May I Touch Your Butt?

As I raised my hands, the quiet sound of water filled the bathroom.

"Hmm hmm~"

A natural hum slipped from my lips amid the warm water. Cupping both hands, I gently lifted the flower petals floating on the surface of the tub and brought them to my nose. The sweet, alluring fragrance settled my heart into calm.

I climbed slowly out of the bath and wrapped a towel around myself. Droplets still fell steadily from my damp hair, yet I opened the door with a mischievous smile.

"Iris, I'm all finished washing."

Iris, standing just outside, turned at my call. Her black eyes widened in surprise before she hastily averted her gaze. A faint flush spread across her face.

"Ugh...!"

It was the first time I had heard Iris's voice since our initial meeting. Just as I had thought then, her voice was every bit as calm and cold as her appearance.

"Hehe, I just felt like teasing you a little."

Iris fixed me with a sharp glare.

Well, I had shown her my bare body, yet I felt no particular discomfort. I already knew that someone as beautiful as I, with such a slender, pale frame, could only appear captivating from an aesthetic point of view.

It was a prank I would never have dared ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in front of a pervert like Mardian, but with someone as taciturn as Iris standing there, the urge to tease simply rose on its own.

Besides, a naked body doesn't wear out from being looked at... and if it was Iris...

"It's all right... if it's you, Iris, it's fine."

"...!"

At my soft words, Iris's eyes flew wide once more. For someone who normally did not so much as flinch at anything said to her, to be shaken twice in a single day—today felt rather meaningful.

"Just kidding. Did you start thinking something strange?"

Iris kept her silence, and I smiled playfully at her.

"Surely Iris isn't that sort of pervert. We're both girls—you wouldn't get excited, would you?"

Leaving the dazed Iris behind, I closed the door. Suppressing an irrepressible laugh, I dried my hair with the towel.

When we return to the estate, should I ask to have Iris assigned as my personal maid?

Viviana was not the type to grow attached to people, so persuasion seemed worthwhile. If she agreed, I would bring Iris along and keep teasing her right by my side.

"Hehe."

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What sort of diversion should I try next?

After finishing my pleasant bath, I whiled away the hours reading a book on the bed, and before I knew it evening had drawn near.

I rang the bell twice for dinner. The door opened and a blonde maid stepped inside.

"Hmm... so Siril is on dinner duty tonight?"

Her face twisted at the sound of my voice. Seeing her display her dislike for me so openly, without the slightest attempt to hide it, I hesitated for a moment.

I had no desire to eat a meal prepared by Siril, who hated me. On the days she was assigned, I had never once requested food. She might even spit in whatever I was meant to eat.

I was not especially curious about the reason Siril despised me, yet I could roughly guess.

Jealousy, no doubt.

Siril was no commoner. With her carefully tended skin and fine complexion, she looked far more like a lady-in-waiting than a maid who performed hard labor.

Judging by her subtle aristocratic mannerisms, she was probably someone from a lesser family who had entered service at the Ducal House. I could understand her resentment at having to attend ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the young lady of a declining barony.

Of course, that was none of my concern.

"People ought to live in the positions that suit them."

I smiled at Siril and rang the bell again. At the sound, another crease formed on her forehead.

"Will you prepare dinner for me, Siril?"

Don't feel too wronged, Siril.

Honestly, isn't your mood still better than mine, being ignored by a game character like you who is too pathetic even to count as an extra?

You are merely an ordinary maid, while I am the pet cherished by the ducal lady.

"Make it delicious. I'm looking forward to it."

Siril's lips trembled. With a face flushed in fury and eyes blazing darkly, she looked at me and opened her mouth.

"You... you bitch who looks like she rolled in from a brothel...!"

"Oh, so you spoke?"

"...!"

Siril's body flinched. Satisfied once more by her clear reaction, I smiled.

"I'm quite certain Lady Viviana ordered you not to say a single word to me..."

