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With a relaxed gesture, Shione turned the doorknob several times. The door was firmly locked, severing the connection between the outside and the inside. It was an unnecessarily sturdy door; unless she charged at it with her body, there was no way to force it open.

As Shione closed and locked the window, I wondered if this was how the Succubus felt. A sense of something being off began to creep in.

“Ray said he would grant my wish, didn’t he?”

“What wish could possibly warrant locking a door?”

“Well, what do you think it is?”

Her eyes were filled with obsession. It wasn’t easy.

I felt exposed, as if I were being observed nude from Shione’s point of view, so I had no choice but to step back a little.

“Shione, how about we think about the days we’ve spent together so far?”

“Suddenly?”

“But if you think about it, we’ve caught demons together, and even camped in the field. It’s embarrassing to say it myself, but we’re practically family, aren’t we?”

“Well, if you say family, I guess we are. How much have I received from Ray?”

Her mention of family made her break into a youthful smile.

In response, I managed to relax my expression a bit more.

“That’s not how family works.”

“I haven’t said anything yet!”

“It’s obvious just from your gaze; how could I not know it?”

“It’s fine, as Ray said, we’re family without blood ties. Not all families are connected by blood, after all.”

Shione gently walked over and gazed warmly at the hibiscus she gathered from the base.

The warmth radiating from her eyes was so intense that I wondered if she might photosynthesize even in the dead of night.

“A happily married couple is a family too.”

You can’t escape once you return to the Count’s House anyway. I’ll let it slide this time.

After reading Shione’s mind with my telepathy, it was clear that she had no intention of making any compromises.

Shione gracefully walked over and dove onto her bed, but perhaps miscalculating the distance, she bumped her forehead against the structure at the head of the bed.

Nevertheless, she nonchalantly crawled under the blanket and lifted one side, saying, “Come here.”

Since there was no response, I thought her forehead was fine, but the redness where she bumped it and the tears welling in her eyes were simply hilarious.

“Is your forehead alright?”

“…It’s not like you need to mention that right now. I said come in!”

“How can a mere slave crawl into their master’s side? And besides, sleeping together is something that happens at the Count’s House—”

“You’re only a slave during times like this… It’s just sleeping together; what’s the problem?”

“With that, you locked the door, didn’t you?”

Shione’s casual demeanor finally cracked under my gaze watching her intently.

It seemed she didn’t expect me to question her after saying she would grant my wish. If I keep retreating, I’d just end up labeled as a dense fool always pretending to be cold.

Besides, with Shione’s personality, she wouldn’t make the first move. I merely suggested we share the bed. We’ve already slept next to each other in a sleeping bag during fieldwork, and Shione tends to fall asleep deeply once her eyes close, so honestly, it wouldn’t even be uncomfortable.

I slowly crawled onto the bed and moved closer to Shione.

My arms and legs became her prison, and she was only permitted to look up at me without saying a word.

“Uh, um, ah?”

Seeing Shione making silly sounds, I couldn’t help but snicker.

‘What guts does she have to demand I crawl into her blanket, without any courage of her own?’

I had figured out long ago that she couldn’t do anything when faced with the actual situation. I often used this thought when restraining her, thinking, ‘Oh, here we go again.’

I continued to feign ignorance.

“Why? You locked the door… What are you planning if I lie next to you?”

“N-no, I just said we’d sleep together… didn’t I…?”

Shione’s pupils began to tremble uncontrollably.

Swallowing hard, she spoke, her words born from an extraordinary endurance.

The roles of attack and defense were reversed during the fortress assault, which had irritated me a bit. I thought it might be fun to tease Shione a little more.

“Liar. You were scheming something all along.”

Just as I suspected, Shione floundered in deep embarrassment.

Had the clouds covering the moon finally cleared? As the moonlight streamed in through the curtains, illuminating Shione’s and my faces, I could hear her tiny heart pounding vigorously.

I slowly lowered myself to press my forehead against hers. She was likely feeling five seconds last as long as five hours.

“…!”

It seemed Shione thought I was going to kiss her, as she tightly shut her eyes, preparing herself for it.

However, as she waited in vain, feeling nothing, she opened her eyes in confusion, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at that moment.

“Well, since you’re Princess Shione, I’ll trust you.”

I swiftly turned my body and lay down beside her.

“…So, we’re really just ending it like this?”

“You’re the one who suggested we’d only sleep together, right? Then we can only sleep, nothing else.”

