“Your first time must have hurt. Let’s take it easy tonight and get some rest. Tomorrow is another busy day.”
“Yes, Lord Charles. Goodnight. Tomorrow, I’ll be… by your side… just like always.”
I knew Jeanne always fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. I kissed her on the cheek as she lay cradled in my arm, a peaceful expression on her face.
“Good night, dear.”
“I love you, Desiderata. Goodnight.”
“I love you, too, Lord Charles.”
Enveloped by the warmth of the women in my arms, I surrendered myself to sweet sleep. I was sure to sleep soundly tonight.
I saw Prince Charles off and sat down to unwind after finishing lunch.
Olivia was currently facing the daunting task of making dessert, which the maids were instructing her in.
I read, trying to suppress a yawn. We had plans to go on a date together after she finished her baking, so I was in the middle of thinking up an itinerary. But my thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of a bell, announcing that we had visitors.
“A woman calling herself Diane Meitia has come calling for you, Lady Olivia.”
“Wow! Diane came to see me?”
That was her friend, right? The one she wanted to tell she was safe? How strange for her to have arrived already. The letter could perhaps have reached there in a few hours, but even forcing the horses drawing her carriage to run themselves to death, it should have taken at least four days.
“She made it out to the frontier in only three days? Not even the post horses make the journey so quickly.”
By now, Olivia was famous across the frontier as the Goddess’s Bride.
No doubt there were people out there who might impersonate a friend of hers to get closer to her. Of course, she would see through their lie quickly enough, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some idiot tried it.
“Seems she took a golem carriage! Why, in all my years I’ve never seen such hoity-toity transportation! You could barely buy that thing with the price tag of this whole mansion.”
The maid exclaiming about the carriage was Nina (age 53), the same one who announced their arrival. Come to think of it, her husband and son built
carriages as part of their trade.
Interesting. If they could afford to ride around in a carriage like that, they had to be the real deal, right? At the very least, whoever it was, they had to be filthy rich. But you never knew when things might go bad, so I decided to go out with Olivia to meet her, just in case.
★ Olivia ★
When I heard that Diane had arrived, I rushed to the drawing room to meet her. My sudden disappearance must have worried her, I knew, but I felt certain she would not have made such haste in coming to see me—even using the expensive golem carriage—without a terribly important reason.
My dear husband came with me as well, just in case something happened. Fortunately, disguise magic was simple enough that even my husband, someone who didn’t specialize in it, could wield it and see through it easily. Though, according to him, that was because he had “trained night and day under a professional!” He didn’t seem to care for the way I said his impressive skill was heroic.
“Diane!”
I opened the door to the drawing room to find her resting on the sofa, waving gently toward me with a smile on her face. Oh, my. Diane had long been so seductive that even a woman like me couldn’t help but get hot and bothered around her. There could be no doubt that this was my long-time friend—no imitation could match the pure sex she emanated.
Oftentimes, girls with large breasts are perceived to be overweight, but the cut and measurement of Diane’s clothing perfectly emphasized her chest while also giving an impression of a streamlined figure. Her wavy red hair seemed to sparkle in the light of the sun. Taken in combination with her incredible beauty, though the comparison is perhaps a bit sensational, she almost seemed a painting come to life. At the least, her every inch exuded refinement.
“Olivia, do you know how worried I was when you didn’t contact me right away? And imagine my surprise when the first thing I hear is that you’ve been married!”
We clasped each other’s hands in our joy at being reunited. Oh, right, my dear husband! In my excitement, I’d forgotten to introduce them.
“Dearest, this is my best friend, the woman to whom we sent the letter: Diane Meitia, the daughter of Count Meitia.”
Diane greeted him well in accordance with a lady’s manners. My husband offered his own greeting in return, using the manners I taught him.
He carried himself somewhat awkwardly, but his posture was so neat that he did not look out of place.
“Good thing I studied my manners for Prince Charles’s arrival, huh? Was that the right way to greet a woman?”
“Yes, dearest, you were wonderfully gallant!”
Teehee! My honest thoughts were enough to embarrass my poor husband so much. He was normally confident and reliable, but his rarely-shown childish side was cute. I was so delighted that before I knew it, I was clinging to his arm.
“My, my. It seems my impression from your letter was not mistaken—
the love between you two is passionate indeed. Let us hope the heat of your burning hearts does not singe those poor, outshone flowers.”
She offered a warning not to flirt so in front of others, in a womanly, roundabout way. Perhaps I had let my guard down a bit too much, owing to our close relationship.
My husband gazed over at Diane, perhaps lingering a moment too long?
Of course, I was well aware that her breasts were larger than mine. In my insecurity, I clung to Lord Chris tighter.
“So, Diane, I know you’re here to visit your newlywed friend, but if you’d also like me to remove that curse of yours, it would have been nice to know beforehand so I could make the proper preparations.”
A curse?! I can’t let that pass without comment!
“Explain yourself, dearest!”
“It’s the same one that affected you, Olivia, though much weaker. It’s a good thing all of our maids are women; if we had any male servants, they would have chased her out by now.”
Diane’s lovely face and impressive proportions were attractive to men, and the way she carried herself suggested that she would treat her man right, the natural result of her family’s business. If she had been put under the same curse as I…
“I would indeed appreciate your help. My once-fiancé has called for an annulment to our engagement, and now I am left without a place to belong in
the capital. Audacious though this is, I’ve been left with no choice but to come to my dear friend for assistance.”
“D-Dear husband, I beg of you! We must help Diane!”
But my husband merely smiled and plopped his hand on my head, as if to say, “Worry not.”
“I haven’t prepared, and I’ll be doing this alone, so we probably won’t finish until late tonight.”