CHAPTER 3
Three-Sister War—Alice’s Tantrum
1
Nebulis Sovereignty. Central state.
Snowy vales stretched into the distant horizon in the woody countryside.
…It’s been three hours.
…We’ve been driving nonstop since she forced us into the car at the terminal.
The metallic luxury car carried Iska’s three colleagues from his Imperial unit and Sisbell. Elletear was in front, driving. The sky was starting to turn red. It wouldn’t be long until nightfall.
Were they really making the right choice here? Iska wasn’t the only one asking himself that question. He imagined Jhin, Nene, and Commander Mismis were all mulling it over in their heads.
“We’re almost there.” Sisbell, who had been persistently silent, lifted her head up.
They went past an old stone wall to a field with two parked cars.
Commander Mismis got out of the vehicle, twirling around. “Huh? This isn’t a field. Is this…?”
“Our garden.”
“A garden?! B-but…it could easily be a sports ground!”
“It’s nothing impressive.” Sisbell stood in the middle of the extensive lawn, looking blasé. “A century ago, this was all undeveloped land discovered by our ancestor. There’s more land here than one could want.”
“…I-I see,” Mismis stuttered. The commander had no idea how to respond.
After all, the Imperial forces were the ones who had persecuted and cast out the astral mages from Imperial territory.
“And this beautiful castle…?”
“That’s our villa.”
An old white fortress was encircled by a sprawling lawn—too small to be a real castle, but absurdly large for a vacation home.
“…It’s like a hundred times bigger than my room,” Iska said.
“Hmm? Maybe your room is just tiny. I would like to see it.” Sisbell broke into a smile for the first time in a while.
The emerald-haired princess turned around. “I’m sure you are all tired from your long journey. Welcome to the Lou Erz mansion.”
Her long hair and dress blew in the wind, which smelled faintly of grass. As she smiled with the crimson expanse of sky behind her, she seemed as if she could upstage a movie star.
“This mansion will be your home. Feel free to ask for anything during your stay.”
“I have a question,” Jhin immediately said. “Do you own this place?”
“That would be my mother,” the eldest princess replied without a moment’s delay. “She is also an envoy, though she is absent. Sisbell and I will give you all a warm reception with the rest of the staff.”
Elletear stood in front of the door.
Iska almost yelped in surprise when the door opened automatically as soon as she rang the bell.
…So it’s mechanical.
…It looks like an old castle, but the inside might be all automated.
He’d thought there hadn’t been much security, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. State-of-the-art surveillance cameras and defense devices had to be set up all over the place.
“Come on in,” Elletear urged, herding them inside.
Two colossal stone statues waited for them in the hall. As soon as Iska stepped onto the floor—polished to shine like a mirror—a melodious male voice bounced off the ceiling, which glittered from the light of the chandelier.
“Imperial soldiers. To think you’d step into this trap on your own.”
“Prepare yourselves.”
Lord Mask?!
He was the one who had kicked Mismis into the vortex. If Lord Mask hadn’t been in Alsamira, Sisbell would have never been in her current predicament. He was an old enemy, someone who had history with Iska, second only to Alice.
“So this was an ambush?!” shouted Iska, immediately leaping up.
Jhin, who had come in behind everyone else, kicked open the door behind them. Nene and Commander Mismis peered into the garden.
Meanwhile, Iska’s eyes darted around the hall, searching for the masked man.
Except…no one was there.
Other than the two stone statues, the hallway was entirely empty. They caught sight of neither Lord Mask nor one of his cronies.
“N-no one’s…in the garden!” shouted Nene, observing the grounds outside.
They were convinced they’d been surrounded from the outside…but there were just two cars out on the lawn.
…What’s going on?
…I thought I heard his voice, but I don’t get the feeling that anyone’s going to attack.
Heavy silence settled over them. The strawberry-blond witch snapped open her eyes.
“I’m guessing you produced that voice with your astral power…,” Sisbell accused her sister.
“Hee-hee. I suppose I took it too far.” Elletear let out peals of laughter as though the situation were comical.
All eyes focused on her.
What was going on?
“Forgive me, Imperial soldiers. That was just a one-woman show. It’s simple… A terrible habit of mine.” The witch seemed rapt with amusement. “I bet you were all wondering about my astral powers, seeing that you’re going to spend a considerable amount of time in a mansion with a ‘witch.’ You never know if I’ll try to pull a fast one on you in your sleep.”
“…” The members of Unit 907 were silent.
They couldn’t get a clear read on Elletear’s intentions. Was this witch willingly exposing the secrets of her own astral power?
“So that voice just now was all you?” Jhin asked.
“Very observant. Think of my power like a parrot. I imagine it’s the most useless power in all the royal family.” Elletear nodded. “It’s a cheap parlor trick. So sleep easy. I won’t scheme behind your backs during this vacation. My astral power couldn’t even harm a baby.”
“…Deprecating yourself?”
“Hmm, I have never thought of it that way before. I genuinely feel grateful for my powers.”
Elletear rang a bell in the hall. Before it stopped ringing, the servant girls quickly filed down from the stairs in the back. Five of them in total. Each wore a housekeeping uniform just like Rin’s.
“Relax. These are just the servants of the Lou,” whispered Sisbell to Iska when she saw the look on his face. “Yumilecia, Ashe, Noel, Sistia, and Nami. All astral mages, but they can’t use attack magic.”
“You mean the servants don’t act as guards?”
“If you’re thinking of Rin, she’s a special case. It’s unusual for one to simultaneously serve as an attendant and guard.”
Speaking of Rin…Iska hadn’t seen her since they’d hopped on the same train to the central state.
…Is she hiding somewhere?
…I imagine Rin could have followed us here without any problems.
Alice must have been filled in on the latest.
“…What if Alice came with her? Oh, she would never…”
“Iska?”
“Oh, nothing!” Iska snapped to his senses.
He’d been off his A game lately. Why was his head in the clouds whenever Alice came into the equation? He never intended to lower his guard.
…Get a grip, dude. I’m way too obviously interested in Alice.
…I need to focus my energy being careful in this mansion!
Even if Elletear and the five servants couldn’t use attack spells, there had to be some hidden guards…or the mansion itself had to have some secret security mechanism embedded into it.
In the end, Iska’s unit was comprised of soldiers from an enemy nation. They couldn’t forget where they stood.
“We have prepared rooms for our honored guests.”
The servants bowed.
“We will entertain you as guests only to oblige Lady Elletear’s orders, cursed soldiers. Come this way.”
“…O-okay.”
That sounded like a thinly veiled threat. The five girls seemed ready to drive knives into their enemies’ hearts as soon as they lowered their guard.
“I’m so sorry, Iska,” Elletear trilled. “It seems it’s been too long since we’ve had guests. Our servants must be nervous.”
“Nervous? Sure…”
“Ashe, these are our guests. I won’t stand for your behavior. Especially if you mix mud into their coffee.”
“You’re basically instigating it!”
“At most, you may spike it with detergent.”
“That’s worse!”
“—This way, please.”
Four of the servants lined up next to Iska, Jhin, Nene, and Commander Mismis, guiding them up the steps of the great hall. Elletear watched them venture farther into the mansion with a smile.
In the palace courtyard was a grove of thick trees with dewy leaves and fresh flowers dotting the garden. Cadillac One was parked.
Bulletproof glass. Armored plating. A sealed cabin to protect against poisonous gas. It was a custom car built to handle any surprise attack.
“Rin, let’s go!”
“P-please wait for me, Lady Alice! I only just returned to the palace!”
Alice wore her dress reserved for outings.
Rin was struggling, balancing two enormous bags, desperately trying to keep up with her lady.
“Lady Alice, I’m terribly sorry to bring this up, but did you know Lady Elletear was up to this?”
“Not a clue. I mean, she shut herself away in her room, claiming she wasn’t feeling well. My mother and I were preoccupied with other things, like Vichyssoise.”
“I hate to say it, but that sounds…”
“In hindsight, it definitely seems suspicious.”
There was a big chance that she made up her illness as an excuse.
