"Kasumi?"

Victoria's eyes widened in astonishment. "Kasumi, is that truly you?"

The two women experienced a brief, profound moment of recognition, then erupted into tears. Kasumi leaped into Victoria's embrace, and they clung to each other tightly, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Oh, Onee-sama, I never thought I'd see you again," Kasumi said, voice choked with tears.

Victoria, too, was visibly moved. "I missed you so much, Kasumi. Tell me what happened; I was told you're dead."

Their tears were a mix of joy, relief, and the reopening of old wounds. Years of separation melted away in that embrace as the weight of time seemed to lift.

As they finally pulled away from each other, Kasumi wiped away her tears. "It's a long story, Onee-sama. I'll tell you about it later."

Victoria nodded, adjusting her maid outfit. She wiped away the tears and cleaned her glasses. But suddenly, Kasumi tightly grasped her by the face, staring into her eyes with intensity.

"What about you, Onee-sama? What's the story with Victoria? You changed your name?" she inquired.

Victoria chuckled, savoring Kasumi's reaction. 'Even after all these years, she remains the same.'

"Yes, I did, Sister. You, of all people, should know that I hated that name."

The happy mood was slightly dampened as both sisters recollected the past.

"I know, Onee-sama. Unlike me, you weren't bestowed with a name by our mother, but that doesn't explain the way you talk."

"What, you don't appreciate it?" Victoria playfully inquired.

"NO!" Kasumi exclaimed, "I want my foul-mouthed, punch-first-ask-questions-later sister, not this…" gesturing at the entirety of Victoria, "...this respectful and lady-like demeanor."

"Funny, isn't that what you always desired?" Victoria teased. "I still recall you urging me to be more lady-like."

"Shut up; No one asked for your opinion, Victoria," she emphasized the name with a humorous flair.

"Still haven't changed a bit." Victoria chuckled.

Kasumi, on the other hand, took a moment to inspect her sister's figure, her violet eyes fixating on a specific area.

Flashing a sly smile, Kasumi crossed her arms beneath her bosom, enhancing their appearance.

"No, I've changed, I'm bigger now."

"..." Victoria's eyebrow twitched slightly, comprehending too well what her sister meant.

'So I'm the smaller one now.'

Crack. Crack.

She cracked her neck and fingers, casting death glares at Kasumi.

"I see you have missed my beloved sisterly beatings."

"!!!" Kasumi promptly stepped back, wearing a goofy smile, attempting to evade.

"I'm sorry, Onee-sama, please forgiv—...Ouch… Ouch!"

Victoria didn't give her a chance and immediately seized her head, pressing both fists on Kasumi's temples.

"I see you're having fun, Kasumi," a familiar voice emanated from behind Victoria.

Kasumi raised a pleading hand. "H-Help me, Scarlett-dono."

Scarlett, who had just returned from town, swiftly glanced at the woman in the maid outfit, noting the resemblance to Kasumi. She bypassed Kasumi's outstretched hand, shocking her.

"Sorry, Kasumi, I don't involve myself in family matters."

"Ara~ Thank you, Miss…"

"Scarlett. I assume you're the maid Lady Thyra spoke about."

"Yes, my name is Victoria Kage. A pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine. Come inside when you're done."

Waving at the stunned Kasumi, "Have fun," Scarlett closed the mansion door behind her.

"TRAITOR!"

…

"Sob… Ouch… Still hurts." Walking to the main hall, Kasumi massaged her reddened temples.

Victoria, with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, couldn't resist teasing her sister further. "Good, that means I still love you, sister."

"I don't need this kind of love, thank you very much."

"Kasumi, do you mind introducing your friend here?" Pethra suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of the girls to Kasumi.

The girls were seated at the large table, enjoying lunch after an extensive training session.

Kasumi winced at the mention of her friend, still rubbing her temples from Victoria's playful assault. She took a deep breath and gestured toward Victoria. "This is my sister, Victoria. She's Lady Thyra's personal maid."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Pethra raised an eyebrow, as did the other girls, surprised by Kasumi's sister more than her being Thyra's maid.

Victoria bowed deeply to everyone. "Thank you all for taking care of my little sister."

Scarlett approached smiling "We're a big family, we take care of our own. Come share our meal."

Victoria happily accepted, joining the girls at the table. The atmosphere lightened up as everyone welcomed Victoria to the table. The girls shared stories, laughter, and the camaraderie that had developed among them during their time together. Victoria, despite her initial composed demeanor, soon found herself caught up in the lively interactions.

Pethra, always inquisitive, directed some questions toward Victoria. "So, Victoria, are you here to attend to some matters for Lady Thyra?"

Victoria nodded. "Certainly, she requested me to take care of her Wyvern, among other things."

"Other things?"

"I apologize but I can't reveal that information."

Pethra dismissed it. "No need to apologize; everyone has secrets. Just ensure whatever you do won't affect my family."

Victoria narrowed her eyes, observing Pethra and the other girls; she swiftly discerned the strong bond they all shared, a bond that even her sister possessed.

Clap!

Clapping her hands, Kasumi stood up, addressing everyone.

"Girls, rest is over; it's time for training."

"Not again!"

"Really?!"

"My legs hurt like hell"

Some girls voiced their complaints.

Kasumi shot them a stern look. "Stop complaining; do you want to remain weak and end up in the same situation as before?"

The girls lowered their heads, comprehending what she meant.

Kasumi continued, her voice resolute. "You know Master despises weakness, and he won't hesitate to abandon any of us if we remain the same as before with no signs of improvement."

"!!!" The girls visibly trembled at Kasumi's words; their worst fear was being abandoned by Aron. They had formed a strong bond, with Aron as the sturdy foundation upon which their current lives leaned. If that foundation were suddenly to vanish, the past trauma would resurface, and that was the last thing any girl at the table wanted.

