Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Lady Withbel is Prettier
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I like the sea.
Just gazing at that vast blue expanse with no end in sight fills me with a sense of freedom.
Being royalty doesn't mean you get to enjoy freedom.
Every day is suffocating.
Under the guise of propriety, every action must follow strict etiquette.
Under the name of dignity, desires must be suppressed.
And there are countless other basic rules a royal must observe.
These days, they're so ingrained in me that I'm used to them,
but as a child, Vera found all of it agonizing.
Because she was royalty.
Because she was a princess.
They bound her limbs with such excuses.
It got even worse after her mother passed away from illness.
The Emperor confined Vera to the Life Palace.
For fear of losing his beloved daughter after his beloved wife.
Back then, she couldn't understand his feelings at all.
'Now... I totally get it.'
When you find someone you love, the flower of obsession blooms.
That flower has incredible vitality.
It's not easily broken.
The more you try to crush it, the stronger it grows.
It gains poison, and that poison twists obsession into madness.
'That's why I can go through all this trouble.'
I got sidetracked, but back to the point: as a child, Vera was suffocating in her surroundings.
To be precise, the Vera from the first world.
'Princess, shall we go on a picnic?'
The first person in the first world to give her a breath of fresh air.
'Studies are important, but focusing only on them is inefficient.'
'B-but... Father...'
'I'll speak to His Majesty the Emperor. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?'
'Um... the sea.'
'The sea? The sea's great.'
And just like that, they went to see the sea.
The blue land she'd only watched from afar.
The sea up close was truly beautiful.
So vast it couldn't fit into her eyes at once.
Spreading her arms wide, it felt like she was merging with the sea, becoming free.
'Lady Withbel! The water's cool! Come in too!'
'H-ha... I'm fine...'
'I said come in!'
'Waaah?!'
Even after that, they'd gone to the sea many times across various worlds, but none were as intense as the first.
Closing her eyes brings back the memories of the first world most vividly.
"Ugh, ugh..."
It was while waiting in front of the teleport gate for a while.
"...It's ready."
Ester approached hesitantly.
"Hm..."
Vera crossed her arms and stared silently at Ester.
"W-why are you looking at me like that...?"
The gaze was so intense that Ester fidgeted restlessly.
"It suits you."
Ester in a pure white dress.
Round shoulders.
Straight collarbone.
Upper chest flushed pink with embarrassment, like his cheeks.
The cool fabric of the dress revealed Ester's curvaceous figure, and through the thin material, his skin shone faintly, adding a touch of allure.
Every time the wind blew, the hem fluttered.
Below it, plump thighs peeked out.
Overall, it was an innocent outfit, but there was a subtle sexiness hidden within.
"How do women even walk around in these things?"
Ester grumbled, pressing down on the fluttering hem.
Skirts really are such precarious garments.
The dress from before was a skirt too,
but its hem reached down to the ankles.
This one, though, ended well above the knees.
Cool air rushed up from below.
It was downright eerie.
Stroking the hips,
caressing the inner thighs,
grazing the crotch.
For the first time, he realized the wind's touch could be so lewd.
And on the way here, he'd even suffered a skirt-flip disaster.
Suddenly, the wind attacked, lifting the hem.
Caught off guard, he was defenseless.
He barely managed to press down the front with his hands, but the back was exposed, baring his buttocks.
Lucky no one was around...
If there had been, he might have teared up from embarrassment.
"You'll get used to it once you wear it."
"No way I'll get used to it...!"
"It suits you."
"I'll change back into my robe the moment we return."
"That drab thing?"
"Drab?! The robe is a mage's uniform!"
"Old-fashioned talk. Hardly anyone wears robes these days."
Indeed.
Mages who wear robes are now a minority.
These days, they dress in whatever they like.
Saying robes are outdated.
Just look at some of the Magic Towers.
Used to be mandatory to wear robes to work.
Now you can wear casual clothes freely.
The change happened just a few years ago.
As society started valuing individuality, young mages complained about the stuffy Magic Tower rules, leading to the shift.
Still, robes are required for official occasions, at minimum.
"Oh, right."
Vera chuckled softly.
"Lady Withbel, you're such a boomer."
"B-boo...?!"
Ester's eyes went wide.
"Ha! Ha! Hah!"
He could only let out disbelieving laughs.
He'd never once thought of himself as a boomer.
Boomers were like the Magic Tower Master.
That's who you called a boomer.
Or so he'd always thought.
"I'm still in my twenties."
