Lately, Liscia and the others had been acting weird. Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa... All of them had been acting a bit off.
If you were to ask to put into words what exactly was off about it, Id have had a hard ti answering; but for so reason they turned pink whenever we t, turning and imdiately walking off in the opposite direction as if they were embarrassed. It wasnt like they were deliberately ignoring , but it was a bit depressing to have them avoid like that.
...Did I do sothing to offend them? I thought about that, but nothing ca to mind.
Lately, wed had nothing but peaceful days, and I didnt think Id done anything that would make them feel uneasy. I worried I might have done sothing unintentionally, so I decided to broach the issue with the four of them directly. When I did...
I-Its not your fault, Souma. Dont worry, Liscia assured .
Um... You could say I am embarrassed to look you in the eye, sire, or sothing like that, Aisha said.
Im sorry, Juna told . Its absolutely an issue on our side. You dont need to worry about it at all.
Well, lets just say its a secret between us gals, and leave it at that, kay? Roroa added.
...Those were the responses I got. Honestly, it didnt make any sense.
Oh, right. And speaking of weird, there were other things about what they were doing and saying that was a little off.
The first happened in the morning, when I was sitting across from Roroa on a sofa in the governntal affairs office and we were having a budget eting. When we finished talking about state industries, the conversation moved on to my personal businesses that Roroas company would be sponsoring. It was mainly about production on the tokusatsu program.
So, about Overman Silvan, do you think you could raise the budget a little more? I asked. We cant use the sa monsters every ti, and if we are going to reuse them, we need a little more variety...
...Uh-huh...
Hm? Was she just nodding along? That was when I noticed that Roroa was staring at , her mind clearly sowhere else.
Roroa?
Huh?! Oh, yeah, Im listenin, Im listenin.
...She was apparently not listening. What had her staring off into space like that?
Is sothing on your mind? I asked. If theres anything I can do to help, I will.
Nah, thats not it, but... Sure. Lets see if ya can play along. Roroa moved over next to , close enough that our shoulders were touching.
Hm... Does she want to dote on her? I started to think.
Then Roroa looked straight in the eye and said, Hey... Big Brother Souma?
Whuh?!
When she called that with upturned eyes, my head shot back in surprise. Wh-What was this, out of nowhere?!
Seriously, whats going on, Roroa?! I cried.
I was worried shed co down with a fever or sothing, so I tried putting a hand on her forehead, but she didnt seem especially feverish or anything.
Roroa started kicking her legs and swinging her arms around in frustration. Aww... Thats not the reaction I was expectin. You were sayin it made you happy the way I treat Big Sister Cia like a sister. So, I figured, you like lil sisters, dont ya?
Little sisters? I asked, baffled. What are you even talking about?
And what did she an, Id said that? I had no recollection of saying that... Huh, no, wait, maybe I did. What was this weird feeling?
Hmph! I dont care anymore! Roroa pouted and looked the other way.
I didnt really get how, but I seed to have upset her.
Hm, what should I do... I wondered, then plopped a hand down on Roroas head.
Youre my precious fiance, so I dont want you turning into a little sister on .
...Ysure? Roroa still had her head turned away from , but she peeked back my way as she asked that.
I gave her a big nod to reassure her, then patted her on the head. Of course. The way you were playing little sister was cute, but Id rather have you as my wife instead. Just having you by my side always cheers up, after all.
When I told her straight-up how I felt about her, Roroas face turned bright red. I must have embarrassed her. When I saw her reaction, I felt embarrassed, too.
So, please, stop calling Big Brother, I said. If you dont...
Wh-What if I dont?
Itd be like I was deliberately having my own fiance call Big Brother, I said teasingly. Thatd feel kind of depraved.
Roroa burst out laughing. Ha ha! Maybe youre right. Yeah, no more callin you Big Brother. I didnt get the reaction I was hopin for, but I dont feel bad bout how this went, either.
When she said that, Roroa hugged my arm. It looked like she was in a better mood now.
Well, I did an it when I said she was cute as a little sister, though...
When the adorable Roroa had called Big Brother with upturned eyes, my heart had skipped a beat, after all. But I dont want to go developing any weird fetishes, so I was really glad shed stopped.
The next weird thing that happened was in the afternoon. It was around two oclock, after Id had a slightly late lunch.
I had been working since morning, so I was taking a short break at the kotatsu table in my room. Aisha, who would normally have stood by the door to guard , ca in to sit across from at the kotatsu.
When I looked at Aishas face... I had no words. Aisha, for so reason, was wearing a pair of cat ears.
...What the ow was going on here?
Aisha had turned into a cat-eared dark elf, sothing that made absolutely no sense to .
While I was still unable to find the words for this bizarre turn of events, Aisha made fists with her two hands and held them up like a beckoning cat. M-ow...
Shes owing?!
She had totally just let out a ow. No, seriously, what on Earth was going on here?