Upon pulling a fast one on the queen and Alice, Elletear had sneaked to the terminal to wait for Sisbell, which meant…
“Just to confirm, Rin: Was Elletear the only one at the station?”
“Y-yes!”
Alice hopped into the car with Rin. The driver was a family attendant. They didn’t have to censor themselves in this barricaded space.
“…What could my sister be thinking?”
Cadillac One lurched forward. Alice bit her lip, watching the scene change beyond the bulletproof glass.
“And Iska is at the villa with Sisbell, right?”
“Right. I can see you find it totally detestable that Imperial soldiers are staying at your vacation home.”
“…Uh-huh.” Alice was mostly just thinking of her own room.
What was she going to do? Her secret underwear stash was tucked deep in her closet… Adult goods that she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing in the palace.
Call it girlish curiosity. Even a sheltered maiden had her rebellious phase.
“…No one can know about this.” Alice stealthily balled her hand into a fist.
2
The Lou Erz mansion. Eastern wing. Second floor.
“This was the Salon of the Archers, was it?”
It was as if they were in a five-star hotel. Iska cautiously inspected a perfectly made bed.
“What if they sprinkled shards of glass on the pillows or something? I just hope there’s no poison in the water pots. No use thinking too much about it. I mean, they already know I’m an Imperial soldier…”
It had been barely under an hour since they had shown him to his room. He hadn’t found anything strange up to this point, but he couldn’t completely trust his room was safe.
“Jhin will be fine on his own, but I wonder if the commander and Nene will be okay. My communicator…oh, right. We had to forfeit those.”
They had handed over all their equipment—their communicators, Jhin’s gun, even Iska’s astral swords. Elletear claimed she would return them on the final day of their “vacation.”
“…”
A quaint townscape was visible from the window. He couldn’t see anything that looked even remotely like the palace, but he could make out the indistinct buildings of the central state ahead on the horizon.
…If I want to escape, I’d be able to easily get out from the window.
…It’s like we’re birds in an open cage.
Even if they made a break for it, they were in enemy territory. Plus, everything would be over if word got out to the Imperial headquarters that they’d guarded a witch.
If you would like to escape, be my guest. Elletear’s smile seemed to float into his mind, even when he closed his eyes.
Clunk…
“Iska,” someone whispered from outside the door. “Are you all right?”
“Sisbell?”
“These are our guest rooms. I don’t think they would do anything disrespectful…”
The strawberry blonde quickly slipped into the room. Like Iska, she scrupulously inspected the pillows and bed.
“Nothing in the living room,” she observed.
“…Like no traps?”
“I mean, listening devices.”
“…”
“What’s gotten into you? It’s strange to see you let your jaw hang open.”
“…I just never thought I’d hear you say that, Sisbell. I took a look earlier, but nothing turned up.”
Iska had been cautious about that. He’d conducted a thorough search for bugs and surveillance cameras upon entry. An hour later, he still came up empty.
…Sisbell is a princess, so this villa is practically hers.
…I thought my unit would be the only ones on guard.
“If anyone were to use them, it would be my sister. I also don’t trust her.”
The princess sat on the sofa.
Iska was surprised by her claim. “Even though she’s family?”
“Yes. At present, she is at the top of the suspect list for leaking my location to Lord Mask. Next would be my older sister Alice… But I would rate Elletear a seven or eight, and Alice a three or four on my suspicion scale.”
“As your guard, what should we keep an eye out for?”
“Listening devices first. Then surveillance cameras. Lucky for us, it seems there are none here.”
Sisbell traced over the ceiling with her eyes. If there was even a tiny pinprick somewhere, there was a chance that a camera was set up on the other side.
“She’s trying to create proof that a princess is colluding with Imperial forces. In short, she’s hoping to capture the moment I divulge national secrets to you—or the opposite.”
“You mean she wants to catch me giving you ours?”
“We need to stay vigilant. Assume my sister has betrayed my family.”
Sisbell did have a point.
The eldest princess must have had some motive for bringing her sister and her guards to this mansion using blackmail.
“I don’t know if it’s right for an Imperial subject to ask this, but…is her astral power like a recording device that can reproduce sounds?”
“More like she can mimic voices,” Sisbell told him without hesitation. “I think I can tell you, since she’s already revealed it herself. My sister can create voices she’s heard in the past. Like the voice of Lord Mask. It’s just an impersonation, so she can make them say anything.”
“So she can say things that have been said and things that haven’t?”
“Yes. But because she can manipulate speech, nothing ever serves as concrete evidence.”
“Oh…I see.”
The power of Illumination could re-create events of the past, and because Sisbell couldn’t change history, she was trusted by the royal family in investigations.
The eldest sister’s ability did not have that advantage.
…So it really is just an imitation.
…That’s no different from the street performers in neutral cities doing impersonations.
It served no utility .
“Had she been an ordinary citizen, that would have been perfectly fine. But my sister is the eldest princess. No one is impressed by a copycat.”
“So it’s a power that’s unfitting for a princess?”
To put it frankly, it didn’t seem like a power that would be held by one of the Founder’s descendants.
…I thought all purebreds were powerful without exception.
…It’s not just me. The Imperial headquarters have been cautious of them because of that.
In battle, the powers of the Ice Calamity Witch Aliceliese and the Witch of Thorns Kissing were devastating. Nothing was as terrifying as Lord Mask’s ability to travel through space. Even Sisbell’s Illumination had the potential to obtain information that could change the course of the war.
…But there’s an exception, it seems.
…Of all people, the eldest princess wound up with her skill.
Elletear must have revealed her powers partly because she hated her skill. There was no merit in concealing it.
“She said it herself: ‘I imagine it’s the most useless power in all the royal family.’”
“Yes,” Sisbell said. “And that’s the truth. I cannot expose the powers of other members in our family, but even the retainers gossip that her powers are pointless.” Sisbell put on a forced smile. “It’s ironic. My sister has it all—as a conversationalist, a scholar, a debutante, a jaw-dropping beauty. If she only had a better astral power. She would have been the next queen.”
“…Is she that amazing?”
“Yes. As princesses, Alice and I will never reach her level. Even the Zoa and Hydra would have surrendered with their tails between their legs.”
Heaven had bequeathed her two gifts: exceptional looks and intellect.
But the planet had robbed her of an astral gift; for the power that dwelled in her was too weak for her to become the queen.
“You must know as an Imperial soldier that the first condition to become queen is to be a formidable astral mage.”
“Actually, I assumed all the Founder’s descendants were great.”
“In that sense, my sister is an exception. But she makes up for it by being frightfully shrewd. I have no idea what she’s scheming…” Sisbell forced herself to stand up with a sigh. “Let’s go, Iska!”
“Hmm? Go where?”
“That should be obvious. If you’re here on vacation, it’s my duty to give you a tour of the place. I’ll show you every nook and cranny—”
The youngest princess pointed beyond the door.
“—and we shall uncover the surveillance cameras and bugs on the royal tour. My sister must be plotting something. First, we shall expose her goal.”
The Lou Erz mansion. Eastern wing. Second floor.
The unfurled carpet was aged but featured an elegant geometric pattern. Enormous flower vases adorned the corners of the halls like an art gallery.
“I see this place is huge. Do you have enough servants? I haven’t seen anybody since we started walking down the hall,” Jhin mumbled.
“Well, this is a villa, after all.” Sisbell stopped and turned back to face him. “It serves as a place to relax, to take a break from official duties. Since solitude is better for mental fatigue, we keep the number of servants here to a minimum.”
“So you’ve only got those five?”
“Yes. And a few gardeners and chefs. It’s rare to run into someone walking through the mansion.”
It felt strange for an Imperial unit to boldly saunter through such a manor.
“As I’ve explained, I need you to run into the servants on purpose. Distract them,” Sisbell spoke in a hushed voice.
“Are you sure we can go around exploring anywhere we like?” Commander Mismis asked.
“Obviously. You’re on vacation. Naturally, you would explore the place. Just make sure you’re spotted and buy me some time, please,” Sisbell quietly whispered into Mismis’s ear. “Just do everything as planned. Be sure to make your way around the first floor and draw attention to yourselves.”
