#015 Brown-noser
“Miss, please have your meal.”
“···.”
Since last night, Ruby had been like this.
Even though Sunday afternoon had already passed, she remained in this state.
After clarifying that the rumor about my engagement to Amethyst was false, she refused to get up, cocooned in her blanket from head to toe.
Ruby’s ‘cocooning in a blanket’ mode.
Perhaps it was her characteristic rebellion since childhood, expressing her displeasure as actively as possible.
I might scold her, but honestly, it’s too cute how she’s wrapped up in the blanket.
“It’s finally the weekend; you should move a bit.”
“···.”
“I’ll lift you up. Get up, Miss.”
In response to my repeated request, Ruby reluctantly pulled her chubby face out from under the blanket.
This was the second stage, the ‘don’t want to do anything’ mode, characterized by Ruby’s behavior becoming remarkably passive.
During this time, she showed a dependence on me that made her seem like a real baby.
“There. Give me your hand.”
When she didn’t feel like getting up, I used to grab her arm and lift her up like this.
Trying to lift her arm as usual, Ruby’s hand unexpectedly moved and grasped my hand like a tiny vice.
“Um, Miss?”
“I want to stay like this more.”
“!?”
Then, she pushed me over, causing me to fall into the blanket, and buried her face in my pristine apron.
Placing her face near my belly button, she breathed out gently, like a baby.
Surprised by Ruby’s sudden actions, her subtle breath kept tickling my abdomen.
The warm breath, penetrating through the clothes, stimulated my belly button, creating an itchy sensation.
“Ugh…”
Whether she knew about my situation or not, Ruby was sleeping soundly, breathing softly.
Was it about a minute like that?
Ruby lifted her face from the apron, looked at my expression, and said, “What’s wrong, Amber? Can’t you sleep?”
“How can I sleep in this state?”
“I’m comfortable.”
Looking at Ruby, who was burying her face in the apron with such ease, I couldn’t make any special gestures and just awkwardly lay there.
With both hands gently restrained by her, I couldn’t rebel and continued to lie there, only listening to Ruby’s breathing.
The brunch I had prepared was getting cold, and the clock ticked in silence.
“…Miss, what does this behavior mean?”
“I’m recharging.”
“Recharging…?”
From Noble mtl dot com
Ruby’s face, which was located around my belly button, slowly rose up.
“I’ve been exhausted because of Amber lately. So I’m trying to recharge a bit.”
I explained firmly why that was impossible.
“I can handle electrical magic, but there’s no magic to recharge a person, Miss.”
“…”
For a moment, Ruby made a slightly scary expression and closed her mouth.
It seemed like she had no intention of sending me out of the bed obediently.
Even though the meal was getting cold, she held my hand tightly and buried her face in my chest, without any intention of moving.
“…She’s really grown, hasn’t she?”
Now she was taller than me, with much longer hair.
Her fingers had become much thinner and delicate compared to when she was 13.
It felt like just the other day when she went to a concert and played the piano with these hands, but she had already matured this much.
To say that she had matured doesn’t mean that she has become an adult.
She said that she had grown up as someone who could be honest about her emotions, expressing likes and dislikes properly.
‘Just being next to someone like me could change like this…’
In the original Ruby Sarca, there was no one to accept her childhood flattery or correct her actions.
Born under parents who found the child bothersome, she was sent to a separate building and raised by the maids as soon as she stopped breastfeeding.
There were no memories of her childhood with her parents.
There were just numerous maids who considered her as ‘work.’
Compared to when she first met her, she seemed like a completely different person now.
Anyone who knows the current Ruby would realize that she is not the villainess she seemed to be.
Ruby slowly released the grip of her hands on mine and spoke.
“…Amber is too kind.”
Even Dia and Ruby have said that I am kind.
“That can’t be true. I’m such a materialistic person.”
Being a maid to Ruby now and watching over her to prevent her from becoming a villainess are all for my own sake.
Just acts to survive in this place.
It was supposed to have no meaning beyond that…
“It’s okay. Including Amber’s aspect, everything is good.”
“If you say so, Miss, there’s nothing more to say.”
Ruby, burying her face in my apron, said with a slight smile.
“And, it also smells nice.”
“Yes…!?”
