--King's castle, audience hall.

　On this day, there was a big event being held in the capital.
　The reason for the visit of the fifth prince of the empire was the rumor of his engagement to Her Highness Princess Lilac.

　A rumor can be effective just by being there.

　In fact, the former chairman of some merchants' association has taken advantage of it to reap the benefits of the buzz, and is now taking advantage of the opportunity to sell products related to the Imperial Kingdom at a discounted price just short of what is reasonable.

　Let's leave aside for the moment the thought that she could have chosen either the price hike or the discount.

　In fact, the Orba Chamber of Commerce was in charge of the wholesale of the merchant corps from the Imperial Kingdom, and there were no complaints from the other merchant corps.

　This was a testament to the power of the Orba Chamber of Commerce and the skill of the shifters who placed all the blame on the death of Beatrix M. Orba.

　Aside from that, the Royal Castle was the audience hall.

　At the center of the conversation where the famous nobles had finished their greetings, the Fifth Prince himself, along with the elderly man behind him, faced the king with dignity.

Thank you for inviting me.
No, no, no, thank you. Thank you for coming all the way from so far away.

　His Majesty, who nodded his head in a good-natured manner, was in fact a man who gave off the impression of being somewhat tired.

　So be it.
　He had joined forces with one of the factions and tried to do something against the others, but the project had failed. His diplomacy was far from successful, and his subjects' trust in him was already low.

　Fortunately, it seems that his daughter still believes in him.

　However, he could not afford to disappoint her any further, as she was touted as a potential vassal in his reign.

　The king was exhausted from all of this heartache.

　And that's why.


"The guest I cared for most was a fighter in the Colosseum.

I wonder what the Colosseum is like. I was very interested in the Colosseum, and I was told about it in my bedtime stories, and I'm sure it had a strong influence on me today.


　I remembered it well.

　A bedtime story. When I heard the word "bedtime story," I rushed to ask her who she was talking about.

　But she just kept quiet. And the people around her were so concerned about Lilac that they didn't open up. The majority of the people around her did not know anything about it.
　--The fact that this was a microcosm of the current power relationship between the princess and the king was put aside for the moment.

　The king decided that if his reign was in jeopardy, he might as well get a solid, mature man as his son-in-law.

　It was the king's decision to do so that led to this incident.


　He smiled at Lilac and introduced the fifth prince of the kingdom.

"Lilac. Say hello to him.
"Yes, Father.

　With a beautiful bow, Lilac turned to the young man in front of her.

"I am Princess Lilac M. Fangini. Please make my acquaintance.
"This is beautiful. I'm surprised to see you're as beautiful as they say. My name is Barrier Reef. Barrier Reef F. Christ. Pleasure to meet you.

　He smiled and Lilac's eyes met his.

　At that moment, Lilac sensed something small and narrowed her eyes.


　--I thought I'd just send him away. I thought I'd just send him away, but he might be trouble. And...
















　--Futa's private quarters at the Royal Castle.


"It's about to get cold, isn't it?

　Futa's breath was faintly white as he casually muttered.
　The fireplace, which has so far been an ornament, is about to be turned on, and the cloths on the beds and sofas have been replaced with thicker ones.

　The floor of the room is covered with a soft carpet, and the walls are decorated with furs, making no compromise on heat insulation.

　The couches and beds are covered with heated pumice stones.

...... Isn't that a bit much?
It's cold!
It's not even the middle of the cold season yet. ......
It's cold!
Well, ......, let's get out of bed for now.
It's cold!
Yeah. ......

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.

　It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your money.

　However, her characteristic maid's uniform was not visible, and she was still wrapped in Futa's blanket and resisting.

If you move your body, it might warm up a little.
That's what adults always say!　They don't know anything about the maids!
What's the protest movement all about?
Samurai rebellion.
They're turning the country upside down. ......

　If it's that cold, Futa thought to himself.

Isn't there such a thing as a winter maid's uniform?
You know, the kind where you can store heated pumice stones all over your clothes?
Do you work out?

　It would have been easier to say "pumice stone.

He's all fur and feathers?
Is he wild?

　It was not going to be a maid's uniform any more.

After all, she'll be able to move around in bed.


"How far would you go to be lazy, maid? ......
"Mmm. Then why don't you make a suggestion, Futa-sama?
I think so.

　Cross your arms.
　Maid goods that won't get cold.

　Her clothes are not too revealing to begin with. But since she's still cold, I guess she needs some kind of additional element to keep her warm.

