CHAPTER 23: REINA AND UNDERWEAR

Reina took a cup from the kitchen and poured tea into it with graceful movements.

"Mm.. delicious."

The taste of the tea changed so much just because someone else brewed it. It was tastier than any tea I had ever drunk.

"Really... is it? I’m glad you liked it."

Reina smiled happily.

"Sit beside me and let’s drink tea together."

I invited Reina, who was standing and waiting, to join me for tea.

"But I’m still just a maid."

"There’s no one else here, and a floor maid is also a wife, right?"

"But I’m just a noble’s concubine..."

"There’s no main wife anywhere, and I have no intention of taking one."

At my words, Reina smiled happily and said, "Yes," then folded her long skirt and sat beside me. Her straight posture and proper manners made her seem like a refined noble lady.

"It’s delicious."

Reina drank the tea happily too.

"You don’t need to use polite language."

"But I’m still a maid."

"There’s no one else here, and a floor maid is also a wife, right?"

We repeated the exact same exchange as before.

I liked the classic maid who spoke politely, but with Reina, her usual way of talking felt more charming.

"Yes... okay, I understand."

She showed me a joyful smile.

(Isn’t there some kind of snack?)

I searched my pockets. Luckily, I found some chocolate.

"Reina, I’ll give you this."

"What’s this?"

She put a piece of chocolate in her mouth.

"Delicious! It’s so sweet. I’ve never eaten anything this tasty before!"

Reina’s eyes sparkled with joy. To think a 200-yen chocolate could make her this happy... I was glad I didn’t use it to butter up Morris.

"What is this Lord Seiou?"

"Please stop calling me ’Seiou.’"

After all, it’s not "Holy King" but "Sex King."

"Then should I call you ’Master’?"

"Ugh!"

That name was dangerous. It hit me hard. Especially coming from Reina in her maid outfit, the impact was tremendous.

"Don’t... call me that."

"Why? You look happy, but it’s no good?"

"It’s because I’m happy that it’s no good."

"That’s weird~ Then how about ’Husband’?"

Husband, huh. That might be okay. It’s not just for maids but also a term a refined wife might use for her husband.

"Yes that’s fine."

"Okay, then I’ll call you ’Husband’ from now on."

Reina smiled happily.

"I want to learn about Husband’s previous world."

"Sure, take a look at this."

I took out my smartphone. Since this world was out of service range, I’d kept it in airplane mode, so the battery was barely drained.

I started it and opened the saved photo folder.

"Amazing, is this also Husband’s magic?"

"No, this is a machine. An item from my world."

I showed photos of the real world to Reina.

"Wow, that food looks delicious!"

"This place is beautiful! Where is it?"

"A huge bridge! This carriage has no horses, how does it move?"

Reina stared at the photos with shining eyes. She was especially interested in the fashion of women from my world. Working at a sewing workshop, she seemed to have a strong interest in fashion.

"Those are really cute clothes. But is it okay to wear such short skirts?"

Reina was probably worried about safety.

"No it’s not much of a problem. The safety is very good there. So women can freely enjoy the fashion."

No matter how much feminists say, "Miniskirts are women’s exploitation," historically, miniskirts are a symbol of women’s freedom.

"Yeah, but... what if something shows?"

"Don’t worry. They wear undergarments underneath for that."

I opened my secret underwear folder. Being an underwear enthusiast, I had quite a collection.

"In my world, women wear undergarments that fit close to the skin like this."

I showed her all the pictures.

"So pretty..."

Reina stared at the underwear folder, captivated.

"What’s the material this is made out of?"

"There are many, but silk is considered the best for undergarments."

"Silk, huh? Maybe we could also make it here..."

"Yeah, I also plan to have the sewing workshop make these."

"Really!?"

"If we can popularize high-end underwear, it’ll sell for a lot, and shipping costs are also low. For example, that underwear set costs 40,000 yen, so in this country, it’d sell for about 40,000 Cols."

"That much!? With so little fabric?"

"The amount of fabric has little to do with the price. Design and brand are far more important for high societies."

"But won’t other countries copy it if it’s too successful?"

"For women, high-end underwear is like jewelry or accessories. They’ll want the expensive original over cheap imitations. And these products don’t lose value easily."

