Chapter 32: An Unexpected Bath

The flames died down.

Princess Amelia emerged from the makeshift shelter, rubbing her eyes.

She rustled around for a moment.

Then stretched her arms high above her head and yawned widely.

It was a very casual demeanor for a princess.

But it was exactly how Amelia acted in the game.

So, it didn’t strike Evrys as odd.

What did catch her attention was the princess’s face.

She looked exhausted, despite having slept for a while.

‘…Well, no matter how carefree someone is…’

‘It’s unlikely they’d sleep soundly in this environment.’

Amelia brushed some leaves from her hair.

She stood for a moment, looking dazed.

Then her eyes widened as she noticed Evrys.

Her voice, still thick with sleep, was low.

It wasn’t unpleasant.

And thanks to the original voice actress, it had a slightly androgynous quality.

“…Did you not sleep at all?”

“I woke up a bit early.”

“Hmm.”

Amelia made a disbelieving sound.

She reached for her pack.

Then turned back to Evrys.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

Amelia grumbled in response.

Then dragged the pack over to Evrys and handed it to her.

‘…She could have just left me to eat on my own.’

‘What if it gets a hole in it?’

“You need more than one or two, right?”

‘They’re all mine anyway…’

Evrys didn’t voice her thoughts.

She wasn’t one to create an awkward atmosphere unnecessarily.

She munched on a piece of fruit.

Replenishing her fluids and sugar.

Beside her, Amelia began to eat, the sound of crunching fruit filling the air.

When the pack was about half empty, the sounds stopped.

Amelia seemed to have had her fill.

She cleared her throat.

Her voice, no longer thick with sleep, was normal again.

“Um.”

Evrys looked over, a piece of fruit in her mouth.

Amelia seemed hesitant, fidgeting slightly.

“What is it?”

‘Did she discover something?’

Amelia began to speak.

“How long are we going to keep calling each other ‘you’?”

‘Is that important?’

‘There’s no one else around.’

“I told you to call me ‘Your Highness’ only in front of others.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Amelia twirled a strand of green hair around her finger.

Then pouted.

“We’re going to be working together.

It’s too awkward.”

Sharp words escaped Evrys’s lips before she could stop them.

“You seem to lack awareness that you dragged me here unilaterally.”

“…I’m really sorry about that.”

Evrys immediately regretted her harsh words.

After all, she had chosen to come here.

It was like taking her frustration out on Amelia.

She apologized to Amelia.

Who looked down, her face full of remorse.

The atmosphere had become awkward.

And it was Evrys’s fault.

‘…It is my fault.’

To ease the tension, Evrys extended an olive branch.

“Call me White.”

“That’s not your real name, is it?”

‘…Yours isn’t either.’

“Then… call me Evrys.”

As if the awkwardness had never existed, Amelia’s face brightened.

She began to smile again.

“Okay! You can call me Amelia, too. Or if it’s too long, you can call me by a nickname—”

“…I don’t like that.”

“I guess I got a little too excited.”

Amelia stood up, looking slightly disappointed.

Evrys followed suit.

She checked the sword on her back and picked up her belongings.

“Let’s get moving.”

“Are we leaving these behind?”

Amelia pointed to the temporary shelter.

“We can make another one.”

“It seems like a waste.”

“Would Your Highness like to carry it then?”

“Let’s go.”

Apparently, it wasn’t that precious to her.

Amelia started walking with renewed energy.

‘She’ll get tired soon enough, even with all that energy.’

Unlike the previous day, Amelia began chattering.

As if their shared experience had brought them closer.

‘Won’t she get tired quickly if she talks too much?’

‘Still, it’s better than uncomfortable silence.’

“Back then, I—”

‘Perhaps she hopes I’ll remember something or figure out a solution by listening to her story.’

‘Otherwise, she wouldn’t bother bringing up her experiences from her previous lives.’

Honestly…

Evrys wanted to say, ‘I already know all of this.’

Perhaps because these were situations she’d experienced in the game.

But a strange sense of deja vu washed over her.

‘I know this from the game, right?’

She felt like she was on the verge of remembering something more.

But nothing specific came to mind.

“Evrys! I hear water up ahead.”

Amelia’s voice broke through Evrys’s thoughts.

