Keep That Dog on a Leash

One week and a half passed since our last general gathering with everyone present. I can't say that the business is booming now, but it's certainly slowly getting better and better, and that's surely not just thanks to our own efforts. The King's information network should be given its credit too. Thanks to him, we surely are able to reach the ears of people actually interested in having some fun with other races.

Anyway, during these days we focused on helping the new additions to our ever-growing family get accustomed to the establishment and their own responsibilities. All of the girls, which are Rene the Dogkin, Dhosk the Lizardfolk, Tyriana the High Elf and the Satyr sisters Meiya and Neiya, learn very quickly and get the hang of most things without any issues.

With that, our maid battalion is now of a decent size and the elves tending to other services will not heavily strain that department. Of course, it's far from perfect, but we'll get there with small and steady steps. Our popularity is not that great, so everything is working fine for now. It's not like people openly swarm our gates, just some enthusiasts or curious ones come late at night, often hiding their identities from others at first.

As for the other things, Sirgia finally finished Teffith's naginata and our main bouncer was overjoyed with the final result. We managed to obtain enough adamantite to forge the blade while my master craftsman dwarf used other metals of similar, crimson colour for the rest, creating an end product truly fitting our red-scaled dragonewt.

Additionally, Mafaris and Teffith assisted Sirgia with the designs and so the weapon is not only of amazing quality but also looks magnificent without affecting its performance in any way. The naginata's bloody blade has a truly draconic feeling to it, or perhaps I should say it's more like a fusion of demonic and draconic styles.

I'm glad Teffith is happy with what she got. I barely have any chances to dote on her since she is not part of the girls that partake in some more intimate activities with me, considering those very much a reward for their efforts. Who knows if the situation between the two of us will someday change, but I'm more than fine with keeping my hands off her if she is happy with our current distance.

Besides weapons, during these ten days, Sirgia also brought to life some of the less-than-decent ideas I've shared with her via various schematics and designs. She is already long past her phase of minding working on such gadgets and I can only see pure joy and determination while she does so, which is really reassuring.

So, while we are not yet ready to officially open for women, thanks to Sirgia's efforts, supported by ever-so-eager Mafaris and a few other girls, we did almost finish turning one of the rooms into a true pleasure den. I wanted to make it much fancier than the next ones, just in case, we'd be getting some VIPs, especially one certain someone.

It's already filled with countless toys, tools, gadgets, contraptions and even some mechanical devices. Yes, Sirgia completely overdid herself as usual and created some outrageous stuff for this world. The stool the Queen received is nothing when compared to them. I honestly did not think I'd see a fantasy version of a sybian or magic-operated dildo machines. Whoever will be brave enough to come here is signing up for a ride. Or a few.

But, it's all just the beginning and many of these are just early prototypes, which is already impressive for Sirgia to create some quite complex toys this quickly. Well, she now has the help of Mafaris who is also interested in craftsmanship so it's natural the work is faster, but still, I really need to think about something actually in her field of expertise she could make for me or she'll keep pumping out sex toys for my sake while ignoring her true calling. Unless it's actually this.

Nevertheless, we are developing nicely. During the last meeting we also mentioned role-playing, but not much of it has been touched upon as of yet. We did talk with our usual tailor but they weren't confident in producing things different than fashionable clothes, and abundant outfits of various adventuring professions, and not only, seemed to them as a bit over their abilities.

Thus, that part is more or less put on hold until we can acquire a skilled tailor or/and leatherworker, be it as a resident or a shop, company, person willing to work with us. Cornelia did start looking into it a bit, but there wasn't much success so far and hoping for a miraculous master tailor slave is not the right way of thinking. I won't always be magically finding people with the skills I need amongst non-human slaves.

The girls are having some short conversations and lessons about the whole idea of role-playing and such, but it's more to satiate their curiosity than actually train roles and acting with them. Even without these, just serving customers in quality outfits would raise the popularity of the establishment by a lot for sure, definitely creating some more positive impressions via rumours.

