Chapter 17 Ashley’s Memory — Part ⑧ — Secret Meeting, Part Two
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Sunlight filtered through the leaves by the window. The rustling of leaves and the ticking of a clock blended together, vibrating against Ashley’s eardrums.
Adventurers’ Guild negotiation room.
She had finished her shameful duty as the goddess’s errand runner and left the secure, sealed room behind. Following the sound, Ashley glanced at the clock; the hands were in the same position as when she entered the workshop.
Turning, she saw Yuuri on the bench, sleeping soundly. A gentle breeze tickled the bangs across Yuuri’s forehead.
”…Good work, Yuuri.”
As thanks for the strenuous labor she had forced upon him, Ashley kissed the head resting on the cushion. Even in a room that could halt time, being with the one she loved distracted her. However, being together under the open sky where she could feel the natural breeze felt more calming.
Ashley placed a hand on her lower abdomen, searching for the presence of the lower tattoo. Though it was hidden by her apron dress, the magic within her had undoubtedly settled in her lower belly in that blasphemous shape.
She rechecked her own condition. Her feelings for Yuuri remained unchanged. Knowing he possessed skills had removed the resignation she once felt. Becoming his familiar and gaining more skills had made her a little bolder, and she reflected on that. Yet, she didn’t feel a sense of confinement from her thoughts being limited by prioritizing Yuuri.
Her way of thinking wasn’t being twisted by skills… Ashley thought.
That was only true for her mind.
Conversely, her body had been drastically reshaped.
A body that forcibly became aroused by its master. A body restricted from resisting its master’s actions…
She had likely been reduced to a tool, functioning only within the scope of skill-based principles.
—Thinking that far, Ashley realized one fact.
”Perhaps I can’t give a lap pillow…?”
If she couldn’t move her master’s body, lifting his head onto her lap would be impossible.
Ashley tentatively placed her hand on Yuuri’s head. When she gently applied pressure, it lifted with surprising ease, catching her off guard.
”Is it only within the workshop?”
She wouldn’t know for sure without testing. But at least, it seemed unlikely anyone would notice anything strange if they saw them interacting.
Relieved that her service options hadn’t narrowed, Ashley supported Yuuri’s head and pulled out the cushion. She then slid her hips onto the bench, gently resting Yuuri’s head on her thighs.
”—Oh. …I can’t see Yuuri’s face.”
The curves she had been so proud of during her previous service now felt bothersome. This was supposed to be an intimate moment where she could gaze at his sleeping face. A colleague had bragged about it with great enthusiasm, so Ashley had built up her expectations, but the reality was completely different and confusing.
—Yet, if asked if she disliked it, the answer would be no.
First, she could touch Yuuri’s face. Long ago, she was taller, and she often ruffled Yuuri’s hair. Now, he had to bend down for her to do that.
Ashley enjoyed the feel of his short, neatly trimmed hair. Both she and Princess Marina, who took care of her, had long hair. The sensation of short hair was novel. It wasn’t as smooth as a cat’s, nor as coarse as a horse’s. It was somewhere in between—like a wolf or a bear…
”Fufu, that’s right, Yuuri was a beast.”
When her purity was suddenly taken. When he clung to her and she couldn’t move. The masochistic pleasure she felt then was actually quite pleasant, considering Yuuri was the predator.
Ashley wanted to continue stroking the fur of such a fierce beast for a while longer.
”If we stay like this too long, Roeni-san might barge in.”
The workshop’s ability to isolate time was useful, but it was inconvenient that others’ sense of urgency differed from hers. To Ms. Roeni, the person who said she would wake Yuuri had not returned for many minutes. Any further delay would surely raise suspicions of impropriety.
And Yuuri must not learn that the Familial Workshop was being used.
Ashley subtly checked her surroundings to avoid raising suspicion, then released the sleep hold. She continued stroking Yuuri’s hair while waiting.
”Uh… nnh…”
Once the effect that urged sleep was gone, Yuuri’s consciousness seemed to awaken quickly.
Would Yuuri be surprised to wake up to a lap pillow? Given his skills, Ashley predicted he had no experience like this with women. She wanted to tease him and make him flustered.
