. Especially when I'm not guilty. Let her punish me. It's just dishes."
I scoff. "You're unbelievable."
She smirks. "Besides, I'll get to spend some time with you." She nudges my arm. "We're both being punished, remember?"
I shake my head, fighting back a smile. "That's not exactly a good thing." She shrugs again, like she doesn't care. But there's a glint in her eye I can't quite ignore and as much as I try to stay annoyed, part of me knows it's not going to be so bad doing punishment with her.