They were at peace here, with no fear. Because the moment Aron declared them his Treasures, he wouldn't allow a single hair on their heads to be touched.

With determination in their eyes and a renewed sense of purpose, the girls gathered their resolve, forcing their feet to lead them to the underground training area.

Victoria watched in disbelief at the mature attitude her sister displayed. In a way, she felt a twinge of sadness because she understood that Kasumi, the cry-baby of the past, who used to cling to her arm like a scared cat, was gone.

"!!!" Victoria's eyes widened in shock when she recalled something she had just heard.

"Kasumi, you mentioned Master, yes?"

"Yes, I did, Onee-sama."

"Who's Master?"

"Eh?" Kasumi was momentarily confused; she had grown accustomed to the term Master and its reference to the girls. When her sister asked about it, it felt strange for a moment.

"Oh! Hear this, Onee-sama." Kasumi immediately pounced on her sister, grabbing her by the shoulder.

"I have a Master to serve, just like you. Isn't that great?"

"Eh?" Victoria's mind shut down, unable to process the information. She froze for a whole minute, confusing Kasumi even more. Then she snapped. "A Master! What do you mean by a Master? You got one?"

Kasumi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, his name is Aron, and he was the one who saved me and the girls here. Listen to this, Onee-sama; he managed to see through my magic."

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Victoria exclaimed loudly, forcing Kasumi to cover her ears.

"What's impossible about it?" she asked.

Victoria realized her mistake and, noticing that her maid demeanor was shattered, swiftly composed herself. "Sorry, sister, I was …surprised, that's it." Hugging her sister, she added, "I'm happy for you, truly."

'He saw through her magic, impossible; even Lady Thyra couldn't see through Kasumi in the past.' Victoria couldn't believe that someone had achieved something her Lady couldn't.

'I must meet this man.'

"So, sister, is your Master the one currently training with my Lady?"

"Yes, he asked her to train him."

"I hope she survives her training. I don't want my sister's Master to be traumatized or, worse, dead." Being Thyra's maid, Victoria understood the kind of training Aron was undergoing, having experienced a similar ordeal in the past when chosen by the clan leader to become her maid.

Kasumi smiled proudly, stunning her sister. "He will pass her training and become stronger than he is now. I'm not worried about that."

"Oh, you think?"

Nodding, Kasumi sat back in her chair; by now, only the two of them were at the table. "He still hasn't accepted me as his Shadow and gave me a test. I don't think I can pass with the time I have in my hands."

"A test? What kind?"

"I have to train all the girls in the mansion, bringing them to a decent level in one month."

Victoria raised an eyebrow, surprised by the nature of the test. "Training all the girls in the mansion in a month? That sounds challenging. How're you progressing so far?"

Kasumi nodded. "Exactly, challenging, but what Master wants, I must do. So far, I've been concentrating on their physical aspects."

Victoria couldn't help but feel a sense of pride for her sister. "You've changed a lot, Kasumi. I never thought I'd see the day when you willingly took on such a responsibility."

Chuckling, Kasumi replied, "Well, I have to learn so I won't bring shame to my Master."

Standing with pride and determination, Victoria grabbed Kasumi's hand, dragging her along. "Come, Sister, show me the training ground."

"What for?"

"I'm going to assist you. I can't allow my sister to lose her only chance of getting a Master; that would be remiss of me as the big sister."

Tears began to leak from Kasumi's violet eyes. "Thank you, Onee-sama."

…

BOOM! BOOM!

"What are you doing, Aron? That's not how you block," Thyra shouted while delivering some of her most powerful punches and kicks to Aron.

Aron was compelled to block all the time; this was the training – blocking. Just becoming a punching bag for one of the world's strongest warriors.

'It's irritating to just keep blocking.'

BOOM!

Closing his arms, he managed to block a punch aimed at his face.

'Well, blocking is all I could do; I can't see a single opening to strike.'

BOOM! Crack!

"UGHH!"

"FOCUS!"

A heavy sidekick broke his knee, forcing him to fall on one leg. Even with the searing pain, Aron didn't lose his focus and swiftly crossed his arms above his head, blocking another kick.

"Good, now block these."

Thyra quickly resumed her assault on him, punches and kicks all focused on any exposed part of his body.

The purpose of this training was to enhance his senses and defensive capabilities; Thyra noticed that Aron rarely dodged her attacks and preferred to block them.

So Thyra's goal was to make him an impregnable fortress, instead of a typical swift movement style.

Badump.

"Huh?" hearing a loud heartbeat, she stopped her assault and gazed at Aron.

"Aron, are you okay?" she called, but no reply came. Aron kept staring at the floor without blinking.

Badump. Badump.

The heartbeats became louder and louder, emanating from Aron, followed by a thick dark-red energy leaking from his chest.

Thyra took a step back, observing the transformation that was happening to Aron in front of her.

Black scales began to appear on his skin; two curved black horns burst with a crack from his skull. A hexagon-shaped red gem materialized in the middle of his chest.

"Hmm? Interesting," Thyra was fascinated by the transformation, unaffected by the terrifying aura that Aron was emitting.

"So, this what's been bothering my senses all the time."

ROAR

With a roar, two massive black and red wings appeared from his back. Aron, in his draconic form, stood tall, gazing at Thyra with his flaming crimson eyes.

"You're not human? Are you, my dear disciple?"

GRRR.

BOOF!

"!!!" Thyra opened her eyes in shock when Aron suddenly disappeared from her sight. Expanding her senses, she quickly detected that he was behind her with claws at the ready.

"Oh! That's a nice trick."

SLICE!