The Villainess Prepares to Go Out

“Ah, Lady Vina. Good morning.”

Noticing that I had finally woken up, Yua came trotting over, her slippers pattering softly against the floor.

“Good morning.”

I opened my arms to receive her, then gently patted her head. My fingers slipped through her silky silver hair. She must have just taken a bath. A faint scent of soap drifted from her, mixing with her naturally sweet fragrance.

It smelled wonderful.

(This is starting to sound like something a creep would think.)

Smiling wryly at myself, I stepped away from her.

Yua immediately took a step forward and slipped right back into my personal space.

Too close. Far too close.

“W-What is it…?”

I instinctively retreated.

Yua tilted her head and murmured,

“Lady Vina, you smell a little sweaty. Let’s go take a bath.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You smell a little swea—”

“No, no, I got it. Thank you. Please don’t say it twice.”

I hurriedly cut her off.

If those adorable lips said you smell sweaty a second time, I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover.

Besides, it wasn’t exactly my fault. Thanks to the dragon attack yesterday, I hadn’t had the chance to bathe.

Still, Yua wasn’t wrong.

I’d been thinking the same thing myself.

Honestly, I wanted a bath as soon as possible. My hair felt greasy, my skin sticky, and waking up had been miserable.

But there was a world of difference between thinking it yourself and hearing someone else say it.

Especially when that someone was the person you liked.

“A-Ah, sorry. But, um… I actually like the smell of your sweat, Lady Vina.”

Yua offered the strangest defense imaginable.

What was that supposed to mean?

Before I could respond, Sylph barked in agreement.

“Gau!”

“I see. Thank you for sharing that. Now then, I’m going to take a bath.”

“Ah! I’ll come with you, Lady Vina!”

“Gauuu!”

“Very well. Then let’s all go together.”

And so I headed for the bath.

Along the way, Yua busied herself preparing everything we would need beforehand.

She really was attentive.

I’d spent my entire life leaving everything to servants. I couldn’t manage household chores, and frankly, I wasn’t even capable of handling many basic tasks for myself.

Those skills had been considered unnecessary for someone in my position, so I’d never been taught them.

As someone planning to live as a commoner, however, I knew I’d eventually have to learn.

Just… not yet.

Entering the changing room, I slipped out of my clothes and tossed them into the laundry basket.

Once I was fully undressed, I stepped into the bathing area.

The moment I opened the door, a chill washed over me.

It’s a little cold.

I cast a spell on myself, raising my body temperature slightly.

Much better.

After settling onto a bath stool, I turned the faucet and began washing my hair.

By the time I finished, Yua, who had apparently been waiting for me, entered the room as well.

“Lady Vina, I’m coming in.”

“Go ahead.”

I welcomed her inside.

Meanwhile, Sylph was happily playing with our discarded clothes.

“Ooh, it’s a bit chilly.”

“It is. That’s why I raised my body temperature with magic.”

“Is that really safe?”

“It’s fine.”

I filled a wooden bucket with hot water.

“I feel like it’s probably not fine…”

“Well, you’re not entirely wrong. If I make a mistake, I could easily set my entire body on fire. So perhaps it isn’t something you should imitate.”

With that, I pulled Yua onto my lap and slowly poured warm water over her.

The water slid down her skin in shimmering trails.

Her skin was unbelievably soft and smooth, droplets rolling from it as though unable to cling.

Was this what people meant by baby-soft skin?

“Yua, are you okay? Is it too hot?”

“N-No, I’m fine.”

As the warmth trickled away, the cold air returned.

Yua shivered.

I wrapped my arms around her.

At once, she sucked in a sharp breath.

Was she nervous?

Even without resting my ear against her chest, I could almost hear her heartbeat.

“L-Lady Vina? What’s wrong?”

There was a hint of confusion in her voice.

I spoke quietly.

“Yua. I’ve learned a few things about the dragon.”

“!”

She immediately turned toward me.

“You were asleep this whole time. How did you already find something out?”

“Not everything, of course.”

I then explained the dream I’d seen while sleeping.

At first, Yua looked skeptical.

Then thoughtful.

And finally, understanding dawned on her face.

Despite her youthful appearance, Yua was remarkably intelligent.

As expected of her.

“I see… Then Sylph probably challenged that woman and lost. And as a result, the dragon ended up being released.”

I nodded.

That was more or less how it seemed.

Sylph had likely released the dragon shortly before dying.

Most likely, she’d intended for it to rampage through the academy.

