Episode 35
Since Hildebrandt gave his doppelganger, Hill, to Yvonne, she had to take it and return to her room.
“Sir Francis!”
“Yes.”
But as long as he continued to press her with his large body, Yvonne had to ask Francis for help.
Francis immediately hugged the wolf and pulled it away at her request. However, unlike when the wolf was being affectionate with Yvonne, it seemed displeased when Francis held it, as it bit his hand as if to express its discomfort. Feeling insignificant compared to the pressure he felt on his glove, Francis was trying hard to maintain a polite demeanor.
He knew this wolf was the Emperor’s doppelganger. Although Yvonne seemed unaware as she hadn’t awakened yet, from the perspective of someone awakened, it was clear that this was a creature created by magic, and it carried the Emperor’s scent so strongly.
“Hill, don’t bite.”
“Whine…”
As Francis let go of the wolf’s bitten hand, he also released the wolf. Then, unlike before, the wolf circled around Yvonne and nuzzled her head.
It was just as she was about to return to her palace.
Shoosh!
A sudden downpour began.
“Oh my.”
Yvonne suddenly remembered that Hildebrandt despised getting wet in the rain.
“Sir Francis.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Daddy doesn’t like getting wet in the rain. Hurry and… Oh, never mind.”
Come to think of it, he was always accompanied by his attendants. Even if Francis were sent to help, it wouldn’t make much of a difference. His attendants, who had already become disheartened by the rain, would have used their abilities to create a canopy to keep him from getting wet.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes.”
“It’s going to rain harder.”
“Yes.”
Following his words, Yvonne continued to stand in the rain, suddenly realizing that despite being early summer, the temperature was quite cold.
“Sir Francis.”
“Yes.”
“I think you should go back to Daddy, he doesn’t like getting wet in the rain.”
“Even if I go, it won’t change anything.”
“Still, please go. He shouldn’t feel bad after getting wet in the rain.”
Somehow, Francis felt like Yvonne didn’t know much about Hildebrandt. Was it a side effect of memory manipulation, or was it because she was under hypnosis?
“I’ll go back to my room, then.”
“…Alright.”
Following her command, Francis headed towards Hildebrandt. When Francis arrived at the main palace where Hildebrandt was, already there were abilities creating a transparent barrier above him, preventing the rain from falling on him.
“What’s the matter?”
Hildebrandt looked at the approaching Francis with a puzzled expression.
“Your Majesty…”
“….”
“Her Highness sent me because she was worried.”
“What is there to worry about?”
“It’s raining. Her Highness knows you don’t like rain.”
Despite it being an order he received, Francis felt somewhat embarrassed. He was sent here just for such a trivial matter.
“Huh.”
Contrary to her intentions, Hildebrandt grimaced unpleasantly and said, “Who cares if it rains. Ridiculous.”
With that, he went straight into the palace.
* * *
Returning to her room, Yvonne felt like the wolf was Hildebrandt because of the strong scent of roses. So, she smiled nervously while pretending not to be tense, despite feeling tense as she watched it.
She had doubted it before, but she still thought it was likely a humanoid or an esper being manipulated by someone else. However, she couldn’t be sure because she hadn’t directly seen a transformation.
“Hill.”
When she called, Hill stood in front of her and wagged its tail.
“Shall we take a bath together?”
“Whine…”
As if understanding her words, the wolf began to step back.
“Evony.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Evony then opened her abilities and grabbed the wolf firmly with a calm face. Evony also vaguely knew. As an awakened ability user herself, she knew that the wolf being restrained was Hildebrandt’s doppelganger.
But even if that were the case, it was clear that if it weren’t revealed in front of Yvonne, it shouldn’t be hinted at.
“Whine!”
“Your Highness, this wolf seems to be overly dramatic.”
“Yes. Keep it quiet while I undress. Shall we take it to the bath together?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Whine!”
Evony probably received orders from Yvonne anyway, so she had nothing to fear anymore.
She grabbed the wolf by the scruff of its neck and dragged it into the bathroom first. The wolf resisted by scratching the carpet with its claws, but it was useless against Evony’s formidable strength.