As for the last part of the important talk, which is going out, some girls did start leaving the mansion during the day. At first, it was mostly the elves, but after seeing the merry state of them after their return, many other residents got interested in trying it out and pushed their worries aside.

Fortunately, there were no big incidents so far and they always go out in a group of at least two, so everyone who decided to get some fresh air usually had a good time. We did notice a slight increase in customers which definitely was the result of our girls having strolls in the city in their uniforms and collars.

All in all, things are looking better and better, but there's still lots to do and a lot of room for growth. Ah, there actually were a few minor disputes during these past days. Should I say finally? It has been so quiet up until now. It wasn't anything big, just a bunch of self-entitled people looking down on the girls and expecting to be treated like kings since non-humans are trash in their eyes.

Teffith had a chance to see some action after weeks of being here and she handled them better than just well. The troublemakers were kicked out with full professionalism and grace and those who showed enough hostility were made an example of. Even without her weapon, which hasn't been completed at that point, Teffith is plenty capable of beating a bunch of Humans into a pulp.

These situations will only increase from now on. It would be better to start thinking about increasing the security, even though almost all the girls could take action if the case was serious enough. But, for normal disputes, having bouncers is the better answer. We have to build and uphold a professional image.

Right now is the morning of our free day and I'm practising my abilities and handling of the draconic hilt in the underground arena. I've started training more regularly than before. I can't fall behind. Many of the girls happily assist me, sharing their knowledge and experience from various fields, which feels like I have many amazing, dedicated instructors by my side.

As I'm repeating a set of motions with one of my favourite modes of the draconic hilt, which is the whip sword, I catch the door to the area opening within the corner of my eye. My perception rose a lot after I managed to get accustomed to the new body and surge in efficiency.

It's nothing as great as having a completely inhuman reaction time, although I guess I should not use that term considering I'm no longer one, but the difference between me from the past and me now is noticeable with the naked eye.

"Master, Cornelia wishes to meet with you if there's nothing of high importance currently occupying your time," a soft, gentle, lady-like voice informs me shortly after the door opens fully.

"She said she will be waiting in the place where you last ate crepes together!" a very lively and overjoyed one joins soon after and a few seconds later something bouncy slams against my naked back covered in sweat.

"Emi, I told you not to jump at Master when he is training."

Two arms of emerald colour appear on my chest from behind and embrace it tightly while someone's chilly face snuggles to the back of my neck. I dispel the hilt's dark pink smoke and turn my head around to glance at the green Slime girl hugging me with an enthusiastic expression and the blue Slime lady approaching us with a faint smile.

"Emi is sorry… But Master's sweat is just so tasty, Emi can't hold back…"

Safi chuckles a bit while I move my hand to pat Emi's head. "That's true, but show some restraint. I'm sure Master will reward you plenty if you do so."

Ah, there is one more change that took place early in these ten days. A day after our fun session in one of the underground storages after the bouts with Garrena and Filue, Safi and Emi advanced and chose to be able to imitate vocal cords as their upgrade.

Since then, I'm able to finally converse with them properly. The change in my power's efficiency the Goddess mentioned must have been enough to push them over the necessary threshold to advance a stage with just that one, short session. Well, they did say they were kinda close before that.

I had some fun with others after the change of course, but no one has yet advanced a Tier with my help. It's not like we were fucking like rabbits though; there were still many responsibilities. But anyway, we are keeping track of progress in that field now too so that we can get some data on how much of a help my body can be.

"It's okay. You can absorb as much of it as you want. Come on, it's all yours. Just listen to your sister more in the future, okay?"

"Yay! Emi promises!"

She answers joyfully and in a flash, my whole torso is swallowed by her slime, making it look like it is me who wears the maid uniform now. Though, I don't think having a second head with a jelly girl's face growing from my shoulder and rubbing its cheek against mine is part of the image.

If someone saw me right now, a barefoot man in black pants, torso and arms enveloped in emerald slime with a maid uniform over it, and two heads, they would definitely faint or run away while screaming something about a monster or a pervert, or both at once. A monvert. Or perster.

"You are spoiling her too much, Master," Safi says after coming closer.

