It's happening again... His embrace... is so... reassuring.
Crusch could feel her heart accelerating uncontrollably, the blood rushing to the tips of her ears, bringing with it waves of heat. As the head of the Karsten house, she should have immediately broken free and felt ashamed of such an improper act. But her body, as if defying her reason, remained still for three seconds, simply to feel this fleeting, reassuring warmth for a moment longer.
"Are you alright, Miss Crusch?" Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but ask with concern.
"I am fine." Crusch instantly composed herself, her face returning to its usual calmness. "Thank you for your assistance. You may let go now, if you please."
Only then did Natsuki Subaru realize his hand was still on Crusch's slender waist, and he quickly let go.
"Subaru-kun! Lady Crusch!" Rem ran over, looking between them. "Are you two alright?"
"We are fine. It was just a small accident." Crusch straightened her slightly disheveled clothes, regaining her usual dignified air.
"Miss Crusch's swordsmanship is truly admirable. That last feint almost got me," Natsuki Subaru said politely as he bent down to pick up the wooden sword from the ground and hand it to Crusch.
In all honesty, purely in terms of swordsmanship, Crusch's skill was indeed exquisite, enough to be compared to a genius knight like Julius. Although she was still a step behind the old-but-vigorous Sword Demon, Wilhelm, given her talent and diligence, it wouldn't be impossible for her to surpass the old man one day.
However, compared to a player with cheats like me, there's still a tiny little gap. Of course, Natsuki Subaru would never say such a blunt truth out loud.
"You flatter me. It is your strength, rather, that is unfathomable," Crusch said, holding the wooden sword horizontally in front of her, her sharp gaze fixed on Subaru. "Just now, you had many opportunities to counterattack, yet you remained purely on the defensive."
She saw right through me.
Natsuki Subaru scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. "Ah, well... since we're just sparring, it's best to stop before going too far."
He had, in fact, deliberately held back his strength. If he had used the superhuman reflexes and swordsmanship skills granted by the system, the match would have been far too unfair.
"...You truly are a very special person." Crusch fell silent for a moment, giving Subaru a deep look, her eyes filled with a complex, unspoken emotion.
Hm? That look from Miss Crusch...
Natsuki Subaru keenly sensed that Crusch was different from her usual self, but before he could dwell on it, she had already performed a standard, elegant knight's salute. The wooden sword in her hand drew a beautiful arc as it settled neatly into the weapon rack. Then she spoke to him.
"Thank you for your guidance in today's spar."
"You're too kind, Miss Crusch," Natsuki Subaru said with a smile. "You're welcome to spar again anytime."
Crusch nodded slightly and turned to leave. The sound of her armor clanking on the stone path was rhythmic. But after taking about ten steps, she suddenly stopped and turned back.
"Natsuki Subaru..."
"Yes?"
"Tonight, after Felix is finished with his treatments, please join this house for dinner."
After saying this, Crusch quickened her pace and left the courtyard.
Watching her receding back, Rem muttered in a small voice, "Lady Crusch is... a little different today..."
"You think so?" Natsuki Subaru shrugged nonchalantly and casually ruffled Rem's blue hair, enjoying the feeling of the strands wrapping around his fingertips. "I think Miss Crusch has always been this cool, like a majestic female general."
Saying this, he suddenly leaned close to Rem's ear and whispered, "But in my heart, Rem, you're the cutest."
"Subaru-kun!" Rem's face instantly turned beet red, even the tips of her ears flushing crimson. She stumbled back a small step in a fluster. "P-Please don't tease Rem like that!"
"I'm not teasing. In my heart, Rem is the most special, the most adorable."
"Subaru-kun, you're making those kinds of jokes again..." Rem said, feeling a little shy.
"I'm serious," Natsuki Subaru said, gently taking Rem's soft hand, feeling a slight tremor at his touch. "From Roswaal's mansion until now, I remember every single bit of kindness Rem has shown me."