I've been thinking about this.
Huh?
Warmth inevitably goes out. We can't do anything about the cold outside.
Hmm?
So, eating and drinking warm food is the best way to keep warm, right?

　Futa is a person who has spent two years without proper shelter.
　It's not that he's used to it, but the wisdom he's learned is the importance of having food.

　It's not as if wearing fur will keep you warm in a snowstorm.
　However, as long as the core of the body was warm, the fur would keep it warm, and they could make it through the cold season.

　But as long as your core is warm, you can keep it warm with your fur.

...... eat and drink hot food, work as a maid.
"Oh, really?

　That's certainly not possible.
　I'm not sure I can do that.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

"......
"Oh, Corona?

　"Corona?
　She crawled out from under the blankets and shivered like a puppy as soon as she got off the bed.
　She then prepared the firewood for the fireplace with her familiar movements and walked quickly out.

"...... mute.

　Futa was taken aback, but he was still sweating after his workout.
　It's rather hot in this room.

　At any rate, he decided to sweat it out in the shower room provided in the room.










　This room, given to Futa as his private room, is basically a studio.
　However, it was equipped with a closet room for changing clothes and a shower room, just like a hotel suite.

　There is no kitchen, but there is a girl who brings you your meals. I didn't need it.

　No, I didn't.

"Hmm.

　The first thing Futa felt when he came back to his room after taking a shower and changing clothes was a strange warmth.

　The first thing he felt was a strange warmth.

"Oh!

　The aroma of rich pomodoro (tomato).
　A maid's dress cowering on her knees in front of the fireplace.
　The sound of something simmering is pleasant to the ears, but because the windows are closed with fur curtains, the only light in the room is from the fireplace.

　It also made me feel as if the maid was spending the night on a trip alone.

　In a room full of people.

"What are you doing?
"Heh. It's warm. The sky, the uncertainty, the taste of pomodoro...
Don't travel in a man's room.
Who's that?　The maid's not shady, she's just a traveler. You'll have to excuse me tonight.
We're not in the middle of nowhere.
Zzz....... Come on, sit down. It's a nice starry sky.
Yeah, ......?

　I have no choice but to sit down next to Corona. Even though I was a little uncomfortable sitting down directly on the carpet, I had just changed it.
　As she sat down, she opened the hanging pot she had made in the fireplace, took out the warm, thickened pomodoro soup inside, and served it to Huta in a small bowl.

It'll warm you up to the bone. Forget about all the complicated stuff. See?
Why are you so hard-boiled ......?

　Futa's eyes widened as he sipped the soup.
　It was, of course, surprisingly delicious.
　The fine texture of the onions and the aromatic flavor of the garlic. And above all, the pomodoro (tomato) that envelops all of it.

　The warmth of these ingredients thickening together and passing from your tongue to your throat and then into your stomach will certainly give you a great sense of comfort under the cold weather.

　This is a room...

How's it going?
It's good, but...

　It's good, isn't it?　I was annoyed at his satisfied expression, as if to say, "Isn't it good? I should stroke his cheek again.

"I'll do my best tomorrow. Don't you think so?
Even though it's only noon.


"The stars are shining brightly for the maid's tomorrow.
What do you mean, "stars in the sky"?

　There was a lot of star graffiti on the ceiling.

　A lot of stars with faces and tongues sticking out of them.
　It's almost horrifying.

It's okay, though.

　I wondered what the girl had been doing while I was taking a shower.

　Futa tasted his soup, and exhaled a sigh of relief.
　Futa asked.

"Are you having fun?

　We were so close that our shoulders touched.
　She looked up at Futa and said with a smile on her face, abandoning the pseudo-hard-boiled look she had just given him.

"It's so much fun!
"I see.

　Well, okay then.

　The two of you are sitting in front of the fireplace, eating a hot meal.

　I couldn't help but feel that I was forgetting something...



"Master Futa. Master Wind-Earthnote is here to see you.
"Meido.

　That's right!　I'm sure you've heard of it, but I'm not sure what it is.

　The room was unusually warm and smelled of pomodoro (tomato), and the attendant seemed to want to say something, but that was about it.

　With an unusually fast transition, Corona exchanged a few words with the attendant.

"Futa-sama, Futa-sama, Futa-sama!
"Yes, yes, what is it?
Can I let our guest through?
Yes.

　It smells like pomodoro (tomato).

　Futa nodded, and the attendant retreated a little.

　I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but it's a good idea.

"Wow, that smells good!

　It was his daughter, Luli Earthnote.