Chapter 83: Munch!
Chuckling under my breath, I belatedly noticed the attention that we had drawn. The kids were watching; well, I'm technically an even younger kid.
Poking the girls, "Ahem." I cleared my throat and brought them back to reality.
Hilda was meant to be my maid, uninvolved with noble matters, and this side of Esme was something the kids only got the chance to see a few times.
It was an unusual sight, to say the least.
"Anyways. We'll all be going along with Alora. Any complaints?"
""No.""
A choir of agreeing voices echoed from the teenagers. It still felt odd hearing their cohesiveness to this day; to be fair, I only saw them grouped up a few times so far. I'm not even friends with most of them.
That second half had to change, though.
Otherwise...
It won't be so pleasant, right mother?
My eyes shot past Esme and Hilda.
They shot past the cohort.
They honed in on the greenery behind the gazebo.
There, I saw.
Mother.
Gracing this world with her fluttery, light-green dress, with her mesmerising oceanic eyes and swaying chestnut hair.
She stared at me.
She smiled at me.
And Esme.
She smiled at both of us from beyond the veil of this world.
Right.
Mother has always been watching.
My Authority has always been too low, though. But now, I have finally broken beyond the boundary of blindness.
But then-
Just then-
Her eyes twitched.
They shot downwards.
At our combined shadows.
At the madn-
Huh.
What was I thinking again?
...For a moment, though, I swore that I caught her eyes staring at my shadow.
Never mind that, we had to leave.
"Let's go, you all have your carriages, correct?" I questioned the cohort, and they verbally affirmed.
"Come, sister, join me in mine-" Esme tried pulling me to follow along, alas...
"No."
I stayed firm.
I denied her offer.
"I'll go with Hilda, just trust me, okay?"
Esme's lips quivered. Her eyes curled downwards with obvious sadness, "...Okay."
But I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, sister.
144,187,222Thiscreatureisdestinedtobreakapartinthecarriage144,193,852
---
We made our way to the nearest available road. By the time we arrived, the 8 carriages were already prepped and ready with butlers or maids standing by them.
The only differing carriage was Yulei's, with a ramp attached to it. Other than that, the rest were vaguely similar in terms of structure and wealth, excluding the unique crest that each House held.
I hopped over to the foremost carriage, my carriage, and had Hilda help me up the steps and inside.
Hilda had adjusted greatly to her role in the past few years.
Every movement was graceful and elegant, befitting her position as my Sword Maid.
I cast Esme a passing gaze before finally entering the carriage.
The doors shut behind me, blocking me within the soundproofed carriage.
Other carriages may not be soundproofed, but mine had to be.
For obvious reasons.
"Come here." Hilda gently tugged my arm and pulled me onto the seat beside her.
Clasping my left arm, her fingers gently dug into my flesh. "Don't hurt yourself anymore." Her heartbreaking voice echoed from the carriage's walls.
"Okay?"
Leaning forwards slightly, Hilda stared up at my mask with bit lips. Observing no response from me, her face shifted with a tinge of unmistakable worry.
Freeing one hand from my arm, she reached for my mask and-
Click.
-freed my face, revealing the stiff smile sitting on my lips.
"...Little dummy?"
Tugging my arm deeper towards her, my limb dug in between her breasts; they wrapped in between the soft mounds of flesh, amplifying the intense emotions erupting within me.
"I'm fine. For now."
"For now?"
"...It won't be for long."
Hilda's face scrunched up as she gulped down her rising fears. She pushed her face into my shoulder, hiding her flurry of emotions away from me.
She didn't want to burden me.
Stupid girl.
Patting her head with my right hand, I gave her a couple of light, teasing slaps.
"Awww... Is my Hilda crying~"
Thump.
She raised her head and gently slammed it back into my shoulder, "Hmph. Dummy."
The carriage began rattling onwards while we messed with each other. The bumpy ride was quite uncomfortable for my frail body; it turned my face upside-down with pursed lips and a scrunched forehead.
"Hilda."
"...Hmph. What?" She mumbled into my shoulder.
I dug my fingers into the loose gap between my body and her face; wrapping my fingers around her face, I guided her head off my shoulder and revealed the cheeky, teasing smile that she had plastered on the entire time.
"Sit up straight."
