The sun slowly dipped below the horizon, yielding its place to the waxing gibbous moon.

  The forest’s frenetic daytime activity hushed, giving way to a serene and tranquil night as a cold wind whispered through the leafy canopies.

  “That old bone hasn’t shown up yet?”

  In one particular spot, sitting was a middle-aged man with unkempt hair, Glen; his rough voice broke the stillness.

  “No idea, brother,” Arnold replied. He was a boy with blonde-haired, his voice edged with unease as he glanced around nervously.

  Glen scowled. He stopped sharpening his knife with a soft *shiiing*, sliding his knife back into its sheath and rising to his full height.

  “Again? Always forcing us to go by our damn selves.”

  *click click*

  “But the shining’s worth it, lead,” said Jack, a thin man leaning casually against a tree, his narrow eyes glinting as he flicked coins between his fingers.

  He chuckled. Once satisfied, he tucked the leather pouch against his chest and swaggered up beside the leader.

  “Chop chop, hoist up, baldhead, punyhead!” He clapped his hands together.

  With a grunt, Glen pushed forward, taking the lead through the trees. Jack and Arnold also followed him closely.

  Behind them, Rudolph sat astride a sturdy horse, urging it forward. A spring cart was hitched to its back, rattling with each bump in the earth.

  Upon the cart lay a young girl, unconscious; her eyes were covered, and her mouth was gagged with a strip of dry cloth. With each bump of the path, her small frame shifted faintly.

  "Don't get lost. You will never find a way out.”

  “Yes, brother.”

  The group lifted their lanterns high, the glow spilling forward as they pressed deeper, to the mansion within these woods.

  —

  ‘By the way, where did you learn that phrase?’

  While rinsing their newly acquired body with a flannel cloth in one of the mansion’s bathrooms, Izzy asked her young mind.

  The act of bathing here was proving far more challenging than anything she’d been used to as someone accustomed to modern conveniences.

  First came the water. Benjamin had to fetch it from the well in the mansion’s backyard, pumping until the jug filled heavily with cold water. Each jug was large enough to fill a bowl, and thankfully, their Psychokinesis made carrying them relatively easy.

  In the cold season, the water was bone-chillingly cold. At least it hadn’t frozen solid, which was a small mercy. Bathing in cold water was an option, but considering the girl’s already weak body, it was a sure path to illness, or worse, a second death.

  So the marionette had to boil the water in the kitchen using large kettles. There was a gas heater too, but Izzy had no idea how to operate it.

  Finally, Benjamin would bring the hot water into the bathroom. He’d pour the cold water into a bowl to wash the flannel cloth and the hot water into the hip tub for their vessel full bath.

  It was at this moment that Izzy truly realized how practical and handy Benjamin’s abilities had been. He could move around incredibly fast, and could boil cold water to hot with just a snap of his fingers.

  Sadly, they hadn’t inherited any of his abilities upon possessing his corpse.

  The bathroom itself was quite spacious, even by modern standards. It was spotlessly clean, indicating that the old man had meticulously maintained it until yesterday.

  This also meant that from now on, they would have to clean the mansion themselves. Izzy didn't know when she would be able to escape this place, so it was better to keep things sanitary.

  The floor was made of polished wood, adorned with soft rugs. The lower half of the walls featured wainscoting, while the upper walls were painted in soothing wooden tones.

  There was even an arched window nearby, fully covered with lace curtains. It offered a view of nature while bathing, even though it was still dark outside. She admitted it gave the room a strangely romantic quality.

  A simple porcelain sink basin with polished brass taps stood against the wall, its gleam reflecting the soft light from the twin wall-mounted oil lamps that provided illumination.

  Adjacent to it was a high-tank toilet flushed with a pull chain. Naturally, there was no running water, but Izzy quickly figured out how to refill the toilet’s cistern by manually pouring water into the high-mounted tank on the wall.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  To be frank, this revelation surprised her; a flushing toilet in this era? This world really was not as backward as she had initially thought.

  As for the taps, she had no idea how to refill them. She wasn't a technician; she was a "brain type." The mansion had only been run by one person, and that person was now dead.

  Above the sink, a simple, oval mirror in a plain wooden frame caught the soft light of the wall-mounted oil lamp, reflecting her thin, bruised frame back at her.

  In the corner, a carved wooden cabinet rested, containing a single bar of soap, a bottle of powder, and a piece of cloth for cleaning teeth.

  Beside it, the hip tub had an elegant design, paired with woven flannel cloths for scrubbing and a thick towel for drying.

  Izzy sighed, dipping the cloth into the warmed water before carefully rubbing her sore arms. Perhaps there were efficient ways to fill the tub, but given her unfamiliarity with this world, her current method was the only one she knew.

  Despite the tediousness, she knew her situation was far better than that of the poor village folk outside. They had access to the mansion’s bathing system, which, by the standards of this era, was undoubtedly a luxury.

  ‘What phrase was it?’

  Isa took over the control and repeatedly rinsed her body with the flannel cloth, washing away the dirt and grime in the water bowl. She applied the single bar of soap to every part of her body, meticulously cleaning the dust and lingering traces of blood from her bruises and scars, extremely cautious not to inflict any further pain.