The operation was now in motion.
Jhin, Nene, and Commander Mismis tiptoed down the stairs. Iska and Sisbell watched them go before making eye contact.
“Let’s go, Iska.”
They were heading to the opposite side of the mansion—to the western wing, which was far from the guest rooms on the east side. There were no special steps to get there, and their intended destination was accessible via the central hall.
…We’re on the lookout for surveillance cameras and listening devices.
…I need to discreetly check for bugs as Sisbell pretends to give me a tour.
From the edges of the hallway to behind the flower vases…
Sisbell had surmised Elletear had set something up.
“My room is in the western wing. I will show you at night.”
“You make it sound so weird…”
“And you’re just imagining things. Make sure you’re on the lookout as planned. I’m sure you’ve trained for this as an Imperial soldier.”
“You make it sound so easy…”
He looked down the passageway. Iska gave a cursory check of this corridor and failed to find anything, but he couldn’t exactly declare the place was bug-free.
…It’ll be tough if their listening devices or cameras are different from Imperial ones.
…Even I might miss those.
“Well, this is hard. I guess I’ll start with the most suspicious places.”
He knocked on the hallway walls once before walking forward a few more steps and repeating the process.
“What are you doing?”
“You can tell if the wall is hollow from the sound.”
Listening devices could be installed in gouged walls or concealed in holes in thin walls. An intelligence unit from the Imperial forces could set one up in an afternoon.
“Another spot is under the carpet. A bug that’s just a fraction of an inch won’t stand out.”
“…Are you confident you could find them?”
“If I see them or step on them. It takes focus, though, which is tiring.”
“That is amazing!” Sisbell took his left hand in hers as though she had been waiting for the moment to strike. Her soft fingers tangled into Iska’s hand, fastening them to his. “I knew my subordinates could do it! I’m counting on you!”
“Like I said, let me concentrate! Also, I’m just a guard…”
That said, he couldn’t find anything.
Based on the automatic door, Iska had assumed the interior had been configured with mechanical mysteries, but he kept coming up empty.
…I guess she might have bugged the rooms?
…There weren’t any in my room. Or in Jhin’s, Nene’s, or Commander Mismis’s.
“It’s impractical to try to search this entire mansion. We’ll reduce the area we cover and limit our important conversations to there.”
“In that case…” Sisbell folded her arms, looking into space as she mulled it over. “There is something I’d like to check. Do you think something might be set up and embedded in the room next to mine?”
“You mean to eavesdrop? Yeah, that’s possible.”
Luckily, the members of Unit 907 had been housed next to one another.
Iska’s room was next to Jhin’s, and Jhin had already done a thorough sweep of his room. In which case, the only one left would be…
“The two rooms next to mine are questionable. To the third floor!” Sisbell ran up the stairs.
He could tell at a single glance that the rooms were different from the guest rooms. After all, a huge portrait of Sisbell decorated one of the doors.
“I can tell this is your room,” he said sarcastically.
“This oil painting is a self-portrait. I painted it two years ago.”
“No way!”
“What do you mean?”
“What…? I totally thought you commissioned an artist.”
Iska knew some things about art. Even he had mistaken her use of light and color for the touch of a professional.
“If you painted this two years ago, I think you’re crazy talented.”
“? ” The princess tugged on Iska’s sleeve with an expression that implied something. They went to a room a few yards away from Sisbell’s. She pointed at a portrait hung on that door.
“This is Elletear’s self-portrait.”
“Huh? Are you sure that’s not a photo…?”
How old was she in the painting? Fourteen? Thirteen? Elletear certainly looked younger than Sisbell was now.
It was a hyperrealistic portrait down to her every hair, even on her arms. Had this portrait really been created by a person? He would have had an easier time believing it if someone had told him that a high-resolution image had been pasted onto the canvas.
…It’s incredible.
…Just how much concentration and skill did this take?
Elletear Lou Nebulis IX.
This was the crystallized embodiment of the eldest princess’s genius, the one born with it all…except astral power .
“It’s locked.” Sisbell attempted to gently push on the door to Elletear’s room, but it did not show any sign of budging. “But this is pretty far from my own room. The problem is Alice’s.”
“Alice’s room is here, too?” Iska asked reflexively, but it made sense. This place was owned by the queen’s family. Naturally, Alice would have her own room.
“It’s to the right of my own room.”
They backtracked down the hall.
A portrait hung on the door. Iska looked up at it, blinking in surprise.
“…Uh.”
“This is my sister’s self-portrait, painted two years ago.”
“Remind me… Did Alice always have three eyes?”
“No. I think I remember her disliking the first eye she painted, so she added another one.”
Iska was looking up at the portrait, which didn’t depict a sweet blonde but…something inhuman that even a two-year-old could draw.
“There’s like ten arms there.”
“Those are locks of hair.”
“And why does her mouth open up to her ears…?”
“She wanted to add lipstick and overdid it.”
“…An appreciator of surrealism, I see. She’s trying not to express her outward appearance but to break free from ideals within her mind to—”
“It’s nothing that difficult. She’s just a terrible painter.” Sisbell laughed. “My sister loves the arts, but she has no talent for them herself. She’s what you would call a connoisseur. She has a sensitive palate but can’t cook for her life.”
“When you put it that way…”
“We should look inside her room. She’s even left it open so generously.” Sisbell beckoned him in.
She had already opened the door and slipped inside.
“Uh, um. Should I go inside Alice’s room…?”
“Why of course. Otherwise, you won’t be able to search for bugs…” The strawberry blonde stared up at him, blocking the doorway. “Or do you actually have a relationship with my sister that is not strictly superficial…?”
“Nope! You’re wrong! There’s nothing between us! We met for the first time in Alsamira!”
“…I figured. You’re a former Saint Disciple from the Empire, and my sister is the sovereign princess. There is no way that adversaries would be working with each other.”
“T-totally.”
“In that case, there should be no issue. Look, Iska, over here.” She yanked him inside.
He’d been wondering what extravagances awaited them, but he realized it wasn’t all that different from the guest rooms. The main difference was that the table and sofa were in a more childish colorway, but the sitting room was on the frugal side.
“I haven’t gone into a lot of girls’ rooms. I don’t really feel comfortable…”
“Which girls’ rooms have you entered?”
“Nene’s and Commander Mismis’s. It’s tradition to help them with end-of-the-year cleaning. I don’t think this room would need much of that…”
The bookshelves, table, and sofa were all ordinary furnishings. It looked like searching for bugs would be easy.
“To eavesdrop on your room, I guess the devices would be installed along the living room wall.”
If the goal was to listen in on the sounds of the adjoining room, that would naturally limit the potential locations of such a device.
“Hmm… As for the wall and ceiling… Sisbell, what’s on the other side of the clock? Maybe there’s a weird mechanism affixed to it.”
“I see no sign of one.”
“And I don’t see anything out of place around the window or the curtains, either… Maybe we were wrong.”
“No, I’m sure of it. I have a hunch!” Sisbell called out as she turned over the carpet. “Elletear brought us here. She must be scheming something. We need to check for bugs!”
“But we haven’t found any so far…”
“We haven’t searched everything. For example, here!”
She headed to the opposite side, running toward Alice’s bedroom.
“Iska, over here!”
“But that’s her bedroom!”
“We need to investigate. Even her bathroom. If I were planting something, I would absolutely hide something in this room!”
Sisbell jumped onto her older sister’s bed. She overturned the beautifully made bed, tossing away pillows and sheets. Her eyes zeroed in on the closet in the corner of the room.
“This must be it. There is no doubt about it. That is what my instincts are telling me.”
“…A-are you sure?”
“Just watch. I’m sure we will make an astonishing discovery.”
She threw open the closet and blinked at the contents.
“Wh-what do we have here?! I cannot believe she would be hiding these…!”
“What’s wrong, Sisbell?!”
“It seems I’ve opened Pandora’s box. Look at this.”
Sisbell turned to him, holding a black…string?
No, this was no ordinary string. It was a thin fabric…
“M-my word…! I’ve never seen underwear made from such delicate material in my life.”
