Taking Off Her Boots

Before he knew it, the concert was only a few days away.

Between his regular work, helping Queen Tianis, and managing the event, time flew by at an incredible pace.

The central plaza where the performance would take place already had a makeshift stage set up, ready for the instruments to be brought in and played.

There had been a proposal to add budget for a more extravagant setup since royalty would be participating, but he'd deliberately kept things modest.

Parts of the Royal Capital were still being rebuilt, and they couldn't afford to spend precious funds on something like this.

There was also the possibility that some people might think the royals were prioritizing this kind of thing over their citizens' needs.

Everyone was working hard to make this a fun event, and he didn't want it to be tarnished by something avoidable.

The kingdom's restructuring had put the so-called Tianis faction in power, but there were still nobles who weren't pleased with that.

He hadn't been able to listen to much of Azu and the others' practice in the final stretch. They came home exhausted every day, so it seemed they were pushing hard as the performance approached.

It didn't need to be professional quality.

Even just being able to play all the way through, the effort Azu and the others put in over a month of dedicated practice would move people's hearts.

With Chancellor Anatia and Princess Yupe also performing, they should be able to comfort the people of the Royal Capital who were still carrying on with reconstruction amid uncertainty.

One day, everyone except Alexia came home and went straight to bed after their baths.

The fatigue must have been building up.

"Everyone's asleep already."

"You must be tired too. Why not get some rest, Alexia?"

"Hmm, I'm tired, but I'm not really in the mood for that."

He'd assumed she was just waiting for the bath, but even after Orleans, the last one in, came out, Alexia made no move to go in.

She spent a while just relaxing.

Alexia sank deep into the sofa and rested her right arm on the armrest.

Then she placed her right hand against her cheek and quietly looked his way.

Her well-defined features, unsmiling, gave her the appearance of a somewhat cold beauty.

It was an expression he didn't often see from her.

She was surprisingly expressive most of the time, and the type who got excited and started enjoying herself in the heat of battle.

"Hey, I'm tired, so would you take off my boots? Master?"

She lazily swung the tip of her crossed leg back and forth.

Looking at her mouth, the corner was slightly upturned.

It seemed she was enjoying this time alone together.

He'd known she had a playful side, but… maybe she was being a bit spoiled right now.

She hadn't had a chance to move her body lately with all the instrument practice, and stress seemed to have built up.

He'd play along and let her blow off some steam.

He put on an exaggerated air of formality and bowed with reverence.

"Yes, yes, princess."

"One 'yes' is enough. And since I actually know a real princess, being called that makes me a bit self-conscious."

Alexia giggled.

Her serious face was beautiful too, but a smile suited her better.

"Technically speaking, wouldn't your lineage make you a princess, Alexia?"

"'Technically' is unnecessary. Like I've said before, my family didn't have that kind of luxury, so I never lived anything close to a noble's life. I only studied piano briefly when I was little… I'm hardly a princess."

She'd been captured and made a slave, and her house had been dissolved, so she was a former noble at best, she added.

Compared to how she used to be, she seemed much more at peace with it, her expression staying bright.

He moved to Alexia's feet and knelt before her.

Then, as if handling something precious, he gently placed his hands on her right lace-up boot.

He slowly loosened the laces and worked them free.

When his hand brushed against her thigh through her knee-high socks, she let out a breath, perhaps ticklish.

"Mm."

Just hearing it stirred something in him.

He gently pulled the boot away, easing it off her right foot.

A leg wrapped in black knee-high socks emerged.

He set the removed boot on the floor.

Perhaps her body heat had transferred to it. It felt faintly warm.

Alexia switched legs so the left was on top, making it easier for him to remove.

Given his angle, the change in position left her underwear plainly visible beneath her skirt.

When he looked up at her face, suspecting she'd done it on purpose, she seemed even more amused than before.

She was definitely teasing him.

Saying his heart wasn't racing would be a lie, but he'd seen Alexia naked plenty of times.

He wasn't about to let it show.

"Come on, you're no fun if you don't get flustered."

"We've known each other long enough. This much won't do it."

"True. I thought it would be a short relationship at first, but look how long it's been."

"You really gave me trouble at the start. Azu was at a loss too. I even spanked you as discipline."

"That was supposed to be discipline? I honestly thought you were just enjoying yourself…"

He didn't deny it.

Her behind had a wonderful firmness, and the feel of it was exquisite.

If he did it to Azu or Orleans, they wouldn't refuse, but he'd feel a twinge of guilt. With Elza, he had a feeling it wouldn't end there.

Finn… he didn't even want to think about what she'd do in return.

In other words, Alexia was the easiest target.

"I don't mind, really. I am a slave, after all. Even if you wanted to go further, I wouldn't—"

She pressed her still-booted left foot against his cheek.

That was surely her way of saying hurry up and take it off.

He obliged and began removing the boot.

Time felt like it was crawling. The only sound reaching his ears was the rustle of laces being undone.

Alexia watched him without looking away.

Her eyes, he thought, looked slightly moist.

He pulled off the left boot.

"The socks too, please. They're so tight they're uncomfortable."

He touched Alexia's left leg.

Reaching the top of her knee-high sock, he gripped the band and rolled it down bit by bit.

Perhaps from sweat, the fabric felt ever so slightly damp.

Once he'd removed everything, her bare left leg lay exposed.

Like a finely crafted, smooth work of art, the kind you'd want to keep touching forever.

She switched legs again.

Without a word, he reached for the right knee-high sock and rolled it down.

… He could hear his own heartbeat.

At least, that was how it felt, his pulse pounding that hard.

The moment he finished removing the right sock and their eyes met, a sound came from the staircase.

"Are you two still up?"

Azu came down the stairs, yawning.

She must have been thirsty. She walked right past them to the kitchen and drank some water.

The atmosphere from moments ago had completely vanished.

"I'm going to take a bath and turn in… Shall we go to the room after?"

"The performance is coming up. Get to bed early."

His heart had been pounding quite a bit.