The Imperial Party
Alissa was so excited that she hopped and skipped across the floor even in her cumbersome, floor-length dress.
It was genuinely surprising.
I knew she harbored feelings for me, but I never expected her to feel this comfortable around me. It clashed completely with her usual violent personality.
With equal parts fascination and bewilderment, I watched her quietly until Alissa noticed my gaze and flinched.
“Ah! I-I mean… I’m just happy we’re in the same boat, that’s all. There’s nothing else to it!”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Oh. A-anyway! Still, it’s lucky we’re both alone. Can you do me one favor?”
With those words, Alissa carefully glanced toward the party hall.
A ball was still in full swing inside.
‘Don’t tell me she wants to dance?’
I was puzzled for a moment, but when I thought about it, she probably had never danced with a proper partner before. It made sense that she would long for a ball like this.
The problem was that I couldn’t afford to have my identity exposed right now. Surely she wasn’t suggesting we go inside?
While I entertained that uncomfortable thought, I answered coldly.
“Why should I do you any favors?”
“I saved you last time! Do you have any idea how much it hurt?”
“Did you forget I was the one who healed that wound?”
“I know that… But you took my first kiss in return.”
“……”
Alissa traced her red lips with her index finger, her face flushing the same shade. That fresh, bashful look was incredibly charming.
When I remained silent, unable to find the right words, Alissa’s shoulders hunched inward.
“Was it… that bad?”
“What?”
“Did you not like my lips?”
“…Why are we even talking about this?”
It was an impossibly difficult question.
Even if they had been disappointing, how many people could actually say that to the girl’s face?
Of course, Alissa’s lips had been more than pleasant.
Maybe some hint of that showed on my face, because Alissa instantly regained her confidence and demanded brazenly.
“Your expression says you liked it, right? Then granting me one little favor shouldn’t be a problem. It was my first time, you know?”
“……”
“Hello? Answer me already. Are you going to do it or not? Yes or no?”
Alissa leaned forward, shoving her face close to mine.
She was clearly trying to tease me on purpose, but she didn’t seem to realize it gave me a perfect view of her cleavage.
If she lowered that dress even a fraction more, I was certain her light-pink nipples would come into view. I hadn’t seen them yet, but since the lower part was pink, the upper part probably matched.
I took a step back.
“Fine. I’ll grant your request. Just don’t get so close.”
“Why? Does being near me make your heart race? How’s my perfume? I put in extra effort today. Smells good, right?”
When told not to do something, she only grew more eager. The moment I told her to stay away, Alissa fluttered her dress even more enthusiastically, spreading her scent everywhere.
The luxurious rose fragrance that perfectly suited her flooded my nose.
I was genuinely flustered.
‘Why is she acting like this?’
In the game she had definitely been a classic tsundere, yet the version of her I was seeing now was completely different.
She was far too aggressive.
Had being raped completely flipped her personality? Whichever it was, it wasn’t something I welcomed.
“Stop the weird behavior and just tell me what you want. If you keep messing around, I’m leaving.”
“Tsk! It’s not weird… Fine, I’ll tell you the request right now.”
She grumbled in dissatisfaction, wiped the playful look off her face, reached into her dress, and—
Clang!
—drew her rapier and leveled it at me.
“Spar with me!”
“…Spar?”
“Yes! Spar!”
My prediction had been completely off.
I had assumed she would ask me to dance, but out of nowhere she wanted to spar. The suggestion clashed horribly with both the situation and the setting.
I pointed at her outfit.
“You want to fight in a dress? Are you serious?”
“Yes! What’s wrong with a dress? I can fight just fine. Enemies don’t go easy on you just because you’re wearing one.”
“That’s true, but… do we really have to? It could be dangerous.”
If her dress tore during the fight, it would be a disaster. When I hinted at that concern, Alissa’s playful side resurfaced.
“Are you worried I’ll get scolded?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what? What’s the problem?”
The bright, unwavering smile on her lips made it clear she had no intention of backing down.
Realizing I would only get dragged along if I resisted, I gave in with a sigh.
“Haa… Fine. I’ll do it. But only for five minutes. Where are we doing this? You’re not thinking of fighting right here, are you?”
“Of course not. Follow me. I know a good spot.”
Without hesitation, Alissa vaulted over the railing.
I glanced back to confirm Isis still hadn’t arrived, then chased after her.
The place where Alissa stopped was a wide clearing tucked away in a corner of the garden. She casually kicked off her shoes and stood in the center.
“Alright, let’s begin!”
“…I won’t hold back.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted! Here I come!”
With that warning, Alissa thrust forward with terrifying speed.
But now that I held the advantage in every stat except pure senses, keeping up with her movements was no longer difficult.
The real problem was that her attacks couldn’t be evaded simply by watching with the eyes.
Swooosh!
The rapier that lashed out at an unpredictable moment was incredibly threatening.
I read the trajectory from the subtle shift in her shoulder muscles and knocked the strike aside.
Craaang!
Sword energy and fist energy collided, sending sparks flying.
Alissa spun to dissipate the impact, then dropped her center of gravity and swept the rapier upward from below.
A rapier wasn’t designed for cutting, but the sword energy wrapped around it completely negated that weakness.
I lifted my foot and stomped down the instant the blade passed beneath me.
Right before it would have struck my foot, the rapier suddenly braked as if time itself had reversed, then retracted along the exact path it had taken.
It was perfect control of force.
