Chapter 165: Sleeping with Beautiful Girls
And so… the curtain fell on the first day of the Demon Realm Development.
Rest returned with commendable results and entered the tent assigned to him, where he would finally rest.
Though it was called a tent, the size given to Rest, being a Count, was comparable to a modest studio apartment. Inside, there was a bed and a table. It was more akin to glamping than mere camping.
“But… there’s only one bed,” he muttered.
“Um… is it cramped, Rest-sama?”
“No… it’s not cramped.”
Rest replied absentmindedly to Primula’s voice, which came from right beside him. The bed was spacious enough for him to stretch his arms without issue, but with four people lying down, it felt rather snug. Alongside Rest were Viola and Primula, who had come to support him, and Yuri, who had unexpectedly joined them.
The warmth of their bodies pressed against him was palpable, accompanied by the scent of floral perfume and a hint of sweat. And despite his best efforts to ignore it, he could feel the softness of their forms.
(We’re all human, yet… why does the sensation of bodies differ so much between men and women?)
Perhaps women’s bodies were made of marshmallows… such foolish thoughts drifted into his mind, gaining an unsettling sense of reality.
“…It’s been a while since I slept next to Rest. It feels refreshing,” Viola said from his right.
The rapid beating of her heart against his arm indicated her excitement over this rare situation.
“It’s… a strange feeling. It’s like being outside, yet not really outside. My heart is racing…”
Primula chimed in from his left, her heartbeat slightly faster than Viola’s. Her body temperature felt a bit elevated, and the sensation of her chest against him was undeniable.
“Cough, cough…!”
“Are you alright, Rest?”
“Did something happen, Rest-sama?”
“No… it’s nothing. Maybe the air is just a bit dry…”
Rest shook off his distracting thoughts and resorted to the cliché of counting prime numbers in his head.
“There’s a water pitcher, right? Should I get it?”
From beyond Viola, Yuri’s voice reached him. Since there was one person between them, at least their bodies weren’t touching.
He felt a sense of relief, but unlike his fiancées, Yuri was merely a classmate—a friend. Sharing a bed with her felt oddly sinful.
(If Marquis Cattleya were to see this situation… Haha, that wouldn’t be funny at all. I’d be killed…)
His excitement cooled slightly at the thought. If he were to touch Yuri, it would be as if the Grim Reaper had placed its scythe at his throat. While the father of the Rosemary Sisters also doted on his daughters, Marquis Cattleya’s affection was of a different kind. He had heard that he cherished his daughters so much that he kept them confined within the mansion, practically under house arrest. If word of this situation reached him, Rest could only imagine the consequences.
“Hehe… this is kind of fun. I’m really excited. Just sleeping with friends feels like we’re doing something terribly wrong,” Yuri said, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm.
Viola let out a light sigh at her words.
“Yuri… please don’t do anything reckless, like getting into a man’s bed when we’re not around. There are plenty of bad men in the world.”
“Yuri-san tends to be careless… I worry she might give the wrong impression,” Primula added, echoing her sister’s concern.
“I know Yuri-san is very strong, but there are men who deceive and harm women. You shouldn’t trust them too easily, okay?”
“Yeah… you’re right. I’ll be careful.”
Yuri accepted the Rosemary Sisters’ advice surprisingly readily.
“Just the other day, I was tricked by my father and brother and ended up locked away… I’ll be cautious about trusting people’s words.”
“Oh… I heard something like that happened.”
“Yeah. I was told to return because the nursemaid was suddenly ill, but when I got back, she was perfectly fine. I ended up locked in a room and had to half-kill a soldier and my brother to escape.”
“I-I see…”
“What a family you have… My mother is quite something too.”
“The Cattleya Marquis family is a renowned family of warriors… Their circumstances must be unique.”
Rest and the Rosemary Sisters exchanged glances, their expressions tightening at the mention of the Cattleya family’s harrowing circumstances.
“I’ve decided I won’t return to the Cattleya Marquis family, no matter what happens! I must fulfill my mother’s last wish!”
“Your mother’s last wish… What’s that about?”
Rest asked, intrigued, but Yuri fell silent.
“…Yuri?”
“…It’s a secret. I’ll tell you someday, Rest.”
“……?”
There was an unusual lilt in Yuri’s voice that Rest had never heard before. While he pondered this, he made a concerted effort to ignore the presence and sensations of the three girls around him, and somehow, he drifted off to sleep.