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A week later.
The sky above the Frostbane Kingdom stretched clear and brilliant blue, dotted with soft white clouds that drifted lazily overhead.
A gentle, refreshing breeze swept through the kingdom, carrying the pleasant scent of blooming flowers and fresh earth.
People moved about their daily routines with calm purpose. Some headed to their shops to open for the day, while others worked the fields, harvesting the fruits of their labor now that spring had fully given way to summer.
Hunters carefully polished their weapons before venturing into the wilderness, and even office workers, still rubbing sleep from their eyes, arrived early at their desks, much like any ordinary day back on the old Earth, despite how much the world had changed.
Yet within the grand castle, the Princess of the Frostbane Kingdom, Elizabeth herself, remained confined to its walls, forbidden from leaving by her strict parents.
Still, it was not entirely unbearable. In fact, she was secretly planning something.
“So anyway, things are mostly fine here, but Dad has been away on business trips constantly lately. I’m really worried about him… We’ve barely seen him or Mom these past few weeks.”
Yes, that lovely princess—me—was planning something truly heinous that no one would ever suspect.
I was going to run away.
“Mom tells me I shouldn’t worry and that I’m simply too spoiled, but the truth is, being stuck inside this castle all the time is incredibly boring!”
Before putting her plan into motion, she had spent the days lying low, calmly learning new spells, practicing her skills, and pretending to relax like the perfect, obedient daughter.
“I miss you, Elizabeth. When will we meet next? It’s been a few months already… I heard you finally recovered! I wish I could have been there for your birthday… I’m sorry I couldn’t come. No one invited me.”
She had worked hard to make her parents believe their little girl had finally become the exemplary, shut-in princess they always wanted.
“…Elizabeth?”
But they were very, very wrong.
“Hey, Elizabeth!!!”
“Ah!”
My eyes widened as I suddenly remembered I was in the middle of a video call with my friend.
“Guinevere! Yeah! S-Sorry!” I muttered quickly.
Guinevere sighed and crossed her arms. Over the years, she had grown into a strikingly beautiful princess, yet she still kept her energetic tomboyish nature and knightly spirit. She loved going on adventures and exploring the world. Unlike me, her parents were far more lenient. She had already cleared three dungeons and leveled up considerably.
“Um… is that so? I wonder if something’s wrong with him. Maybe he’s sick? Your dad, I mean…”
“You weren’t paying attention at all, were you?” she sighed, crossing her arms again. Her image appeared almost lifelike in the glowing hologram floating before me.
“S-Sorry!” I lowered my head and pressed my forehead against the bed where I sat. “I’ve been thinking about… a lot of stuff lately.”
“Yeah, I heard a lot happened over there. Can’t really blame you. You spent a whole year unable to use magic, skills, or even exercise properly… But I heard your soul is fully healed now, right?”
“It is. So I should be able to stop resting, but my parents keep me locked up in this damn castle. I’m starting to feel claustrophobic!” I complained dramatically. “Guinevere! Please save meeeee!”
“Haha, how exactly do you expect me to save you?” she asked, sighing with amusement. “Hmm… Oh! Maybe I can invite you to my kingdom? I’m always the one visiting you, but you’ve never come to see mine!”
“Ohhh! That sounds wonderful!” I replied, perking up. “But I don’t know if they’ll allow it right now. I’m supposed to be studying with my parents, and my grandparents are visiting soon. My dragon uncles are coming in a couple of weeks too.”
“Oh…” Guinevere sighed. “Some of my uncles have come to visit as well. You’re not the only one, you know? I’m a dragon too!”
“Heheh, I know,” I giggled. “It would be nice if we could just fly off and do whatever we wanted.”
“I mean, what’s really stopping you?” she asked.
“…Yeah, but the moment I leave, my parents will chase me down and ground me for life,” I sighed. “I understand why they’re protective, though… Maybe once I turn fifteen or so, they’ll finally loosen up.”
“Hmmm, but that’ll take forever,” she sighed. “I guess older dragons like your dad can’t fully understand us. We perceive time differently because we’re more human than dragon sometimes, right?”
“Yeah! The old dragons always say we should just rest for a couple of decades… Like, what?! Who does that?” I laughed.
“Right?!” Guinevere nodded enthusiastically. “Well, take it easy for now. If you can’t come here, I’ll head over instead! I’ll arrive by tomorrow. I promise. Mom said I could have anything I wanted for my birthday, so I’ll ask for that.”
“It’s your birthday tomorrow?!” I gasped.
