Early in the morning, a ray of sunlight slipped through the window, as cautious as a boy's hand reaching into a girl's shirt for the first time.
Nora's eyelids fluttered a few times before she drowsily opened her eyes. By her ear came the gentle voice of the Boss:
"Nora? Are you awake?"
Nora instantly snapped awake and shot upright in bed—only then realizing the voice was coming from the doll in her arms.
A trace of disappointment appeared on her face.
She helplessly tapped her own forehead, thinking she had really been overthinking things.
The Boss was still far away in the Royal Capital. How could he suddenly return here?
What a pity…
If only the Boss could go with her to visit Grandma's grave…
Thinking this, Nora quickly replied to the doll, Ron.
"Boss, I just woke up."
"Oh, what a coincidence. I just woke up, too," Ron said with a chuckle. "I was just about to get dressed."
Nora's heart felt sweet. A morning like this didn't seem so bad after all.
"Mhm, I'm going to change clothes too."
With a rustling sound, Nora took off her pajamas and put on the thick cotton clothes Ron had bought for her.
Ron had attached his consciousness to the doll. With the help of the sunlight streaming through the window, he silently admired the scene.
Sure enough… this was the proper way to use the doll.
Before long, Nora finished changing. She got up, tidied the bed and sheets, and did a quick cleanup of the room before speaking to the doll again.
"Boss, I'm going to wash up and then make breakfast."
"Alright, go ahead," Doll Ron replied.
Hugging the doll, Nora energetically pushed open the door and prepared to head toward the bathroom.
But just then, the bedroom door across the hall also opened.
Ron stepped out from inside, wearing a neatly tailored coat, smiling as he greeted her.
"Yo, Nora. Good morning."
Nora froze on the spot.
Her rosy lips parted slightly as she stared wide-eyed at Ron, who had suddenly appeared before her. Her face was full of disbelief.
The doll slipped from her hands and fell to the floor, yet she didn't even notice. Her mind was still dizzy and confused.
"B-Boss…" Nora subconsciously rubbed her eyes and muttered softly, "I'm even seeing hallucinations now…"
"Ah!"
Ron stepped forward and pinched Nora's soft cheek, looking at her with an amused smile.
"Still a hallucination?"
Nora tilted her little face upward. One side of her pink cheek was pinched by Ron, and the lingering confusion on her face mixed with the sudden joy that followed made her look adorably silly.
"Mm… B-Boss, why are you back?" Nora blinked her big eyes while staring at Ron's face, the happiness in them almost overflowing.
She instinctively wanted to reach out her hand, but timidly pulled it back.
In the end, she simply stood on tiptoe as much as she could, making it easier for Ron to pinch her cheek.
The next moment, Ron placed one hand against the wall behind Nora and wrapped the other around her slender waist, gently pulling her into his arms.
"Mm…" Nora tightly closed her eyes. Her little head leaned against Ron's chest, and her small hands rested against him.
After hesitating for a moment, she quietly slipped one hand around and placed it on Ron's lower back, a shy yet satisfied smile appearing on her face.
Neither of them spoke.
They simply enjoyed the moment in silence, as if time itself had stopped.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound of footsteps came from the stairs.
Hearing the movement, Nora hurriedly struggled, trying to pull away.
Ron ignored it with a smile. Instead, he pressed the hand that had been against the wall onto the back of Nora's head, not letting her leave his embrace.
"Boss…" Nora's face was burning hot as she whispered urgently, "Yuna is coming down…"
"Don't move," Ron whispered beside Nora's cat ear. The warm breath made her body tremble, instantly leaving her weak. "She'll see this often in the future anyway. Let her get used to it first."
So when Yuna came down from the third floor, yawning, the first thing she saw was the shameless couple at the end of the small corridor.
"Tch…"
Yuna rolled her eyes. But she still had to pretend to be very surprised and exclaimed softly in a loli-like voice:
"Huh? Why is Prince Ron back?"
After all, according to her "setting," she was just an ordinary employee and shouldn't yet know that Ron had returned.
If she simply walked away as if nothing happened, it would look too fake.
Only then did Ron release Nora. Looking into Nora's shy eyes, he nodded and said:
"Mm. I'm back."
Although he was answering Yuna, the words were actually meant more for Nora.
"W-Welcome back, Boss…" Nora said softly.
Her face was already completely red. Unable to hold it any longer, she immediately turned and ran all the way into the bathroom.
Ron slowly followed behind her, ignoring Yuna's eye-rolling and the silent mouth-shapes of "perverted lolicon." He also entered the bathroom and casually closed the door.
By then, Nora had already prepared a basin of hot water for Ron and placed a clean towel beside it.
Only after that did she wash her own face. Then she took out a bottle of golden resin and began applying it to her face, neck, and hands.
"Still using it regularly?" Ron asked while looking at Nora's pale golden face reflected in the mirror. "How's the effect?"
"Mhm…" Nora nodded lightly.
Applying skincare in front of Ron made her feel a little uncomfortable, but she still answered softly.
"Yuna makes me use it every day. I got used to it later… The effect is really good. The calluses on my hands are all gone."
During Nora's days as a wanderer, her hands often had to do rough work. They could never be as delicate as those of noble ladies.
Although her hands were slender and bony, there had still been calluses on her palms.
But after using the resin for a while, those calluses had disappeared.
The results were immediate.
"As long as it works. Don't try to save it—I have plenty," Ron said after finishing his quick wash. He patted Nora's little head. "I'll cook breakfast today. Later, you pack your things, and I'll go with you to visit Grandma's grave."
"Mhm!"
Ron walked into the kitchen, with Yuna following behind him.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
"What? Don't disturb me while I'm cooking."
"Couldn't hold it in first thing in the morning, huh? What a pervert."
"What, jealous? Envious? If you're jealous, just say it—I won't discriminate."
"Heh—ptui! You should at least be careful. Don't end up causing a pregnancy before you're even prepared."
"…Where did your mind go?"
"I'm kindly reminding you." Yuna rolled her eyes, then turned them thoughtfully. "But actually, it might not matter. I heard the chance of beastfolk getting pregnant is pretty low. If you get lucky, that's good. Otherwise, you might not hit the mark for ten or twenty years."
"That's none of your concern," Ron said, tapping the spatula against the pan. "Nora and I are going to visit Grandma later. You stay here and watch the shop."
Yuna glared at him.
"Oh wow, abandoning your ally once you cross the river? Now that you've got a girl, you forget your little aunt? Weren't you the one who said I should go along before, to protect Nora?"
"Well, I'm back now. That means we don't need you anymore."
The lightbulb should just stay in the shop.
Especially one with such a high wattage.