Chapter 675: Daily Life
Chapter 675: Daily Life
Having overcome the biggest hurdle, Vanessa, with surprising ease, we were about to follow her down to the dining hall with much lighter hearts.
But the moment I took a single step out of the room, I felt a wave of dizziness and my vision swam.
Ah, right. I forgot about this.
“Diana.”
“Hm? Ah, oh… R-Right, I guess I haven't taken it off yet.”
Seeing my younger form must have reminded her of last night, because Diana blushed and quickly tapped the bracelet on my wrist.
With that, the bracelet that wouldn't come off no matter how hard I struggled last night slid off with ease.
And at the same time, my vision swam again as my eye level returned to normal.
“What? How did you get it off?”
“Y-You just have to infuse it with this one's mana.”
“In other words, no one but you can take it off.”
I thought the same thing last night, but she really was thoroughly prepared.
“I-Isn't this all in the past! That's why this one… last night… Ugh!”
When I gave her an exasperated look, Diana, clearly feeling guilty, cried out as if throwing a little tantrum.
Of course, with Vanessa here, she couldn't finish her sentence.
It's over and done with since I went along with that kind of play yesterday as a form of apology.
That's probably what Diana wanted to say.
“I know, I know. Still, I'm confiscating this bracelet.”
I had no intention of dragging it out, so I ended the conversation while stroking Diana's hair.
Well, seeing as she blushed just from the memory of last night at the sight of my younger self, I doubt she has any desire to put this on me again.
Still, I should hang onto it, just in case a situation comes up where I might need it.
Ah, to use it properly, does that mean I'll have to grab that mana supply device from Diana's room later?
Though, I can't really imagine a situation where I'd need to use this.
“Mmmph….”
Whether she disliked my high-and-mighty use of the word 'confiscate,' or she didn't like me stroking her hair, or she was just sad to lose the bracelet she'd worked so hard to make, Diana let out a small, dissatisfied sound.
But since Diana knew she was at fault, she didn't ask for the bracelet back.
Nor did she try to avoid my hand stroking her hair.
It had been a while since I'd properly stroked Diana's hair, and it was as soft as silk.
Pleased that Diana was no longer trying to avoid my touch after we finished talking, I turned my gaze forward again.
And I realized Vanessa's expression had changed subtly.
At a glance, it looked like her usual expressionless face, and it was hard to tell what emotion was hidden behind it, but for some reason, I could just tell that something was off about her expression.
“What's wrong, Vanessa?”
“Hn!”
As I tilted my head and stepped closer, Vanessa took a step back with a sharp intake of breath.
Huh? Is she embarrassed? But why?
Ah, could it be? Leia had an image of openly liking children, but I never thought Vanessa was the same type.
“What's this? Did you fall for my younger self too? Was I that adorable? I can wear this bracelet for you if you want.”
“…Put on your pants.”
As I spoke with a playful smile, Vanessa gave me a cold stare and spoke stiffly.
Her gaze was fixed on my junk, which was dangling freely, my pants and underwear having come off when I briefly turned into a child.
“…Right.”
I immediately picked up my clothes from the floor and put them on.
Anyway, after that little commotion, we were finally able to head to the dining hall.
Perhaps thanks to the unexpected incident, Diana no longer seemed as tense as she was when facing Vanessa.
But unlike Diana, I didn't let my guard down.
Diana could afford to be relaxed because she didn't remember everything from last night, but I did.
It wasn't time to be complacent yet.
If even one of the maids had realized what we did last night, there's no way a rumor wouldn't have spread among them.
And if such a rumor had spread, at least one of these many maids would show some kind of suspicious reaction.
Of course, I doubt any maid would have the guts to make a scene in front of their mistress, the one and only supreme Archmage Diana.
Still, they're only human. They'd have to show at least a minor reaction, like flinching as we passed, or blushing.
With that in mind, I carefully observed the reactions of the maids we passed as I followed Vanessa.
But in the end, not a single maid showed any particular reaction by the time we reached the dining hall.
Does this mean… I can assume the maids didn't notice anything?
I couldn't be completely at ease, but with this kind of reaction, I probably didn't need to worry too much.
Besides, I had a more pressing matter to worry about right now.
“Ah, good morning….”
Seeing Leia greet us as we entered the dining hall, I couldn't help but tense up slightly.
A slightly flushed face. A gaze that couldn't meet ours, as if she were embarrassed about something.
The moment she saw Leia's expression, Diana's eyes began to dart back and forth frantically.
For Diana, the only thing she remembered after leaving her room was meeting Leia, so seeing that reaction was bound to make her nervous.
Besides, no matter how much she denied it, she had to know.
She had to know why her memory after meeting Leia was gone.
She'd gotten so worked up doing perverted things in front of Leia that she'd lost her senses.
And now she couldn't remember what she'd done in her excitement.
Yeah. I'd be nervous too. No, if it were me, I would have already run away.
“E-Ehem! G-Good morning!”
But I guess this is what you'd expect from the great Archmage.
Even though she was a nervous wreck, Diana managed to feign composure and return Leia's greeting.
Well, her voice cracked a little, but it was a cute enough mistake to overlook.
“Good morning. But what's with that look? Is it because of what happened yesterday?”
“Hic!”
Anyway, I couldn't just leave this to Diana, so I greeted Leia and took the initiative.
Diana, who must not have expected me to bring it up first, was completely flustered, flailing her hands about in a panic next to me.
But I calmed her by pulling her into a tight hug at my side, then nonchalantly went and sat down.
