“Go and eat.”
“I can’t do that. How can I just leave when Mister took care of me when I was sick is now suffering?”
“I’m telling you, I’ll be fine. Just stay still and I’ll get better. I don’t need a massage.”
“You have 15 massage vouchers! They say if you save them, they’ll go to waste! I won’t leave until you use one.”
“…Alright. I’ll use one.”
“Yay!”
Since she was so insistent, I had no choice but to agree.
Using the massage vouchers in such a frivolous way wasn’t part of the plan…
But as Charlotte said, since I have 15, it should be fine to use one as a sample.
Resigned, I sat on the bed and raised my legs, placing them on a chair.
My muscles twitched and spasmed.
An indescribable pain to shoot through my calves.
“Wow, this is really bad. Having a cramp in such slender legs must be extremely painful.”
“…”
Indeed, no matter how you look at it, these aren’t the legs of someone who gets a lot of exercise.
They’re more like the legs of someone who stays cooped up in their room all day.
But recently, I’ve been dragging this body around everywhere, so it’s no wonder I’m having trouble.
Charlotte knelt in front of me.
She rolled up my pants, and carefully placed her hands on my twitching calf muscles.
“Wait a minute.”
“It’s okay. Leave it to me.”
“…Ugh.”
Kwak.
Charlotte firmly grasped my foot and began massaging my muscles.
Her touch was surprisingly skillful.
Had she massaged someone else’s legs before?
I was about to feel a pang of jealousy when she spoke.
“I’ve had a lot of cramps myself, so I know what I’m doing. I run as soon as I get up, then run again right after eating, so I’ve become an expert at dealing with cramps!”
“…”
That’s a relief.
I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
As I felt the cramping in my muscles gradually subside under Charlotte’s strong hands.
I felt a little sad that the pain was subsiding.
“Cramps, cramps, go away! Meow!”
“…What was that?”
“It’s a cramp! If I pretend a cat is coming, it’ll scare the cramp away!”
“…”
That’s an adorable idea.
Charlotte meowing at my calf looked like a wild cat.
Hmm, perhaps too lively to be a cat…
Let’s compromise and call her a playful kitten.
“Thank you. It seems the cramps have all gone now.”
“Hehe. Then, why don’t you lie down for a bit?”
“What?”
“It’s a massage voucher, after all. It’d be a waste to just massage your legs a bit and be done with it.”
This girl has an unexpectedly great sense of service.
Usually, kids give out massage vouchers just to earn a little pocket money, but when it comes time to use them, they’re half-hearted about it.
The fact that all 15 vouchers are for full-body massages is quite cost-effective.
“Then step on my back. My back muscles seem to be knotted.”
“Step on it? Really?”
“Yes.”
“You might die if I step on you…”
“I won’t die, so don’t worry and climb on.”
Does she think she’s that heavy?
Or does she see me as so frail?
After hesitating for a long time, Charlotte finally placed her feet on my back as I lay on the bed.
Wriggle.
I felt her small toes tickling my back.
“Ugh. Gah.”
Press.
Standing on my back with both feet, Charlotte spread her arms to balance herself.
Every time she shifted her weight, the pressure points changed, and my back muscles were kneaded, causing me to groan involuntarily.
Yes, this is it.
Even if I can massage my own arms, I can’t do anything about my back.
If I use all 15 vouchers, I might end up buying more soon.
“Does it hurt?”
“I’m fine. It was just a reflex.”
“Mister, you sound like an old man…”
“…”
Hearing that made me feel an unexpected distance between us.
How many years apart were we again?
Charlotte is 13, and I—no, Aslan—is 21, so there’s an 8-year difference.
At this point, aren’t we like siblings with a big age gap?
But I couldn’t bring myself to tell her to call me ‘brother’.
It would be too embarrassing…
“Is it a bit better now?”
“I’m fully satisfied. You can get down now.”
“Hehe. Then, for the final touch!”
“…?”
Plop.
Charlotte sat down on my back and hugged me tightly.
“…What is this now?”
“The maids said that a hug is the best massage. They said hugging gives you strength.”
“Whose idea was that? I need their name.”
“Why? Are you going to punish them? Then I won’t tell you.”
“…”
Squeeze.
Charlotte’s arms wrapped around me firmly.
A rather strong pressure enveloped my body.
“I can hear your heartbeat like this. Can’t you feel my heartbeat?”
“I can’t feel it.”
