Chapter 87

“Everyone? We’ve arrived in Borussia!”

“……”

Anyway, we arrived at the capital.

It’s been a few years since I was last here, but it’s still an impressive city no matter when you see it.

The atmosphere had been extremely awkward since the day after what happened with Kyle, but we finally arrived.

“Hmm… Young Master? Is it okay if we handle the luggage on our side? We won’t tamper with it or anything, but we are the imperial family after all.”

“Of course. As Your Highness wishes.”

“Alright.”

The Imperial Princess smiled at Kyle as she answered.

That smile seemed to shine even more brightly, as if creating a synergy effect with the capital’s characteristic warm temperature.

“…”

But does she really need to smile at Kyle like that…?

No, it’s not a strange thought, but isn’t she smiling too brightly?

If someone else saw this, they might think that the Imperial Princess and Kyle are the couple, not me.

Ah, she would look better with Kyle than me anyway, so that’s how it would appear…

“Well, let’s get off quickly? We’ll be saying goodbye to this tiresome carriage for a while.”

The carriage door opened, and the Imperial Princess, Kyle, and I got off in that order.

Naturally, as we exited the carriage, we were greeted by dozens of servants and maids.

Yes, that’s to be expected.

The Imperial Princess was returning after almost a month, after all.

“…”

“Sofia?”

“Hah!?”

While I was looking around, Kyle suddenly whispered in my ear.

Thanks to that, I was fucking startled.

“What…?”

“Are you okay?”

“Um… no.”

To be honest, I wasn’t okay at all.

Regardless of Kyle, this situation itself didn’t suit me.

“It’s overwhelming…”

Yes, it’s fucking overwhelming.

I could manage Eristirol because I had lived there for years.

But… not here.

The center of the Dextrin Empire and the center of the entire world.

The center of a super powerful country like those in romance fantasy novels.

And this place is the very center of the center of the empire.

The Imperial Palace.

Sometimes called the Dextrin Imperial Palace, sometimes the Borussia Imperial Palace.

When you think about a mere commoner visiting such a place as a guest…

“Let’s go in quickly…”

This whole situation was just too overwhelming for me.

Even though these people weren’t welcoming me specifically, it’s fucking overwhelming to have dozens of people bowing their heads.

“Alright.”

Kyle subtly took my hand again.

But I didn’t shake it off.

In an overwhelming situation like this, it was something that helped calm me down.

“…”

So we entered the Imperial Palace.

It was fucking, fucking overwhelming.

It made me feel sick, like morning sickness.

Of course, I’ve never even had sex, let alone been pregnant.

Since we were guests this time, we followed the Imperial Princess’s guidance.

I’m sorry to the Imperial Princess who was showing us around the palace, but… the attention from everyone around was too much.

I also didn’t like how some people were whispering while looking in our direction.

They probably weren’t talking about me, but even if they were talking about Kyle, I didn’t like it.

“Sofia? What would you like to do?”

“Yes?”

When I came to my senses, the Imperial Princess was asking me something.

And we were standing in a corridor.

“Would you like to share a room with the Young Master? Or separate rooms?”

“Ah.”

So that’s what she meant.

Then behind the door beside us must be a bedroom.

“We’ll share a room.”

“… Really?”

“Yes.”

I was already used to it after sharing several times.

There had been some incidents, but there were no real problems.

As long as Kyle was okay with it.

“Then please use this room, Young Master and Sofia.”

“Yes.”

So despite some confusion, thankfully we could rest.

When we entered the room, it was very quiet.

There was a gramophone, but it wasn’t turned on.

“Haah…”

I lay down on the bed without even changing my clothes.

I don’t know if there’s a schedule later or not, but I was too tired.

“Haah…”

Maybe because I suddenly received so much attention, I felt like I was getting a headache.

“Sofia, are you okay?”

“Ah…”

As I lay on the bed, Kyle started to worry about me.

He might feel that way since I lay down on the bed as soon as he closed the door.

“I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

I answered Kyle while lying on the bed.

With my face buried in the pillow.

Kyle quietly sat next to me as I lay there.

He was so big that I could hear the sound of him sitting down, but he sat quietly out of consideration for me.

“Sofia.”

“What?”

“If you’re struggling, should we cancel the schedule?”

It seemed like he was using formal speech again after a long time.

Yes, I did ask him to use informal speech, but this formal way of speaking was what I was used to from Kyle.

“No. It’s fine.”

I could endure it.

Despite appearances, I’m older than Kyle.

If I can’t handle this much, I would lose my dignity as an older person.

Though I think that’s already gone.

