Chapter 148: The Married Queen Serves Mother-Daughter Donburi
'I love you, mother-in-law.'
'Y-yes? Ah, no! We can't... Hnnght!'
'What's so wrong about it?'
'B-but...'
'You like it, don't you?'
'Y-yes?'
'A mother and daughter serving one man.'
'……!!'
'You like it.'
Bolt upright!
"...Ah."
The same scenery as always.
Crimhilt quietly closed her eyes.
"It was a dream..."
She sighed in relief that it had just been a dream. But soon, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"A dream, of all things... Haa."
She never imagined he would appear in her dreams. The Lubblestone Countess could only lament that it was all because of Queen Sharfria Palania as she tried to calm her pounding heart.
Yes.
Crimhilt had always yearned to serve one man alongside her daughter.
It was the ultimate fantasy for many female knights, and she harbored no small share of such dreams herself.
Of course, fantasies were just that—fantasies. She would never abandon her knightly duties for them.
But Queen Sharfria had proposed the mother-daughter donburi first.
The pleasant conversation she'd shared with Siu the day before had undoubtedly influenced her dream as well.
"……."
As her heartbeat subsided, she stared blankly ahead.
Her mood was unsettled. Even after a full night's sleep, she felt inexplicably more tired than usual.
It's a holiday anyway. ...Maybe I should just sleep more like this?
It absolutely wasn't because she wanted to continue that dream. Falling asleep again wouldn't pick up where it left off anyway. But even as she thought that, she found herself lying back down without realizing it, quietly closing her eyes.
In the darkness, Siu's face flickered before her—whether from the dream or something else, she couldn't quite tell.
Bolt upright!
"Haa, this won't do."
She was tired, but sleep wouldn't come.
When this happened, there was one place she often went to cool her head and body.
"Hilde, ready?"
"Y-yes! I'm re— I mean, I'm ready!"
A smile tugged at Siu's lips at Hildear Rubelstone's tense reply.
"Why so nervous for a date?"
"Because it's a date..."
Dates with Siu always made her nervous.
Partly because she hadn't been on many, and partly because the outfit felt so awkward.
"The dress suits you."
"Th-thank you."
Siu scanned Hildear up and down.
She, too, checked her own attire with somewhat stiff movements.
A white dress instead of the armor she usually wore as an escort.
It was an outfit she'd worn only a handful of times in her life.
Hildear had picked up the sword following her mother, whom she'd admired since childhood. Swords and dresses weren't incompatible, but they got dirty easily, and she personally found them uncomfortable, so she'd had little to do with them.
At some point, Countess Lubblestone had also started training her even more strictly in the sword.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes..."
"Ah, heading out now, I see."
Pink-haired Saintess Elaine appeared out of nowhere.
Dressed casually with a book in one hand, she waved at the two.
"Have fun out there. Enjoy your date."
"Yeah, we'll be back."
"We'll be back..."
Siu took Hildear's hand like he was escorting a lady and stepped out the front door.
They boarded the carriage.
Today, they planned to leave the capital for their date.
The destination wasn't far. Even if it were, they could use a warp gate, but Siu didn't want to use the expensive gates for personal leisure. There were plenty of places to enjoy without them anyway.
An hour after leaving the capital.
"Waaah...!"
An exclamation burst from Hildear as she gazed outside the carriage.
"What's up?"
"Look at that, Sir Siu!"
Siu, who had been meditating with eyes closed, followed her pointing finger.
"Oh."
What had caught Hildear's eye was a vast, beautiful field of flowers stretching out endlessly.
The current date was February.
The height of spring.
This world had four seasons—spring, summer, autumn, winter—and in the Palania Kingdom, each lasted three months evenly, though it varied by region. Thanks to that, they could enjoy a vibrant, multicolored landscape pleasing to the eye.
"Pretty, huh."
"Really!"
Hildear's voice brimmed with excitement.
Both men and women loved beautiful scenery, but she especially adored this sort of thing.
She enjoyed focused sword training, but sometimes she craved this kind of leisurely appreciation of nature. Sharing it with the man she loved made her even happier.
"But you know what?"
"What...?"
"You're prettier than those flowers."
"Wh-what?!"
"Hahaha!"
It was a line that made even him cringe saying it, but seeing Hildear blush and fluster filled Siu with satisfaction. Teasing her was endlessly fun.
"You know I don't joke about stuff like this, right?"
"Uh, y-yeah..."
She looked so cute now—nothing like the lust-driven knight who had pounced on him when they first met. Siu had mostly forgotten about it, but yesterday, her mother Crimhilt's words had brought it rushing back.
