“Mmnya… Latte is…”
There was Iris, uttering sleep talk with a strangely sorrowful expression on her face.
Slurp.
You’ll get a crooked mouth sleeping like that.
Even though a blanket was laid out, the floor of the workshop was still cold.
Should I wake her up? Or just let her sleep? If I just let her sleep, it might be better to move her to the bedroom…
While pondering internally, Elisha covered her mouth with an exasperated expression.
“Master… how did this happen…?”
“Why are you so surprised? She might just be resting because she’s tired from work.”“Ha, but I’ve never seen her sleeping on the floor when she’s tired! Above all, look at her face! What kind of dream would make her cry….?”
Elisha stomped her feet anxiously.
Maybe it was the vibration that bothered her. Iris also frowned and flailed her arms.
“Uh… you’re a monster…”
“I’m… a monster?”
Elisha looked shocked and stumbled.
“No, it’s just sleep-talking. Don’t be hurt by this. I’m going to move Iris to the bedroom, so step aside for a moment.”
Deciding it was better to let her sleep properly, I picked up Iris along with the blanket.
“Uh-huh.”
She wasn’t very heavy, probably because of her small stature. She fit snugly in my arms.
Wrapped in a blanket, she somewhat resembled a baby. Just as I was about to ascend the stairs…
“Mm… Uh…”
Maybe she was disturbed by the noise. Or perhaps she felt discomfort when I lifted her.
Iris squirmed inside the blanket and then slowly opened her eyes.
“Yaaaawn…”
Her delicate eyelashes rose, revealing her blue, jewel-like eyes.
“…Huh?”
It seemed she wasn’t fully awake yet. Her focus wasn’t clear.
“Awake?”
“Master?”
“I didn’t mean to wake you… Do you want to sleep more? We’ll be at the mansion until tomorrow anyway.”
“Wait a moment. If Master is here, then the others…”
Iris, still half-asleep, hurriedly looked around.
After noticing Carla, Elisha, and Faye, whom she was meeting for the first time, she slowly looked down at herself.
Currently, Iris is wrapped in a blanket, resembling a baby swaddled in a sack.
“Ah.”
Realizing her situation, Iris’s cheeks began to turn red.
It could be embarrassing to be seen asleep, especially in this position.
Moreover, Iris had a bit of a complex about her underdeveloped body.
Iris, who had been stiff, soon took a deep breath with a determined expression.
“Huh!”
Then, like a turtle hiding in its shell, she pulled her limbs and face into the blanket.
Now, the blanket looked like a mere bulging lump, from which faint snoring sounds could be heard.
“Snore… Phew…”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
The snoring was seemingly awkward.
Everyone at the scene looked at each other and nodded silently.
Yep. Let’s pretend we didn’t see this.
Holding the blanket-wrapped bundle, I headed to the parlor.
Pretending not to know about Iris’s earlier state was one thing, but waiting for the now wide-awake Iris to get up seemed inappropriate.
After asking Pamela from the elf family to prepare some simple refreshments, I gently placed my hand on the blanket bundle on my knee.
Squirm.
Perhaps sensing what was to come, the trembling inside the blanket grew.
Of course, that didn’t mean I planned to stop.
Quickly unraveling the rolled-up blanket with rapid hand movements.
“Eek… Eeek!”
Iris inside tried to resist with a squeal, but it was a futile struggle.
By now, my strength stat was 14. Considering the maximum level was 30, that wasn’t a small number.
Maybe I was as strong as a well-trained average person.
Anyway, without using magic, Iris’s slender arms couldn’t do much against this strength.
So, the blanket was easily unwrapped.
As I almost finished unraveling the blanket, Iris suddenly became docile. Wondering if she had given up, I continued.
Rustle. Rustle.
Iris, limp like a deeply sleeping person, breathed rhythmically.
“Aha? Changing tactics?”
“Hey, Yandel! Tactics, you say. Are you suggesting the Master pretended to be asleep after being caught sleeping on the floor from sleep-talking and even showed a vulnerable side, losing the dignity of the eldest? That can’t be! She’s not a child!”
“…….”
Elisha, seemingly trying to save her teacher’s face….
“You are the worst.”
“Me?!”
Yep. Instead of shielding, she hit her with a shield.
“Gah…!”
Look at that. Iris wasn’t sleep-talking. She was curling up on my lap, looking like she might cry with her eyes tightly shut.
