Staring intently at the pristine white cream piled on the silver fork, I saw Claudia scoop up the cream with her fork and smear it onto her own hand.
Wasting precious cream on her fingertips?
"What are you doing?!"
Unable to bear Claudia's outrageous act, I opened my mouth to protest—just as Claudia's slender, long finger, coated in cream, slipped inside.
The sweetness touching my tongue made me instinctively lick it, and as the rich flavor of the cream spread, Claudia's finger delved deeper into my mouth, smearing the cream over my tongue as if painting it.
Savoring the savory, rich taste of the cream and feeling Claudia's body warmth in my mouth, I grew slightly dazed before snapping back to my senses and pushing her hand away.
Claudia's hand, offering no resistance, withdrew, and a long, silvery thread resembling the fork's gleam stretched between her fingertip and my mouth.
"...What are you suddenly doing?"
"You asked me to show you its original purpose, so I did."
"What kind of nonsense is that...?"
As I waved the stretching thread, growing increasingly flustered, I vaguely realized what Claudia meant by its "other purpose."
Feeling deeply ashamed for figuring it out myself, I hung my head low, and Claudia's laughter echoed in my ears.
"Why are you so embarrassed?"
"...Shut up."
The thought that I was the only one being teased left me in a foul mood.
I picked up the fork, scooped a small amount of Claudia's cake, and smeared it onto my hand. Then, I immediately shoved it into Claudia's mouth.
The sensation of my index finger being enveloped by her warm, slightly rough tongue made me flinch. Far from panicking, she sucked on my finger as if licking a lollipop, forcing me to hastily pull my hand away.
The bizarre feeling left me slightly breathless.
Feeling as though I was the only one at a disadvantage, I took out a handkerchief and wiped my finger.
Just then, Cecil's voice chimed in.
"Lady Asha."
"...Yes?"
Cecil slid her portion of the cake toward me and asked,
"Could you feed me too?"
"Ah, no... That's not what this is..."
Her innocent question was accompanied by a tilt of her head, her abundant silver hair swaying.
"Isn't it feeding?"
...But saying it wasn't feeding would also sound strange.
If not feeding, what should I call it?
A quasi-sexual act...?
I shook my head inwardly and sighed.
In the end, I scooped some of Cecil's cake with the fork, smeared it onto my finger, and placed it into her mouth.
This time, I felt the sensation of Cecil's soft tongue.
A body temperature higher than Claudia's.
Cecil sucked strongly, as if determined to lick every last bit clean.
She showed no signs of rolling her tongue or anything like Claudia did, so why did these strange thoughts keep surfacing?
'...Maybe I'm just tired.'
Isn't there a saying that men's libido increases when they're tired?
Even though my body is now female, my mind is still male, so perhaps it's only natural.
Cooling my gradually warming face, I pulled my finger out.
It was spotlessly clean.
She had eaten it so thoroughly that my finger practically gleamed.
Wiping my finger with the handkerchief again, I cautiously asked Cecil,
"...Wouldn't it be better to use a fork instead of your finger?"
"I prefer it when Lady Asha feeds me!"
"W-well... Then I'll feed you with a fork from now on, so let's not do the finger thing anymore."
Cecil smiled brightly and nodded.
'...Thank goodness.'
I was worried she might insist on being fed by hand, but... it turned out to be an unfounded fear.
Come to think of it, Cecil was a good kid who listened when spoken to.
In fact, that was precisely why I hesitated to send her off alone.
'What if she gets tricked by bad people?'
As I gazed at her with concern, Cecil widened her eyes and asked why I was looking at her that way.
"It's nothing."
I patted her fluffy hair, cut a piece of cake, and fed it to her. She laughed happily, saying it was delicious, her face beaming.
I smiled back warmly, and from beside me, Claudia spoke in a sulky tone.
"I always think this, but you're way too soft on her."
Turning my head, I saw Claudia pouting, a fork clenched between her lips.
Seeing her cheeks, adorably puffed up compared to her ample chest, made me chuckle softly.
Perhaps it was because I was seeing the innocent side of someone who usually acted mischievously.
Clearing my throat as my eyes narrowed, I retorted,
"...Not really?"
Claudia snorted as if she'd heard the funniest thing in the world and pursed her lips.
As the atmosphere grew slightly awkward, I felt a bit sheepish.
Was it because Claudia was showing a hint of disappointment, an emotion she rarely expressed?
My mood felt... strange.
As I stiffened slightly, Claudia giggled and whispered in my ear.
"But it seems you're not completely oblivious."
Her hot breath branded my ear, and each word of her heated voice etched itself vividly into my mind.
