Angelica was the first to withdraw from the open-air hot springs, with me following after her. Apparently she had a private matter to discuss with me, and I was curious as to what it was. Everyone else was understanding of this, so they either continued their conversations inside the hot springs remaining merry, or dried themselves off, making their way to the left side of the Phoenix Wings where its cooks were currently preparing lunch.
Angelica and I kept our distance, but she was full of teases while she kept a wet towel over her body. Seriously, this girl. She had a playful smile the whole time. There was definitely something going on inside that head of hers. Otherwise, why would she allow me to do this as we walked toward one of the private rooms back on the first floor? She would have slapped me in the face by now, just like how she punched Lechter earlier.
I know I'm not THAT dense, compared to other...certain protagonists. But seriously, Angelica could have taken a much different approach to this. Knowing her though, I guess this is natural.
I didn't have all day to spend on whatever Angelica wanted to discuss. After lunch, I already had train tickets prepped and ready to depart Ymir in the afternoon with Emma and Lechter. That would make us arrive at Heimdallr. Then from there, we would catch its next flight back all the way to Grancel Landing Port. As much as I would like to ride a train from one country to another, it would take a couple days to travel. I opted for the more direct route. Liberl was known for its airships anyway.
Still, even with it being lunchtime now, I still had another three to four hours to spend here. The wet towel business didn't last long, thankfully. The staff here prepared us some yukatas for those who were done bathing. They're essentially one-piece casual robes you can put on that don't have the formality that kimonos do. Plus any gender can wear them. You see this a lot in eastern culture, but not so much toward the west. Glorified bathrobes, if I had to put it into words. They had long sleeves too. Men typically wore blue yukatas while women wore pink or purple ones. Angelica had a purple one on, while mine was blue.
Still making our way to a private room, I cupped my hands together, and hid them inside the yukata. You get to see these robes used either during festivals, or during hot spring visits, much like this one. It was very comfortable to wear.
Once I arrived, I saw Angelica already standing near the windowsill in the first room we reached. She was observing Ymir's scenery. Her earlier playful demeanor vanished. A genuine smile appeared on her lips, causing me to raise my eyebrows.
"It is good that you have come, Naoto.", Angelica happily said as she shifted her head to look at me.
"Haha, you asked for me. I didn't see a reason to turn you down. We're friends, after all.", I replied with a heartfelt smile.
"Hehe, true that.", Angelica said, and giggled. Closing the door behind me, it was just the two of us now in one of the private rooms away from the guest rooms. It wasn't restricted like the second floor was. As I approached her, Angelica looked right at me. "But don't you dare lie to me. I saw you looking earlier. My assets are amazing, right? It's something I take pride in. Toned to perfection.", Angelica continued. She puffed her chest forward with a sense of pride. The moment she said that to me, I spat out a mouthful of dry air.
"I won't deny that you're a beautiful girl, Angelica. But let me ask you this instead. You let me stare at you, right? Otherwise, I'd be somewhere inside a ditch head-first in the mountain range beyond us. I thought you had a preference toward girls.", I replied, and scratched my head.
"Well, you aren't wrong. I do like girls. But I never said I didn't like boys either.", Angelica responded, causing me to nod my head. "It's clear as day you've been developing an interest toward the opposite gender as of late. It's a normal process for everyone. We call that puberty. And therein lies the reason I have invited you here on such a fine day.", Angelica continued, smiling at me.
"You...aren't referring to what I think you are referring to, are you, Angie?", I uttered, and pondered about what Angelica said for a moment. She loved to be around girls. But in the later games, it's very possible she developed some hidden feelings toward another student in her class that was never shed light on as to whether those feelings were accepted or not. A person who went by the name George Nome. It's a shame we never got to see that explored further.