“What did you just find?!”
“Eureka!” The youngest princess hoisted the underwear up high in both her hands.
If this was in her older sister’s closet, it had to belong to Alice.
…To think Alice was wearing those.
…Wait! What am I imagining?!
Iska violently shook his head from side to side as though he were trying to dispel his own thoughts.
Sisbell continued her excavation. “They’re like thin cords made from slightly stretchy material. The fabric feels luxe. Iska, what do you make of these?!”
“Ahhh?! Don’t bring those near me! Why do you have to show me?!”
“I-I wonder if this is what the world refers to as a step into adulthood…” Sisbell gasped, eyes glued onto these very adult things. “H-how indecent. I cannot believe my own sister would sneak around hiding such things. This is alarming! I must continue the investigation!”
“What about the bugs?!”
“This is a family emergency! …Hmm? What are these?!” Sisbell pulled out another scrap of fabric from the back of the closet, this time a pearly color.
Even Iska knew what it was—an undergarment for busts. The issue was the texture of the material and the translucent lace that was see-through enough to show Sisbell’s fingers behind it.
For whatever reason, she brought that thing up to her own chest.
“…Ugh. I expected it from Elletear, but to think that Alice has matured so much… Not that I care. I’m still growing!”
She was clearly measuring something , ruefully biting her lip.
“A-anyway, these are very suspicious, indeed! …I sniff a plot! What is my sister up to?”
“What exactly are you sniffing?!”
“Iska, please secure these as evidence. I must resume my search!”
“I really wish you would stop handing these over to me!”
He timidly caught in midair the two undergarments that had been thrown to him.
When he felt the fabric, featherlight and soft in his hands, Iska squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn’t catch the faintest sight of them up close.
…Focus, dude! Focus! Wait! Do the opposite of focusing!
…I can’t keep holding on to these. I’ve got to put them somewhere else.
“I’ll take those from you.”
“Thank heavens! Take them!”
“…You were really gripping onto my underwear… Did these really feel that good?”
“N-no! They’re made from such soft material, I was trying not to crumple them—,” Iska explained, then suddenly snapped to his senses.
Wait? Who had he been talking to until just now?
It was a gentle and sweet voice. Something counterpoised and resounding with force.
“…” He slowly cracked open his eyes.
There he found…a blond girl, brows furrowed and shoulders quivering. She hid the underwear behind her back, face flushing red as though she was embarrassed.
“Wait! Alice?! ”
“What do you think you’re doing in my rooooooom?!” she shrieked.
The windows rattled. Sisbell turned around, registering her sister’s voice, ghost pale.
“S-Sister?!”
“Sisbeeeeeeeell!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh?!”
With a look in her eyes that she would seldom even show to enemies, the middle daughter pounced on the youngest sibling. She chased her escaping prey to the back of the bed.
She was as quick as a cat going after a mouse.
“…You saw something, didn’t you?”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh?! S-stop! Anything but the ice…! I-I know! Iska ordered me to do this!”
“Liar!”
With her back turned to Iska, Alice loomed over Sisbell.
He didn’t even want to imagine the look on her face. In fact, he was ready to book it out of there.
“Sisbell.”
“Y-yes, sister?!” She looked up in tears at Alice.
“You saw nothing. You didn’t see a glimpse into the adult world that I dabbled in out of pure curiosity. Do you understand me? The only things in here were decent articles of clothing.”
“…Uh…ahhh…”
“I can’t hear you.”
“Fiiiineee!”
“And, Iska, that goes for you, too! You speak about this to no one!”
“R-roger…!”
“All right. Let’s just say there were no witnesses.” Alice wiped the sweat off her brow.
Rin stumbled into the room, hauling suitcases.
“Lady Alice, I asked you to not hurry off without me… It’s hard enough catching up to you. Hmm? The Imperial swordsman!”
“Don’t worry about him. We must find my older sister. She must be somewhere in this mansion.” Alice took a deep breath to calm down…and immediately looked down at her younger sister. “Sisbell, we’re returning to the palace. The queen is worried, and there is important work waiting for you.”
“…”
“Sisbell?”
“…I can’t,” she managed, sounding strained as if her mouth were full of blood. “I used an Imperial troop as my guards. I don’t think I made a mistake with that choice. Vichyssoise was after my life… And I had to fight fire with fire.”
“I know. I also know what happened after,” Alice answered, looking serious. “Rin saw Elletear use that information against you to take you to the villa, and the queen has been informed of this matter. That is why I have two roles: protecting you and bringing our sister back to the palace.”
“…”
“We shall have our sister return to the palace immediately. Then you will be under my protection.”
“—Oh, that will be a problem.”
Kchak. The doorknob rattled, and another figure entered Alice’s room.
“It seems I’ve intruded on something.” The eldest princess smiled kindly upon them.
After looking at Alice, Sisbell, Rin, then Iska in turn, the emerald-haired beauty blushed. “Three girls and a boy gathering in a room? How romantic.”
“Please don’t dodge the issue.” Alice turned around and glared at her older sister, who was fanning her cheek.
This sounded almost like an interrogation.
“Return to the palace immediately. Those were the queen’s royal orders.”
“Oh? Aren’t you going to ask why I brought our sister here?”
“You can explain everything the queen. That has nothing to do with me.” Alice wouldn’t put up with idle chitchat. She took a step forward. “Let’s go home!”
“All right.”
“I knew you wouldn’t cooperate! In that case, I think that… Huh?”
“All right. Let’s go home, Alice.”
“Uh…um?” Alice blinked at her blankly.
Alice had squared her shoulders, ready to close in on her sister, but Elletear was so obedient that she was thrown for a loop.
“On one condition…” Elletear wagged a finger in front of Alice’s nose. “We’ll return tomorrow. Dinner is underway, and the chefs have already purchased ingredients for breakfast. The servants have even gone to all the trouble of making the beds. We can’t just let that go to waste.”
“…Tomorrow?”
“Yes. I pledge that on my dignity. Tomorrow morning, I shall go back to the palace. Isn’t that what you want?”
Alice scowled, thinking to herself. In place of her lady, Rin gave a small bow.
“If I may be so forward, Lady Elletear…”
“What is it?”
“We have not discussed Lady Sisbell yet. When you make your way home, will Lady Sisbell join you?”
“That wasn’t part of the agreement.” The eldest daughter firmly shook her head. “Sisbell made a promise to me… Right, Sisbell?
“…Yes.”
Elletear was not budging on this matter.
Ten days.
If Sisbell attempted to return to the palace before then, Elletear would expose her secret.
…But I don’t get it.
…Why would the eldest princess want to lock her sister up in this villa?
Iska and Sisbell hadn’t been able to turn up any listening devices or surveillance cameras. There had to be a reason why Elletear would fixate on keeping her in this specific place. All Iska could think was that she would send another assassin like Vichyssoise.
…Well, that seems less likely now that Alice is here.
…Any assassin that tries to fight Alice will be given a taste of their own medicine.
That was why this situation felt so strange to him.
What was the eldest princess planning by leaving Sisbell here?
“Alice, please send word to the palace. I will return to the palace tomorrow, and you can stay by Sisbell’s side.”
“…Understood. Rin, my communications device.” Alice took it from her attendant.
“Also, Alice, once you’re finished informing the queen, come to the reception room.”
“? I think it’s too early for dinner.”
“Not for dinner. If you’re staying the night, we need to do something before then.”
Elletear winked playfully at her.
“We haven’t all introduced each other, now have we?”
3
The Lou Erz mansion. Sunset Chamber, the reception room.
Unit 907 had been called to the banquet hall. Elletear was the one to greet them. The sudden intruder—Alice—was in the room, too.
“Let me introduce you. This is my younger sister Aliceliese. You may call her Alice.”
“I…I am the middle sister, Aliceliese. Nice to meet you… ”
What a stiff greeting.
As expected. After all, she was talking to Iska and Commander Mismis, who were acquainted with Alice.
“Alice works as a manager for famous idols in the neutral cities. She is pleased to make your acquaintance.”
“…What? I’ve never worked as a manager!”
