I Want to Marry Chloe
I want to marry Chloe….
With a pat pat pat sound, Chloe began drying Marian's wet hair with a towel. "You worked really hard today. Your accuracy with those artifacts was pretty impressive, wasn't it?"
"Of course. I've been practicing with you every day, after all."
"It's because you have overflowing talent, Miss."
Marian loved these moments. The sensation of having her hair dried wasn't anything special, but the conversations they shared during this time were. Even five extra minutes a day stuck to Chloe felt wonderful. That was why Marian hardly ever cut her hair, letting it grow long.
"Now I'll dry yours."
"Yes, Miss."
"Chloe."
"Yes. I'm listening."
"Don't cut your hair, okay? Promise?"
"I promise. Don't worry."
Likewise, Chloe couldn't cut her hair either. Grooming Chloe's glossy locks while chatting was one of the joys of Marian's life.
"There, all dry."
"Thank you, as always. It must be such a hassle."
"No, I do it because I want to!"
After neatly combing through Chloe's perfectly dried hair, Marian stepped down from the bed and pulled her to her feet. "Alright, off to bed. Hurry up!"
"Yes, yes, no need to rush me."
"Good night! Sleep well!"
"Yes, good night, Miss."
Then, as if shooing Chloe out, Marian pushed her beyond the bedroom door. Click. She locked it securely.
"I've got to go first!"
With that, the nightly ritual was complete. Grinning from ear to ear, Marian dashed into the bathroom like someone being chased, tapping the spot where a secret passage had been installed years ago. Suddenly, what had looked like an ordinary bathroom floor revealed a wooden trapdoor. Marian flung it open without a hint of shame and climbed down the ladder.
"Hngh."
Normally, noble ladies didn't climb ladders. Even the wild ones called tomboys lived in dresses as their daily uniform. With anyone below, the world beneath their skirts—a noble lady's shame—would be fully exposed. How could they possibly use a ladder?
But….
"Hurry, hurry…."
Marian had no aversion to ladders. The bathroom connected below—to Chloe's—was a completely sealed room without windows, and even if Chloe peeked up her skirt, it wasn't anything to be embarrassed about. They'd seen each other naked, after all. What was a little upskirt view?
"Make it disappear."
As she withdrew her mana to conceal the secret passage, Marian opened the bathroom door and dashed out. The familiar sight: Chloe's bedroom on the floor below. But Chloe hadn't arrived yet.
"I'm first!"
Convinced of her victory, Marian dove into the bed. She planned to sit there waiting, then greet Chloe warmly.
"First? Who's first?"
"Eek!"
Instead, Chloe—who had been lying in wait under the covers—emerged and smothered the cheeky intruder who had dared enter her bed, swallowing her whole with the blankets.
"Ahaha! Chloe! That tickles!"
"Don't resist, Miss. You'll get hurt."
The two women tumbled about on the bed for a moment.
"Hah, ha…. Grraan…."
Thoroughly defeated by Chloe's tickling, Marian collapsed limply atop the bed, groaning.
"I was going to stop even if you didn't say anything. I'm too tired from today to play more, so let's sleep. Us."
Chloe hugged Marian from behind and promptly drifted off.
"Yeah…. Good night, Chloe."
And Marian followed suit, gently interlocking fingers with Chloe's hand that had slipped in front of her, slowly closing her eyes.
In the quiet of Chloe's bedroom, a streetlamp decoration installed beside the igloo of a polar bear family—refined through several iterations over the past few years—glowed softly, serving as a nightlight and asserting its presence within the snow globe.
# The next day arrived.
Marian rubbed her eyes and rose around sunrise.
"Chloe…."
"Mmm…."
Chloe was still resting in dreamland, the effects of yesterday's thunder orbs not yet fully faded.
"I want to stay like this forever."
Sitting up on the bed, Marian brought Chloe's pale hand—which they had held through the night—to her cheek and sighed softly.
"But I can't."
Marian was no longer the foolish twelve-year-old from three years ago. Back then, she had been decidedly idiotic compared to her peers, but thanks to Chloe's tireless efforts, she now thought at the level of an average fifteen-year-old noble.
One day, when Marian had been down with her first menstrual cramps, Chloe had said, "There are eyes on us from the outside, so let's spend the night alone tonight." Now, she understood what that meant.
Back when Marian lived alone as a child, Rosetta had tormented her endlessly. But Rosetta had lost all her own children, and the sixth hadn't even been born yet. That was why Marian, as Haksen Grand Duke's heir, had been elevated to Evergreen lady.
Marian had to mind the public gaze. She now knew that if word got out the Evergreen lady shared a bed with someone who wasn't her future spouse, gossip was inevitable.
But….
I want to marry Chloe….
Chloe was her teacher. There were no stories—even in fairy tales—of students marrying their teachers.
Marian was in a position like a princess, and Chloe was her prince…. But princes in fairy tales were always men. She couldn't marry a prince who wasn't a man, like Chloe.
"Hng…."
Feeling glum, Marian carefully tucked the blankets over Chloe's softly breathing form. Though reluctant, she knew there was no choice. She slipped into the bathroom, infused mana into the secret passage, and a magical ladder slid down smoothly. Climbing rung by rung, she returned to her own bedroom's bathroom.
"I want to see her again already…."
She'd see her again soon enough, so what could she do but endure? Calming her melancholy as best she could, Marian unlocked the bedroom door that had been secured all night. She stared at it with a sullen face for a moment.
"Lady Marian! We're here!"
"Time to get dressed!"
As if they'd been waiting only for the lock to click open, the Arona and Perona sisters appeared. Reformed through Chloe's relentless efforts into loyal, if dim-witted, maids, they burst in.
"How about this outfit today?"
"Not really…."
"Then what about this one? It's white tones, so it'll go perfectly with your teacher who loves black clothes."
"Yeah…?"
"Yes, black and white is a guaranteed match."
"Then we'll go with that."
The sisters recommended outfits for the day with skilled hands, changing her in a flash. Their coordination could barely rival Viola's, but considering they were worthless maids who wouldn't even do dishes three years ago, it was a massive improvement.
And moreover.
"Now for makeup."
"Cool tones today."
Their strength lay in their flashy makeup skills, honed from a past of using luxury cosmetics like water—unlike ordinary maids. Marian was a girl now hitting puberty, so she did makeup daily…. In this area, even head maid Viola couldn't match the sisters' synergy.
"Good work today. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Lady Marian!"
"Have a peaceful day!"
Standing before the full-length dressing mirror to check her completed look, Marian grinned, eagerly awaiting the moment she'd see Chloe again. In about an hour, morning lessons would start, and she could show off this lovely appearance….
"It takes a whole hour…?"
That meant she had to spend the remaining hour alone.
"Tch…."
Feeling glum again for no reason, Marian shook off the gloomy thoughts and shifted her mindset. Sure, she couldn't see Chloe for a full hour, but flip it around: she had a whole hour of free time.
"I'm going to the study."
For that hour, after their usual battle over the wish voucher, she'd gather info on healing artifacts to treat Chloe. How was she so clever? All thanks to Chloe's teaching, of course.
With that thought, Marian headed to what she vaguely recalled as Viola's quarters—she'd visited once before. Chloe's morning dressing should be done by now, so she'd borrow Viola for a bit. Arona and Perona were her exclusive maids, but they still felt unreliable somehow. For secrecy and surprise gifts, Viola was the only collaborator.
"La la la~."
Marian even hummed as she made her way to Viola's quarters.