"I sure am.", Angelica said, nodding her head at me. "I mean, we've become quite good friends over the years, Naoto. We're both nobles to boot, and you even outrank me as a Duke. I know it is up to our families and all to decide our partners, but I'm not really into such ways. I like doing my own thing. And there's already several girls frolicking at your side. It almost makes me a little jealous~"
Seeing Angelica's playful grin again, I sighed.
"You know I take my relationships seriously, Angie. It's an understatement that you are a very pretty girl. One of the best I've ever met in that regard, your attitude aside. It's really flatting that I'm receiving a confession like this. Just so you know, you aren't the first, and you likely won't be the last.", I said, becoming serious.
"That much is clear. Her Majesty betrothed the princess to you back in Grancel, didn't she? Not to mention the Demon of Thors' proposal that is still pending. I'm pretty sure that plum-haired flower also has an interest in you. Then there's Erebonia's Treasure...", Angelica immediately started to answer, naming one girl after another that even caused some sweat to trickle down my back.
"So you've already seen through all of that.", I said, my eyes becoming wide.
"Believe it or not Naoto, I'm quite observant. So much that it looks like you are very open to accepting all of them. You aren't one to push someone away over another. And you didn't deny my feelings outright the moment I said I was interested in you.", Angelica said to me. "What'd they call this again? Right, it's a "Harem"."
"And you said all of that very well knowing that the possibility is high of me entering a relationship with more than one girl.", I said, letting my shock subside.
"That's exactly right, Naoto. For Aidios's sake, you're a Crown Prince! It's normal for some monarchs to create a harem, is it not? If it isn't clear by now, I want in on that.", Angelica said. Was Angelica already thinking that far ahead? But what she said is true, thanks to that "Plan" of mine, I have full intentions of creating a harem of my own. Not through force, though. Any girl who decides to enter it will be of their own will. I want it to be harmonic. If someone like Angelica is added into that mix...
I couldn't help but squint my eyes at Angelica.
"You aren't using me to get in line with all of those girls I'm presently interested in, are you? Because if you are, this conversation ends right here and now. I'd even go as far as severing all ties with you. I do not like such personalities.", I said in a cold voice. The atmosphere around us began to drop several degrees. Even Angelica became surprised seeing my demeanor suddenly change.
"Absolutely not. I am being one-hundred percent honest with you. If we are to make this work, I'm willing to forego my love of girls. I don't have to be your first girl when it comes to the harem you are planning to make, as long as you hold a spot in your heart for me.", Angelica answered with a serious look in her eyes. Even I was taken aback by what she had just said here. "At first, I kept these feelings bottled up. If not for a certain something, I would not be having this little rendezvous with you like this right now."
"You're seriously willing to go that far? And what do you mean by a certain something?", I asked, sucking in a cold breath of air.
"You see, before you and Emma came to Roer, a little birdie came in contact with me. Sieg is his name, as I recall?", Angelica began to answer. "I must say, this unification plan of yours is a very bold idea. So simple, but one complex at the same time. It won't be easy to achieve this.", Angelica continued.
"Kloe...", I uttered a single name, wanting to do a facepalm again. So she's the instigator behind this, eh?
"D-Don't get the wrong idea, Naoto. It is true Kloe is the one who reached out to me. Think about it. What would happen if two of the five Great Houses united? This would throw the balance completely out the window, letting us secure good footing over the other nobles. There's been growing unrest with this new Chancellor at play. We could very well get swept in some random undercurrent if we don't watch our backs.", Angelica said to me.
True. Nobles do play a big part of Erebonia's history. The culmination of that is the October War that takes place six years in the future. A tumultuous time that Rean and Class VII have to deal with. I nodded my head at Angelica's words. Guess she doesn't know about this so-called Chancellor is none other than my Father. Kloe doesn't know it either for the time being. It'll be a separate matter I bring up with her. She deserves to know the truth too, just like how I shared it with Elise.
"I can attest to that. That is something you will have to put up with. I'll be sitting near the top of that circle. That is, if I do accept your confession, heh.", I happily replied. Angelica smiled at me hearing that.
