Chapter 54
Reina was already fifteen years old.
In this country, that was already old enough to marry—and she had even been adopted into the noble Duke Laurel family.
No matter how much they had lived like parent and child until now, there was no way they could bathe together.
If they tried something like that, Clael could very well lose his head for disrespecting nobility.
(Even so... isn't this a bit much?)
"Yes, Lord Clael. Please stay still, okay?"
Reina's voice came from behind him.
He could hear her, but not see her.
Not because she was behind him, but because Clael was in a state where he couldn't see Reina at all.
Clael was in the bathroom.
He was naked, with only a towel wrapped around his waist.
On top of that, a cloth was wrapped around his face as a blindfold, and he was seated on a bath chair.
And... Reina stood behind Clael like that, humming as she lathered up some soap.
It had all started when Reina insisted on bathing together with Clael.
Of course, Clael refused. He explained his reasons and rejected her with all his might.
After a back-and-forth of pushing and pulling... somehow, the end result was Clael taking a bath while blindfolded.
(How did it come to this... I mean, this feels less like a family bonding bath and more like some kind of 'play', doesn't it?)
"Hyah!"
"Nua!?"
Something was pressed against his back.
A ridiculously soft, squishy sensation.
Smooth, squishy, and jiggly...
What could it possibly be, this thing that felt like a giant marshmallow...?
"R-Reina?"
"Ehehe, I slipped."
"P-Please be careful, okay? This is a bathroom, after all, and it's dangerous... whoa!"
"Kyan! I slipped again!"
Once again, something soft pressed against him with a squish.
Not once, but twice... Could it be that Reina wasn't wearing a towel?
"Reina... could it be... no way..."
"What is it?"
"N-No, it's nothing..."
Clael bit his words back.
Schrödinger's cat. A blindfold and breasts.
If he were to confirm it, it would settle whether or not Reina was completely naked.
It probably wouldn't change anything, but... if she really was naked, he felt like something outrageous would happen.
"Okay, let's start with your back..."
"Ngh...!"
A sponge lathered with soap slid across Clael's back... or wait, hold on.
He could tell his back was being washed, but the sensation felt strangely raw.
Slender, delicate, not quite as soft as earlier, but still...
"Reina, the sponge...?"
"I couldn't find it, so I'll wash you with my hands."
"No no no! There's no way you couldn't find it, right!? It should definitely be in the usual spot!?"
"It's not there. Absolutely not. So I'll wash you with my hands."
Reina declared firmly and began rubbing his back.
He tried to feel around for the sponge... but couldn't find it.
Even so, taking off the blindfold wasn't an option.
While all this was happening, Reina finished washing his back and now aimed for the front of his body.
"Nua...!"
Washing his chest meant Reina had to reach around to the front.
Which meant she had to press her body against Clael's back.
In other words, various things were being squished against him.
"Guh... Khh... Gwohh..."
His head began to spin.
His brain felt like it was boiling in a pot.
(Reina's grown so much... No, wait. That's not what I wanted her to grow into—I meant as a person...)
"Okay then, let's wash here too..."
"Not there!"
Sensing that Reina was aiming for a certain area, Clael blocked it with both hands.
"No, I really think we have to wash here. It's a spot where dirt tends to build up..."
Reina insisted, unwilling to give up.
Clael adamantly refused, shaking his head vigorously.
"No! Absolutely not! I won't allow it!"
"Ehh... absolutely?"
"Absolutely!"
Clael desperately guarded that part of his body, protecting something important to him as a man—even while blindfolded.