25. Bloom (5)
25. Blooming (5)
"To my knowledge, there should be another village on the opposite side of Arbel Village."
"Then let's head there first."
Our second day in the cave.
We managed to survive by somehow getting nutrients from tree fruits and such.
It seemed we had avoided the Succubus Queen's search as well.
But to completely escape, we would eventually have to flee this place.
"However, the problem is······,"
"······We truly don't have a single thing to wear."
"Yes···."
We were still naked.
We were unabashedly exposing our pure white, smooth skin.
And even Evernoir's······-
"Haa."
How did I end up in this situation?
"······Is something the matter?"
"No, nothing."
Honestly, the self-loathing is no joke.
Even if I wanted to die, I couldn't because of this Crotch Tattoo.
······Would Captain Evernoir even try to stop me in the first place?
Anyway.
Captain Evernoir doesn't know I was the 2nd Prince.
Even if I appear as a woman for now, my true nature is that of a man.
So, continuously looking at the captain's curvaceous body kept making me feel an emptiness below.
Given the years I've lived, there should be something standing there right now.
Blood rushes there, but since there's actually nothing there, my mind was in complete chaos.
"Your Highness."
"······What is it."
"-There's some dirt here-"
Captain Evernoir suddenly closed in on me.
For a moment, our breasts squished against each other to the point of jiggling, but the captain didn't seem to mind much.
Instead, her gaze was solely fixed on my eyes.
Then she reached out and brushed my cheek.
—Whoosh!
"There was some dirt here."
"D-d-don't suddenly get so close···!"
"Ah, my apologies."
Wh-why does she approach so casually like this····!
Even our, ou-our, breasts touched!
Was I overreacting too much?
Perhaps it's natural for women to touch each other's naked bodies without any issue.
My face heated up, and I quickly turned my head away.
'······Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.'
Thumpthumpthumpthump!
My heart has been acting strange since earlier.
I've started becoming conscious of Captain Evernoir for no reason.
Could it be.
Could it be that because I was a man, I'm developing feelings for Captain Evernoir, who's of the opposite sex?
Well, with that body and that appearance, there wasn't a man who wouldn't approach.
Even if I got rejected, I'd at least want to try talking to her.
I say this again, but the captain obviously doesn't know I was a man.
That means she'll keep approaching me this defenselessly from now on.
While she herself doesn't feel any particular emotions about it.
If that's the case, Captain Evernoir will act like this, and only I will suffer like this······,
"······Hic."
I started to become deeply concerned about the future.
####
"Uuuu."
"P-please endure it a little longer····."
Even though it was just a forest with no one around, walking through the woods naked made me feel like I'd go crazy from shame.
"Wh-when will we arrive······."
"We're almost, almost there. Your Highness."
After walking naked for almost an hour.
We finally found a village.
I wanted to go in immediately and get something, anything, to wear.
But when we tried to enter, there were a few people visible.
"But Captain······, if we go in like this, won't we be treated as demon beasts······?"
Being naked alone was already suspicious enough.
Of course, we could lie and say we were attacked by nearby bandits or demon beasts.
But the problem was, the Crotch Tattoo planted in the same spot on both of us was suspicious from the start.
Wouldn't anyone find that strange?
Moreover, our well-maintained appearance at first glance made us seem even more suspicious.
Besides, it would be fortunate if Captain Evernoir didn't get witch-hunted.
If people saw a woman possessing the male genitalia that they find grotesque, they'd probably hang her regardless of whether she's a demon beast or a witch.
"Hmmm·····. If we cover it with leaves or something···."
"Captain, do you really believe that would conceal it?"
Captain Evernoir lowered her head.
Then she turned her head away.
Having checked her own male genitalia, she seemed to realize how ridiculous that suggestion was.
"Haa. I'll wait until nightfall, then I'll go myself."
"B-but we cannot show Her Highness's naked body to strange men!"
"What else can we do? This doesn't seem to be the time to be picky about hot or cold water."
So you're saying we should go around naked like this, exposing our breasts and pussies for all to see?
Of course I don't want to do it because of the shame.
Honestly, I didn't really want to stop Captain Evernoir from going instead.
But what could I do?
It's not like we're going to live naked in the forest forever.
Nor could we, as the princess and knight order captain, resort to theft or robbery.