Turning thirty in a couple days.
"Boomer isn't defined by age."
"Enough. Let's go already."
"Boomer."
"I'm not!"
Ester huffed and stepped into the gate.
"Haha."
Vera laughed merrily and followed behind.
Stepping into the gate made his stomach churn like he'd boarded a ship.
The world rocked and swayed.
The scenery melted like running paint, then slowly reformed into a new picture.
"Ugh... urk..."
He felt it every time he used a gate, but wasn't there any way to cure gate sickness?
"Haa..."
Catching his breath, he lifted his head.
A blue sea stretched out.
Dyed blue all the way to the horizon.
Sunlight shattered on the waves.
Dazzling, as if diamonds littered the water.
The most beautiful sea he'd ever seen.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The Princess offered a water bottle.
"Thank you."
He bowed his head in thanks and drank.
The cold water eased the nausea a bit.
"This is a beach owned by my family."
"Doesn't the Imperial Family own the entire Empire?"
"That would be a dictatorship."
Not quite, but close enough.
"You just thought, 'Not quite a dictatorship, but close enough,' didn't you?"
"N-no, I didn't."
This scary woman.
She really does use mind reading.
"I'm not using mind reading."
She really is!
"You're just easy to read."
"You saying I'm simple?"
"Yes."
"You must not know, Princess, but I'm actually a very complex person."
"Sure, sure."
"For real!"
"Got it."
She clearly didn't believe him.
"So, what do you think?"
The Princess pointed at the sea.
"Pretty, right?"
"Well... yes..."
Objectively speaking, yes.
But his heart felt uneasy.
Bad things always happened whenever he came to the sea.
The sea was a place of misfortune for him.
He worried what calamity would strike this time.
Well, what could be worse than turning from man to woman?
"Still, Lady Withbel is prettier."
"Eh?"
He whipped his head around to look up at the Princess.
The Princess smiled with her eyes, looking down at him.
Whoosh.
His face heated up suddenly.
His chest tickled.
...Y-you idiot!
He slapped his cheeks.
"I'm a man. Say I'm handsome."
"Looking like that right now?"
"This is your fault, Princess."
"My fault? Strictly speaking, you chose to wear it yourself."
The Princess took his hand.
"Let's go to the beach."
"The hand... sigh, fine."
She wouldn't let go even if he asked.
Hand in hand, they descended the stairs leading to the beach.
"Whoa!"
His foot slipped.
"Careful."
The Princess steadied him right away.
If she hadn't been holding his hand, he'd have tumbled down the stairs.
"...Thank you."
"Lady Withbel can't see your feet, so be extra careful."
"I can see my feet..."
"Really?"
The Princess let go of his hand.
"Guess I worried too much."
"Yes."
"Keep going."
They descended the stairs again.
He turned sideways and went down carefully, step by step.
One step, one step.
His chest blocked the view of his feet, making him anxious.
Usually stairs had railings...
No railings, narrow steps, steep incline.
Each step was precarious.
"Jeez, you stubborn thing."
The Princess grabbed his hand again.
"At least accept the consideration graciously."
"...Yes."
"Good girl."
Zing.
"Kidding."
"I'm older than you, Princess."
"I know."
Thanks to the Princess holding his hand, he made it down safely.
Tch.
As they reached the bottom, sea breeze blew in.
The cool salty scent moistened his senses.
The sun was pleasantly warm, the sand nicely heated.
But the wind was annoying.
His hat nearly flew off, and the skirt billowed.
"Oh, right. Our beach has one rule."
"A rule?"
"You have to change clothes before entering the beach."
The Princess pointed to a building on one side of the sand.
A luxurious stone structure that seemed out of place amid the sand.
"What's that...?"
"Changing room."
"What changing room is that huge?"
Bigger than his studio apartment.
"They've prepared clothes for you to change into there, Lady Withbel."
"Whaaat."
"Go change."
"If it's something weird, you're dead."
"Scary."
She didn't look scared at all.
"I picked something that suits you perfectly, so hurry and change."
"...Understood."
He headed to the so-called changing room.
"How is this a changing room...?"
There was a sofa and even a spot for tea.
Still, it was clearly for changing—three large full-length mirrors, with curtains in front.
And in front of them, a single outfit laid out.
"No way..."
He looked around.
This was the only thing resembling clothes.
No, not even clothes.
He unfolded it.
Yup, definitely not clothes.
"How am I supposed to wear thiiiis?!"
He threw it at the mirror.