novelraw Chapter 624: Hot Spring
Chapter 624: Hot Spring
"Massage in Raphaela's room?"
Jasmine blankly chewed on these words Fisher said, having not yet reacted to what he meant, even foolishly thinking if she and Teacher Fisher were here then where should Raphaela go?
Couldn't just let Raphaela go out right?
But a mere second later, she seemingly realized something after the fact. Her fair, somewhat baby-fat face was instantly occupied by a smear of cherry blossom color rising from her neck.
Her gaze dodged, her ears also flicked. It was obviously her heartbeat accelerating and her head heating up, subconsciously and imperceptibly muttering a sentence,
"Teacher Fisher, ec..."
The smile of Raphaela beside her also stiffened all at once, her dragon claws clenching bit by bit. Not knowing if it was those words about "can only accept Jasmine" she said to him in the morning that made Fisher push his luck, to actually raise such a request.
But turning her head to look at Jasmine beside her, she actually discovered she didn't have any other reactions besides being bashful. The movements of this body seemingly just said "actually it's not impossible either", angering Raphaela to the point her teeth itched.
Seeing this, she gently reached out knocking Jasmine's head, knocking her dizzy head back to the high ground of rationality. At the same time, she turned her face sideways speaking to Fisher,
"You wish, letting Jasmine massage for you, and even in my room. My mother is still resting next door... After finishing your bath tonight obediently go back to sleep. If you really want a massage to relax, I'll have the Dragon Court's soldiers come over to help you."Obviously, there was still a very long distance to the harmony between Keken's several wives.
However Fisher himself didn't hold too much hope, and of course it wasn't a matter of disappointment. Now that the two of them being together didn't fight was already considered not bad.
Him saying this just now was just somewhat feeling in a difficult position. Facing Jasmine's so obvious invitation, and Raphaela "glaring like a tiger" beside him, no matter how he answered he wouldn't be able to satisfy the other person, so he simply straightforwardly "I want it all" to avoid this choice.
So you see, just now upon hearing this question Eimhart had already with foresight abandoned Fisher and left.
"Alright, then I'll go take a bath first, and wait until tomorrow morning to check on Aunt Yali'er's condition."
Only then did Raphaela nod her head. She touched her own lower abdomen picking up a key on the tabletop. While pointing a direction outside the door for Fisher she softly said,
"Inside the Royal Court there is a hot spring exclusively for my use. Go out this corridor, turn left and it's at the end. This is the key."
"Alright, then I'm going."
Fisher nodded turning around to leave. Behind him Jasmine who still wanted to say something reached out her hand, but it melted under Raphaela's formless gaze beside her.
Raphaela sighed. The Jasmine before her eyes was just like a child unrestrained after tasting the forbidden fruit for the first time, having tasted the sweetness couldn't help but ask for more. She could only softly say,
"Jasmine, my mother is still resting. Go back and rest first tonight."
Jasmine and Raphaela's rooms actually weren't too far apart, and happened perfectly so, the room Yali'er rested in was in the middle of equal distance between the two rooms. This reason could be said to be flawless, also equivalent to saying "nobody eats tonight" like this.
Although this morning Raphaela in the end still drew a bottom line for Fisher after thinking again and again, she knew what Fisher had done for her and for the Dragon Court and what he had borne, so she made such a concession. But after all for a Dragon-kin this was a special circumstance, she still needed to do a bit of mental preparation to get over this hurdle...
Perhaps, what she actually needed was an opportunity to personally chat with Jasmine, but not right now tonight.
However it looked like this little fool Whale-kin didn't have complicated feelings in this aspect in the slightest, or perhaps she had but didn't show it on her face.
Jasmine embarrassedly retracted her hand, seemingly also feeling she was too obvious, so similarly laughed awkwardly, nodding to agree,
"That's... that's also true. Although Aunt Yali'er doesn't have any major issues, it's best to be a bit quieter... Then, I'll go back to rest. You also rest early, Raphaela."
"Alright, good night, Jasmine."
As Jasmine turned around and left Raphaela's room, Raphaela also touched her lower abdomen and sat back down, seemingly preparing to read a few more documents before resting.
But right now it was still July not yet entering autumn. The evening breeze blowing in from outside slapping on her back was still that scorching hot, making her restlessly sway the tail behind her.
"Rustle..."
The Dragon Court characters on the documents seemed to be burning, making it difficult for Raphaela to discern. No matter what she couldn't take them into her eyes, conversely making her somewhat lonely pout
Outside the Dragon Court, the sound of ocean waves slapping the coast seemingly resembled the gurgling flowing water of a hot spring, further making Raphaela think of Fisher currently bathing in the hot spring.
She couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva. Her spirit that was previously sluggish due to reading documents was instead excited at this moment, putting on an appearance of a "greedy evil dragon".
Clearly already having a baby, why still...
