4
Lord’s office, second building, fourth floor.
A long-unused office had been turned into Alice and Rin’s room for the night.
“Pardon me.”
Iska used a spare key to enter the place.
The ceiling sported a magnificent chandelier. There was a tasteful rug and a table.
Thanks to Rin’s grandiose remodel, the room hardly looked like the office it had once been.
“Now what do I do since I’m here…?”
He was Alice’s watcher.
But Alice was currently talking in the Lord’s chambers. In other words, he had to wait here until she returned.
But…
He didn’t feel uncomfortable as a man in what was clearly a young lady’s room.
“This weirds me out… I feel restless.”
He had the right to do anything he wanted.
He had permission to open the closet or even to rifle through their bags. That was also his duty as the one in charge of them, and the most appropriate time to look through Alice’s things was now, when she wasn’t present, however…
He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
It wasn’t that he was opposed to watching Alice. He just couldn’t bring himself to ransack their things and get a step ahead while they weren’t present.
……Alice and Rin are helping us defeat the calamity.
……It feels wrong not to trust them.
On the other hand, if he wasn’t going to search their things, he didn’t know what else to do with his time.
“I guess I’ll get some tea ready while I wait… Even though it’ll feel like I’m not working…”
He started prepping tea for three—himself, Alice, and Rin. He prepared the tea and teacups, but as he was getting the water ready to boil, the door opened.
“Oh, Alice, sorry, but I got to the room first… Huh?”
“Pardon the intrusion,” someone said.
“Hey, good work keeping watch.”
Kissing, the princess of the Zoa, had entered the room. Her beautiful hair fluttered behind her as she entered.
Following her, someone with messy hair that seemed her exact opposite entered the room. It was Mei.
“Aren’t you the popular one, Isk.”
“Excuse me?”
“She said she’d prefer you to me.”
Mei gave Kissing a cold look. She looked down on the princess, her charge, with exasperation.
“I’ll leave her in your care. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Kissing quickly nodded. “I surrendered to the Empire in order to fight alongside Iska. I do not wish to be watched by a vulgar Imperial soldier who can’t even be bothered to take baths.”
“Well, there you go. She’s all yours, Isk.” Mei let out a huge yawn. “I’m gonna take a nap.”
“Wait, Mei?! You can’t just push this on me—”
He was too late. Before Iska could protest, Mei escaped out the door. He was left alone with Kissing before he knew it.
“Why are we in Alice’s room without her…?”
“This sofa isn’t so bad.”
“You’re already making yourself at home?!”
Kissing settled in as though it was her own room. She sat right down on the sofa Alice liked so much and sank right in.
“Iska,” she said.
“What is it…?”
“I’d like milk tea.”
“Isn’t there something else we should discuss first?!”
Just as he said that, the door to Alice’s room opened again.
“Hmm?! I sense someone is already in here. Stay back, Lady Alice!”
Rin leaped into the living room.
As soon as Rin saw Iska, she tsked and looked disappointed, putting away her knife.
“Oh, it’s just you…,” she said.
“Who else would be here?”
“Her, right there.”
Iska heard the clacking of someone’s footsteps outside. Alice had been the one to point out Kissing. She stared at the princess lounging on the sofa.
She was plainly annoyed.
“……Iska. I gave you permission to enter my room. However, I never said you may allow anyone else in.”
“I didn’t let her in. She let herself in.”
“……I see.”
Alice folded her arms beneath her breasts and glared at the Zoa princess.
“Kissing, I seem to remember hearing that you have your own room.”
“Yes.”
When Kissing answered innocently, Alice looked at her more sternly.
“What are you doing here?” Alice asked.
“I want Iska.”
“Guh.”
Alice’s eyebrow twitched.
In contrast, Kissing didn’t seem concerned about Alice’s reaction whatsoever.
“I cannot fight the witch on my own, so I want his help. That was why I surrendered to the Empire. Naturally, I should be in his company.”
“No, you shouldn’t!” Alice put a hand on her hip and showed off her bosom. “Iska is my guard! He needs to be in my presence every waking moment; therefore, he has no time for you!”
“Iska, where is that milk tea?”
“Are you ignoring me?! And what are you even planning with that blade?!”
Alice pointed at the black knife that Kissing protectively held. It was the replica of the black astral sword. Since it had no scabbard, the blade was exposed. She wouldn’t let go of it even while sitting on the sofa.
“You have such a tight hold over that thing. Is that really your secret weapon against Elletear?”
“Yes.”
Kissing gave an eager nod as she finally looked up at Alice.
“You heard what the Astrals said. The astral swords are the accumulation of pure, crystallized astral energy. This knife is not as pure and is also smaller, but it should still be poison to the witch. And it seems the blade is also able to store astral energy.”
Kissing stood.
She held the knife in her right hand as she cutely trotted over to Alice.
“Let’s test it.”
“What?”
“I see an opening.”
Stab.
Kissing had thrust the knife right at Alice’s undefended breast.
“Ow?!”
Her cry echoed throughout the room. Even Iska had never heard such a pitiful cry come from Alice.
“Wh-wh-what was that?!” Alice leaped back as she held her injured bosom. Her tears of pain and embarrassment quickly gave way to burning anger. “Answer me, Kissing! Depending on how you reply, I may never forgive you!”
“Princess Kissing! How could you do this to Lady Alice?!”
“Hmm.”
Alice and Rin questioned her, but Kissing seemed unconcerned. She looked between the knife in her hand and Alice’s bosom several times.
“How odd…” Kissing tilted her head. “I’ve wondered since we were in the bath. Those breasts of yours seem too large for your age. I thought it was likely they had grown larger from storing astral energy. But if that were the case, this knife would have absorbed the energy when it pierced them…”
“What a profound hypothesis!”
“Why are you so impressed by this, Rin?!”
Alice scolded her attendant, who seemed convinced by Kissing’s reasoning, then she glared at Kissing again.
“And don’t describe my breasts as though they’re balloons!”
“In that case, your breasts truly are not storing astral energy? You mean they’re real?”
“What else would they be?!”
“…” Kissing went silent.
But that simply served the purpose of making Alice lower her guard. Kissing thrust the knife at Alice’s breast again.
“Hyah!”
“Ow!!!”
“The House of Lou is my enemy.”
Alice screamed again.
Kissing seemed satisfied when she saw Alice looking so pathetic for once. The Zoa princess wiped her forehead.
“The evil has been defeated…”
“I’ll never forgive you for this, Kissing!” Alice howled.
Her eyes flared as she attempted to attack the Zoa princess.
“Wait, stop!”
“Lady Alice, please keep your composure!”
Iska and Rin tried their best to mollify the seething princess.
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