Free Web NovelChapter 28: The Blueprint Paradox
After a blissfully relaxing night, morning had finally arrived. Stepping out of her tent, Carmilla stretched her arms above her head and let out a soft, satisfied breath.
She had slept like a baby. Honestly, it was the best sleep she had ever had inside of a dungeon.
’Who would have thought that I would be sleeping on a fluffy, soft mattress instead of a cramped sleeping bag?’ she thought, a small smile playing on her lips. ’That idiot Yuki really is a doll when it comes to comfort.’
Carmilla made her way over to the kitchen station and sat down at the table. "Morning, Mal."
"Morning, Princess. Did you sleep well?" Malakai asked, turning around and flashing his signature, lazy smile.
"Way better than I expected, actually. The mattress is firm, yet remarkably fluffy."
"Ha, I will be sure to pass along your comments," Malakai chuckled, stepping forward and handing her a plate of freshly made breakfast.
"Oh, thanks." Carmilla took a bite, and her purple eyes lit up instantly. "Wow... it’s so good! Did you make this, Malakai?"
"Yes. Well, I was helped by Yuki. I mostly just followed his orders."
"Oh..." Carmilla’s smile faltered slightly. She frowned, taking another, slower bite of the delicious food. "Never mind. Where are Yuki and Vee, anyway?"
"They left less than five minutes ago. They said they were going hunting for crafting materials and essence cores, and that they would be back around evening."
"So... it’s just you and me?" she asked, looking up at him through her lashes.
"Yes, it is. Do you plan on going out today, or are you resting?"
"No, I—"
Click!
"Huff, huff! I made it back! Carmilla, you awake?!" Yuki’s frantic voice suddenly shouted into the camp clearing as he skidded to a halt.
Carmilla blinked. "I’m right here. What in the world do you need?"
"Oh, nothing! I just completely forgot to give you this!" Yuki said, rushing forward and dropping a neatly wrapped box directly onto her lap.
"What is it?"
"A survival upgrade for dungeon crawling! Okay, got to go! Bye!" Yuki yelled in a single breath, already spinning on his heel and sprinting right back out of the cavern entryway while waving goodbye over his shoulder.
Staring blankly down at her lap, Carmilla picked up the box and pulled off the wrapping. When she lifted the lid, her cheeks instantly flared a bright pink. Inside were seven matching, beautifully stitched pairs of modern lace bras and panties. Tucked away neatly at the bottom of the box was a small parchment pamphlet with illustrated instructions.
"It’s... underwear? Right?" she asked innocently, looking up at Malakai for confirmation.
"Yes, it is."
"Huh..." Carmilla pulled out a piece of the lace fabric, tilting her head. "It looks so incredibly strange. People from Earth really do have some unique types of clothing."
"That they do," Malakai purred, leaning against the counter. "But it is bound to be much more comfortable than your heavy royal corset, meaning you can move faster in battle. The pretty boy might be a fool, but his tailoring is flawless."
"Well... if you say so. I’ll go try them on. I’ll be right back," Carmilla murmured, grabbing the box off her lap and hurriedly making her way back into her tent.
Once inside, she set the box on her bedding and pulled out a deep crimson set. "Alright... how exactly do I do this?" she muttered, tilting her head in complete confusion. "What am I even looking at here? How am I supposed to wear this?"
Frustrated, she snatched the instruction pamphlet from the box and began to read it. But no matter how hard she stared at the blueprints, her high-class magical education couldn’t help her decipher the strange Earth design.
"This... this is absolutely ridiculous!" Carmilla cried out, tossing the lace bra onto the bed in utter defeat. She sat down on the edge of the mattress, glaring at the fabric, her face burning with frustration. "What in the world is this?! Why are there so many hooks?!"
"Sigh... I’m not doing this," Carmilla groaned, throwing her hands up in the air. "Mal! Come in here and help me with this thing!"
