Vol 3 Chapter 19: Marina’s Side — Clash

Emma and Rina—Reinhard’s two wives. Just like how their backgrounds contrasted, so did their personalities as well. The former was calm, serious, and mature, while the latter was more childish and naive. Appearance-wise, they differed as well, with the former having a more “refined” beauty, fitting of her noble heritage, while the latter having a more down-to-earth attractiveness—the sort of beauty you would find in barmaids or cowherds.

Reinhard had both worlds covered, it seemed.

Emma proudly walked forward, not caring in the slightest that all of her naked skin was exposed to the world. Rina on the other hand was noticeably shyer, covering her breasts with one hand and her womanhood with the other. The two entered the water as well, taking the side opposite of mine.

Emma was the first to make her move.

“Lady Marina, if I might so rudely inquire, was your task on subjugating those bandits a successful one?”

Her tone was neutral, and she uttered it with a smile, and yet, I couldn’t help but sense a bit of hostility mixed in with her question as well.

“Yes, it was,” I answered with a smile. “They really are no problem whatsoever for a skilled mage like me.”

And for some reason, I wanted to fire back at her a little as well.

“I’m pleased to hear that,” she returned. “Although, may I enquire where my dear husband might be? He hasn’t made a visit to our chambers all morning and we know whenever he returns from his long trips, he would always come to us first before doing anything else.”

“It would be some time until he returns, unfortunately,” I told her matter-of-factly. “He has another duty he has to attend to.” I decided not to go into details right away. Just because I wasn’t in the mood to do so.

“Oh?” Her cherry red lips pursed. “Another duty? Then shouldn’t you still be out there accompanying him?”

“That won’t be necessary. It’s just an escort mission, that’s all. And besides, I have other duties that I need to attend to here.”

“Those plants of yours, I assume?”

“Yes. I am nearly at a breakthrough. Once my seeds are perfect, then I would be able to start sharing it with the farmers in the region.”

Our conversation took a little breather there, as her sight fixated on me, seemingly drilling into my skull.

Well, might as well bring that up now.

“Lady Emma.” I broke the silence. “Once again, I would like to humbly ask for your disciplinary actions towards your son. I’ve heard from Annelise that he had been bothering Erika again, and I simply could not just bear to see my poor little sister being bothered by him.”

The lady responded by raising her eyebrows.

“That’s curious. From what I’ve heard, it’s your Erika that needs to be disciplined. Yesterday, she pushed my dear son into a mud pile. Can you believe it, for a little lady like her to behave so uncouthly?”

...I see. This is going to be even more difficult than I thought.

“Erika wouldn’t do any harm to your son if she hasn’t been provoked. I’m sure of that.”

“Oh? Are you insinuating that it’s my son’s fault that he returned crying with mud all over his clothes and hair?”

“Yes. He must have teased her again and she has enough of it. So she retaliates. It’s as simple as that.”

Of course, I have no plans on backing down. I know how Erika is. She is a gentle child that won’t hurt a fly. And it’s my duty as her older sister to have her back when she’s done nothing wrong, even if that means insulting a mother and her son.

She, unfortunately, had the same idea.

“Very well.” Her tone had gotten much colder than before. “I shall speak to Roland about the matter. However…”

Suddenly, she stood up, water falling off her skin. The baths here were shallow so you had to sit down if the water was going to reach your shoulders.

“Lady Marina, you might be Lord Archimond’s granddaughter, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want in this household. My husband is still the rightful heir to his title and Lord Archimond still hasn’t changed his mind in the matter. So I would suggest you to be more careful with your words and actions from now on.”

Ah, so it’s just as I feared.

I stood up as well, locking my eyes straight at hers.

“Do not worry, Lady Emma,” I replied. “I have no intention of taking your husband’s place. I am ill-suited for the position after all.”

“Good. Then, if you would excuse me…”

The lady then turned around and walked out of the water, with her maid immediately drying her dripping body with the towel she had brought.

“Rina, are you coming?” She gave a glance towards her companion.

“Y-yes, just a sec.”

The other woman then made her way through the water to my side of the bath before whispering, “P-please don’t be mad at her. Emma is just upset that Reinhard hasn’t returned. She has been worried sick about him, you see.”

“Don’t worry,” I whispered back with a smile. “I understand.” A wife’s worry. I remember Mother acting the same way whenever Father went in his occasional month-long monster hunting trips.

Unlike Emma, Rina was much kinder towards me. I suppose because unlike Emma, she didn’t care about the threat to Reinhard’s status as Grandfather’s heir. Or perhaps it’s just because of the difference between their personality. I never could get along with other hardheaded people like myself after all.

The two soon left, allowing me to enjoy the baths as I should once again. And I’m glad they did, even though they must have cut their baths short in the process (they didn’t even get their bodies scrubbed). I couldn’t relax as much when they’re around, especially around Emma.

I asked Henrietta to massage me again, and then, before I knew it, I drifted off to sleep.

-------

Henrietta

Aah, they clashed again. Really, both Miss Marina and Madam Emma are so stubborn.