Gently extending my index finger towards Iris…
Poke.
“Iris, wake up.”
“Uh…”
A soft moan. Her cheeks sank in, like pressing down on top-grade pudding.
How could someone’s cheeks be this soft and squishy?
After pressing a few more times to savor the feeling, my finger slid to the side.
I was aiming for the nape of her neck.
Tickle. Tickle.
“…Hee!”
As I gently scratched with the tip of my finger, Iris twitched her mouth but still showed no sign of waking up.
…At this point, I was feeling slightly stubborn too.
“You won’t wake up even now? Eh, eh.”
“*Heek! Heehee! Haaah….”*
Despite my fingers’ teasing, Iris squirmed around but stubbornly kept her eyes closed.
Did she miss the perfect timing to wake up, or did she decide to pretend to be asleep till the end?
Anyway, it was clear that tickling wouldn’t wake her up.
Feeling the soft touch of her neck, I sighed deeply.
“Iris. I’ll ask one last time. Won’t you really wake up?”
“Umm… Hmmnya…”
Awkwardly mouthing words, Iris pretended to be sleep-talking to avoid answering.
“There’s no choice. I didn’t want to go this far.”
Slowly moving my fingertips from her nape upwards…
Neck, jawline, lips, cheeks, and ears.
“?!”
Iris began to shiver just from my touch.
Among the already sensitive elves, Iris was particularly sensitive around her ears.
It was obvious what would happen if her ears were targeted now.
Just as I was about to gently caress her ear cartilage…
“Th-that’s enough! Stop it, Master! I’m awake! I’ll get up! Didn’t you say there was someone you would introduce today? Please, anything but the ears…!”
Iris quickly opened her eyes, shaking her head.
Her voice sounded quite desperate. But…
“It’s too late. Calmly surrender your ears!”
“Yikes!”
Tickle. Tickle.
Iris quickly melted away under my touch.
“That’s too much! Really too much, Master!”
“Is it really too much, or is it Iris who asking for it with her whole body?”
“I never did such a thing!”
“How can I resist teasing someone who’s pretending to sleep with clenched teeth?”
“Master… It’s something even a child could endure.”
“Compared to Iris, I might be a child, right?”
“Eek…!”
Iris, unable to find a retort, wiggled her hips in dissatisfaction.
Limited by her Slave Mark, this was the most rebellion she could muster.
Did Iris know? She was still on my lap, and her soft hips kept stimulating me.
I’d like to head straight to the bedroom, but we hadn’t properly greeted Faye yet, our main objective today.
I wrapped my arms around the bouncing Iris’s waist, and with my chin, I pressed down on her small head to keep it still.
Then, smiling, I asked Faye…
“What do you think, Senior Faye? Now you see, Iris isn’t that difficult to get along with, right?”
“Um… She’s rather cute.”
Faye nodded awkwardly. Iris, responding to her reaction, murmured in a pained voice.
“Ugh… Master. I’ll stay still now, so please let me go.”
“Okay.”
Iris let out a sigh and straightened up as I let her go.
“Phew. It’s been a while, my pupil. And Miss Lindelheit too.“
Elisha and Carla nodded lightly in response.
Then, naturally, Iris’s gaze turned to where Faye was.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Iris Sylvan Banatis. If you find it uncomfortable to hear informal speech from a slave, I apologize. But as I only speak this to my master, I cannot afford to use formal speech with others.”
“It’s… it’s okay. You’re much older than me, Iris, and… considering your deep connection with our junior, the accusation of spirit summoning must be a false charge, right…?”
Faye stumbled a bit, but she showed the utmost friendliness she could muster.
It was really heartwarming to see them trying to get along.
Oh, the social skills of Faye were progressing so much.
But Iris, feeling troubled, clenched her mouth shut.
“……”
“Um… Miss Iris?”
“……”
She even avoided eye contact.
It wasn’t surprising. After all, Iris did try to summon a spirit.
It was only an attempt, but she was close to actual summoning, wasn’t she?
Sensing something wasn’t right, Faye asked in a worried voice.
“It’s a false charge… right?”
Eventually, Iris, unable to hold out any longer, sought my help.
“Ma-master. Please help…”
However, this essentially meant admitting her guilt.
Clatter!
“Yikes!”
Faye noisily pushed her chair back, creating distance.
And all Iris could do in response was…
“Hmph.”
…to pout.
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