Chapter 40: Detective Mia and the Crystal Clear Spring

The forest’s dense foliage suddenly gave way to a clearing. Spring water cascaded gently off the top of a small rock face, rippling the surface of a pond at least twice the size of the biggest bath in Saint-Noel. Wreathed by vibrant blankets of tiny flowers in full bloom, the mesmerizing beauty of the spring made it look like a scene out of a fairy tale, as if a goddess were about to emerge from the water at any moment.

The figure of a young maiden, pure and lovely, could be seen at its edge. Clothed in adorable bathing attire, she dipped a dainty toe in to test the water. A surprised squeal ensued and she quickly withdrew her foot. Despite having felt the water’s chilliness, she nevertheless steeled herself, scooped out some with her hand, and splashed it over her slender limbs. Shimmering globules of crystalline fluid rolled across smooth skin, adding to its luster.

...Now, framing the scene like that might cause some to mistakenly get the impression that a young beauty was about to make her first appearance in the story, so to make things as clear as the spring water she was splashing on herself, the girl was Mia, who was neither divine nor particularly enchanting, at least in terms of looks.

It should also be mentioned that the surprised squeal wasn’t so much an adorable “Eeek!” as a cracked-voice “Ngaah!” Again, just so everyone is on the same page. As for why she was even here in the first place... That would be Anne’s doing.

“How about changing into your swimsuit and going for a quick dip in the spring?”

Anne’s suggestion had been met with further support from Esmeralda. Trudging through slush in the downpour had left them thoroughly muddied. Neither clothes nor skin had escaped unmired. Frankly, to Mia’s dungeon-hardened sensibilities, going a day or two without washing was no problem, but...

“I’m so sorry, milady... I can’t seem to get all the mud out of your hair. Oh, this is just the worst... Your beautiful hair...”

The sight of a deeply aggrieved Anne convinced her that a bath would be prudent. Fortunately, she still had the swimsuit Esmeralda brought for her, which would allow her to be at least partially clothed during the act. Mia didn’t quite have the guts to go skinny-dipping, even if it was on a deserted island.

Or so I thought...but this is still a little embarrassing, to be honest.

She glanced at Esmeralda who, despite wearing the same swimsuit as Mia, was rinsing herself off in the spring with utter nonchalance. Whereas Mia’s had narrowly avoided being blown away with the rest of their clothes by virtue of being stuffed at the bottom of her trunk, Esmeralda’s was never at risk. Nina had been holding onto it the whole time, diligently safeguarding the swimsuit from danger.

Baffled by the fastidious protection that a mere piece of clothing had enjoyed, Mia had given Esmeralda an “Are you serious?” look, but it didn’t seem to bother her in the least. Her only answer had come from Nina who explained matter-of-factly, “Milady Esmeralda had been greatly looking forward to cavorting with Your Highness in matching swimsuits. In order to ensure milady’s hopes were not betrayed, I decided to be extra careful and kept it on my person at all times.”

Like mistress, like maid, I guess. This Nina person seems quite eccentric too.

“Hmhm, how marvelous. You said this was your maid’s idea, Miss Mia? Not bad for a commoner,” said Esmeralda, her delighted voice pulling Mia out of her brief retrospection.

Ugh, there she goes again with the high and mighty routine... I swear, if she doesn’t fix that attitude of hers soon, she’s going to— Oh?

Mia’s attention suddenly fixated on a single point. Said point rested, of course, on Esmeralda’s exposed midriff, or more specifically, her belly. Firmed and flattened by frequent swimming, it joined her chest to her hips in a beautifully straight line. There, in that bared abdomen, Mia saw the utopian curvature she’d always dreamed of having—the ideal figure!

“B-But... I...”

She stammered, too shocked to form words as her hands went to her own tummy. She stroked it. It had certainly lost its early-summer jiggle, reverting to the state it had been in before the spring break. Pinching it no longer produced a mound of flesh. No longer a mound...but still a knob! She took another look at Esmeralda’s slender abdomen and was forced to admit an upsetting truth.

I’m... I’m losing to Esmeralda!

“Okay, milady, it’s time to get you cleaned up,” said Anne. “I’ll wash your hair first, all right?”

“A-All right, go ahead...”

Overcome by a crushing sense of defeat, Mia produced a feeble reply...before the implication of Anne’s question suddenly sank in.

“Wait... You said you’re washing my hair first?”

Unlike Esmeralda and the other high-ranking nobles, Mia was an independent bather, perfectly capable of tending to her own hygiene. Having Anne wait on her hand and foot for something like this was, frankly, unthinkable. She knew it, and Anne knew it. Which meant that by “first,” Anne hadn’t been referring to the order of body parts—hair, face, body, and so on. After the hair, she was going to wash something else. Knowing Anne, that something wasn’t herself; with her devotion came the unerring tendency to prioritize Mia’s needs over her own.

Then what is it that she intends to wash after my hair?

She took a quick glance at her surroundings, only to freeze when a certain object—rather, a pile of objects—entered her view. A slow dread seeped into the pit of her stomach, and she shuddered, for laying in a dirty heap at the edge of the pond were her own muddy clothes. With the storm’s passing, the sky had cleared, allowing ample sunlight to shine down. If Anne washed her clothes now and hung them up, they wouldn’t take too long to dry. These facts considered, it was quite obvious that after her hair, the next item on Anne’s washing list was her pile of clothes.

Which was fine. Mia certainly had no intention of changing back into muddy attire when she’d just taken a bath. The problem...was what would happen while her clothes were drying. Would she simply sit here and wait? No, because Anne would probably say something like, “Leave the clothes to me, milady. I’ll wash them and hang them up, so you can head back and meet up with the princes first.” Esmeralda would doubtlessly concur with this statement and follow up with something like, “As you should. Laundry is the work of attendants. As wellborn people, we should consort with those of equally high birth. To the princes!”

They would unite in their unwelcome desire to send Mia back to the princes! Worse yet, even Mia herself agreed that they couldn’t just wait until their clothes were dry enough to wear again. That would keep the boys waiting for far too long.

Chances are, I’m the one who knows the most about what kind of food we can forage from this island... I can’t afford to waste time sitting around here, or the quality of our dinner tonight will suffer!

In addition, she’d have no choice but to reluctantly follow Esmeralda back to camp. In her swimsuit! With her tummy bared! She’d be walking back into a public shaming! Having been thoroughly terrified by the sequence of events she envisioned, she began a hasty attempt to avert this dreadful fate looming over the imminent future.

“O-Oh, I just thought of something! Anne, could you bring me my clothes?”

“Huh? What for?”

“Well, I figured since I’m in the water already, I might as well give them a good scrub while you’re washing my hair.”

“What? No! That’s my job. I can’t have you trouble yourself with something like that, milady.”

“She’s right, Miss Mia. Just leave the menial work to your maid,” said Esmeralda, chiming in with that infuriatingly flat belly of hers.

Mia glowered at it. Honestly, it was offensive. That kind of flatness should be a crime. She snorted angrily.

“What are you talking about? Maids? Masters? This isn’t the time for that. We all need to be doing whatever we can to help. Anne,” she said, turning toward her with a commanding look, “you focus on your work. If you’re going to wash my hair, then wash it until it’s perfectly clean. In the meantime, I’ll do my part...”

She waded toward her pile of clothes.

While Anne’s washing my hair, I’ll wash my clothes. Then, I’ll hang them up. That way, they’ll dry by the time I’m done with my bath. I know they will! But I need to work fast! Wash fast! Hang fast! Dry fast! Then put them on and head back! she thought as she plunged a piece of clothing into the water and began scrubbing at it.