“Was that enough of an answer?”
“….”
A kiss…
I got kissed.
Literally, I was suddenly kissed by Kyle.
-Thump… Thump…
I was so surprised that my heart wouldn’t settle down.
It was a kiss.
My very first kiss in this lifetime.
I’d had my first kiss with a guy, regardless of gender.
Well, “had” might not be the right term—it felt more like I was “attacked” with a kiss… but still, I kissed.
“Sophia?”
“Uh… y-yes, that’s enough….”
It was beyond enough, really.
“I’m going to head back.”
“Okay, have a safe trip.”
I said that and dashed to my room like I was fleeing.
No, I definitely was fleeing.
-Thump-thump.
I was way too shocked.
I only went over out of curiosity, and I never imagined I would suddenly get kissed.
“Kissing… what a crazy guy…”
I never thought I’d describe Kyle this way.
But honestly, I was really shocked.
I was shocked out of my mind.
As proof, my heart was still racing like crazy.
Just…
I was just curious why he liked me.
And then, suddenly, his lips on mine…
“Ugh!!”
It still feels like that sensation is lingering on my lips.
So warm and, how should I put it…
What a weird feeling.
They say kissing is like pressing your thumb and index finger together.
But it was nothing like that.
It felt so… strange.
I thought it would just be a light touch of lips, but not at all.
Feeling his slightly firm yet soft lips against mine was such a bizarre sensation.
That’s all I could describe it as.
“My first kiss….”
My first kiss was stolen.
I had no idea I’d have my first kiss out of the blue today.
Maybe that’s why I felt even more confused.
-Thump-thump….
Perhaps that’s why my heart was pounding even harder.
What do I do?
I have no idea how I’m going to face Kyle tomorrow.
I really can’t bear to look him in the eye.
It had already been ten minutes since I went back.
But what just happened in Kyle’s room felt like it happened just seconds ago.
Kyle, telling me why he liked me while looking at me, that smile that makes you feel good just seeing it, Kyle towering over me, and then coming closer to kiss me…
“AAAAAH!!!”
Why won’t this stop replaying in my mind?!
I’m going crazy.
I can’t stop thinking about it.
I want to stop now, but that only makes it come back stronger.
Sitting on my bed, I thrashed around by myself, but those thoughts keep coming back.
“Isn’t it enough already…? Can’t I just chill for a bit…?” This is seriously maddening.
I don’t even know how many times I’m going through this in my head right now.
“Haah…”
*
And then morning came.
I barely slept.
Damn it.
I couldn’t get a good night’s rest because of those thoughts lingering all night.
Whenever I started to doze off, Kyle would suddenly appear in my dreams, and I’d wake up right away.
“…. Damn.”
I was in a terrible state from the morning.
“First, I should wash up….”
Still, I had to go wash up.
After all, I hadn’t quit my job yet.
Just like always, I grabbed the suit I wear for work and headed to the bathroom.
As usual, nobody was using the bathroom early in the morning when I was washing up.
I was tired from tossing and turning, but I still had to work.
While I washed, I thought about Kyle’s schedule for the day.
And I also thought about the princess.
“When is she coming…?”
Last time, I even thought about connecting Kyle with the princess.
But I came to the conclusion that it was practically impossible.
Looking at Kyle’s behavior… making him develop feelings for the princess was pretty much impossible.
More likely, he’d just tease and annoy me.
So I wondered when she was actually leaving.
At first, I thought she’d be here for just a little over a week, but that time had already passed.
It felt only natural to wonder when she was going.
“Ha…”
After I finished washing, I turned my body and hair completely, then got dressed.
It felt uncomfortable wearing this outfit today.
Though I’ve worn it for eight years now, it felt particularly uncomfortable today.
“Guess I should go…?”
Yeah, let’s go.
I’d already been in there once during the night.
No problem.
I can do this. I can.
“Sophia.”
“Yikes?!”
-BAM!!!
Suddenly, Kyle’s door swung open.
I never thought Kyle would open the door.
I was always the one who opened the door to wake him up.
Startled, I ended up… falling on the floor.
“…….”
“I’ll help you up. I’m sorry.”
“I’m fine…”
“No, put your hand out, please.”
I tried to refuse Kyle, who was worried about me and wanted to help me up, but he insisted on my hand again.
I tried to get up without his help, but he spoke a bit forcefully, and I reflexively gave it to him.
Thus, I stood properly again.
But my startled heart still hadn’t calmed down.
-Thump….
“Young Master, why are you up so early today?”
Kyle usually always slept at this hour.
So why did he suddenly open the door before me?
