[Alterisa's POV]

A few days have passed since I unintentionally hurt Marianne sama during our spar for our practical magic class.

Since then, I've been checking in on her to make sure she's fine, and fortunately, she seemed okay.

She also seemed very happy, or maybe, too happy when she met me. It seems like she loves Eden's exclusive care package and has used them daily since she received them. Her skin looks super bright and her hair seemed more voluminous since we met.

I'm glad she's doing fine... But I guess I should hold back even more during spars and only let loose when I'm fighting Alex or the guys.

I've learned my lesson...

Strangely though, I've been hearing rumors about how caring I was... Did someone try to cover up for me? Was it Alex? Or was it Lu-nii? Or... One of the girls?"

I'm not sure why, but because of that, I've been looked at by a lot of people with soft, fawning gazes...

I feel like I'm a rabbit in a pet shop...

"Hah..."

Well, at least Marianne-sama is fine now, and because of the incident, we've become closer in just a few days.

I'm so happy to have such a gentle and kind girl as a friend~ She has an absolutely adorable personality, and her mature appearance only made her even more endearing!

And apparently, Marianne-sama's mother, Countess Anastasia von Elysium, is also a big fan of Eden. So I plan on sending her some samples of our newly released products~

Fufufu~ I hope she likes it.

I took a sip of my tea and let out a deep sigh.

It was a nice clear day this weekend, so I asked Anne, Maria-chan, and Iris to reserve a table in the courtyard so we could enjoy a nice morning tea together. Though, half way through, Alex and Lu-nii saw me in the courtyard and asked if they could join.

It's been a while since we could hang out like this because we've all been super busy with preparing for the annual tournament. So I let them join after promising my two cute maids and cool knight that we'll have our tea in my room later on this afternoon.

It's a shame though. I wanted Anne, Maria-chan, and Iris to also enjoy this nice breeze while drinking tea.

I arched my back slightly as I took in a lungful of the nice morning breeze. But then, I felt my chest tightened.

"Nnghh..."

"Hm? What's wrong, Risa?"

Sitting on my left, Alex, who had been chatting with Lu-nii, stopped and turned to me when he noticed my slight discomfort. Lu-nii, who was sitting on my right, also turned to look.

"Mm... It's nothing... It's just..."

"It's just...?"

I let out a deep sigh as I shook my head. Then I cupped my breasts and lifted them up slightly.

"Lately, my underwear has been a bit tight... Especially my bra..."

I've been noticing it recently since I felt the added weight on my chest when I'm training, but I didn't expect them to grow this fast.

This must be mom's genes going to work~! Fufufu~

"R-Risa?! W-W-What are you saying?!"

"Hah... You shouldn't do that kind of thing, Risa... Especially in front of men..."

Alex suddenly yelled in a rare moment of outburst, his face blushing super red. While Lu-nii simply sighed and looked away in disappointment.

"What? But why? I'm proud of them!!! Look, I'm almost as big as my mom!!! If they continue to grow at this rate, I might overcome her when I enter my second year!!!"

Seriously! As a washboard in my previous life, I'm super proud of them! Yes, having them does bring its own share of problems, including the fact that they're super tough on my shoulders and that it's super hard to find bras that'd fit them. But they're still my babies!!! I love them!!! It's something I'm proud for!!!

These guys just don't understand... My pride goes beyond shame and shyness. They're marvelous, and I'm proud to say it.

But still...

"Hah... Seems like I need to buy a new brassiere to keep these babies from moving around too much when I move around, especially since the tournament is coming up."

Although I love them, there'll still be a lot of trouble if my bra just snaps in the middle of battle.

These babies are super heavy, so they might make me fall and lose my balance without proper support. If they do, it might lead to my defeat in the tournament... And I'm planning on winning it!

Alex continued to took a sip of his tea, averting his face from me, while Lu-nii approached me and bonked me on the head.

"...Just stop doing that for now. No matter if you're okay with it or not, you're making us uncomfortable."

"Muuh... Fine. Anne, can you help me call Erya-sama, the seamstress who often makes casual clothes and underwear mom and I usually wear? Help me make an appointment with her for tomorrow afternoon. I'll go to her shop to get measured for several new pieces of bra and panties."

"I understand, Alterisa-sama. It shall be done."

"Thank you~"

"Alterisa-sama, in the meantime, shall I give you a shoulder massage to help ease your tensions?"

"Really~? Thank you, Maria-chan~ That would be wonderful~"

"Of course~"

"M-My lady, I can help massage your feet as well!"