You really have to get to know someone.
Getting that close—body and soul—was secondary, of course.
The last lingering doubts melted away, making Hildear seem even cuter.
"B-but, Sir Siu."
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure it's okay without escorts? Even if..."
"It's fine, it's fine. We're not totally alone, right? And we're not going far—this should be enough."
"Hmm..."
Hildear wore a reluctant expression.
Officially appointed as a saint, Siu was a figure of continental importance.
Even for a date, she wasn't sure if local guards were enough to ease her worries.
"Or... do you want to show off?"
"P-pardon? Show off what...?"
"What we're doing?"
"No way!"
She jumped in shock at his words, yelling before trembling at her own volume—it had come out louder than intended.
But Siu just chuckled, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her onto the seat beside him.
"It's fine. Nothing's gonna happen for a while."
"R-really...?"
Hildear let out a moan under Siu's naughty hand gently stroking her ass.
Instead of pushing it away, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Intel from the Empire says the demonkin are in all sorts of chaos right now. They're not always united, after all."
"Yeah, that makes sense..."
Hildear nodded readily.
The demon realm—so-called demon territory—in the southern continent.
Seven nations occupied it.
Two were on outlying islands rather than the mainland, so land was hardly abundant. Yet the races living there were numerous, and there were seven demon gods—the sparks of war.
Intelligent as they were, internal conflicts were only natural.
"Plus, the ones scheming on the continent have had their paths cut off."
"Scheming... you mean that?"
Vague as it was, Hildear caught on immediately.
It was something Siu had told the party during a recent mission.
At the Glazer Empire's New Year's party, he'd advised his fiancée, the Iron-Blooded Princess Helena.
Helena had swiftly launched an investigation, proving more capable than expected as she tracked the culprit.
It turned out the perpetrators behind several incidents across the continent were the same group—demonkin spies. Even the monster flood in the Cheonan Empire was their doing, spurring a continent-wide crackdown.
Slippery bastards, too cautious to catch, but they're cornered now. They won't move for a while.
"They might have heard about the saint, but I doubt they'll budge for at least a year."
"……."
Hildear gazed at Siu, who smiled vacantly.
"You're so thorough, Sir Siu."
"Luck played a part, but I don't move without thinking."
"As expected of Si— Hnnght!"
His hand kneaded her ass more boldly.
Hildear couldn't hold back a moan.
"Anyway, about an hour left?"
"Y-yes... We'll arrive before lunch, so yeah, an hour... Hnngh."
"Good. Then... shall we enjoy ourselves while we can?"
"Yes...♥"
Siu leaned down to kiss the slightly shorter female knight.
One hand gently swept her light blue ponytail back, fingers hooking the strap over her shoulder.
The strap slipped down silently, revealing her hidden, bountiful blue-tinted breasts.
Meanwhile, the hand on her ass groped lower, delving under her knee-length skirt.
"Nngh, haa...♥ Hnnght... Haa...♥"
Soundproofing magic on a hero's carriage was standard.
Hildear moaned freely without restraint.
She twisted her body to make it easier for him to undress her, exposing the intimate parts beneath her white dress in no time.
"Nngh, aren't you gonna take it off...?"
"This turns me on more than fully naked."
"Really? Hehe."
Did they share the same tastes here?
She giggled softly and kissed Siu.
"I think you half-undressed turns me on more too, Sir Siu."
"Yeah? Then maybe I'll strip just the top, like my Hilde wants...?"
"Ah... Hnnght! Yes, haaang...!"
Sweet voices echoed inside the carriage.
Unaware of what was happening within thanks to the thorough soundproofing, the coachman whipped the horses toward their destination.
If Siu and Hildear had been more careful, he might never have known. But while the carriage had soundproofing, it lacked ventilation magic. When the door opened, a wave of hot air poured out, hitting the coachman.
"Haa, good work..."
"Y-yes..."
Her disheveled dress and sweat-drenched state made it obvious to anyone.
He'd served many heroes and nobles, but this was the first time he'd felt such envy.
"Phew. This the place, Hilde?"
"Yes. A pretty famous hunting ground in the kingdom."
Their destination was a hunting preserve.
Hunting grounds were typically privately owned, but one hero had turned it into a business, and this was the first and largest branch. It was also a favorite of the Rubelstone family.
"A hunting ground, huh? Kinda novel."
"I think you'll like it, Sir Siu."
Siu and Hildear smiled as they headed inside.
It was a minor mishap when her weakened legs buckled briefly, and Siu caught her.