A brilliant glint surfaced in Rem's azure eyes. The sunlight gently overlapped their shadows, and in the courtyard, the leaves of the plane tree rustled in the breeze, as if playing a soft melody for the pair of lovers. Rem shyly lowered her head but squeezed Subaru's hand a little tighter.
From a distance, around the corner of the hallway, Crusch leaned against a stone pillar, taking in the entire scene. She let out a soft sigh, the corner of her lips twitching slightly. The tassels on her military uniform swayed gently in the wind before she finally turned and disappeared down the long corridor.
As night fell, candlelight flickered in the dining room of the Karsten mansion. Natsuki Subaru sat at a long table covered with a snow-white cloth, looking somewhat nervously at the young woman in a dark green military uniform across from him.
"Um... Miss Crusch," Natsuki Subaru's gaze swept across the empty dining room as he asked, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't you say we were having dinner together? Where are old man Wilhelm and Felix?"
"Wilhelm had to deal with some urgent household matters that came up unexpectedly." Crusch gently swirled the tall glass in her hand, the crimson liquid shimmering attractively in the candlelight. She then took a light sip, the liquid gliding gracefully down her throat. "As for Felix, he went to the lower districts to see patients again. So tonight, it will only be you and I for dinner."
What was supposed to be a household dinner has somehow turned into dinner for two...
Natsuki Subaru subconsciously swallowed, his gaze involuntarily following the movement of Crusch's throat as she drank. Although his reason told him Crusch couldn't possibly have any special intentions, the scene of a man and a woman dining alone still stirred a strange emotion within him.
"So... it's just the two of us right now?"
"You seem to mind?" Crusch set down her wine glass, her amber eyes looking directly at Natsuki Subaru.
"No, no, no!" Natsuki Subaru quickly waved his hands, nearly knocking over the soup spoon in front of him. "It's just... uh... well... that is..."
Damn it, why am I so nervous?! This isn't the first time I've eaten alone with a girl!
At this thought, Natsuki Subaru stole a glance at the dining room entrance, suddenly missing Rem, who was always by his side. Unfortunately, Rem had already returned to the inn to take care of Emilia. As another Royal Candidate, Emilia, while visiting him every day, could not linger for too long in the mansion of a rival. And the only reason he could stay was under the pretext of needing Felix's treatment for using his forbidden soul art. Natsuki Subaru thought to himself.
"Strange?" Crusch tilted her head slightly, the silver chain on her uniform collar swaying gently with the movement.
"Well, I mean, dinner for two, I can understand that..." Natsuki Subaru's gaze swept over the lavishly decorated balcony, and he couldn't help but speak up. "...But why are we specifically dining on the balcony? Miss Crusch, don't you think the atmosphere is a bit... delicate?"
"What is wrong with dining on the balcony? I do not understand what you mean by 'delicate'." Crusch's amber eyes showed genuine confusion, and she even blinked innocently.
Wait, is Crusch being serious...?
Natsuki Subaru sighed and put a hand to his forehead, feeling a dull ache in his temples. Here they were, in such a romantic setting, yet Crusch was completely unfazed, which in turn made him feel like he was the one overthinking things.
"Well... it's pretty obvious, isn't it?!" Natsuki Subaru pointed at the surrounding decorations and slowly began to speak. "Candlelight, fresh flowers, dinner on a balcony under the stars, and just the two of us... this is a complete candlelight dinner setup!"
"A candlelight dinner?" Crusch tilted her head slightly, a gesture that made her look unexpectedly cute.
"It's... it's..." Natsuki Subaru suddenly faltered for a moment, then explained, "In my homeland, this is a special kind of dinner that men and women only have when they are on a date."
"And what is a 'date'?" Crusch once again showed a look of confusion.
Oh my god, don't tell me this young lady doesn't even know what a date is? Natsuki Subaru silently grumbled to himself but patiently explained, "Simply put, it's when a man and a woman make special plans to go out together, or do certain things together. Um... it's generally an activity for lovers."
"I see." Crusch nodded thoughtfully, then looked at Natsuki Subaru with a completely frank expression. "Then by that definition, although we did not go out together, we did indeed agree this morning to have dinner together. That should also count as a date, should it not?"
