Why Peek? 80
The Glacier Mountain Range lay to the north of the Apollo Kingdom, a prohibited zone and the territory of the Mother, the North Queen. We had been staying there for over a week now.
...Not like Bear Grylls, why am I filming myself surviving in the wild?
“I want to take a bath so much...”
“...Me too.”
The biggest problem I’d faced while living in the Glacier Mountain Range was that I couldn’t bathe properly.
There were occasional large valleys, but bathing comfortably would be impossible with monsters possibly lurking nearby. The best I could manage was washing my face and arms.
Even just washing my face, the area around the valley was dangerous enough that I had to deal with monsters appearing. Luckily, they were only middle-class, but who knew if a Leviathan-class monster would show up like last time?
So, Celine and I always went far from the valley except when we needed water.
“Haah… when can we go back?”
Damn it. How high was this mountain? Even as we kept going down, it never seemed to end.
“But the snow piled up isn’t visible anymore. That probably means we’re almost at the bottom.”
“...I hope so.”
Just like Celine said, the snow was starting to disappear, but the weather was still chilly. Even though it was summer, the cold here meant we were still at a certain altitude.
...It’s far.
The thought of it being far away made me sigh. If I just walked with my mind blank, maybe it would be better.
I was walking mindlessly when something appeared right in front of us.
“Eh.”
“Eh?”
Celine and I both let out a stunned sound at the same time. What we had found was a tiny waterfall and a valley. It looked like a tributary that split off from the large valleys we had been spotting.
There was a separate large valley, so it seemed like monsters weren’t gathering here.
“...Celine.”
“...Yes.”
Celine must have been thinking the same thing. We ran to the valley without a second thought, and right away we dipped our faces in the valley water.
Splash!
“......”
“......”
We had been submerged for a while when we both lifted our heads at the same time.
“Puaaah!”
“Haaah……”
...That was refreshing.
“You wash first, Celine.”
“...Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“...You’re not peeking, are you?”
“...I’m not looking.”
...I hadn’t even been thinking about it, but it was strange to feel embarrassed after seeing everything.
“If you want to see, I can take my clothes off and show you, but why would you peek?”
Splash!
The answer was a splash of cold water.
...I got a good scare.
“...Don’t talk nonsense. Keep an eye out for any monsters.”
“Yes.”
I grumbled as I hid in the nearby bushes and scanned the surroundings.
I would never say I didn’t want to see Celine, but I had to keep my promise. If I really wanted to see her, the opportunity would come eventually, so there was no need to be greedy.
All I wanted right now was for her to finish washing so I could go next.
#
Celine, while taking off her clothes, kept glancing at the bush where Abel had disappeared.
In truth, she had said those words, but even if she had peeked, Celine was the kind of person who would at least understand.
In this situation, with Abel and her as lovers, who would blame her for looking at her partner’s body?
Yet, strangely, even after Celine stepped into the water after taking everything off, Abel remained hidden in the bush and didn’t lift his head once.
“...He really is a good man.”
He had just told her not to look, but Abel kept his promise with perfect thoroughness, as if it were a crucial vow.
Celine began to wash herself with a slightly more relaxed heart. It had been so long since she had bathed. The valley water was cold and a bit chilly, but more important was washing away the discomfort.
“I wish there was soap.”
Saying that, Celine was quite satisfied. Washing her body with water after such a long time felt wonderful, and she was even humming.
“♬”
Abel heard Celine humming and asked.
“Celine, how much longer?”
“Are you still so uncomfortable?”
“Yeah, somehow……”
Celine laughed softly at Abel’s reaction.
“...Why don’t you come in together?”
“Yes!?”
“I was joking. Just wait a little~.”
“...Okay.”
Celine chuckled at Abel’s reaction as she finished washing. She had washed her hair and was about to get up when Abel suddenly burst out of the bush.
“Kyaaah!? Y-Your Highness the Hero, if you come out for real…!”
But Abel didn’t even glance at Celine. He had already drawn his holy sword and dashed away in a flash. He leaped over the valley and entered the opposite bush, then stabbed something deeply.
“...Your Highness?”
“Ah, sorry. There was a goblin hiding here.”
“...Eh? A goblin?”
Abel answered without coming out of the bush by lifting the goblin stuck on his holy sword.
Celine saw it and her face turned bright red.
Of course there was a reason the goblin had been hiding there.
Celine wrapped her body with both arms and said.
“M-Monsters are so disgusting…”
“...I was too late in checking. Sorry. I saw the bushes shaking, but it was so quiet that I thought it was just an animal and left it alone.”
Abel had assumed that if a monster was there, he would attack immediately. But a goblin quietly hiding and watching Celine bathe wasn’t an attack at all. That was why he had rushed out.
“It’s not Your Highness’s fault, so you don’t need to apologize.”
“Hm, is that so?”
“...For now, Your Highness, don’t come out. I’ll put on some clothes.”
“Yes.”
There was some rustling, and something sloshed. When Abel, listening to the sound from behind, tilted his head, Celine called to him.
“Your Highness, you can come out now.”
“Okay.”
Celine had already changed into her priestess robes. But what Abel saw wasn’t that.
“...?”
“Where are you looking, Your Highness?”
“No, why is that backwards.”
What Abel was pointing at were the clothes drying on the rocks. Celine blushed as she said.
“...I’m supposed to wash them. I’m just rinsing and drying them.”
“Ah, right… wait, then what are you wearing now?”
Abel turned his head to look at Celine.
“...I had no choice.”
“Wow… Celine, if you were trying to seduce me, you succeeded.”
“What are you talking about!?”
“It seems like I can wash too, let’s do it together.”
At Abel’s nonsense, Celine narrowed her eyes.
