Man, point-gate teleportation really is amazing… we’re already in the royal capital in no time.
My MP took a heavy hit since I brought everyone along, though…
Anyway, this is… Hayato’s place, the alchemy room.
「Welcome, honored guests」
「Yo, Freed. Hope you don’t mind us dropping by」
「Not at all. You seem rather tired, shall I prepare your rest at once?」
「That’d help a lot… we’ve been training nonstop since morning, I’m beat…」
「I see you’ve been giving it your all. The bath is ready, so please relax in your room first. We will call for you when it’s time for the meal」
Freed, with an uncharacteristic gentle smile, led us toward our room…
「Now then… this means we need to decide how we’ll share a room with our liege」
「Should we draw lots? Or use the rock-paper-scissors our lord taught us?」
「Rock-paper-scissors… depends too much on reflexes, so I’d prefer lots」
「Actually… tonight, I’d really appreciate it if you let me sleep alone. Tomorrow I’ll be meeting Iris’s request, and if I end up sleep-deprived and slip up, that’d be bad, right?」
「「「「「Ehhhhh!?」」」」」
Hey, don’t react like I just dropped a bombshell…
The one I’ll be meeting is probably some noble lady. If I offend her carelessly, we’ll all be in trouble.
「Ah, please rest assured. Everyone will be staying in the same room」
「Eh?」
「Hayato-sama instructed us to prepare a guest chamber just for you. So I and the maids made sure to give it our utmost effort」
And with great pride, Freed showed us the room, an unbelievably huge chamber.
「The bed is custom-made, wide and sturdy enough to accommodate everyone with ease. Even if your group grows, it will still suffice. There are no servants’ rooms near this wing, and it is also far from Hayato-sama’s quarters, so your privacy is ensured. The room has its own bath, already prepared. The lavatory is fitted with the newest model. If you need anything, just press this button, and a lightstone in the servants’ room will notify us. Now then, please enjoy your stay」
「W-wait a sec…!」
Rattling off the details at high speed, Freed slipped away before I could get a single question in.
Hey, hold on a second!
Just dumping a mountain of words on me doesn’t count as a proper explanation!
What do you mean, “exclusive room”!?
And what’s with the pointless effort of choosing a spot far away from everyone else, or dropping lines like “even if your numbers increase later”?
Explain properly, damn it, !
「The bed… it’s really big. Definitely custom-made」
「Hmm. And expensive? Super fluffy」
「With this, we can all sleep together. The real issue is who gets to be beside our liege」
「Oooh… even the toilet’s flush-typessu… did they rebuild the plumbing for this…?」
「Wow, the bath is huge! Not enough for all of us together, but still…」
「Hey, don’t go poking everything! You’ll break something expensive…」
Seriously, Hayato’s too considerate!
Why go this far to prepare a room like this…?
And those pricey-looking furnishings everywhere, damn it…
And the maids going all-out too… this is probably repayment for the pudding from before. Or maybe they’re hoping for another batch.
…Not that I won’t make it again, but still.
「Haaaah… anyway, guess I’ll take a bath and rest a bit…」
「Hmm. Lord, bath together?」
「Hey, Shiro! No sneaking ahead!」
「So it’s first come first serve!? Then I’m goingssu!」
「Renge, don’t just strip in the middle of the room!」
「Master, allow me to undress you」
「Wait… I said today I wanted to relax, ah, you’re not even listening…」
In the end, everyone forced their way in, split between washing area and bath, and it wasn’t until after dinner that I finally got proper rest, lying in a row with all of them on that enormous bed.
-0-
「Fwaaahhh… aaaaah」
「What a big yawn. Did you enjoy yourself last night?」
「Yeah. We went until late into the night」
I ended up dead center on the huge bed, with everyone arranged around me in a circle.
Because of the unusual setting, I missed my first wave of sleepiness, and even though I got enough hours, I still feel a little drowsy.
「Disgusting. Just die already」
Ayame-san, your smile is lovely, but with that vein bulging on your temple it’s kind of terrifying.
Shiro, no need to bristle… I get it, she’s joking.
…She’s joking, right?
「Still… I didn’t expect this to be at the royal castle…」
Right now I’m walking down one of its corridors.
Everyone I pass stops, straightens their posture, and bows their heads.
It really drives home the fact that Iris is royalty.
「No need to be so stiff. We’re not meeting my uncle. You should relax. Though I do expect the sweets」
「Yeah, I know… So, who exactly am I supposed to be meeting?」
Iris still hasn’t told me, which makes me a little uneasy.
I’m guessing it’s some noble’s daughter, or maybe a merchant Iris favors, or their child.
Maybe even Iris’ sweetheart… can’t rule that out either.
