Chapter 60

***

"Princess... Princess..."

"Mmm..."

Gently patted on the back, Claudia rubbed her forehead against Noah's chest.

"The bed is ready. Princess, please rest here."

"...No..."

Being willful and unreasonable was more fun than she had imagined in her previous life. Claudia clung tightly to Noah, deliberately making things difficult for the butler.

"I want to sleep in Noah's arms. ...Noah should sleep in the futon..."

"I cannot use the princess's bed."

"......"

With her face buried in Noah's chest, Claudia silently chanted a spell.

The magic was simple, a physical spell to push Noah towards the bed.

"Ugh..."

Noah, unable to resist, stumbled backward and sank into the sea of sheets with Claudia.

"Princess!"

"This is Noah's futon. My futon is Noah..."

"Damn... When you're extremely sleepy, you say incomprehensible things...!"

Noah protested in a bitter voice, asking her to correct this habit. Claudia, lying on top of Noah, mumbled.

"Pretending to be childish is quite tiring... Ah..."

"Wouldn't it be better to behave normally?"

Noah said this, but it was a legitimate strategy.

By acting extremely childish, the other party would underestimate her.

Being seen as weak and insignificant was convenient for Claudia.

When she explained this before, Noah had a dubious look and said, "You're just enjoying playing 'child's play.'"

(Noah is a good and capable boy, so he understands his master very well.)

Eventually, Noah sighed in resignation and relaxed his body, which he had been trying to get up from.

"Prince Lewis has an older brother, it seems."

Noah must have had questions after hearing the earlier conversation.

"When he came to investigate Clingate, the people all praised Prince Lewis. No one mentioned the older prince."

"Mmm..."

"Perhaps the throne was given to the more capable prince among the heirs."

Noah seemed to have some thoughts, perhaps recalling his father and his brothers.

Claudia, dozing on top of Noah, yawned and asked.

"Karlheinz...?"

"Right now, a message has arrived."

A floating, glowing message entered through the guest room window. Noah caught it with his hand and read the words projected on his palm.

"The investigation results. —The older prince's name is Stuart. He has been mostly confined to his room for about eight years and rarely goes outside now. He is eighteen years old."

The first princess in this country fell into a coma eight years ago. If the older prince is eighteen, he would have been old enough to remember the incident.

"What will you do, Princess?"

"Mmm..."

Claudia opened her eyes and blinked slowly.

"Ah... I'm finally waking up."

She sat up on Noah's stomach, rubbing her eyes, and said,

"I'm finally awake."

"That's a relief. If I may, could you please get off me—..."

"Okay, here I go..."

With a light thud, a sound echoed.

A burst of high-level magic enveloped Claudia and Noah, obscuring their forms. The smoke cleared quickly, but Noah's expression was frozen.

"Wh...?"

It was probably because Claudia had transformed into her adult form.

She appeared to be about sixteen, with long, slender limbs. Her chest was full, her waist was slim, and her lower body was soft and curved.

Her milk tea-colored hair was lustrous, reaching down to her waist. Her double eyelids were large and wide, and her small lips were rose-colored. The dress she wore was a mature, lacey black.

Her own form was reflected in Noah's obsidian eyes.

"...Princess..."

Noah, who had a serious expression, was also in his adult form, around eighteen years old.

As a young man, Noah's features were even more rugged. He was very tall, with broad shoulders and a solid build.

Even with Claudia sitting on his stomach, he showed no signs of discomfort. Instead, he made a very bitter face and said,

"Are you planning something mischievous again?"

"Oh, that's hurtful."

Claudia, placing her right hand next to Noah's face and looking down, smiled while tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I am the reincarnation of a legendary witch, after all. My thoughts are always mischievous. Being in a child's form is inconvenient; if I'm found, my true identity will be revealed immediately."

Noah sighed, pressing the back of his hand to his eyes.

"...You really are..."

"Hehehe..."

Claudia grabbed Noah's wrist and looked at the words floating in his palm.

Below Karlheinz's message was a floor plan of the castle that he had apparently investigated.

"Come on, Noah, let's go."

"..."

Noah, with a slightly sullen expression, sat up using only his abdominal muscles and grabbed Claudia's wrist firmly.

"As you command, Princess."

Then, the teleportation magic activated.

In the next instant, Claudia blinked at the sensation of the new place on her skin.