TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 231
The center of the estate upon returning from the bath.
The Ladies, descending the stairs while drying their wet hair with towels, were wearing the pajamas they had prepared in advance and walking toward the center of the estate.
“Refreshing~”
“Right. It was really nice.”
“Me too…”
“By the way, Miss Hanna, why is your backside so big? Miss Yuria didn’t seem like that, but you’ve got quite a weapon there….”
“No, it’s just because I work out a lot….”
“What?! Ah… Ah… Is that so?”
Rosanna, humming a tune as she descended, followed by Yuria, Hanna, and Chartia, lightly stepped on the floor, exuding a fragrant shampoo scent.
“Ah… This feels great~!”
Sitting on the sofa, having finished my bath earlier, I gawked at the Beauties coming down the stairs.
‘Wow…’
As expected of Beauties acknowledged by the author, their appearance, which transcended the norm, made me nod in admiration.
‘They’re really pretty.’
Their appearance was so angelic that one could believe they were Angels.
Even without makeup, the four Ladies descending the stairs were so beautiful that it was overwhelming.
Even the Middle-Aged Man, Rosanna.
Yuria, drying her wet hair.
Hanna, wearing white pajamas with her curvaceous figure, and even the Princess, Chartia, exuded an aura that was hard to describe in words.
Watching the Ladies descend, I asked the Men sitting next to me. Though it felt a bit vulgar, I spoke with the intention of acknowledging what deserved recognition.
After all, Kyle and Malik were sturdy Men.
“Aren’t they all incredibly beautiful….”
“So, if we start a Bathhouse Business centered around the Desmond Family….”
“That’s certainly good, but to be honest, the Desmond image isn’t very favorable externally. Unless we start under the name of Histania…”
“If we target the commoners as the consumer base, wouldn’t that improve public sentiment? Gradually recovering the image, we can expand the business to the nobles. Starting with a premium model, we can quickly see returns on investment.”
“Certainly….”
“If I provide personal funding, we could attach the condition of exclusively introducing the Franchise I run…”
They didn’t seem interested at all.
‘Are they eunuchs?’
Watching Kyle and Malik, who were passionately discussing the Bathhouse Business in their white pajamas, I seriously thought about it. No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t right.
I wasn’t trying to ask anything grand. Honestly, I wasn’t so generous as to play the role of a bridge in love, given my greedy nature. I had only spoken to boast about how beautiful my friends were, but the two Men showed no interest at all.
While their focus on work was admirable, how could they remain indifferent with such Beauties right in front of them? Kyle and Malik were concentrating on their work like monks who didn’t covet prey.
I let out a small empty laugh and looked at Darbav, who was focused on Rosanna.
“Head of the Household.”
“Beautiful…”
“Head of the Household?”
“I think it was worth confessing persistently even after being rejected five times.”
Unintentionally hearing about Darbav’s romantic history, I smiled faintly and rose from the sofa to fetch the Young Lady, who was likely in the 3rd Floor Women’s Locker Room.
Having enjoyed the sight, it was time to get to work.
“Miss Yuria.”
“Yes?!”
I lightly stopped Yuria, who was drying her pink hair with a towel, and asked.
“Is there no one else on the 3rd floor besides the Young Lady?”
“Yes, that’s correct!”
“Then I’ll bring her down.”
“Alright!”
-Plod.
“Ah. Mr. Ricardo!”
Yuria, who called out to me as I climbed the stairs, greeted me with a shy smile.
“Today was really fun. At first, I was so nervous and scared, but I’m glad I came…!”
“That’s a relief. I’m even more grateful that you enjoyed it. And…”
As I gently pushed Yuria’s wet hair back, I smiled faintly.
“You’re truly beautiful today.”
“Huh? Y-y-y-yes? Oh, uh.”
Yuria, with a face that looked like it was about to explode, lowered her head and stood frozen in place.
Lightly patting Yuria’s shoulder, who was fiddling with her wet hair and smiling sheepishly, I headed toward the stairs leading to the 3rd floor.
*
In front of the quiet 3rd Floor Women’s Bath.
Standing before the forbidden zone I couldn’t enter earlier due to Malik, the gatekeeper, I gulped and cautiously pulled aside the red curtain blocking the door.
The damp floor and the warm steam from the bath brushed against my face, and I sighed in relief.
I hadn’t expected them to like it, but I was glad they seemed to. Since they were high-ranking nobles, I thought they might dislike such things.
