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—Why are the girls’ rooms always so glamorous? Upon seeing Jill’s private room for the first time, I couldn’t help but think that.

“Despite there not being much here, I’m embarrassed that it’s messy…”

Jill’s words seemed like mere social niceties or humility. No; perhaps fundamentally, there might be a difference in awareness about tidiness and organization between men and women.

I recalled the hermitage of the founding empress, where Jill had also stayed during our visit to the Tenebrae Nemus.

Initially, it appeared cluttered to the point of disbelief, with unidentifiable objects overflowing the space. However, upon reflection, I remembered seeing elegant vases serving as weights atop stacked tools, handmade patchwork covers on shelves, and colorful dried flowers hanging from tilted pillars. In hindsight, feminine touches seemed to be scattered throughout.

In contrast, the rooms my father and I had in the imperial capital, where maids cleaned daily, might have appeared tidy at first glance, but they prioritized functionality. We lacked the sense of ‘decorating’ according to personal tastes, and our personal storage spaces remained messy and untouched to ensure they were always usable. We had never considered making any efforts to improve their appearance.

In comparison, Jill’s room lacked fancy decorations but was well-organized, with furniture of uniform height to avoid feeling oppressive. The green carpet and tapestries were easy on the eyes, creating a calm atmosphere that suited her.

“Since I’ve only been living here for about a month, it’s quite messy. Those covers are actually for hiding dirty spots.”

As I found myself staring at the potted flowers placed in noticeable spots, the lace curtains fluttering at the windows, and the elegant quilt covers neatly laid over the immaculate furniture, Jill chuckled awkwardly.

It seemed she genuinely felt embarrassed thinking it was ‘untidy.’ Girls really are different after all.

…Nevertheless.

I suddenly found myself taking a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Amidst the scent of fresh lumber and lacquer mingling in the air was Jill’s sweet fragrance, reminiscent of flowers, tickling my nostrils.

I had been led to a room in the Brandmüller family’s residence in the capital city once before, but at that time, Jill had merely used it as temporary lodging. It had felt like she was merely using a guest room temporarily… But this was different. There was a distinct sense of settled life here.

No, even though it had only been a little over a month since she started using this room, the unique atmosphere imbued with Jill’s personality and sensibility made me realize that this was the room of the girl I liked… It was as if, irreverently, I was sitting on the imperial throne of His Majesty the Emperor in the capital city—the same excitement I felt as a child when I sat on it secretly, granted by the late Emperor—my heart pounded loudly in my chest as if it were tolling the bells of anticipation.

Before I came here, Jill had assured me of its capabilities. In her words;

“I know it doesn’t look like much, but this room is heavily fortified with barriers and defensive magic, and we have emergency supplies stocked as well. Plus, my familiar, Vier, is always on standby, so even if an army were to attack, we could hold out at the door for up to six months.”

Honestly, I had imagined a place more akin to a fortress chamber, but that expectation was pleasantly exceeded.

“It’s a nice room. With all the greenery, it somehow reminds me of the Tenebrae Nemus.”

I remarked honestly as I glanced around the cozy space, which, unlike the typical ‘girly room’ adorned with pink and stuffed animals that my mischievous friend Daniel had led me to imagine, was rather simple yet tasteful—a space that exuded Jill’s personality and made you feel at ease.

“…Well, yes, most of the potted flowers and herbs are similar to those found in the Tenebrae Nemus.”

Jill nodded subtly as she glanced at Vier, her familiar Sirius. The winged wolf about the size of a large dog stood guard in front of the room leading to the bedroom. She recently became an adult beast and can change her size to some extent. “Perhaps it’s the influence of being trapped in the mind and time… I mean, a special subspace by a certain peddler,” she said.

“I see… so that’s how it is. These are some unusual leaves,” I reached out to a nearby potted plant instinctively, only to be stopped abruptly by Jill’s flustered reaction

“—Ah. That’s supposed to be a wildflower called Mandread… but I mixed it up and actually brought a Mandrake instead. Try not to touch it, or even pull it out. You’ll probably die.”
“Huh… I see. You’re setting deadly traps so casually, just in case of unwary intruders. That’s Jill for you! Such a girly and adorable yet sophisticated trap.”

My genuine admiration was met with a chorus of retorts, “No, that’s irrelevant to being a girl!” The voices of the girls echoed from various corners of the room, but that’s probably just the difference in male and female sensibilities. What might seem normal to them feels like a significant difference to me, a male observer.

“…Love sure makes you blind.”
“…Even pockmarks would look like dimples —Ah, of course, you don’t have any, Lady Jill.”
“…He’s actually quite the airhead when you get close and personal, huh? My dear sister, he’s not suitable for you.”
“…Um, well, boys his age tend to harbor illusions about girls, so I’d appreciate it if you guys could be more lenient with him.”

I felt like I could hear whispers from the maidens behind me, but as a gentleman, it would be improper to eavesdrop—so I chose to ignore it all.

“—Oh my, a Saintess.”
“—Ah, Lady Saintess.”
“—A Saintess, surely.”

“Of course, Jill is a (my) Saintess!” I found myself echoing the praise for Jill, which came so easily to my ears.

I felt like we had skipped some intermediate steps, but eventually, there was unanimous consent that “Jill was a saint.” At that point, Eren, an acquaintance who had guided me here alongside Jill, sighed and looked at my face, saying, “Well, that aside.”

We had known each other since our time in Consul, and she had also been personally close to Jill, so we had become quite comfortable talking to each other by then.

“It’s a bit late to mention, but it seems like Lord Lucas truly couldn’t care less about anything other than Lady Jill, huh? Normally, when seeing the state of this room, you’d be left speechless after seeing that…”

She sighed.

“Huh? By that, you mean the mandrake…?”

I couldn’t think of anything else out of the ordinary.