I rose slowly from the bed and approached her. Nasty-tempered and short-fused on top of it—she really was a worthless sort, I thought.

"Did you just disobey Lady Viviana's command? Wow... I suppose a maid of the Merdelia Ducal House can get away with that."

"..."

"Hehe—back to being mute, are we? Must be terribly frustrating."

Siril clenched her fists and ground her teeth. From her eyes alone it looked as though she might slap my cheek at any second. If she did, I fully intended to coax Viviana into throwing her out of the ducal residence, yet surprisingly she made no move at all.

Usually in these clichés they strike—maybe she still has some pride left as a noble?

While I was watching Siril with mild curiosity, a familiar voice floated in from beyond the door. A glance at the clock showed it was already time for Viviana to return after finishing her work.

"Tina, I'm coming in."

Too bad. I had wanted to provoke Siril a little longer.

A moment later the door opened and Viviana appeared, radiating an uncommon nobility. Siril immediately bowed her head; I ran toward Viviana with a faint smile.

"Oh... you're here, Lady Viviana. You must have worked hard today...!"

Viviana caught me as I rushed forward with clumsy steps, then lifted me into a princess carry. Accustomed to the position by now, I naturally slipped both arms around her neck and entrusted my weight to her.

"Tina, did something happen?"

Perhaps sensing the current between Siril and me, Viviana looked from one of us to the other and asked in a puzzled tone.

Siril's eyelids trembled faintly. Speaking with me meant she had already broken Viviana's order, so of course it weighed on her.

As expected, third-rate villains always tuck their tails in the end. Swallowing a sneer, I gently rested my head against Viviana's shoulder.

"Nothing much. I had just rung the bell to eat dinner when you arrived, Lady Viviana."

"You haven't eaten yet? You must be hungry."

"I was hungry... but I'm fine now."

Viviana nodded quietly and signaled for Siril to withdraw. Siril bowed deeply to her mistress one last time, then left the room with hesitant steps.

Before closing the door she glanced back at me once. I smiled and gave a light wave; she shut the door with a face full of suppressed rage.

Now only Viviana and I remained. An awkward silence stretched until Viviana spoke first.

"I missed you, Tina."

Her straightforward confession left me slightly flustered. It was rare for Viviana to express her feelings so openly—had the day's work exhausted her? Come to think of it, her face did look a little worn...

"Did something happen?"

I asked carefully.

"Hmm?"

"You look tired. Shall I give you a massage?"

There is no better chance to raise affection than when the other person is mentally drained. Perhaps today I could push Viviana's fondness for me up another notch.

That would suit me just fine.

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If Viviana fell even deeper for me, there were many favors I wanted to ask. Making Iris my personal attendant, for instance, and having Siril thrown out of the estate—wouldn't those become possible?

"It's all right. I don't think I need a massage."

Viviana removed her heavy coat and unbuttoned her shirt. Then she lay down on the bed, caught my arm, and pulled me up onto the mattress with her.

The soft bed caught me, and Viviana drew me into her embrace. Held against her as though in a back hug, I was momentarily bewildered.

I blinked blankly, feeling rather like I had become a body pillow.

...Huh?

What is this?

Viviana's behavior today was somehow off. More affectionate than usual, perhaps. Of course we had hugged before and shared intimate moments, yet she had never given me a back hug like this. I had received them from others, but I had never imagined Viviana would do such a thing.

While various thoughts crossed my mind, Viviana brought her lips close to my ear and whispered.

"Tina."

"Huk?"

Her light breath tickled my ear and my whole body trembled reflexively. Flustered, I turned to look at her. Those always-calm violet eyes were blazing as they fixed on me.

"Tina, can you grant me just one request?"

"Yes? Yes... if it's Lady Viviana's request..."

Though startled by the sudden ask, I nodded in agreement for the moment. Viviana gazed at me for a long while, then smiled faintly and whispered into my ear once more.