That’s the power of branding, spit a bunch of bullshit about luxury in front of people and no matter the cost or the material, people will buy it. I gave the same explanation I used in my sales pitch to Morris.

"I think it’s a great idea. But will everyone start wearing it?"

"That depends on me, the ’Sex King,’ and the efforts of the people of this ’Sex Kingdom.’ For example, having girls at brothels wear the underwear and promote it would be the best option for us."

"Oh, I see."

"If safety improves and underwear becomes common, fashion freedom will grow. Even miniskirts like this could be sold someday."

I showed a photo of a girl in a miniskirt on my phone.

"The Kingdom of Freesia, the center of new fashion, will become a trendsetter, creating all kinds of clothing."

"Then Freesia textiles will also revive."

"Yeah but we will have to work hard to achieve that... Starting with establishing a culture of women wearing underwear in this world."

"True, I’d love to try wearing such pretty underwear."

"Then... Shall I make some with my magic for you to try?"

I suggested, stumbling over my words.

"I’d also like to hear the opinion of someone from this world."

I hurriedly added an excuse-like reason to mask my intentions.

"Is that okay? You won’t collapse again, right?"

"I recovered my stamina while sleeping, so I’m fine right now. One set is no big deal for me."

I focused my mind in my right hand and created an item.

*Shrr*

What I made was a red-based underwear set with white frills. It wasn’t as revealing as the one I made for Iris, it was more of a cute style.

"Oh, that’s such a pretty color."

"I matched it with the color of your ribbon. I thought you liked red."

"Yes, I like it. I’ll go try it on."

...

...

"Sorry for making you wait."

After about an hour, Reina returned to the guest room. It seemed to have taken her time to put on the unfamiliar "underwear."

Of course, unlike with Iris, she was wearing her maid outfit over it, so her appearance didn’t change.

Still, she seemed a bit shy, her cheeks slightly red.

"What do you think about wearing it?"

"Um, it feels pretty good."

She answered with a smile like a flower. She seemed to like the underwear itself.

"The ’bra’ on my chest feels really great. My chest is big, and it’s tough when it moves, so I usually wrap it with cloth to keep it in place, but this is so much more comfortable and feels so nice."

I couldn’t help but imagine Reina wrapping her chest with cloth.

"Also, my cleavage looks really pretty, I think."

"The bra also has the effect of making your chest look beautiful."

"Wow, that’s amazing. It’d be great for wearing with a dress."

Dresses that emphasize the chest exist in this world too. The bra seems like a good match.

"Is the bra something you shouldn’t let others see?"

"That’s a tough question. Basically, you don’t show it, but there’s a fashion where you let a well-designed bra peek out a little on purpose."

"Oh, that sounds nice. It might become popular."

Reina’s eyes sparkled. Good, her fashion sense seems similar to modern tastes.

"How about the lower part?"

"Uh, the ’Panty’ on my hips feel a bit tight and strange. But they’re easy to wash and dry quickly, so they’re hygienic, and I think they’re good."

Those got a good review too. She’ll soon think going without pants was the strange thing.

"Also, the detailed embroidery is really cute."

"Can I take a little peek?"

I jokingly tried to lift the hem of her skirt.

"No way... pervert."

Reina dodged my joke playfully.

"...This is clothing you shouldn’t let others see, right?"

"Yeah, unlike the bra, panties are clothing you don’t show. You can think of them as part of your body."

Strictly speaking, there are things like show-off panties, but it’s complicated, so I kept quiet for now.

"I thought so."

For some reason, Reina smiled happily. Her instincts are sharp, or maybe she’s just spot-on about fashion.

"But isn’t it weird to put such detailed embroidery on clothing that you don’t show to anyone?"

"Fashion in hidden places is also important for a woman."

"Oh, I totally get that now. Wearing pretty underwear makes me feel prettier from inside! If you make good underwear, it’ll definitely sell for a high price."

"Yeah that’s the point, but you’re already plenty beautiful, Reina."

"Thanks..."

Reina said with a small blush on her cheeks.

"Besides, it’s not clothing you absolutely never show. At night, it’s also a clothing you show to your special man."

The final clothing that adorns the body. That’s why it can sell for a high price.

"...L-like, tonight, for example?"

Reina’s face turned bright red. Indeed, tonight was a special night.

"Y-yeah. Shall we head to the bedroom?"

"Yes..."