“Ah… But if it’s not about the dress, I’ll just rest in the room.”

There was no need to cancel all schedules.

Including the ball.

I’ll do what we’ve agreed to do, but if the Imperial Princess calls for something else… I think it would be better to just rest.

“Is that okay?”

I lifted my face slightly from the pillow and looked at Kyle as I spoke.

No matter how tired I was, it would be impolite to make such a request without looking at his face.

Not because of the noble-commoner distinction, but just between people.

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

By the way, formal speech was definitely better.

It’s also familiar because I’ve heard it since he was young, and it gives a kind feeling.

Is it because I’m not used to Kyle speaking informally to me?

It was a bit scary at times.

Especially when he suddenly did that the other night, it was really scary.

That appearance of him coming at me like he was going to push me down…

Shiver…

“Kyle, would you go back to using formal speech normally?”

“?”

Kyle looked puzzled.

I had asked him to use informal speech not long ago, but I couldn’t help it.

“It just feels more comfortable that way.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes…”

It gave a calm and gentle feeling.

“Kyle.”

“Yes.”

Was it because we’d been in the carriage for so long, or because this bed was too comfortable?

I started to feel drowsy.

No, I felt like I might just fall asleep like this…

“Tomorrow… want to go on a date?”

I wasn’t saying it with any big meaning.

I wanted to walk around the capital rather than stay in this palace quietly.

It was obvious that people’s attention would be focused on us if we stayed in this palace.

It would be better to have less attention.

“Without the Imperial Princess… let’s just walk around together.”

By now I was lying facing the ceiling with my eyes closed as I spoke.

The comfort was incomparable to the inn beds we had been using until now.

I was a bit sleepy, but I continued speaking.

“We haven’t really walked around together lately, right? We’ve been with the Imperial Princess in the carriage every day…”

For a little over a week, we kept spending time in the carriage with the Imperial Princess.

Of course, we were alone in our accommodation, but that was just a place to sleep.

“Like when we came to the capital before and walked around together… just…”

My eyelids were getting heavier.

I tried to continue speaking, resisting the sleep that was coming as my eyelids naturally descended with their weight.

“Together…”

*

“…?”

When I opened my eyes, both the room and outside were dark.

Next to me, I could see Kyle sleeping, visible in the moonlight.

“I just fell asleep.”

I don’t know exactly what happened, but that must be it.

I was sleepy even while talking, so I naturally fell asleep.

Well, that seemed likely.

I couldn’t remember if I finished what I was saying though.

“Yaaawn…”

When we first entered the palace, it was a little past noon.

And the time hadn’t passed much when we entered the room after the Imperial Princess’s guidance.

But now the time seemed to be past 12 o’clock, already the next day.

“I slept a lot…”

I must have slept at least 10 hours.

“Phew…”

I couldn’t go back to sleep right now.

I wasn’t sleepy.

I’d probably stay awake easily for about 2 hours even if I just lay here.

“What should I do?”

It was too late to go outside.

It would obviously be a problem if I went out and ran into someone.

So what should I do?

“Hmm…”

“Zz… zz….”

By the way, why was Kyle sleeping like that?

He was sleeping at the very edge of the bed.

Why uncomfortably at the edge…

“Ah.”

It’s because of me.

Because I was lying alone in the center… that’s why he was like that.

“Oh no…”

If I had known, I would have lain more to the side.

Although the bed was meant for two people, it wasn’t extremely wide, which is why this happened.

And I wasn’t even lying straight, but diagonally, taking up more space…

“It’s just my fault.”

I tried hard to pull Kyle toward me so he wouldn’t fall off.

Fortunately, he didn’t wake up at all despite my efforts to pull him.

It would be a shame if I accidentally woke him up.

“Phew!”

So I properly laid Kyle next to me.

Finally, the double bed was being properly used by two people.

By the way, why is his body so firm?

Is it because I’ve gotten too used to this soft female body after living as a woman for over 20 years?

When I touched Kyle’s body, I thought it was extremely firm.

Of course, not all men would be like this.

“Hmm…”

I touched Kyle’s body little by little with my hand.

I just thought his muscles were extremely firm.

It was just curiosity, nothing more.

Just touching his arm felt this firm…

I wonder what his abs, latissimus dorsi, and deltoids would be like.

Gulp…

Am I… going a bit crazy?

No, no.

This is just me being amazed by a good physique, that’s all.

Anyone would want to touch an incredibly good body when they see one…

So that’s all it is.

“Just for a moment…”

Since Kyle doesn’t wake up easily anyway…

It’ll be fine.

Surely…