‘Well, it can’t be anything special.’

Evrys turned her head towards the direction Amelia indicated.

She could definitely hear the sound of flowing water.

They pushed through the trees.

And indeed, there was a stream.

It was a bit small to be called a river.

But it was fairly deep.

The water looked clear and clean enough to drink.

‘There’s nothing to use as a water bottle…’

‘So, it’ll have to do for now.’

Amelia seemed to have a different idea.

She cupped her hands, tasted the water.

Then turned to Evrys with a bright smile.

“Evrys, we can wash up today!”

“…Huh?”

‘Why did she taste the water…?’

“We don’t know when we’ll find water again! Let’s wash up while we can.”

Maintaining hygiene was important.

So, Amelia wasn’t wrong…

But it hadn’t been that long since they’d ended up in the forest.

‘It’s probably because she slept on the ground.’

Amelia wasn’t exactly filthy.

But she definitely looked a little dirty.

Evrys sniffed herself, wondering if she smelled.

She didn’t notice any unpleasant odors.

Since she hadn’t slept on the ground.

She was relatively cleaner compared to Amelia.

“I feel like I’m the only one who got dirty.”

“…It’s probably your imagination. Anyway, you have a point.”

Evrys put down her belongings and cut down a small tree.

“What are you doing?”

“We’ll need something to dry ourselves with. Even if we use our clothes, we’ll still need to dry them.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

“So, you wash up first. I need to build a fire and a drying rack.”

Amelia didn’t reply.

But Evrys assumed she understood and continued with her task.

She built a fire, just like the previous night.

And constructed a makeshift drying rack nearby, just big enough for their clothes.

It felt strange to be living in the wilderness like this.

After a life of barely lifting a finger.

‘But… is it relaxing?’

‘I don’t know.’

When she finished, she looked around.

Amelia was still standing there, covered in dirt and leaves.

“Aren’t you going to wash up?”

“I was waiting for you.”

“…Why?”

“I can’t undress myself.”

“Ah.”

“And I didn’t feel right about letting you do all the work while I washed up.”

“…I told you not to worry about it.”

“Anyway. Could you help me undress first?”

Amelia turned her back to Evrys and tilted her head slightly.

The sword at Evrys’s side kept her emotions in check…

But still…

“Is something wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m coming.”

Evrys approached Amelia.

She stretched out her arm, barely reaching Amelia’s shoulder.

Brushing aside Amelia’s green hair.

She started to unfasten her clothes.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to ask Amelia to bend down.

Recalling how Lena had helped her dress.

Evrys carefully undressed the princess.

‘…That sounds a bit suggestive.’

Evrys had no ulterior motives.

She was simply helping Amelia undress because she wanted to wash up.

If anyone was to blame.

It was whoever designed these complicated clothes.

With a rustling sound.

Amelia’s white skin began to peek through.

Evrys checked that her sword was secure.

Then continued undressing Amelia.

Finally.

Amelia stood before her, completely unclothed.

Evrys quickly turned away.

‘…No matter the circumstances…’

‘It still feels wrong to look at a naked woman.’

“Thank you. I feel so much better now that I’m undressed.”

Amelia seemed remarkably unfazed by being naked in the forest.

‘Is this the mentality of someone who’s lived multiple lives?’

‘Or is it just her personality?’

Evrys heard the rustling of grass.

She assumed Amelia was heading to the stream.

But the sound grew closer.

Amelia’s hand landed on Evrys’s shoulder.

“Wh-what?”

“We’re both women. What are you so shy about?”

“…I just don’t enjoy looking at naked people.”

“Well, that’s fine. But let’s wash up together.”

Amelia started to unbutton Evrys’s shirt.

Evrys grabbed her hand.

“We need to prepare before we go in…”

“That’s why I waited. And wouldn’t it be more efficient to check each other’s backs while we wash?”

Evrys couldn’t think of a good excuse to refuse.

If only there were some dangerous animals or monsters around.

But she hadn’t seen any since yesterday.

“Fine, but go in first…”

“Should I take my sword off, too? There aren’t any cleaning tools, and it won’t be good for it to get wet.”

“…”

‘I should have suggested just drinking some water and moving on.’