As Evony roughly handled the wolf, the carpet on the floor became wrinkled and messy.
Yvonne somehow felt good seeing the wolf being handled roughly, as if it were Hildebrandt.
The odd eye of the wolf.
And the fur color similar to hair.
The same scent.
Yvonne felt like the wolf truly resembled Hildebrandt.
“I will undress you, Your Highness.”
“Mm.”
Yvonne accepted the familiar touch of the servants undressing her clothes. It felt like a weight was lifted off her when the wet dress fell off.
She disliked the corset the most. Therefore, upon seeing Yvonne’s condition, the servants quickly proceeded to untie and remove the corset.
Eventually, the corset was removed, leaving only the negligee.
* * *
“Ah…”
Francis hurriedly opened the door to check on the escort target, inadvertently startling himself. He had never escorted a lady before. As the captain of the imperial knights, he had only ever escorted the Emperor, and even when Hildebrandt seemed to be in a good mood, he always had a male companion.
So, for a moment, Francis overlooked the fact that Yvonne was a woman. Francis’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Yvonne, who was thinly dressed enough to reveal her inner thoughts. On the other hand, Yvonne casually remarked to Francis that her clothes weren’t that transparent from her position.
“Are you here to bathe together?”
“Ah, n-no… No, thank you….”
Francis, flustered, closed the door again. He was so flustered that he stumbled over his words, which amused Yvonne. She then removed her negligee as well, even as Francis stammered outside the door.
“What about Dad?”
Yvonne asked Francis through the door.
“He didn’t get rained on, so don’t worry.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Yvonne found it intriguing that Francis’s voice seemed to tremble like a goat’s.
“Francis.”
“Yes?”
“Go wash up and come back. You got caught in the rain too.”
“Yes….”
With that, she headed to the bathroom, leaving her wet clothes behind.
As she entered the bathroom, the wolf seemed to have become remarkably quiet, almost human-like. Yvonne, who was pleased with this change, chuckled and lay down on the bathroom chair. Then, the maids approached her, applying massage oil to her hands, legs, back, and neck.
“Ah….”
This was the most comfortable time of day for Yvonne. The tension in her muscles melted away under the maids’ hands. Evony, who had calmed the wolf, approached and began massaging Yvonne’s back, waist, and neck.
After the massage, Yvonne entered the bath. Soon after, Evony, who had prepared to tie her hair, gestured for the wolf to enter the bath with a glance. The wolf seemed to dislike the water, pawing at it a few times before looking back at Evony.
“It seemed messy to bring His Highness into the bath you were about to enter, so I bathed him first.”
“Mm, thank you.”
Yvonne replied casually as she leaned against the tub wall. Evony draped a towel-made band around her head and began shampooing her scalp as if massaging it.
“Ah… Evony, you’re truly the best.”
“I’m only the best because of Your Highness.”
As Evony replied, she glanced at the wolf once again. The wolf, fearing another scolding, entered the bath quietly, making splashing sounds as it did. When the wolf entered, the water that was lapping against her chest rose even higher, reaching her collarbone.
Thanks to the warmth of the water and Evony’s touch, Yvonne’s fatigue was slowly dissipating.
“Hill.”
When Yvonne raised her arm and beckoned, Evony glared at the wolf. The wolf approached her reluctantly, as if it had no choice. Its eyes were half-closed to avoid splashes, and Yvonne found its behavior amusing.
Yvonne thought that the esper who had been monitoring her seemed to have disconnected now. So, she embraced the wolf as it approached her. After struggling a bit, the wolf gave up resisting once it was in Yvonne’s arms.
“You’re really hot, aren’t you?”
“Whimper…”
For some reason, Yvonne felt that the wolf’s body temperature was hotter than the water in the bath. The wolf, as if aware of its weight, didn’t lean against her, but instead looked at Yvonne. When its sharp purple eyes met hers, the wolf instinctively licked Yvonne’s face.
“Good boy. Stay quiet.”
Impressed by the wolf’s sudden obedience, Yvonne remarked happily.
“You really resemble Dad.”