  Once done, she repeated the process, but this time on her long black hair. Only then did she encounter an awkward yet surprisingly serious problem.

  ‘Yuck!’

  Her nose wrinkled. Washing a girl’s hair was proving far more complicated and time-consuming than Isa had imagined. It became even worse when using this particular soap.

  Isa wasn’t sure what this soap was made of, but it was clearly a man’s soap, designed for short hair and body wash, not for the delicate care of long, thick tresses. She didn’t even know if shampoo was a concept in this era.

  The hair weighed heavily with water, long strands tangled together in messy knots. The soap foamed poorly and felt sticky, clinging to the strands like glue. The length of her hair also didn’t help. The soap kept getting into her eyes, irritating them and making the process frustratingly uncomfortable.

  ‘Help me!’

  ‘Hold on!’

  Yes, Izzy was sure they had messed up. They hadn’t even thought of it until now, but with a woman’s body came several problems they hadn’t considered.

  Even Benjamin had to step in and help her rinse her hair, carefully pouring jugs of newly fetched water over it in the meticulous process of cleaning off the stubborn residue.

  By the time they were done, nearly half an hour had passed. Izzy sighed, exhausted by something so mundane.

  ‘Ah, that phrase.’

  Their minds casually chatted, seeking to forget the irritating mistake they had just made. Isa controlled her vessel, immersing herself in the hip tub.

  The water had cooled considerably, but it wasn’t an issue. The girl casually raised her arms, pouring the cool water over her clavicle, then over her shoulders, rinsing away the last traces of soap.

  Although her figure was on the shorter side, the adult hip tub still proved a bit small for her, but it was certainly better than having no tub at all.

  While Isa was indulging in her bath, Izzy took control of Benjamin and descended to the kitchen. One by one, he lifted the lids of wooden bins, retrieved potatoes, a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth, a jar of jam, along with carrots, cabbage, and a pouch of salt. A small stack of herbs and spices sat in jars nearby.

  He washed the vegetables in a basin before peeling and chopping them. The potatoes went into a pot of boiling water; the chopped carrots and cabbage followed soon after. Steam rose, carrying a faint aroma. A pinch of salt was sprinkled in for flavor.

  The malnourished girl clearly needed a proper meal and daily exercise to regain her strength. Luckily, the mansion provided most of the necessities, including food, housing, clothes, and water, etc…

  There was no beef or meat. But that was alright; they could manage without them.

  ‘It was from that novel we used to read!’

  Izzy kept the marionette’s hands moving, slicing bread into neat slices before smearing them with jam, and waited for the rest of the food to cook fully.

  She didn’t respond immediately, her thoughts caught between annoyance and reminiscence, as that novel had been forced upon her rather than being something she enjoyed.

  ‘I’d rather sleep than read it.’

  ‘Liar, I know you enjoyed it!’

  ‘I’m not. Totally not.’

  Well, to be fair, some parts of the novel had been quite entertaining. Izzy couldn’t deny it.

  By the time the food was ready, Benjamin had set everything neatly onto simple trays: steaming stew in ceramic bowls, jammed bread, and a clay cup for water. He arranged them on a trolley and rolled it into the dining room on the ground floor, the wheels clattering softly against the floorboards.

  ‘You shouldn’t stay in the bath too long; the girl’ll get sick. Come out and eat.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Isa replied, stepping out of the hip tub, rivulets of water running down her body.

  She scratched her head; it still felt sticky and itchy, but she couldn’t do anything about it for now. Water trickled down from her recently cleaned hair as she used the bathing towel to dry herself.

  Isa gently pressed the water out of her hair with the towel for some time, then wrapped it around her head. No matter how gentle she tried, she could feel it becoming frizzy, tangled, fractured, and broken.

  “Ugh…”

  She knew this problem would likely happen, yet she couldn’t do anything about it. There was simply no way to properly care for it in her current situation, and she had no idea how to begin.

  Isa bent to mop the splashes on the floor using old rags. Luckily, there was a drain system in this bathroom.

  When done, her mood turned complicated as her gaze shifted to the water closet.

  ‘Sooner or later, Isa has to get used to this, right?’

  Isa shut her eyes, cheeks faintly red, and sat down. For now, there was no avoiding it.

  Deep down, both minds agreed on one thing. They really hoped they would get a male vessel soon.

  Thanks to everyone suggesting the change of word "living body." I'm gonna use "vessel"! (This is just testing, though; I still feel it's quite...idk, not really better?)

  Just a little teaser for the next chapter. It is supposed to go into some previous chapter for a cliffhanger, but oh well.

  I also just discovered the moon cycles when playing Iuno’s event, so I immediately utilized them, hehe.

  I will draw the girl's illustration if I have time.

  I actually don’t know when to use “tap” or “taps”. Google did explain it, but my English sucks, and engineering is not my thing, so idk.

  Don’t ask me why this chapter is needed. It's absolutely needed.

  Is my writing readable?