“Stop talking nonsense and just wash. What are you planning to do from midday?”
“...Yes.”
Abel’s gloomy face as he took off his armor. Celine sat on the rock a bit away. She said to him.
“Even if you don’t turn your head, it’s fine.”
“I already did.”
“Heh.”
With her firm rejection of his obvious intention, he made a gloomy sound and stepped into the water. Abel entered the water, and Celine slightly turned her eyes to the side.
Honestly, Abel’s body was incredibly attractive and toned. As a woman, the desire to look had appeared, but Celine endured it, thinking that if she peeked at him now, it would mess up his face.
Celine hugged her knees and rested her chin on them. Her hands wrapped around her legs as she crouched. She was lost in thought about what to do next.
No matter how the situation went, she had pushed him in. Saying that she had taken him in to make his heart feel better about having multiple wives. In truth, that wasn’t the ultimate key.
Even with polygamy, if Estelle and Abel’s relationship became distant because of this, it would be completely meaningless. Celine had sighed deeply while worrying how Estelle would accept this situation.
There was no regret, but there was still a conscience. That was why she was troubled.
“...I could give him my proper wife position.”
Polygamy nations usually couldn’t maintain equal relationships among all wives. In the Mars Empire, Vesta Kingdom, and Apollo Kingdom that practiced polygamy, many nobles recognized only the first wife as the proper wife and the others as concubines, or side wives.
This was also related to the image of nobles. Nobles’ wives weren’t simple wives but the image of the ‘homemaker’ of the family was strong. The family’s homemaker stably governed the interior of the estate, supported the husband the head of the family, and was the face representing the family.
But if there was not one but multiple proper wives, then there would be multiple homemakers. That would make the command system complicated and the estate that should be stable would easily become chaotic. For example, if a subordinate did something and another homemaker asked why, it could lead to conflict between the two homemakers who gave the order.
And having multiple faces representing the family could cause external confusion. Sometimes the first proper wife would attend as the homemaker, and sometimes the second would. That wasn’t a good situation for a family’s homemaker who had to build a position in high society.
Of course, this all applied to nobles, but commoners weren’t much different. Moreover, Abel, who had the special title of hero, might not know when he would be integrated into the nobility. Heroes often received titles for great achievements.
“Haah……”
But deciding to hand over the proper wife wasn’t easy. It meant he would become a side wife himself. Celine had a strong desire to stand proudly as the proper wife beside Abel.
“What do I do……”
“What is it?”
“Huh?!”
Celine was startled by Abel’s voice from behind suddenly. She turned around and saw that Abel had come closer wearing only pants.
Yes, just pants. Seeing that, Celine blushed slightly and asked.
“...Your Highness, why are you taking off the top?”
“I’m drying my clothes too. It smells like sweat.”
“...Ah.”
“I heard from Estelle before that Saint’s priestess robes don’t need washing because of holy power. That would be convenient.”
“That’s true……”
That was why Celine had washed and dried only the underwear separately. Abel naturally climbed onto the rock where Celine sat and sat beside her.
At that natural action, Celine narrowed her eyes.
“...Why come here.”
“What else were you worrying about instead of that?”
“...I was worrying about what to say to Saint Estelle.”
“Ah.”
Celine told Abel what she had been thinking. Abel narrowed his brows and said.
“No.”
“I thought that would be better… eh? What do you mean?”
“I said no. I already told you, it has to be fair. Some are proper wives and some are side wives, and I have no intention of doing that.”
“Your Highness, that… if we think realistically……”
“I just need to be inconsiderate to neither of them.”
At his calm words, Celine’s heart raced. If it had been someone else’s words, she wouldn’t have gotten hopeful. But it was Abel, whose heart was usually kind, so she expected it.
With this person, he would really do that. With this person, he would love both her and Estelle without being inconsiderate to anyone.
“...You’re being stingy, Your Highness.”
“Eh? Suddenly?”
Abel tilted his head. Celine looked at him with affectionate eyes as if he were lovable and said.
“If you say that… you’ll fall for me again.”
At Celine’s direct hit, Abel’s eyes widened. After staring at her for a moment, Abel slightly reached out his hand.
Celine didn’t refuse Abel’s touch. Feeling his hand around her cheek, Celine gently closed her eyes, and Abel lowered his head.
A short kiss followed, and the two heads separated slightly.
“...Is it okay?”
Celine nodded silently in response to his request.
#
At the Balua Temple, which managed the 15th diocese of the Solaria Church. There, the true Saint Estelle, chosen by the Solaria and the highest priest of the church, was staying.
Estelle, who had ridden a horse and run, saying she had to find the hero with rough breathing, looked exhausted. The nuns there were so worried about her.
So, the temple’s responsible figure, Cardinal Clemens, first let Estelle rest and hear her story, then immediately sent word to the Papal Palace according to her request.
And a week later, Cardinal Clemens of the Balua Temple went to find Estelle early in the morning.
“There is a reply from the Papal Palace, Saint Estelle.”
“! What did they say?”
“They are starting a search in cooperation with the Apollo Royal Family. They also sent a request for search cooperation to other places, so it seems like a large-scale search will be conducted. And the Papal Palace has asked that Saint Estelle also return to the Papal Palace as soon as possible.”
“...Wait, why do they say I should return?”
“...It seems to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. It is the Holy Father’s instruction.”
It was the instruction of the Pope of the Solaria Church, Pabiano. Estelle could not refuse Pabiano’s instruction no matter what. He was the head of the church and was like her grandfather.
“We will handle the preparations. Just take care of your body, Saint.”
“...If the Hero Abel is found in the Vesta Kingdom, please contact me immediately.”
“I will do so.”