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It’s already been three days since I arrived at Selian’s mansion. Time flies, doesn’t it?

“Then, did you throw away the torn uniform?”

“Why would I keep something that’s torn?”

I wasn’t the one who did that, and the uniform mysteriously changed at some point, so I have no idea, but they must have thrown it away. Who would keep someone else’s ripped uniform?

“No, if it were me…”

“Oh, considering Selian’s personality, she might just mend it and keep using it.”

Despite being the precious daughter of a Marquis and having financial freedom, Selian occasionally shows such thrifty behavior, so it’s entirely plausible.

“Y-yeah! Of course!”

“I should have asked Yuli about it too. If it was only a little torn, she could’ve just mended it instead of tossing it.”

Why didn’t I think of that back then? I don’t really care much about clothes anyway, and if it was just a slight tear, I could have used it without getting it mended.

Maybe Yuli felt sorry for me and gave me a nearly new uniform instead. It makes sense, considering her somewhat timid personality.

But what’s done is done. My original uniform is probably already tossed somewhere in the trash bin.

Even if we meet later, there’s no need to bring up the topic of the uniform. It would be silly for a guy to get all nostalgic about past events, and if I bring it up, Yuli will just feel bad again.

“But Selian?”

“Yes, what is it?”

Selian answered me with an innocent voice from beside me in my room.

“Um… are you going to stay there?”

“Huh?”

I was skirting around the issue while silently issuing an order to Selian. Even though this is my room now, she is still the owner of the house. Such words could easily make her uncomfortable, depending on how she felt.

But I was in a situation where I could say no other way.

“I was sweaty from training earlier, so I’m going to take a shower. Didn’t you sweat too?”

As I conversed with Selian while returning from morning training, I noticed she had naturally followed me into my room.

I only realized after picking up clean underwear that I needed to change before showering.

“Ah… right.”

Selian seemed to realize as she heard my words and spotted the underwear in my hand. However, she stood still, still looking at my underwear, seemingly deep in thought.

“Shower…”

“Selian?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll see you in a bit. I’ll take a shower and change too.”

Only after I called her again did Selian leave my room with quick steps.

After confirming she was finally gone, I went to the changing room, took off my clothes, and tossed them into the laundry basket.

It was a hassle to wash clothes myself at the dormitory, but here in a noble’s mansion, the maids collected them, washed them clean, and returned them, making things much more convenient.

I placed my change of clothes on the other side and entered the shower.

The shower was surprisingly spacious, with a personal bathtub on one side. Of course, I only planned to wash off the sweat, so I had no intention of taking a bath.

Indulging in warm water, a luxury I could never have dreamed of during my assassin days, I reached for the body wash and pumped it a few times.

As I was doing that, I suddenly noticed that the body wash container looked familiar.

It was the same brand I used in the dormitory. The similar bottle beside it turned out to be the same shampoo I had used.

Wow, this is really up to my taste. It’s beyond just being lucky; it’s almost uncanny.

By the way, I distinctly remember that when I bought this shampoo, it was only available in the Felches region. Maybe it was just a lie from a merchant trying to sell more.

After all, when something is labeled as limited edition, even those who weren’t planning to buy may feel tempted.

I originally intended to grab just any shampoo, but I fell for the limited edition hype and chose it.

That said, I have no particular complaints about the product since I liked the scent of the shampoo and have been using it continuously, so I have no intentions of seeking out the merchant to confront them. They were just trying to make a living, so I will let it slide.

While I was checking it out, the water on my wet body began to dry a little.

No more pointless thoughts; it was time to clean my now-familiar body.

*

I stepped out of the changing room, drying my body with a towel. If someone saw me, they might scold me to not make a mess and to dry off properly, but here, I had no one to worry about.

Still, I didn’t want to leave the floor damp, so I tossed the towel on the ground and rubbed it with my foot to wipe it down.

I picked up the towel that had done its job and tossed it into the laundry basket where my earlier underwear and clothes were.

“Hmm?”

