Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 89: Each Ones Deepening Night

“Burp-. Ups...I think I ate too much...”

I had conquered the mountain that piled on my plate.

Thankfully, I was able to empty my plate by sharing with Rendler, who for some reason seemed to be pitying me.

Of course, this had been a joyful ordeal since the food tasted amazing.

We also had a heartwarming time befitting the banquet.

[Thank you all for enjoying the meal.]

“How could we not enjoy it? I bet that You’re the only woman in the continent capable of cooking such a feast, Your Grace.”

[Ariel...If it’s alright with you, could you address me more casually? I would also prefer if you called me Erenscia.]

At Lumia’s words, Ariel stared at me.

No doubt she must be remembering our time at the Academy.

Flashing our bookworm with a kind smile, I nodded my head.

After all, it wouldn’t make sense for Ariel, my dear friend, to address her formally as a Duchess when I was already on casual terms with Lumia, or Erenscia.

I had no desire to be an uncomfortable link, and for me, who wasn’t bound by status and class, it was more comfortable in many ways if the members of my Culinary Journey shared a warm and relaxed friendship rather than the strict formalities of noble society.

Of course, we still didn’t know if Lumia would join us on our national tour.

Since there was a great change our paths would divide once we reached the Grand Duchy.

“Okay then! Erenscia!”

Anyway,

Ariel responded to Lumia’s request with a bright smile.

[Moreover, if Dame Rachel and Butler Rendler are comfortable with it, you can also address me casually as well. I don’t wish to receive special treatment from those I consider benefactors.]

“Ho ho ho. This might be the most difficult request in my entire career as a butler, but since it’s the Duchess’s wish, I’ll try my best.”

Rendler answered with a hearty laugh.

“...Your Grace, I’m not your benefactor...I merely followed My Lord’s orders.”

However, Rachel expressed her refusal with a stoic face.

Well, that was somewhat expected, given the absurd difference in status.

In a strictly hierarchical society, it’s almost miraculous for a duchess and a commoner to interact casually.

Though slightly disappointing, I thought time would resolve this.

I knew that despite her outwardly cold demeanor, she was warm-hearted inside.

“That was delicious, Erenscia.”

And so, the luxurious dinner came to an end, and after cleaning up together, everyone was spending the night in their own way.

As for me.

Splash!

Once again, I threw myself into the hot spring to enjoy a bath.

A hot spring I might not encounter again for who knows how long.

This late-night soak would be the last, as we planned to depart for the Grand Duchy right after breakfast tomorrow.

Moreover, hot springs are said to aid digestion, so it was killing two birds with one stone for me, whose stomach was bloated from overeating.

And the fantastical Night Sky only possible inside a fantasy world was not just beautiful but awe-inspiring.

Indeed, this place was truly a paradise.

As I was enjoying the heat of that splendid night with my whole body, I heard footsteps behind me.

I had asked towards the end of dinner if anyone planned to use the hot spring.

I asked intending to yield if someone wanted to, but no one had said they would.

Therefore.

I honed a proper sense of tension while warming up the mana in my core.

It never hurts to be careful.

Of course, my tension proved unnecessary, as the owner of the footsteps was a familiar face.

No.

More than familiar, someone I could vividly picture even with my eyes closed.

“Ariel...?”

Our resident bookworm approached with timid steps, as a single towel covered her naked body.

The same person who for six months had never shown any skin other than her neck, face, and hands.

The same person who was always conservative and shy about relationships with the opposite sex or sexual concepts appeared with just a towel covering her body.

And for the first time, I saw Ariel’s slender arms and smooth legs.

They had a snow-white radiance basking in the moonlight.

Her bright red face contrasted starkly with that fair glow, making it stand out even more.

Hesitating and fidgeting, Ariel approached step by step and called out to me with a shy face.

“Um...Elden...?”

“Y-Yes?”

“If it’s okay... maybe, um... c-can I join you...?”

Sadly for me, Ariel’s appearance must have cast a large debuff on my mental capacities, as I agreed to her words without much thought.

