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“Phew…”

Luna stretched her legs comfortably as she soaked in the magical hot spring. It seemed like the fatigue from the expedition was finally melting away.

“I feel alive…”

It was a high-quality magical hot spring. The water, opaque like milk, was just the right temperature and emitted a faint glow. Even just staring at it blankly felt healing.

The dense concentration of magic could have caused magic sickness, but it wasn’t a problem for Luna. In fact, she felt a pleasant buzz, as if slightly tipsy.

It was a stroke of luck to find such a place near the forest. For Luna, who had a cleanliness obsession, washing away the dirt from her body was a top priority. On an expedition where you never knew when you’d encounter enemies, even taking a shower was a luxury, let alone a proper bath.

Luna knew how fortunate she was to be in this situation. But the discomfort was unavoidable.

During the day, as Lucy, she was fine, but as night fell, Luna was seized by an intense desire to shake off sweat and dust. If she hadn’t overheard Ariel’s report, she might have been bathing in a cramped oak barrel by now.

“The problem is washing…”

Was it because she hastily decided to join the expedition to keep an eye on the Count? She never thought she’d overlook such an important issue.

For someone with her cleanliness obsession, proper washing facilities were essential. Today, she was lucky enough to bathe in the hot spring, but who knew what tomorrow would bring? She thought about enduring with the oak barrel, but that was impossible.

But ordering Ariel to build a bathhouse was out of the question. She had come this far under the pretext of inspecting the hot spring, but giving such an order would ruin her dignity as the Emperor. Moreover, since she was on this expedition incognito with the Cremont family’s mages, it was best to avoid drawing attention.

Luna buried her head in her hands. How could she maintain the Majesty of the Emperor while taking a bath?

“…It’s cold.”

Amid her headache, a sudden gust of wind blew in. The night air was so cold it sent shivers down her spine.

The cold of the north was incomparable to that of the capital. Her thin body trembled uncontrollably. The phrase “cold to the bone” couldn’t have been more fitting.

Luna sank deeper into the hot spring until even her nose was submerged. Only then did the warmth spread throughout her body.

As she gazed into the void, she noticed the moon rising through the dense tree branches. It hit her that she was far from the capital. For her, this was the farthest she had ever been from home.

‘I thought I’d spend my whole life in the Imperial Palace…’

While Lucy could be active during the day, Luna’s range of activity was severely limited to the night. So, it would be a lie to say she had no expectations about the outside world she’d see on this expedition.

And the reason she was having this experience was entirely because of that man… Tristan.

The notorious head of the Ruelberta family, a noble with overwhelming influence in the Empire. Though they had no choice but to join hands to stop the impending Demon Lord, the fact that he was an enemy remained unchanged. However, Luna was vaguely realizing that her perception of Tristan was shifting.

She didn’t want to admit it, but Tristan wasn’t the man she had imagined him to be.

To anyone, he was clearly a villain, a pompous noble who hurled abuse at his subordinates. But upon meeting him, he wasn’t a pig, nor did he spew abuse. Well, he did make a few explosive remarks… But the important thing was that he was someone she could talk to.

Rumor had it that he was the one who first proposed cooperation with the Seven Stars Union. Even if his intentions were dark, the Imperial Family had no reason to refuse. With the Hero already revealed, the world was in a precarious state, always on the brink of crisis.

Of course, Luna still despised Tristan. But if asked if she hated him, the answer was no.

She could never forget the grudge against the former Emperor, her father, who was manipulated like a puppet and killed. But strictly speaking, her enemy was William, not Tristan. So, while Lucy had no reason to completely hate Tristan, she also had no reason not to hate him.

To put it bluntly, he had shifted from an object of hatred to something… creepy. Just imagining what he might have done with the items he took under the guise of gifts made her skin crawl.

“Ugh… that pervert… huh?”

As she shivered, Luna sensed a presence in the mist.

It wasn’t the aura of a monster or a demon. Could it be Ariel? She had said she’d be keeping watch nearby, maybe she brought a change of clothes.

But her guess was completely off.

“Huh?!”

When she saw ‘him’ through the steam rising from the hot spring, Luna thought she must be hallucinating from magic sickness. The person she had just been thinking about was standing right in front of her.

The black noble, Tristan Ruelberta, was kneeling nearby, dipping his hand into the hot spring water, deep in thought.

The steam hid Luna’s figure, and the dense magic concentration likely prevented him from noticing her.

‘How did he even find this place?’

Many questions flooded her mind, but it was awkward to speak up. More importantly, she was completely naked. If he saw her like this, who knows what kind of embarrassment she’d face.

Deciding to wait and see, Luna crouched as low as possible, keeping her eyes and ears wide open.

Tristan seemed to be examining the hot spring. If she had to guess, he was interested in the resources from the magical hot spring. As expected of the Empire’s top tycoon, he had a keen nose for money.

‘Hmph… of course. You’re as greedy as they come.’