Apparently unable to bear the silence, Aisha covered her face with her hands. Oh... This really is embarrassing.
You say that after doing it on your own?! What were you trying to accomplish?! I shouted.
What, you ask? I wanted you to adore , Your Majesty, Aisha said. Like you would a pet.
Like a pet?! Not a person?!
I wanted to borrow the princesss choker to wear in place of a collar, but she refused because it was an important gift from you, sire. Removing a slave collar would have been hard, so...
Youre trying to turn into so kind of sexual deviant?!
Im not into making won wear collars! I exclaid silently. ...Yeah, I dont think I am, at least.
While I was worrying about myself, Aisha tearfully said, Ohh... I had heard you thought of like a pet, so I was hoping to at least have you fawn over like one.
I... do think that, yes, but could you at least let fawn over you as a human?! I cried.
...How might I get you to fawn over ?
When Aisha looked at with those pleading eyes, my brain started firing on all cylinders as I tried to find an answer for her. If I didnt give her a plan here, Aisha was going to get dispirited again. I looked around and spotted the accessory case where I kept nail clippers and other daily necessities.
I know!
How about I clean your ears? I asked.
Please do, she responded instantly.
I got an ear cleaner out, and had Aisha sit next to .
Yknow, looking at those long ears of yours, Ive always wanted to try cleaning them at least once, I said.
U-Um, sire? Thats nice, but... when you clean soones ears, is it not normal to have them rest their head in your lap? she asked hesitantly.
The earwax can fall in towards your eardrum if you do it that way, so my grandma always said not to. The right way to do it is from right beside the person, like this.
I-Is that right? Aisha asked, then whispered, Oh, I had my hopes up, too.
I brushed Aishas hair back behind her pointed ears and pushed the ear cleaner inside.
Eek! Aishas body shuddered.
Its dangerous to move, you know, I told her. Stay put.
Y-Yesh... Ahhh! While I was digging around inside, Aisha suddenly started squirming. Ah...! Oh... Hahh...
For so reason, she was moaning in an incredibly sweet voice. I started to feel like I was doing sothing naughty to her.
D-Dont let out weird moans, I said.
B-But... Im sensitive there... Ahhhhh!
I cleaned out her opposite ear while listening to her sweet sighs, and then the ear cleaning was finished. By the end, Aishas face had completely lted, but she seed satisfied, so that was good.
...Maybe Ill do this for her again soti, I thought.
By the way, Aishas voice had been heard outside while we were doing that, so one of the maids who passed by at the ti started a rumor that, His Majesty and Madam Aisha were [censored] in his room. When he heard, Chamberlain Marx declared, At last, well have an heir, and danced for joy.
On the other hand, when Liscia, Juna, and Roroa heard the rumor, they told off, saying, Hey, thats not the right order! (If I was going to start laying my hands on them, Liscia, as candidate to be my first primary queen, should have been first.)
Thankfully, Aisha had explained the situation, so I was spared their wrath, but it was an incident that showed if I neglected any of my future queens, the others would get angry, too.
Naturally, I had no intention of mistreating any of them, but... it was sothing to keep firmly in mind.
Evening.
Having done paperwork in the morning and afternoon, I invited Liscia who had been helping to finally co take a break with , and we were enjoying afternoon tea.
Every day was a battle with my heavy responsibilities as king, so just being able to relax with Liscia and have aimless conversations like this was fun.
During our conversation, sothing weird ca up, just like with my earlier encounters with Roroa and Aisha today. After we finished talking about everything that ca to mind, Liscia nodded as if she was satisfied about sothing.
I see... Those two are putting it to use right away, huh.
Putting what to use? I asked.
Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. Liscia played it off with a vague smile.
No, really... what was it?
Liscia chuckled. But Ill bet you didnt mind their attempts to get your attention, huh?
Well... No, I didnt, I said. I an, they were both cute.
When I honestly admitted it, Liscia brought a finger to her lips with a look on her face like she was pondering sothing. She murmured sothing under her breath that I couldnt make out. (Theyve got it easy, having actual hints to go on. I got told he had nothing particular on his mind for . I was happy about that, but it makes it hard to decide how to get his attention.)
Hm? Did you say sothing? I asked.
Liscia shook her head, saying, Its nothing, really, then clapped her hands as if she had just thought of sothing. I know. Hey, Souma. Is there anything youd like to do for you?
Whats this, all of a sudden? I asked.
Dont worry about it, she said. Co on, give a heart-racing scenario like the one you had with the other two.
Hm, a scenario I want to play through with Liscia... I tried thinking of one... but it was harder to co up with than youd think. Liscia was like a super-mainstream orthodox-style heroine, so adding any unnecessary bells and whistles to give her extra character felt redundant. That being the case, rather than do sothing to change Liscia herself, maybe we could do sothing with the relationship between us.
