Ugh… this is a bit tough.
Having a meal in a position akin to that of an emperor ruling the nation felt more burdensome than I had anticipated.
Even though I usually don’t care about such things, it seems that feeling stems from the memories that keep resurfacing from the game.
After all, the emperor has appeared a few times in the game…
Is it fortunate that this emperor has a conscience, unlike most?
If that weren’t the case, there wouldn’t have been Uriel, the youngest daughter with her personality…
Still, there was quite a difference between the setting being what it is and actually meeting them in person.
If we consider just Evan, Stella, and Uriel, whom I met right after arriving in this world, they differed significantly from the game characters I knew.
Of course, rather than personality differences, it was more about discovering things I didn’t know in the game.
It was these small differences that I could sense.
One realization I’ve had since spending time in this world is that it’s best to remember the settings and information from the game only as references.
The information I knew from the game is not infallible.
‘It was tough…’
In conclusion, it was hard because I was having a meal next to the emperor.
Then again, I wasn’t the only one feeling this way; Evan and Stella were clearly showing signs of discomfort as well.
Of course, Uriel, being oblivious to that kind of subtle atmosphere, simply smiled broadly and asked if it wasn’t delicious.
Seeing no one respond, I sighed inwardly and answered for them instead.
“[It was a dish I’ve never tasted in the Holy Kingdom; it was truly delicious.]”
Honestly, it really was delicious.
I would dare say that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was one of the best meals I’ve had so far.
It felt a bit odd, as if I were disparaging my own country, but it was hard to say that food in the Holy Kingdom was good as a mere formality.
After all, it’s a country where most of the populace believes in the gods; one might say they have simpler eating habits compared to the empire.
Given that, the food in general wasn’t all that great.
‘Honestly, it was a bit touching, though…’
Compared to the high-end meals I had in modern times, the quality might be slightly lacking, but it was certainly better than what commoners typically eat.
It feels like it has been such a long time since I’ve had something like this…
In any case, since it was genuinely delicious, I smiled widely and, when I said so, Uriel proudly put her hands on her hips and told me to feel free to ask for anything I wanted.
That might be a bit difficult, though…
Not that I’m unfamiliar with different types of food, but asking for something specific when I don’t even know what I want feels tough.
Above all, we are invited guests, so it would feel strange to ask for something we want…
“Since it’s getting a bit late today, maybe we should start resting soon?”
“Ah… finally…!”
Stella’s expression brightened up, clearly relieved at the thought of being able to rest at last.
Unlike Evan and me, Stella wasn’t particularly fond of going outside and doing various things.
She was what you might call a recluse, a hermit.
Most magicians tend to be like that, anyway.
Now that magical development has progressed quite a bit, it would definitely be the time to do more research on magic.
But…
“Shall we all go wash up together?!”
“Eh…”
“What…”
Oh wow.
That was an unexpected bombshell declaration.
Uriel’s pure suggestion made Evan and Stella look quite flustered.
Eventually, Stella turned to look at Evan, the one who had made a strange sound in reaction to Uriel’s proposal.
‘Evan…’
What kind of thoughts was he imagining with what Stella just said?
I mean, surely he couldn’t be picturing us all entering the bathroom together.
‘At that age, it’s certainly possible…’
Besides, he probably hasn’t had an outlet for desires as a hero, so that makes it even more likely.
But then again…
‘Something… feels oddly uncomfortable…?’
Is it because he’s imagining such things about me? Or is it for some other reason?
I don’t know why, but it’s a bit annoying.
‘Why am I feeling this way lately…’
Of course, expressing my annoyance directly would be contrary to my personality, so I headed toward the bathroom to avoid showing it.
Regardless of what Evan was imagining, I definitely wanted to wash up soon.
“Ah, Aria?”
“[I’ll go to the bathroom first.]”
I said that and left the room.
Fortunately, no one stopped me.
As soon as I fully exited the room and the door closed behind me, I suddenly felt a thought.
‘I don’t think I heard which direction the bathroom is in…’
Thinking back, the castle was quite large.
Finding the bathroom where we would wash up wouldn’t be easy from here.
If I had at least known which direction it was, it wouldn’t be impossible to look around and find it, but I hadn’t heard which way to go.
Besides, it’s not like I could extend my divine power sensing throughout the entire castle.
‘I messed up…’
I pondered for a moment whether I should wander around alone but quickly gave up and returned to the room.
After all, wandering around such a vast space without any information would be foolish.
“Aria?”
“What’s wrong?”
As soon as I came back, Stella and Evan asked what had happened.
Unable to answer, I simply lowered my head, and then Uriel seemed to remember something.
“I’m sorry, Aria! I just realized I didn’t tell you where it is!”
“Ah.”
“Now that I think about it…”
I had just arrived here; how could I possibly know the way?
Stella and Evan turned to look at me as if recalling that I had mentioned going to the bathroom first without hearing which way it was.
“Hehe…”
“…”
Unlike Evan, who was somehow managing to stay calm, Stella wore a half-suppressed smile.
“[I’m sorry…]”
I had just said I’d go ahead and left only to return immediately…
Honestly, it is funny even to me.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I laughed.
I couldn’t bring myself to laugh; it was too embarrassing to be funny.
Damn…
*
In the end, when we arrived at the bathroom, we took off our clothes as if we were used to it.
Naturally, since Evan was the only guy, he went into the men’s bath separately.
While they said it was the men’s bath, it felt closer to him renting another bathroom on his own.
Of course, it was envy-inducing to think he had the entire space to himself, but considering that he was alone in such a vast area, I’d rather have it this way.
After all, isn’t it better to wash with multiple people than alone?
“But what was Evan thinking?”
“What do you mean?”
“When Uriel earlier suggested we all go in together, Evan made a weird face.”
“Are you serious?”
Now that I think about it, what was he imagining?
Normally, it would be about Uriel and Stella, and…
‘Maybe he’s including me too…’
He probably thought about my naked body.
But…
“Evan has someone he likes, right?”
“Well then, he must have only imagined that person’s naked body.”
“That makes sense…?”
Perking up.
Listening to their conversation, I fell into thought once again.
That’s a naïve statement.
No matter how much a man likes a woman, isn’t it natural to imagine everyone’s naked body in a situation like just now?
Considering I would have probably done that, if not for being a woman.
To begin with…
‘Where’s the element for my body to be imagined…’
If there’s any fantasy to be had with my lacking body, no matter how much I like someone, could I only think about them in that kind of situation?
If I were to speculate, even if Evan is pure, it probably wouldn’t be the case for him.
In fact, I’ve heard the more pure someone is, the more they tend to think that way.
‘Something is annoying about this.’
At this point, it’s getting weird.
Why is it that my body is so lacking?
I used my divine power perception to look down at my body.
Of course, my body was still that of a pointlessly slender girl.
‘Sigh…’
As I momentarily continued my thoughts, I shook my head at the ridiculousness of it all.
I must be going crazy.
How could I wish for something like that?
This isn’t right, seriously.
Ugh…
I don’t even know anymore.