Startled, I pushed Claudia's face away, but unlike when I pushed her hand earlier, she moved away slowly, gradually.
I could feel her hot breath between my fingers.
A sticky sensation emanated from Claudia's gestures, movements, and voice.
It felt as if a viscous thread was tightly wrapping around my body.
It struck me anew that her claim of targeting me was no joke.
'...Why is she targeting me?'
But the moment I considered asking, I felt as though there would be no turning back, and I lacked the courage to question Claudia about her reasons.
It felt like an act akin to bringing scissors to the thread.
Avoiding Claudia's gaze with effort, I glanced to the side and saw Cecil.
She had already pulled her chair next to mine and was clinging closely.
'...Come to think of it, Cecil said she loves me...'
I recalled the first time I met Cecil.
She called me... Mother.
So, the love Cecil feels must be... the kind of love one feels for a parent.
...That must be it, without a doubt.
Somehow, my mood felt unsettled.
It was because, after setting aside thoughts of returning to my original body, all sorts of random thoughts flooded in.
Veronica's goodwill... meeting my Master after several years.
And Claire's peculiar demeanor, also after years apart.
Unexpected encounters with the Princesses, whom I never intended to get involved with.
Since my body changed, there have been so many events and meetings.
If I had to decide whether it was good or bad, I'd say I don't dislike it...
Yet, a part of me kept feeling uneasy.
'If I return to my original self, will everything go back to how it was before?'
I hadn't seriously considered this.
To be honest, I was too preoccupied with thoughts of returning to have time for such reflections.
Though these connections existed before... it's true that they began to change rapidly after my body transformed.
Perhaps that's why.
When surrounded by people.
I sometimes wonder if I don't have to go back.
'...Was I actually lonely for people?'
I thought I knew myself well, but it seems I don't understand myself as much as I believed.
Perhaps having these thoughts itself is an effect of my body changing.
Shaking my head to dispel the strange thoughts filling my mind, I recalled what my Master had said and stuffed cake into my mouth.
'...I am myself.'
Seeing me suddenly inhale the cake, Claudia and Cecil looked surprised, but I paid no mind and swallowed it.
The cake, which had already tasted delicious just from the cream, was truly delightful.
The rich, savory flavor of the milk was impressive.
Pushing aside all complicated thoughts with the cake's sweetness.
I returned to the mansion with the two people, who were looking at me with bewildered expressions, and the packaged cake.
I gave the cake to my Master, and since Veronica was asleep, I asked the kitchen to store it for her.
After eating the dinner prepared by the servants and lying in bed, strange thoughts kept surfacing, so I draped on an outer garment and stepped outside the mansion.
Heading toward the back, I saw the sandy beach that had first caught my eye when I arrived here.
'...Should I go?'
Since this entire area belongs to the Caltz... that is, Veronica's family, there shouldn't be any issues.
Just in case, I asked a servant working at the mansion if it was alright to go out for a while, and they readily nodded.
Gazing at the sky and the distant, rolling sea, I made my way to the sandy beach.
Walking absentmindedly, accompanied by the soft crunch of sand underfoot.
Watching the seawater surge and crash against the rocks reminded me of what happened not long ago.
...My trembling body.
Just imagining it made my body shiver, and I pinched my arm lightly.
'...Something's definitely off.'
Of course, 'that act' wasn't... unpleasant, but every time it happens, I feel like something inside me keeps changing, which makes me hesitant.
Especially when something large stirs within.
I shook my head vigorously.
I came out for a walk to avoid strange thoughts, yet they keep surfacing.
Just recalling that brief moment made me feel the dampness of my underwear.
"...How absurd."
Sighing, I sat on a rock and took in the moonlit sea.
The moon hanging in the sky felt lofty, but its reflection in the sea swayed and distorted chaotically.
'...How peculiar.'
As I listened to the sound of seawater rushing toward the sandy beach.
I sensed someone approaching.
Slowly turning my head, a familiar silhouette came into view.
Silver hair fluttering in the wind, glowing mysteriously under the moonlight.
Her pale skin seemed slightly wan, but her face, flushed with warmth, radiated a gentle heat.
Meeting my gaze, she smiled brightly and came running over.
"Lady Asha!"
There was no need to ask who it was—it was Cecil.
As I patted Cecil, who had thrown herself into my arms.
Suddenly.
A little.
No.
Very much.
Impulsively, I asked a question.
Author's Note (Afterword)
A virgin?
I noticed that if a work itself is rated 19+, there's no need to worry about the level of explicitness.
So... I've decided to remove the filtering.
Starting next time.