“But that’s an assumed appearance. On her days off, she transforms into a mysterious model with a hundred thousand fans.”
“What?!” Alice tried to stop her sister.
From a third-party perspective, it looked like an inside joke between siblings, but it wasn’t clear whether that was Elletear’s true intention.
Iska’s concern was how his unit would react.
…I think Jhin is meeting Alice for the first time.
…Nene seems like she’s lost, but I don’t think she’s ever seen Alice’s face.
Then there was Commander Mismis. Never in her dreams had she expected to reunite with the Ice Calamity Witch—the greatest threat to the Imperial forces.
And sure enough…
“Huh? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere… Aaaaaah!” Commander Mismis shrieked, pointing her finger at Alice in front of the servants. “Y-you’re the Ice Ca—”
“Oh, pardon me.”
“Yip?!”
With a blow from behind delivered by Rin, Commander Mismis crumpled to the ground.
“I think our guest is tired. Yumilecia, Nami, please take her to her room.”
“…Uh…uhhhh.” Commander Mismis was hauled away.
You owe me one, Imperial swordsman, for my quick reflexes. Rin stared at him.
Ice Calamity Witch was an offensive moniker circulated in the Empire. If Mismis had blurted that out in the villa, things would have gotten ugly. Even if Alice had let it slide, the servants and the chef would have flown off the handle at the mere mention of that name.
“Hey, Iska, did you catch what the boss said?” Jhin whispered.
“…Not really. I don’t think it’s a big deal.” Iska feigned ignorance, gazing at someone in his periphery.
“This is so fun. I’m so excited.”
…Elletear was clapping her hands together in satisfaction.
“It tickles me pink to have all three sisters sleeping under one roof.”
4
The white steam filling the bathroom smelled faintly of soap.
The tub, which was overflowing with cloudy water, could accommodate over ten people with their legs stretched. Flower blossoms and herbs floated on the surface, freshly plucked from the garden. Their floral scent mixed perfectly with the bath salts, creating the most serene mood.
…Or so it should have.
A commotion was coming from the changing room next to the bath.
“Are you trying to kidnap me?! H-help! Iska! Jhin!”
“It’s no use. This is the women’s bath. They wouldn’t come here even by mistake.”
“Um… Help! Nene!”
“Your little minion stuffed herself to sleep.”
“Neneeeeeeeee?!”
Mismis had been dragged into the changing room. Sisbell and Rin had surrounded her.
“What are you planning to do to me?!”
“Keep your voice down. Don’t make a scene. Do what we say, and we won’t hurt you.” Rin had a firm grip on Mismis’s shoulder, refusing to let go.
“Wh-what do you want?”
“Simple. You know Alice is a princess. You cannot tell your subordinates. Or any other Imperial-force members, obviously.”
“…You mean Jhin and Nene?”
“That’s right. We do not want her identity to be known to the Imperial forces.”
The Ice Calamity Witch was a mysterious figure who kept her face hidden behind a veil on the battlefield. The Imperial forces knew she was blond, but none of them knew the details of her face or that she was the daughter of the queen.
“You and Iska are the only ones who know. We cannot have more people figuring this out.”
“Wh-what will you do to Iska…?”
“The same goes for that swordsman, but you seemed more likely to slip up. We are taking preventative measures. Are you satisfied, Lady Sisbell?”
“Yes. Do you understand us, Commander?” Sisbell crossed her arms. “I imagine you can piece together that you need to keep silent that I’m a princess, too. If you say anything, I will know immediately. With my astral power, there is nothing you can hide from me.”
“…Wait. What?”
“You still have something to say? You already know about my ability.”
“Th-that’s not what I meant!” Mismis protested as Rin kept a hold of her. She gave Sisbell a once-over. “Uh…um.”
“What is it?”
“…By princess , do you mean you’re a princess of the Nebulis Sovereignty?”
“You’re asking that now? You had to have realized that immediately.”
Brushing aside her strawberry-blond hair, Sisbell let out a heavy sigh.
“Alice is the Nebulis Sovereignty’s middle princess—a purebred feared by the Imperial forces as the Ice Calamity Witch. Have you been listening to me call her ‘Sister’? I’m obviously the younger one. That means I’m the youngest princess—”
“There’s no way!”
“…I thought anyone would come to that conclusion, but it seems I was mistaken.”
“Then that pretty lady—Elletear…she’s the eldest princess?!”
“Took you long enough!” howled Sisbell.
Rin sighed from beside them. She couldn’t believe Mismis could be so dense.
“A-anyway, do you understand me?! My position is to remain a secret!”
“Y-yesss, ma’am!”
In the steamy bathroom, Mismis and the youngest princess had made a pact between women.
The dark cosmic canvas was devoid of any clouds.
The stars seemed to twinkle as if whispering to him. Was it because they were in the heart of mage nation?
…I’ve seen night skies in the Imperial capital millions of times.
…The one in Alsamira’s desert was beautiful, too.
But he’d never felt so close to the sky before, looking up at the stars from the third floor of this villa. It was so close, it seemed almost as though astral power was winking at him in the sky.
“I’ll be okay. You should stay with Sisbell. Make sure to go to the baths with her. Her safety is our top priority.”
Behind him as he placed his hand against the windowpane, the middle princess cradled her communications device in her room. She exhaled as she sat down on the sofa.
“Rin will stay with Sisbell while she takes a bath.”
“…So you are worried about your little sister. No one knows what could happen in this villa, I guess.”
“Things are already happening.”
Iska watched as Alice’s reflection in the window sunk into the sofa and looked up at him.
“There are four Imperial soldiers in my vacation home. Not as prisoners but as guests. If this isn’t a problem, then what is?”
“Tell that to your older sister.”
“Urk! I-I suppose I should! But I wish you would give me some advice!”
“…Advice, huh?”
She could have just said that from the start. He grumbled inaudibly before turning to her.
When they were alone, he almost forgot about his circumstances, but he was in the heart of an enemy nation. His unit in total isolation. Even their weapons had been confiscated.
“I’m an Imperial soldier, so it’s hard for me to offer my input.”
“Then you can just listen… I’m having a hard time understanding this. Why would Elletear bring my younger sister here?” The blond girl gently turned down her long eyelashes. “I mean, right? Ten days at this villa? What difference will that make? It doesn’t benefit anyone. It just makes my older sister seem suspicious. To be honest, the queen already suspects her. This is just driving a wedge between my family members.”
“? ”
“I can’t wrap my head around it. I just want this to be over with. If things remain so uncertain, I won’t be able to settle things with you…”
She looked at him with upturned eyes, doe-like pupils fixed on him.
They needed to resolve things on the battlefield. All they had done was proclaim each other as enemies.
So why did her eyes seem so passionate and lovely?
“My sister will return to the palace tomorrow morning, but Sisbell will remain here for ten days. She’s being blackmailed to stay, huh?”
“…Yeah.”
“I will remain in the villa as well. Officially, I will do it to protect my sister, but I have another reason. I feel like I can tell you.”
“To keep an eye on us, right? I know.”
There were no astral mages guarding this vacation home. Alice was staying to deter the Imperial soldiers from causing problems there.
“Just so we’re clear, we’re not planning to try anything in enemy territory.”
“Obviously. If you caused a disturbance here, even I wouldn’t forgive you. I wouldn’t be able to, as a princess.”
Alice got up from the sofa, moving to the window. She was standing right next to Iska.
“Promise me this. You will never cause any problems in my country , and you will not try to escape from the mansion. I do not wish to have another meaningless battle with you.”
“…”
“Problem?”
“Not exactly.”
Alice had called Nebulis “her” country. For some reason, he was hung up on her word choice, but she seemed normal, so maybe she had done it unconsciously?
“Alice, did you just—?”
“Lady Alice.”
There was a knock at the door of the room.
Was that the servant? Alice immediately backed away to distance herself from him.
“Wh-what is it?”
“Is Mr. Iska here? Lady Elletear has asked us to bring him.”
“…She has?” Alice’s whisper couldn’t be heard outside the door. “…How did you know where Iska is?” called out the princess.
“Lady Alice.”