「No need to fret over it. If I told you, you’d just get nervous. Besides, I already allowed your guards to be present, did I not?」
「That’s true, but still…」
Right now, following behind me and Iris are the five of them dressed in maid uniforms.
And these maid uniforms… apparently we’re allowed to take them home. Since they’re flawless, authentic-looking maid outfits, they all accepted without hesitation.
「But why am I the only one still in my normal clothes…」
The people passing by keep bowing, but I can feel their sidelong glances at me. No doubt it’s because of how out of place I look.
「What is it? Did you want to wear a maid outfit too?」
「Of course not… but wouldn’t a butler’s suit or something more formal be better?」
「We do have such things… but I think that outfit is fine. It suits you well」
「This isn’t about whether it suits me or not…」
Still, if this outfit is considered acceptable, then maybe the person we’re meeting isn’t that high-ranking.
Well, if not even Iris, or Ayame-san for that matter, says anything, then I’ll stop caring.
If anyone dares call it disrespect, I’ll dump all the responsibility on them and play dumb. Yeah, that’s the plan.
「By the way… what did you bring today?」
「Hm? Just the usual. Vanilla ice cream, assorted jams, baked sweets, dessert sauces, and some fruit」
「I see… so no new creations?」
「I do have one, but… It’s fine if I prepare it in the room, right?」
「Yes. As long as you don’t use fire, it’s allowed. However, the food will be tested for poison. Please don’t take offense」
That can’t be helped.
Iris is royalty. No matter if I’m someone she brought along, I still look like a commoner.
In the first place, would someone of high rank even eat something made by a commoner?
Hmm… maybe the guest really isn’t of such lofty status.
I should relax a bit. Just serve them like I do for Iris, while making sure I don’t forget proper manners.
「Alright, we’ve arrived. Wait outside until I call you in」
「Got it. I can use this serving cart, right?」
「Yes. If you pull things from a magic space, it will look suspicious. Better to set it up in advance. But the ice cream must be brought out at the last moment!」
I give a short nod and let out a small sigh in front of the room.
「Hm… there’s someone strong inside」
「Yes. But aside from Iris-sama, I sense only two others」
「Indeed. One is ordinary, but the other may even be stronger than me」
「Still, it doesn’t feel dangerous」
「…I don’t sense anything at all…」
A whole different dimension.
Even though I’ve been training, how long will it take me to reach that level…?
「Master, Master」
「Hm? What is it, Wendy」
「Ehehe. How do I look?」
Wendy spun around once.
As her skirt lifted lightly, what peeked out was a garter belt.
The contrast between Wendy’s pale skin and the black garter belt only made both stand out more, elevating their charm.
「It suits you. You look really cute」
「Ehehe. Next time, I’ll serve you a lot while wearing this outfit, okay?」
「I’ll be looking forward to that」
「Hey, don’t just compliment Wendy!」
「I know, I know. You’re all really cute」
「It sounds a bit half-hearted, but… still, being complimented feels nice!」
I could give each of them my thoughts one by one, but there’s no time for that here.
Besides, things like that are better saved for nighttime.
That way we’ll have plenty of time.
「Alright, you may come in」
So, it’s time.
I’ll do my best, without overdoing it.
Please, don’t let me mess this up!
I knock, place the sweets I took from my magic space onto the serving cart, and push it into the room.
「Excuse me……」
My voice trails off without meaning to.
Eh…
Wha… wh-wh-what…
「What’s wrong? Why are you frozen like that?」
N-no way…
This… can this really happen?
「Hey…?」
「Hm. So that’s the one Iris favors…」
Of course I’d freeze.
Anyone would be glued to the spot.
Every blink feels like a waste.
I can’t help but burn the image deep into my eyes, like saving countless copies into a mental folder with her name on it.
Because…
「Th-they’re bigger than mine…」
「Something like that… it’s way too unfair…!」
Before me stood a woman about our age, her chest even larger than Wendy’s, dressed in a sensual gown that drew attention to it.
She was probably Iris’s friend.
It was clear at a glance, without doubt, she was a person of noble birth.
Thinking earlier that she might not be so highly ranked now seemed ridiculous.
If Hayato is a Count, then she must be a Marquess, or even a Duchess. Either way, my nerves tightened at the thought that any misstep here would be disastrous.
Just who in the world was she…?
「Well. Since you’ve come to this room, I should tell you. This is the Emperor’s elder sister. Sicilia Ocelot. A member of the Imperial family」
「I am Sicilia Ocelot. Iris’s friend, and the one she favors. I expect you to entertain me today」
…………Huh?
Wait, what? Hold on. The Imperial… family?
Why the hell am I serving someone from the Imperial family while wearing everyday clothes!?
Iris, you liar… this isn’t “perfectly fine” at all!
What am I supposed to do about how out of place I look right now!?
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