52

Three days had already passed since I arrived at Cilly's mansion. Time flies so quickly.

"So, did you just throw out the torn uniform?"

"Well, there wasn't much reason to keep it, right? Why hold on to something ripped?"

Not that I personally threw it away or anything—it just disappeared at some point, replaced by a new one. It's only natural they tossed it. What use would anyone have for a torn uniform?

"Well, if it were me…"

"Oh, with your personality, Cilly, I bet you'd have it mended and keep using it."

Though Cilly was the esteemed daughter of the Deretia and financially well-off, her occasionally frugal tendencies made it entirely plausible that she'd have a damaged item repaired instead of discarding it.

"Y-yes, exactly! That's what I would've done!"

"Maybe I should've asked Yuri about it at the time. If it was only a small tear, I could've just gotten it fixed instead of tossing it."

Why didn't I think of that back then? It's not like I care much about clothes, and a minor tear could've easily been overlooked.

But Yuri probably felt bad and gave me a new uniform instead of fixing the old one. Knowing her somewhat timid personality, it's a reasonable assumption.

Well, there's no point dwelling on it now. My original uniform is probably sitting at the bottom of some trash heap by this point.

Even if I meet Yuri again, there's no need to bring up the uniform. It'd be petty to harp on old matters, and if I brought it up, Yuri would probably just feel guilty all over again.

"By the way, Cilly?"

"Yes, what is it?"

Cilly, sitting next to me in my room, replied in her usual innocent tone.

"Uh… Are you planning to stay here?"

"Huh?"

I was trying to be subtle, but essentially, I was asking her to leave.

Even though this was technically the room I was using, Cilly was still the homeowner. Depending on how one took it, my words could be seen as rude.

But I had no choice but to say something.

"Earlier, during training, I got all sweaty, so I was planning to take a shower. Didn't you work up a sweat too?"

On our way back from morning training, Cilly had naturally ended up following me into my room.

I didn't notice until I grabbed some clean undergarments to take to the shower.

"Oh… Right."

Cilly seemed to realize what I was saying as she glanced at the undergarments in my hand. Yet, instead of leaving, she just stood there, staring at the items as if deep in thought.

"Shower…"

"Cilly?"

"Oh, yes! I'll see you in a bit then. I'll take a shower and change too."

It wasn't until I called her again that Cilly quickly walked out of the room.

Once I confirmed she was gone, I headed into the dressing area, stripped off my clothes, and tossed them into the laundry basket.

Back at the dorms, doing my own laundry had been a hassle, but here at the mansion, the maids would discreetly collect the clothes, wash them, and return them fresh and clean. It was a remarkably convenient system.

After placing my clean clothes on a nearby shelf, I stepped into the shower.

The shower room itself was quite spacious, complete with a personal bathtub in one corner. However, since I only wanted to rinse off the sweat, I wasn't planning on soaking in the tub.

As I enjoyed the luxury of warm water—a rarity during my assassin days—I reached for the body wash and pumped some into my hand.

It was then that I noticed something familiar about the bottle.

It was the same brand of body wash I'd used back at the dorms. The shampoo bottle next to it was also familiar—it was the exact same one I used.

Wow, this is almost eerie. Everything here matches my preferences so perfectly.

Wait a minute… This shampoo—wasn't it supposed to be a limited edition? Maybe that was just a marketing gimmick to sell more products.

After all, when something is labeled 'limited edition', even people who don't initially care feel compelled to buy it.

I'd fallen for it too, choosing this shampoo because of the limited-edition label, even though I was originally going to grab something random.

Not that I had any complaints about the product. The scent was great, and I'd been using it ever since. There was no reason to hold a grudge over a marketing tactic. Everyone's just trying to make a living.

While I was busy mulling over pointless thoughts, the water on my skin began to cool as it evaporated.

Shaking off the distractions, I refocused on thoroughly washing my body, a task that had become second nature by now.

* * * *

Using a towel, I dried off as I exited the dressing area.

If anyone were watching, they'd probably scold me for dripping water everywhere and tell me to dry off properly before stepping out. But there was no one here for me to worry about.

Still, I didn't want to leave the floor wet, so I tossed the towel onto the ground and used my foot to wipe up the excess water.