Well, at the very least, I got to see them facing each other while dripping wet and naked! Hehe! I don’t think they realize it, but they’re really attractive when they’re in at that state. The way the droplets just trailed down their smooth skin, going down their breasts, butts, and thighs, it’s simply a heavenly sight to watch. Noble ladies are simply the best!

That’s why I’m so happy to be able to serve Miss Marina! I can be the one to help her change, giving me an eyeful of her beautiful body every day! I get to wash her clothes too, which means I get to sniff her panties!

Of course, Madam Rina is beautiful too! Her boobs are easily the biggest amongst the three! And they always bounce every time she walks, especially when she’s naked like this! Not that Miss Marina and Madam Emma’s boobs don’t bounce as well of course.

"Henrietta, please resume the massage."

"A-ah right, Miss. Sorry about that."

And so, I returned to my work, making sure that Milady's muscles were all nice and relaxed.

And then, when she falls asleep like she often does…

Boing Boing~♥

I stifled my grin. Just a little though. Don't want to get caught after all.

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Marina

Once I woke up, I ordered Henrietta to finish up quickly as I was starting to feel hungry. If I had to guess, it must be around one to two o’clock in the afternoon by now. She washed and scrubbed my body with great speed and expertise before drying it with a towel. I would do it myself if not for the fact that she would give me the saddest puppy eyes look whenever I told her I could do her job by myself. I suppose she feels the need to be useful, which is a perfectly understandable feeling to have.

Afterward, she dressed me up in a clean dress before leading me to the dining room to have lunch. As expected, lunch hour was over already and I had to dine by myself.

Well, until a certain someone decided to join in on the fun.

"Big Sis! You're back!'

Without hesitation, Erika ran from the door right into my lap, climbing and hugging me as tightly as she could. I noticed Lorry on the distance, smiling as she closed the door. It seemed she decided that her presence would just be a bother to us.

"Oh Big Sis, I miss you so much." She buried her face in my bosom.

"Oh, come on, Erika, it's been only two weeks.  You can't miss me that much, can you?" I smiled as I patted her head.

“Two weeks are too long! I don’t wanna be separated from you ever again!” He hugged me even tighter.

I kept up my smile but internally, I let out a sigh. Ever since that incident with the kidnappers, she had been like this. She never wanted to leave my side.

“Take me with you, Sis! I can help! I can now use magic too!”

“Really?” I lifted her to look at her straight in the eyes. “That’s good news, isn’t it? So you can now cast Fireball, right?”

“Yep! All thanks to you, Sis!”

“That’s wonderful! I should reward youfor that! Oh, I know! How about some candy? Tomorrow, I’ll take you to town and you can choose whichever candy you want!”

Judging by her bright expression, she must be really proud of this accomplishment. Even though compared to me and Hugo, she was terribly late in doing so. I could cast Fireball when I was four, while Hugo, the genius that he was, could already do it at two. Two years old! Isn’t that just amazing?

It won’t be good for her self-esteem if I start comparing her to him though. Every one of us is talented in different fields. Not everyone can be as good as Hugo in magic. Maybe she can be a skilled swordswoman in the future (though she seems to have no interest in the subject). Or maybe something else not related to fighting, like being an artist or a singer, or even a writer. Though I imagine Grandfather would probably not be thrilled if she ended up taking any of those “lower-class” work.

Personally, I don’t mind. As long as she can live happily, she can be whatever she wants.

Or maybe, just maybe, she can be the one to inherit Grandfather’s title. Countess Erika. She’s pretty good at math to my surprise, knowing her boisterous personality. You need that skill to be able to manage the finances of your territory, I imagine.

Me? I’m never that good at it. Nor would I be interested in spending hours sitting on a desk, crunching numbers like Grandfather or Reinhard or Elise.

Technically, you can hire a bookkeeper to do the work for you, but I suppose Grandfather doesn’t trust strangers to manage his territory’s finances.

“Sis, I wanna learn the next spell already! Maybe Water Ball! That’s just like Fireball but watery, right?”

Water Ball is the Beginner-level Water spell where you just summon a ball of water out of thin air. It’s not supposed to be used in an offensive manner in the slightest. It’s usually used to generate drinking or bathing water, so it’s merely a utility spell.

“Teehee, I suppose it is. Alright! Big Sis will teach you that! But after lunch first. Big Sis is starving!”

We then ate together, sitting side by side with each other on the long table. As usual, I had to tell her to eat her vegetables. I made sure to tell Lorry to do the same as well in my absence.

Afterward, we headed to the usual place we performed our lessons.

----------

The gardens of Grandfather’s mansion were somewhat barren-looking, at least compared to the garden I saw back at Glinda’s mansion. Thanks to the cold climate, there wasn’t much fresh greenery to be seen. Not to mention that the place’s size itself was a major limiting factor on what kind of plants or decorations could be planted.

Well, it's a lot better now though. All thanks to Nysa, who had decided to make it her home. As a dryad, she preferred to sleep outside amongst nature.

"Masteeerr! Miss Erikaaaa!"

And speak of the devil.

