The carriage jostled along the road for who knows how many hours. When they first set off, Roseliel had eagerly clung to the window frame, looking outside to admire the authentic sights of this Western fantasy otherworldly realm. When she saw genuine beastkin and dwarves passing by the roadside, she wished she could lean half her body out the window.
But this sense of novelty was quickly washed away by the weariness of the journey. She was now slumped in her seat, not wanting to move a single muscle.
The scenery outside the window gradually shifted from open plains into dense forest. The dry scent of grass in the air was slowly replaced by the damp aroma of earth, and the moist breeze slipped in through the window cracks, feeling cool against their faces.
Sitting beside her, Mona was already thoroughly exhausted. Her small body swayed back and forth with the rocking of the carriage, her head nodding down bit by bit, looking just like Roseliel herself back in class in her previous life.
Suddenly, perhaps after running over a rock, the carriage lurched violently. Mona's body pitched forward, and Roseliel quickly reached out to support her.
With that support, Mona's body naturally leaned toward Roseliel, resting against her shoulder.
"...Mm." She merely mumbled once and did not wake.
Roseliel froze for a few seconds, remaining still. She looked down at Mona's peaceful little face. Her eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes, and her breathing was steady and deep.
She let out a sigh and adjusted her posture to let Mona lean more comfortably.
Oh well, let it be.
Sitting opposite them, Lucia had been meditating with her eyes closed ever since they boarded the carriage, looking as though she were asleep as well. However, no matter how much the carriage jolted, her body remained completely stable—quite remarkable.
Roseliel suddenly had a wonderful idea.
Quietly and carefully, she pulled out the lipstick she carried in her bag (yes, cosmetics existed in this world too; according to the lore, they were trinkets developed by goblins, highly popular among noblewomen in court). She unscrewed the cap, revealing the rich deep red at its tip.
She softly chanted the incantation for the Telekinesis spell. The lipstick wobbled into the air, as if held by an invisible giant hand, floating precariously toward Lucia.
Since she had nothing better to do anyway, she decided to give Miss Saintess a proper "makeover."
The corners of Roseliel's lips curled up bit by bit. "Hehehe, get ready to turn into a painted cat."
Just as the tip of the lipstick was about to touch Lucia's cheek, Lucia's eyes snapped open.
Her hand moved so fast that Roseliel could only see an afterimage, a blurry streak passing through the air. The next second, the lipstick was already in Lucia's hand.
"Zzzzzz..." Roseliel instantly closed her eyes, her neck tilting sideways as she immediately pretended to sleep.
Lucia looked at the lipstick in her hand, then at Roseliel with her eyes shut. She slowly stood up and walked over to Roseliel.
"Care to explain?" she asked with an insincere smile.
"Zzzzzzzz..." Roseliel remained silent, stubbornly continuing to pretend to sleep.
Following a moment of silence, just as Roseliel thought Lucia had returned to her seat—
A cool, slightly moist tube pressed against her cheek.
She immediately realized what was happening—that girl was actually using her own lipstick to draw on her!
Cracking her eyes open a sliver, she saw Lucia leaning over, scribbling back and forth across her face. Lucia wore an exceedingly wicked smile, looking as focused as if engaged in some grand artistic creation.
This deceptively sweet, dark-hearted Saintess!
If she endured this any longer, she wouldn't have the face to step out of the carriage. Catching Lucia off guard, she opened her eyes wide and snatched the lipstick back from her hand.
"Lucia!" she shouted, deliberately keeping her voice low to avoid waking Mona beside her.
Seeing that she was awake, Lucia straightened up, crossed her arms over her chest, and looked down at Roseliel from above, letting out a light hum:
"Hmm?"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Doing what you were just planning to do." She wore a beaming smile, her tone thoroughly infuriating.
"I'll get you for this!"
Knowing she was in the wrong, Roseliel gave up arguing altogether. Holding the lipstick, she pounced directly at Lucia, and the two of them tangled into a heap inside the cramped carriage.
Having lost her support, Mona—who had been leaning on Roseliel all this time—jolted downward, waking her up.
"Hmm? Are we there?" She rubbed her sleepy eyes, looking around blankly.
Then, she saw Roseliel lying on the floor, with Lucia pressing down on top of her.
Both of them were breathing heavily, their clothes disheveled, with red marks scribbled across their faces and necks. Roseliel had the most, with one whole side of her face smeared red.
"Eek!" Mona hastily covered her eyes, though the gaps between her fingers opened wider than her eyes themselves.
"Listen to me! This is a misunderstanding!" Roseliel yelled at her in panic.
After another chaotic round of cleaning up, a freshly tidied Roseliel and Lucia sat back in their seats.
Thanks to all the commotion, the atmosphere in the carriage had actually improved quite a bit.
Lucia spoke up first, saying gently to Mona, "Miss Mona, we've been sitting so close to each other ever since we got in the carriage. You don't feel uncomfortable anywhere, do you?"
"It's nothing major," Mona waved her hands. "I just feel a bit dizzy every single moment, plus a little like throwing up, that's all."
Lucia: "..."
Roseliel snickered inwardly, struggling to keep a straight face.
"Also, you don't need to call me 'Miss Mona.' Just call me Mona," Mona said, scratching her head bashfully.
"Alright!" Lucia finally revealed the bright smile fitting for a game's protagonist. "Then Mona, you should just call me Lucia too!"
"Hey, Lucia, how much farther until we arrive?!" Roseliel piped up from the side at an inopportune moment.
"Shut up." Lucia's expression instantly switched to freezing cold, her former smile vanishing without a trace.
"Huh?! Hey, what kind of attitude is that toward me?!"
Mona's gaze darted back and forth between the two, who were bickering once again. In her heart, a question she desperately wanted to ask—yet couldn't bring herself to voice—kept burning.
What exactly was the relationship between them?
Ever since the attack, Master seemed like a completely different person, no longer as sharp and harsh as before. Though her tone could still be stiff at times and she would still issue orders, Mona could clearly sense that those words carried warmth, unlike before when she was treated entirely as a disposable tool.
After death, one is reborn—that was the Snake Cult's concept regarding death. As a member of a Necessary Evil family, she knew a bit about it as well.
In Mona's eyes, perhaps it was precisely because Master had practically died once during the attack that such a huge change had occurred.
In the past, she had often used all sorts of dark magic to secretly attack Lucia just to satisfy Roseliel's demands.
Naturally, she knew that was wrong, and being somewhat soft-hearted by nature, she truly did not want to hurt others.
But whenever it was done and she received even a tiny, pitiful bit of praise from Roseliel, she felt it was all worth it.
Yet in the dead of night, that sense of guilt would creep back in, putting her through unbearable torment. She felt that if things continued like this, she would go insane.
Therefore, to be honest, she was very happy about Master and Lucia's relationship improving.
But that happiness had come to an end this morning.
After all—
Her gaze focused once more on the jet-black collar around Roseliel's neck.
No matter how good their relationship was, wearing a servitude collar was going way too far...
Rate on N.U.
