…Ah, warmth…happiness~
Everyone has, at one time or another, wanted to marry their futon. Especially on cold winter mornings when you didn’t want to get out of the comforter and instead stay inside the blankets forever.
I shrug my neck and bury my mouth in the fluffy blanket.
It’s as comfortable as if I were was in a sleeping bag.
Futon, that’s so sweet. I want to stay this way all the time…
I think one of the ideal morning awakenings is to wake up to this extraordinarily dangerous warmth and the gentle scent of someone else’s breakfast.
For example, the gentle scent of miso soup slowly awakening me, as I slowly climb out of bed, listening to the sizzling sound of fresh mackerel or fatty salmon roasting on the grill, and prepare myself for the delicious smells that stimulate my stomach. When I finish dressing, I sit down at the table to find a steamy breakfast laid out in front of me.
I know that’s a dream!
That is a luxury that a person who lives alone cannot enjoy. Now that I am Arthirea Luciane, it can be a dream come true.
I’m wrapped up in a fluffy blanket, enjoying the warmth and comfort of my own home, while my half-awake mind ponders.
…Some of this can come true.
The reason I imagined freshly cooked rice and my favorite potato and onion miso soup is probably because the best breakfast for me is the one made by my mother—Maya’s mother.
I’m not really particular about Japanese food, but some things can be done if I try my best.
For example, salted salmon and horse mackerel flounder will be relatively easy to make if I can find the right fish.
Unfortunately, we don’t have rice like we used to have in Japan, but I do know that we have seasonings like barley miso, so I can make things like miso soup.
And then, if I can be just a little lazy, or if I give up on preparing His Highness’ breakfast myself, It’s also possible to get up, get dressed, and have a warm breakfast brought to me when I get to the table…In fact, that’s more normal for royalty.
But…after all, I still prefer to prepare breakfast for His Highness myself as much as possible.
Now that having breakfast together has become a habit, I might be able to leave it to someone else to do it once in a while…Nope. But I can’t let my guard down just yet. There is no reason to feel relieved.
We have the memories of the past year that we’ve been building up, and although we have fondness for each other, I am not in a situation where I can just sit cross-legged.
The surroundings are full of mysterious young ladies who are after His Highness.
According to Lilia’s research, the majority of the apprentice maids who have joined within the last six months are such people.
After all, the problem is that I’m too young.
In other words, because I haven’t shared a bedchamber yet…it’s easy to be targeted.
Also, considering the age difference between His Highness and me, some people have sent their daughters with complete good intentions, so it’s a lot of trouble.
I’m confident that I have a firm grip on his stomach, but that’s not enough to make me feel confident yet.
…Because he is the one who was fine with canned portable rations to begin with!
It’s good to be a foodie. They are willing to make sacrifices for good food and are very easy to understand.
But people who aren’t obsessive about it by nature, or who are willing to eat anything, are difficult to deal with. And it’s even more difficult for someone like His Highness, who is very good at controlling himself.
Even if he thinks that what I make is delicious, he’ll still be able to control himself and endure it.
So I can’t let my guard down just yet.
…I really wish I could make more with my hands.
There aren’t that many things I can make with my own hands.
People don’t like working directly with me, and if I try to serve it at the right temperature, I can’t make it in time.
Still, I think it’s important to taste the food before His Highness arrives, and to instruct them to make minor adjustments to the sauce, so that I can try to serve the best possible food.
I tossed and turned and dozed, and found myself unable to move in the warmth of being completely snuggled in.
…Huh?…
Am I completely stuck inside?
I wriggle around and open my eyes thinly, even though I still want to close them.
……a wall?
Then I notice thee soft blanket and smooth sheets.
…where is this…?
The moment I realized that this was nowhere I could know, I woke up with a flash of light and saw…
“……!!!!!”
I gasped.
No, because—! I gasp for breath. Because I forgot to breathe for a moment!
I lifted my gaze slightly and saw a face as beautiful as a work of art.
There was no way I could mistake it for anything else. The incredible face of my husband, His Royal Highness Nigel.
…What’s going on here? What kind of punishment game is this?
My thoughts stopped before I started to panic.
Because, what? Why? What is His Highness doing here?
No, what? What happened to me?
It was the last memory that flowed into my mind at a dizzying pace.
I was in danger while working as a vendor in the middle of the busy downtown for the festival. I was rescued by His Highness in the nick of time. Then, His Highness picked me up and walked me through the labyrinth of Royal Capital…His Highness’ various expressions and our conversations. I could clearly remember even the unexpectedly soft tone of his voice.
…I see, I fell asleep…
Although my consciousness is of a full-fledged adult, my body is still of a thirteen-year-old girl. And I can’t say that I have much physical strength.
Yup. I know that I fell asleep in His Highness’ arms.
But, you know…what is with the current situation?
No matter how many times I let my eyes flicker, it doesn’t change the fact that there’s a close-up of His Highness’ face in front of me.
Yes. In other words, I was sleeping with His Highness.
…I don’t understand this.
The last thing I remember, I was walking through the Royal City Labyrinth in the arms of His Highness. After that, my consciousness slowly cut off.
I should probably take a deep breath here.
I close my eyes and breathe in and out deeply.
Take in fresh air into my body and exhale slowly and quietly.
I repeated the process a few times and calmed my mind.
…His Highness is still asleep…
I’m sure he’s exhausted. He’s been busy all the time, and I’m sure he was worried about me… I probably added some extra work to the mix with me being gone.