After the towel had done its job, I tossed it into the laundry basket alongside my clothes and undergarments.

"Huh?"

But when I glanced into the basket, my clothes and undergarments were gone.

A maid must have come by to collect them while I was in the shower.

The strange thing was…

"When did they come by?"

They must've been considerate enough to quietly slip in while I was showering to avoid disturbing me.

Still, how did I not notice?

I pride myself on my ability to sense things like this, yet I didn't hear or feel a thing—not even the sound of the dressing room door opening.

At this rate, these maids could switch careers and become assassins.

If the maids here are this skilled, I can't even imagine what the ones at the Imperial Palace are capable of. Are they out there wielding auras with their swords?

"Achoo!"

Lost in my thoughts, I realized I'd been standing naked for too long after my shower. A chill ran through me.

Normally, with my body trained by aura, I wouldn't need to worry about catching a cold. But ever since becoming a woman, my body had grown more sensitive, so I couldn't be too sure.

Rubbing my arms to warm up, I quickly got dressed in the fresh clothes I'd brought with me.

* * * *

Dong, dong…

The grandfather clock in the corner of the living room chimed, signaling that it was now noon.

"Hm?"

After sending Cilly out of my room and finishing my shower, it made sense that she'd take longer than me.

She did mention that she'd come back to my room after she finished her own shower and got changed.

While waiting, I'd pulled a book from the shelf and started reading.

I was so engrossed in the novel that I didn't notice the passage of time until I realized it was already close to midday. It had been over two hours since I finished my shower and started reading.

I knew that women often took longer to shower and prepare than men—something I'd become familiar with since becoming one myself—but two hours seemed a bit excessive.

There were plenty of books to keep me entertained, so I wasn't bored, but I still decided to stand up.

I knew where Cilly's room was, so instead of waiting around, I figured I'd go check on her.

Climbing the stairs, I stopped in front of her door and knocked.

Knock, knock.

No response.

I tried the doorknob, and, as expected, the door wasn't locked. It opened without resistance.

Stepping into the room, I looked around, but Cilly was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I could faintly hear the sound of running water.

It seemed she was still in the shower.

Just as I decided to leave and wait for her to finish, a thought struck me.

What if something had happened to her while she was showering?

Even though Cilly was tough, there was always a chance—what if she'd suddenly gotten dizzy and collapsed, or slipped and hit her head?

If that were the case, I couldn't afford to waste time.

I followed the sound of running water, entered the dressing area, and approached the shower room.

The sound of water grew clearer.

"..."

I could even hear Cilly humming softly. Thankfully, it didn't seem like she'd collapsed or anything. Still, just to be sure, I decided to knock on the shower door.

Knock, knock.

"Cilly?"

"Haaah… Ahh! Kyaa!?"

Even though I'd knocked as gently as possible, Cilly let out a startled scream, clearly not expecting anyone to interrupt her shower.

The sound of running water abruptly stopped, replaced by the soft dripping of leftover droplets.

"Oh! Sorry, it's me, Elysia."

"E-Ely…?"

"I was waiting, but when you didn't come back, I got worried. I thought maybe something had happened to you in the shower."

Cilly seemed to take a moment to calm herself, likely trying to steady her breathing after being startled.

After a brief silence, I finally heard her voice again.

"…I-I'm fine… really…"

"That's a relief. I was worried for a second."

"Y-yeah… I was just… enjoying the warm water… and…"

Cilly's voice wavered slightly, making me worry again.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes! I, uh… just dropped… the shower puff."

I could hear the faint sound of her rubbing soap on her skin.

However, just knowing that Cilly was standing naked behind the door somehow made her voice sound more… suggestive than it should have.

"Well, I'll head back to my room and wait for you. Come get me when you're done."

"Y-yeah… okay…"

Knowing that Cilly was fine and that I had no further reason to linger, I left the dressing room before my thoughts could wander.

Returning to my room, I tried to pick up where I'd left off in the novel, but for some reason, I just couldn't focus.

…Maybe I should take a quick trip to the restroom.

* * * *

Cilly finally returned to my room about twenty minutes after I got back from the restroom.