Chapter 35: A Day in the Rest Zone (Part 1)
Early morning sunlight poured through the ivory curtains like sparkling golden threads, lighting up the room, the floor, and the table.
A black-haired girl in a pink polka-dotted nightgown was sprawled over the bedroom desk, her head tilted to one side, her long, pale legs swinging underneath. She was clutching a book titled “The Dragon Codex” and was reading every word with intense concentration.
[…Margaret refused to abandon her faith and rejected the governor’s proposal. This made the governor furious, and he ordered her to be imprisoned in a revamped underground dungeon, subjecting her to severe torture…]
Finishing a page, the girl scratched her back, frowned, flipped to the next page, and reached for a donut from the plate beside her. She took a huge bite, her cheeks puffing out, and her brows knitted even more as she chewed through the sugary treat, eyes glued to the book.
[Not long after Margaret was imprisoned, a dragon transformed into a demon descended, wielding terrifying evil powers and obliterating half the city. The governor’s mansion was engulfed in flames, and the dungeon collapsed. However, Margaret did not leave; instead, she prayed to the deities, invoking a magnificent light spear. She battled the demon in the skies for days, ultimately ripping the dragon’s belly open and winning…]
With her food chewed and swallowed, the girl picked up her milk and took several big gulps, wiped her mouth, and took another bite of the donut, her gaze drifting back to the page.
[Having repeatedly caused miracles to end disasters, even though Margaret was severely interrogated in the name of judgment, the people who witnessed the divine miracles became devout followers of the deity. Alarmed, the lord decided to behead Margaret as a public spectacle…]
“Hey, Silvya!”
“Yahhh—”
A sudden voice from outside scared me so much that I almost threw half of Captain Gray out of my hand. My eyes widened as I turned to see Rect squatting on the window ledge, smiling and waving at me.
“Forgiveness Head, you scared me to d*ath!”
I patted my chest, puffing up my cheeks a bit in annoyance.
How can this guy be like this?!
Jumping silently onto a girl’s… muscular man’s bedroom window! Doesn’t he know this is a no-go zone?!
Pervert!
With that thought, I unconsciously furrowed my brow, tugging at the hem of my nightgown, shutting my book, placing the remaining half donut back on the plate. I stood up from the desk and jabbed a finger at him. “You peeping Tom! Don’t come in here, use the front door!”
“Sorry, sorry! I’ve got a lot happening on my end, didn’t want to waste any time, so I just jumped in here as fast as I could.” The man didn’t seem to care about my loud outburst; he pulled out a palm-sized brocade box from his coat and waved it at me with a big grin. “Forget the front door; I came here to deliver this and then I’ll be on my way.”
“What is that?”
“The olive soap you wanted!”
Olive soap?
Is it the royal palace’s olive soap?
“Oh…”
My eyes lit up, and I quickly pushed my chair back, hurrying towards him.
Usually, I buy my soap on Mersfell Street. While that stuff is considered the best in Ethanbel, after using Victoria’s olive soap last time, I realized that common goods really can’t compare to the actual rare products.
Since olive oil is so hard to come by, the type of olive soap Victoria uses is virtually mass-producible, not made in Ethanbel, so you can’t find it in stores. Only the royal family and a select few noble names have the channels to get it.
With that in mind, I casually mentioned it to Rect a few days ago when I realized my soap was running out, not expecting him to bring it to me so soon.
“Let me see!”
Reaching the window, I took the brocade box from Rect, eagerly opened it to find four square blocks of olive soap neatly displayed inside, just the kind Victoria uses. I leaned in to take a sniff… mmm, so fragrant.
Nodding in satisfaction, I flashed Rect a sweet smile.
“Thanks a lot~”
Happy!
Rect smiled back, “I’m glad you like it! It’s not that precious, really; the royal palace gets a batch every year. Sometimes Her Majesty the Queen even awards some to her nobles’ ladies. When you run out, just let me know, or you can tell Sharman, and we’ll have someone bring you more… hmm?”
As he spoke, he suddenly noticed my hand resting on his shoulder, looking at me quizzically.
“What’s up? Is there something on my…”
I smiled even wider, taking advantage of his confusion, and before he could finish his sentence, I shoved him forward with all my strength.
“Down you go!”
Rect immediately lost his balance on the ledge.
“Hey… wah wah wah wah—”
His complexion turned pale as he began to panic, flailing his arms in the air while his mouth opened wide, seemingly to shout something at me. Before he could get the words out, he tumbled backward off the ledge.
“Giggling.”
I burst into laughter.
Serves him right!
The reason I dared to do this was that I knew with Rect’s wind-order powers, he would be fine even if he fell from a higher place. But he’d definitely get a fright!
Peeking my head out the window with a smile, I caught sight of Rect rotating through the air, a gust of wind rushing toward me.
Whoosh—
His coat billowed in the breeze, his descent suddenly slowing as if he were gliding to the lawn below, landing and instantly taking two steps back. He then looked up and pointed at me, furiously shouting, “You heartless bad woman! You tried to k*ll me! Give me back my olive soap!”
Huh?
This uncouth peeping Tom, who unceremoniously invaded a girl’s window, has the audacity to be mad at me when he was clearly in the wrong?
I’m still angry!
“If you ever do that again, I’ll smash your green head!”
I shouted down at him, backing away into the room and glancing around for something to throw at him. Searching high and low yielded nothing… whatever, just forget him.
