"Did you hear that? Did you hear it?"
"Yeah, so stop hitting me, you brat."
"They’re going to help me change! The head of the household himself! What should I do? Ahh, ahhh."
"Hey, you’re drooling…."

Whispers filled the air. Aslan was oblivious, while the maids peeked through the door, giggling.

They used to let us handle the changing!
Now they seem to want a piece of the action?
Are they struggling to hide their desires now?

"I thought the head of the household was incredibly patient. It seems he can’t hold back anymore…!"
"No, don’t jump to conclusions. He is definitely a shady character, but he wouldn’t violate his principles. He wouldn’t lay a hand on a child."
"So then…?"
"This is to engrave in his mind the current Charlotte, who is destined to disappear beyond the passage of time!"
"…?"

The junior maid tilted her head at the puzzling statement.

"Think about it. If he raises these mischievous girls according to his taste to make them his wives, it’s romantic and all, but there’s a huge trap hidden in that."
"What’s that?"
"The fact is, the bride of his childhood will fade away into the passage of time, and he will never be able to meet her again! He will surely regret it for the rest of his life, wishing he had done more when she was still young!"
"Ah…!"

The junior maid’s eyes widened in astonishment. This was an idea she had never imagined until now.

"It’s what we call making memories! If I just wait patiently like a gentleman for the bride to grow up, I’ll definitely regret it. I should even make a list of things to do before the young bride grows up!"
"That’s how it is. Indeed, once time passes, it never comes back…."
"From now on, the head of the household will blindfold himself, and while relying on Charlotte's whispers, he’ll move his hands to help her change, and pretend it’s all a mistake… heehee."
"Senpai, you’re drooling."

Changing clothes event!
Isn’t this one of the essential events?
Teaching the complex outfits of nobility to kids who aren’t used to them, while also expecting subtle skinship!

That’s right. It’s too good to just leave it to the maids.
I’d definitely end up regretting it later.
The head of the household knows what he’s doing!

As the maids squealed in excitement, suddenly—

"I brought it! My armor! Isn’t it cool?"
"Ah."
"Ah."

Charlotte returned with a triumphant look, holding a bag containing her armor. The expressions of the maids turned stiff.

…What? Was it about armor?

"Shall we get to work?"
"Yeah. The dishes are piling up."

Oh no. It’s all over now.
The maids clicked their tongues and turned away.

"Why are you like this, Uncle?"
"…"

I was bewildered.

Armor, huh.
So naturally, I thought of shining metal armor, or something like that.
But what Charlotte pulled out from the large bag was nothing of the sort.

"This is thinner than I expected."
"It’s armor you can wear all day like clothes! So it’s really thin and easy to move in!"
"…."

I held the 'armor' that Charlotte handed me and felt it.

It was light, had great elasticity, and hardly deformed no matter how much I stretched it.

At first glance, it looked no different from clothing.
But when I slammed my fist down on it, it quickly turned hard, proving that it had the functions of armor.

'It’s practically just clothing.'

It fit snugly on the body, a stretchy kind of armor.
The craftsmanship was impressive.
After all, there were those who could coat swords with mana and wield them, so the armor-making skills should be equally advanced.

"I have no idea how to wear this just by looking at it. There aren’t any buttons in front…."
"It’s structured so someone has to tie it from behind. I’ll help you."
"Hehe, please do!"

With a quick motion, Charlotte turned around and started to take off her outer garment.

Turning her back to me, she was in a thin shirt.
Then, with a sudden motion, she dropped something into my palm.

"Please tie my hair!"
"…."

What she handed me was a hair tie.
It had been a long time since I tied a girl’s hair.

As I cautiously grabbed her hair, I could feel its silky softness.
When I gathered her hair back, the nape of Charlotte’s neck was exposed.
She seemed to have just come running, as beads of sweat had formed there.

I discreetly wiped it with my finger and finished tying it into a ponytail.

"You know, wouldn’t it be better to do this normally? It would be more comfortable to keep it tied."
"Hmm, is that so? Which do you think is prettier, tied up or not?"
"…."

That was a tough question.

"Both tied up and not tied up are pretty, but I think it would suit this armor better if it’s tied."
"Then I’ll keep it tied when I wear this!"

Charlotte with a ponytail was quite the sight.
Her excited sways to the side were utterly adorable.
I struggled to suppress the urge to grab her and pull her back.

After finishing tying her hair, we began to put on the armor in earnest.
Since it was armor that could be worn like everyday clothes, the process of wearing it wasn’t too complicated.
I wrapped it around her abdomen and chest, making sure it covered everything, and then secured it with a tie from behind.

