Soft and Supple
“……”
“Pfft.”
“…Your Highness. I really don’t think this is proper.”
“Are you talking back to me now?”
“…Not necessarily, but still.”
I had put up a respectable defense against Cecilia’s demands. In fact, I had tried really, really hard.
I had shaken my head furiously from side to side, practically vibrating with refusal. I had crawled inside my sleeping bag and braced myself to hold out until morning. I had exhausted almost every avenue of polite defiance at my disposal, yet the final result was entirely unchanged: I was lying in the very same bed as Cecilia.
…How on earth did it come to this?
“It isn’t even a big deal, so what are you fussing about? We shared the sofa before. What makes this any different?”
“……”
“Just go to sleep.”
“…Understood.”
It was a small bed. Cecilia was hardly a giant, and I was decidedly petite, meaning there was technically enough room for two people. But that didn't mean it was spacious by any stretch of the imagination.
I had scooted as far to the edge of the mattress as physically possible. Even so, the bed was so compact that the slightest twitch—a mere fraction of an inch—would brush me right against the chest of the imperial princess lying beside me. There was nothing I could do.
“…Stop teetering on the edge like you’re about to fall off and just scoot closer.”
“……”
“Serena.”
“…Yes.”
“It’s an imperial command. Get over here. Now.”
“Fiiine.”
“And what did I say about your tone?”
“…Keep it brief. Understood.”
At the end of the day, I was in no position to mount any meaningful resistance against Cecilia. I was her maid, after all. However friendly our personal dynamic had become, the unbridgeable gulf between the Third Imperial Princess and a mere household maid remained an absolute reality.
“Eep…!”
“Ahaha…”
The moment I shifted back just a hair—just enough for Cecilia’s soft, supple chest to graze against my spine—she suddenly wrapped her arms around me. She pulled me close, enveloping me completely in an unyielding embrace.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“You’re so soft. Squishy, too. So warm and tender… pfft.”
“Wait… please let go…!”
She buried her face near my neck, close enough that her hot breath tickled my skin, giggling softly against my shoulder. Unlike before, when our contact was limited to light, timid brushes against my back, she was now holding me completely flush against her body. The pressure was intense enough to squish the curves of her chest against my back, leaving me wriggling uselessly in her grasp.
Wait, her chest… seriously… it’s ridiculously soft…
No! Get a grip!
“This is really, truly… weird, you know…? Please consider your imperial dignity, even just a little…”
“Why should I?”
“…Because even between two women, this kind of thing isn't… right.”
Granted, I didn’t actually have the faintest clue how ordinary women behaved around each other in private. But surely, no matter how close two female friends were, they didn't cling to each other like this, locking together chest-to-back and breathing warm, tickling sighs against each other's napes… right?
Two men would never in a million years do something like this. And I couldn't imagine women were all that different in terms of basic personal space. It only made common sense. Unless two people were actively dating, there wasn't a single justifiable reason to spoon this tightly.
Armed with that logic, I tried my best to argue back.
“So what you’re saying is, you dislike being held by me?”
“I-it’s not that I dislike it, exactly…”
“Then there’s no problem, is there?”
“No, but still…”
“Just stay quiet. Isn’t it a maid’s duty to provide a little amusement for the imperial princess she serves? Not to mention, ensuring my restful sleep is part of your job description.”
“What does that have to do with any of this…?”
Whenever I listened to Cecilia’s whispered coaxing, my mind somehow ended up swayed before I even realized it. But this was undeniably wrong. The plush, yielding sensation pressing into my back, coupled with the radiant heat seeping straight through our thin nightwear, was far too stimulating. My thoughts were descending into utter chaos.
Cecilia, meanwhile, acted as though none of this meant anything at all. As if wrapping herself around another person was as casual as breathing, she casually lowered her arms and wound them firmly around my stomach, hugging me tight against her.
The sensation felt infuriatingly good, but duty compelled me to keep offering token resistance.
“I find this quite cozy, but it seems you’re the only one unhappy. Personally, I think I make a very comfortable pillow.”
“That’s not the issue here!”
“Quiet down. It’s the middle of the night, so just go to sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow anyway, don't we? Today we managed a proper meal that puts the previous days to shame, and we’re sleeping in a decent room for once. Letting it go to waste by staying up late would be foolish.”
“Haaa…”
“Serena, being overly modest can actually offend the person extending the courtesy, you know.”
She wasn't wrong. Thanks to the Points we had accumulated, today had been immeasurably more comfortable than the past few days. Being able to buy real, delicious food instead of chewing through dry survival rations, and settling into a safe, sheltered room to sleep—it was all thanks to Cecilia.
On top of that, Cecilia had been the one offering me the bed from the very beginning, while I was the one stubbornly refusing. Just as she said, I had carried my reluctance too far. For a mere maid, my persistence had bordered on insolence.