While concocting such plans, Ashley waited for Yuuri to wake up.
”Crap, what time is it?”
Yuuri finally seemed to wake up on her lap, blocked by her curves.
As Ashley smirked, anticipating his reaction—
Boing!
”Wah!”
”Ahn♡”
The impact from below sent her curves bouncing.
”Wh-what…!?”
A stinging, sweet shock spread from her chest throughout her body. Her warmth loosened, and the arousal she had managed to quell began to overflow again. Desperately pressing Yuuri’s face into her stomach, Ashley tried to hide her melting expression.
”Ah, Ashley-san…?”
She disliked his distant questioning. He had used her name so casually moments ago while enjoying himself, yet now he addressed her with respect as if they were strangers.
—Her aching curves would be best soothed by her master.
Ashley pressed the soft mass Yuuri loved against his face, crushing his impolite expression. She poured all her moist sighs and passion into the ear that escaped the pressure.
”When it’s just the two of us, it’s Ashley. Yuuri.”
—Yes. From now on, Ashley would only call Yuuri by his name.
As much as time and place allowed, she would not use honorifics for this person she loved.
Yuuri, struggling buried in her curves, dared to use an honorific even now, so Ashley threatened him with her flesh.
After that, he seemed preoccupied with the time limit for the room, completely unaware that the skill’s seal had been released.
—Ashley stood up to buy lunch.
She had to let Yuuri, who had been so patient, fill his stomach.
He told her where the shop was, and Ashley left the room. As she did, her master, who remained seated, gave a short command: “Please.” Did he understand the difference in their status?
If he commanded his familiar unconsciously, that would be a good sign.
Ashley planned for them to eat lunch together.
If no one else was around, Yuuri’s guard would likely drop.
Lunch with Yuuri after ten years.
Her heart swelled with anticipation as Ashley hurried to the shop downstairs.
………
……
…
* * *
For a while after that, Ashley returned to being the old Ashley.
Of course, except for the lower tattoo etched onto her lower belly.
The hardest part of hiding her status as a familiar in daily life was bathing.
As the princess’s maid, she had to soak in the bath every day to maintain cleanliness. It was a welcome perk for any woman, but this time it proved troublesome. Naturally, if she were to undress, her colleagues would see the lower tattoo. They couldn’t allow someone with a suspicious magical mark to be near the princess. Ashley had to hide it no matter what, making tearful efforts like applying purification before even reaching the changing room.
Aside from that hassle, she continued to serve as the liaison for shallow floor expeditions, coordinating with the guild, preparing for labyrinth dives, and helping colleagues when she had free time.
There had been no contact from the goddess since then. Ashley forced herself to believe it was because things had proceeded as planned.
Princess Marina, meanwhile, was busy catching up on the work that had piled up during her half-month absence.
Despite her busy schedule, she was in high spirits, likely because she was eagerly anticipating Yuuri guiding her through the labyrinth. Before Ashley became his familiar, even if the princess’s feelings for Yuuri were purely platonic, she might have felt jealous.
But now, they had a definite connection.
Conversely, her unusual calmness was met with suspicion, but Ashley was careful not to dig her own grave by claiming Yuuri’s secrets were still under investigation.
On the day of the upcoming labyrinth challenge, Ashley headed to the ‘Gate,’ the labyrinth entrance, along with the accompanying knights and Prince Arsh, who saw them off.
Following the route for nobles, she met Yuuri in the small room just before the ‘Gate.’
Naturally, as the princess’s maid, she couldn’t speak casually with the commoner Yuuri. Even when Princess Marina used her golden authority to make him prostrate himself with her usual tactics, Ashley had to stand by with a composed expression as part of that authority.
—However, the sequence of events felt slightly strange.
Princess Marina also couldn’t speak casually with a commoner. To an outsider, the interaction between royalty and a commoner appeared completely normal. But as Ashley observed Yuuri’s changing demeanor, he didn’t seem merely awestruck by royalty.
When the princess went to Yuuri’s home possessed by the goddess, she had said she hid her true identity.
He seemed to react even more dramatically upon realizing this. But that wasn’t all. Despite his apparent fear, Yuuri’s expression softened slightly.
—Something was going on. Something only the two of them shared, unknown to Ashley.
