Chapter 640: Bathing with three daughters

"You two can set those down," Julian said gently. "You don’t have to hover there looking uncomfortable. If Seraphine manipulated you into coming here, you’re under no obligation to actually do anything."

That seemed to break some of the tension. Lyanna moved forward hesitantly and set her basket on the table. Cassandra did the same, though she still kept her eyes carefully averted from the tub itself.

"Although," Julian continued with a slight smile, "if you’re going to commit to being here, you might as well commit fully. Half-hearted assistance isn’t very useful."

Seraphine laughed. "Father’s right. Either help properly or admit defeat and leave. This awkward middle ground helps no one."

Lyanna straightened her shoulders, her warrior’s pride apparently stung by the implication she was doing anything half-heartedly.

"Fine," she said firmly. "We’re here to help, so we’ll help properly."

She picked up one of the oils and moved closer to the tub, though her movements were still stiff with embarrassment.

Cassandra, not wanting to be shown up by her sister, also steeled herself and approached.

Julian watched his three daughters with amusement and genuine affection. They were all so different—Seraphine confident and mischievous, Lyanna proud and determined, Cassandra reserved and careful—yet all three clearly cared enough to push through their discomfort to help him.

Even if Seraphine had manipulated the situation to make it happen.

"Well then," Julian said, settling back in the water more comfortably, "I’m in your capable hands. Do your worst."

Seraphine’s eyes sparkled. "Oh, Father. You really shouldn’t give me that kind of permission."

Lyanna shot her a warning look. "Seraphine, behave."

"I’m always behaving," Seraphine replied innocently. "Just not in the way you expect."

She picked up one of the oils—the lavender one—and poured a generous amount into her palm. Then, without any hesitation whatsoever, she moved behind Julian and placed her hands on his shoulders.

Julian felt the warm oil against his skin as Seraphine began working it into his muscles with surprisingly skilled fingers. She applied firm pressure, finding tension points and massaging them.

"You’re actually quite good at this," Julian observed, genuinely impressed.

"I used to watch Mother give massages to the other wives when they were stressed," Seraphine explained, her fingers working along his shoulder blades. "She taught me the basics. Said it was important to know how to help people relax."

Her hands moved with confidence, spreading the oil over his upper back and shoulders.

"See?" Seraphine said, glancing at her sisters with a challenging look. "Nothing inappropriate about it. Just helping Father’s muscles relax. Are you two just going to stand there watching, or are you going to help?"

Lyanna’s jaw set with determination. She picked up the mint oil, poured some into her hands, and moved to Julian’s right side.

"I’ll work on his arms," she announced, as if accepting a combat challenge rather than offering assistance.

She took Julian’s right arm, lifted it from the water, and began applying the oil with strong pressure.

"You don’t need to try to pull my arm off," Julian said with a chuckle.

Lyanna’s face flushed. "I’m not! I’m just... I’m being thorough!"

"Very thorough," Julian agreed. "I can feel the thoroughness."

Cassandra, not wanting to be left out and apparently deciding that if her sisters could do this, so could she, picked up the winterbloom-scented salt mixture.

"I’ll... I’ll work on your other arm," she said quietly, moving to Julian’s left side.

Unlike Lyanna’s warrior-like approach, Cassandra’s touch was gentle, almost delicate. She took Julian’s left arm and began massaging the scented solution into his skin.

"This is nice," Julian said, genuinely relaxed now with all three of his daughters attending to him. "I should let you three manipulate me into things more often."

"Don’t encourage Seraphine," Lyanna muttered, still working on his right arm. "She needs no help in that department."

Seraphine laughed, her hands moving down to Julian’s upper back, working the muscles along his spine.

"You say that like it’s a bad thing. Manipulation is just another word for strategic communication. If I can convince people to do things that are actually good for them, where’s the harm?"

"The harm is in the deception," Cassandra said softly, though her hands never stopped their gentle massage on Julian’s left arm.

"But I told you I was manipulating you," Seraphine pointed out reasonably. "That’s the opposite of deception. I was completely honest about my dishonesty. That’s like... double honesty."

Lyanna snorted. "That logic makes no sense."

"It makes perfect sense if you think about it correctly," Seraphine countered. Her hands reached Julian’s lower back now, and she had to lean forward slightly to reach properly. "Father, you’re carrying a lot of tension here. What were you doing last night after we went to sleep?"

Julian smiled slightly, his eyes still closed. "Walking. Exploring the city. Experiencing the local... culture."

"The local culture," Seraphine repeated, her tone making it clear she knew there was more to the story. "And did this local culture involve the red light district that I’m quite sure I saw from our window?"

Lyanna’s hands paused on Julian’s arm. "Father, you didn’t—"

"Didn’t what?" Julian asked innocently. "Take a walk through a district of the city? I absolutely did. It was very educational."

Cassandra’s cheeks colored, but her hands continued their work. "Educational about what, exactly?"

"About local customs, architecture, the diversity of businesses operating in Ezakael," Julian replied. "Very informative."

Seraphine laughed, clearly not buying his answer for a second, but letting it go for now. Her hands worked their way back up his spine.

"Well, whatever you were doing, you definitely tensed yourself up. I can feel the knots here."

She pressed particularly firmly on one spot, and Julian made a small sound of both pain and relief.

"Too hard?" Seraphine asked.

"No, just right. That spot definitely needed attention."

Lyanna had finished with Julian’s right arm and was now looking uncertain about what to do next. Seraphine noticed immediately.

"Do his hand and fingers," she suggested. "That’s where a lot of people carry tension without realizing it."