Chapter 14 The Aftermath of the Party and the Young Duchess

“Thank you for coming, Lady Marietta. It is an honour to be able to meet you.”

With an elegant smile, the young duchess Saphine offered Marietta tea.

The two found themselves in the duchess’ garden, a refreshing breeze blowing through the blooming roses around them sending a pleasant mood through the area. The garden was famous among the nobles for its garden parties, but today it hosted only a small tea party for two. Attendants lined the table with Oltaire’s most famous cakes and colorful canapes, and when Marietta tasted the vibrant amber tea, the sweet scent of roses spread throughout her senses, the delicacy making her innocently smile.

“Oh, how delicious. Is this a rose tea? There are so many fantastic things here in Oltaire, no?”

Saphine faltered against that cherubic expression.

“I want to thank you for your invitation to tea today. I am so happy that I am able to find a new friend in this country.”

Saphine’s cheeks twitched.

When did I declare I was your friend? No, the meaning behind that invitation was completely different! This is the place where I declare you my rival, you know?!

Ever since Marietta and Belvant’s “legendary dance”, their vicinity had grown dreadfully noisy, especially around Belvant.

It was a relatively common matter for nobles and their daughters to target the position of the bachelor general’s spouse. Belvant was quite persistent in ignoring them, and between the fear induced by the “Fierce God”s excessive strength, his nature of battling day after day, and the nigh perpetual sour look on his face, most of his partners found themselves overwhelmed by his intensity. Most who met him couldn’t pierce through his exterior to understand the man inside, and because everyone who met him withered back, the stories eventually swapped the blame and labeled Belvant a dreadful man.

Even so, when he danced with Marietta, his trademark ‘death glare’ disappeared from his eyes and brow, while the perpetual frown on his lips, the villainous defining feature of “Oltaire’s Fierce God”, became a tender smile for that woman. With that smile, he completely transformed into a young sir full of masculine charm.

It couldn’t be helped that everyone was talking about how Marietta had looked at Belvant, her gaze spellbound as she sweetly laughed; how Belvant, with a tight hold on her, returned the favor with a smile filled with love. The young ladies who saw Marietta sweetly cuddling up in his arms, struck by the ‘Marietta Effect’ as it were, felt their fear of Belvant disappear. Their hearts fluttered when the handsome general’s gallant figure entered their view.

The young women all at once thought.

There’s still time.

He can be snatched away.

Ah, the dreadfulness of Oltaire’s noble maidens.

After that evening party, Belvant’s life grew noisy as noble young ladies all unabashedly appealed to their parents to start a direct offensive against the general, but the amorous beauty, the famed Saphine, was unable to restrain herself and sent out an invitation for a tea party for two.

There are various negotiations I wish to make, after all.

The invitation had a sinister purpose behind it, but Marietta didn’t read too deeply into the letter and, saying “I wonder if we can become friends?”, she happily set out.

Saphine had a plan, and expected to go through with it immediately after her greeting, but-

Is this princess a natural airhead?

Amidst her gorgeous face, framed by curly blonde hair streaked with orange, Saphine’s eyes were rapidly blinking in bewilderment.

First with the specialty products of Oltaire, then about a confectionary shop with delicious treats, and then it was some fantastic dressmaker or other, the woman used whatever topic came to mind as she splurged on bonding girl-talk.

Moreover, throughout the conversation she openly praised Saphine’s features.

“You look just like a heroine from one of my favorite stories! Lady Saphine, your orange hair is absolutely lovely; I haven’t seen anything like your orange-blonde color on anyone from Stellaus. Ah, to be able to meet someone who genuinely possesses this hair color, I’m overcome! It’s as if that illustrated heroine has appeared before me in the flesh…”

“M-my, is that so? You may feel it a bit, if you wish.”

“How wonderful! Goodness, it’s so glittery, so fluffy! It’s beautiful, and against the light it looks nearly like gold.”

She’s playing… This kitten is playing with my hair.

“It’s the golden maiden, the golden maiden has appeared right here, I’m moved!”

What, why is it I feel like running away in embarrassment! None of the men I have ever met has brought out such loving lines.

Saphine had intended to nonchalantly declare her proclamation of war for Belvant during a casual conversation, but with the fluffy, smiling Marietta carrying on the idle conversation at her own pace, Saphine couldn’t find a good opportunity to interject.

On the contrary, this innocent child wanting nothing more than to gently stroke the blonde hair on her head gave Saphine an impatient, itchy feeling.

This dreadful child!

Up to now, if the initial “wasn’t the dance at yesterday evening’s party wonderful?” wasn’t enough of a spike through her chest, before she could compose herself, she was hit by a saccharine “isn’t Belvant so dreamy?” immediately afterwards. Saphine felt like sugar was being crammed down her throat.

“Say, Lady Marietta, I wonder if you are aware?”

Deciding her very honor was at stake, the young duchess gave a single cough and arranged her stance before continuing with a serious voice.

“General Fargus has a preference for women with abundant chests, you know?”

“… Oh.”

Marietta’s eyes went wide, and she cast a look at Saphine’s own abundant set of hills. The young duchess truly had a glamorous body equipped with a destructive pair of cannons.

