Case 48: With her, my most radiant star.

''Mhm...''

When I opened my eyes, the familiar view of my bedroom's ceiling greeted me.

However, I soon realized that I wasn't only being embraced by the warmth of my trusty quilt. Somewhere along my back, someone's arm was seated, holding onto my body intimately.

Following my curiosity, I turned my head to the side, where the human warmth came from.

''...''

I guess it wasn't exactly 'human,' be it figuratively or literally.

My princess's visual was unmatched, perhaps more so than ever. Apparently, I was leaning on her shoulder, so now, I could really admire her gorgeous side profile. Hair flowed down the slightly inclined pillow, reflecting the warm sunlight to form rivers of molten gold. Eyes gutturally red, holding an immense intimidation yet strangely captivating.

And... her fangs—her two protruding fangs that were casually resting on the pink lip pillow, sinking the marshmallow-like flesh. Why were they so... good? I didn't even have a word to describe how attractive they were.

No, I must wake up from this carnal!

''Good morning, Rachael,'' I muttered, hugging her arm into my embrace.

While I was briefly startled by how thin my voice was, Rachael turned from her phone to me with a smile on her face, ''Good morning, my princess.''

Her hand, which was holding my waist, crept up, pulling my head toward her. Then, she kissed me on the forehead—a soft, gentle kiss. I was sure she could feel my rushed heartbeats, which may have explained why her smile grew even brighter afterward.

''...I've meant to ask this before, but won't the fangs get in the way of kissing?''

''They know when to retreat.''

''Huh...''

I supposed her imperial lineage was indeed too potent for some mere vampire instincts.

But aside from that small curiosity, my mood was noticeably good today. I spent some meltingly intimate time with Rachael yesterday, burning through several boxes of condoms almost consecutively. As the princess had promised, she wasn't exactly gentle with me.

Ah, she wasn't violent or anything like that. Just... rough.

Maybe that was why my muscles felt a bit tired. I could probably sleep for a bit more—I should, really.

''Do you want to eat something?'' Rachael asked amidst the wave of drowsiness, combing through my hair with her fingers. ''Having only one meal a day isn't healthy. I'll let you sleep early tonight, so wake up for now.''

''Huh...? One meal?''

''It's two in the afternoon, Cecilia. If you sleep more, the only proper meal you will eat is dinner.''

''...''

So I did sleep adequately, then? I remembered the sun was barely poking up when I fell unconscious. Nonetheless, I should get up. If nothing else, Lyra would get worried.

Seeing that I was the only naked one in this bed, it seemed Rachael had already tidied herself at some point. Knowing that, I took my time stretching under the quilt, then got up and kissed my partner once on the lips.

''Can you call the maid and order something light for me? I'll wash my face in the meanwhile.''

''Sure.''

''Thanks, darling~♥''

Unashamedly, I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, leaving the soon-to-be crown princess of this nation to get me some food. Was this how it felt to hold real power?

''Heheheh...''

Her blushing face was so adorable.

''You don't want to go out? Really?''

''Yes. I need some quiet time after stressing myself over work. If you want to visit somewhere, I'll go as well, but I prefer staying with you in a secluded place.''

''Is that so...''

So it turned out that Rachael wanted to coop up inside instead of going on dates and whatnot. If I were to be honest, that was what I hoped for, too. Outside was still cold, and I wanted to stay with Lyra.

''Just do what you normally do. I'll follow you.'' Rachael added, naturally kissing the back of my hand. ''I want to know more about you.''

''Mhm. Then, will you let me accompany you sometime in the future? I want to know more about you, too.'' I gleefully replied.

''Of course.''

That was a lie. I knew a lot about Rachael already, but... it didn't change the fact that I wanted to stay beside her.

Nevertheless, I proceeded with my afternoon as usual. It wasn't until a few hours later that I grew conscious of my own routine. Simply put, it was boring.

Since there were no video games—the kinds that I liked—I barely touched my phone in the first place. Outside of that, all I did was kill time and wait for Lyra to finish her lessons. I obviously couldn't plan stuff or sneak out when Rachael was here, so it all boiled down to... reading books and playing with the cat, Charcoal Jr.