"I know, I know. That's why you are here, to act like the composed older sister," I answer and reach my hand to her cheek to share some of my mana with her, evoking a beautiful smile from the sapphire beauty.

"Well then, Emi, let Master go. You've had enough," she says after enjoying my energy for a short moment, sucking it into her core.

"Alright!"

I'm released from the slime suit and Emi quickly assumes her usual, humanoid form. They can now change shapes much faster than before too, most likely thanks to advancing a stage.

We leave the arena together and I take a quick shower in my own chamber. Since Cornelia didn't contact me personally through the Whispers and didn't share any specifics with the slimes, I assume it's nothing serious, requiring much preparation, so I dress into my fancy butler outfit instead of my adventuring gear. Maybe it's a date, who knows.

Informing Elea about my leave, I head to the place Emi mentioned. Some people take a longer glance at me while passing by near the mansion. It's a sign that I am getting a little bit of recognition in the neighbourhood, no matter what kind. It's not at the level that crowds recognize me, but it's still a new kind of feeling when random people on the street know who you are.

I reach the destination in around twenty minutes. It's not that far from our home. We stopped by that pastry once when coming back from the castle together in the past. Their crepes were truly magnificent and Cornelia fell in love with them.

When the outdoor set of tables in front of the store enters my sight, I notice a woman clad in purplish robes sitting by one of them alone, sipping on a small cup of coffee. I walk closer to her and stand by the side of the table.

"Good day to you, fair lady. Is this seat taken, perhaps?"

Cornelia raises her gaze and smiles softly.

"I don't mind it being if the one who does so would be a fine gentleman such as yourself, sir."

We chuckle together and I sit down on the opposite side.

"Not eating?"

"I was waiting for you."

"How thoughtful. I was sure you'd have already devoured a dozen of them."

"Hey!"

We laugh again and I signal at the waiter, ordering one crepe for each of us. He brings them quickly. Being the star of the menu makes them sell out in a constant stream so the store has fresh ones prepared almost all the time.

"So, what do I owe this little, pleasurable date with my charming magician?" I ask after we take a few bites.

"Do I need a reason to meet with the man I love in one of the spots we shared some memories together?" she answers. "But, I must say, your intuition is really impressive seeing you even dressed this nicely."

"You deserve nothing less, my daring Ice Queen."

A little rosiness appears on her cheeks as Cornelia smiles again.

"Alright, enough flirting. We have a place to be and I don't want my mind distracted by a plethora of unsuitable for the moment thoughts after we take it too far," she says afterwards.

"How far is too far?"

"Al, please."

"Okay, okay. I won't tease you," I surrender with my hands raised. "So, what's all of this about?"

"Ross mentioned he has something to discuss when I bumped into him earlier. Something that could interest you, supposedly. I didn't remember you having any serious plans for today so I told him we'll come."

"I see. That's too bad. I wanted to enjoy our little date for a bit longer."

We both stand up and Cornelia moves to my side, entwining our arms together and leaving a quick peck on my cheek. "We can always continue it on our way there."

As she said, we take our sweet time while walking towards the castle. We don't drag it out intentionally but don't rush to the place like it's on fire. I'm really enjoying just chatting with her while walking arm in arm and I know Cornelia is having fun too. Both of us don't have much experience in romance considering our pasts and even such walks are extremely enjoyable.

An hour flies by and we arrive in front of the castle's outer gates. They are opened for us even before we get close, thanks to my and Cornelia's identities. A Court Magician, even if ex and temporary, and a Hero, even if not really contributing to the Abyssal's case, are quite important figures most of the knights and servants around the castle grounds are bound to recognize from a mile away.

One of them guides us through the premises after Cornelia informs him about our business and we follow the guard to a meeting room. Naturally, to uphold Cornelia's image, we stopped acting so lovey-dovey before arriving at the gate. No one knows about us and it's good for her reputation if it stays like that. Well, no one besides maybe Lianne, and perhaps Rossberg, but his must be only assumptions so far.