"Should I pull it tighter?"
"Yes!"
"Ugh…."
"Ugh!? You’re pulling too hard! It’s so tight…!"

[The evil god 'Carly' yells at you, saying our dark knight’s ribs are about to break, so let go of your strength immediately!]

…There’s no way I could break this kid’s ribs with my strength.

Once I adjusted the ties properly and tied them off, she was finally dressed.
Now that I thought about it, the armor resembled a corset.

"Alright. All done."
"How do I look, Uncle? Is it pretty?"

[The evil god 'Carly' beams with delight, saying it’s so very pretty.]

"It looks nice. It suits you."
"Hehe!"

Charlotte turned around and showed me her front, smiling shyly.
I had a brief thought about how it shouldn’t matter whether it’s pretty or not since it’s armor, but I didn’t voice it.
If she’s cute, that’s all that matters!

"Wow! It’s so comfortable! It feels like I’m not wearing anything! Does it really protect me? Uncle, do you want to hit my belly once?"
"…No, thanks."
"Why not?"

With a childlike face, Charlotte pushed her belly out towards me.
I turned away, avoiding her gaze.
Even if I hit her with all my strength, she wouldn’t budge with that armor on.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of reluctance.

What kind of adult hits a kid’s belly?
I outright refused before she could develop any strange preferences.

"Now that I’m all dressed up, I feel like a real knight!"
"Not yet. Just because you have excellent talent and a fine sword, and armor doesn’t mean you’re a knight. You need to have the right mindset to truly call yourself a knight."
"Wow! The knight sister said exactly the same thing!"
"…."

That was only natural.
She was just repeating what she heard from Silvia in a game.
But it was a relief that she seemed to understand.

"Don’t worry! The knight’s spirit, right? I’ve been memorizing that lately! I have to cherish life, I shouldn’t enjoy showing off my strength… Hmm, what else was there? There’s something really long!!"

Charlotte was just brimming with excitement.
It seemed she wasn’t puffed up just because she had a fancy sword and pretty armor.
It appeared Silvia was not only good at sword training but also at educating them.
That was a relief.

"If you’ve put everything on, you should head out now. Yulia was pretty scared a while ago after seeing a ghost, so if possible, try to stay with her."
"Hmm…."

At the mention of Yulia, Charlotte’s eyebrows suddenly drooped.
She stealthily approached me from behind, peeking over my shoulder.

"Uncle, are you really busy? Is it helping by going out?"
"…."

There was still a lot to clean up.
There were many books that hadn’t been organized yet.
There were tasks that had to be dealt with piling up.
But…

"How about taking a quick break and getting a massage?"
"Where are the massage rights…."

I couldn’t resist a massage.
Time? I could spare a bit of it.
Finally, Charlotte’s face lit up with a big smile.

"Where does it hurt? Where shall I massage today?"
"My back hurts, and my shoulders hurt, and my calves hurt, and my neck hurts…."

It seemed faster to find a place that didn’t hurt.

"You’re just saying your whole body hurts! You exercise every morning, so why are you like this?"
"…You’re right."

A deep sigh escaped me.
Because I had such a weak body, I felt an urgent need to get it fixed as soon as I possessed it.

So, I endured the stinging of my skin and frequently went out into the sun.
I worked out relentlessly and ate regularly.

It had already been three months since I started this healthy lifestyle.
It was true that I had gained a little muscle, but the changes in my body didn’t reflect the effort I had put in.

Was it due to my natural constitution?
I was now practically in a state of despair.

"It seems like I’ll have to massage you all day."
"Then I’ll skip the rest and just ask for a facial massage."
"Why? Is it because I look scary? Should I make it softer?"
"…No. It’s just my facial muscles are tired."

Charlotte looked at my face with a serious expression.
Is my face that scary?

I wished I could somehow soften this fearsome face with a massage.

"Hehe! If that’s the case, leave it to me!"

Charlotte rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.
I lay comfortably on the sofa and closed my eyes.

Could Charlotte really control her strength?
She needed to do well. After all, if she messed up, it would hurt!

Concerns began to take precedence.

I heard the rustling of something being removed beside me.
Once she seemed to finish preparing, I felt Charlotte hop up onto the sofa.

"Is it starting?"
"Yeah."
"Is it really okay?"
"Stop asking and just start."
"Are you serious?"
"…."

With a hesitant voice, Charlotte kept stalling.
Just as I opened my eyes, feeling something was off—

"Ha!"
"…?"

Charlotte’s tiny feet landed on my face.