CH 321

Chapter 321 – Stiff Time

“…Filthy.”

When I got out of the bath with Shumel and the others and entered the dining room, I was greeted with a piercing, icy stare. I had expected it, but it was a little uncomfortable to be told that in person.

“That’s not right.”

However, Bella quickly objected to Aquawill-san’s words. The unexpected turn of events made me look up at Bella’s face.

“I’ve washed and cleaned him properly in the bathroom. There’s no way he’s filthy!”

She had a huge smug look on her face. Ah, yes. That’s right. It’s true that I have been washed thoroughly, so it’s not right to say that I’m filthy. But no, that’s not it.

“Well, even if you take it in the princess’s sense, it’s still a strange story. We’re both recognized by Her Majesty the Queen, and it’s our duty as partners to take care of our husbands’ tired bodies after a long day’s work, isn’t it?”

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but I don’t think it’s right for the princess to be so hostile toward Kosuke. Kosuke is innocent. Kosuke just accepted it, and it’s Seraphita-sama and your sister who are the ones who are getting the heat, aren’t it? Kosuke has the depth of heart to accept many, but he is not cunning enough to voluntarily touch a woman in order to strengthen his position and power.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment…?”

It is true that I am not the type of person who would make a move on a woman on my own… But since I ended up with so many women despite my passivity, I think it’s hard to escape the accusation of being a dirty bastard. No, when I think about it, the percentage of women who were taken advantage of me was indeed higher rather than because I voluntarily made a move on them.

“But I don’t blame him so much. It’s his way of being sweet.”

Even Grande, who was half buried in a pile of cushions and watching us, joins in the conversation.

“I’m not being sweet――”

“Is that so? When I was young, I used to play with my father, smacking him with my tail and biting him. I can only see the same way with Kosuke.”

Grande said, and Aquawill-san fell silent. Silence reigns over the place, and a delicate atmosphere prevails. This is not good. Let’s not do this.

“Okay, stop! Let’s not talk about this! Let’s eat dinner!”

“T-that’s right. I’ve put all my skill into making this delicious meal!”

I raised my voice to lift the heavy air, and Gerda followed suit. Good, keep it up.

“…I don’t have much of an appetite, so if you’ll excuse me.”

But Aquawill-san had left the dining room. Leviera followed her. What did she mean when she gave Gerda a look as she left?

“Um… Uh, let’s have dinner. Yes.”

“Yeah, sure.”

She probably meant to say to take care of this place. If Leviera and Gerda―the hosts, so to speak―had to leave, the meal could not begin.

“Oh… well, let me help you.”

“I’m sorry I lost my temper and said that… I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I think. If she doesn’t like it, she can get out of the castle and go wherever she wants. She lives an elegant princess life with Danna providing everything for her, from food and clothing to shelter and everything else, and yet she continues to look down on him.”

“I think that’s too harsh a statement…”

“Danna is too naive. Well, that’s a good thing, though.”

“Is that so…?”

It’s nice of you to give me a compliment, but it’s a total headache. I’m trying to somehow reconcile with Aquawill-san, Sylphy’s family, though.

I wasn’t sure about the taste of the dinner I took while wondering what to do.

☆★☆

“Now, how is this preparation?”

There was no good plan that came to mind even though I was pondering over it, and I just came to the conclusion that I had no choice but to take a hit-and-run approach. Well, there are some people in the world who are incompatible with each other no matter what, and for Aquawill-san, that might be me. But for me, I don’t think that’s the case with Aquawill-san. I have no choice but to do my best to make her understand at least that point.

So, I prepared for the astronomical observation and waited for Aquawill-san’s arrival. I asked her via Gerda to come to this place after taking a bath because I wanted to show her something. The fact that Gerda and Leviera did not come to tell me of their refusal probably means that they will come.

I have never done any astronomical observation before, so the preparations themselves are just fine. I prepared a table, two chairs, a notebook for recording, writing materials, and an astronomical telescope.

All that was left to do was to burn some insect repellent incense, like mosquito coils, and the preparations would be complete. After that, all that remained was to take out hot drinks and snacks from my inventory as needed.

After waiting for a while, I heard footsteps approaching.

“Thank you for coming.”

“No problem.”

I can see Aquawill-san’s expression clearly because I have night vision due to the effect of my underground human achievement. 

“Well, I called you here because I made this, and I was wondering if you would like to do some astronomical observation.”

When I said so, Aquawill-san glanced at the astronomical telescope.

“I see. I apologize for Gerda. I told her that she shouldn’t ask Kosuke-sama to do such a thing because it would be too impolite.”

“Gerda? No, she didn’t say anything.”

What is she talking about? From the way she was talking, Aquawill-san seemed to think that I had built the telescope at Gerda’s request.

“Gerda must have asked Kosuke-sama to do it, didn’t she? Oh, did you find out from Gerda that I was interested in a tool that would allow me to see the Omicrule better?”

“No, I didn’t hear anything from Gerda, and I didn’t ask anything out of her. I swear to you. I just happened to notice Aquawill-san and the others looking at the sky with binoculars while I was working during the day, and that’s when I decided to make the telescope. When I heard about Omicrule from Shumel and the others, I also became curious about what can be seen in Omicrule.”

“…I see.”

I don’t know if she was truly convinced from the bottom of her heart, but at any rate, she has lost the intention of inquiring any further about the reason for building the telescope here. It’s really just a coincidence. Well, if it bothers you, you can ask Gerda later or something.

“Yeah. This is an astronomical telescope, which has a much higher magnification than the binoculars I gave you during the day―in other words, a telescope that allows you to clearly see things at a distance. So, the purpose of this is to observe Omicrule with this telescope.”

“I understand the purpose. But why is it that it is just the two of us?”

The color of caution is strong in Aquawill-san’s eyes as she stares at me. Well, it is natural to be wary of a man who has entangled her family members one after another when invited to meet alone with a person like that in the dark.

“I simply wanted to talk to you in private in a place where we don’t have to worry about being overheard. It would make it easier for me to express my true feelings.”

“I see.”

“That’s right. Well, let’s leave it to the flow whether we have such a real talk or not, and let’s use the astronomical telescope first. Truth be told, I’m excited to see what I can see in Omicrule.”

Maybe there are people living in Omicrule. I don’t know if this telescope will capture any signs of human habitation or other interesting things. Just the fact that we might be able to see something is exciting.

So, with Aquawill-san looking at me from a distance like a wary kitten, I pointed the telescope toward Omicrule, which was far away in the sky.