As she inwardly scoffed, Tristan scooped up some of the hot spring water she was soaking in… and drank it.

And then he muttered clearly.

“Hmm… a bit salty.”

“?!?!”

*

The magical hot spring was indeed a mysterious place. Surrounded by steam in the middle of the forest, it looked like a retreat for immortals.

The water, imbued with magic, was milky in color but emitted a faint glow. It stood out even in the dark forest.

As someone who practiced Moon Magic, I could feel the abundant magic in the hot spring. Just being there for a short while filled my ring with magic.

But then a question arose.

What if I drank the hot spring water? Could it directly supply magic to my body? I was also curious about the taste of magic-infused water.

Slurp…

I tried it immediately, but the taste wasn’t great.

If I had to describe it…

“Hmm… a bit salty.”

“?!?!”

Suddenly, an inexplicable scream echoed.

‘A monster?!’

I immediately stood up, ready to fight. But the source of the scream wasn’t a monster.

It was someone who should never have been here.

“…Lucy?”

“It’s Luna, you idiot!”

Ah, right, of course it’s Luna at this hour. No, wait, that’s not the issue.

“…Why are you here?”

“That’s what I want to ask! Why are YOU here?”

Well…

“…I was scouting and found this place.”

“You, the overall commander, are out scouting in the middle of the night?”

“There’s a limit to what others can report. I wanted to see it with my own eyes… that’s all.”

“?!”

As I said that, Luna suddenly sank deeper into the water.

“What, what are you trying to see?! Keep your eyes to yourself!”

Only then did I realize Luna was naked. The steam obscured her figure, but she had a beautiful body. Still youthful, but starting to mature into a woman’s form.

However, tempered by ‘Patience’ and ‘Pride,’ I wasn’t flustered. She wouldn’t find any disturbance in me.

But it didn’t seem to matter to Luna.

“You… why did you drink that…?”

“…?”

“Why did you drink that?! What’s wrong with your head?!”

I wondered what she was talking about, but she must have seen me taste the hot spring water earlier. There was no reason to hide it, so I answered honestly.

“I was curious about the taste.”

“Ewww… what kind of pervert gets curious about that?! You disgusting pervert!”

Luna, with only her head above water, screamed, her face bright red.

*

It seemed Luna had secretly followed the expedition because she didn’t trust me. She rambled some excuses, but it boiled down to her not being able to fully trust me.

One might think I’d feel hurt, but I didn’t. In fact, it seemed very much like Luna, the cautious Emperor.

But…

While I understood her, she didn’t seem to understand me.

Honestly, who would’ve known she was bathing? But I did feel a bit sorry for seeing her naked.

As an apology, I said to her.

“If you want to bathe in the future, come to my unit.”

“Have I gone mad? Obviously…”

“Obviously?”

“O-obviously, you just want to drink my bathwater, don’t you?!”

“…You’ve got some serious misconceptions.”

“You pervert who can’t get excited without my scent! There’s no one as perverted as you in this world!”

“No…”

“Shut up! You… you disgusting pervert!”

Luna, half-sobbing, yelled at me. If I said anything more, I might become the first man to make the Emperor cry.

Meanwhile, Helga chimed in, defending me.

“Listen here! The Count isn’t like that!”

That’s right. Good job, Helga.

“Do you think something like that could excite the Count? How naive. Unfortunately, the Count is more interested in my rich, intense scent.”

“What?!”

Well, that’s…

Helga’s outrageous comment was the final blow, and Luna glared at us like we were trash until we left the hot spring.

On the way back, I felt so drained… while others came to the hot spring to relieve fatigue, I ended up more exhausted.

Whether she understood my feelings or not, Helga laughed innocently.

“Ufufu… the Emperor must have let her guard down. To leisurely enjoy a bath in such a place. And to show her naked body to the Count… she must have handed over a weakness.”

If anything, I’m the one who’s been caught…

“Did you see earlier? The Emperor’s wary look. She won’t be able to ignore us openly anymore.”

No, that’s not why she’s wary…

Too tired to respond, I just nodded. Helga kept chattering, occasionally looking back.

Then, Helga suddenly stopped.

“Ah? Count, why are you sweating so much…?”

“Sweat?”

I touched my forehead and found it damp. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t sweat.

“It’s just the steam from the hot spring.”

“Ah, I thought it was something else… here, use this to wipe it.”

“Mm.”

Helga handed me a handkerchief from her pocket and took the reins for me. The handkerchief had a strong floral scent. Wiping my face with it left me dazed by the fragrance. It was different from her usual shampoo scent.

Did she spray perfume or something?

As I checked Helga’s handkerchief, my brow furrowed.

“Helga…”

“Yes?”

“What did you give me…?”

“Oh, that? I couldn’t come empty-handed… ufufu…”

Helga smiled wickedly as she added.

“I brought some spoils.”

The spoils turned out to be a small, pure white piece of cloth.

It was none other than the Emperor’s… underwear.

 

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