Hey, Liscia, we got betrothed without knowing much of anything about each other, right? I said. On top of that, it wasnt sothing we decided on for ourselves, it was sothing Sir Albert just decided on his own.
Well... Yeah, it was.
Im not sore about it anymore, and Im even grateful to him for bringing the two of us together, but... what do you think itd have been like if wed known each other all along? If wed been childhood friends, like Hal and Kaede.
Liscia got a look on her face like she was pondering the idea. Hm... I wouldnt have gotten confused and thought Souma was your first na, maybe? I might be calling you Kazuya.
Yeah, maybe, I nodded. Wed have a lot of shared mories from when we were kids, too.
So we decided to try holding a conversation as if we were childhood friends.
Co to think of it, Kazuya, youve always been hiding away in your room, sewing like a girl, Liscia roleplayed. If you dont get out in the sun more, your bodys going to start growing mold, you know?
Well, youre as tomboyish as ever, too, I told her. Elishas worried shell never find a husband willing to take you.
Well, thats just fine with . When the ti cos, I was planning to have you take as your wife anyway.
Dont make it sound like youre marrying because you have no other choice. When you were little, you were always saying, When I grow up, Im going to marry Kazuya, werent you?
Th-That was so long ago, Ive forgotten it!
You were more honest with yourself, and cute back then.
What do you an, back then?! Ugh, Kazuya, you dummy!
...
...
Wow, this is super embarrassing! we both thought.
Not even a minute into our little act, Liscia and I were both red in the face.
Oh geez, my face is burning up, I admitted. Do you think childhood friends actually talk like this?
Im so embarrassed I could die, Liscia said. I think our current relationship suits us better.
While we were both fanning our burning cheeks...
No, Master, Carla interrupted. I think Im the one who was most embarrassed, being forced to watch that, you know?
Carla, who turned out to have been watching this whole exchange, said that with an awkward look on her face, making us writhe in sha even more badly.
Then ca that night.
When the broadcast ended for the nightly song program, Juna and I had our post-show eting and then headed to the Ishizuka Cafeteria in the castle.
This place was open until late at night, so when we missed als because of etings, the two of us often ca here to eat and get drinks together. We had our own private room here, so we could drink without worrying about the prying eyes of my retainers.
Of course, when it was earlier in the day, we sotis ca in a group with all my other fiances, but on those occasions, there was no drinking. Roroa would want to drink if the rest of us did, after all. Though technically a 16-year-old with adult supervision (or an 18-year-old on their own) could drink in this world, no good ca from starting to drink at an early age. That was why wed decided, at a family eting about the future, to not let Roroa drink, and to not drink in front of her. That being the case, about the only ti I drank was on nights when work ran late like this.
Well then, cheers, I said.
Cheers, sire, Juna agreed.
In our private room, Juna and I toasted with wooden mugs filled with wine. When I poured wine into my body that was exhausted ntally and physically from work, I was finally able to get the sense that my days work was over. I know, I was thinking like a salaryman, but the work I was doing really was intensely difficult, so you could hardly bla .
Your singing voice was as lovely as it always is, Juna, I said.
Hee hee! Im honored by the complint, sire.
While drinking our wine and snacking on a salad of spaghetti, vegetable, and fried octopus dressed with mayonnaise, we talked about our days. I was having such a good ti.
However, when I ntioned how Roroa, Aisha, and Liscia had acted today, Juna narrowed her eyes slightly. It didnt break her smile, but I felt like I saw a mont of panic there. While I looked at her, wondering what was up, Juna suddenly got up.
Let co sit beside you, she said, and ca over next to .
This was just like with Roroa. Was Juna going to start calling Big Brother now, too?
Juna knocked back her wine and chugged it all down, then leaned in and rested her head on my shoulder.
Huh? What was going on here?
Um... are you drunk? I ventured.
Yes. A little, she said. Im sorry, but could you let stay like this a while?
Of course.
Thank you.
For a while, we both stayed silent. With neither of us saying a thing to the other, we just snuggled and drank. Even though that was all we were doing, it was strangely dizzying. With her face so close to mine, the sll of Junas hair tickled my nostrils, and I felt like I was getting intoxicated by sothing other than the alcohol.
Then, without looking at , Juna said, Am I... doing a good job of letting you indulge ?
Huh?
I know Im bad at letting others indulge , she said. I want to respond to the expectations placed on the best that I can, and it makes happy when that pleases everyone. But I want to have you indulge , too, sire. Because I admire you, I want to accept it when you indulge .
Maybe she really was drunk, because Juna looked a little out of it. Juna was so capable at everything she did, but when it ca to this sort of stuff, maybe she was a little clumsy.
Please, let indulge you, I said. Ill do my best to make it easy for you to let .
Then I patted her head, and Juna gave a satisfied smile.
And so, the day ca to an end. There was a lot that happened, but on the whole it was a good day.
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