As we are walking through the stone corridors side by side with a bit of distance between us, we stumble on a group of six people in robes coming from the opposite direction. One of the men amongst them has a little fancier look than the others, having his ruby vestments decorated with golden accessories. He holds onto an also gold staff with a carved ruby at the top.

Judging by his face, he is somewhere around forty or something. You can't say that he is not a fine-looking man though. His smooth blond hair swept to the back perfectly combines with a not-that-long beard of the same colour, covering his chin, cheeks and surrounding his mouth. Even his eyes are yellowish, what a match.

"Ah! Cornelia! Long time no see, my dear friend!" he suddenly stops talking to his group and calls to us while extending his hands to the sides.

"Ruther…" Cornelia mumbles the man's name under her nose and I don't think it was in a very favourable manner.

Nevertheless, seeing him coming towards us, she also steps forward and lets herself be hugged by him, reciprocating the action of course. They share a round of pecking around their cheeks like good family members meeting during some grand occasion.

"How have you been, my dear? How is your research progressing? I've heard you stepped down from your position as the Assistant Court Magician shortly after I returned to the castle. Why did you do so? Did something unpleasant happen whilst you were taking care of my responsibilities in my stead? Losing someone as talented and beautiful as you is a huge blow to our morale! You have no idea how worried I was when I heard the news. You should have come to me instantly if there was some issue."

Ruther starts monologuing on his own, not leaving even a short break between his questions and statements where Cornelia could possibly say something without interrupting him. From his rain of words, it's obvious that he is the Court Magician she was replacing when we were summoned.

But, that's not the important part here. This guy slides his hands all over Cornelia's back clearly not in the fashion of someone close greeting their dear friend. It's obvious from my position that he obnoxiously takes advantage of the situation to get a feel of her, slowly trailing lower and lower over her waist and towards Cornelia's bottom, making her clearly uncomfortable, and I don't even need our connection to understand that.

Before he reaches his objective though, I quickly move closer and catch his wrist with my left hand, pulling it to the side, wrap my right arm around Cornelia's waist and pull her back towards me, staring the man coldly into the eyes.

Surprised by the sudden action at first, he swats my hand away and furrows his brows after finally noticing my presence. "And you are?"

"If being a friend means acting like this, then I'm just a colleague," I answer while keeping my stern expression and not dropping eye contact. "Now, if you excuse us, we have an important meeting to attend."

Without further ado, I lead Cornelia past the man and the group of mages, beginning to walk towards our objective again while holding onto her.

"Wait! Do you think you can leave after disrespecting me like this?" His voice reaches our ears from behind.

"Oh gods, don't tell me he is the arrogant young master type…" I think out loud while rubbing my forehead with my free hand.

"What?"

Looks like he heard it. I turn my head around and glare at him over my shoulder.

"Forget it. As I said, we are busy at the moment. Withdraw while I still have the patience or you are going to offend someone way above your pay grade."

I turn back to the front and leave. My main objective is to get Cornelia away from him so she can relax a little anyway. Considering the fact that I don't hear any shouting or magical spells coming after us, he either took my warning seriously, which is very unlikely, or someone from the people there held him back. I don't care, honestly.

Our guide told us which room we are supposed to wait for the King in so I take it on myself to lead us there, having a decent idea of where we are and how to get there. I have most of the castle memorized from our one-year stay.

After we are quite far from the previous commotion, I slow down a little. Cornelia still hasn't said a word up till now and we keep walking together with my arm wrapped around her waist.

"So… Your ex?" She sighs heavily at my poor attempt to bring up a conversation. "I'm sorry. That was a distasteful joke. I know very well how devoted you were to your research and pursuit of knowledge."

The moment we turn a corner, Cornelia suddenly pushes me to the side into a niche in the wall, carved to create an impression of a concave gate around the wooden door, and we disappear in the indent deep enough to shield both of our bodies.

She presses herself against my chest and goes for my lips without any warning. She is not the type to be this aggressive and the way she fiercely pursues my tongue can't be called anything but. Additionally, she grabs my hand and guides it to her back, sliding it under her robes, and then even deeper, into her panties, forcing me to squeeze her tender butt with a lot of force.

