The fairy continued to approach with her head down, although she stopped and glanced back a few times. Every time she did, her hand touched her neck like she was remembering the pain, and then she continued floating towards me.

“Celeste?” Miki asked. “That is Celeste?”

There was something odd in the way she said those words. I frowned slightly. Did Miki perhaps have something against fairies? Celeste stopped a few feet away from us. Her expression seemed odd too. She was afraid to get closer. It was almost like she didn’t recognize any of us. That was impossible. Celeste knew me.

“Celeste… come here…” I gestured. “You remember me, don’t you?”

Celeste cocked her head to the side, and then nodded slightly, floating the rest of the way to me. I finally relaxed now that she was hovering in front of us, looking at my two girls with curiosity rather than jealousy or anguish.

“Ah… these are the two girls I told you about. This is Lydia. She’s very important to me. This other one is Miki. She may be mischievous, but she also has a good heart….”

“Um… Master…” Miki seemed confused. “What are you doing?”

“Master’s new slave is a fairy?” Lydia said curiously and then puffed out her cheeks. “And here Master had gotten me all worried.”

“Eh? I thought you said you weren’t jealous!”

“Of course, I’d still worry!” Lydia rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing. “Although, since it’s a fairy, it’s fine.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Why’s that?”

Lydia didn’t answer, instead she put a finger out toward Celeste. She made a clicking sound with her mouth and wiggled her finger slightly.

“Come here… come here… I won’t hurt you. I’m Master’s slave too, so you don’t need to be afraid.”

Celeste looked at Lydia for a moment, and then reached out and touched her finger, shaking it like an entire hand. Lydia giggled.

“It’s cute!”

“It?” I frowned.

She was treating Celeste more like a dog or something. It was actually irritating me slightly.

“Celeste… why don’t you introduce yourself.” I said, my mouth twitching. “Well? Say something!”

“Um… Master…” Miki spoke again, this time pulling on my shirt.

I turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. “Yes? What is it? Are you okay with Celeste? I guess she’s really shy around strangers. Normally, she is a lot more talkative.”

“Talkative?” Lydia’s expression turned strange.

Both girls were looking at me oddly. “What? What is it?”

Miki looked down awkwardly. “You… this is Celeste… the um… the companion that you had in your party for several weeks?”

I nodded, frowning. “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

“Ah… it’s nothing…” She said. “It’s just… Master was alone for some time. I was in here with Lydia, and even I felt my mind being worn thin.”

“What are you saying?”

“It’s okay, Master…” Lydia smiled gently. “It’s not weird to hear things that aren’t there or to see things in the dark. I had a lot of time adjusting to this ghost-filled dungeon.”

“What…” My expression sank, and then I turned back to Celeste, my eyes somewhat frantic. “You… say something! Celeste, tell me what you’re thinking!”

The ferocity of my look caused Celeste to suddenly hide behind Lydia’s mane, but as she looked through looking through her hair that she spread with both hands, Celeste only shook her head helplessly.

“Master…” Miki’s words came out as gently as she could. “Fairies are not intelligent beings. They’re only a step above sprites. They don’t talk. They can understand basic orders, maybe say and understand a hand full of words. Some nobles keep them around because they’re good at keeping a house clean. They call them house fairies. You can enslave and order them, but they’re more like a dog or a bird than a real person.”