(▽`)Two White-Haired Girls (II)
"..."
When she heard the narcissistic witch say that, Frieren naturally lifted her eyes from her book and looked over at her, calmly rebutting:
"If I could..."
"I wouldn't want Fern to wake me up, either."
"I'd like to sleep until the afternoon, just like Annie."
"But..."
"Ever since I started traveling with Fern, she hasn't let me sleep in anymore."
As she spoke, she couldn't help turning her head toward the kitchen with a resentful look.
"..."
Just then, Fern came over carrying a fruit platter and afternoon tea.
On the tray were three steaming cups of fine black tea, its fresh aroma wafting through the air, along with a platter of fresh fruit and the pastries the lord had gifted them before leaving.
As for the fresh fruit, apparently a mage in that fortress city had grown it using a greenhouse and temperature-control magic. In the past, Fern and Frieren wouldn't have been able to afford it, but things were different now. They had plenty of gold, so during the three days they spent shopping there, Fern had bought enough to last them until they reached the next big city.
"Lady Frieren!"
"Sleeping in is wrong. Besides, if I hadn't kept you in check before, our travel time would probably have doubled!"
As she spoke, she set one cup of tea on the table beside Frieren, then handed another to the still self-pitying Ilena. Only then did she pick up the last cup herself. She took a deep breath of the tea's aroma, as if that were the only way to chase away some of her drowsiness.
Then, after taking a small sip, she sank wearily onto a sofa and blew gently on the tea.
"But we have a fully automatic magic carriage to