But I couldn’t find my underwear and clothes in the laundry basket. One of the maids in charge of laundry must have come and collected them while I was showering. However, I had a question…

“When did she come and go?”

She probably sneaked in to collect them while being considerate.

Still, if she was as stealthy as to not even let me notice her coming and going while I was showering, then she might do well as an assassin rather than a maid.

If the maids in a marquis’s household are this skilled, I wonder if the duchess’s or royal maids would exude an aura of danger at all times.

“Achoo!”

As I stood there in the nude, lost in thought, a chill began to creep up on me.

Normally, my body would be trained to withstand cold, so I wouldn’t catch a cold. But now that I had become a woman, I couldn’t be too sure.

In an impulsive motion, I rubbed my arms and quickly changed into my underwear and clothes.

*

Ding ding…

The grandfather clock standing in one corner of the living room chimed, announcing that it was noon.

“Well?”

Since I let Selian out of my room and showered, of course, she was bound to take longer than me.

Selian also said she would come to my room after showering.

Thus, while waiting, I pulled out one of the books from the shelf to read.

I had gotten so absorbed in the novel that I lost track of time, and before I knew it, it was almost twelve. It had already been over two hours since I finished showering and started reading.

Unlike me, who used to be a man, I knew that women generally took quite a bit longer to wash up and get ready.

But two hours seemed a bit excessive, don’t you think?

Well, since I had a book, I wasn’t worried about getting bored while waiting. Still, I closed the book and stood up.

I knew where Selian’s room was, so instead of just waiting, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go check on her.

I climbed the stairs and paused in front of her door. I knocked cautiously, but there was no answer from inside.

Just to try, I grasped the doorknob and turned it; since this was her house, she wouldn’t have locked it.

Looking around as I entered, Selian was nowhere to be found. Instead, I heard faint sounds of water, indicating she was still in the shower.

As I contemplated waiting for her to finish when suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

What if something happened to her in the shower?

No matter how sturdy Selian was, there was always a chance. She could have suddenly fainted or slipped and hit her head without being able to respond.

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have time to just stand around.

I shifted towards the sound of water and opened the door to the shower room.

Stepping inside the shower room, the sound of water became clearer.

“…”

And I could faintly hear Selian’s voice, humming. Thankfully, it seems she hadn’t fainted during her shower. But just to be safe, I knocked gently on the shower door to check.

Knock knock

“Selian?”

“Ahhh…!?”

I knocked as carefully as I could, yet she clearly hadn’t anticipated anyone coming in while she was showering, and her surprised scream echoed out.

Perceptively, she turned off the shower, leaving only the sound of dripping water.

“Ah! Sorry. It’s me, Elysia.”

“Ely…?”

“I got worried since you took a while to come, so I came to check on you. I thought maybe you fainted in the shower.”

Selian seemed to take a moment to calm herself after being startled, leaving a brief silence before her answer finally came.

“…I-I’m okay…!”

“I was worried there might be something wrong, but I’m glad everything is fine.”

“Yes, really! Ha… I just… feel good after showering and sweating…!”

For some reason, Selian’s voice seemed to tremble, so I tried reaching out with words, but thankfully, it seems she’s okay.

“Really? It’s already been two hours, so let’s wrap it up and go eat.”

“Um… I’ll finish up quickly…! Aah!”

“Huh? Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah! It’s just that… I, um… dropped my shower ball…”

The sound of her washing herself could be heard in the quiet shower room now and then.

Maybe it’s just the thought that there’s a nude Selian on the other side that made her voice sound particularly enticing.

“Then, I’ll head back to my room and wait for you. Come find me once you’re done showering.”

“Okay….”

Since I knew Selian wasn’t facing any issues, there was no need for me to stay here. So I hurriedly stepped out of the dressing room before any more pointless thoughts crossed my mind.

I returned to my room, planning to finish the novel I had started reading, but I simply couldn’t concentrate.

…Maybe I should take a quick restroom break.

*

Selian finally returned about 20 minutes after I went to the bathroom.