We kiss sloppily for a good minute or two while I keep digging my fingers into the flesh of her plump ass. After finally parting, we pant a little into each other's faces.

"This looks even more serious than I first assumed," I say with a smile.

Cornelia chuckles softly. "I was just a little happy seeing the angry glare you shot at him and how you interfered to save me. And I might have used your manly hand to get rid of the lingering feeling of his fingers on my body."

I give her an affectionate peck and squeeze her butt again, evoking a quiet moan from her.

"Damn. I wonder what I would get if I hired some thugs to go after you and then jumped forth at the perfect moment to heroically save the damsel in distress."

She chuckles again. "A slap on the face." She then kisses me deeply. "And a night of loving caresses because you would have to be unimaginably frustrated or completely not yourself to rely on such petty tricks instead of just tying me up with your incredible chains and fucking me silly to your heart's content."

While we stare lovingly into each other's eyes, I catch a piece of someone's face and a frilly dress, most likely belonging to a maid, peeking over the edge of the hollow Cornelia pushed me into. Meeting my gaze, the person quickly runs off, leaving the sound of rushed footsteps behind them.

Cornelia leans back to take a glance over the edge and giggles after spotting the person. "Look what you have done."

"Oh, so now it's my fault. I see." I move my thigh a bit, which is lodged between her legs, and rub her private parts a little, making Cornelia moan.

She pulls herself close to my chest again and goes for another kiss while giggling into my lips. I think I might have broken her.

We share a few more pecks and leave the nave. Any more of this and we'll be exposed to more than just a stray maid. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if the next day the news about the respected magician having an affair with a hero were to spread inside the castle.

"So, what was that actually about?" I ask as we walk with some distance between us again.

"It's a long story, but in short, he sometimes came to help me in my lab. Well, maybe more often than sometimes. That guy was seriously into me and I was aware of it. I knew he was doing all of that only to court me, but as long as he was at least somewhat useful, and believe me, a Court Magician isn't an empty title, I decided to ignore his advances and focus on my work. He must have taken my lack of clear rejection as a sign that I liked him, but I never did. He is just a perverted ass, thinking all about how he could get a feel of me during experiments."

"This fucker…"

"Hey, it's alright." She grabs my hand and smiles softly when I look at her. "It was partially my fault for being so passive."

"That doesn't mean he was justified to comfortably assault you, clearly exploiting his higher position. Even if you would have frozen his balls solid if he ever crossed the line."

Cornelia chuckles and pulls me closer to peck my cheek. "It's a matter of the past. I now have a real man to take real care of me," she says charmingly with a faint blush.

I can't help but get a little bashful too as my face grows a little warmer. "I'll leave it at that then. For now."

We stop our coy conversation at that because we reach our destination. Standing in front of an ornate double door, I reach for the knob, but stop before I grab it. I knock on the wooden surface instead.

"Enter."

Rossberg's voice answers from inside. As I thought. Even though we were supposed to wait here for him, he is the one already there. He really is something else.

I open one wing and let Cornelia walk inside first, closing the door after me. We are greeted by the sight of not only Rossberg in his more casual, royal clothes, but also Lianne, his mother, sitting on the sofa in one of her light blue dresses.

"Al! It's so good to meet you agai—" He extends his hands while welcoming me, but is quickly pushed to the side by his mother.

"Alastair! How could you have kept such an important thing from me!" she says in a raised voice, which is a very rare occurrence.

"Huh?"

She then grabs the hem of her dress on both sides and does a respectable bow.

"I, Lianne Ruminas, the former Queen, and mother of Rossberg Ruminas, the current King of Evalitia, also known as the Divine Land, greet the Progenitor."

I sigh heavily as I slap my forehead and swipe my hand down my face. Cornelia gives me a confused look.

"Lady Lianne, please stop tha—"

"Uh, uh, uh." She stops the courtesies and waves her finger at me. "It's Lianne. We've already talked about it. And now, you have no more excuses to insert that Lady there. You are way above me."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. But I'll only do it when we are alone or in a familiar group." She nods with a gentle smile. "Anyway, wasn't this whole thing supposed to be a secret?" I ask while pointing at Cornelia with my thumb.

