It Seems That the Slave Girl Is Actually a Count's Daughter. - Episode 11: Back to the Battlefield

Episode 11: Back to the Battlefield 

After dinner, it was time for a bath. As promised yesterday, Pamela and I would be bathing together from now on. A man doesn’t go back on his word. Well, even if I refused, she would no doubt barge in anyway. While we were at it, I decided to give Shiro a bath too. 

That little guy always tried to dodge bath time, insisting, “Summoned beasts don’t get dirty, so it’s fine!” But from today on, that excuse wouldn’t fly anymore. 

As soon as the bath was filled, I caught Shiro. I secured him firmly in both hands. 

“Huh? Hey, Master, what are you doing!?” 

“We’re taking a bath.” 

“N-No way! I don’t wanna!” 

He flailed his limbs and even kicked me with his hind legs. But I refused to let go. 

Noticing that we were preparing for a bath, Pamela quickly finished getting ready and entered the changing room. 

“El-sama, I shall wash your back.” 

“Oh… Uh, yeah. Thanks.” 

“Master, can’t I just sit this one out—ow! You don’t have to hold me so tight!” 

Realizing that I was dead serious about giving him a bath, Shiro finally gave up struggling. 

Now, it wouldn’t be very gentlemanly to stare while Pamela undressed. So I quickly stripped down and rushed into the bathroom. In an effort to clear my mind, I poured hot water over Shiro. 

“Wait, don’t pour it yet! I wasn’t ready!” 

He whined. But I ignored him and lathered him up with soap, scrubbing away. Before long, dark grime started to surface. 

“Shiro, didn’t you say summoned beasts don’t get dirty?” 

“D-Did I…?” 

He avoided eye contact. Clearly, he had been lying. 

Normally, summoned beasts aren’t kept out all the time—they’re only called forth when needed. The reason Shiro was always around was because he had asked me to keep him out. It seemed he had been concerned about me always being alone. 

I appreciated the thought, but this and that were separate matters. 

“This is a new discovery. If a summoned beast stays materialized, they get dirty. When summoned, they probably appear in a clean state. Meaning… you’ll need to take baths from now on.” 

“B-But I don’t want to interrupt your precious time alone together…” 

“P-Pardon my intrusion.” 

I turned around to see Pamela entering. Her entire body was flushed red. Completely naked, of course. 

Panicking, I grabbed Shiro and turned to face forward. 

“Hold on, Pamela! Let’s calm down first. Take a deep breath and… wrap a towel around yourself.” 

“I-I’m fine as I am!” 

“…Pamela, can you wrap a towel around yourself? Because I’m not fine.” 

Feeling something press against him, Shiro seemed to realize what was going on and sighed in exasperation. 

Good thing Shiro was here—otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to hide my, uh, reaction. 

I heard the sound of fabric rustling behind me. That should be fine now, right? Shiro checked Pamela and nodded at me. Looks like we’re good. 

“Pamela, from now on, always wrap a towel before coming in.” 

“But yesterday—” 

“Yesterday was a surprise attack. Starting today, it’s a no-go.” 

Pamela looked disappointed. But I couldn’t compromise on this. Yesterday had caught me off guard, but today, I was fully conscious. If she pulled something like that again, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep my composure. 

…….…Wait. Could that be her intention!? 

“Well then, El-sama, I shall wash your back.” 

Pamela moved behind me. Doing my best to remain composed, I focused entirely on washing Shiro. 

Shiro looked up at me, clearly annoyed. 

Pamela slowly washed my back. The soft, foamy bubbles were sliding over my skin. 

“Pamela, tomorrow we’ll be hunting Goblins and Wolves. Do you know what kind of monsters they are?” 

“Yes. I’ve seen them in the monster encyclopedia. It said they reproduce quickly and must be exterminated on sight, or they’ll multiply and become a threat.” 

I could hear the slight tremble in her voice. Was she nervous? It seemed the trauma from being attacked by a monster horde was stronger than I had expected. I’d have to be careful when we fought tomorrow. 

“…Correct. You should be fine, then.” 

She had a basic knowledge of monsters. I had considered giving her a lesson after the bath. But it seemed unnecessary. 

As I was thinking that, the sensation on my back changed—it became… softer. 

Shiro noticed my expression shift. He turned to Pamela. 

“Wait, Pamela, what are you doing!?” 

“Huh? Um, Maini-san told me that doing this would make El-sama happy…” 

…That damn slave merchant filled her head with weird ideas! 