“All right. I will have him head over.” Alice looked at him out of the corner of her eye and silently pointed at the door. “Iska.”
“What?”
“Do not trust my sister. You…are my rival.”
That served as the final push to send him away from the room.
The girl in the housekeeping apron gave him a small bow. “Please come this way.”
Elletear’s room was the closest to the front of the hallway. The door adorned with the portrait of the girl with the emerald hair opened.
“Please go in.”
With that, the servant took her leave.
…She only obliged because she was ordered to call me.
…I guess she can’t stand to see my face. She makes it so obvious.
This was only natural.
Alice and Sisbell were just exceptions. This was probably the best that Imperial soldiers would get.
“…It’s Iska. I think you called me here.”
“Please come in,” trilled someone from the lit living room.
He headed into the space illuminated by the light of the chandelier. The living room was adorned with a carpet reminiscent of a grassy field.
“Welcome.”
In the center of the living room were two sofas facing each other.
The eldest princess of the Nebulis Sovereignty smiled at him…in her bathrobe. Her cleavage—she was more well-endowed than Alice—peeked out of the deep neckline. The hem barely covered her butt, and her pale thighs were bare.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just came out of the bath.”
Beauty personified smiled, enjoying herself, when Iska reflexively turned to look away.
“But I am happy. It seems you even consider a witch a woman… I’m delighted by the fact you’re blushing.”
“…Were you trying to test me?”
“Hmm. Who knows? It is true that I just got out of the bath. Don’t think too deeply about it. I simply like this bathrobe.”
She invited him to sit with her gaze. Iska continued to cast his eyes away to prevent himself from directly looking at Elletear’s breasts or thighs as she sat across from him.
“Hee-hee. Cute.” She seemed to be having fun. “You look at me differently from the people I met in the Imperial capital.”
“In the Imperial capital?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I was a double agent. There was a time when I had ties to the Imperial headquarters.”
“…And you weren’t just taken captive by our troops?”
“I kept my identity secret. If they realized I was a descendant of the Revered Founder, they never would have let me return to my home country. Now it’s just a good memory.”
She crossed her legs and placed her hands together on top of her knees. She was barely a yard away from Iska’s seat. He could touch her if he reached out.
“Are you trying to see if I’m actually here alone? That there are no guards or attendants here?” She stared straight at him. “You make it so obvious when you stare at me before scouring the room with your eyes.”
“…Yeah, to be honest.”
“Honesty is a virtue. I will respond in kind by answering you truthfully. There’s no one else. Not my guard. And I have no attendants like Rin or Shuvalts, either.”
Even though she was part of the royal family? It was hard to believe a princess would have no guard, even if she could do everything herself without the help of an attendant.
…Is she bluffing because I’m an Imperial subject?
…I mean, even Alice has Rin protecting her.
Even the Ice Calamity Witch, who could take down an entire Imperial base on her own, had a guard. With Elletear’s astral power, it would seem she would require one. Iska would have been able to crush a witch with no experience in battle with his bare hands.
Then why was she acting so composed?
“If I told you I’m in the same camp as Sisbell, would that explain things?”
“…Which means…”
“I am seeking someone like myself. No one in the Sovereignty will fight for the same goal as me. That’s why I invited you here, former Saint Disciple Iska.”
“Me?”
She hadn’t invited the squadron because they were Sisbell’s guards?
“Won’t you become my subordinate? That’s what I wanted to ask you.” Elletear exhaled and stretched.
He could see the outline of her breasts clearly under the bathrobe, but this must all be part of her calculations. She extended her back, groaning sensually in a way that could make anyone fall in love with her.
“What do you think?”
“…I don’t understand. How could there be no one else in the Sovereignty?”
He could understand when it came to Sisbell’s circumstances.
She was searching for the traitors to the current regime. Until then, she wouldn’t let anyone join her team. It made logical sense.
“Formidable astral mages are everywhere. Even I know that,” Iska said. “There has to be someone for the job.”
“I want to crush this very country.”
“…Come again?”
“I want to crush present-day Nebulis into smithereens. I want to overturn it from its roots.”
Her face had grown scarlet…from excitement, and Elletear’s eyes were glazed over as if imagining that future had filled her with rapture.
“Don’t you think this is perfect for you, Imperial soldier? Let’s destroy the Sovereignty together.”
“? ”
He couldn’t form any words. What was this princess saying?
The sweat beading on Iska’s face wasn’t from distress or shock. It was from something that chilled him to his very core.
…Alice and Sisbell think differently, but they’re planning on becoming the queen.
…They’re trying to protect their country out of love.
But Elletear? It seemed it was the opposite for her.
She couldn’t care less about the throne; she was a traitorous witch attempting to bring the nation to ruin.
“But why would you want that?”
“I’ll tell you if you choose to work under me… Oh, I might just melt, imagining what the future holds. I want to break this horribly drab country even a day sooner.”
“…But Sisbell is here,” Iska barely managed to blurt out from his dry lips. “She could re-create this conversation just now. If the queen caught wind…”
“Just kidding.”
“Huh?”
“It was a joke. Obviously, the eldest princess would never imagine such things. There is no issue if Sisbell happens to hear.”
Elletear switched her tone. If her voice had just been thorny, it was now as soft as a carnation—lovely from every angle. There was no way to be suspicious of such a voice.
“I called you here out of curiosity. I couldn’t believe a Saint Disciple would break a witch out of prison. I wanted to talk to you, just the two of us.”
“…You did your research.”
“I heard there was an unusual person in the Imperial army. A berserker who hates battle. A soldier who was barely a Saint Disciple and hoped to capture one of the Sovereignty’s purebreds to force peace negotiations.”
“Who told you that?!” He felt as if he’d been electrocuted, and he jumped to his feet.
…I only told a few people.
…I’ve told Unit 907, and I said something similar when I was promoted to Saint Disciple.
Even within the Imperial headquarters, there were only a handful who really knew what was going on in his mind.
Who had told her? The Saint Disciples? The Eight Great Apostles?
Just who was this princess in contact with in the Empire?
Riiiiiiiiing… The handbell rang from nowhere in particular. It came from the hallway and spread through the room as if to fill the space.
“It’s eleven. That marks the end of the day. The servants have just finished their work. Now they will each retire and sleep within the hour.”
“…”
“I suppose you understand what I’m trying to say.”
“…That our conversation is over?” He leaned forward, fervor completely dampened.
She must have calculated that timing perfectly.
…Time is up before we can get to my questions.
…How clever does she have to be to pull this off so immaculately?
She had gotten him, he realized. Iska exhaled.
“It saves me the trouble of explaining. Though our conversation for tonight has come to an end, we may speak again if the opportunity presents itself. Next time, I would like to speak to you about the Saint Disciples who work with you.”
“…You think an Imperial subject would leak our top secrets?”
“There are two people who wield swords among the eleven. You, Iska, who used to be in the eleventh seat and Joheim in the first. I know that much.”
Her voice was so lovely. Her fingertips crept along the flushed skin near her chest, which was fascinatingly moist with sweat.
“I wonder who would be stronger: you or Joheim?”
“…”
“I would love to know. Back in the old days, it seems Imperial nobles would have their servant swordsmen fight each other in the arena.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
“I specialize in anti–astral mage techniques. I never trained to fight against people. Even if I competed, I would fall behind at the first or second strike, and I’d lose at the third.”
Elletear was silent. She didn’t deride or mock him, instead offering the tiniest of smiles. He quietly turned around.
“If you’ll excuse me.”
“Oh, please wait. Where are you going?”
“Huh?”
“I believe I was clear. It’s time to retire to bed. This way.”
The eldest princess was on her feet, opening a door at the back of the living room.
The bedroom.
Inside was a bed large enough for several people. The sun-dried sheets were clean with nary a wrinkle.
“My bed is so very big. It may even be too large for two people.”
“…Um? I’m not following.”
“You’re not here as Sisbell’s guard, but as my guest. And just as I told you earlier, I do not have anyone to protect me. How can I even sleep at night?”
“…I-I suppose.” Iska was backing away as she eyed him suggestively.