"Fufufu~ Thank you very much, Iris. Then, I'll happily take on your offer~"

"Yes!!!"

Mmm~ If I just ignore these two guys, it still feels like a nice outing with Anne, Maria-chan, and Iris~ This is so great~

Thus, since Alex was still out of it for some reason, I chatted with Maria-chan and Iris, while Anne was called out by Lu-nii and they began whispering.

"Please make sure Risa doesn't act that way in front of others... Especially her male friends."

"Of course, young master. I shall tell Maria and Iris the same."

"Good. I'll be counting on you."

They looked pretty serious... I wonder what they're talking about...

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

[3rd Person POV]

After a nice morning tea together, Alterisa returned to her dorm to train her magic with Fubuki before having a late lunch with the girls in a few hours.

And when she left, Alex and Lucas stayed seated at the table for a while. Lucas took a sip of his tea calmly with closed eyes, before he opened them to see Alexus still covering his redly blushing face with his hands.

"...She's gone. You can let it go now."

"...Lucas. How is the etiquette education in your household...?"

"You've asked this many times before and my answer hasn't changed. She's just special."

"...Is she also doing that kind of thing in front of other people?"

"Doing what?"

Alex looked up with a glare as Lucas smirked teasingly at him.

"You know what I mean."

"Oh? If it's about her flaunting her figure, then she has only done it to family members, her closest aides, his girl friends, and you."

"I see..."

A sigh of relief escaped Alexus' lips as he brought down his hands from his face and took a sip of his tea to calm his nerves.

"Are you relieved to know that she doesn't do it to other men?"

"Of course I am... But I truly wish she won't do such a thing so suddenly to me as well... I do not want to be the first crown prince to have ever gotten a heart attack because his crown princess flaunted her chest to him."

"Heh, that might be fun in itself. You don't have to worry. You know about her healing magic, right? As long as she's with you, you won't need to fear even a heart attack."

"That's besides the point, Lucas!"

Lucas let out a hearty laugh as he watched Alexus slowly becoming more and more flustered. From how red and flustered he was, Lucas could tell that Alexus was still imagining Alterisa's figure as she lifted her chest up and down in front of him before.

"Ahahahaha! I know, I know. I was just messing with you. But really, there's no need for you to worry. She's not the kind of girl who would do that kind of thing in front of anyone."

"...I know. But... Just the thought of it made me... jealous. And I had to confirm the truth. Though, I'm still concerned about her doing it to her girl friends... You know they "love" her more than just friends."

"Some of them, yes. Evelyn is a prime example of a girl who truly loves her not only as a friend. And she has been emboldened in her pursuit thanks to those books."

"Seriously... Just who wrote those books... Are they purposefully trying to give those girls encouragement?"

Lucas smiled silently and took another sip of his tea. He couldn't help but muse about what would be Alexus' reaction if he found out that his own little sister was the one who wrote them.

"They're not all that bad. Most would simply look at it as a love story. And those who found out about their real interest would be saved from the hassle that might turn ugly if they found out once they're already married, especially those in nobility."

"I know... There have been several cases in the past where nobles couldn't love their partner because of their sexuality and ended up in an... ugly relationship without even knowing why. It's good that awareness of these differences in sexuality is spread. It'll save everyone from much trouble, just like you say. But..."

"Don't worry, Alterisa loves male. She acts this way because she truly treasures her friends. There's no need for you to worry that she'll end up marrying another girl."

"I see..."

Alexus leaned back to his chair and looked up into the sky. A small weight seemed to have been lifted up from his chest after he listened to his best friend's words. Though, he still needed to be on guard against the many male flies that had been buzzing around her too much.

After all, if she were to leave him... he might lose his reason for living.

She has been his world ever since he met her. And to lose her would be similar to losing his happiness...

He had came to love her so much... So much...

"Well, work harder to capture her heart, future little brother-in-law. And take care of her. Else, she might run away to a place you can't reach."

"I will... She's the love of my life. I will bring her all the happiness in the world so she won't even want to leave my side."

"Good. If you ever cross those words... Well, let's just say Lily and I together can bring you and everyone in this kingdom together. You won't even have anywhere to run."

A chill traveled down his spine as Alex slowly looked back down towards Lucas. He had a courteous smile, but his gaze was simply spine chilling. And the weight of his words, although spoken casually, was enough to crush a common man to the ground.

But in face of such blatant threat, Alexus smiled calmly, for he had no reason to be afraid.

"I'll be the first to punish myself if I ever cross those words, Lucas."





AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please vote and comment your thoughts~!