Barely a day after Axel left, back in the camp, early morning.

"Hnngh~!"

Teruria, thinking it was just another day, woke up early. After stretching her limbs, causing one of the buttons on her oversized shirt to pop, she sleepily left the bed while yawning.

Today was the first day Axel was not present in the camp.

Of course, as his "proxy" for the system, she needed to stay sharp, alert at all times. They had no idea when or where an emergency might arise, after all.

After leaving her room with a change of clothes, she headed straight for the communal bath on the castle's first floor. This was something all the girls requested unanimously, not something made to his "favor."

"Good morning, Princess Teruria!"

Upon arrival, she was greeted by two giant mountains… No, by Maria, who was already in the changing room, about to enter.

"Mornin'…"

But the little witch was too sleepy, her eyes practically still closed.

Maria saw her and smiled wryly. "It'd be dangerous heading to the bath like that. Please let me help you, Princess."

Teruria half-automatically answered, "Mmm…" nodding to Maria's suggestion.

After that, the maid moved quickly.

She tied her hair with a rubber tie before wrapping her voluptuous body with a white towel. When her preparations were done, she helped Teruria out of her sleepwear—basically just Axel's extra long-sleeved shirt and underwear—tied her long black-purple hair, and wrapped her small but voracious body with the same towel.

"Hmm…"

Maria was troubled. For her, the towel was enough to wrap around, but Teruria's case was different. The towel failed to meet all around her body, leaving an inch of space in the middle!

Of course, as it was part of the "etiquette" Axel set for the large bath, even Teruria couldn't be exempt. Thus, Maria had to make do with what she had.

"Please excuse me for a bit."

Instead of wrapping the towel around her fully, she used two. One tied around her neck, hanging over her chest like a loose bib. The second wrapped around her waist.

With this, Teruria was now ready for the bath.

Ushered inside, the two were welcomed by the rest of the girls.

Everyone woke up early, after all. Unlike before, they didn't have maids to do things for them, so they had to handle everything themselves.

In fact, even the girls on the late-night shift for guarding the walls were present!

"Oh, Maria…"

Beatrix, sitting by the edge with only her legs dipped in the large, warm bath, called. When she saw Maria and the person she was helping, she chuckled in realization. "Need any help?" she asked.

"It's alright, Madam Beatrix." Maria bowed respectfully. "I can handle it."

With that exchange as a signal, everyone else began greeting the latecomers.

Princess Eve, being washed by Cherry.

Arianne, rinsing off sweat in the shower area.

The sisters, Angela and Karen, keeping to the far side, as if shy to mingle with noble figures like Beatrix in the bath.

Theresa and Hercy, submerged up to their mouths, eyes narrowed while looking around, keeping an eye on everyone's "assets," which they lacked.

And the rest of the refugee girls, who had already acclimated to their situation.

All of them were present—practically a miracle, considering their schedules didn't really match. Only six actually stayed in the castle, while the rest had their own homes outside.

The main reason for everyone gathering at the same time was—apart from the Valkyrie Knight Order's training ending moments ago—Axel's absence.

When Axel was present, only Eve, Beatrix, and Teruria dared to bathe before him—as two of them tried to enter at the same time he did (not that they succeeded yet).

Maria and Cherry would help the noble ones bathe as maids and bathed themselves afterward.

Arianne's irregular schedule sometimes had her bathing even later than the maids.

The rest had their own homes—their own baths—so their presence in the castle's large bathhouse was rare. If not for the knight's training in the courtyard, they would have gone home to wash off their sweat instead.

Thus, that day's bath was lively, boisterous even.

Chatter echoed left and right, mostly about their jobs and various situations.

Of course, that was the case for most of them… until Teruria woke up enough to dip her shoulders in the warm water, mind entertaining various thoughts.

"So…" she started, turning to Maria a short distance away, kneeling by the edge. "Maria… you've done it with Sir Hexel before too, right…?"

"Huh…?"

At her question, the entire bathhouse went quiet.

Most were aware of Maria's tryst with Axel. Even the refugees were, just from observing the person in question, plus a bit of gossip during worktime.

They had heard the entire story of both times, from start to finish!

Eve blushed as she heard the loli witch ask the question, but listened intently.

Everyone was waiting for Maria's answer.

Realizing she had become the center of attention, Maria felt embarrassed but nodded.

"Yes…" she whispered.

Teruria nodded, hesitating for a moment, then asked again.

"Then… are you, you know… experienced in such matters?"

Maria tried to remain professional, but the topic was overwhelming. She kept her face steady and answered truthfully, without stammering.

"I'm no expert. I only have knowledge passed down to maids like us during training."

"I see…"

Teruria wasn't familiar with the concept of "training" for night duties. In her dimension, women had the higher social ground. Such matters were handled by men there.

Still, as someone who experienced Axel once and had little knowledge, every bit of advice helped.

"Then, can you… teach me?" she asked.

Blushing from embarrassment, Teruria still requested instruction from Maria! Everyone paused, then loud cheering erupted.

"Waaah! How cute, Princess~! Can I give you a hug~?"

"Cute? You mean diligent! Working hard behind the scenes to please Sir Axel... That's dedication!"

"You don't need to worry, Princess Teruria. Just follow Sir Axel's wishes then, and you'll be fine!"

And so, wisdom rained down on her from the experienced ones, excited to be of help.

Maria, freed from the embarrassing situation, sighed in relief… until someone tugged her towel from the side.

"M-Me too…" Eve whispered shyly. "Maria, teach me how to do nightly duties too…"

"Princess Eve…"

Maria wanted to refuse, embarrassed to share her limited knowledge.

But this was her princess—the one who swore to rebuild their kingdom with her own hands. She couldn't refuse.

That day, the communal bathhouse turned into a "nightly duties education center" for a while.

And the little ones learned a lot.

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