“That, is certainly correct.”

“So it is.”

Saphine nodded with a smile, satisfied with the effect of her breasts.

Now this is a mood I can use!

Beginning with this reference to Marietta’s body, she could take hold of the conversation and point out how she was a better match for Belvant’s preferences, but…

“That’s why I’m doing it with my all!”

“Doing what?”

“Massaging my breasts!”

Saphine nearly choked on her tea, but managed to keep silent.

“Since I have learned it is a way to make them larger, of course I would enthusiastically massage them.”

“Cough, does he also, massage your breasts?! The general, I mean?”

“Yes, every time we meet, he will invariably free up time to give them a massage. There hasn’t been much progress yet, but he says they’ll certainly grow big, so I’m quite hopeful.”

Her face reddened with a poof as she grasped her chest in both hands.

“S-such a thing, seems…”

This, every time they met, he would massage this young looking princess’ chest, she says! Moreover, he uses such a transparent excuse of helping her make them bigger?

When she imagined the circumstances in detail, Saphine felt a chill go down her back.

It couldn’t be, does general Fargus perhaps, just possibly, have a lolita complex?

“Little lady, won’t you let this kind man help you make your chest bigger~?”

“No! That’s too much!”

Saphine yelled as she set her teacup to the table with a clack, the scene all to vivid in her imagination.

“When it comes to the relationships between adults, I am able to understand most shapes that love takes, but I cannot consider a lolita complex.”

The nearby maids who had diligently listened through the conversation all nodded in agreement.

“Huh? Lady Saphine?”

“Listen well, Lady Marietta! You are being deceived!”

“Deceived…?”

“Certainly, I have heard that men say rubbing breasts will make them bigger, but that is not the issue.”

Saphine lowered her voice so as not to be heard.

“Because it seems such a commonplace excuse, Sir Belvant is likely only massaging your chest because he wishes to.”

“Truly?”

“In short, I’m saying his words at every meeting with you were a plot to have you participate in lewd activities!”

“Oh goodness! Is that how it is?”

Marietta’s face flushed even deeper.

“For Sir Belvant to do such… Perhaps my breasts are truly to his taste?”

“… Pardon?”

Both hands still on her chest, Marietta’s voice was brimming with happiness.

“To think that, while I felt so reserved, every time he was actually touching me with pleasure. Knowing his tastes, I thought he was certainly only acting reluctantly, out of a sense of obligation.”

Marietta’s unexpected response impacted Saphine like a brick wall, and she couldn’t form a reply. And then, her head drooped, crestfallen.

“These lovebirds are too much…”

“Hm?”

“Lady Marietta, you truly love General Fargus don’t you?”

“Yes! I love him!”

“Right, there is no space for me to intrude. Or perhaps I should say, I don’t think I even want to intrude.”

Saphine’s eyes grew distant.

“I wonder if I too can find a man that will make me fall so stupidly in love, regardless of his appearance or family.”

“There’s nothing to worry about if it’s you, Lady Saphine. You’re extremely beautiful, you look just like the golden maiden, your chest goes vwoom!, and most importantly, you’re a wonderful person.”

“Vwoom? A-ah, is that so.”

Where did she get the idea that I was a good person? Saphine wondered as Marietta brought her excited, trembling face closer.

“Have you considered anyone from the Oltaire Knights? I think a strong knight will match the golden maiden perfectly. Being embraced tightly against his solid chest, protected by his broad shoulders, after he rescues her from those that aimed for her…”

“Lady Marietta, please calm down. I don’t have much of a connection with the knights.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Doing her best to calm Marietta as the princess’ breathing grew ragged, Saphine tilted her head in contemplation.

At the evening party, she had only met gaudily dressed young men from high standing families. They were skilled in dance and conversation, but she felt like none of them could be described as having a ‘solid chest’.

That aside, Saphine was quite sure she didn’t see any knights whatsoever.

“In that case, I will gladly refer you to the knights. There might be a wonderful person just waiting for you, no?”

After that, Saphine was dragged away by the princess with a muscle fetish to the practice ground (or, as she secretly called it, the muscle festival), where a fateful encounter with a burly young practicing knight awaited, but that would be a story for another time.

And so, Marietta completely extracted the poison (enough to turn her into a wonderful person) from the young duchess Saphine, and before they knew it, the two became close friends. Any noisy individuals who tried to tangle with the two were powerfully kicked aside.

[Author Note]

And so, Marietta made a reliable friend.

It’s a bit of a digression, but the curly haired, ‘nice-body’ Saphine and the ‘oresama’ knight who came to know her thanks to Marietta’s intermediation became quite the sweet, erotic couple.

The knight started by attacking the tsundere Saphine’s fluffy breasts like a beast.

“Sing, my lady. No one will be coming to help you here.”

“Release me! No, don’t touch me, I’ll never forgive you for this!”

“It’s fine, because I’ll love you until you fall for me, mind and body.”

Her green eyes clouded by tears, she scowled at the knight, but his only response was a suspicious laugh as he thought ‘Ah, she’s so beautiful. I want to make her mine‘.

It went sort of like that!

Oresama-ikemen knight, infatuation