Exchange

I never imagined I could become lovers with the miss.

Even in dreams, I wouldn’t dare think this way…

And honestly, even now, it doesn’t feel real.

If I had to say why…

“Ailena, pour me a cup of tea.”

“Yes, Miss.”

—Our daily life has hardly changed at all.

Basically, I still take care of the miss; whatever she asks, I do… it’s the same master-servant relationship as always.

…Shouldn’t lovers do things that create more of that sweet-and-sour atmosphere?

Like holding hands, hugging, feeding each other, and kissing?

…Hm? Why does it seem we’ve done all that?

Just as I fell into confusion, the miss set down her documents and extended her hand to me.

“Ailena, come here—let me hug you.”

Yes! This is it! Something lovers do…

Hm, we’ve actually done it many times already.

…Could it be that from long ago, we’ve been in a lover-like relationship?

Lost in thought, I unconsciously sat in the miss’s lap.

The miss hugged me from behind, burying her entire face in my ponytail.

“Sniff—Haa~ Ailena smells so nice.”

“That’s the scent of soap, Miss.”

I said helplessly.

“And if anything, the fragrance on you is much nicer.”

The miss carried a faint, classical, and elegant aroma like black tea.

Hearing this, the miss rested her head on my shoulder, her tone laced with amusement:

“Do you like it, Ailena?”

“…!”

This intimate act… or perhaps that word made my heart skip a beat.

“—My scent~”

…My scent?

She actually said… scent…

Warm breath brushed my neck; even without looking, I knew it was flushed red.

Feeling a bit unwilling to lose, I countered:

“…I like everything about you, Miss.”

But unexpectedly, the miss remained unfazed…

“Is that so~ Then what’s your favorite part of me? By the way, I love your silver hair the most.”

I turned my head slightly, gazing at the miss.

My eyes naturally fell on her jade-like emerald pupils.

“If I must say, it’s your eyes, Miss.”

“Eh? But everyone else says my gaze is fierce.”

“Maybe a little…”

After all, as a villainess noble lady, having a somewhat intimidating face is normal.

“But after seeing it more, it doesn’t feel fierce—in fact, it’s kind of cute~”

Like those cats that puff up; even if they bristle, they’re still just kittens.

“Ngh…”

The miss turned her head slightly away.

Was she shy? So cute.

“B-By the way, Ailena, you seemed troubled earlier?”

She even noticed that?

Since she saw through me… no need to hide it.

“Actually… Miss, I’ve been wondering if we really count as lovers now.”

“Hm? Why wouldn’t we?”

“Well… look, what we’re doing now isn’t much different from before, right?”

If there’s a difference, it’s that before I hugged the miss, and now she hugs me.

…Honestly, being hugged by someone younger makes my mind resist a bit, but my body is very honest.

“It just feels like what we’re doing lacks that lover’s flavor, so I have this illusion we’re not lovers.”

“Is that so…”

The miss released me, cupping her chin thoughtfully.

“Hm… then let’s do some things lovers would do.”

?

“…Like what?”

“For example… role swap!”

…

“Ngh… this outfit really makes it hard to calm down…”

At the miss’s request, I had changed into a formal gown.

The miss, meanwhile, wore my usual maid uniform and tied her hair into a high ponytail.

This look on the miss was quite rare, making me feel intrigued.

.

“Come on, Ailena—breathe in, suck in your stomach.”

…Due to the gown’s design, I couldn’t dress alone, so the miss actually helped me into it.

Though a bit embarrassing, after the beach experience, my resistance seemed much higher… not to the point of blushing till blood dripped like before.

Because my reactions during dressing were too bland, the miss even seemed dissatisfied.

More than that… the miss can help someone dress in a gown now?

She used to struggle even with her own clothes…

Unknowingly, she’s become so mature, so capable. A touch of sentimentality.

“It suits you perfectly! Ailena!”

The gown the miss chose for me was a black off-shoulder dress; though it exposed a bit of chest, most was covered by ruffles, with a high slit on the right leg side to accentuate length… the design was somewhat simple but not plain.

…Hm, no matter how you look, much better than the previous bikini swimsuit.

.

However, what puzzled me was…

“Miss… I’ve been curious since before—how do you know my measurements? I’ve never told you my body stats.”

Preparing clothes in advance aside… she’s done that before.

But maid uniforms or swimsuits only need rough sizes or adjustable ones, fine—but a gown requiring precise body data for tailoring couldn’t fit so perfectly without exact measurements.

…Of course, by directly tou— no, of course by eye measurement. By the way, Ailena, your three measurements from top to bottom are ni…

“Miss! Don’t say it in such detail!”

I stopped the miss, face red.

The follow-up topic was too embarrassing; I even forgot to retort about eye-measuring body stats…

“More than that, Ailena—did you forget today’s theme?”

“Hm… role swap?”

“Yes~ Today you’re the miss, and I’m your maid… so, don’t call me ‘Miss’ anymore—call me ‘Katarina’ directly.”

“Uh…”

Straight to nickname? The difficulty is a bit high for me.

Feeling shy, I instinctively wanted to touch my ponytail, only to find nothing behind my head…

But we’ve become lovers; using nicknames should be perfectly normal.

This step must be taken eventually!

Resolving myself, I spoke:

“Mi— no, Katarina…”

Despite mustering courage, my voice unconsciously softened at the end…

“Yes! I’m here, Miss~”

Yet even so, the miss beamed joyfully.

In high spirits, the miss took my hand and seated me at the vanity.

“Now then, Miss~ Let me curl your hair~”

Isn’t that a curling iron?

…No need to ask; it must be Margaret’s invention.

She really comes up with useful little gadgets.

Feeling my hair stretched by the curler, I thought this.

But… is this how the miss usually feels?

From the mirror, I could see the miss humming a tune, smiling as she styled my hair.

It felt like I understood the miss a little more.