Even though she looked stunning, he found himself imagining a predator pinning its prey with its gaze.
“That is why I would be so happy if you snuggled with me.”
“What now?!” barked Iska involuntarily.
He didn’t even completely get it, but alarm bells were blaring in his head, telling him that obliging her request would be unforgivable.
“That’s impossible! I mean, I’m in the Imperial army!”
“Hee-hee. You’re even cute when you’re surprised. I’m starting to see how witnessing a gentleman as strong as a Saint Disciple lose his composure can be fun.”
Iska glued himself to the corner of the room. Elletear stepped toward him.
Her slender fingers reached out to his cheek.
“Now, Iska—”
“What do you think you’re doing?!” someone snapped.
“Hmm? Sisbell?”
“Huff, huff… I just barely made it. I couldn’t find any sign of Iska, so I used my astral power to locate him… You have nothing to worry about now, Iska.”
The youngest sister had kicked open the door, holding what looked like a master key. She must have been ready for bed, because she was in an adorable light-pink nightgown.
“…You’ve really done it this time,” she snarled.
“Oh? What ever could you mean?”
“Cover yourself first! I’m sure your closet is packed with clothes!”
“Must I? But it’s sweltering, and I feel so feverish.”
“Chop-chop!”
“…Fine. As long as you stop glaring at me.”
Elletear reluctantly started to change in the adjoining room. Sisbell did not stop her interrogation.
“I know your ulterior motives. You’re trying to make a move on my Iska to destabilize me.”
“Oh, it seems you’ve misunderstood two things.” Elletear emerged, dressed in nightclothes.
Unlike Sisbell’s nightgown, her clothes were more sensual, emphasizing all her feminine curves.
“I never intended to deceive my adorable little sister.”
“…And what’s the other misunderstanding?”
“Listen, Sisbell. He’s my guest now. In other words, Iska is as good as mine.”
“I won’t let that pass! Iska is my guard! In other words—”
Sisbell was howling again, never peeling her eyes off her older sister as she pointed at Iska behind her.
“I have the right to cuddle with Iska!”
“Since when?!” Iska exclaimed.
“Do you get it, Sister? Then I will take Iska to my room.”
“You’re so silly, Sisbell. He will sleep with me.”
“Wait. Do I get a say on the matter? I think you should ask for my opinion!”
They weren’t listening to Iska. Well, it was more like they hadn’t heard him.
The princesses had already dismissed the Imperial swordsman, glowering at each other.
The youngest sister, Sisbell, was baring her cute canines.
The eldest sister, Elletear, was looking down at her with a dauntless smile.
“Hah… I’m surprised you’re talking back to me. I suppose it is my role as your sister to praise you for growing up.”
“Sister?”
“But, Sisbell, you’re severely lacking something.”
Elletear went on the move, slipping past her younger sister and heading right to Iska.
“Iska.” With dewy eyes, she squeezed his hand in hers. “Would you hear me out?”
“Y-you’ve still got more to say…?”
“I’m so nervous about spending a night in the mansion without a single guard… Can you hear it? My heart is pounding.”
She yanked on his hand.
He had no time to realize what was going on as Elletear pressed it against her chest.
“See? It’s beating so fast. Feel how nervous I am.”
“Wh-what are you—?!”
It was as if he was touching the finest grade of cotton. Her breasts were weighty, though, and he could feel her body heat. He was at a loss for words, and his brain still hadn’t processed all of this. His mind went blank.
“Uh…um, uhhh…”
“What do you think? Can you feel my heart pounding?”
“As iiiiiiiiiiif!” Sisbell body-slammed her and pried Iska’s hand free. “Wh-what do you mean I’m lacking in something?! I’m a growing girl. Yours are just…larger than life!”
“Take a look, Sisbell. This is called a royal embrace.”
“Y-you call that a royal embrace?!”
“Plus, it shows I’m placing my body in his trust.”
“…Guh. B-but you can’t do this! I won’t hand Iska over to you!”
Sisbell yanked on his other hand.
He was being pulled by the witch sisters on both sides.
“Hold it right there!”
The missing piece.
The middle sister’s shout pealed through the living room.
“I thought I heard a commotion… Wh-wh-what do you think you’re doing…? What are you doing capturing Iska?!”
“Sister?!” The youngest sister bolted upright.
“You left the door open, Sisbell,” Elletear said. “She must have heard our voices in the hallway.”
Elletear didn’t even flinch, seeming pleased by this turn of events.
Glaring at her sisters, Alice marched to them, taking long strides. She must have been ready to go to bed, too, because she had draped some clothes over her shoulders to hide her nightgown.
“Sisbell, explain yourself.”
“Guh…I suppose you’ve caught me red-handed. But we don’t need your intervention!”
The youngest witch refused to let go of Iska’s hand.
“I heard you have no relationship with this Imperial soldier. In that case, you have no right to say anything about my treatment of him.”
“…Uh?” Alice inhaled sharply when her sister poked her sore spot. “Regardless, he is still an Imperial soldier. Since he is an enemy of the Sovereignty, I have the right to question your behavior, Sisbell. The same goes for you, Elletear.”
“We’re planning to cuddle for the night.”
“We’re going to snuggle.”
“…You’re sleeping together?” Alice blinked back blankly.
This was all so alarming, common sense seemed to fly out the window.
“Y-you’re cuddling?! Wh-wh-wh-what do you think you two are saying?!”
“I am entirely serious.” Sisbell wouldn’t let go of Iska’s hand. “I can’t fathom spending a night without my attendant. Iska volunteered to sleep with me. As I’d expect of my servant!”
“Like I said, I’m not your servant!”
“Oh, Sisbell. There seems to be a grave misunderstanding.” Elletear held onto his other hand.
Even if Iska wanted to shake Elletear off or pull his hand away in protest, he was dangerously close to brushing up against her breasts again, so he couldn’t move carelessly.
“I was the one who invited Iska to the mansion. In that case, you should assume Iska is mine during this visit.”
“No! Iska is working for me!”
“As I said, stop right there!” Alice stepped into the fight. “Please get a hold of yourself. I won’t give Iska to anyone!
“Hmm? I thought this was your first time meeting him, Alice. And he is an Imperial soldier. He should be one of your despicable enemies on the battlefield,” Elletear noted.
“Uh…ugh…uhhh?!” Alice gritted her teeth. She was glaring at the ceiling, desperately hoping to come up with a good excuse.
“I-I know!”
Her face lit up.
“Because he is an Imperial soldier, I cannot allow my sisters to be with such a dangerous individual. According to the rumors, their men become carnal beasts at night!”
“That’s slander!”
“Quiet, you! …S-so that’s why I’m here! To protect my sisters from this savage!”
“A beast, huh? He doesn’t strike me as one.” Elletear looked between Iska and Alice, then cocked her head to the side. “If that’s the case, Alice, do you have any bright ideas for us?”
“I-I will stay the night, too!” Alice planted her hand on her chest. “I will cuddle—I mean, I’ll sleep here to keep an eye on the Imperial soldier if you two are spending the night with him.”
“…Uh, so, personally, I’d like to sleep in my own room by myself,” Iska mumbled.
“So the four of us will sleep together? Hmm, my bed can accommodate us, so I suppose that would be fine. What do you think, Sisbell?”
“I have no qualms.”
“But what about what I think?! C’mon, guys!” Iska’s desperate pleas went unheard.
The three sister witches were apparently already in a battle in a higher dimension than what Iska could fathom or see.
“The issue is our positions in the bed.” Sisbell crossed her arms, looking entirely serious. “I have an idea. We can order ourselves from oldest to youngest, with Elletear, Alice, and then me. Iska can be at the left end. How’s that?”
“Oh my, Sisbell. In other words, you want to keep him all to yourself? That seems unfair. What do you say, Alice?”
“I-I don’t particularly care whether I’m next to Iska…b-but I see. If that is a matter of debate, then why don’t we draw straws for it?”
Alice took notepad paper from the top of the table, tearing it into three strips that she labeled “left,” “middle,” and “right.”