"I mean, haven't you accepted me already?", Angelica teased, puffing her chest out again. Oi.
"Well, while there might be underlying factors currently in motion, the feelings you have are honest and true, aren't they?", I asked Angelica.
"They say actions speak louder than words. If you still doubt me, then close your eyes for a sec.", Angelica suddenly said to me.
"Oh?", I replied, musing at her words just now.
Still, I did as Angelica requested, and closed my eyes. It didn't take long to feel two soft hands wrap around my back. Even more softness pressed against my body as she initiated a hug. Angelica didn't stop there, leaning her head toward mine, I felt something even more soft press against...my lips?
It was very soft and pleasant to say the least. Nothing crazy, but wow, Angelica actually proceeded to kiss me on her own accord. She's serious about this, isn't she?
A moment passed by in silence as we enjoyed this embrace. I enjoyed the sensation. Then, her head parted ways from mine, and the kiss ended. Like I said, nothing crazy. We're entering puberty here, so we can take this new relationship nice and slow.
The two of us then opened our eyes at the same time. I saw Angelica, and she saw me. She smiled.
"Just so you know, that was my first kiss~", Angelica teased. Seriously?
"You...", I tried to say, and sighed again. But before we could do anything else, the two of us began to hear muffled voices from outside the closed door.
"S-Stop squirming around, you idiot!", A muffled but familiar voice spoke out, causing the two of us to blink our eyes at the same time. Turning around, I even saw the door slightly cracked open...
"B-But it was just getting to the good part...", A second voice said, retorting the first voice. However, after the second voice said that, the door began to open wider. One after another, figures began to collapse down on top of each other, creating a loud bang. BANG!
We soon saw a silver-haired girl and a brown-haired girl now collapsed onto each other onto the floor before us. Of course it was these two. Realizing what had just happened, Anelace looked up, and saw the two of us now staring right at them.
'W-W-We were just passing by, honest!", Anelace immediately retorted, and began to panic.
"Haha, I guess you all decided to get out of the bath, huh?", Angelica said. Her eyes curved upward into two crescent moons. Now that is a face that I wouldn't want to mess with. "Alright, who is it that's looking to get punched this time?"
"I'm very sorry. I tried stopping them, but I also wanted to see what was going on between you two. I didn't think it'd lead to that...", Emma's voice called out, feeling apologetic. She stood near the doorway, as did Rean and Elise.
"Umm...Congratulations, you two?", Elise said, wondering what to say here.
"I too did not think I would get to see such a thing happen...", Rean said, feeling amazed while he looked at us.
"Boy you can say that again. Way to go, Young Master!", Lechter said from beyond the door while resting his back against the wall. He even reached his left hand outward, and gave us a thumbs up. I shook my head seeing our friends tumble into the room. Anelace took a moment to pull Shizuna off from the floor. It sounds like these guys only caught the very end, likely when Angelica kissed me. I doubt they heard anything about the Unification Plan.
Still, before I could do anything else, I was greeted with some Gamer Notifications. I was left pleasantly surprised.
[Ding! Angelica Rogner has expressed her interests and desire to Gamer Naoto. Having accepted the confession of House Rogner's sole daughter, Angelica's Favorability has reached its maximum.]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has received [Angelica's Blessing].]
[Ding! Gamer Naoto has forged their first deep bond. A new Parameter has opened up. The Favorability window has been updated to include this new Parameter: [Love].]
[Ding! Only those whom Gamer Naoto has reached maximum Favorability with are capable of accessing this new Parameter.]
'Angelica really is serious about this...', I inwardly thought to myself, unaware that my lips curved upward into a smile.
While the timing might not exactly be the best considering our current positions and all, we can take it slow and enjoy the coming years to come. The only question now is, where will this lead to? Will Angelica come back to us to Liberl? Or will she continue with what she wants to do back in Roer?