Uncomfortable Companions (2)
"......Pardon?"
Marhan blinked in utter confusion. He'd only shown goodwill, and out of nowhere came "you're dead"—no wonder he was suffering cognitive dissonance.
But one-sided goodwill can sometimes be outright rude. My current predicament—having to travel with the Elf because of something Marhan did without my orders—was a perfect example.
"Er, um. This is all a bit sudden, but......"
Marhan furrowed his thick brows at a slant, lost in thought, then snapped his fingers as if he'd figured it out.
"Ah! Is this some trendy joke from high society? I'm a total dunce when it comes to that stuff, so I apologize for not reacting right away."
Watching him scratch the back of his neck and grin sheepishly made it hard to stay mad. Fair enough—telling someone with an Elf slave that they'd be executed for it was absurd, even putting myself in his shoes. From his perspective, without knowing the Elf's true nature, it had to sound like a joke.
"A joke......"
I lowered my trembling hand and forced myself to regain composure.
"Right. It was a joke. But remember this one thing."
"What would that be, sir?"
"Don't act on your own initiative from now on. Especially while I'm acting as the count's proxy."
"Ah, yes. I'll keep that in mind."
Marhan placed a hand over his heart and saluted crisply. I returned the gesture perfunctorily and climbed into the carriage.
"Closing the door, Your Regency."
Creak—click.
The carriage door shut.
"Then we're off!"
With Marhan's booming voice, the horses whinnied and bolted forward. Through the small side window, the scenery shifted rapidly— we were moving at quite the clip.
'......Can't we go any faster?'
It was fast enough already, but I wasn't satisfied. Not with an archmage-turned-self-proclaimed-slave Elf sitting right next to me, perfectly sane in her insanity.
Alone with her in this enclosed space, my mouth went inexplicably dry. No escape route was pressure enough on the psyche.
Still, I couldn't let it show. I glanced at the Elf as casually as possible.
"......"
The Elf was impeccably dressed in a frilly maid outfit. Her hair was neatly groomed, with a red ribbon tied on the right side— at a glance, she looked less like a slave and more like a pampered housemaid favored by her master, me.
Compared to her usual rags, this was a vast improvement. When Marhan had insisted on taking the slave along, Habid must have fussed over her attire to preserve my dignity.
'Definitely...... pretty.'
In her rags, acting all depraved, it was hard to think of her that way. But with just a touch of grooming, she exuded an allure that could ignite any man's possessiveness.
If only her personality were milder.
I let out a quiet sigh, straightened my clothes, and leaned back against the seat. The breeze leaking in was a bit chilly. I closed the window, cleared my throat to get the Elf's attention.
"It'll take a while to reach the castle, so get some shut-eye."
"Master? You don't need to worry about me......"
"It's not about you—it's about me. I'm going to the Pelgaroin count's household, of all places. If you act like a disgrace there, what do you think that'll do to my reputation?"
One of the Elf's eyebrows twitched. My words were basically declaring no abuse inside the carriage— no wonder she was pissed.
But I wasn't backing down. With the regency mission on my shoulders, I wouldn't let her toy with me anymore. At least not while I was proxy for the count.
"Reputation......"
The Elf muttered softly, then nodded.
"Got it, Master."
She acquiesced surprisingly quickly. I'd been bracing for a hassle, but this was a relief. Feeling at ease, I closed my eyes for a nap— just as I'd said, it was a long ride to the castle.
*
A faint commotion filtered through the closed window, rousing me gently. The carriage, which had been jolting occasionally, came to a complete stop. We must have arrived at the castle.
I yawned silently and raised a hand to rub my sleepy eyes— only to feel it caught, fixed in place. My shoulders jerked in surprise.
'......What the?'
A chill raised the hairs on my neck. The drowsiness vanished as I turned to see the Elf gripping my wrist, refusing to let go.
"Ah, haang. Masteer...... suddenly like this here......"
The problem? My hand was inside the Elf's panties.
'Huh? What......?'
Fresh from sleep, my brain wasn't processing fast. Why was my hand in her panties? And she wasn't just leaving it there.
"Hngh, masteer...... please stop teasing meee......"
She moved my hand up and down, deliberately rubbing my fingers against her folds. In the process, a small nub caught on my fingertip— slick, soft, and moist.
As I pondered what it could be, realization dawned, and my pores prickled.
'Clit?'