“By the way, those pajamas look adorable on you. Bunny pajamas… pfft. They suit you.”
“……”
“Fine, I’ll let you go for now. Just sleep quietly, understood? Don’t go clinging to the edge of the mattress like a fool again.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
There was plenty I still wanted to grumble about, but I simply nodded and gave up. If I pushed the matter any further, she would undoubtedly haul me back into that suffocatingly tight embrace. Accepting half-defeat, I settled for maintaining a modest distance and letting myself drift off in the quiet warmth.
“Good night, Serena.”
“…Good night.”
Still… sharing a bed with a stunning beauty wasn't the worst fate in the world. My heart was pounding at an alarming rate, and I couldn't stop obsessing over Cecilia’s presence behind me, but the sheer physical comfort was undeniable.
“……”
Seriously, though… Cecilia’s chest really is ridiculous…
In truth, I had originally intended to pull an all-nighter.
Even though we had moved into a secure, private room, there was no telling when assassins or ambitious students might come gunning for Cecilia. That was my initial plan, anyway.
Upon reflection, staying awake all night would have brought its own set of disasters. With the Hunt entering its latter half, enduring another sleepless night would have devastated my physical condition. So, I settled for catching whatever rest I could.
Maybe two hours? Three at most.
Even then, it was hardly deep, restful slumber. I woke up roughly every hour, staying on high alert throughout the night.
“*Yaaawn*…”
“…Didn't you go to sleep early last night? Why are you yawning so much today?”
“I wonder whyyy…”
Despite getting some rest, exhaustion still clung heavily to my limbs. Having barely slept, it was an entirely natural consequence, so I merely covered my mouth and let out another lazy yawn.
“Today is Day Five. By now, only the capable students should remain. I hope things get a bit more interesting.”
“Most likely. I imagine the students left are significantly stronger than the ones we encountered yesterday. We haven’t run into anyone from the other ducal houses or the count families yet, but they're almost certainly still in the running.”
“I’m rather looking forward to it. I had high hopes before the exercise started, but every opponent we crossed paths with turned out to be terribly underwhelming.”
Day Five was officially underway.
Although we had spent a small portion of our Points on a single room and proper meals yesterday, Cecilia still held an impressive tally. We waited until the sun was fully overhead before stepping outside into the wilderness.
“Hearing you mention that makes me curious. How many Points do you think the other top-tier students have gathered by now?”
“Probably a similar amount to Your Highness, wouldn't you say?”
“Hmm… no, I suspect they have more than me.”
“Really?”
I thought Cecilia had accumulated an exceptional number of Points. She had harvested scores from numerous students over the past several days. Surpassing four thousand seemed like more than enough to dominate the upper brackets, but Cecilia didn't share my optimism.
“I spent far less time roaming around than I could have. If I had genuinely scoured the grounds from dawn to dusk, I probably would have doubled my current score. Besides, we let roughly half the students we encountered walk away untouched.”
“Ah…”
“So the front-runners likely hold a far greater sum.”
“That certainly sounds plausible.”
As we strolled through the woods, chatting in leisurely tones, our objective for the day naturally fell into place. It felt a bit reckless, but Cecilia had declared it sounded fun with such fierce conviction that there was no steering her away.
Her goal was simple.
“I'd like to test myself against one of the three ducal heirs today.”
“……”
“There are four heirs from count houses around, but if we’re going to pick a fight, wouldn't a ducal heir be far more thrilling than a count? Jessica… well, I already defeated her once, so facing someone from House Oro or House Ferro would be much more entertaining.”
She wanted to duel a ducal heir one-on-one.
Honestly, I was worried sick. But Cecilia herself was practically radiating anticipation. Regardless of whatever cautious warnings I voiced, she had already made up her mind and was confidently marching deeper into the forest.
“…I've heard Lady Elizabeth is exceptionally skilled.”
“Well, yes. But wouldn't it be exhilarating to fight someone stronger than me for once?”
“…Perhaps, but I'm worried you might get seriously hurt, Your Highness.”
“What is there to worry about? If an injury is severe enough, the emergency reverse-summoning protocol will pull me out instantly. There’s no need to fret over hypotheticals.”
In the end, I simply decided to roll with it. I already knew all too well how stubbornly unyielding Cecilia could be once she dug her heels in.
Just look at last night…
If I kept pushing the argument here, she might get retaliation ideas and subject me to another bout of bizarre teasing right in the middle of the woods. It was far safer to keep my head down and quietly follow behind her.
…Whatever happened, repeating last night’s antics out here in the open was strictly out of the question. If she was going to pull something like that, doing it indoors was vastly pref—
“……”
Memories of the previous night kept resurfacing, making my head spin until I felt like I was going to lose my mind. It had left that much of an impression on me.
I knew better than anyone that letting my thoughts wander in this direction while serving as Cecilia’s maid was an awful idea. But knowing that didn't make stopping it any easier.