It looked similar to something he had seen before—in the book Roxanna’s mother left behind—but not exactly the same. He remembered Roxanna saying she wanted to teach them how to read it someday, but she hadn’t had the time yet.

"Oh, this? These are called alphabets," Aelin explained patiently. "We use them to write things down—on paper or anything else—to record our knowledge. You can even write a love letter with them."

Azul’s eyes lit up right away. "Really? Can I make one too?"

"Well..." Aelin smiled slightly. "You need to learn how to read first before you can write a love letter."

"I can learn," Azul said quickly. "Can you teach me?"

Aelin tilted her head. "Why not ask your wife to teach you?"

Azul shook his head. "If she teaches me... then I won’t be able to surprise her properly."

He didn’t just want to write a love letter. He also wanted to surprise Roxanna by showing her that he could read, just like she could.

Aelin looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, if that’s what you want, I can teach you. But I still have to teach Skiv during the day, so I can only teach you in the morning."

Azul nodded without hesitation. "That’s fine with me."

===

"Roxanna, I’ve already prepared the warm water for you," Luan said gently. When he saw her sitting on the bed with her back hunched and her head resting against her thighs, he quickly knelt in front of her. "But... can you still take a bath? Or do you want to just sleep instead?"

Roxanna slowly shook her head. "But I smell really bad right now."

Maybe it was because she had been swimming with the fish for quite a while. Right now, she carried a faint fishy scent.

[Well, no offense to Azul at all,] Roxanna thought. [He never smells fishy. Maybe it’s because he’s the one who takes care of himself the most among my husbands.]

[He actually smells really nice, like the fresh air near the ocean.] A soft wave of nostalgia suddenly filled her chest. [He always reminds me of the times when I used to go to the beach whenever I felt too stressed.]

On the other hand, Luan felt slightly offended. In a way, it meant he didn’t smell as good as Azul. But instead of getting upset, he simply took it as a reminder to bathe more often.

"Do you want me to help you bathe?" he asked casually.

Roxanna immediately lifted her face. "Ah, no! You don’t have to do that!"

[If he helps me bathe, then we might end up having sex in the bathroom.]

Luan replied right away, "I won’t do anything, I promise." His voice was calm. "I just want to help you clean up and feel better. That’s all."

Even though she was a bit doubtful, Luan’s expression looked completely serious, a sign that he meant every word he said. That was why Roxanna finally nodded. "Okay. Please help me."

She instinctively wrapped her arms around Luan’s neck, silently asking him to carry her into the bathroom. Luan smiled faintly and lifted her with ease, bringing her toward the bathroom.

As they passed the others, he grinned and said, "I’m going to help our wife take a bath, so make sure the bed and the warm food are ready when we come back."

Cyrus twitched the corner of his eyes, and in that moment, he finally understood why Calen always felt like arguing with this annoying cat.

"Just do it quickly," Zeir said to Luan. Unlike the others, he didn’t really care who would help Roxanna bathe. The one and only thing he wanted was to make sure his wife could sleep comfortably. "She was in the water for too long earlier."

Luan nodded. "Of course. You don’t have to worry about that."

Since the bathroom didn’t have a bathtub, Luan placed Roxanna on top of the wooden stool, then helped her take off all her clothes.

At first, he honestly thought he wouldn’t be able to control himself when he saw his wife naked, but now that he was faced with this amazing view... his body didn’t react at all.

Instead of desire, what filled him was something much softer. His mind stayed clear and his hands steady.

Because right now, more than anything else, he just wanted to take care of her.

Luan dipped a cloth into the warm water, then gently wrung it out before bringing it to her skin.

"Tell me if it’s too hot," he murmured.

Roxanna shook her head lightly. "No... it’s nice." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The warmth slowly spread across her body, easing the lingering chill from earlier. She let out a soft breath, her shoulders relaxing as the tension melted away bit by bit.

Luan moved carefully, wiping her arms first, then her shoulders. His touch was gentle, almost cautious, as if he was afraid of hurting her.

He crushed the soapberry in his hand, and its fresh, clean scent quickly filled the bathroom.

"Do you want me to wash your hair as well?" he asked.

Roxanna nodded. "Yes, please."

Luan started by rubbing the soapberry over her skin, then slowly moved to her hair. His movements were soft and careful as he washed it, his fingers lightly massaging her scalp to ease the headache she had been feeling.

[It’s weird...]

Luan paused for a moment when Roxanna said that. At first, he was afraid that he had done something wrong, but her next remark immediately pushed that thought away.

[I’m not embarrassed being naked in front of Luan anymore. Maybe... I’m just used to it already.]

Roxanna frowned slightly to herself. [Or maybe... I just feel really safe when I’m with them.]

Her body slowly relaxed under his touch, the warmth of the water and his gentle care making her feel at ease without even realizing it.

By the time he finished bathing her, Roxanna could no longer hold back her sleepiness, so Luan carried her out of the bathroom in his arms.