A Gift and Its Price

Seraphina Yomi Darken! Start explaining immediately, young lady! What the hell happened to you today?!

'...Somehow, I should have known this would happen.'

As soon as Seraphina sat at the table for dinner, Selene immediately bombarded her with all her preloaded questions.

The Shadoni looked to her wives for help—only to realize that they also wanted to know!

As a last resort, Seraphina glanced at Magnus, who stood motionless against the wall.

It didn't take long for her to realize he would be useless too.

"Bastard, you're supposed to be my knight! If you see me drowning, save me!" she thought angrily.

It wasn't that Seraphina didn't want to tell them the truth, but if she told them she used to be a human from another world who made three magical wishes, they'd think she was crazy!

But how else was she supposed to explain a sudden and drastic increase in her appearance, abilities, and the miraculous healing of a lifelong illness?

"Relax, you made this bed, so now you'll have to lie in it..." she thought.

She could have hidden everything except her appearance if she wanted to, but she had long since decided against it.

She had already lived a life as a crying rat hiding from conflict, and that wasn't something she wanted to make a habit of in this one.

It wasn't an arrogant or prideful decision—it was born from the desire to be herself freely, no matter the trouble it might bring.

Her brain began working overtime to find a suitable lie that would let her escape her current situation.

Finally, she came up with an inescapable idea that used both reality and fantasy.

"These... were gifts."

"Gifts?" Selene asked in shock.

Seraphina slowly nodded and continued, *"When I got sick two days ago, I was trapped in a dark space.

It was there that a mysterious entity spoke to me and asked what I desired most in my heart."*

"So you weren't joking about the wishes?!" Miriel shouted.

Seraphina simply shook her head, earning the curious gazes of all the women at the table.

"And what did you ask for?" Kaela asked, her eyes sparkling.

"A body that could control my mana and mastery over all existing magic."

Selene nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

"Could Vaelthoria herself have blessed you? But for what purpose?"

Seraphina didn't respond and simply let her wife form her own conclusions.

After a while, Selene finally shook her head and looked at Seraphina with concern. "I'm happy that you're healthy now, but... for something this wonderful, I'm sure the price will be high."

This moment of concern brought up a point Seraphina hadn't previously considered.

Why had the entity given her this new life in exchange for absolutely nothing?

After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

Would she be asked to do something terrible as payment?

"Will I have to kill someone...?" she wondered.

Unknowingly, Seraphina's new body had also altered her way of thinking.

When she considered the possibility that she might have to kill someone, it didn't bother her as much as it would have before.

Seraphina had realized something upon arriving here and receiving all the memories of her former hosts.

This world was just as hypocritical and rotten as the last one.

Everyone here used their strength to trample the weak and do whatever they wanted without caring about the consequences.

If she had to kill someone like that, she didn't think she'd care.

If she was destined to live forever in a dirty world, she'd rather be somewhere like Dola, where at least she could play housekeeper.

"Maybe I will," she murmured while staring at the wine glass that matched her hair. "But I don't really mind paying that price."

"Seraphina! How can you say—"

"Selene, look at me," Seraphina said seriously, locking eyes with her wife's brilliant violet gaze.

"I'm healthy, I can fight, I can handle change—I'm happy," she stated firmly.

Unintentionally, Seraphina had started speaking from both her current and past self's perspective.

"I've dreamed of something like this for as long as I can remember, and it's far sweeter than I ever imagined. There are very few things they could ask of me that would make me regret my decision."

Selene swallowed hard as she looked at her wife, who had somehow transformed into a warrior overnight.

She honestly couldn't remember the last time she had heard her say out loud that she was happy.

And when she realized that, small tears threatened to spill from her beautiful eyes.

"You're right, my love... This is a blessing, and we should treat it as such." She slowly wiped her eyes and showed a smile just as dazzling as Seraphina's.

"Well... if you feel so strongly about it, I have nothing more to say." Selene took her wine glass and took a big sip, suddenly in the mood to celebrate.

"My love is finally healthy after all these years!" she exclaimed. "We should celebrate! I have to tell everyone that you're finally well!"

At that moment, Miriel, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke up. "Well, isn't her birthday next week? We can announce it then!"

Kaela: "That's a great idea, Miriel!"

Selene: "Miriel, you're a brilliant genius!"

However, Seraphina immediately felt her body tense and her hands grow clammy.

"W-wait a minute, girls. I don't think something like that is really necessary."

The truth was, she hated any kind of party.

Being in a room surrounded by people sounded like the worst fate imaginable.

Even if she was now a powerful warrior, her introverted nature was something that wouldn't change no matter what body she was in.

Unfortunately, the girls didn't seem to understand why she wouldn't want to have a party.

Kaela: "Why not?"

Miriel: "You deserve it!"

Selene: "Something this monumental must be celebrated! End of discussion!"

Still, Seraphina tried to make her point clear. "But Selene, I..."

"End of discussion," Selene repeated with a smile that wasn't really a smile.

The young hybrid finally admitted defeat as she started eating her dinner.

While the girls enthusiastically began planning the party details, she already dreaded the upcoming event.

"Damn it, this is good... The food makes it harder to be upset."