「Arg-sama.」
「Hm?」
「……」
Without a word, Noie clung to my right arm.
Don’t worry. I’m no longer flustered by the presence of those small breasts.
「What’s wrong, Noie?」
「……」
Noie had gone full spoiled mode.
Lutte arrived a little late, rinsed herself off, and then settled into the bath at a respectful distance.
She had wrapped her body thoroughly in cloth… the true spirit of mixed bathing.
「It’s so strange～」
「What is?」
「Hot water coming straight out of the ground.」
「Yeah, it is.」
Even knowing the mechanism, when you really think about it, it’s still mysterious.
「Uwa! It’s salty!」
「Since the sea is close, maybe the water itself comes from seawater.」
「Heh～」
Lutte stretched her hand toward the spring source, saying 「Ow, hot」 as she licked the water.
Noie stayed glued to my right arm. Probably… she won’t let go tonight.
-0-
「Ah… kuu!」
He tossed and turned several times on the bed.
The girl noticed he was having a nightmare and quietly wrapped her arms around his head.
She knew. Whenever she was seeing “something bad”, he would hold her like this. And he would keep stroking her head the whole time.
When he did that… a warm feeling spread deep inside her chest. The bad things would fade away.
That’s why, even when she was awake, she always kept her eyes closed.
But now it was different. Ever since he got injured, this had started happening occasionally.
She could tell, he was definitely seeing something awful.
Noie knew exactly what she should do.
「It’s okay.」
She gently stroked the head of the one she held.
「It’s okay, Arg-sama.」
She did to him exactly what he always did for her.
Because that was all she could do.
-0-
「Ah～」
The pillow was different, so I didn’t sleep well.
I finally relaxed in the hot spring… next time I’m definitely bringing my own pillow.
If there’s time, I’d like to soak again, but first we have to wait from morning for the large dragon to appear.
「Huh? No… eh?」
Why is my wife in a pose far more alluring than full nudity!
Half-naked is seriously dangerous. Especially when it’s this blue fruit!
I hurriedly fixed her nightclothes, and with a soft click Noie’s eyelids opened.
「Arg-sama. Good morning.」
「……Good morning.」
「……Shall we?」
No, that’s not it～! I do have a tiny bit of that wicked feeling, but I’ve shoved it deep into the back of my mind～!
It took an enormous amount of time to stop her from taking off the nightclothes I was trying to put on her.
-0-
「……Makes me want to go fishing or something.」
「Really?」
「Don’t you ever long to fish from the rocky shore?」
「I grew up in the mountains, so…」
I sat in a chair gazing at the sea. Lutte sat beside me, occasionally munching on a snack in peace.
Around us, the royal guard recruits under old Konsuro’s command stood watch. Every now and then a practice-like shout rang out… so that must be what they’re doing.
「Hey. I’m getting bored already.」
「Don’t be so selfish～」
「Where is this large dragon anyway!」
「How should I know～? Even my eyes can’t see it～」
Lutte let out a lazy voice while slouching in her chair.
The only one serious was Noie. She walked right to the water’s edge and stared fixedly at the sea.
Small dragons occasionally tried to attack her, but picking her as a target was the worst possible choice.
「Dragons really are everywhere, aren’t they?」
「Yeah～. But there aren’t many here. Even with the captain standing there, only three have come so far～」
「Really?」
「If she did that near the capital, small ones would keep coming one after another.」
「Noie might actually prefer that.」
「Probably～」
Watching this is getting boring.
There has to be some good way… With a loud scrape, Lutte shifted her chair and stared out to sea.
「It’s here. The big one.」
「Let me see.」
「Um… since the captain is standing right here… please turn your face to the right.」
To the right? I turned as told, and sure enough, the sea surface was churning with foam.
Something that had been underwater was surfacing… Wait, this is my first time seeing a large dragon.
GYAAAOOOOOOHHH!
The roar came from two heads rising together.
I’ve seen this in movies. A twin-headed dragon like some King something-or-other. But the size is enormous. Truly large.
I’m watching it like some monster attraction, but isn’t this place actually dangerous?
Well, Noie will probably just trot over, punch it a few times, and that’ll be the end of it. Wait… Huh? Noie?
「Noie?」
At my murmur she spun her whole body toward me and ran over. Her face looked pale.
「What’s wrong, Noie?」
「Arg-sama.」
「Yeah.」
「……I hate water.」
「……」
The unexpected confession made me instinctively lean back.
Lutte, sitting beside us, tumbled right off her chair.
「You’re scared of the sea?」
「Yes.」
She came right up to me and clung to my right arm. I could feel her trembling slightly.
「Noie. You don’t want to go into the sea?」
「Yes.」
She shook even harder as she nodded.
But Noie takes baths all the time, so it’s not water in general she fears. Rivers too… Ah.
「Noie. Are rivers scary too?」
「The big ones.」
「I see.」
I’d always thought it strange that someone as wildly active as Noie would get motion sickness on vehicles.
So she’s afraid of large volumes of water. But why?
After thinking for a moment… the answer clicked into place with a sharp sound in my mind.
「Sorry, Noie. I was slow to notice.」
「……?」
She tilted her head slightly, unaware. But I know.
She had been thrown away as a burden and had her head forced underwater in a river. Probably by her father or someone, pressing down on the back of her head… The shock from that moment became a lasting trauma.
In that case, this is a moment where I, her husband, have to step up.
The problem is how to lure that thing onto land.
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