Reading became awkward because Rachael would keep watching me the whole time, and there were only so many cuddles before the cat grew bored and ran away.

I usually just fell asleep to conserve energy at times like this, but... I didn't want to leave my partner alone. She seemed so intrigued by my existence that I felt inclined to entertain her.

Should I try something else?

''Mhm... I've decided!''

''...?''

''Shall we head to the kitchen?''

So, our next destination was the manor's kitchen. This time around, Mary and Kyrie—Rachael's maid—were also present to supervise rather than just us two.

As I put on the apron and washed my hands, Rachael approached me like a curious animal, ''Are you going to cook something?'' she asked.

''Yes. You can look forward to it.''

''I see.''

With a warm smile that seemed to make Kyrie flinch for some reason, she obediently sat on a chair nearby and kept her eyes on me.

It was a bit nerve-wracking.

Nonetheless, I got to work right away. What I planned to make was some generic cheese castellas. I wasn't lying when I said that I loved cakes—I learned how to bake them, too, even if I was only decent at it.

I didn't know if they had cheese castellas in this world, but they tasted good, so Rachael should love them.

Fortunately, the kitchen had all kinds of ingredients prepared, so I was able to whip up some nice-looking dough to bake quickly. The ingredients—eggs, butter, flour, vanilla extract, cheese, and many more—were all fresh.

Surprisingly, having Lucy here to help with the whipping shenanigans greatly saved my frail wrist. Her strength was no joke, even if she looked goofy.

''Phew...''

After successfully placing the dough inside the oven without accidentally burning myself, I flopped down beside Rachael and took a breather. Then, the princess put her hand on my head and began to caress my hair.

''It smells good.'' She said.

''...I hope so.''

I think this was an eye-opening experience for me. I had been used to taking care of others my whole life, but in Rachael's arms, I felt as though I could act spoiled. It was strangely embarrassing, perhaps because I wasn't used to relying on others.

Yet... I thought it was a good feeling.

So, without any leftover doubts, I leaned into her hand, letting me be myself without having to care for others. In the calm, cozy warmth of the princess, some ten minutes passed by in an instant.

As soon as the oven's timer rang, I put on gloves and took the tray out.

[Ho... that looks so good!]

[It must be delicious! My master's mate is so talented!]

Before the steam could even dissipate, both Lucy and Jin—Rachael's Soul Guardian—flew over, ogling over the beautifully baked castella. I couldn't help but let out a giggle.

Thankfully, I made quite an amount, so we were able to split the chunk into seven equal servings.

...Okay, that was another lie. I obviously took bigger portions for Rachael and Lyra. I let Lucy do the cutting since she was so enthusiastic, by the way.

Still, I think it came out quite nicely. The inside looked melty and delicious. The people in the room seemed to agree, as they looked pleasantly surprised when I handed them their plates.

Oh, but the two maids were flustered because I handed them in the first place, I supposed.

''Ah, we don't...'' Mary trailed off, yet her hands still holding the plate preciously.

''It's fine, it's fine. Can you bring this plate to Lyra, though, Mary? It'll be less delicious if the cheese gets cold later.''

''Gladly!''

After my maid ran off, I smiled and nodded at Kyrie before returning to Rachael. She was staring at the cake in anticipation, so I quickly got a forkful of it and held my hand before her face.

''...''

Without a word, she gently anchored my wrist and took the castella into her mouth. Tension rose as the princess carefully chewed on it, posing an ambiguous expression. Then—

''...It's delicious.''

''Oh, really?''

''Mhm. You're good at this, Cecilia.''

''Heheh... I want to try it, too.''

Taking my hint, Rachael took her own fork and fed me a piece of her cake. It indeed tasted quite good, thanks to the good ingredients, but more than anything... I was so elated that someone like Rachael was by my side at this time.

I felt both flattered and bitter that she seemed so devoted to me.

To me, who was a withering soul, Rachael was akin to a star—a radiant, brilliant star, even among others. At the moment, she was my star.

Perhaps at the end of her story, there would be many more shining stars by her side—so many that someone who wasn't even shining like me would fade to obscurity—but I hoped... she would not forget this insignificant girl even by then.

That was a wishful wish of mine.