“…”

“…”

The moment Lonis confessed, the room’s temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

Even with her eyes closed, Lonis could feel Elucia glaring furiously at her. That expression seemed to say, “You try-hard masochist maid. You really are a complete and utter good-for-nothing.”

But Lonis never expected…

Elucia would pick her up and toss her onto the bed like a piece of cargo!

“Uwah!”

The bed wasn’t hard, but being tossed aside like a piece of trash still left Lonis feeling as if her body had come apart.

“Just for now, lie down and rest.”

“Mmm…”

“From now on, don’t make a sound, don’t complain that you’re in pain, and don’t get in the way of my work!”

…

Lonis opened her eyes and saw Elucia storm off to work, looking furious.

She took a pile of papers out of her storage ring and put them in the bathroom.

Then she took out some sealed cans and a few blue stones and put them in the refrigerator.

Finally, she pulled out a toolbox and started banging away at things throughout the ship… It looked like a tedious job, and lying in bed watching Elucia work made Lonis feel a little bad.

(I really am so useless…)

Lonis looked down at herself. Her legs, wrapped in white stockings, were the sort you could admire all year long—but she really was all looks and no use. She couldn’t even do a maid’s job properly.

Elucia, on the other hand, was reliable when it came to things like this, even though she was always picking on Lonis. After about an hour of work, she’d finished inspecting the entire ship.

The magitech engine seemed ready to start, but dusk had already fallen, and even the inside of the factory had grown dim. Elucia didn’t plan to leave just yet. She walked over to the bed and said sternly:

“Lonis?”

“Y-yes!”

Lonis jolted upright, hurriedly propping herself up and sitting up straight.

“Cut two portions of beef into small pieces, then simmer them over low heat for half an hour.”

“Okay…”

“The stove is in the living room. If you don’t know what to do, read the instructions.”

“G-got it.”

Lonis hurried into the living room at a trot… She was still a little tired, but after resting for a while, she felt well enough to cook the beef.

“Huh… The meat’s already laid out?”

Lonis looked at the stove and saw two pieces of beef and a short sword on it. Beside them lay a cooking manual.

(I-I’m not a kid. Surely I can cook something without any trouble, right?)

That was what she told herself, but the silver-haired girl had already learned her lesson. She obediently opened the manual and read it carefully…

Just like the manuals she remembered from her previous life, it explained how to cook all sorts of dishes.

What surprised Lonis was that it also explained how to use “fire crystals.” They were a lot like the gas she remembered, only more stable, with no risk of gas leaks or anything like that.

(That’s right, I remember Elucia mentioning ice crystals to the village chief… Could crystals of different types be the main source of energy in this world?)

Lonis tilted her head. She was curious, but still followed the steps in the book and cooked the beef one by one.

Steam rose from the pot as tender beef bobbed and rolled in the boiling water.

A rich aroma wafted toward her. She hadn’t had time to eat lunch, and her stomach was growling. She wanted to gobble down the beef right in front of her.

There’s so much of it. Surely sneaking one piece wouldn’t hurt, right?

Looking at the beef, the silver-haired girl couldn’t help thinking so. Maybe when it was time to eat, Elucia would pick on her again and make her stand off to the side like a lowly maid, watching while Elucia ate.

And once Elucia had finished, Lonis would be left with nothing but a little beef broth to drink.

No—if Elucia wanted to pick on her, she might not even let Lonis have the broth.

…

『What? You’re a useless maid who can’t even clean a room, and you still think you deserve soup?』

『I-I thought there was still a little left…』

『Hmph. Dream on. I’d rather pour it out than let you have any! You’re useless, and you won’t starve to death, so go hungry~』

『Waaah!』

…

If things really came to that, she’d be absolutely miserable!

She might as well sneak a bite now. Elucia was lying down in the bedroom, so she probably wouldn’t notice.

Once the devilish idea entered her head, Lonis found it hard to resist. She wanted to reach for a pair of chopsticks and fish out a piece of beef.

But…

There were no chopsticks.

There wasn’t a single utensil in the kitchen, just a pot and a stove. If Lonis wanted to eat the beef, she’d have to stick the short sword into the soup and spear a piece.

That would be a lot harder, though. She’d cut the beef into such small pieces that they’d be almost impossible to spear.

Reaching in with her bare hand was out of the question, too. The soup was so hot it would burn her fingers.

So…

(Forget it. I shouldn’t try anything fancy.)

Lonis sighed. She had a feeling that if she tried anything else, something strange would happen. So the silver-haired girl obediently followed the manual’s instructions, waited one minute after turning off the stove, then picked up the pot of beef soup.

“M-Mistress Elucia, the beef soup is ready.”

Lonis walked very carefully, afraid she might slip if she wasn’t careful…

But there was no answer.

“M-Mistress? (Did she close the door? Maybe she can’t hear me?)”

Lonis set the beef soup on the dining table, then headed for the bedroom.

…

But Lonis never expected…

Elucia had fallen asleep.

The black-haired girl lay on the bed, her long legs and graceful figure at rest, her eyes gently closed.

She hadn’t even pulled a blanket over herself. With each breath, her very full chest rose and fell—white and round. Part of her scar was hidden beneath her clothes, but even the part that showed looked so beautiful.

Elucia’s thighs were fairly strong, but her calves looked slender, and her feet were small. Even after taking off her high heels, she still held herself with confidence, looking quite alluring.

…

This was the first time Lonis had seen Elucia asleep in her adult form, and she couldn’t help staring in a daze.

With Elucia fast asleep and her eyes closed, all the sharpness she usually carried was gone. The black-haired girl seemed much more gentle now.

“Young lady” would have suited her, but compared to that, didn’t she look more like a dignified, regal princess?

(Wait, Elucia is a princess already, isn’t she? A silver-haired one…)

Once Lonis realized that, her heart began thumping wildly.

Some instinct inside her urged her to do something to the black-haired girl… like stroke the back of her hand or her black stockings.

But reason told Lonis that doing that would spell disaster!

Elucia was already in a bad mood. If Lonis did anything else…

Lonis hesitated… but an opportunity like this would only last for a moment.

Perhaps sensing Lonis’s presence, Elucia slowly woke up on the bed:

“Mmm, that smells good… Is the beef soup ready?”

“I-It’s ready.”

“Good. Go ahead and have some.”

Elucia opened her eyes, her gaze bright.