Re-established.

—

"Now, with all that out of the way, let's reconnect our karma with everyone else, Rita, before the ties are erased completely."

Pausing, Yoriichi asked his wife, "Who would you like to reconnect with? I suddenly think it might be better for us to stay out of the limelight. It would be easier for us to respond to threats if we're not the center of attention. So, keep the list as minimal as possible, ideally to those with whom you have a somewhat close relationship. Avoid picking people you only have a casual acquaintance."

Nodding in agreement, Margarita answered after thinking for a moment, "Hmm… How about Yen, Triss, Philippa, Ciri, Lanfear, Kiera…"

She continued listing her friends, both those with a history and new ones she had made along the way, such as Wanda Maximoff, Clea Strange, and Tsunade, who arrived at the Conjoin 10% to 30%, just after Loki and three others. After finishing the list, which mostly consisted of former sorceresses from Aretuza, Rita asked her husband, "What about you, dear? Would you like to reconnect with any of these people, especially Ciri and Lanfear?"

Shaking his head and sighing in regret as he remembered their rejection, Yoriichi answered, "No, I don't want to reconnect with everyone, except Moiranie and Narishma. It still pains me that they immediately said no at that time, even though I understand they have their own desires and don't want to be like us. If they had shown even a hint of inner turmoil, I would have definitely reattached our karma and fate. But the reality..."

Seeing her childhood sweetheart with a sad expression, it seemed he was missing their physical body rather than the person themselves, Jaina shook her head, understanding that this playboy behavior was likely influenced by Richard. Fortunately, Richard's drive had diminished somewhat because of Yoriichi's existence, who could only love one person at a time; otherwise, the list might have grown as long as it did in the previous world, where it reached three digits.

Unsure of how she should feel—on one hand, it was good that he could only love one person now, but on the other, it wasn't her who received that love—Jaina decided to distract herself by thinking of other matters. She asked, "Oh yes, I remember you mentioned that Ciri was once head over heels for you, Yoriichi. What happened? Did the magic of love vanish?"

Nodding his head, he explained, "Yes, it has vanished. I was the one who made it so. After gaining enough proficiency in anything related to predetermination, like karma and fate, I realized that I could erase the influence of Elder Blood and White Frost from her. This in turn erased our attraction to one another, which had been driven by extreme temperatures. Although our lust for each other still exists, our fleeting relationship quickly fell apart when faced with hard and difficult questions."

Rolling her eyes at seeing him with a sad expression over knowing his lovers didn't want to sacrifice everything for him, unlike her and Margarita, Jaina understood what Richard was thinking. He wanted to collect every woman from fantasy literature from the past world, as she herself had once fantasized about it. But the truth is that fantasy is very different from reality; there is no such thing as a perfect harem.

Everyone has their own goals and ambitions. Putting a lover on a pedestal, solely driven by lust and a willingness to forsake everything to the point of becoming just a silent doll, is not something that will happen in the real world. Even she, because of her modern-world psyche from living as Nadine and being an otaku who wanted a harem, couldn't bear the reality of being cheated on later, since once again, there is no such thing as a perfect harmonious polygamous relationship when individuals have their own thoughts and desires.

Not even going that far, just seeing her crush sleeping in another woman's bedroom already caused her so much heartache that she wanted to commit suicide. Her crush at that time was not even in a relationship with the woman, which only highlighted how fragile her heart is was when it came to love and affection. That's why it is better for her to remain single for the rest of her life and fantasize about what it would be like to have a perfect relationship, as she did in one of her previous lives.

As for hoping that Yoriichi will open up his heart to her and share the love he has for Margarita, it is nothing more than wishful thinking that makes her seem like a villain hoping for someone else's downfall. Not only that, but the fact that Richard, the one she desires and wants to love with all her heart, is not even attracted to her makes the chance of finding something meaningful, beyond mere lust, seem increasingly bleak.

"Done."

Turning toward Margarita, Yoriichi said, "The connection has been re-established. You can meet our daughter now, Rita."

Raising her eyebrows, Margarita asked while opening her dress, "Didn't you say that I would have eternity to meet Ember? So why the hurry?" The semibreve was already open to him bare, she then looked her husband in the eyes and said, "Come. Let's play our orchestra for eons, until our minds break from the pleasure."

Seeing that Yoriichi wanted to bring her to a different timescale, she stopped him and said, "Wait a moment, my symphony."

Turning toward Nadine and nodding to herself, recognizing that his childhood sweetheart would be valuable chess pieces for the foreseeable future, especially since she might not see him for a long while, Margarita then asked, "Come dear… I think it is time to pop your cherry."

Chuckling bitterly to herself, knowing clearly why Margarita allowed Richard to have as many lovers as he likes, with the condition that his wife must also join in—because it is open manipulation to use them as their pieces—Jaina, or more accurately Nadine, simply nodded her head silently with tears running down her face, accepting her entry into this toxic relationship

—