I'd read about it once in a book called Lewd Hobgoblin Maid. The clitoris was like a woman's erectile organ, akin to a man's penis, existing solely for pleasure.
So this Elf was using my hand as a masturbation toy right now. And right as the carriage stopped, no less.
'This devious Elf......!'
Revenge for me going straight to sleep without abusing her in the carriage. The intent was so blatant it was chilling.
I tried to pull away, but her grip on my wrist was ironclad. Caught between a rock and a hard place, I stifled a silent scream— then came the knock.
Knock knock—
It doubled my tension.
"Your Regency. We've stopped at the drawbridge. I think you should come out......"
Marhan opened the door as if it were natural, and his face hardened.
From his view, I looked like a childish noble groping around in an Elf's panties.
But this was a huge misunderstanding! I opened my mouth to explain, but the Elf beat me to it with a sultry moan.
"Hyaaang. Masteer...... if you keep this up, your filthy sow's gonna feel it allll......"
Disgust flickered across Marhan's frozen face. He glanced between us, then muttered uneasily.
"Look, relieving your urges is fine and all, but couldn't you hold off a bit? This kind of thing's better in private, at night, not out in the open like this......"
"N-no, it's a misunderstanding! I'm not doing this because I want to......!"
"It's fine. I'm good at keeping my mouth shut. Your secret's safe."
His tone was utterly flat. Those rotten eyes, seeing me as a total lecher, hammered nails into my heart.
With no good excuse coming to mind, I stood there dumbfounded. Marhan took a couple steps back.
"Anyway, you should come down first. Someone's waiting for you, Your Regency."
"Ah, right."
As I answered and glanced at the Elf, she released my wrist as if that was enough. A playful smile tugged at her lips— clearly deliberate.
'Damn it.'
Fury boiled up, but there was nothing for it now. I withdrew my hand from her panties, wiped the sticky fluids clinging to my fingers on a handkerchief, pocketed it, and stepped out.
A handsome man on horseback greeted me.
"Brother-in-law!"
His tunic was casually worn, his blond hair tousled. True to his boisterous nature, he was Esilly's older brother and the count's second son— Fred, who'd written me a letter a few days ago.
Overjoyed, I strode forward and bowed.
"Young Master Fred! It's been too long."
"Haha, 'young master' my ass. Just call me 'bro.' You're about to marry my little sister, after all."
"I appreciate it, but the wedding hasn't happened yet. I don't want to disrespect the Pelgaroin family."
"You're still so stuffy. That's what I like about you, though."
I returned Fred's bright smile with one of my own.
"More importantly, what brings you here, young master?"
"I was out for a ride around here when I heard you were coming, so I turned my horse around. Figured I'd pass on a message while I was at it."
"A message?"
"There's a small welcome party at the annex tonight. It's your first time acting as regent— pretty monumental, right?"
A welcome party? I didn't deserve that.
"No need for that...... I'm only staying a week or so."
"Don't refuse. Father's orders were to treat you with utmost hospitality. Both he and I sympathize with you, shouldering such heavy responsibility so young. We're rooting for you. Need help? Just say the word. And......"
Fred glanced around, then leaned in to whisper.
"Romance stuff too. I've lived a bit longer than you, so I can give some heartfelt advice. No pressure. You get me?"
"Ah. Will do."
"Good. I'm the type who thinks I could hand my sister over to you without worry. Honestly, you're the one I'd hate to lose. But don't tell Esilly. She holds grudges longer than you'd think."
Fred chuckled softly and straightened up. I really appreciated his straightforward attitude.
"Got it. Where's Esilly......?"
No sooner had I spoken than a white horse galloped up from behind. Esilly sat sidesaddle on it, her pure white mane fluttering. Her golden blond hair waving in the wind melted my heart.
As she reined in nearby, she pouted and shot Fred a haughty look.
"Brother! You said you'd teach me to ride, then bolted ahead? I had to search forever when you vanished from sight."
"Wasn't on purpose. Cool off a bit."
"How am I not supposed to get mad? If you wanted a race, you should've taken the knights, not me......"
She trailed off, sensing my presence, and turned to me. Her sea-blue eyes widened, lips parting slightly.
"Sir Theorad?"
Her adorable reaction brought a smile to my face unbidden.
But I couldn't let my guard down.
"......"
I felt the Elf's piercing gaze from behind since earlier......