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When he pushed the door open, his gaze was immediately drawn to the bathtub.
The water was almost overflowing, with ice floating on the surface, clinking softly now and then. The girl lay naked inside, her skin pale to the point of blue, her chest barely rising. If not for her open eyes, most would have thought she was nothing but a poor, long-dead corpse.
But she slowly picked up the last piece of watermelon from the plate, looked straight at him without the slightest embarrassment, completely ignoring that she was completely naked.
“Welcome back. How was your day?”
“Not bad. You?”
The man bent down, his expression calm as he looked at her face. His golden hair touched the edge of the tub. The girl grabbed a strand and twirled it around her finger, nodding casually.
He stood up, mopped up the splashed water on the floor, then carried a full bucket of ice from the fridge and poured it all into the bathtub. He refilled the container with water and put it back in the fridge, waiting for it to freeze into more ice.
“You haven’t gone out with us in a long time,” he said, almost casually. “We’re going to that restaurant you like in a few days. Want to come?”
“If the guests can stand the smell of a rotting body,” she chuckled softly. “Honestly, I don’t want it to go out of business because of me.”
“Maybe… you could switch to a more convenient body.”
“Ah, like my old one. It was damaged, but still usable,” she said, pretending to have just realized it, leaning over the edge of the tub and giggling. “Then I wouldn’t have to miss our rare family outings, right, Baldr?”
Baldr was bent over, wiping a stain, his voice unchanged. “We’ll bring you leftovers even if you don’t come. But it would be better if you did.”
She snorted, noncommittal. “You really like my old body that much?” Somewhere in her mind, she recalled Nanna’s complaints from days earlier.
“Not at all,” he said, returning to the tub and watching her fingers tap the water now and then. “I just want to have a meal with you.”
She didn’t deny it, only stared quietly at the cracks in the tile.
Baldr knew if he kept beating around the bush, she would truly get angry. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke plainly. “I just want to know why you’re still using this corpse. I thought you only did it out of necessity.”
Hela’s distant gaze finally settled on the handsome man in front of her. She blinked. “Because it’s convenient. Like right now.” She pointed at the empty plate, putting on an innocent, childlike expression. “Cut me some more, please?”
He obeyed without question, went to the kitchen, cut up more fruit, filled the plate, and brought it back. All the while, Hela did nothing.
He set the plate down, and she had already grabbed a piece of apple and was taking a big bite. “But you know I’d do all this for you even if you weren’t in a child’s body.”
“Ah, right. The good man Baldr will do anything for anyone. That’s what they all say,” she replied carelessly. Somewhere in her mind, hundreds of first meetings flashed — golden sunlight falling into the abyss, each time catching her off guard.
Baldr knew his persuasion had failed completely that day. He sighed and tried to stand up, but his hair was pulled. The tug forced him to stay, looking cautiously at the girl in the tub.
Summer was sweltering; even she was easily bothered. She lifted an arm, listlessly watching the pieces of ice around her float up and sink again. Then she spoke slowly, her words shocking.
“I said… have you been… unsatisfied lately?”
“Wha—?” The man blushed, as expected. “We shouldn’t talk about such things. Ahem.”
The reaction amused her greatly, and she laughed out loud.
“Well, maybe I’ll believe you if you’re more careful next time,” she said, studying his face — he looked like an innocent, inexperienced boy. No wonder so many people looked disappointed when they learned he was married. “I heard you. Many times. With different people.”
“Only two,” he replied casually, his strange view on love finally showing. “I’ll be quieter next time.”
Hela wasn’t surprised at all. After being together for so long, how could she not know his nature? She touched her lips with the finger that had been twisting his hair, placing a soft kiss on the golden strand. Then she let go, allowing the hair that had wrapped around her to fall away.
That night, Baldr stared at the clock. The hands showed it was well past midnight.
The door clicked open, revealing half a woman’s face. Then it swung fully open,She was clearly a mature woman. He looked at the mask covering the other half of her face, his expression unreadable.
She approached calmly, sat down on his lap, and nuzzled his cheek affectionately, like a lovestruck lover whispering sweet nothings.
In the heat of the moment, she grabbed his long golden hair and tugged gently. She liked this — it gave her a faint sense of control over him.
“Remember that question?”
He looked up, confusion obvious in his eyes. Hela smiled softly, the tremor in her voice making his heart flutter.
“Maybe you don’t notice… but every time you first see me, you make this strange little expression.”
His confusion deepened, as if he was struggling to recall a distant past.
“But this time is different,” she murmured, her voice unusually quiet, then laughed at herself. “At first I thought… maybe you prefer little girls. But later…”
Baldr kissed her forehead, saying nothing. Yet she sensed a trace of sadness, so she paused and added casually, “Don’t overthink it. You know I don’t care that much. I just find it… a little troublesome.” Maybe, she told herself.
Baldr continued kissing her softly, insistently. She tilted her neck, letting him nuzzle her. His golden hair tickled her, making her think of large, clingy dogs.
“Alright, darling. If you want to make me happy, then do as I say. Now… say you love me.”
Baldr moved his unfinished kiss to her lips, and as always, left them both breathless.
Then, just as he had done every time he gave in to her, he spoke.
“I love you, my dear master.”