“Iska will be on the left side of the bed. Now we simply need to decide our positions. If you draw ‘left,’ you get to sleep next to him. Is that all right?”
“M-me first!” Sisbell drew an option before the others. “Th-the middle… In other words, I won’t be next to Iska, and I will have to be squished between both of you…”
“Oh my. I am on the right, so I suppose I’m at the very end of the bed. Well, that means…”
“Y-yes! I win! I’m next to Iska!” Alice jumped up and down as she clutched the final paper in her hand. “The last one gets the luck of the draw. I get to sleep with him and—”
“Alice?”
“Gah?!” The middle child came back to her senses.
“You seem suspiciously happy…”
“A-ahem. What could you possibly mean, Sisbell? I will sleep next to the Imperial soldier to protect you both. There is no more ideal position for me to sleep in.”
“Then why do you sound so jubilant about it?”
“I-I most certainly do not! Obviously I detest the fact that I will have to sleep next to an Imperial soldier!” Alice sighed in relief. “And you, Imperial soldier! Th-this is an exception. Snuggle with me… Er, I meant to say I grant you special permission to sleep beside me!”
“Like I said, I’d rather stay in my room…”
“Your. Answer?”
“…Fine.”
He was dragged along as they escorted him to the bedroom.
A sweet smell tickled his nose. There was white smoke wafting from a transparent container set up in a corner of the room—maybe some plant-derived essential oils.
…I’m in a girl’s bedroom.
…I’ve only been in one other—Alice’s. Isn’t this my second time?
Iska had peeked into Commander Mismis’s and Nene’s rooms in the women’s dorms, but he hadn’t exactly crossed the threshold. He hadn’t had a clue this trial would be waiting for him.
“Hee-hee. I wonder how long it’s been since all three sisters slept together. This should be fun.”
“…Fine. I give up on sleeping with Iska, but I can rest easy in the same room as him.”
The oldest sister reclined on the right side of the bed. Next to her, Sisbell cautiously came to lie facedown.
“Alice, come to bed. Don’t stand there like a board. What’s gotten into you? Why is your face all red?” Elletear asked.
“Iska, what’s up with you? Even you’re blushing.”
“…”
Iska and Alice had frozen up at the corner of the bed, facing each other.
“After you, Alice.”
“Y-you first. I’ll get in last…!”
“But I’m supposed to be at the end.”
“You’re the guest! You first! …Fine. Let’s get into the bed at the same time.”
Elletear, Sisbell, Alice, and Iska were lined up in the bed. A single top sheet covered all four of them. They were much too close to each other.
In fact, Iska could hear the three sisters breathing in his ears as soon as the light went off.
…How can I get a wink of sleep here?!
…Ah well, I was planning on keeping watch anyway.
That was his duty as Sisbell’s guard. He had been planning to borrow her communications device so he could return to his room and be on standby in case she requested assistance.
Since they were staying in the same room for the night, he was more worried about…
Just as Iska opened his eyes, he found something right under his nose.
“Alice?!”
“…Shh. Quiet. The other two will hear us.”
Sleeping on her side, Alice had her eyes open, staring at him. Their faces were hardly seven inches apart. Even with the lights off, Iska could make out the details of her face.
“Th-they’re already asleep…so if we don’t keep quiet, we’ll wake them up…”
Alice talked to him in a soft whisper. The gentle breathing from behind her was coming from either Elletear or Sisbell. Only Iska and Alice were awake.
“Iska. Um… As you know, I have to consider my position as a princess. Our skin cannot touch. You must be careful.”
“I mean, I wasn’t planning on doing anything weird.”
“But if you—”
She gazed at him from up close. He was sure her face was red from nerves. There was no other reason for her to be blushing.
“If you were to fling your arms around me in your sleep, I suppose I wouldn’t do anything about it. I would have to overlook it if you did that unconsciously…”
“It sounds like you’re already loosening the rules!” Iska whispered loudly.
“I-I am just clarifying for good measure! It’s not as if I want it to happen. Don’t take my words out of context!”
“Oh, Iska!”
Alice shivered when Elletear spoke up.
“A-are you awake?” Alice asked.
“…”
“…Hello?”
Alice received no reply. She was just about to turn around to check behind her.
“Oh, Iska, not in front of others! You’re so bold.”
The eldest daughter seemed to be talking in her sleep. This piqued their interest.
“Hee-hee. I have an idea,” Elletear murmured.
“…Aaah? Wh-what do you think you’re doing, Iska? You can’t just take me into your arms. That is much too soon for us,” mumbled Sisbell, feigning innocence.
It seemed Sisbell was talking in her sleep, too.
“Gotcha! Oh my, you’re much softer than I imagined, Iska.”
“I-Iska…mm…please. Where do you think you’re grabbing? Oh, that tickles. I…can’t believe you’re so bold.”
“Hee-hee. Cute voice.”
What were they even doing over there? More importantly, what were they even dreaming about?
The two sisters behind Alice seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“Ah!”
“Oof.”
Alice flung her arms around Iska.
Sisbell had kicked Alice in her sleep, pushing her up against Iska like a domino.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“I’m fine, but, Alice, uh…could you give me some room…?”
“Sisbell keeps kicking me, so I can’t go back to my original spot.”
“Just how much does she toss and turn in her sleep?!”
If he were pushed farther, he’d end up falling off the bed. All Iska could do was tolerate her presence.
…It’s so dark, and she’s so close. I can hear Alice’s breathing.
…Wait. Does that mean she can hear me?
They were on their sides, facing each other.
Even though Iska was slightly taller when they were standing, their eyes were level now, since their heads were propped up on pillows.
Alice’s hand reached out to touch Iska’s chest. Not just gently with her fingertips. She pressed her entire hand against him.
“…Wow. You might look thin, but you’ve got some muscle.”
“Where are you touching?!”
“I-it’s not what it seems like. My sister is kicking me from behind, so I keep being pushed forward!”
She made no attempt to retract her hand.
“Boys run warm. I feel as if I might scald myself on you…”
“You just said our skin isn’t supposed to touch.”
“Th-this was just inevitable! And you’re wearing clothes, so it’s not a problem.”
“Is that really the issue?”
“…A-all right. Then…then…”
In the darkness, he could make out Alice nodding to herself. Her small lips were moving ever so slightly as the witch princess whispered to him.
“D-do you want…to touch me, too…?”
“…Pardon?”
“We’re rivals, right? I’ve touched you, so it’s not fair unless you touch me there, too.”
Alice was touching him on his chest, which meant…
“? ”
Almost unconsciously, Iska ended up looking down. He could catch a glimpse of her delicate collarbone above the neckline of her nightgown. The mound under her clothes bobbed up and down with each breath. Alice had more than enough of what Elletear had called a “royal embrace.”
“Oh, stop… Don’t look so close… This is so embarrassing…” Alice’s face was turning red.
It didn’t seem like he was imagining that she was starting to pant.
“H-hurry up… If you say you want to touch them…then I’ll put up with it…”
“You’re making me seem like I’m a pervert!”
“I-I mean, those are our rules. I want to have a fair battle with you. Ah, but now that I think of it…”
“Now that you think of what?”
“…” Alice stared straight at him.
She seemed completely different from before. She had gone from looking like an embarrassed maiden to seeming as though she were about to seek recourse from him.
“Wh-what is it?”
“…You saw.”
“Saw what?”
“…My underwear. When you were with Sisbell in my room. You were squeezing them in your fists…”
“I-I wasn’t! That was a misunderstanding!”
“We need to be equal , right? As rivals.”
A shiver went down his spine.
“That’s right. You got an eyeful of my underwear, so it’s only right to look at yours.”
“There’s definitely something wrong about that!”
“Nothing wrong with equality. As your rival, I think I have a right to know everything about you!”
Alice’s hand was gripping the hem of his clothes. She was readying her hand to rip them off.
“Show me your underwear! Then we’ll be even!”
“Even in what?! Wait, Alice! Hey! Agh! Rin! Where’s Rin?! Your lady’s gone mad! Stop her!” shrieked Iska, calling for the absent attendant.
For the rest of the night, Iska was locked in a fierce battle to hold Alice back.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login