Natsuki Subaru was momentarily speechless. For a second, he couldn't find a way to refute Crusch's logic.
"So..." Crusch gazed at Natsuki Subaru, a hint of confusion in her amber eyes. "According to the customs of your homeland, preparing a candlelight dinner is also reasonable. Why, then, are you so... to use your word, 'awkward'?"
"Ah... of course not," Natsuki Subaru said, scratching his head somewhat awkwardly, his gaze involuntarily drifting to the flickering candlelight. "It's just, having dinner with you for the first time, Miss Crusch... I'm just a little... flattered, is all."
"You are normally so forthright with your words, yet you are so reserved now. Is it perhaps because my hospitality is lacking?" Crusch tilted her head, seemingly perplexed by Subaru's reaction.
"No, no, no!" Natsuki Subaru quickly waved his hands. "If anything, this dinner is a little too formal, which makes me feel a bit..."
"Formal?" Crusch looked at Natsuki Subaru seriously. "In the House of Karsten, this is the basic etiquette for receiving guests."
"Well, where I'm from, a candlelight dinner is usually... well..." Natsuki Subaru stammered for a moment, suddenly realizing that trying to explain things like proposing in a romantic atmosphere would be even more awkward. He could only force a laugh and stop. "Haha, my apologies, Miss Crusch. I was overthinking things just now."
Crusch quietly watched Natsuki Subaru, her clear gaze making him feel inexplicably guilty. After a while, she suddenly smiled.
"I understand. Is it perhaps because of my attire that you feel pressured?"
"Huh?" Hearing this, Natsuki Subaru's expression went a little blank. "It's not really pressure..."
"My apologies, it was inconsiderate of me. Please wait for me for a moment."
After saying this, Crusch stood up. Before Natsuki Subaru could stop her, her upright figure had already disappeared into the shadows of the spiral staircase.
Natsuki Subaru stared at the empty seat, speechless for a moment.
The night wind blew across the balcony, the candlelight flickering in his eyes. The stars, the roses, the silver tableware, a man and a woman—the atmosphere was exactly like a lovers' date. And yet, one of the people involved was completely oblivious to that fact.
"Are all the noble ladies from another world this clueless about common sense...?" Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
But then again, this straightforward side of Crusch... is actually pretty cute.
After a short wait, the doors to the balcony were gently pushed open.
Crusch reappeared, walking with an elegant stride. She was now wearing a silk evening gown as deep as the night sky. The deep-V neckline perfectly showcased Crusch's delicate collarbones, the cinched waist outlined a slender figure, and the hem of the dress swayed gently in the night wind, revealing glimpses of her slender ankles. The graceful curves of her body were even more alluring under the thin fabric. Her full bust rose and fell gently with each breath, and her slender waist and firm hips formed a perfect arc.
Her emerald hair was no longer tied up as strictly as usual but fell like a waterfall, shimmering with a soft luster in the candlelight, with a few strands playfully brushing against her snow-white shoulders.
"Wha—Miss Crusch, you... you changed your clothes?!" Natsuki Subaru stood up, his throat unconsciously bobbing.
The dashing duchess from his daily encounters was now displaying such astonishing feminine charm. The stark contrast made his heart suddenly race.
Seriously, Crusch's figure under that uniform is actually so... well-endowed! No, now is not the time to be thinking about that!
Natsuki Subaru could feel the blood rushing to his face, his fingers unconsciously gripping the napkin.
"Why are you so surprised?" Crusch tilted her head slightly, a movement that made the black silk fabric over her chest shimmer with a subtle light. "Did you not say that my attire was too formal?" she asked, puzzled.
"Well, you're not wrong..." Natsuki Subaru looked at Crusch, now clad in a long gown, a sight he was seeing for the first time, and was at a loss for words. "But this is a bit too... um..."
Crusch was always wrapped in a prim and proper military uniform, the strict tailoring completely hiding the curves of her body. Now, having changed into this light, black silk gown, her graceful figure was on full display.
Crusch really was... blessed and generous!
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