Yet somehow, the dragon had appeared before us instead.

That part still bothered me.

“…I understand. Then the one pulling the strings behind everything is Mina Yukishiro.”

“Maybe. We don’t know that yet. We simply don’t have enough information.”

Holding Yua against me, I filled the bucket with hot water again.

“Even if we did obtain proof, though, it wouldn’t really matter to me. I have no intention of seeking revenge at this point.”

“Ehh…”

Yua sounded disappointed.

“If you wanted revenge, I was planning to help.”

“Of course you were.”

I couldn’t help smiling.

“But opposing her now would effectively mean declaring war on the Kingdom of Rafalis. I’m not reckless enough for that.”

I paused.

“Though depending on what happens in the future… who knows.”

“I see.”

Yua stood and moved behind me.

“Lady Vina, I’ll wash your back.”

“Thank you.”

Her small hands pressed lightly against my skin, tracing gentle patterns across my back.

“Yua? That tickles.”

“Ah! S-Sorry.”

She carefully poured warm water over me.

Heat spread slowly through my body.

Comforting.

Then she lathered soap onto a sponge and began scrubbing my back.

Her touch was perfect—neither too strong nor too gentle.

“How is it?”

“It feels wonderful. You’re quite good at this.”

“Really? That’s a relief. Then I’ll wash the front too—”

As she spoke, her arms started wrapping around my waist.

I immediately stopped her.

“Yua, I’ll handle the front myself.”

“…Understood.”

She looked mildly dissatisfied.

“Oh, right. Could you wash Sylph for me? She’s gotten pretty dirty too.”

“Sylph?”

Yua blinked.

Right. I hadn’t told her yet.

“That’s the little dragon’s name.”

“…Hmm. Why Sylph’s name?”

Then her eyes widened.

“Wait! Lady Vina, don’t tell me—”

“Stop imagining strange things.”

There was no way that was the reason.

As far as I remembered, the dream had been my first conversation with the original Sylph.

Or perhaps I’d simply forgotten.

Either way, I didn’t have any particular feelings toward her.

The name had simply felt right.

“If you dislike it, we can choose another one.”

“No… I think it suits her too.”

Almost as if she had been listening, Sylph fluttered into the room, tiny wings beating furiously.

She landed beside us and immediately dove into the bucket of hot water.

“She’s energetic. Just what you’d expect from the reincarnation of that dragon.”

Sylph soaked happily in the water.

The sight was absurdly adorable.

“That reminds me. We should probably put some restrictions on her, just to be safe.”

“Oh, I already took care of that while you were asleep.”

Yua proceeded to list the four restrictions she’d placed on Sylph.

First: she must never attack people.

Second: she must never eat monsters.

Third: she must never use her breath attack.

Fourth: she must never run away from us.

If she violated any of them, she’d immediately be restrained and transported to a separate space.

“I see. That should be sufficient.”

While Yua washed Sylph, I finished washing myself.

Afterward, I picked up the little dragon and sank into the bath.

At some point, Yua remembered something she needed to do and left the bathing room without joining me in the tub.

Left alone, I leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

One by one, I counted the droplets clinging there.

Before long, I finally rose and left the bath.

Back in the changing room, I found a neatly folded set of freshly washed clothes that Yua had prepared for me.

I picked up the towel beside them.

Then decided it was too much trouble.

Putting it back, I simply evaporated the moisture from my body with magic.

After doing the same for Sylph, I dressed and stepped outside.

The aroma of food immediately greeted me.

Following it, I found Yua cooking.

“That smells delicious already.”

When I said that, she smiled warmly.

“Just a little longer, please.”

I took my seat and opened the book I’d been reading.

Perhaps I should have helped.

But the last time I’d tried, shortly after arriving in this town, I’d somehow managed to ruin most of the cooking utensils we’d just purchased.

Since then, Yua had firmly forbidden me from entering the kitchen.

(I do want to learn how to cook eventually…)

By the time I’d read several dozen pages, the dining table was covered in colorful dishes.

“Lady Vina, it’s ready.”

I slipped a bookmark between the pages and closed the book.

“It looks amazing.”

“Then please, enjoy.”

“Thank you. Let’s eat.”

The food was so delicious that I finished everything in no time.

Every so often, Yua would ask for my opinion.

Whenever I answered honestly, her face would light up with happiness.

Cute.

After breakfast and brushing our teeth, we finally remembered that the town mayor had summoned us.

And so, Yua and I began preparing to head out.

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