Chapter 40: What if were family

Nia and Bena finished their meal with the feeling of sitting next to a ticking bomb.

—”Teacher. Why do men and women take off their clothes when they sleep in bed…?”
—”00 ot…!!”

And the reason for this tension was Elin, whose curiosity switch had been flipped.

“I-I’ll explain it to you later!”

At Nia’s desperate plea, Elin finally suppressed her curiosity.

“Phew…”

“Huaa…”

Dragging the ‘bomb’ with them, Nia and Bena barely made it back to their room.

They sighed in unison.

“So, what does that mean?”

The moment the door closed, Elin repeated her question.

“Uh, um… Well…”

Nia hesitated to answer.

Can I even explain this properly to someone who knows nothing?

That doubt lingered in her mind.

Even though she had received some s*x education,

this was her first time encountering such an explicit book.

She wasn’t in a position to teach someone else with just a few bits of secondhand knowledge.

“Y-you can ask my brother for s*x education later. He’ll explain it well.”

“…You said you’d tell me earlier.”

Elin’s dumb hair flicked back and forth in displeasure.

Her eyes seemed to ask, Then why did you stop me earlier?

“Ah, well… It’s better to get a proper education rather than learning bits and pieces from us. We shouldn’t take away Sir Luke’s role, right?”

Bena cautiously spewed nonsense from the side.

“…Right. Since he’s the teacher, he’ll explain it much better than I would.”

Nia quickly agreed.

Elin looked at them skeptically.

Then, she nodded.

“s*x education… Alright. I’ll ask him later.”

“Yes! But make sure you ask when you’re alone with him, okay? Otherwise, it could be troublesome.”

Nia emphasized it multiple times.

After all, they had ignited Elin’s curiosity and then dumped the responsibility onto Luke.

This was their final act of conscience.

“Phew…”

Finally able to relax, Nia looked out the window.

While they were struggling with this ordeal, the sun had completely set.

“How about we all sleep here together tonight like we mentioned earlier?”

The girls, dressed in their pajamas, chatting softly until they fell asleep…

Nia, who cherished these ordinary moments with friends, wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

“Th-then, how about we bathe together too?”

Bena pushed the suggestion even further.

“That sounds good!”

Nia’s eyes sparkled.

She hadn’t considered that idea.

“We could even scrub each other’s backs. What do you think?”

Wouldn’t this be a great way to grow even closer?

Or so she thought.

“…Bathing? Do we have to do it together?”

Elin didn’t look thrilled.

“Ah… S-sorry. I crossed the line without thinking…”

Bena immediately shrank back, looking dejected.

She was curling up so much, she might end up smaller than Elin at this rate.

“Ah… Maybe she doesn’t want to show her bare skin. Should we bathe separately?”

Realizing her lack of consideration, Nia quickly tried to smooth things over.

Even among girls, some might feel uncomfortable exposing their bodies.

“It’s not that…”

Of course, Elin wasn’t opposed to bathing together.

The issue was her body.

She hesitated.

Slowly, she tugged at her collar and glanced down.

Even on her chest, faint scars remained.

Can I show them this?

At first, she simply disliked how Nia and Bena clung to Luke.

But not anymore.

Nia was a kind older sister who gave her childhood pictures of Luke.

Bena was an amazing friend who could perform puppet shows.

But would they still feel the same if they saw her hideous scars?

What if they looked at her with disgust?

Her worries dragged on.

Elin hesitated before finally looking up.

“…We’re friends, right?”

A sudden question.

“Of course.”

“I-I’d be honored if you think of me that way…!”

No one denied it.

“Then… do friends share secrets with each other?”

Sharing secrets.

If it had been any other time, Nia would have been thrilled by that phrase.

But Elin’s face was far too serious.

“Is something wrong?”

Nia gently held Elin’s hand.

She hadn’t even said much, yet worry overflowed from her amber eyes.

“I-I promise I won’t tell anyone…”

Not that I have anyone to tell, Bena muttered under her breath.

Encouraged by their reactions, Elin took a deep breath.

Then—

She lifted her shirt.

“Elin…?”

“Kyaa! L-lady, why are you suddenly—?!”

Nia was startled, while Bena quickly covered her eyes with her fingers.

Their fuss quickly died down.

“……”
“…”

“I have a lot of these on my body… Isn’t it disgusting?”

The pale skin of her stomach was marred with vivid scars.

The remnants of what Bertein had carved into her.

“They look awful, so… I thought you wouldn’t want to bathe with me.”

Elin trailed off.

Nia was shocked.

She had thought Elin was simply a prodigy, a rising star from the prestigious mage exchange.

Luke’s disciple and a noble from the Bertein Duchy—an exceptional genius.

But to think she had been hiding such terrible scars…

Could it be… she achieved all that because of what happened to her?

Unconsciously, Nia thought of Luke’s face.

Then, she quickly erased the thought.

No. There’s no way my brother would do something like that.

If anything, he would have protected her.

Luke wasn’t the kind of person who would harm a young girl under the guise of discipline.

Then, what had happened to Elin at the duchy…?

Ugh, I don’t know.

She gave up trying to figure it out.

After all, they wouldn’t be able to uncover the culprit now.

And more importantly—

“Disgusting?”

Nia pulled Elin into a hug.

She felt Elin flinch in surprise.

Gently, she patted her fragile back.

“Not disgusting at all. I was just… a little surprised.”

Elin felt even smaller in her arms.

Could she really be just a year younger?

“Do you need help?”

“…Huh?”

“If you’re still suffering from something, I want to help.”

Of course, interfering in Bertein’s affairs was impossible.

Both Nia and Elin knew that.

But just hearing those words meant the world to her.

Elin smiled faintly.

“…Teacher is already helping me a lot.”

“…I see.”

Nia sighed inwardly.

It was a sigh filled with both relief and lingering worry.

She trusted Luke, but…

Even with him around, Elin had still ended up like this.

“M-me too, Lady Elin!”

Bena must have sensed something from Nia’s expression.

She hugged Elin tightly from behind.

“Ugh—”

Elin was suddenly sandwiched between them.

“Everyone has their own struggles… I don’t know what happened to you, but I’m on your side.”

It wasn’t a practical offer of help.

Just emotional support.

But—

It was exactly what Elin had needed for so long.

“…Thank you.”

Surrounded by warmth, she closed her eyes.

And she made a decision.

“I want to bathe with you.”

Nia smiled brightly and led Elin and Bena to the guest bath.

“You can look forward to it. The facilities here are great.”

“I can’t wait to warm up…”

Nia and Bena immediately started undressing.

Elin followed suit—

Then, she froze.

She had seen Bena’s naked body.

With a serious expression, she slowly lowered her gaze.

Flat.

So flat, she could see the top of her feet clearly.

Then, she looked back at Bena.

“…You were hiding something incredible.”

They were the same age.

Yet somehow, there was such a massive difference.

If this was still the growth phase, how could she even make an excuse…?