It was surely related to the goddess. Princess Marina had referred to them both as being “favored by the goddess.”
Her words carried strong conviction. Both possessed extraordinary skills that no one else had.
—If they were coincidentally assigned powerful skills and were favored for possessing them, it would logically fit.
However, that didn’t explain why a princess and a commoner could form a friendship.
It was permissible for Princess Marina to favor a commoner unilaterally. But for Yuuri to act friendly towards the princess herself would naturally be disrespectful. Now that Yuuri knew Marina was a princess for the first time, why did he still harbor friendly feelings towards her…
—Ashley’s envious.
She realized this wasn’t mere envy, but jealousy.
As a count’s daughter, she was kept at a distance. Why was Princess Marina accepted?
Ashley had debased herself to become a familiar, betraying Yuuri’s heart. After working so hard to get this close, she had effortlessly stolen the heart Ashley truly desired.
—Envious. Ashley wanted to know. She wanted it.
Her depths ached sharply.
She could feel the lower tattoo activating in her lower belly.
A chill ran down her spine. If her desire became too strong, the lower tattoo would appear even through her clothes. Although she had been granted a reprieve from her two duties the other day, she had shortened that deadline herself.
But it was too late for regrets. She couldn’t put Yuuri to sleep and take him to the workshop here.
Around them, attention was focused on Prince Arsh greeting his sister.
It was fortunate that no one noticed Ashley’s flustered state.
Regretting her presumptuous desires towards the two of them, she could only try to soothe the lower tattoo at that moment.
Fortunately, the opportunity to fulfill her role arrived that very day.
Their campsite that night was on the eighth layer side of the ‘Safe Area’ at the seventh layer exit.
Apparently, the eighth layer was relatively less frequented. Yuuri often used the entrance side of the eighth layer as a campsite when guiding nobles.
Indeed, the floor they descended to via the ‘stairs’ was spacious relative to the number of users, and everyone clearly kept their distance from them, a noble party.
This allowed ample space to be secured for Princess Marina as well, making it a comfortable first day of camping for their long journey.
—However, to maintain secrecy, conversations with Princess Marina were limited.
The tent itself was custom-made from labyrinth materials and could block casual conversation. Still, caution was necessary in all matters. The knights guarding the perimeter were trustworthy as escorts. But half of them were outsiders, gathered from various factions to witness the princess’s shallow floor run.
Ashley couldn’t casually discuss Princess Marina’s usual demeanor, her interpersonal relationships, or the details of her skills as a pastime. Therefore, after finishing preparations for the night, they sat in an awkward silence despite being able to relax.
Thus, the call from outside might have been a welcome interruption.
”Apologies for disturbing your rest. This is Fried.”
Ashley quickly moved to the entrance and signaled Princess Marina with her eyes.
It was a maid’s duty to relay messages. After confirming Princess Marina’s nod, she pushed open the entrance curtain. Beside the entrance, Fried, the leader of the guard, stood respectfully to the side, avoiding looking inside. Yuuri stood half a step behind, in the same respectful posture.
Come to think of it, Ashley hadn’t spoken to Yuuri once today. That meant she hadn’t spoken to him since they parted at the guild. Pushing away the tingling sweetness she felt in her lower belly, Ashley asked Fried about his business.
”What is it?”
”Yes, Yuuri mentioned that a specific magic would greatly ease our journey tomorrow. By order, it is customary to conceal details about skills and magic proficiency. I have come to ask if Ashley-dono’s magic can be applied to Yuuri’s proposal and to seek your decision on whether to adopt it.”
Among nobles, it is considered bad manners to inquire about another’s skills without their consent. In essence, they were to discuss whether Ashley’s magic could be applied to Yuuri’s plan.
Of course, she couldn’t decide alone. Ashley glanced at Princess Marina, and she nodded.
”Thank you for relaying the message, Fried-kyo. Yuuri, you are permitted to ask Ashley about the necessary magic. However, do not disclose any information obtained through this discussion.”
”Yes. I understand.”
Seeing that an agreement had been reached, Fried-kyo bowed and withdrew, his duty fulfilled.
Princess Marina then added further instructions to Yuuri, who remained alone.