“Oh… is that so?”

Shione let out a helpless laugh at my words.

When she couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, her face quickly flushed bright red. It was obvious she wanted to kick the blanket in embarrassment, but with me next to her, that would probably be impossible.

Amused by the scene, I tried to hold back my laughter, but Shione raised her hand.

“Now’s the time to mess around!!”

“Wait, wait! Let’s talk this over…!”

Shione’s attacks were sharper than I could have imagined, snapping me back to my senses.

How long did we bicker like that? Just when we were tired and worn out, I gently pressed my lips against Shione’s forehead.

“Uh…?”

“You shouldn’t feel pain there anymore.”

Unknowingly, she began rubbing her forehead, and at my words, she smiled softly.

“Goodnight, Ray.”

*

In the deep of night.

Gradually, as her attendant’s breathing stabilized, Shione felt when she woke up from sleep.

‘…I must have really fallen asleep properly, right?’

Shione brushed her index finger against his face to feel his breath and waved her hand in front of her eyes to check if he was in a deep sleep.

After confirming multiple times that he was indeed asleep, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

First, she poked his cheek.

‘Soft…’

When she pressed, it sunk in and then bounced back immediately. It was a pleasant sensation.

After her confidence grew from poking his cheek a few times, she pinched Ray’s cheek with her fingers.

‘If I pinch too hard, he might wake up—’

Just a little…! Gently…!

Playing with Ray’s cheeks was fun. The soft texture and the thrill of not knowing when he might wake up!

As Shione toyed with his cheek for a while, her thoughts wandered.

‘…Damn that Succubus.’

She not only hugged Ray from behind but even climbed on top of him.

Recalling that moment ignited a wicked jealousy within her. The flickering embers of jealousy met the fuel of her desire, swelling bigger and bigger, and naturally, her gaze shifted to Ray’s body.

She had never had the chance to touch his body like that. Only deep irritation washed over her.

Then finally, Shione swallowed her saliva and placed her hand on his arm.

‘Well, this is unavoidable.’

Thinking about it, isn’t it weird for a man and a woman to lie in the same bed without anything happening? And Ray had mentioned coming from a world with different views on chastity. Then, wouldn’t it make even less sense to be in a situation divorced from such desires and the mundane?

In the time filled with her roaming thoughts, she repeated to herself that her primary objective was the Count’s House.

However, Shione’s rationalization didn’t stop there. In the end, she found her own compromise.

‘It’s nothing crossing the line… Just hugging is okay, right?’

Yes, Ray must have thought this much.

Shione wriggled closer to him.

Closing the distance.

She gazed quietly at his face reflected in the moonlight before gently fixing his hair.

As she remained staring at his face, her thoughts began to swell again.

‘Umm…’

Just like how Ray had kissed her forehead before sleeping, shouldn’t she do something in return?

Yes, she would repay him the same way!

But instead of a kiss on the forehead, she’d plant a kiss on his lips because she was a noble who knew how to repay a favor double-fold.

With her rationalization complete, all that remained for her was action.

Shione cautiously cupped his cheeks with both hands, closing her eyes as she slowly brought her face closer to his.

Thump, thump!

Her heart raced uncontrollably.

With her eyes tightly shut, she gripped his cheeks with more force.

In this exciting moment, Shione decided to slowly open her eyes.

Then—

“…….”

“…….”

Their gazes intertwined.

“…What are you doing?”

“Kyah!!”

With a sharp sound, Shione slapped my cheek without hesitation and buried her face in my embrace.

“No, what’s this all about….”

Why am I getting hit again all of a sudden?

*

The next morning, with Shione clinging to me like a sleeping doll, the progress of the interrogation regarding the Succubus and various wall restructuring issues led to another meeting being scheduled.

From the redistribution of duties among the knights of the Count’s household to a series of meetings planned for today, Diolia arrived early to see us.

As I welcomed her instead of Shione, Diolia greeted me.

“Oh, Ray. You worked hard last night. Did you sleep well—”

Just then, she caught sight of the swelling on my left cheek and asked with concern.

“There’s a puffiness on your cheek. You seem to have a bit of a bruise… Did the Succubus hit you yesterday?”

Flinch…!

She sure is perceptive; she must be an expert knight with remarkable intuition.

“Seems like I caught a hit without realizing it. By morning, it’s swollen up.”

I merely nodded along as I gently touched my swollen cheek.

 

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