Raphaela's face reddened slightly, then somewhat irritably rubbed her own temples, subsequently leaning her body against the soft chair behind her.
After hesitating for a moment, she still reached out her hand and opened the drawer under the table. Inside lay a key exactly identical to the one Fisher took away just now.
Although doing this was a bit immoral, because she just advised Jasmine to go back and rest...
Raphaela's face was slightly red, the tail behind her swaying and swaying, finally still quietly standing up and walking to the door. After pushing open the door, this moment the Royal Court at night appeared exceptionally quiet, the guards all reassigned outside to coordinate various works of the Prayer and Blessing Tower.
While mother's room and Jasmine's room were both tightly shut, looking like they had already rested...
Raphaela let out a breath of relief while walking outside the door, looking around continuously and quietly closing the door behind her, subsequently pinching the other key leading to the hot spring heading towards the depths of the Royal Court far away from this place.
The Sunset Valley region in the southern part of the Southern Continent had many natural hot springs. The underground caves where the Bat-kin who originally lived here resided for generations even had a large number of hot springs visible everywhere.
After the New Dragon Court established by Raphaela took this as a base, the residents here also started enjoying these hot springs visible everywhere, as one of the few welfare benefits provided to the residents under the wartime system.
The hot spring within the Royal Court couldn't be considered the largest nor the best, but for the exclusive hot spring inside the Royal Court it was obviously enough.
When Fisher walked to a small hill deep within the Royal Court according to the direction pointed out by Raphaela and then used the key to open the sealed door, what first emerged from within was wisps of steam. From the steam revealed a sealed, smoke-wreathed massive hot spring cluster.
These pools were layered one upon another, among them perhaps partitioned by some wooden planks and wooden frames. And because it was sealed, the evaporated steam was just like smoke wreathing around. While obscuring the line of sight, it further made this place seem like a fairyland on earth.
Fisher wiped the water vapor on the skin of his face, his muscles also couldn't help but relax. He casually walked amid the smoke, very quickly stepping onto the small paths amidst many hot spring pools. After advancing for a few minutes he casually found a neither big nor small pool as the bathing spot.
When unbuttoning his white robe revealing his sturdy upper body he again felt it was somewhat a pity Eimhart didn't come. But probably even if he came he wouldn't be able to enjoy it, that guy was relatively afraid of water, not to mention this kind of hot water.
Thinking of these nonsenses, Fisher also stripped completely naked, enjoying the wonderfulness of the hot spring.
In the West Continent there were rarely such places for enjoyment. Seemingly there were some within Schwari's borders, but they were mostly private treasured lands of local royalty and aristocracy, the local commoners had no opportunity to enjoy them. Of course a foreigner like him had even less opportunity.
He leaned against the bank, closing his eyes to rest his mind, occasionally reaching out to playfully slap his body with hot water.
"Creak..."
Not a while later, Fisher's ears twitched slightly, keenly hearing the sound of unlocking transmitting from within the mist as well as the sound of the door slowly opening.
Someone else came.
Fisher opened his eyes, turning his head looking towards this hazy water mist. Very quickly he saw a blurry graceful figure. He could see the action of that figure taking off her clothes within the mist. She looked around, finally unable to bear it softly opening her mouth calling out a sentence,
"Fisher?"
"..."
It was Raphaela.
"I'm here."
Fisher sat up, watching her slowly walking over after discovering his position. When coming, the clothes on her body seemed to have already been placed in some other place by her, while she herself was draped in a gray bath towel, her face slightly red looking at Fisher in the pool.
Under the dual concealment of the bath towel and the mist, he could only see clearly the faintly swaying dragon tail behind her and the crimson scales on her fair skin. The entire bath towel was grabbed by her dragon claws breaking free from gravity, yet looking exceptionally loose.
Her face was slightly red. She first cast a glance at Fisher in the pool, subsequently walking over without saying a word, little by little entering the pool.
The spring water in the pool bubbled, the bath towel draped on her body also smoothly floated on the water surface, only unable to escape because she was grabbing it.
Fisher swallowed a mouthful of saliva, smilingly asking,
"I still thought tonight was off... or is it, you just came to take a bath?"
Raphaela's face reddened slightly, glaring at him reproachfully. Although the purpose of coming was already so obvious, once thinking he was actually dare to excessively say those words just now, she arrogantly hummed a sound, putting on a brave face saying,
"Of course... of course came to take a bath, nothing more."
"..."
Fisher blinked his eyes, sitting motionless in the pool watching her also sit down at the place she entered the water, comfortably letting out a breath because of the warmth of the hot spring.
Subsequently, she looked at Fisher again, then continuously watching him still sitting not far away yet just wouldn't come over, and just looked at her like that, she then raised her tail patting beside her, supervising,
"What are you doing, come over ah."
"I won't go over."
"?"