That startled me when I tried to open the door.
“I just woke up early because I wanted to see Sophia.”
“…. You should save that for when we’re inside the room.”
This is the hallway.
Where the servants are walking around.
To say something like that in a place with people around—
That was downright disqualified.
I wasn’t even sure what I meant by disqualified, but it was true.
I never raised Kyle to be that type of guy.
I didn’t raise him to be someone who makes weird comments in public or says something that would make a girl embarrassed.
I’d always raised him to be polite, considerate, and that kind of person.
“Is it totally fine to do all that in the room?”
“….”
Kyle was smiling as he answered.
It sounded like he was toying with me.
It was the kind of tone that slipped into my words and made me flustered.
“Then let’s step inside.”
“W-wait! Young Master!?”
Kyle suddenly grabbed my wrist gently and pulled me into his room.
Before I even had a chance to react, I was dragged in.
So I entered Kyle’s room.
A room just for the two of us.
A place where Kyle always slept and where I had slept with him once.
“…”
Why did Kyle let me in here?
“Sophia.”
“Yes.”
After bringing me inside, Kyle spoke again.
Could it be that he wants to repeat what I just said?
What on earth is he going to say this time…
“Did you wear a different perfume today?”
“How did you…”
How did he notice?
It’s just perfume.
You wouldn’t really know unless you paid attention.
The scent wasn’t that different from the one I used last time.
It was just a bit stronger.
“It’s not bad.”
“Really?”
The previous scent was so weak that today I just applied it without thinking.
There was no particular reason for switching, but hearing Kyle say he liked it made me feel good.
I didn’t really change it intentionally, though?
“I just used it because it was the first one I grabbed.”
“Oh really? I thought you wore it on purpose to impress me.”
“Not at all.”
Why would I do that?
It’s just that I found this scent more pleasant than the last one.
It kind of gives you that heady feeling of wanting to smell it more as you keep inhaling it.
I was just thinking that maybe the previous scent was too light.
“Really? It smells nice. What brand is it?”
“I just bought it the other day. It’s not a special brand.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes.”
After hearing my answer, Kyle looked somewhat pleased.
Maybe he just liked the scent of the swapped perfume?
If that’s the case, that’s nice…
“Sniff…”
“Ah?!”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I snapped back to reality as Kyle pressed his nose close to my neck to smell.
I was completely caught off guard as I was lost in thought.
I worried he might try something similar to last night’s incident…
“The scent was so good I couldn’t help it. Sorry.”
“…”
So he liked the scent…
If so, that’s a relief… maybe?
It should be better than the opposite.
“Would you like to smell it a bit more…?”
I said that and unbuttoned my shirt a bit to show more of my neck.
It’s a spot where the fragrance is easier to catch and is more prominent.
There were no other intentions behind it.
It definitely wasn’t because Kyle was getting too close.
“…Yes.”
“Then…”
I pulled down my tie to let Kyle smell my perfume better.
I even unbuttoned another button so the scent could be stronger.
It might reveal a little of my cleavage, but it’s for the sake of letting him smell it, so it’s okay.
“Young Master, over here.”
I pointed to my neck, and Kyle hesitated for a moment before leaning closer to my neck.
This new perfume must be better than the last one.
I had never tried to smell my perfume this closely before.
“…”
And then I realized how embarrassingly close Kyle was to my neck.
With Kyle leaning in to sniff the perfume and me intentionally showing my neck and collarbone, it was an incredibly awkward situation.
If we were in the hallway, it would’ve been dangerous.
If other servants saw us like this… it would definitely cause a scandal.
It looked like we were about to kiss.
“Sophia.”
“Yes.”
“This perfume smells nice. But next time, if you’re going to wear one, use a lighter one.”
“Why’s that?”
You just said you liked it.
You were the one who kept smelling it.
So why are you suddenly asking me to wear something different?
It didn’t make sense.
Isn’t it normal to want to smell more of something nice?
Even if it’s just a man-made fragrance, isn’t that how it should be…?” “Because I prefer a different scent than perfume.”
“…?”
A different scent…? What kind of scent is he talking about?
Am I giving off some kind of smell?
Afterward, I pondered what he meant.
He mentioned liking a scent that’s not the perfume, but what could it be?
“Body scent…?”
There’s no way that could be it, right?
My body’s scent isn’t some flowery fragrance, nor am I some plant monster that secretes pheromones.
How could my body scent be appealing?
Of course, I sometimes catch a nice scent from Kyle.
But that’s not his natural scent; it must be from his shampoo, soap, or various toiletries.
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