“…I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Gently, I leaned over and stretched up a bit to put my lips on the forehead of His Highness, who was sleeping.
He was in a lightly cuddling state, so it was a bit difficult to get out of his arms, but I had some freedom.
Of course, there was no way I could do that if he was awake.
If he was normally awake, it would be totally impossible, given our height difference, and it would be embarrassing.
…I can do it because he’s asleep…eh?…
Suddenly, His Highness’ eyes snapped open.
Those azure eyes…That clear icy blue is moistened because of sleep.
Maybe it’s because of the blurriness, but he looks a little younger than usual…or maybe just younger.
…!!!!!
I was impatient and almost acted suspiciously, but I narrowly pushed back.
It would be more noticeable to make strange movements here.
…Oh, calm down, me!
I clenched my fists tightly.
His Highness relaxes slightly.
And—Eyes, which reflected no emotion, looked at me from surprisingly close.
…Oh, I haven’t seen this properly.
When I thought that, the impatient feeling I had earlier disappeared as if it was a lie.
I felt very relieved when I thought that maybe he hadn’t seen or even recognized the kiss on his forehead earlier.
I observed His Highness in a daze.
…long eyelashes.
Also, his skin is beautiful. I’m sure it’s amazing to stay up so late, and I think there are a lot of unhealthy people.
His Highness, I think he’s not a very good sleeper.
That was a new discovery.
I did so in silence for a while.
“…!!!!!”
Then, just as suddenly as he woke up, His Highness looked at me and opened his eyes wide.
…Oh, he got up…
Thanks to waking up earlier, I was completely calm.
“…Good morning Nigel-sama.”
“……Good morning.”
Perhaps His Highness Nigel couldn’t recognize the situation for a moment.
But since His Highness was His Highness, the confusion was only for a moment. He quickly regained his composure and his usual expression. However, I caught a glimpse of a pouting expression on his face for just a moment, and burned it into my eyes. It wasn’t a made-up expression, it was a true expression.
“…Um, where is this?”
It’s a dumb question, I think to myself, but I still say it.
I know that it’s on a bed. I also know that it’s not my bed.
“…It’s my room.”
His Highness raises himself up with a subtle air that seems awkward and tingling. I sluggishly got up on the bed as I got tangled.
“…Is it the rear palace?”
“Ah.”
I nodded easily.
I knew it was probably true. But when I heard it again from his own mouth, it was quite a shocking statement.
Because, this means that I stayed in His Highness’ bed, right?
I don’t think there’s anything that happened. Because I’m properly dressed in my nightgown and…what? My nightgown?
Wait a minute…I don’t even remember changing my own clothes.
A quick chill goes down my spine.
“……What happened?”
His Highness, whose eyes fluttered, looked into my eyes.
“Oh, how about my change of clothes?”
“Oh…I asked your lady-in-waiting…Lana Hartley.”
‘Thank you, Lilia.’ I thanked Lilia, from the bottom of my heart.
There’s no way His Highness can change my clothes! Even if I am still too young and not mature enough to serve as His Highness’ partner, what is embarrassing is embarassing. And I don’t want to be forced to change my clothes by the hands of maids who could become my rivals at any moment.
“…Um, why am I in His Highness’ bed when Lilia was the one changing my clothes?”
“…It would be a long story if I told you, but in a nutshell, I tried to get you back to your room as soon as I got back here. But the timing wasn’t right and I didn’t have time for that, so I let you sleep in my bed. I was going to bring you back myself after I had finished my business.”
‘But it didn’t happen,’ says His Highness.
“…I found out a bit of a nasty problem, and came back too late…you didn’t show any signs of waking up, and I had to keep quiet…so I just went to bed.”
His Highness’ hand touched my hair and stroked it gently as if he were combing it.
“…The rumors…”
“I don’t care. In the first place, we are a married couple. No one should complain.”
“…There are going to be people who are going to say that I can’t be a ‘princess.’”
“I’m sure there will.”
His Highness smiled.
It was a very malicious smile.
“…It’ll make me a little angry if they say you have a taste for little girls, Your Highness.”
“Let them say it. I don’t care what they say.”
He would twirl my golden hair around his long fingertips, unwrap it, and then curl it up again. It was just a hand play, but it also seemed like an attempt to attract my attention.
“But the role of the ‘princess’ requires an unmarried daughter of a high-ranking nobleman, right?”
“Ostensibly…Actually, the role of ‘princess’ in the founding festival is for the purpose of selecting the true ‘Princess of the Key’. It doesn’t matter if she is a virgin or not, if she is recognized as the ‘Princess of the Key’, she will almost without exception marry into the royal family or Elzevert. That’s probably why they are designated as unmarried maidens. Whether or not she is actually a virgin is irrelevant…Aren’t there usually too many people with too much time on their hands? What does it matter what happens in my bedchamber?”
I’m so embarrassed by the blatant manner in which he’s speaking that I fall flat on my face. I’m sure I must be crimson to my ears.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it that way.”
“……No.”
It feels very strange to hear his His Highness, who looks so princely, talk like that.
If you are a fastidious girl, you might not like it, but for me, who has an awareness that I was already an adult inside, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Rather, the gap between the two made me a little nervous.
“There’s a lot to be said for this, but I’m not going to force you, and I’m not going to impose my desires on your immature body. So you don’t have to worry about it.”
‘There’s no hurry,’ His Highness strokes my hair.
When he whispered in my ear, it was kind of tingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T/N: !!! (⁄ ⁄>⁄ ▽ ⁄<⁄ ⁄)
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