"This is quite the upgrade to our relationship, isn’t it?" Malakai chuckled softly, his deep voice manifesting right behind her.
Carmilla leaned her head back, looking up at him through her lashes. "Why is it that you always take your sweet time walking over when I call you, but today you decide to travel instantly through the shadows?"
"Well, it’s not every day you openly admit to needing my help," he said smoothly, stepping closer. "And besides, I’m your familiar. It’s all part of the job, Princess."
"Ha. Sure it is, lover boy," Carmilla chuckled softly, a rare warmth in her voice. "Do your princess a favor and help me put this on."
"No problem. Just so you know, I’m going to have to get a little handsy to do this right. You okay with that?"
"I am... just, no licking, okay?"
"K."
Carmilla tilted her body forward slightly, pulling her long hair over one shoulder and allowing Malakai to reach the delicate straps.
Malakai’s massive, warm hands brushed against her bare lower back, creating a striking contrast against her pale skin. He struggled a bit at first with the tiny, intricate Earth hooks. Yuki had explicitly instructed him on how they worked and what he needed to do, but theory and practical application were two vastly different things.
To fasten it, he had to pull the two ends of the band together across her lower back. Every touch of his large, calloused fingers against her skin sent a sudden, electric jolt straight down her spine. ’Since it’s a brand-new bra, it should be fastened on the loosest, outermost hook,’ Malakai remembered Yuki telling him. With a quiet grunt of concentration, he clicked the tiny metal hooks into place.
Next came the adjustment. He slid his hand under and into the cup from the side, gently smoothing and pulling the soft breast tissue forward so it sat perfectly centered within the crimson lace. As Malakai worked, Carmilla’s heart hammered violently against his fingers, making it absolutely impossible for her to hide just how flustered and breathless she was.
Malakai lingered for a moment, his hand resting against her chest. It was strictly to ensure there was no pinching or spillage—to make sure Carmilla was as comfortable as humanly possible, and for absolutely no other reason. Or so he told himself.
Once he was finished, he smoothly slid his hands out. He ran two fingers under the back band, pulling it down so it sat level against her ribs, before sliding his thumbs up the shoulder straps to tighten them so they wouldn’t slip.
Finally finished, Malakai let his hands rest gently on her waist. Instead of pulling away, Carmilla leaned back, resting the full weight of her body against his broad chest. The two of them stood there in the quiet tent, enveloped in a rare, heavy silence. Usually, Malakai would break a moment like this with a witty, teasing remark, but he didn’t. He didn’t really know why, but keeping her close just felt like the right thing to do.
"Mal..." Carmilla asked softly, her purple eyes looking up to meet his slitted golden ones.
"Yes, Carmilla?"
"..." She hesitated for a second.
"Is the bra uncomfortable?"
"No, it’s actually very comfy," she murmured. She swallowed hard, her voice dropping into a vulnerable whisper. "...Malakai, why are you truly so protective of me? Is it just because of the master-servant contract... or do you actually have feelings for me?"
Malakai’s lazy smirk completely faded, replaced by a look of absolute, intense seriousness.
"Princess, the contract only forces me to keep you breathing," Malakai said, his deep voice vibrating against her back. "It doesn’t force me to tear apart entire armies just because they looked at you with disrespect. I am here because there is nowhere else in this entire world I would rather be. Plus... it would be quite annoying to try and find someone else. You make me complete. It would be highly unwise for me to throw that away and risk fading into nothing."
Hearing those words, a genuine, soft smile tugged at Carmilla’s lips. Her face burned red, but she didn’t hide away. She knew exactly what he meant when he said she made him complete. On the surface, it was the magical contract keeping his existence anchored to the world, yet the way his hands tightened around her waist told her it was something infinitely deeper.
"Good..." Carmilla whispered, leaning back into his warmth. "Because if you ever dare to leave my side, I will hunt you to the absolute ends of the chaos realm and destroy you myself. I... I like having you by my side, Mal."