Though I joked about wanting to enter the Women’s Bath, in truth, I had wanted to observe their reactions. I was afraid of ruining things with excessive challenges.
Unlike the usual tea parties everyone knew, I was worried they might be dissatisfied with this tea party, which was conducted more like a retreat, and I wanted to gauge their reactions. As a Man, it was hard for me to understand women’s hearts.
“Ha…”
What a relief.
Smiling faintly with relief, I took a step forward onto the damp floor of the locker room, searching for the Young Lady who might be hiding somewhere in the bath.
It wouldn’t feel right to conclude the tea party without the Protagonist at the closing drinking session.
Considering the possibility that the Young Lady might be in an awkward state of dress, I lightly knocked on the wardrobe door with my fingers.
-Knock knock.
“Young Lady.”
“…”
“I’ve come to escort you.”
Receiving no response from the Young Lady, I cautiously took another step forward and peeked through the gap in the wardrobe across the room.
“Puhaha!”
And then, seeing the Young Lady sitting on the floor, I burst into laughter.
“Young Lady!”
“Eeeek…”
The Young Lady, who had thrown aside her white pajamas and pulled an unfamiliar pair of pajamas over her head, was flailing with her head stuck in the armhole.
Seeing her trying to wear black-and-white patterned pajamas, which she had somehow obtained instead of the silk pajamas I had distributed to everyone, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What are you doing?”
“Save me…”
“No… Puhaha, why are you wearing it like that? Where are the pajamas I prepared for you?”
“They’re too plain. I’m the Protagonist today, so I can’t be the only one wearing something dull.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Nodding in agreement, thinking I hadn’t considered the Young Lady’s perspective, I carefully helped her pull her head out of the garment.
With a ‘pop,’ the Young Lady finally escaped from the outfit, shaking her disheveled hair and exhaling deeply.
“Phew. Thanks to you, I’m saved.”
“I’m glad you’re alright. But where did you get these pajamas?”
Holding up the pajamas the Young Lady had been wearing, I looked at them with a Question Mark on my Head.
Black-and-white patterned pajamas embroidered with designs, with a hood featuring plush horns. Seeing them, I smiled faintly.
‘Animal Onesie.’
The Young Lady, who had brought these cow pajamas, tilted her head and smiled faintly.
“Secret.”
“What?”
“It’s a secret.”
The Young Lady chuckled softly and extended her hand toward me.
“Help me put it on.”
Truly, the Young Lady’s cuteness was unmatched in this world. Unable to resist, I gently helped her slip into the animal onesie.
Though she was wearing short sleeves underneath, so there wasn’t any accidental exposure, I was relieved to see her adorable appearance.
Now dressed in the animal onesie, the Young Lady sat on the floor, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Alcohol.”
“Drink moderately.”
“Alcohol. Alcohol.”
“Young Lady.”
“Eeeek! Let’s go!”
I patted the Young Lady’s head and moved forward slowly.
*
The drinking session continued.
Perhaps because expensive alcohol had been prepared, Kyle, Malik, and Darbav were arm-in-arm with satisfied smiles, and Darbav was animatedly chatting about trivial old stories, enjoying the reactions of the two Men.
-Is Rowen still the same?
-Father is as usual.
-I knew that guy was stubborn, but you must have quite the hard time.
-Not at all.
The Young Lady was learning to drink from the Duchess.
-Mother! Alcohol…!
-Clang!
-Ack!
-Didn’t I tell you to call me Mother, and that’s not how you accept alcohol when an adult pours it for you?
-Chuckle… That’s right.
Yuria and Hanna were sitting awkwardly, sipping from their liquor glasses.
“Senior.”
“…Yes?”
Soaked in drunkenness, Hanna glanced at Ricardo, who was alone in the kitchen preparing snacks, and spoke.
“Senior, what do you think of the Butler?”
“Huh…?”
Yuria, flustered by the sudden question, couldn’t keep her eyes fixed in one place and traced the rim of her liquor glass with her finger.
“W-what do you mean by that?”
“Is that how you’re going to respond?”
Hanna twisted her liquor glass slightly and gave a bitter smile. Then, borrowing the courage from her drunkenness, she began to reveal feelings she hadn’t been able to share with others. She calmly spoke about what Ricardo meant to her.
“Senior, you know…”
Hanna, looking at Ricardo, parted her lips.
“I really like the Butler.”
To the point of madness.
“I love the Butler.”
So.
“Senior, you’d better watch out. I’m not that nice.”