Chapter 331: Secretary Astra (3)

When I went home after the few hours spent at the Duchess' house, I told the others about what happened, earning myself some raised brows and amused glances as everyone poked some fun at me, which made me pout as I stole away the children and sat away from everyone, airing my complaints to the drowsy Kit, obedient Doe, and curious Robin.

Being teased left me feeling mixed on what had happened; for some reason, the Duchess just seemed to make me... act differently then I did with others.

I mean, I had already done things that were far more embarrassing to get what I wanted, and I usually held little shame within myself for said actions, and yet her saying she doesn't bite unless I want her to or how she smiled whenever she caught me staring...

It all made me feel like I was some lovestruck maiden being wooed by a valiant knight or something!

Wait...

Ahem...

Anyways, for the time being I wanted to try and keep my love life separated from my work life simply because it could cause issues between us if something happened to change how we feel about one another and lead to something bad happening...

Yeah, I didn't want to risk angering a incredibly powerful, influential woman because I thought I read cues correctly or because I was horny.

Not happening.

Still though, I think this is going to be both an incredible, great experience for myself and a torturous one if she keeps acting the way she does.

Spoilers... she does.

When I arrived the next day to work, I noticed instantly that her clothing was far more casual than before, the Duchess now wearing a pale blue sundress that barely did anything to hide her curves from the world; with the light streaming in through the window, it was easy to see her body beneath the slightly transparent clothing, and I noted instantly that she was braless, though she was wearing panties...

That made it hard to concentrate, and with her sitting beside me and moving around randomly to get more tea or new pieces of paper for us to work on, I couldn't help but watch as her breasts jiggle with each movement, only to blush as she smirked over at me from wherever she was.

"You seem a bit distracted today, Astra... Why is that, hmm~?"

Sitting down again, the Duchess wore a soft smile that was so different from the time we first met, her finger tracing out the edge of her teacup as she stared at me from the side, her eyes sparkling just as much as they were yesterday.

"Oh, um... N-No reason, Duchess..."

My quill began to scratch at the paper below as I tried to lose myself to calculations and the world of numbers, but the sound of the Duchess yawning and stretching made me glance at her, only to look back at the papers a moment later as I saw her large breasts almost spill free from the top of her sundress.

"Being back here, at the countryside is so refreshing... I envy you for that, Astra, since you don't need to deal with the hubbub of the city everyday. It gets... tiring. Boring."

I kept doing my calculations, nodding and listening as the Duchess continued to talk, the woman leaning back in her chair and staring down at the Potaam River, before she took her teacup and smiled blissfully at the sweet golden liquid that was inside.

"Nowadays though, I do find things to be a bit more bearable~! I wonder why that is..?"

She took a sip from the teacup and stared at me, before accepting the paper I handed her and reading it over, nodding to herself.

"Perhaps because I can finally relax a little... Having someone I can just be myself around, someone who has no idealized, grandeur laden version of me in their heads... That, and being away from it all always feels nice... especially now. Ah, this is correct, though I don't think an increase in leather based items would be a good idea right now, Astra."

I was about to begin a new set of work for another store when the Duchess said that, and I got curious, making me turn and stare at her as I asked "Why not? It's selling rather well currently - over the last two months at that location."

Smiling gently, the Duchess gestured towards the window, answering "Currently, yes, and while I might get a small boost in sales for the moment, any excess I have won't get sold soon... After all, we are entering the warmer months of Spring, and soon after that is Summer. Leather might be something that looks great, but in the heat? Sadly looks don't make you immune to the cruel Summer heat. Now if this were a... 'costume' store, perhaps leather wouldn't be a bad idea..."

She trailed off, looking at me with a small smile before continuing on, making me blush as I noticed her eyes roaming me for that split second.

"But for general wear, leather isn't going to be something people want to wear. Past gloves, of course, but this store is meant for casual wear. People are hoping to look fashionable for the first Harvest Festival in a week, so the leather sells. After that though... it's going to return to cloth clothing for more breathability. Don't be chasing short term profits too quickly, Astra, or you might lose more than you think. An increase in sales might just be a fluke, not a trend."

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from and taking that to heart, understanding that whenever I made my own business - be it the winery or something else - I would need to look past the numbers and instead at the environment and people as well; a wine that makes you feel warmer than normal wouldn't sell well in Summer compared to a refreshing wine that slides down the gullet smoothly.

"Wait... Harvest Festival?"

"Mhm. The first of many is coming about; the soil around Birchan is laden with mana thanks to our wonderful Goddess, and as such we can grow crops faster. Each time we harvest everything, the people want to have a festival to celebrate another harvest. We all pray to Goddess Demetra and hope that she'll bless the next harvest, but alas..."

Waving her hand, the Duchess stared out at the land with a wry smile, before looking back at me and asking "Ah, you've never been to a Harvest Festival have you? Quite the experience... it's a few days long, and I was thinking of participating at one of my stores. Would you like to join me?"

Blinking a few times, I opened my mouth before closing it, wondering what I was supposed to say, before gulping and replying "I... would be honored, Duchess. It's meant to be a busy time of year, right?"

She chuckled, taking a sip from her tea and tapping the sheet of paper, saying "More than just 'busy', Astra... numbers jump to nearly double during festivals. People get payed quite a bit during the harvests, and that influx of money - mixed with the lower prices of most things - makes coin flow like wine~! It's one of my favorite things in the year~!"

Her smile widened as she added "Besides, there's so many~ different things to see and experience! I think you'll quite like it."