"It seems to have gotten dark enough."
At this level, we should be able to hide the Crotch Tattoo or important parts with just slight covering.
Well, we probably can't completely cover our breasts or buttocks, but that's an unavoidable part.
"·······I'll be going now."
"Your Highness, if anyone harasses you, I'll cut their neck right there-"
"·····Just wait quietly."
"····Yes."
And so I went, barely covering my nipples and lower abdomen, heading to the house at the very edge of the village.
"Haa, haa, kts."
I was actually afraid to knock on that door.
It would be good if a woman lived there.
Knock knock.
-Yes···! Who is it!
Click.
The house door opened,
"What brings you here at this hour······- Huh?"
Unfortunately, it was a man who came out.
And naturally, while he looked at my face at first, his gaze soon began focusing on my breasts and pussy.
"····Eek."
"Ah, um, well. Who are you···?"
It was so shameful and humiliating that I genuinely wanted to run away.
But would I yield to something like this?
In situations like this, I had to become more confident.
··········Of course, that didn't mean I wouldn't cover my body.
"·······Um, could we possibly borrow two sets of women's clothing."
"Two sets? Do you have companions?"
"Uh, um. There's myself and the knight order captain···."
He seemed somewhat wary at my speech and the mention of a knight order captain.
But even so, he didn't take his eyes off my breasts.
An intense gaze pierced through, wanting to see the nipples beyond my arms somehow.
"Eek. If you cannot help, I'll try another neighbor."
I subtly turned my body.
"Ah, ah! I'll help you!"
The man went back inside and shortly returned with two sets of loose clothing.
"I-if you need a place to stay, please come to my house!"
"Ugh, th-thank you·····."
For some reason, the way he insisted we come was slightly concerning, but right now I had no choice but to accept help.
I decided to return to Captain Evernoir first.
"Haa, haa."
This was my first time experiencing such shame.
To think someone would get excited seeing my naked body.
Do women have to live feeling this kind of shame all the time?
Having to anticipate situations where something might be revealed while wearing a skirt was too inefficient.
But-,
Ziiing.
"·····Huuu."
For some reason, being exposed and shamed didn't feel that bad.
Something made my chest tickle and pound, making me want to keep experiencing that dizzying sensation.
Even though I knew I shouldn't do it, the certainty that it would be thrilling if I did.
It was like the pounding excitement I felt as a child when I secretly peeked into the maids' changing room.
"Your Highness?"
"Huu."
"Your Highness!"
Captain Evernoir caught me as I was about to fall.
"That was, that required quite some courage······."
From the shame, my legs gave out completely.
"My, my apologies, Your Highness. Originally, that should have been my task."
"It's done. You're a woman too, aren't you."
"But····."
I know what Captain Evernoir wanted to say.
That it would be right for her, merely a knight order captain, to sacrifice her body instead of the imperial princess.
But I'm not that shameless of a person.
Even though I sit in a position where I can have anything I want, that's all the more reason one must remain humble.
I handed one set of clothes to Captain Evernoir and said.
"For now, let's move on without any more words."
"··········."
With the clothes we received from the village man, the captain and I discussed our plans going forward a bit.
The conclusion we reached was,
"Greetings. I am Elise Evernoir, captain of the 2nd Imperial Knights."
"Ah, yes, yep. I'm Baman, I run a pharmacy here."
Following the man who lent us clothes, we decided to receive just a little help here.
"If it's not too much trouble, could you lend-"
"The young lady and I."
"Ahem, could you lend us a place to stay for a while."
Although we covered our figures with loose clothing, it was still insufficient to completely conceal both our breasts.
Baman was momentarily distracted by the cleavage protruding through the clothing gap, but soon regained his composure and answered.
"I-I'm honored to be able to help you both·····."
Baman guided us into his house.
···Gulp.
"·····It's quite late, please come this way."
The house was cleaner than expected.
Seeing various medicines and powders in one corner, it didn't seem false that he ran a pharmacy.
"I apologize, but I only have one bed·····."
"Then Your Highness- no, I request that the young lady-"
"Captain, don't make this difficult for me. The homeowner should use the bed. The floor here is sufficient for myself and the captain."
We've been living on the floors of destroyed houses or cave floors until now anyway.
A carpeted floor would be more than enough to sleep on.