Later that evening, Claus lay in bed in his room in the palace. The room was dark, and he was on the verge of falling asleep. But suddenly he heard the click of the door being unlocked. He opened his eyes.
Is it Lady Tia...? She was the only other person who had the key to his room besides himself. I thought she might do this at some point...
Claus had heard from the servants that Meltia and Jeanette had fought earlier today. That was very unusual for Jeanette, who was usually gentle with everyone. But that fight must’ve been the reason Meltia had come here now.
He slowly sat up and peered through the darkness at the person who was standing by the door.
“What is a lady doing here so late at night?” he asked.
“I’m sure you can figure it out.”
Claus opened the window curtains. It was a full moon tonight. The room was bathed in moonlight, which revealed the form of Meltia clad in a dressing gown.
“I love you, Lord Claus,” she proclaimed.
“I know.”
“Is that all? Don’t you see me as a woman, even a bit? Can’t I convince you to like me a little?” she asked as though she was at her wit’s end.
Claus narrowed his eyes.
“You are very charming. As Jeanette always says, you are a beautiful, intelligent, attractive young lady.”
“In that case—!”
“However, I cannot grow to love you as a woman,” Claus interrupted softly. There was no need to be harsh with her, because no matter how much she insisted, his feelings wouldn’t change.
“Ngh...!” Meltia bit her lip. Yet a moment later, her expression changed. “Even with this in front of you?”
The princess gripped the belt of her dressing gown. Her delicate fingers slowly untied it, and the gown slipped off her frame, revealing an expanse of pale skin beneath. She was completely naked. Her soft body gleamed in the moonlight, and in spite of her slight frame, she had a large, ample chest. Her waist was so slender that it almost looked breakable, yet her hips and bottom were round and feminine. Although her body had traces of childishness to it, it also had the sex appeal of an adult woman.
Claus’s eyes widened in shock.
“As you can see, I have confidence in my body. And...I’ll let you do anything you want with me, Lord Claus,” Meltia said, her aquamarine eyes staring at Claus with longing.
As if lured by her words, Claus staggered over to her. His long fingers reached out, drawing closer to her. Meltia shivered and closed her eyes. And then...
“It’s cold. If you don’t wear this properly, you might get sick.”
Claus had picked the gown up off the floor and draped it around her shoulders. Following his dismissive remark, he turned around and went back to bed as though nothing had happened.
“I need to get up early tomorrow. You’d best get some sleep too, Lady Tia, or you’ll feel tired. It’s no good for a young woman to miss so much sleep. Now, can you please go back to your room?”
Claus had rejected her. As soon as Meltia realized this, her face went completely red.
“D-Don’t you want my body?! Just take a look! My chest is really big and soft! Jeanette has nothing on me in this department!!!”
“Stop it,” Claus snapped. The princess shuddered at his harsh tone. “You don’t know her. And don’t bring her up right now! I’ve been doing my utmost to resist the urge, but when you say things like that, I can’t help picturing it! If I do something rash when I see her tomorrow, are you going to take responsibility for it, Lady Tia?!” he grumbled, waving his hand in front of him to chase off his wicked thoughts.
Meltia’s mouth flew open at that.
“Wh-What?! Are you saying that even though I’m right in front of you, you’re imagining her?!”
“I can’t help it. I’m a man, after all.”
“That’s not what I mean!!! I’m asking why you have no reaction to a naked girl approaching you!”
“Oh,” Claus muttered. It finally dawned on him what Meltia had meant. “My apologies. It’s just that I’m used to it, so...”
“‘Used to it’?! What on earth?!” she demanded.
Claus smiled vaguely. The princess had no idea this wasn’t the first time he had been approached by a naked woman. If anything, it was an obnoxiously frequent occurrence for him.
Drunk women are especially dangerous...
Indeed, during balls, women used to drag him off into the darkness all the time. Other times, they’d bump into him and “accidentally” spill their wine on him as an excuse to take him into a different room. These incidents decreased once Jeanette had moved in with him. But on a few occasions, women had suddenly shown up on his doorstep as guests and started stripping once he let them into the estate.
And while I attended boarding school, men approached me as well...
Claus smiled dryly at the recollections.
“I’m used to seeing naked men and women. So seeing your naked body makes no difference to me, Lady Tia.”
“D-Do you mean to imply you live a sordid lifestyle...?!” Meltia asked, misunderstanding his words.
Claus paused, and then decided to roll with it.
“Yes, you could say that.”
Now if only she could run off in disgust, that’d save me so much hassle...
But after a moment of deliberation...
“I like that side of you too!”
...Meltia was undaunted.
Still no good, huh? Claus chuckled inwardly.
“So please, Lord Claus! Stay by my side from now on!” the girl implored, trying to convey her genuine feelings to him. She was pleading with him more earnestly than ever before.
That was why Claus had to answer in kind.
“Lady Tia,” he said. He would have to be clear so as not to get her hopes up. His violet eyes met Meltia’s pale-blue ones. “As I told you before, no matter how charming of a woman you are, it won’t make a difference to me. Even if the world’s most beautiful siren were to approach me, I wouldn’t change my mind. My heart belongs only to Jeanette, and I am devoted to her.”
Afterward, Claus smiled gently, his eyes shining with unshakable conviction.
“Ughhh...!” Meltia’s eyes welled up with tears. “Fine. I’ve known from the beginning anyway,” she said, large tear droplets spilling over her cheeks. “But I still wanted you! I fell in love with you at first sight. You were my first love...!”
The princess burst into tears, covering her face. Claus reached his hand out to her...but then withdrew it again.
“Your Highness Princess Meltia. It’s been my honor to have been your first love.”
That was all that he could say to her.