Rect continued shouting down below. I didn’t pay much attention to what he was saying, nor did I want to deal with his pathetic rage. With a decisive ‘bang’, I slammed the window shut, locked it tight, and pulled the curtains together. His voice was muffled outside, and the room grew quiet.
“Drive you crazy, drive you crazy…”
I mumbled under my breath, feeling satisfied, cradling the brocade box as I skipped over to the washroom. I took out a bar of olive soap from the box, placed it on the wooden rack of the sink, then tucked the other three away, humming a little tune as I jumped to the balcony to collect the dried clothes and towels, bringing them back to my bedroom. After hanging the clothes up, I took a towel and prepared to head back to the washroom, stopping at the door as I grew suspicious, perked my ears for a moment…
It felt quiet outside; Rect should have left by now, right?
But that guy is wily. I wasn’t too sure, so I turned back to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and peeked outside. Not seeing anyone, I finally relaxed.
He’s gone…
Time to try the olive soap.
Once more confirming that the curtains were drawn tightly with no gaps, I dashed to the washroom, closed the door, stripped out of my nightgown, and comfortably sank into the small tub. The clear, cool water enveloped my shoulders, and I closed my eyes, slowly rubbing the olive soap over my body.
So nice, so refreshing…
I love this scent…
But the soap scent won’t linger on me for long; soon enough, it’ll be covered by that lilac fragrance.
After a good wash, I emerged from the tub, dried off my body and hair, feeling fresh all over. Wrapped in a towel, I padded barefoot back to the wardrobe, but when I passed the mirror, I couldn’t help but turn and stop in my tracks.
Huh…
Who is that in the mirror?
How can she be so good-looking!
The girl reflected in the mirror stood on her tiptoes, stepping lightly like a ballerina. She stood with her hands on her hips, a hint of pride on her face, glancing left and right, posing cutely and seductively, her eyes crescent-shaped as her smile became more charming.
The girl had bright, beautiful eyes, skin like polished jade, and her black hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall. Her cheeks had a faint blush, and her slender legs looked delicate; her white arms seemed to spring from the water, her petite body wrapped in a pristine towel that only reached her chest, exposing her delicate neck and exquisite collarbone. A few droplets of water clung to her, making her look utterly mouthwatering, almost like the most luxurious delicacy in the world. I felt an urge to take a bite… if only I could.
So pretty…
Staring into the mirror, I became mesmerized for a while. Suddenly, an idea struck me. I placed one hand on my hip and pointed forward with the other, stepping out to the side as if striking a pose. I leaned back, tilting my head back and elevating my nostrils to the ceiling, and in a quirky voice, I addressed the mirror.
“Even if… because of my fleeting whim, a nation falls, everyone will still forgive me… And as for the reason… cough, cough.”
Clearing my throat, I raised my pitch a bit: “Because I am… too beautiful!”
Having said that, I felt immensely pleased with myself.
Heh heh…
After a moment, I straightened up, blinked at the mirror, gazing into my bright eyes, smiling proudly—this smile lasted less than two seconds before I suddenly remembered something, and the smile faded. I furrowed my brows, glancing down at my chest and then back up again.
…Did it get bigger?
It must have, right?
Not entirely sure.
I raised a hand, slowly reaching for my chest, feeling through the towel to grasp the two soft little bumps, gently kneading and squeezing, mumbling, “It seems like this side… is a bit bigger?”
But also maybe not.
I stood there gaping for a good while. When I looked back in the mirror, the beautiful girl was replaced by a distressed expression.
Troubles…
The towel wrapping my body felt a bit loose now, and I focused on the sagging area in front of me, contemplating whether to pull the towel down just a little… and then again… until half of my chest was showing, yet I still didn’t see anything like a decent cleavage.
“Ugh…”
Feeling a bit frustrated, I couldn’t help but squeeze; squish, squish—it became all misshapen, and yet no stunning cleavage showed.
Now that’s just irksome.
Did it grow or not…?
I stood there dazed in front of the mirror for a moment, spun around, and stomped heavily, ‘thud thud thud’ on the carpet like I was throwing a tantrum, walking over to the wardrobe. I squatted down, pulled open a drawer, and dug out the new bras I bought yesterday, cradling them and ‘thud thud thud’ back to my spot, starting to compare them one by one… only to find none of them fit.
It seemed they were all too big…
That was a certainty.
Yesterday, on my way home, I passed by a women’s lingerie shop. Thinking I hadn’t bought new bras in forever, I planned to pick out a few. But once inside, the sales lady politely told me I was too young to wear the styles in her shop and suggested I check out another store on the street that sold crop tops and bralettes, better suited for me.
I flipped out when I heard that.
In a burst of impulse, I disregarded her advice and ended up buying several bras, all in rather sexy styles, with lace, cutouts, and even leopard prints… When I got home, I had no courage to try them on and tossed them all into the wardrobe.
Now, I still don’t dare to try.
Afraid it’ll feel like I’m packing airbags.
Forget it…
One day, I’ll wear them.
I encouraged myself internally, then with a dramatic “Ha!” I tossed all the bras behind me like a fairy scattering flowers, watching them arc through the air before landing on the bed, the carpet, and the desk, nearly knocking over the half cup of milk. Yet I felt so proud, not really sure why, but it felt like I’d done something truly remarkable.
Before long, I obediently picked up all the scattered bras.
