After that, in the mansion’s large bath, the first to bathe on this day were the girls—specifically, the royals and nobles visiting the mansion as guests. As hosts, Charlotte and Celia were bathing as well.
“Ah...” Christina soaked in the wide tub and let out a sigh of happiness.
Flora sat down beside her sister with an enchanted expression. “It feels so nice...”
“I had no idea that soaking in a large tub was so blissful... I see why Sir Hiroaki always insists on bathtubs deep enough to submerge himself in now,” Roanna said. She was also soaking with them, spellbound.
“Is this your first time at Sir Haruto’s mansion, Roanna?” Flora asked.
“Yes. It makes me wish I could bathe like this every day.”
“I know the feeling. Once you experience it once, it’s so hard to go back...”
Flora and Roanna conversed with each other with fully relaxed muscles.
“Hee hee. Feel free to visit every day to bathe,” Charlotte said to them from the side.
“N-No, I couldn’t do that...” Roanna refused immediately.
“Sir Haruto is the head of the house, and he wouldn’t refuse either. Isn’t that right, Lady Celia?” Charlotte said, calling for Celia to speak from where she was soaking beside her.
“That’s right,” Celia agreed with a giggle.
“And how are you finding the water, Princess Lilianna?” Charlotte continued, this time bringing the conversation to Lilianna, who was bathing with them.
“It’s wonderful; it’s like my entire being has been soothed. I’d love to see this culture spread to Centostella, for sure.” Lilianna was also enjoying the mansion’s bathtub; she let out a sigh of relaxation.
“In that case, feel free to come visit and bathe as much as you want while you’re staying in our kingdom. I’m sure Sir Masato would be happy too,” Charlotte said cheerfully, without referencing why Masato would be happy.
“Thank you for the consideration,” Lilianna said shyly, looking slightly troubled. “He... Sir Amakawa is an amazing person, isn’t he?” she continued after a small pause, mumbling quietly. The attention of those soaking in the water gathered on her.
“He is.” Charlotte answered first in agreement. Flora also nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, Sir Haruto is an amazing person.”
Christina grimaced a little at her sister’s deification of Rio. Roanna watched her expression change from beside her.
“After everything involving Sir Takahisa, I conveyed my gratitude to Sir Amakawa for all the trouble he had to deal with. But he tilted his head as though he had no idea what I meant. In fact, he lowered his head to apologize about Sir Masato and Lady Aki, and offered vital information...” Lilianna confided with a look between confusion and guilt.
“Do you not understand his intentions?” Charlotte asked with a giggle.
“To be honest, I can’t grasp his true motives. I was expecting to be in a position where I would be excluded from all information...”
Lilianna confided her honest mental state to them. Takahisa had tried to kidnap Miharu during the banquet and just recently created a commotion by running away. Lilianna was equally at fault for being unable to stop him from running wild, so that was more than enough reason for Rio to distrust the Centostella Kingdom.
Yet, Rio had chosen to share the complex situation he was in and the secrets of the heroes as though he trusted Lilianna.
“Haruto’s true motives are simple—he trusts Masato, who trusts you, so he trusts you as well,” Charlotte answered proudly. Flora nodded along, while Christina and Celia had vague smiles on their faces.
Meanwhile, Lilianna, who still didn’t know Rio very well, swallowed her breath in surprise.
“How can he trust us?” Roanna muttered.
“Roanna?” That appeared to be a big surprise to Christina, who stared at Roanna wide-eyed.
“I’m sorry. I understand the logic, but I just don’t think it’s as easy to do as it sounds. This might apply to Princess Lilianna’s question as well, but I don’t have a grasp on what kind of person Sir Amakawa is either.” Roanna lowered her head as she explained the reason for her sudden question.
“I see...” With that, Christina didn’t question her any further.
“I’ve been wondering that too. Can you tell us what kind of person Sir Amakawa is?” Lilianna asked, jumping on what Roanna had said. In fact, she had probably brought up the topic of Rio in the first place because she wanted to know more about him.
“Sure. There’s rarely an occasion for the princesses of three kingdoms to get together naked like this. As the princess of the hosting kingdom, it would be rude of me not to present a story for you to take home.”
Charlotte nodded generously, showing her great sense of hospitality.
“It might turn into a long bath, though. You’ll get dizzy if you soak for too long, so if it gets too hard for you, please change to a footbath and listen,” she said, taking the lead by standing up from the bath and sitting on the edge of the tub.
“But first, I’d like to hear from Princess Lilianna and Lady Roanna, who don’t know Sir Haruto that well, what their honest impression of him is. That way, I can clear up any misunderstandings,” Christina said with a bright look of curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
“He’s a mysterious gentleman. He has so much strength, yet he seems too kind and quiet to be involved in conflict. I do think he’s a very kind gentleman. But at the same time, I feel like there’s something about him that cannot be perceived. Like there’s no knowing what he’s thinking...” Lilianna said, describing her impression of Rio.
“He isn’t a talkative one,” Charlotte agreed, sounding like she was having fun.
“But I can’t see what he’s thinking or feeling deep down. I can’t see his true thoughts. Normally, people’s thoughts show in their actions so you can tell what they want to do at the moment, so it’s like he doesn’t have much of a sense of self...”
Charlotte applauded with a satisfied look. “That’s quite the keen eye you have, as I should have expected. Now, can we hear from you next, Roanna?” She turned the spotlight on Roanna, who looked at Christina hesitantly, as though to confirm it was okay to speak.