"It's fine. I trust her more than this idiot son of mine."

"Hey!"

"And I'm sure she already knows about your race so it was bound we would talk about it someday anyway. I'll explain it to you later, my dear." Lianne nods at Cornelia, which nods back, still a little perplexed.

"Alright. Let's drop all this Progenitor talk. You wanted to speak, right Ross?" I move the topic back onto its rightful tracks.

"Ah, yes. Come, sit down first." We follow his invitation and seat ourselves on one of the sofas around the coffee table. "I've stumbled on something that might actually interest you."

"I'm all ears then."

"You see, there's a certain quest shared by the Adventurer's Guild's branches in this region, which is hanging there without completion for more than a week."

"I know that you know about my plans to venture outside the capital, but what made you think I would be interested in a random quest in the area right now? Unless… you need my help. What's the issue?"

Ross smiles. "A Succubus."

I shake my head and smirk. "I can already see where this is going."

"Some time ago, a rumour surfaced, saying that an Arch Succubus has awoken and taken one of the cavern systems near Turna village as its lair. The quest was issued at once and many parties attempted to subjugate the threat, but none succeeded so far and men from that village still keep disappearing. We have to send reinforcements before the situation spirals out of control."

"So, instead of sending your elites to slay the supposed monstrosity, you thought of letting me go after her in hopes that I would subdue the Succubus and somehow talk her into working for me. Isn't that right, Mr Cunning?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Well… I thought a lot about who to send and you are just the best person for the task… You know… your abilities, your Class, now your changes after advancing… It's obvious I would reach out to you instead of anyone else, right?" He shows a wry smile.

"Alright, alright. Your true intentions are showing." I sigh. "I can't say that I'm not interested. And I can't say that your words are without any reason. Still, even if I do seem powerful to you now, I'm inexperienced in adventuring and monster hunting, if she even is a monster and not just another victim of humanity's ancient grudge."

It's Lianne who speaks up this time. "We would not allow you to go alone, of course. There's a group of four adventurers of an A-rank willing to have a try right now. You would join them if you have nothing against it. Of course, if you'd rather go with some of your girls, that's fine too."

"I see. But I'm an F-rank. I haven't done any quests. Wouldn't it be risky to fake a lot of stuff at the guild?"

Ross takes over again. "Hmmm… Why not make you join them as a scholar? One specifically proficient in this type of demons? The guild would accept you without a word as it would be help from the Kingdom, even if in the form of a non-combatant with lots of knowledge. The party definitely wouldn't have anything against too."

"Two birds with one stone, huh? Showing people you care by sending your men to help and letting me officially get in. You are not as stupid as I thought."

"Hey! What's with all of you today? I'll let you know amongst the people I'm known as the Wise King!" He ostentatiously plays angry and we all chuckle afterwards. "So, what do you think?"

I mull it over for a moment and glance at Cornelia. She smiles charmingly. "It will be a good test for us too. We'll never know if we are ready for you to leave the business to us without actually doing so. If worse comes to worst, we all can communicate telepathically."

"You are right. Theory without practice is just a bunch of unconfirmed scribbles on paper. What do you think, personally?"

"I believe in you, of course," she answers without a second of hesitation. "And in the rest of us too. We've been preparing for it for some time already."

"I guess so. Still, no matter how much preparation is done, you can't stop feeling anxious when it comes to the day of the real test. Anyway, looks like I'll be joining on that hunt. Any more details?"

"We'll need some time to prepare all the things connected to you, so we'll set the departure for 3 days from now. I'll have someone deliver you the dossiers of the adventurers so that you can familiarize yourself with them beforehand. And of course, I'll provide you with whatever information we have on the case. You already have unlimited access to our library if you'd want to check some things."

"Much appreciated. I'll be waiting for further instructions then." I nod at Ross and we shake hands over the table. "Now then, Lianne, I hope you are all good and well. Is my relaxation treatment proving efficient enough?"

