Maria had already sat next to Cotiso while Alina sat nervously between Maria and Tsiru.
Alina kept her head down while every eye in the tent roamed over her from head to toe.
Corina broke the awkward silence. “You have to love a polished gem. You’re a beauty.” She bit her lip.
“Thank you, Mistress.”
“Mistress?” Corina raised a brow.
“Sit closer to the fire. Don’t catch a cold.” Maria nudged Alina, who obeyed quietly.
Tati snapped out of it and said aloud, “So!” His face was on Cotiso but he couldn’t take his eyes off Alina. “About that deal we were discussing earlier─”
“He’s not selling, Tati.” Corina spoke quietly then she quickly corrected herself, “Master.”
“We’re merchants, we can always renegotiate.”
Cotiso sounded annoyed. “Tati, let it go.” He turned to Alina. “How do you feel now, my dear? Was it too cold to bathe outside?”
“Yes. No. I mean, it was very cold, Master, but the water was hot and, um, Mistress Maria prepared lots of, uh, those things. Ah! Dry towels. So─”
“I see. Well, I’m sorry about the cold, but it does feel better now that you’ve cleaned up, doesn’t it? It’s not healthy to stay dirty.”
“Yes, Master, thank you.”