To preface, Young Miss of another world, are you doing well over there?
Your faithful servant, Anastasia.
I can no longer be married off.
Although I repeatedly insisted I could do this myself, Sigrdrífa still forcefully spread my legs without question. Finally, I had no secrets left before Sigrdrífa.
I felt like something very important was drifting away from me, but that kind of thing didn't matter anymore anyway.
"Anna, you..."
"...Hollow stare."
"Down there... has it molded...?"
"What are you saying?!"
Pouring all the shame I was enduring into this outcry, birds continuously took flight from the forest as if startled, just like in a movie.
"Using 'molded' to describe it... that's too much..."
"Wah... Anna, I'm sorry, I was wrong. Don't cry, don't cry..."
"I'm not crying!"
I indignantly resisted Sigrdrífa's attempt to pat my head in comfort. After becoming shorter, people often liked to pat my head. Maids weren't allowed to cry and sniffle—they needed sufficient mental fortitude to endure their worthless master's rude violations.
But describing it as moldy was really quite devastating.
I brought my legs together. The bloodstains above had been cleaned completely by Sigrdrífa.
"Didn't you... peek at me bathing? Why are you so surprised?"
"I did not. The angle wasn't very good that time, and I was mostly listening to your conversation..."
"...I don't know if that's true or false, but I'll believe you this once."
"Speaking of which, Anna, what exactly are you..."
"We humans are all like this, both men and women... Rather, those without it are in the minority."
I answered irritably. Sigrdrífa probably hadn't seen other human bodies either, but I wasn't qualified to criticize Sigrdrífa. When I first saw an elf's body, I had the opposite confusion from Sigrdrífa's.
Sigrdrífa suddenly understood, murmuring "I see," probably grasping why I had asked such questions that early morning not long ago.
"We elves are especially clean, you know."
Sigrdrífa proudly struck a pose before me. Although I was mentally irritated, what Sigrdrífa said was indeed fact.
The elven race seemed to have no excess body hair. Sigrdrífa's body was perfect like the finest jade, her underarms equally smooth, as if all talent was concentrated in her pristine silver hair. No matter how many times I saw it, the silver hair of moon elves at night always made them appear like fairies.
She was clearly showing off—that kind of pride unique to the elven race. The nearby forest even rustled like an applauding audience. Fireflies drifted up from the grass, dancing alongside Sigrdrífa.
"Rifa... is really welcomed by the forest."
"Yes." Sigrdrífa frankly admitted it. Completely different from pure arrogance, her voice contained a gentle gratitude. "We elves are all children nurtured by nature."
Then Sigrdrífa took a deep breath.
"We protect the forest's tranquility, so the forest responds to our call... In the forest, no one is our match. You can rest peacefully, Anna."
"..."
It's not just me protecting you—this forest is too.
I fully understood the message Sigrdrífa wanted to convey.
"Then... I'm counting on you, Rifa."
"Remember to dream of me."
"...I won't. I'd have nightmares."
The long night stretched ahead, but at least for now, entrusting things to Sigrdrífa was absolutely fine.
So tonight I could rest properly—
"Ah, Anna."
"?"
Sigrdrífa seemed to suddenly think of a good idea and clapped her hands.
"How about shaving it off?"
"........................Hah?"
Shave it off?
Shave?
I was slow to react for a moment before realizing Sigrdrífa had jumped the topic back again.
As for what she meant by shaving off—
"I thought about it and still can't accept it. Shaving it off should be fine, right? We elves live quite well without any issues, so let me help Anna with some weeding... oomph!"
"Go die! Idiot! Pervert! Anna's Support Group!!!"
I slammed my chains onto Sigrdrífa's head. Why could this person always destroy her own image in such a short time? I won't shave it off...! It's not like it's my master's request.
"Ow... Anna, you... are you using crude language? Your vocabulary is somewhat lacking..."
That's because the Young Miss didn't like people who cursed, so I...
"This topic is forbidden from now on."
I simply banned continuing to discuss these things. Wouldn't it be better to chat about ladylike topics? Why insist on talking about these things?
I returned to the cabin. Lily was still sleeping on the bed.
Speaking of which, the bloodstains on the bed...
I needed to clean them properly. First, I'd somehow extract the bedsheet.
"Huh?"
The bedsheet was gone.
But I quickly found the bedsheet by the windowsill... it had undried water on it, and the bloodstains weren't completely cleaned, but someone had obviously tried to clean it.
"Lily?"
Lily's small shoulders trembled slightly.
While Rifa and I were outside, had she tried to help wash the bedsheet clean?
There was indeed a small stream nearby. Sigrdrífa had also drawn water from the stream earlier, then heated it with fire elements.
But Lily's [Cleaning] skill level was obviously very low. Not only hadn't she washed it clean, but in a sense she'd made the bedsheet even messier. She'd probably discovered I was returning to the cabin and hastily tidied up.
"...Thank you."
I had fully received this small kindness.