Booom!
A deep footprint cratered the ground.
‘As expected, I’m still inferior when it comes to technique.’
Normally an opening should appear when someone’s weak point is exploited, yet Alissa treated even that as part of her plan and used it as an opportunity.
Taking advantage of my forward step, she closed the distance even further and thrust again.
That was how our exchange continued—attack and defense hopelessly entangled.
Alissa moved strictly within her own territory, striking and retreating, while I tried every way I could to break into that space.
Then Alissa made her decisive gamble.
Kiiiing!
Another collision scattered fragments of magic power that obscured our vision. In that instant, her rapier pierced through the cloud and shot forward.
I bent my waist backward sharply.
Bang!
The rapier’s edge grazed just beneath my chin, exploding the air above.
I didn’t fight the momentum pulling me backward. Instead I planted a hand on the ground, braced myself, and spun, whipping my leg around.
‘This one can’t be dodged!’
Not merely because it had caught a gap—it was physically impossible to avoid.
My foot would land faster than she could retreat.
She would have no choice but to defend, and unless she could perfectly dissipate the impact, her durability couldn’t withstand my strike.
If she was left open to the follow-up, defeat was inevitable.
Here, Alissa made an unexpected choice.
Instead of retreating or defending, she dove in even deeper and met the kick before my leg had fully extended.
She thrust her rapier at the same time. I seized her wrist and yanked her forward.
Thud!
Her rapier embedded itself right beside my head as my fist slammed into her side.
Immediately afterward, we both tumbled to the ground.
With appropriate weight came a soft, squishy sensation against my chest.
“Haa… Haa…”
“……”
Alissa and I stared at each other from mere inches away.
Having poured every ounce of concentration into such a short exchange, her breathing had grown incredibly ragged.
Our breaths tangled together in a messy rhythm.
“So… who won?”
“…Hard to say.”
I couldn’t manage long sentences.
The warm breath brushing my skin, the moist, glistening eyes, the white skin flushed crimson, the beads of sweat sliding down her chin—every single detail excited me.
Through our pressed chests, our heartbeats thundered against each other.
I released her wrist.
“Let’s get up for now.”
“Okay! There’s still time left, so we should keep sparring.”
Was some ghost of a person who died from lack of sparring partners possessing her? Even though she was clearly exhausted, Alissa sprang back to her feet full of energy.
The problem was that during our fall, my body had been pinning down the collar of her dress.
Her gown was an off-shoulder style that already exposed her shoulders and upper chest. With the collar held down, the moment she forced herself upright, the fabric had no choice but to slide.
Shhhlllp—
Her bodice slipped down, completely baring her breasts.
I confirmed that my earlier guess had been correct.
Alissa’s nipples were the same light pink as the rest of her.
“Ah… Eek! D-don’t look!”
Having realized her state, she turned bright red all the way to the nape of her neck in shame and hurriedly covered her chest with her arms.
She quickly scrambled away from me, turned her back, and yanked the front of her dress back up.
I stood there awkwardly.
‘Why wasn’t she wearing underwear?’
Truthfully, with a dress that exposed so much of the upper chest, wearing a bra was impossible.
Still, I felt strangely resentful.
While I stood there unsure what to do, Alissa—having fixed her clothes—slowly turned her head to stare at me.
“…You saw, didn’t you?”
“……”
“Answer me. You saw them, right? …My breasts.”
She had no intention of letting it go. Despite my silence, she repeated the question.
‘Is she really that angry?’
This accident had been pure force majeure, but humans were not always rational creatures.
Worried I might get slapped, I clenched my jaw and slowly nodded.
“Pervert.”
“……”
“How much did you see? Just the shape? Or… even the tips?”
Even without saying the exact word, it was obvious she meant the nipples.
My gaze unconsciously drifted back to her chest.
Right to the center—to that light-pink peak now permanently burned into my memory.
It was the clearest possible answer.
“You total pervert. Take responsibility!”
“…Responsibility?”
“Yes. Don’t tell me you were planning to just pretend it never happened?”
Of course I had been planning to pretend it never happened.
To demand responsibility just for seeing a woman’s breasts? Even if the setting was medieval, this world had advanced quite far thanks to magic.
Apparently Alissa had a more old-fashioned and conservative side than I realized.
“I’m sorry.”
“An apology isn’t enough.”
“Then what?”
Was she seriously demanding I take responsibility?
When I asked in disbelief, Alissa gave an answer I could never have imagined.
“Luan, take yours off too!”
Her finger pointed straight at my crotch.
“…You want me to take off my pants?”
“Yes! Show me your c-c-cock!”
The word “cock” coming from a girl as delicate as a budding rose was incredibly shocking.
My face stiffened.
My cock also stiffened slightly, but that was an unavoidable male physiological reaction, so I decided to ignore it.
“Are you serious?”
“Y-yes! It’s unfair if only I show mine! So you have to show me too!”
I distinctly remembered that after being raped by me she had developed a strong aversion to men. I couldn’t understand why she was making this kind of demand.
Was it simply competitive pride? Or was there something more?
I couldn’t tell, but the important thing right now was that Alissa wanted to see me exposed.
‘There’s no real problem.’
After all, I had raped her right after possessing this body.
There was no way she could connect my identity to the massive cock that had been transformed by the elixir.
I made my decision.
“Then I’ll show you.”
“H-huh!?”
Facing the flustered Alissa, I boldly removed my pants.