The Queen blushes faintly, which results in cute, rosy marks to show over the fair, pale skin of her cheeks. "Absolutely. I've never been relaxed more in my life since my husband passed away. I'm truly grateful for your help and for regularly providing me with new ways to relieve my stress. I owe you a huge favour."

Ross coughs. "So… What is this help actually about?"

"Hm? My skilled artificer comes up with new massaging tools under my supervision and I sometimes share these devices with your mother. What else did you think I was doing?" I answer him with a wide smile.

"Massages, huh… Honestly… from the sound of it during some nights… I thought you were sneaking into the castle for a different kind of… massage."

"Rossberg!" Lianne raises her voice with her face now completely flushed. "How could you?! Alastair is a fine gentleman and he would never lay a hand on a lady in such an underhanded way! He knows very well that such a relationship could be very difficult from the political standpoint!"

Ross hides himself behind his arms. "But mother, didn't you say you like him? And he is now even higher than the highest royalty!"

"SILENCE!" She picks up a fluffy pillow and begins slamming him with it into the crossed arms since she is sitting by his side. She is now completely red. "You know very well we can't reveal it to others!"

"Alright! Alright! Stop hitting me! I yield!"

Lianne stops bombarding him with the pillow and sits back properly. She quickly tries to return to her usual, calm and graceful way of being and shows us her iconic angelic smile. The petite and fragile Lianne is back.

"What if he became a lord of some territory?"

Another sentence coming from Ross makes her blush again and she raises the pillow high above her head, threatening him with a repeat of the previous punishment. She sighs tiredly and drops the pillow, turning her gaze back to us.

"Please, forgive my idiot son for creating this embarrassing display. I'll discipline him later by myself, I give you my word as the former Queen," she speaks softly while glancing at me a little timidly.

We look at each other with Cornelia and show her wry smiles. "We don't mind."

After this comedic insert, because there's no way I'm not calling it that, we have a pleasant chat about a few other things before we decide to leave to tend to our own responsibilities. We stand up and meet in the middle of the room to say goodbyes.

"Ah, one more thing, Ross."

"Hm? What is it?"

"How important to you and the kingdom is the current Court Magician?"

Cornelia's eyes widen at my question as she glances at my face from my side.

"Uhhh… I'd say very, very important? Why?"

"Well, if you do not want to have to start considering his successor early, you better keep that asshole on a short leash."

The King shows a confused look. I wrap my arm around Cornelia's waist and pull her closer.

"The next time that dog gets any funny ideas about my amazing Ice Queen, I will not be as lenient as today. I do not care about his position or importance in the slightest. If he dares to make my woman uncomfortable again, death will be the least of his worries."

I release highly condensed magical pressure from my body, which I practised after getting all the upgrades specifically for situations like these.

"Are we understood?"

The tension can be felt in the whole chamber, almost as if the air got noticeably heavier. I'm not sure how intimidating the aura from a Tier 3 can be, but seeing a shiver pass through Ross' body—who is at Tier 4 and specializes in defense—I guess me actively trying to make it as showy as possible, joined with my race and stats, is enough to affect him.

"Yes… I'll be sure to watch him…" Ross nods slowly after a moment.

I retract the aura. He exhales in relief as I smile at him kindly. Lianne, standing a bit behind him, gives me a delighted look while covering her dainty lips with her petite hand. Glancing to the side at Cornelia, I can see her blushing while looking down.

「Whoops. I might have unintentionally teased her a bit too much with that. Well, if Ross still had any doubts about us, then they are now all cleared up.」

I politely nod towards him and the Queen and guide Cornelia out of the chamber. After we make it through two intersections, she suddenly pulls on my collar and dives in for a deep kiss, right in the middle of the corridor. Oh well. That one is on me.

She releases my lips with a wide smile, staring straight into my eyes. "How much more are you going to make me fall in love with you again and again today?"

"Considering that it's barely afternoon, I guess quite a lot."

She chuckles and kisses me once more before we begin heading back home with our arms entwined.