“You forgot?!” she asked in disbelief.
“Sorryyyyy!” I apologized again.
“Well, whatever. I don’t like birthday parties anyway. They’re full of fake nobles I don’t care about,” she shrugged. “You and Adasi are my real friends… though I do have some friends here too. Maybe I can bring them along?”
“Who?” I asked curiously. “Wait, you have more friends than me?! Ugh, now I feel frustrated. I only ever befriend adults… I should try reaching out to more noble families or something. Yeah, we can do that too.”
“Anyway, I gotta go! I have swordsmanship lessons today! Byeeee!” Guinevere said brightly, blowing a kiss into the air. “See you tomorrow, Eli! Love you!”
“Love you too!” I waved as her hologram disappeared. “Phew…”
I flopped back onto my bed and let out a long sigh of relief, finally alone with my thoughts.
It wasn’t that I disliked talking with her, but the call had interrupted my planning. If she was coming tomorrow, perhaps I could wait.
No. It would be better to do it today.
Yeah!
Knock, knock.
“Lady Elizabeth? Are you there? I’ve come to do your chores.”
“Ah, come in, Gigantia.”
The door opened, and a gorgeous mountain giantess stepped inside. She had tanned brown skin, long flowing blonde hair, beautiful white teeth, sharp tusks, and striking golden eyes that glowed warmly.
“Gigantia! I missed you!”
She had been away for several days fulfilling her duties as a knight, sometimes joining campaigns to take down powerful monsters outside the kingdom.
“Hello, young lady—Oh! Hahaha, you really did miss little old me?”
She giggled as I ran over and hugged her tightly. Her big, muscular frame felt incredibly comforting, especially her strong belly and powerful thighs. It didn’t help that she often walked around wearing very little.
“Come here!”
She happily lifted me up. I closed my eyes and puckered my lips, expecting a kiss.
But she planted one gently on my forehead instead.
Damn it! Why can’t I get a proper smooch?
Right… I was still too young for that.
“Can’t I get one on the lips next time? Pretty please?” I asked, giving her my best puppy eyes.
“T-The lips?! Hahaha!” she laughed heartily. “Young princess, you’re far too young to be thinking about that!”
“Tsk…” I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
“But if you’ll allow me, I can hug you, embrace you, and kiss your face as much as you want. Because you’re the cutest little girl ever!” she declared, pulling me into a warm hug and rubbing her cheek against mine while planting several kisses. “Mooch, mooch!”
“Heheh!” I ended up chuckling as she tickled my belly. “T-That’s enough already!” I protested grumpily.
“Heh, sorry, Your Majesty,” she said, setting me down gently on the floor. “Aw, aren’t you just a precious little treasure? I really missed you too! Did you miss me?”
“I did! Lots!” I replied, hugging her again.
“Hahah,” she looked genuinely delighted. “Ah, right! A-Ahem!” She quickly straightened her posture as the Head Maid, Lady Catrise, walked past the doorway. “Enough fooling around. Let’s prepare everything for the day.”
“Oh, let me help!” I offered eagerly. Together we cleaned the room, put away clothes, and made the bed.
“Phew! All done!” she said happily, brushing dust from her hands. “Young lady, you really didn’t need to help me…”
“It’s fine, Gigantia. I like spending time with you,” I said with a sincere smile.
Besides being the most gorgeous and muscular woman I had ever seen—and someone I had personally designed to match all my preferences in the game—she was also a genuinely kind young woman who gave off strong, caring elder-sister vibes.
“Do you really?” she asked, smiling warmly. “Have you taken a bath yet?”
“I haven’t,” I replied, yawning. “I just woke up.”
“Alright, let’s go take a shower together. I’m a little sweaty myself,” she laughed. “Come on! I saw your parents earlier—they seemed quite busy with your younger brother. I hope you don’t mind them giving you a bit less attention these days.”
“Nah, I don’t mind at all. In fact, that’s perfect!” I said with a quiet chuckle. “If I can slip away from their watchful eyes, I can finally go outside and do whatever I want…”
“Haha, you’re too playful, young lady. Let’s go,” she replied as we headed toward the bathroom.
As we entered, I watched her quickly undress. I struggled to keep my eyes from widening or my mouth from falling open. Still, as a proper young princess, I maintained my composure in front of this amazonian goddess and let her wash my long hair with gentle care.
Today, after breakfast, I’m doing it. Nobody can stop me. And if I can convince Gigantia to come with me, that would make everything even better.
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