Chapter 32

I blinked at the familiar ceiling, muttering quietly to myself.

“Ah, the familiar ceiling.”

“What nonsense are you spouting suddenly?”

The Princess approached me, slightly frowning, and replaced the damp cloth. It was a bit soggy, likely because she wasn’t accustomed to nursing, but I was quite touched. Honestly, I never expected someone of her status to do such things for someone like me.

With a disappointed look, she brought me a bowl. It was a warm porridge with egg in it. Could she have made it herself? I looked at the Princess with surprise, and she simply smiled and lifted a spoon.

“I had to ask the head chef here for this porridge.”

“Oh, so you didn’t make it yourself.”

“I wanted to try making it myself, but the chef and maids all insisted I shouldn’t.”

“Is that so?”

I suppose if I were washing clothes, doing the dishes, and cooking, and suddenly a young lady said she wanted to do it too, I’d probably fight to the death to stop her. Nobles have their work, and commoners have theirs. This notion became even more ingrained since I lived on Earth.

In this world, nobles are like chaebols. Nobles create jobs and distribute wealth to commoners, and with that wealth, commoners sustain their daily lives. Unfortunately, if nobles start doing commoners’ jobs, efficiency plummets and the economic loss is way too high.

Every second of a noble’s time can save dozens of commoners, but if they do nothing during that time, the serfs and workers under them will ultimately starve. Of course, the various nobles who enter the Academy aren’t yet equipped to take responsibility for others, so they receive training for that.

I rambled on about this and that, but it basically boils down to the idea that this world ultimately runs on capital. Merchants gain power, and nobles who grant trade rights to those merchants gain power too. With the capital they acquire, they feed those beneath them. Not all nobles operate this way, but at least those I’ve witnessed do.

Among those nobles, the noble Princess is probably the most so. I thought about this while staring blankly at the ceiling.

“It’s cooled down a bit. Then, ah, open wide.”

“…I’m not that sick, you know.”

“Doesn’t matter; just open up.”

Ugh, I shook my head in embarrassment, but the Princess just stared at me with a stern face. After all, my embarrassment was invisible to her.

“Ah—.”

It seemed like she was waiting for me to open my mouth, eyes wide open, so after a brief resistance, I obediently opened my mouth. The Princess grinned at me, pleased, and shoved the spoon into my mouth. It felt a little strange, but as I accepted the porridge, I closed my eyes to savor the flavor of the Academy chef’s porridge.

It was definitely good. Discussing whether porridge is delicious or not is absurd, but it certainly felt exceptional. Once I said “ah” once, I lost my hesitation and started chowing down like a baby bird being fed. The Princess, without hiding her satisfied smile, kept feeding me.

“You’ve eaten it all. Well done.”

Looking at the Princess’s hand patting my head, I suddenly felt déjà vu. This felt like… the young lady walking the dog back at the mansion. Wait, am I being treated like a dog?

“I am not a dog.”

“Of course not. You are a person. The one who captured my heart, Princess Chloe.”

“…Ugh.”

What a sudden ambush. How rude! With the straightforward advances of the Princess, my head felt a bit foggy. My heart raced too, or wait. Is it just because I’m in pain? I couldn’t make sense of my body’s reaction.

Honestly, I was flattered. A beautiful woman like a Princess likes me! I was less popular in my past life, so it felt especially nice. But… I still had the young lady in the back of my mind. If you asked if I had romantic feelings for her, I’d say I didn’t know, but the thought of having a girlfriend felt repellent.

Maybe it was because I’d have less time to care for the young lady. I wasn’t sure. I knew I had been obsessed with her since childhood. Without any personal life, I’d dedicated my life to her. Because of that, I found it hard to easily recognize Lilian now.

To be honest, Lilian hadn’t done anything, yet here I was having an internal monologue about it.

“Hmm, to be honest, I’d like to stay longer, but it’s about time your young lady would return.”

“Is it already that time?”

