If Altina’s earlier performance had only made Vita suspicious, she was now certain that Altina was indeed trying to seduce Caine.
The preparations were far too obvious. Altina, who usually wore conservative formal wear, was currently dressed in a provocative outfit.
She wore a tight-fitting shirt that exposed her midriff and armpits, paired with hot pants, black tights, and high-heeled ankle boots. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail, revealing the back of her neck—a departure from her usual style. Despite the sultry look, she maintained her usual cold, solemn, and serious expression.
With such an obvious attempt to please a man, even Vita felt that Altina was going a bit too far.
Though she had only removed her jacket and changed her hairstyle, her allure had skyrocketed. At least, that was how Vita felt.
“…”
As for Caine?
He was just as shocked as Vita.
He had never imagined that beneath that cool, long-sleeved jacket was a sleeveless shirt. While it wasn’t so tight that she was bursting out of it, one could still vaguely sense the cold-blooded young lady’s generous curves and deep cleavage.
Was he really supposed to play a match against Altina dressed like this?
Seriously?
If Caine could maintain 80% of his usual skill while facing such an Altina, it would be a testament to his iron will and lack of interest in women.
In reality, the situation was worse than Caine had anticipated.
Once they actually started playing, Caine realized he couldn’t concentrate entirely on the ball. After all, the other two “balls” were far too distracting.
Fortunately, Caine had a solution. ‘I’ll just play for a bit and pretend I’m no match for her. Then, I can suggest we take a break.’
He would wait until she cooled down and put her jacket back on before continuing.
…Though, Caine couldn’t see any sign that Altina was actually feeling hot.
Even Vita, who was less physically fit than Altina, had only broken a slight sweat. Altina didn’t look tired at all; even her breathing remained perfectly steady.
However, Altina had naturally anticipated the solution Caine came up with. And she had her own countermeasure.
She deliberately lowered her skill level, purposely hitting balls that Caine would definitely be able to return. This made it impossible for him to easily end the match or the exercise.
The trick was simple but effective. With such a low level of physical exertion, Caine felt too embarrassed to claim he was tired. He could only continue to return the balls with a complicated expression.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to see the usually serious and cold duke’s daughter looking so sexy. He could feel that Altina was dressing this way specifically to please him.
The problem was why she was doing it. Did she have feelings for him?
Caine didn’t think he had done anything to make Altina fall in love with him. It couldn’t be a sci-fi scenario where she had fallen in love at first sight, could it?
The most likely reason was his identity.
Altina was loyal to Corellia and believed that Corellia and Caine were the same person. Therefore, pleasing Caine was an act of loyalty to Corellia—something a subject of the kingdom should do.
It wasn’t because of his personal charm, but because he was basking in the Queen’s glory to enjoy the services of her subordinate. This realization left Caine feeling quite conflicted.
While Caine felt conflicted, Vita felt absolutely terrible.
Feeling a sense of crisis, she cursed Altina in her heart for being a shameless woman. To stop Altina’s attempt to win Caine over, she took action on the surface.
Just two or three minutes into the match, Vita looked at the game—which was significantly more relaxed than when she had played—and put on a dissatisfied expression, raising her hand in protest.
“Protest! Protest! Altina, you’re holding back way too much! And you too, Sister! Your movements are too stiff and unnatural! It’s so unfair! I want to see an intense match!”
By pretending to care about the quality of the game itself, Vita successfully expressed her dissatisfaction with the current situation.
“…”
Altina intended to ignore her, of course.
However, Caine stopped as soon as he heard Vita’s protest.
After deliberately missing a slow ball from Altina, Caine picked it up and gave a polite, apologetic smile to both Vita and Altina. “Sorry, I’m actually not feeling quite myself today. Let’s play something more relaxing.”
In this situation, Caine’s will was absolute.
If Caine said he wanted to play something relaxing, neither Vita nor Altina would object. To object would be to show a lack of consideration for Caine’s feelings. Neither of them would commit such a blunder, which would only decrease his favorability rather than increase it.
“You’re right! Let’s switch to another game. What do you think, Altina?”
“…I have no objection.”
Seeing that both of them agreed to end the exercise—which was not very friendly to his composure—Caine breathed a sigh of relief. His polite smile became a bit more natural.
After switching to a more sedentary game, such as a board game, Caine actually enjoyed himself for a while, both as a player and a spectator. Even when he lost, he remained calm and refreshed.
“Excuse me, ladies. I need to step out for a moment. Please continue without me; I’ll be right back.”
After a while, Caine, having lost a round, decided to go to the restroom and left the room temporarily.
This left Vita, with her torn black tights, and Altina, who had put her jacket back on but kept her high ponytail, sitting on opposite sides of the game board.
“…Altina, are you serious? Or are you only being so proactive out of loyalty to Her Majesty?”
After making a move, Vita launched a direct attack while Caine was away.
She didn’t use her usual frivolous and relaxed tone, but an extremely serious one. Anyone could see that Vita was being completely earnest; she even looked Altina straight in the eye as she asked.
“…Lord Caine is an excellent man. It is only natural for me, as a woman, to be attracted to him. If possible, I hope Your Highness Vita will not hinder my actions.”
Since Vita had laid her cards on the table, Altina was equally straightforward. After her decisive response, she placed a highly aggressive piece on the board.
Her directness stunned Vita.
She truly hadn’t expected Altina to forgo any pretense. The girl was prepared to challenge the King’s sister directly.
“…Heh, well, that’s hard to say. After all, I’m serious too.”
After a brief hesitation, a rare, fearless smile appeared on Vita’s face. She followed up with an equally aggressive move on the board. She even let the piece click loudly against the game board on purpose.
The two adult women had seemingly reached a full understanding. Both were serious about winning Caine’s heart.
“…”
What they didn’t know was that at that very moment, in the restroom, the Caine they were pining for was staring at his body in silence, looking at an ice-blue lip print.
‘Damn it! When exactly was I kissed!?’