A knock on the door leading into the princessʼs chambers announced the arrival of breakfast. 

“Your Highness, todayʼs breakfast shall be…uh…” The maidʼs voice trailed off into awkward silence when Anastasia opened the door for her.

She tilted her head to the side slightly, her damp rose-coloured hair draping over her bare shoulders. “Hmm?” 

“Y-Your Highness, might I be interrupting something?” 

“Oi, come back here!” Rasputina huffed, popping out from behind the wall. “Weʼre not done yet—oh, hello there.” 

The poor maid looked like she was on the verge of fainting as she gawked at the two beautiful naked maidens standing in front of her with not a hint of shame on their faces. 

“H-h-her Highness and the Holy Saintess a-are…I-I must report this to His Majesty now—!” 

Without even exchanging a single word, both ladies instantly knew what they had to do. The door slammed shut and the bolt slid into place as the cries of the maid were silenced. 

“Alright, once you have calmed down, we can start talking,” Rasputina said in a gentle yet firm voice. 

The maid nodded her head frantically when Anastasia finally released her from her hold; her cheeks were completely reddened with embarrassment as she picked up her dress from the floor and hugged them close to her small chest. 

“I-I-I didnʼt see anything weird, and I have n-nothing to report to His M-Majesty uwww…” 

Rasputina and Anastasia exchanged awkward glances while the maid began to sob uncontrollably. 

“Hey, itʼs all good now,” Anastasia tried to reassure her with a thumbs-up. “Since we all arenʼt wearing our clothes, why not we have a yuri threesome?” 

Rasputina faithfully translated everything she said, though she felt there was something wrong with her question. 

The maid sniffed loudly and asked, “Y-Your Highness, forgive my inexperience, but what is…a threesome?” 

“My, my, you don't know?” Anastasia grinned mischievously. “A threesome means us three go onto the bed and—ouch!” 

Rasputina lightly smacked her head from the back and smiled at the maid. “Sorry, please ignore what the princess just said. Her ramblings are merely a side effect from the treatment she is currently receiving.” 

“O-oh…” 

Anastasia rubbed her head and shot Rasputina a glare. 

“Ahem,” the Saintess cleared her throat and continued. “Moving on, I want to inquire from you the whereabouts of a certain individual.” 

“Me?” The maid blinked in surprise. “Is this…about the head maid Cecilla, by any chance?” 

Both of them stared at her, stunned momentarily. “How did you know?” 

“Um…Your Highness, I was expecting you to ask about Cecilla sooner, in all honesty,” she mumbled. “Since…she is your personal servant, after all.”

“Eh?” Anastasia pointed at herself. “I have someone like that?” 

“Your Highness, do you perchance not—” 

“O-of course not, how could Her Highness forget about Cecilla?” Rasputina interrupted, nudging Anastasia with her elbow discreetly. “She just didnʼt have the opportunity to ask until now considering her illness, you see.” 

“Mm, mm, yeah.” The princess quickly nodded her head. “So, can you please tell me where we can find Cecilla?” 

“She…was suspected of poisoning Her Highness, and though there wasnʼt any evidence, the palace relieved her of her duties under a dishonourable discharge.” The maid gave a pained look and sighed. “Until now, the remaining palace servants are still unhappy about the decision, but we simply cannot do anything to His Majesty…” 

Rasputina waved her hand, uninterested in hearing about palace gossip. “Cut the talk, tell us where Cecilla is now, if you will.” 

“Where…um, last I heard, Cecilla was planning to return to her hometown after finishing her tenure at the palace, so itʼs likely she went back home after her discharge.” 

“And where exactly is Cecillaʼs hometown?” Anastasia asked urgently. 

“Your Highness, I-I thought you knew, sorry…” The maid swallowed nervously, looking as if she was on the verge of tearing up again. “Cecillaʼs hometown is in the République-sœur, but Iʼm not too sure as to the exact location myself.” 

“Elvetica?” Rasputina pursed her lips in thought. “Coincidentally we’re visiting that nation soon, and itʼs also very close to where Master lives...so perhaps he would have a clue…ah, thank you so much. You can leave now.” 

“Y-yes, please take care, Your Highness and Grace.” The maid hurriedly bowed before putting on her uniform and running out of the chamber. 

Anastasia waited for the door to close fully shut before heaving a sigh of relief. “Well, we got what we wanted…but I think we may have gone a bit too far, donʼt you think so?” 

“Did we?” Rasputina murmured. “I was thinking how lucky she was to be held in your embrace so tightly…”

“Hmm? Jealous, arenʼt you?” Anastasia smirked. 

“...” She glanced away briefly and pointed at the tray left behind by the maid. “Iʼm hungry after all that, letʼs eat breakfast, shall we?” 

To her relief, Anastasia didnʼt pursue her question any further. “Sure thing, whatʼs for breakfast today?” 

“Looks like smoked haddock gratin to me.” She poked at the rich and creamy fish pie with her fork and scooped up a tiny portion of the dish into her mouth; it had a mild sweet taste that wasn’t too heavy, and suited her morning appetite. “Mm, you should really give it a try, princess.” 

“I don’t usually eat such a heavy breakfast, though…” Anastasia frowned slightly at the large dish on her tray. 

“Oh…we can share mine, then.” Rasputina held her fork towards her. 

Anastasia opened her mouth slowly. “Aaaaaaa” 

“Aaaaaa? You want me to feed you?” 

“Mm-hmm.” The princess smiled expectantly.

“How lazy can you be…?” 

Anastasia munched on the smoked haddock while nodding her head in approval. “Delishous!” 

“Don’t talk while you’re still eating,” Rasputina rebuked her jokingly. 

She swallowed her food and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “So, Rasputina, what are we doing today?” 

“Hmm…I was thinking of heading into the capital to discuss matters pertaining to the invitation His Majesty has given us—” 

“Oh, oh, can I go with you?” Anastasia looked at her with pleading eyes. “Pleasee?” 

Rasputina gave her a sidelong look. “Have you forgotten that you’re a princess of this empire, and shouldn’t be running about outside the palace every day?” 

She pouted. “Then why can you go out of the palace by yourself, that’s unfair! You’re also a head of state, Rasputina!” 

“If you put it in that way…” She shrugged and let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, we can ask the King whether you can follow me, but don’t get your hopes up.”