“Yeah, it’s almost dinner time. I should head back.”

“Okay.”

Nodding my head, as the Princess turned to leave, she suddenly looked back slightly and spoke without meeting my eyes.

“Ah… and you should change your clothes. You’re soaked in sweat, so, well, things are showing.”

“What?”

I glanced down to find my sweat-drenched clothes sticking to me tightly. Due to the thin fabric, my body’s outline was completely visible. The worst part was the underwear I had ended up stripping off. Seeing my slightly puffed chest, I hurriedly pulled the blanket up.

“Shouldn’t you have told me that first?”

“Ah, no. I didn’t know until you got up to eat.”

“Then…”

You should’ve told me that when I was eating. I was about to say so when the Princess hurriedly opened her mouth.

“I couldn’t say it because I was worried you’d choke while eating.”

“I feel like I might choke now. Plus, who chokes on porridge?”

“If you look hard enough, someone might exist…”

With a sigh at the Princess’s vague response, I spoke softly.

“Then… could you help me wash my back, Your Highness?”

“…What?”

“I can’t wash my back.”

I felt like a rabbit in front of a tiger. Seeing the Princess come toward me with wide eyes, I briefly panicked and thought I should’ve asked differently, but it was too late now. Turning around and taking off my top, I showed her my back.

The Princess, with a towel in hand, took a deep breath and stood behind me. Then she slowly placed her hand on my back. The cold and ticklish sensation made me shudder slightly, and I involuntarily let out a sound.

“Hmph.”

“Oh, does it hurt?”

“…Of course not. I just squeaked because it tickled.”

“I see….”

With a voice that sounded quite tense, the Princess began moving her hands. I couldn’t help but shiver a little and bite my lip. Wait, was this supposed to be this ticklish? Or was my back just sensitive? Given that my facial muscles were limp, does this mean another part of me is sensitive?

“Just a little longer.”

“Uh, sorry… ugh.”

“Don’t talk. Unless you want to provoke me.”

The Princess’s voice was filled with turmoil, and following her wish, I kept my mouth shut, waiting for her to finish washing my back. As she stood up, I took over the towel. I wiped my front from my chest to my abdomen, down to my waist, and finally wiped my legs after taking off my pants. Once I changed into the maid outfit, I turned around.

Seeing the Princess gripping her fists and staring at the ceiling, I quietly spoke up.

“I’m all changed.”

“Ah, okay. Well, I’ll take my leave then. Rest up. Lilian should be here soon.”

“Thank you for today.”

“Mm.”

The Princess nodded and opened the door to leave. As her figure disappeared, I let out a big sigh and collapsed onto the bed. Just five minutes after the Princess left, the door burst open. I could hear someone hurriedly approaching.

“Catherine! You said you were sick!”

The one who barged in was Yulia, followed by a breathless Lilian.

“Huff, huff, Yulia! Why are you running so fast?!”

“It’s Lilian who’s slow.”

Yulia replied casually as she came closer, then took my hand and closed her eyes quietly. Suddenly, a white light erupted from her body and started to seep into me. I couldn’t help but be surprised at the sudden lightness I felt. Is this the Divine Power?

“…Wow, so this is Divine Power. Wait a second. Yulia, didn’t you say you wouldn’t use it?”

“Is it important when a friend is sick?”

That was right; she was the only one capable of this power. Stunned by my sudden recovery, I couldn’t hide my surprise as I looked at Yulia. Divine Power was something that belonged solely to her in this world.

“Huh? So if I get sick, you’ll use it on me too?”

“Of course.”

Yulia nodded nonchalantly, and Lilian looked at her with teary gratitude.

“…Thank you.”

“Oh, come on, what’s the need for thanks between us? Are you feeling any better?”

“It wasn’t too serious.”

“Hmm, for someone who just said they were sick, your fever was pretty crazy.”

Well, that was probably because of the whole ordeal with the Princess. I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say anything.