”This Ashley is my trusted confidante. Since you will be revealing your abilities, conduct your discussion in a place where no one else can overhear. Ashley, this location is fine. Go and walk with Yuuri.”
”—! …I am deeply grateful for your kindness.”
In reality, the most suitable place for a private conversation nearby was this tent.
However, it wasn’t foolproof. There was a chance of eavesdropping with magic stones superior to the tent’s capabilities, and more importantly, this was a consideration for Ashley to chat with Yuuri under the guise of discussion. It was also true that private conversations in places where people couldn’t hide were less likely to be overheard.
”Yuuri, I won’t blame you if the plan doesn’t go through.”
Seeing Yuuri off with Princess Marina’s parting words, Ashley followed three steps behind him.
Yuuri headed towards the ‘stairs’ leading to the seventh layer. On the eighth layer entrance floor, despite the ample space, there were several other camps scattered around. It was easier to pay attention only to the front and back on the ‘stairs’ than to be constantly aware of their surroundings.
”Uh, the consultation is… Ashley sa— Ashley.”
His first words in about a week hit a wall, so Ashley smiled only with her mouth and asked him to correct himself. He flinched slightly at her imposing presence but quickly regained a serious expression and began his question.
”You used ice magic several times today, didn’t you? I thought you might be good at it. The tenth layer is a swamp, but the ‘Safe Areas’ are close in a straight line. However, there’s a large swamp in between, and normally we’d have to take a long detour. But if someone is skilled in ice magic, they can freeze a narrow passage and cross.”
His tone was casual, but his serious expression moved Ashley. His posture, leading the party from the front all day, often in the most dangerous position, was that of a skilled professional. Seeing Yuuri’s profession firsthand, Ashley understood it was a high-level craft.
”I’m incredibly grateful to Fried-kyo. I can only know if this method works by asking about the specific power level, but it’s forbidden to inquire about the details of skills or magic, right? He still relayed my vague proposal… Right, the distance to freeze is a bit shorter than these ‘stairs’…”
Following Yuuri’s lead, Ashley estimated the length of the ‘stairs’ between the upper and lower floors. The ‘stairs,’ presumably designed to prevent interference between layers, were likely five hundred meters long. When asked if she could freeze a swamp of that distance with enough strength for eight people to cross, Ashley honestly lacked confidence.
”Ah, I’m not forcing you. It only saves about three hours of walking. There’s no point if it wears you out, Ashley.”
As Ashley hesitated to answer, Yuuri quickly showed consideration and tried to end the conversation.
A sharp pain pierced her chest. Being able to do that would require a reasonably skilled, professional magic user. Ashley, though nominally a guard, had only the most basic training. Her role was to ensure Princess Marina’s life until a professional arrived in case of an emergency.
There would be no shame if the professional magic user, Ashley the maid, could not meet the proposed conditions.
However, it was a different story if Ashley, the familiar, could not accept the proposal of her master, Yuuri.
Her depths throbbed.
The lower tattoo urged her to change.
—Become more useful. Become a body that better serves my master.
The impulse driven by the lower tattoo, combined with the shortened deadline from this morning, made her entire body heat up.
”H-hey. Are you alright, Ashley?”
”I can do it. I’ll make your plan work. Let me… please…!”
The words of agreement burst out reflexively.
There was no turning back now. Here, right now. Ashley would receive new favor.
”O-okay? I’m not forcing you—huh…? Wh-what…?”
”No, I will. I want to.”
Ashley confirmed no one was around and used the sleep hold.
Even a lesser skill was quite effective on a body tired from a full day’s walk. She firmly supported Yuuri, whose body went limp, preventing him from falling.
”Come. Let’s go, Yuuri. To your convenient workshop.”
Ashley whispered in his ear, and the scenery around them changed.
—Yes, this was necessary.
To be useful to Yuuri. To protect Yuuri’s secrets.
It appeared. The second throne, and the altar.
From the summit of that high seat, Ashley looked down upon the king sleeping peacefully, breathing heavily through her nose.
Notes:
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Roeni – Guild receptionist, former adventurer, now a baroness—mentor to Yuuri.
• Arsh – Marina’s the princess younger brother.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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