The dryad was standing on a short, grassy hill, waving her hands. It seemed she intentionally put herself in that clearing to be directly under the sun. Dryads, like plants, could generate energy via sunlight. When we arrived in the morning, she asked for my permission to go to the garden straight away. I gave it of course. She didn't need to speak with Grandfather after all.

Erika ran forward to her embrace with a smile. The girl had gotten along quite well with the dryad. At first, she was scared of her not being quite human, but she quickly got over that, once Nysa showed to her that she was just as gentle as me.

“Hehe, are you that happy to see me again, Miss Erika?” The dryad returned with her own smile. “I thought you’d be happier to see Master.”

“Of course I’m happier to see Big Sis! But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy seeing you back as well!”

“Alright, that’s enough, Erika,” I said after I climbed the small hill. “Time to start your lesson. You can play with Nysa all you want later.”

As usual, when I’m teaching her, I put on my teacher persona, so I had to be a little sterner with her. Just like when I did it with Hugo all those years ago.

“Yep! You better listen to your big sister alright!” The dryad giggled as she released Erika from her arms. She then turned to face me and said, “You’re using this spot, right? Then I’ll go rest somewhere else.”

And so she left. By burrowing under the ground. Even Erika was no longer phased by that at this point.

Like she had requested, the lesson would be on Water Ball. I began by teaching her the chant for the spell and drawing the shape of the mana flow on the ground. Since it’s a beginner spell, it’s a really simple shape, just a circle with multiple half-circles jutting out of it. The big circle signified the shape of the water the spell was to generate, while the small half-circles signified the element to be generated.

Unfortunately, just like with the Fireball spell, even that level of simplicity was too much for her.

She quickly memorized the chant, but the problem was in her mana shaping process. Something that came second nature to me was a monumental task for the poor girl. Sensing the mana flow she was attempting to control by placing my hand near her wrist, I knew that the problem still persisted. She simply couldn’t keep the shape of her mana consistent. It shook and trembled, with the half-circles moving back and forth and even phasing in and out of existence.

After her thirtieth attempt, with not a single drop of water coming out, she kicked a nearby stone in frustration.

Only for it to land right on somebody else’s head.

“H-hey! What was that for?”

It was Roland, the naughty kid I spoke about before. He wore a white button-up shirt and blue shorts with black suspenders. He had an angelic face, no doubt inherited from his mother. If not for his attitude, he would be one lovable child for sure.

A small redness had appeared on his forehead and his hand was busy rubbing the spot.

“Oh, it’s you,” Erika said in a cold tone. “Go away. I’m learning magic today and I don’t have any time to waste on you.”

I couldn’t help but smirk a little. She put her hands on her waist while giving the grumpiest look possible, but it only made her look even cuter.

As for the boy though, yeah, he should leave.

"Hello there, Miss Marina!" He waved his hand at me with a smile. "You're back! How was it? Did you do anything naughty with Father?"

And here we go again.

You see, this kid actually thinks that I should be his mother, meaning, Reinhard's wife. When we first met, he outright asked "Would you be my mother?" right to my face without skipping a beat.

And then, every time we meet, he would ask the same question, even begging it on a few occasions. I wasn't fooled by his acting however.

I gave him my own cold stare, before replying, "Erika's right. We're in the middle of a lesson here. So please leave."

"Hmm, magic lesson, huh? I wanna watch then!" He sat down on the ground with a grin on his face.

I sighed. I couldn't object to that.

"Fine. But stay out of the way, alright? Magic can be dangerous, you know." I gave him a serious look.

"Alright, Miss Marina!"

And so our lesson continued, with him watching on the sidelines. I gave him the occasional glances, making sure that he wasn’t up to any mischief. I hoped he would just leave from boredom, but to my surprise, he decided to stay. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying our lesson. I don’t know why though. He already said he wanted to be a swordsman like his father, saying stuff like how magic is lame and uncool and all that—all childish and unreasonable reasons. Fitting for a child, I suppose.

Eventually, Erika managed to create her first Water Ball. Only that it was nowhere near the size it’s supposed to.

“Good job!” I patted her shoulder with a smile. “Now you’re getting the hang of it! Keep up your training and in no time, you’d be able to cast it properly for sure!”

"Hey, that's not nice. Lying to your little sister like that."

It was Roland. He had decided to disturb us once again.

He stood up with a jump. "That was lame, Erika. Even I could do better than that."

Naturally, this sent her to a rage.

"You can do better?! You can't even cast magic in the slightest!" She yelled back.

His grin immediately grew wider.

“You don’t believe me? Then let me show you my magic.”

He then reached forward with his right hand, aiming at the tree near us.

“O Spirit of Wind! Sweep my enemies from their feet! Wind Blast!"

A gust of wind fired off from the palm of said hand.

Only that it didn't go towards the tree. Instead, the blast veered towards us.

Lifting the hem of our dresses.

"Oo green! That’s nice, Miss Marina! The red bow is a nice touch as well! As for you, Erika, white panties with bunnies again? That’s boring. Why won’t you wear something different for once?”

When the wind receded, both Erika and I were naturally sending our death glares towards him.

...This little brat! That’s it! I don’t care what Emma says! If I have to be the one to teach him his lesson, then so be it!