Looking at Raphaela's appearance of about to erupt, Fisher deliberately said,
"Didn't you say you just came to take a bath? You are too cute, if I go over I wouldn't be able to hold back."
Raphaela bashfully shook the tail behind her, subsequently gritting her teeth and throwing the floating bath towel over. Before it was fiercely grabbed by Fisher's raised hand, while splashing a bit of water he also listened to her continuing to say,
"Who... who said letting you come over was to do that kind of thing... I wanted you to help me wipe my scales!"
"I couldn't hold back."
"Hurry up and come over!"
Only then did Fisher stop acting up. He slowly came to Raphaela's side, watching her softly hum a sound turning her back facing Fisher, and Fisher also gently raised the bath towel, just like in the past gently wiping the scales on her body.
This was a special duty only a Tail-Compatible Partner could take on.
"Hum hum hum..."
She looked exceptionally comfortable. While letting Fisher clean her scales for her, wiping those scales tightly adhering to the skin smooth, at the same time softly humming a ballad in her throat.
Seeing her so relaxed, Fisher's mood also couldn't help but improve. He gently wrapped his arms around her back, pressing his hands against her still-flat lower abdomen. Seemingly wanting to feel the existence there, yet just touching like this, without using the power of the soul.
"... The baby will only have a shape after two months."
"Faster than humans."
"He will be a Dragon-kin, I can feel it."
"Yeah..."
The main characteristics of a mixed-blood species generally follow the mother. And strictly speaking, mixed-blood species can actually be distinguished by race, just that they will have characteristics of both races.
Taking the Sardin Woman's Country people of the Northern Territory as an example, the initial Sardin Woman's Country people were mixed-bloods of Giant Troll-kin and humans, and it must be a combination of "human mother and Giant Troll father". Only this way the child born to them would be primarily humanoid rather than a Giant Troll, and still possess the "Yin and Yang Reversal" trait.
The Sardin Woman's Country people born this way were still humans rather than Giant Trolls. Passing through a few generations of mixed-blood and combining with each other like this, the Sardin Woman's Country people in the historical sense were born.
By the same logic, so the child Raphaela gave birth to would also be a Dragon-kin possessing certain human characteristics.
"However earlier you spoke with Jasmine like that, I still thought tonight was just treating it as a ceasefire to rest, didn't expect you would still come over."
Hearing Fisher say this, the originally completely comfortable Raphaela also revealed a somewhat awkward expression, because originally she truly planned this way, but as a result in the end didn't hold back so came over to sneak a bite.
"..."
And watching her suddenly not speak, even her body somewhat stiffening up, Fisher raised his eyebrows becoming somewhat not knowing whether to laugh or cry,
"Wait, don't tell me you really..."
"You're so annoying, Fisher."
But before he finished speaking, Raphaela domineeringly turned her head over. She puffed her cheeks, unhappily using the tail behind her to gently entangle Fisher's waist, just like in the past drawing the distance between him and herself closer little by little. Subsequently she was unable to wait to reach out her hands cradling Fisher's cheeks, kissing his lips, blocking all the words he was about to say in his mouth.
"Mwah!"
The water waves in the hot spring gurgled, and Fisher also completely without resistance leaned against the stone wall behind him reaching the height of his back, wrapping his arms around her back.
Only after a long time when their lips parted did Raphaela dizzy and confusedly retreat a bit, looking infatuatedly at the Fisher before her eyes, saying,
"I just secretly came over, but I don't care. Didn't you say on the carriage previously, wanting it when we returned."
"I also said doing this isn't good for the baby..."
"Slap!"
The tail behind her dissatisfiedly slapped the warm spring water, obviously not accepting this answer of Fisher's.
And since matters had reached this point, Fisher obviously also couldn't escape, couldn't refuse anymore...
Just that before that, he still couldn't help but think of those exceptionally harmonious three madams on Keken's ship. As a pure Naris gentleman, he perhaps still harbored a bit of such a completely unrealistic fantasy.
Therefore, he questioned,
"Wait, then those words you said this morning..."
Raphaela puffed her cheeks, temporarily not wanting to chat about this topic, merely using her tail to entangle him increasingly tightly, preventing him from escaping and opening his mouth again.
Well, seems like getting away is impossible.
"Creak..."
But right before heavenly thunder met earthly fire, the moment Fisher was preparing to sacrifice his life for righteousness, right above this sealed hot spring, amidst the dense mist, a faint, careful sound of unlocking, sound of the door opening rang out in succession.
To two existences who simultaneously entered the Mythical Rank, this kind of sound was exceptionally obvious, even as if a thunderclap.
That virtual thunderclap instantly made Raphaela and Fisher's bodies in the hot spring stiffen up. The two of them quieted down simultaneously, blankly looking towards the direction of the door wrapped by mist making it unclear...
The next second, a small, careful calling sound rang out from within,
"Teacher Fisher?"
"..."