With Diana on my lap, of course.
“Yes. It's just… I feel bad for interrupting you two yesterday.”
“Gasp…!”
At Leia's words, Diana flinched and trembled again.
Don't tell me she interpreted Leia's words as, 'I'm sorry for interrupting you while you were enjoying your exhibitionist play.'
I mean, I get that she's more sensitive about it since she's an exhibitionist who'd deny being one to her dying breath, but she needed to calm down.
She's usually so composed as long as it doesn't involve me.
Ah, but I guess this involves me too.
Well, can't be helped then.
I'll let it slide, so please, just don't get worked up here.
I couldn't feel any dampness where Diana's butt was touching me yet, but the way she was subtly squirming made me nervous.
To calm her down, I gave her thigh a few gentle pats.
“Hyang…!”
But Diana must have taken my action as a foolish attempt to do something lewd even in this situation. She let out a cute sound, her body jolted, and she looked up to glare at me.
No. Sorry. That's not what I meant.
I was worried the others would find it strange if I suddenly started stroking her hair, so I deliberately patted a spot hidden by the table. I never thought it would be misunderstood.
“It's fine. It wasn't a big deal. Diana isn't bothered by it either.”
Before Diana could misunderstand any further, I decided to continue the conversation with Leia.
Thinking about it calmly, there was no need to be anxious.
If Leia really knew we were in the middle of exhibitionist play, there's no way she would have said that. Even if she wanted to warn us, she would have done it secretly later, when no one else was around.
In the first place, if Leia knew about the exhibitionist play, her reaction wouldn't have been so mild.
Leia is the type who can't lie; everything shows on her face.
Claiming that Leia's expression was an act would be less believable than claiming Vanessa's reaction earlier was an act.
So, the reason Leia was apologizing again was simply because she was too kind.
“But it was a rare moment for just you and Diana-ssi, and I got carried away and made a scene, holding you up for so long….”
“I told you, it's fine. Besides, my younger self was just that adorable. Right, Diana?”
“Hm?! A-Ahem! Yes! That's right, Lady Leia. There is no need to feel sorry. Even ignoring this man's baseless confidence, that is. This one was not offended in the slightest, so please don't worry about it any longer.”
And through our conversation, it seemed Diana was finally able to cool her head and grasp the situation calmly.
Leia really hadn't realized we were engaged in exhibitionist play; she was just purely sorry for interrupting our time together.
“You're the one who put it on me, you know.”
And by playfully retorting to Diana's comment, I was finally able to shake off all the anxiety from yesterday's incident.
“What on earth are you three talking about?”
Sara, Matilda, and Silvia, who couldn't follow our conversation at all, just tilted their heads in confusion as they watched us.
“So, Matilda. What about the temple? Should we head over right away?”
Anyway, after we finished eating, I immediately spoke to Matilda to keep the promise I'd made yesterday.
For the record, Diana, perhaps overcome with exhaustion once the tension broke, announced she was going to sleep and returned to her room as soon as the meal was over.
I guess even Healing Sex can't do anything about mental fatigue from stress.
“Ah, yes. Would you?”
“Of course. We were supposed to go yesterday, but couldn't because of me.”
“That's... it wasn't because of you... Ahem. Anyway, I'll go get ready right now.”
At my words, Matilda was about to slip into her pink-hued mode, but she managed to snap out of it at the last second and returned to her room.
“What about you, Leia? Are you going to the temple today too?”
“Fufu. Yes. I'll go get ready as well.”
Leia, who before the meal had been embarrassed about making a scene after getting too excited over my child form last night, seemed to have finally gotten over her shyness during breakfast. She answered with her usual gentle smile and left the dining hall.
“Alright. Then I'll go get the carriage...”
“If it is the carriage, I shall drive you.”
Unlike the women who needed to prepare, I didn't need to, so I stood up to go arrange for a carriage and a maid to drive it.
But Vanessa, who was still waiting in the dining hall, stopped me and replied.
“Huh? But what about your work?”
If we were going to the palace, it would be one thing, but we didn't need a large carriage that Vanessa herself would have to drive just to go to the temple.
In fact, with so many people on the streets, it would just get in the way.
So why was Vanessa insisting on driving the carriage herself?
“It is not a problem.”
But despite my question, Vanessa wouldn't back down.
I'd dragged her around all day yesterday, and we were scheduled to go to the palace tomorrow, so I'd have to take up her time again.
And now she was proactively volunteering for today as well.
It's not like she has nothing to do... Aha. Could it be that she wants to be with me?
Is that why she's doing this, ready to work overtime again like yesterday? Is that it?
No way. I'm happy that you want to be with me, but if you work overtime too often, that beautiful skin of yours might get rough.
While having these slightly cringey, cheesy thoughts, I decided to let Vanessa do as she pleased.
It wasn't often that Vanessa asserted herself like this.
“Shall we go together then?”
“Yes.”
In contrast to my pleased smile, Vanessa simply nodded, her face still expressionless.
She acts like that, but on the inside, she doesn't want to be away from me for a second. This cute little thing.
And so, on the way to the carriage with Vanessa, we passed through an empty hallway where she suddenly spun around and her hand shot out toward my head.
SLAM!
Startled, I instinctively dodged toward the nearby wall, but as if she had anticipated it, Vanessa changed the direction of her outstretched hand and slammed it into the wall right next to my head.
It was the so-called "wall slam" pose.
…Haven't I been in this situation with her before?