“Do you want to put your ear to my chest?”
“…I’ll pass.”
A hug, huh. It’s been a while since I’ve been hugged.
Maybe it’s not entirely a lie that it gives you strength.
After holding me tightly and making little grunting noises for a while, Charlotte finally let go.
“Massage is done! How was it? I’d like you to rate it!”
“It was clumsy and awkward. You did well with the cramp, but when you got on my back, you couldn’t find the knotted muscles at all.”
“Ugh!?”
My skill was just so-so.
Her skills were mediocre. Putting a large cat on my back might have been just as effective.
But the important thing wasn’t the skill.
“But for effort, I’ll give you a 10. Thanks to you, I feel energized. Overall, you get a 9.”
“Yay! So you’ll ask for another massage, right? Right?”
“There are still 14 massage vouchers left. Even if it wasn’t great, I would have used them all anyway.”
“Hehehe.”
Charlotte smiled with satisfaction and carefully climbed off me.
And then, wriggling.
She wiggled her toes, searching for her shoes under the bed.
And then jumped down to put them on.
“I’ll keep today’s events a secret. If Julia hears about you writhing in pain from a cramp, she’ll tease you endlessly.”
Charlotte looked up at me with an excited smile.
A secret, huh.
I didn’t really care if Julia found out about my cramp, but…
“This way, we each have a secret.”
“Indeed. Thanks for keeping it to yourself.”
“Hehe.”
Seeing Charlotte so happy, I decided to keep it a secret willingly.
Sharing secrets makes us feel like close friends.
It feels good to be one step closer to Charlotte’s heart.
“In that case, shall we go buy that doll I promised you today?”
“Yes! Can we go now? I’ll get ready right away… Huh?”
“What is it?”
“There’s someone outside.”
Whoosh.
Charlotte’s expression turned serious as she quickly looked towards the door.
The door was slightly ajar.
She dashed over to check but soon returned, looking disappointed.
“Someone was eavesdropping! I didn’t see their face!”
It was probably one of the maids.
I decided not to worry about it.
But if they overheard this, it would surely be a hot topic among the maids for a while.
‘Why do they keep pairing me with these girls? It’s such a headache.’
It’s not like I wouldn’t want to marry a sweet, cute, and kind girl.
The only reason I put up with this is because they are Yuri’s friends, not anyone else’s. I’m sick of these forced pairings.
.
.
.
“Whoa…”
Awwww.
Peeking through the slightly open door, Julia covered her mouth with her hands.
What was that? Is that supposed to be a massage?
Even a fool would know that’s not a massage!
‘Did a maid teach her? No way…!’
When the maid taught her how to give a massage.
Julia was definitely with Charlotte.
She definitely didn’t hear anything like that!
‘So bold…’
She knew that Charlotte followed the Mister well and liked him.
But she believed without a doubt that it was an act.
That was because, despite Charlotte’s sweet and innocent appearance, she could be incredibly spiteful inside.
She seemed to be nice and friendly to everyone on the outside but harbored deep hatred.
On the inside, Charlotte hates so much.
She thought it applied to Aslan as well…
‘Why is she acting like that!?’
What was happening in the room didn’t look like the behavior of someone who hated Aslan.
Julia watched Charlotte’s actions, feeling unable to look away, even though she covered her eyes with her hands.
Her fingers betrayed her, allowing her to see everything.
“Yes! Can we go now? I’ll get ready right away… Huh?”
“What is it?”
“There’s someone outside.”
“…!”
Whoosh.
Charlotte’s head turned, and she locked eyes with Julia.
In a flash, Charlotte ran to the door.
Julia tried to flee but stumbled and fell as she stood up too quickly.
“Ugh…”
“…!”
Charlotte opened the door.
And then she saw Julia who had fallen.
Charlotte smiled with a relaxed expression, her intentions unknown.
Charlotte glanced behind her, then quietly whispered as she exited the door.
“Don’t worry, Julia. I’ll become the Countess. You always wanted to leave here, didn’t you?”
“Ah…”
“Shh. Quiet. He’ll hear us.”
“…”
Giggle Giggle.
Charlotte giggled softly, then turned around with a serious expression.
“Someone was eavesdropping! I didn’t see their face!”
As the door slammed shut, Julia remained on the floor, frozen.
Julia wanted to get out of here so badly, didn’t she?
That’s right. It’s definitely right…
Julia felt strange and bit her lip.
Her heart tingled and numbed.
