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"Huh?"
"It's too late now. Mother was too perfunctory." Camilla let go of Aya's ear and sat up.
"I'll continue massaging you, but this time, I'm completely serious." Camilla said, adjusting her wrist.
"What do you mean by 'completely serious'... Ouch!" Aya cried out, "My shoulders are numb."
"That's how it works." Camilla stretched out her hands and pressed on Aya's shoulders, applying pressure in a gentle, rhythmic motion. The force was enough to easily crush an elephant's skull, but it was probably not enough to overwhelm Aya's physical resistance.
After rubbing her shoulders quickly, Camilla moved her attention to Aya's back. Instead of rushing to adjust the bones, she began by pinching the flesh.
"My back... My flesh is being pinched like this. It feels a bit too hard."
'Usually, my mother complains of discomfort when I exert the slightest force, and the treatment has no effect. I will treat her better this time.' Camilla thought.
In this manner, Camilla pinched the flesh on Aya's back repeatedly, and Aya began to feel both the slight pain and the unexpected comfort.
"Now, onto the cervical vertebrae." Camilla extended her hands and wrapped them around Aya's neck from behind. Then, she pressed firmly three times with her palms before using her thumbs to target two points on the back of Aya's neck.
"Hmm... This feels weird."
"Because it's acupuncture. Oh, and there are acupuncture points on the earlobes too."
"Stop pinching my ears!"
'I am usually very obedient, but not in moments like this. Even though my mother says no, I know she actually feels quite comfortable.' Camilla thought with a naughty look.
"If you scream too loudly, someone might hear you. There's no soundproofing magic here."
"Oof! Oof!"
Aya quickly covered her mouth.
"Then I'm going to pinch down the spine, piece by piece."
"Well, the number of vertebrae in primitive monsters is different from that of humans. Do we really need to pinch them all?" Aya asked nervously.
"Of course." Camilla started kneading without explanation, from the cervical vertebrae to the coccyx, not leaving out a single part.
Aya desperately tried to cover her mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping.
Finally, there was the patting and the second round of back massage. It was painful, but also enjoyable, and in the end, Aya found herself fully relaxed.
"Ah, ah, ha, I want more, I can't take it anymore~"
Aya collapsed onto the bed, gasping for breath. Yet, she had to admit that she felt much more at ease. Camilla, drenched in sweat, looked even more exhausted than after her daily morning exercises — which typically involved fighting Priya for the right to wake Aya up.
Although she seemed irritated, Camilla had still given Aya a massage much rougher than usual, but quite comfortable nonetheless.
Camilla felt satisfied, admiring Aya's shy expression, while Aya thought it was quite interesting to experience the occasional "roughness."
She claimed to be angry, but in reality, she was just being playful, 'How cute.' Aya thought to herself.
"The last part is below the coccyx." Camilla seemed determined to push her limits.
"Don't press my butt!" Aya, fully aware of Camilla's intentions, spoke up firmly to stop her.
"Then let's head home and massage it. Mother's butt is too small and too hard in this form."
"Hmm? What are you implying?" Aya could sense there was more to the words than Camilla was letting on.
"Mr. Levi." Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was the voice of the housekeeper, Lena.
"The preparations on the Duchess' side have been completed. May I ask if we can meet now?"
"No problem, please wait a moment." Aya immediately got up from the bed and dressed herself. Camilla, who was already satisfied, also regained her composure.
The fun was over, and now it was time to get down to business.
Operan stepped out of the bathroom, dried off with the help of a maid, and changed into an exquisite black dress that suited her status. She adorned herself with a beautiful ruby pendant and donned golden high heels with slender heels.
"Madam, may I assist you with your shawl?" The maid tied the laces for her from behind, and the black veil covered her exposed arms.
This was the dress she wore most often. It combined restraint and elegance, majesty and temptation. It was also the one she believed suited her the best.
Dressed in such fine attire and surrounded by people, this situation gave her a little boost in confidence. With a light sigh, the Duchess walked slowly toward the bedroom where Aya was waiting.
"Mr. Levu, Levi..." She hesitated about how to address the boy. Before she knew it, she had walked through the not-so-short corridor and arrived at the door of the room.
Still feeling nervous, she raised her hand to grab the door handle, but then lowered it. She repeated this twice, and then the door was suddenly opened from the other side.
"Hello, Your Excellency the Duchess." The young man AKA Aya or Levi greeted her casually. His tone was respectful, yet his demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant, as though he was chatting with a friend.
This casual approach made Operan, who was used to high positions, feel a little uneasy.
"Levi." Honestly, there were many things to discuss, but at that moment, she didn't know where to start.
"Your daughter should have woken up by now." Aya said, "If we want to discuss this, why not let her join us? I think we could uncover more of the truth behind this."
"You must have been eager to see her."
"Yes, yes."
Aya invited Operan to join her in waking the girl, and the other party agreed immediately, without hesitation.
The Duchess' Palace was a four-story building. Angelina's room was on the third floor, while the room they were in was on the second. To go up from here, they had to take the stairs.
"What high heels!" Aya thought to herself after glancing at Operan's outfit.
In her previous life, Aya had also been a girl. Though she hadn't reached the age where high heels were necessary, out of curiosity, she had bought a pair and tried them. She ended up with sore feet after just a few steps and almost tripped.
The heels that Operan wore were much higher than any Aya had tried before.
It would be incredibly difficult to move around like that, especially with the need to climb stairs.
"Do you need help going up the stairs?"
"Oh? No, no need. I'll just hold onto the handrail." With a slightly flushed face, Operan waved her hand to decline Aya's kindness.
That's right. After all, they were still outsiders, and this kind of action was only suitable between friends. Aya didn't think too much of it.
"Wow, so handsome and such a gentleman."