"…Sigh…"
Skadi climbed out of bed, intending to get dressed. But when she picked up the silk panties that had fallen to the floor, she noticed the liquid still trailing down her thigh. Her face instantly flushed, and she let out a soft sigh.
"How is there still so much…"
She frowned slightly and cast an unhappy glance toward the bathroom, where the sound of running water could be heard.
"Sorry, sorry. Maybe you should go take a shower first. You're sweating quite a bit." He stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped his arms around Skadi from behind, and coaxed her with a light laugh.
She was just about to voice another complaint, but before she could get a word out, Shiomi sealed her lips with a kiss. Her mind went blank all over again, and by the time they separated, she couldn't manage a single word.
"What were you trying to say?" Shiomi asked.
"…Nothing." Skadi murmured, her cheeks burning.
"The water's ready. You go wash up first. I'll take care of the clothes on the floor." As he spoke, Shiomi lightly pinched her cheek.
She really wanted to protest the way he treated her like a little girl, but her emotions got there before her reason. In the end, she could only head to the bathroom first.
After rinsing off, Skadi sat in the bathtub, lightly hugging herself.
The lingering afterglow of their intimacy, prolonged by Shiomi's tenderness, hadn't completely faded. Even now, she felt strangely light, as though she were floating.
Ever since they'd crossed that line, this man kept finding chances to ask for her again and again. Especially when they were alone like this. One moment they'd be talking about serious matters, and before she realized it, they'd already ended up in bed, with her beneath him, yielding to his affection.
Really… how indecent.
She teased herself quietly in her thoughts, yet a smile had unknowingly formed on her lips.
"What are you thinking about? You look pretty happy," Shiomi's voice sounded.
He turned on the shower and began rinsing himself.
"…Wait, was I actually smiling?" Skadi awkwardly cupped her face, as if checking her expression that way.
"Is that such a big deal? Can't people see a goddess smile?" Shiomi asked.
"That's not what I meant." Skadi denied it, her face reddening. "I just didn't realize I was smiling at all."
Shiomi nodded. "Is that really strange? Anyone smiles when they're happy."
"I know that, it's just… just…" Skadi's gaze drifted to Shiomi's well-built body, and her face heated up again.
It was still hard to say out loud.
She'd been unconsciously savoring what had just happened, especially the parts involving his body. That naturally elegant form, the sensation of her fingertips gliding over smooth, firm, warm skin… there was too much to count.
"Just what?" Shiomi stood by the tub, motioning for her to make room.
Skadi's thoughts were a mess. Acting on reflex, she shifted aside to let Shiomi sit down, then leaned back herself, settling into his embrace.
After realizing just how familiar she'd become with every part of being with him, Skadi gradually stopped overthinking things.
The words that had been circling at her lips finally slipped out.
"I was just thinking about you."
"Really? That makes me happy," Shiomi replied sincerely.
"It's this kind of thing…" Skadi said. "I'm only making casual conversation, yet you always respond so seriously. It honestly gives me a headache."
"Because you're definitely feeling uneasy," Shiomi said. "Especially now, with the situation of Bleaching. All I can do is try my best to make sure you believe that some things won't ever waver."
"Uneasy…" Skadi paused.
There was no avoiding it.
With no homeland left where she could belong, she had followed Odin's prophecy and set out on a journey with a man she had only met two days earlier, heading toward an unknown future.
Skadi, who had long been accustomed to controlling everything as a goddess, couldn't help but feel unsettled by things slipping beyond her grasp.
That was why she kept going to visit the surviving villagers.
—Even though the Valkyries were already watching over them.
Because when she faced them, she could still be the omnipotent goddess she was meant to be.
Of course, that was nothing more than emotional reassurance.
Those children and adults no longer needed Skadi to do anything for them. They had already learned how to live in an unfamiliar environment.
"I didn't think you'd notice even that," she said helplessly.
"When we're alone, your reactions are much more natural than when you're with everyone else. You don't cling to me like someone desperately trying to adapt to a strange place," Shiomi said softly by her ear. "Even someone as dense as me would've noticed by now."
This kind of awkwardness…
"…So that's how it is…" Skadi almost wanted to sink herself into the bathtub, just to escape the fact that her body always revealed her true feelings faster than her mind.
"So, what do you think?" Shiomi asked again.
"Huh?" Skadi didn't immediately understand.
"Are you happy, being with me?" Shiomi asked seriously.
"Happy…" Skadi couldn't answer right away. "That's a bit hard for me to answer. All I can say is… just like you said, I am happy enough. But there are also things that trouble me."
"I see. Then I'm really sorry about that. I'll try to be more careful from now on?"
Shiomi knew exactly what was troubling her, so he could only brush it off with a lighthearted response.
"N-no, that's not necessary…" Skadi said. "I'm already used to it."
"Are you really used to it?" Shiomi rested his chin on her shoulder and asked lightly.
His breath brushed against her ear, and Skadi felt the warmth slowly spreading through her body again. That rich, spring-like feeling flooded her thoughts once more.
After tasting it, it was hard to give up such simple pleasure.
"Let's just forget it, forget it," Skadi hurriedly refused. "My waist is already a bit weak. If we meet the others later, I'll probably get laughed at."
"But you kissed me in front of Artoria just the other day," Shiomi said. "Why didn't you think about a queen's dignity then?"
"That was different," Skadi explained carefully, word by word. "That was something I chose to do myself. I wasn't being led around by you. So no matter how people looked at me, I wouldn't have cared."
Shiomi chuckled. "This so-called dignity of a queen really isn't simple, is it?"
"Exactly. That's how it is. As my husband, you need to remember how much effort I put into this," Skadi nodded.
"But haven't you noticed a problem?" Shiomi said. "Aside from Touko, everyone else is a queen too. And they don't seem to worry about this at all."
Having that fact pointed out, Skadi felt like she'd been poked right where it hurt. Embarrassed, she couldn't come up with any way to justify herself.
Turning around with a mix of shame and irritation, she glared at Shiomi.
"Ah…"
Then, with a hint of punishment in her intent, Skadi pressed her lips against Shiomi's overly talkative mouth, and the two of them sank beneath the surface of the bathwater together.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (100 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.