But… she’s not wrong. 

What do I do? What do you think, partner?

“Hey, Master, you need to do something to calm her down!” 

“Nah, that’s impossible.” 

“Pamela, that’s enough… I mean, if it’s that embarrassing for you, you don’t have to force yourself, you know!?” 

Shiro was panicking. I couldn’t turn around. But I was sure she was blushing so hard she might as well be breathing fire. 

After that, Pamela tried to wash the front as well. But I politely declined. I didn’t have the courage to go that far yet. 

Once she poured warm water over me to rinse off, we switched places. 

“I’ll wash your back. Here, sit down.” 

“B-But I’m just a slave…” 

“It’s fine, it’s fine. This is an order. While I’m washing your back, make sure to wash your front properly.” 

If I didn’t put it like this, she might just ask me to wash her front too. It’s best to nip that in the bud before it gets out of hand. 

Now that I had calmed down a little, I carefully and gently washed her silky smooth, snow-white back with a towel full of foam. If I rushed and hurt her, that would be a disaster. 

The unexpected softness of her skin made my hands freeze for a moment. Then I snapped back to reality. 

Wait… is it really okay for me to be doing this? No matter how much she likes me, she’s still the daughter of a noble count. Is this really alright? 

“Um, is something wrong?” 

She must have noticed that I had stopped moving. Pamela asked in a worried tone. 

No, no, I can’t make her worry unnecessarily. 

“No, it’s nothing. I was just mesmerized by how beautiful your back is.” 

“H-Huh!? U-Um, well… I-I thought your back was strong and wonderful too, El-sama…” 

Her flustered voice trailed off at the end. What the hell am I even saying? 

“Hey, why don’t you two just get married already?” 

“What are you saying, Shiro?” 

“O-Oh… should we?” 

…What do I do? Pamela turned to look at me with eyes full of anticipation. Her body was also starting to turn toward me. 

This is bad. I quickly turned her back around. 

“Pamela, I truly appreciate your feelings. But marriage is one of the most important decisions in life. It’s not something to decide on a whim. Let’s take our time to get to know each other better. Three months… No, six months. By then, we should be able to make a clear and rational decision.” 

“Yes, I understand, El-sama. I’ll make sure to love you even more by then.” 

Pamela spoke with firm determination. Meanwhile, Shiro’s eyes were practically screaming, “You coward.” 

Yeah… Normally, any man would be all over her like a beast in heat. 

I mean, she’s this beautiful, this adorable, this kind. And on top of that, she has a body that would make a goddess jealous. 

It’d be weird *not* to jump on her. 

But… I want to treasure Pamela. 

I don’t want to just give in to my desires and taint her. 

And it’s not because I’m a virgin. 

It’s definitely not because I lack confidence. 

As I desperately made those excuses in my head, Shiro let out a sigh and shook his head. 

I poured warm water over Pamela. And her glowing, radiant skin was revealed. 

Smooth as silk. What kind of skincare does she even do to get skin this perfect? 

I told Pamela to wrap herself in a towel, and we soaked in the bath together. Naturally, I made Shiro get in too. 

One of the great things about summoned beasts is that they don’t shed fur. 

Otherwise, I would never let him in the bath. 

Shiro hated baths. He quietly clung to the edge of the tub. 

“Hey, Master, isn’t it against the rules to bring a towel into the bath?” 

“It’s fine. This is my house. My house, my rules.” 

“Geez… When are you going to stop being so scared of Pamela being naked? Hey, hey, Er-nes-to is freaking out—!” 

“I-I’m NOT freaking out!” 

Damn it, Shiro! He just says whatever he wants! 

But when Pamela heard our exchange, she giggled sweetly. 

Huh? Normally, I’d be more self-conscious about this. But for some reason, it didn’t bother me as much. 

Yeah… since we have six months to get to know each other, maybe I should stop worrying about appearances and just be my natural self. 

That way, Pamela will see beyond my looks and focus on who I really am. 

And she should do the same. 

We need to truly understand each other. Otherwise, there’s no way we can get married. 

“Pamela, you can laugh as much as you want, you know? You’re not at the count’s estate anymore.” 

“Wha—! El-sama, I am not a noble lady!” 

“Oh, so we’re still keeping up that act?” 

Looks like Pamela still plans to stick to her “You don’t know I’m a noble” routine. 

I have no idea how I should handle this. 

For now… I guess I’ll just pretend not to notice.