Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 338: Getting Lightheaded
The servants began washing Fabienne’s body, so I hastily escaped into the bathtub. They were likely acting as usual, but I wanted them to be mindful of my presence in the bathroom today.
I caught a glimpse, but that’s not good. This is entirely different from seeing my sister-in-law’s abundant assets before.
Back then, I did feel like I saw something I shouldn’t have, but this time, it’s on another level. I must not look. The guilt is overwhelming.
“Julius-sama, is something the matter?”
I heard the splash of someone entering the bath behind me. Not just one person—multiple people. The servants must have come in together as well.
Should I turn around or not? No, I have to turn around, right?
“Uh, I was just lost in thought.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“…”
A towel! What happened to the towel? Why did she remove the towel before getting into the bath? Sure, it’s common courtesy not to bring a towel into the bathwater, but didn’t I tell them to leave it on?
She’s covering herself with both hands, but that somehow makes it worse. It’s drawing more attention.
Stay calm. I can do this. Just keep the conversation going. Neutral topics—stick to neutral topics.
“I was thinking about making the door to the alchemy room close automatically.”
“Is that something you can do?”
“I won’t know until I try, but it might go something like this…”
I casually moved to Fabienne’s side. Good, from this angle, I can’t see anything unless I deliberately look. Calm down. Keep your composure.
“With this approach, it might close automatically.”
“And to prevent fingers from getting caught, should I make it stop once it’s about this wide?”
I demonstrated by holding my thumb and index finger apart, about five centimeters. If it closes slowly from that point, the risk of injury should be minimal. Maybe I could use a spring instead of a weight.
“You’re even considering safety. As expected of you.”
Fabienne smiled warmly at me, her expression full of delight. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, probably due to improved circulation from the bath. The fact that she looked a bit alluring must be my imagination. It has to be.
“Sometimes it’s nice to share a bath like this, side by side. But what do you think Father and Mother would say if they found us like this?”
I tried to gently imply, “Maybe we should avoid this in the future.” However, it seemed Fabienne didn’t catch my meaning. She tilted her head in confusion. Why…?
“That’s strange, isn’t it? Sister-in-law Daniela said it was perfectly fine because she’s never been told otherwise.”
Ah, I see. So Alex-niisan and sister-in-law Daniela bathe together with some regularity. In that case, does Cain-niisan also bathe with sister-in-law Mika?
If that’s the norm, then maybe it would indeed be odd for us not to bathe together… Wait, is it really odd?
“Um, so, does that mean it’s okay for us to bathe together?”
“Yes, there’s no problem at all.”
It seems that, in the Heine Frontier family, women generally hold more authority. It’s practically a family tradition at this point. If that’s the way things are, I have no choice but to follow suit. I can’t afford to stand out as the odd one out.
From there, we chatted about things like where we might go once the snow melts and the kinds of books we’ve been reading.
Now that I think about it, I usually talk to Fabienne about magical potions, but conversations like this are rare. Maybe that’s why Fabienne invited me to the bath this time.
I really need to reflect on this. Magical potions are important, but I can’t let myself become a man who’s only about that.
I had Fabienne leave the bath first. That way, we wouldn’t end up exiting together. By the time Nero reported that Fabienne had reached the salon from the changing room, I was already feeling lightheaded from the heat.
“Julius-sama, you shouldn’t push yourself. If it’s that difficult, you should leave the bath together next time.”
“I hear you, but it’s not that simple.”
“I understand your feelings all too well. However, wouldn’t it be better than getting sick?”
“All right. I’ll be more careful next time.”
The truth is, the best solution would be not to bathe together at all, but I don’t think I can say that. What should I do? If only I could enter the bath fully clothed… Wait, fully clothed in the bath?
“A swimsuit! If I make a swimsuit, it’ll solve everything. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?”
“Julius-sama?”
“Nero, swimsuits! Swimsuits!”
“…Huh?”
Nero looked confused, but that didn’t matter to me. I’m going to make swimsuits, Nero! When else would I use my Sewing and Thread Creation skills? The time is now!
As I tried to wobble my way back to my room, Nero stopped me. Instead, he dragged me straight to the salon, where Fabienne was waiting.
“Julius-sama! What happened to you?”
“Well… it seems I got lightheaded in the bath…”
Nero explained my predicament to Fabienne, looking awkward as he did so. Unfortunately, I was leaning on Nero for support. I wasn’t quite as helpless as a newborn fawn, but I probably looked like an old man with a bad back.
“Oh my! Could this possibly be… my fault?”
“Fabienne, no, it’s not your fault! I was lost in thought while in the bath. Please don’t make that face like you’re about to cry!”
Seeing tears welling up in Fabienne’s eyes, I hurriedly wiped them away with my index finger. This wasn’t good—I couldn’t let Fabienne feel guilty over this. She’s an important guest the Heine Frontier family went out of their way to host, and, more importantly, she’s my precious fiancée.
“I was just thinking… if we had something like this, we could bathe together without worry.”
When I mentioned swimsuits, both Fabienne and Nero looked utterly shocked. It seemed the idea of entering a bath fully clothed had never crossed their minds.
For them, bathing was something you did after removing your clothes. The concept of clothing specifically designed to be worn in the bath was entirely foreign.