As I thought about it, there had never been a time when I allowed someone to come this close to me.
Realizing that my recent actions were like an implicit consent for her to catch my scent, my face turned bright red.
“Now, stop… I mean, I don’t have any fragrance like that!”
I tried to quickly wriggle my hand out of Ruby’s grasp, but it didn’t go so well.
“That’s strange. If you don’t like it, you can push me away harder, you know?”
“But then, you’ll get hurt.”
Upon hearing my words, Ruby’s face filled with concern.
“That’s the problem with Amber. She naturally considers others’ feelings.”
“Well, it’s because it’s you, Ruby…”
“Would you be able to refuse if someone else did the same thing?”
“Well, of course…”
I was about to say that, but I stopped myself.
As I thought about it, even if Diana Amethyst had done this, I couldn’t be sure that I would have firmly rejected her.
“…Even if you think about it, it’s difficult, right?”
“… “
Unable to answer, I averted my gaze, and Ruby let out a deep sigh.
“Amber, if you’re going to worry about me any further…”
At that moment, a white tuft of fur flew over Ruby’s head.
“Meow.”
It was Milk, the cat that had secretly snuck into Ruby’s travel bag a few days ago.
Nonchalantly stretching above my owner’s head, I groomed my fur.
“If you do that to the lady, I won’t forgive you, Milk!”
I quickly put the cat down from Ruby’s head and spoke.
“Meow.”
Milk nestled in my arms and affectionately licked my cheek, as if expressing joy.
After spending several years together, it seemed that Milk had also opened up to me.
Ruby, who had tidied up her messy hair because of the cat, stood up and glared at Milk, quietly murmuring “Mew” in annoyance.
“If I had known you would become a rival, I would have brought a male instead of a female.”
“What?”
“…Never mind. Let’s take a bath. Please get some water.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare it right away!”
Milk purred as my hand touched him, seemingly enjoying the sensation.
***
The dorm room had a relatively luxurious bathtub.
It was understandable that such extravagant facilities existed, considering that the entrance fee alone was twice as high as other academies.
It was estimated to be so expensive because all the royalty and famous nobles were gathered here.
Ruby slowly filled the bathtub with water at a temperature that was comfortable for soaking.
When she added her favorite bath essence to enhance the fragrance, the aroma filled the bathtub, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
Preparing the bathwater was an important part of a maid’s duties, and when I first started learning, I often made boiling hot hellish baths due to my inexperienced temperature control.
Every time that happened, I received a severe scolding from the head maid, Merilda, to the point where blood almost came out of my ears. But eventually, I was able to find the right temperature.
“Do you intend to memorize the young lady and kill her?” she yelled, her figure scolding me still vivid in my eyes.
Before I knew it, the large bathtub had been filled to some extent. Stopping the water flow, I got up from my spot and called Ruby.
“Miss, the preparations are complete!”
Now, I just had to wait outside while she finished bathing, ready with clothes to change into and a towel to dry her body.
As I headed towards the dressing room, Ruby in her usual light attire was standing there as always.
“I’ll leave the clothes and towel here for you to change.”
Watching quietly as I brought the clothes and towel, Ruby asked,
“Is it only mine?”
“Huh?”
As I, bewildered, asked again, Ruby replied as if it were obvious.
“Bring your clothes and towel too, Amber.”
“Why mine?”
“I told you to bathe.”
Unable to fully comprehend her words, I asked with an uneasy expression.
“Could it be that when you say bathe, you mean me too?”
“Yeah. Hurry up and bring them.”
“Wait, why all of a sudden, such a thing…”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it. We used to bathe together when we were kids, didn’t we?”
That was when we were 13.
Now, four years later, having grown as our bodies did, the thought of entering the bath together was something I had never even imagined.
‘Is this okay?’
Unable to help it, I headed to the dressing room, carefully grabbing my clothes and towel. There, Ruby, already in her underwear, was tidying up the clothes I had taken off.
Ruby, now 17 years old, had a body beyond imagination.
A slender waist, a broad pelvis, and above all, a substantial size covered by black underwear…
“Amber, what are you doing?”
“Uh…?”
Ruby, who was about to unhook her bra, looked at me and said.
“I need to take it off.”