It was an unexpected situation, but there was no reason to refuse the request of someone as precious as Ariel.

“W-Well. I don’t mind...”

“Thank you. Then...”

Ariel carefully dipped her toes into the hot spring.

Then, I remembered a single, but crucial detail.

“Oh.”

Oh no.

Since no one said they’d use the hot spring......I...Kind of...Decided to go naked?

Fuck.

**

Slip-.

Ariel melted into the water, sitting opposite Elden as she stared down at the rippling surface.

Towards the end of dinner, Elden had asked if anyone was going to use the hot spring, as she along with the others all saying ‘no’.

But,

《Well, if no one else will use it, I’ll go one more time》

Her ears perked at his words.

Of course, she didn’t show it.

But as soon as the dinner cleanup was over, Ariel entered her room and grabbed a towel.

Originally, she should have been sitting at her desk writing Elden’s biography, but with the war against Rachel having just started, she couldn’t carelessly let an opportunity to get closer to Elden slip by.

Fortunately(?), her rival hadn’t shown any particular movement since entering her room.

Rustle-.

Rustle rustle-.

Clutching a single cotton towel to her chest, Ariel quickly arrived at the empty room next to the hot spring.

However, while she was stripping off her clothes, Ariel froze.

After all, it was ironic that she, someone who always thought that mixed bathing between opposite sexes was only possible for a married couple, was now casually undressing to join a man on a hot spring.

...I must be crazy.

She had lived her entire life without interaction with the opposite sex.

She had no interest, no curiosity about men, so why was she now acting so impulsively as to break even her own beliefs?

Whether it was bravery born of ignorance or recklessness, what was clear was that she, who had been too embarrassed to show even a bit of skin, was now determined enough to reveal herself.

The desire to obtain what she wanted was sprouting and spreading its stems.

Therefore.

Whoosh!

Ariel boldly stripped off her clothes and wrapped her body with the cotton towel.

She trembled with nervousness.

Her collarbones and thighs were exposed.

Though she thought her figure paled in comparison to Rachel’s, the realization that she had revealed sensitive parts of her body hit her, and she felt insanely embarrassed.

So much so that she wanted to put her clothes back on, return to her room, hide under the covers, and slap her past self.

“Haaaa.”

Ariel took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself.

She couldn’t break the growing stem now.

As it grows and grows, it will bear fruit at its end.

With this resolve, Ariel opened the back door and stepped out, arriving at the hot spring with wobbly steps, and sat opposite Elden.

She remembered what Elden once said,

That starting something was already half of the battle.

Getting here had been difficult, and she hadn’t achieved much yet, but as Elden said, she felt like she had taken a big step toward her goal.

A feeling that was good yet frightening, joyful yet horrifying.

It was a feeling she had never experienced before, and while she wanted to maintain this momentum to get closer to Elden, Ariel could only stare at the moon reflected on the water’s surface, unsure of what to do next.

What should I talk about...? Ah.

Ariel lost in thought, raised her head.

She was about to start the conversation about her writing as she always did, but...

Shudder.

A creepy sensation on her shoulder made her turn her head to the side.

Ribbit.

Ribbit.

She saw a frog sitting on her shoulder.

Its two bulging eyes, seemingly about to pop out, stared at her.

Its slippery digits wiggled on her shoulder.

Of all things, an amphibian frog, which Ariel extremely despised, had climbed onto her shoulder, and a moment later...

“Kyaaah—!!”

A scream echoed throughout the hot spring.

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**

Click.

Meanwhile, Rachel who had been observing Ariel’s movements through the cracks in her door, left her room.

After surveying the surroundings, she carefully opened Ariel’s door and entered.

This was her strategy to compensate for the shortcomings she felt during their first battle.

Then,

“...Is this it?”

Rachel’s eyes fell upon the scenario of Elden’s biography that Ariel had been writing.

Including detailed information about her beloved disciple, all meticulously organized.

“...”

Just like that, the night deepened for the two warriors.

Each in their own way.