I ordered, and she harumphed again with pouty lips, but she followed my instruction moments later. As much as she messed around, she also listened well to me.
Then, she sat up straight...
"Hap!"
...And I pushed myself up and jumped straight onto her squishy, soft thighs. I relaxed my butt on her lap and leaned back, tucking my head between the large cushions made of breast.
"That's better." I felt her body stiffen under me, but I picked up her stiff arms and wrapped them around my belly.
You can try and tease me, but nothing is better than using the person you love as a human cushion.
It feels good.
I can provide her with my love, and I can give her the privilege of returning my love.
Perfect, right?
Hilda didn't speak; she went mute after I sat on her lap.
But her arms...
Her body...
It all relaxed as she pulled me deeper into her body; her hands settled tenderly on both sides of my waist.
"Hilda-"
She flinched and tucked her chin on my scalp.
"-I love you."
The hands on my waist quivered as she let out a soft hum.
"I love you this~" Spreading my arms out wide, "~much. This much." I emphasised the depths of my love for the girl behind me.
"Mhm." A low vibrato rumbled across my scalp from her chin. The hands squeezing my waist shifted around my clothing; they searched for an entrance that was destined to be found nowhere else but from the collar of my shirt.
Sadly, this big, dumb girl wouldn't dare put her hands in there.
Slightly frustrated over her inaction, I plucked her quivering left hand up-
Nom.
-and bit down softly on her index finger.
Resting her velvety, peach-tasting digit on the top of my wet tongue, I played with her finger restlessly as 'punishment'.
"Hng- Twake thwat. Munch." My words came out muffled through Hilda's finger microphone.
The lap beneath my bottom warmed up drastically within seconds; the remaining hand on my waist hesitantly reached up towards my chest-
"...I love you too."
-alas, this dumb girl retracted her hand, placing it back on my waist.
Still.
Hehe.
I'm satisfied.
"Me too!"
I'm happy.
I have another person who loves me back.
Someone who cares for me, Alora.
Someone who cares for this disgusting creature.
"Say, Hilda, wake me up in 3 hours and 55 minutes precisely. Start a smart timer or something. This power will run out by then."
I promptly knocked myself out with a joyous smile.
There was nothing to complain about this time around.
"...Uh, a smart timer?"
Unfortunately...
"Little dummy, what's a smart timer?"
Shake. Shake.
"Little dummy?"
Hilda wasn't familiar with the term 'smart timer'.
But luckily, she understood the first half of Alora's instruction, otherwise...
It wouldn't have been pleasant.
Let's keep it at that.
-----
"Lily?"
"Yes, Lady Esme?"
Lily, having fully matured into a graceful maid, sat opposite Esme.
"How long will it take for us to arrive in the corner of the Domain of Light?" Esme, with her eyes fixed on the outside world and watching the passing scenery of farmers toiling away at fields of brilliant waves of golden wheat, questioned with a stiff voice.
"Six hours. As long as nothing interrupts our journey."
Esme squinted her blazing eyes. "Six?" Biting her gum, Esme's eyelids twitched as she remembered the sight of Hilda and Alora's closeness, "...That's too long."
Jealousy.
An emotion that remained at bay when she didn't have the chance to view their closeness in person over the years, but now that she was forced to watch them interact like that-
'She's my twin sister. Mine.'
-a pitch-black seed budded filthily in her heart.
A flower rich with inhumane emotion was starting to sprout.
-----
One certain carriage was eerily quiet.
Silent, cold, and practically empty.
A lone girl sat there, her scattered folds of dark hair masking her face, covering the expression hidden beneath.
She inhaled.
She exhaled.
She breathed.
She existed.
...And that was it.
All else was unnecessary.
However.
Stick your ear close enough; tuck them into her mouth-
Mutter- Mutter- Mutter-
And you'd hear a voice.
A dull, lifeless voice.
Over, and over again, she repeated.
The same two words.
The same, emotionless words.
"...I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed..."
A broken record.
A lifeless doll.
Her purpose was lost.
She had failed.
Beyond these repeating words, another word lingered in the back of her mind.
A word drenched with guilt, sorrow, and helplessness.
...No.
Not a word.
A name.
'...Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei. Yulei...'
Her mouth uttered one thing.
And her mind repeated another.