This Eroge Won't Make Me Fall!

Lady Sophia and Sir Alec were on the way back to their room in the Dienin Castle. The shade of the night didn't seem to reach inside this place that was lit up by the latest magic lights, leaving the hallways even brighter than in the day.

"You've gotten rather close to the lord in no time, my lady," Alec said, his eyes looking at the mahogany cloths hanging from the walls in an attempt to avoid his liege's gaze. "He did threaten just this morning and was more powerful than we could have imagined..."

"Close? I don't think so?" Sophia didn't seem to mind Alec's words at all as she replied in a chipper tone. "Isn't it more of us being comfortable with each other? He's an ally, a strong and noble one. If I act stiff and calculative and earn his ire it would be a much worse outcome."

Sophia then shrugged her shoulders and smiled widely. "Well, it's not like I am not aware of the danger. He is just very expressive, so I can get a read on him easily."

"Expressive?" For once, Alec turned toward his liege, luckily, she wasn't looking at him while he wore his 'hoe's gone mad' face. "My lady, his face is as stiff as a stone? And when he does try to relax, he looks like the leader of a demon cult!"

"Tsk, you just don't know how to get a read on people."

"No, I doubt anyone other than you in the world can get a read on him." Alec sighed. "Still, isn't sharing spoons going a bit too far...?"

"He's just so cute, it's like he wears his emotions on his sleeves."

Alec wanted to tell her that everyone wore their emotions on their sleeves if they were faced by that lady, but kept it to himself. He was feeling rather disgruntled thinking about what he would tell this only child's father when he goes back. That was when his liege threw him a lifeline.

"I am sure that if I had a younger brother, he would turn out like him."

"Oh?" Alec gasped. "So you see him like a brother, my lady?"

"What else," Sophia narrowed her eyes and stared daggers into her knight. "Did you think I fell for him?"

The knight, now relieved, didn't think too far and started nodding.

Sophia scoffed and flicked his forehead.

"You runt," she said. "You're the only one who falls for people after a single conversation."

Alec blushed. "I do not!"

"Yeah? What about when you confessed to that maid who brought everyone in the night training food, huh? Weren't you convinced she liked you even though she was helping everyone?"

"A-ah! My lady, how—"

"Or about that time you asked the chief butler to let you marry his dead niece after seeing her picture."

"AHHH!"

Sophia laughed out loud while Alec buried his head in his hands, screaming lightly.

Sophia found the day of investigation to be strangely fun. She was looking forward to tomorrow.

***

A weird tension filled the room.

Usually Maria would go out after leaving me some clothes after a bath. I stepped out of the bath like I normally do, with a towel around my waist, but for some reason Maria was still in the room.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she answered.

Since she was being like that, I decided to ignore her and get to my business. I stood in front of the mirror and started flexing my muscles one after the other.

Seeing my abs almost made me melt. Oh, abs. How I had missed thee. My mind usually reflected back to when I had just received the memories of Yujin. The lack of abs was the worst nightmare I had ever faced.

I was about to move over to the bed to pick up my clothes, when I noticed they were gone.

"I'll help you." Maria's voice suddenly came up from behind me. I noticed she already had my shirt in her hands.

I didn't really feel like turning her down.

"Sure," I said, as she pulled my hand up.

I let her guide the shirt's sleeves through my arms, her hand tracing over my arm to my shoulder, and then up my neck before she switched to the next one. Again, she very slowly dragged the sleeves over my hand, but I could barely feel them over the soft touch of her single finger tracing over me.

Once the sleeves were on, she left my hands down. Slowly, she crawled her hands below my shoulders, up my sides, and reached out to the buttons.

I only watched as her thumb traced over my collarbone. Her touch wasn't hard at all, it was only soft to the point that I could feel her brushing over my skin, like a light feather moving excruciatingly slow, feeling the need to announce its presence at every spot it touched.

She pinned that button, then moved lower.

To my chest. Slowly, she ran her fingers over my pectorals. It was slow, very slow, but yet each moment seemed to be going too fast.

As her hands lowered down to my stomach, her head came closer to my shoulders. Her hot breaths started grazing against my skin.

It wasn't anything new, so why did it feel so different?

I could feel my blood rushing to my head with each breath she took.

The shirt was long.

The last button was too low.

Now, her chest was pressing against my back and her neck completely rested on my shoulder. Still as excruciating slow, she started dragging her hands over my waist.

It was deliberate. Unlike before, she had no reason to touch the sides of my waist and move closer, but she did anyway and I didn't stop her anyway.

Slowly, from my muscles to my bones, her hand moved closer to the front of my pelvis.

Like a soft winter breeze from her hands, and like a heated tempest from her lips, a strange storm was being unleashed on me. And I didn't mind it much.

At long last, she clasped the buttons in her hands and closed them.

I felt like my cheeks would burn up, but I didn't take any objections. It was a nice, likable heat rising from my heart.

Maria then stepped back and picked up the pants kept there as well.

I immediately turned around and looked at her.

Her chest swole and shrunk repeatedly. Her neat hair which usually seemed like the cleanest of paintings was a slight mess.

Her heated breathing was hotter than ever.

I ran my hand through my hair and took the pants from her hands.

"I'll do it..." I said. "The food's getting cold."

Maria let out a few more breaths as she nodded softly. I ignored her and put on the pants over the towel before moving to the bed.

"Let's eat," I said.

"I'll... eat later... young master."

Ah, my chance for revenge was already here.

I dragged her hands and pulled her close to the bed.

"Why?" I said.

"I can't eat with you—"

Before she could say anything, I pulled her down and sat her on my lap. Maria seemed slightly surprised but didn't take objections. I could lightly feel a weight pressing down on my thighs through the two thick layers of cloth, but didn't say anything.

"Eat with me," I said, firmly.

Maria gave me a weak nod.

I scooped up some of the pasta placed on the plates in front of me and dragged it toward Maria's mouth. Before she could open them, I wrapped my other hand over her back, as she had done not long ago, and wiped her lips with my thumb. My touch was just as slow and light as hers.

I wanted revenge, sure.

But I enjoyed this too.

I traced my fingers down her lips to her chin, and then her neck, grazing it lightly before moving away and letting her eat.

That night, the cold food felt oddly hot.