“I say we grab her ourselves,” Arthur said, moving toward the stairs. “Our teammate seems to be in distress. It’s the right thing to do.”

William looked at him aghast. His eyes clearly wanted to ask, ‘Since when do you care about the right thing?’ but he defaulted to a polite response. “It would be boorish for men to intrude on a lady’s bedroom.”

“That don’t sound like no lady, heh.” He smacked William’s shoulder, making him stumble forward. “Come on, Will. Underneath all that pomp, there’s a man somewhere. Don’t tell me you’re not curious.”

William cleared his throat and averted his eyes, face flushed.

“You’re not going up those stairs,” Alana said in a steely voice.

“Want to keep all the action for yourself? Hahaha!”

Not for the first time, Alana lamented that the laws of the kingdom prevented her from stabbing people for being annoying. She used to think that Lou was a lecherous beast but for all her flirting and innuendo, she was harmless. Alana would go as far as to say courteous. Unquestionably generous. She may chase women like a dog in heat but she respected them and cared for them, perhaps a touch too much. Alana dreaded the day a woman like Cecilia Rosefield latched onto her friend and leeched her dry.

Arthur seemed to have a lust that rivaled Lou’s but his advances felt dirty. At the very least, creepy. Every time he openly undressed her with his eyes and laughed to himself, she wanted to simultaneously cut off his smug smile and take a bath. The man came off as the opposite of harmless. He was not the type of person she’d want to meet on a dark street with no witnesses about. If it weren’t for the qualifiers and William’s persistent recommendation, she would never associate with him.

“William’s right. It’s beyond unseemly to march into someone’s bedroom. Especially when they’re…occupied.” She coughed, keenly aware of the noise coming from above that everyone was tacitly ignoring. It was a little hard to speak on manners and etiquette when the lady of the house was enjoying herself so vocally. “You try, you never walk again.” Her hand went to the hilt of her sword. Arthur’s wide smile said what he thought about her threat. Alana’s eyes glowed as she touched her mana, steeling herself for a fight.

The kitchen door swinging open interrupted the tension. Alana sniffed and couldn’t help turning as a large metal cart was wheeled through the room by a small imp. It paused in the center of the room before turning to them and letting out a cute, “Coo~”. Then it continued pushing the cart.

“Breakfast is ready,” Earl announced, further damaging the violent tension. “If you would all please follow me?”

Marthe walked directly between them, scoffing as she passed. “It’s also pretty rude to spill blood on someone’s floor,” she said drily.

“…you’re the last one who should be lecturing anyone about being rude,” Alana grumbled but her eyes lost their glow and her hand left the hilt of her sword. She glared at Arthur as she passed, led by the nose by the smell of breakfast.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

A long table had been set up at the back of the estate, close to the tree line that marked Kierra’s personal garden. There was little fire damage here. With the simple white tablecloth and colorful bouquet as a centerpiece, it was easy to imagine there was no damage at all.

Alana quickly took an end seat, waiting with anticipation while Earl fixed plates. The moment one was placed in front of her, the fluffy eggs, crisp bacon, and buttery bread made her forget about everything else. Vague sounds of enjoyment touched her ears but she was too absorbed in her own happy stomach. No matter how much she shoveled down, she wanted more.

The saints knew the food was downright devilish, corrupting her with its addictive taste. She wouldn’t let Lou get away with half the things she did if she weren’t constantly plied with the otherworldly taste. Something that might have worried her before but she couldn’t give up the elementals’ cooking now.

“Oh, everybody’s really here. That’s good.”

Alana looked up as Lou wobbled toward them. Truly wobbled, as if her legs didn’t have the strength to support her. The erotic moans from earlier came to mind and Alana flushed as she mentally berated herself.

While she struggled to control her thoughts, Lou dropped into the seat next to her with a sigh. Earl was immediately at her side with a plate of food. She patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks. Leave the rest to Bell, huh? You’ve got to get the house ready for the deliveries.”

“Indeed. Then excuse me, my lady.”

Alana peeked at Lou as her friend gobbled down the food like she hadn’t eaten in a month, completely foregoing any manners. “Are you, eh-hem, prepared for us to practice?”

“Hm?” Lou swallowed her current mouthful and wiped her lips with a napkin. “Ah, I’ll be fine in a bit. She didn’t break my back, ha.” Her body shook. “Though it was close. Ugh.”

Alana licked her lips. Her reason was screaming at her to keep her mouth closed but it seemed to lose sway whenever she was around her friend. Lou’s languid posture and hooded eyes pricked her curiosity and before she realized it, she was speaking. “What…what exactly, uh…”

She swallowed as Lou stared at her, lips turning up in a smirk. She felt her friend’s eyes were a cheat. The exotic color made it impossible to look away when they were focused on someone. Alana helplessly leaned forward, practically hypnotized, and Lou followed.

“So, you want the details again, huh? You’re really a pervert, aren’t you?”

“I…” She almost reflexively said she didn’t want to know but she had asked this time. All she could do was swallow and endure the embarrassment that felt like it would burn her alive.

Lou’s smile widened, showing a hint of teeth. Then she leaned back. “Not telling~”

Alana’s jaw dropped. “What?” She didn’t believe Lou wouldn’t take the chance to brag. She checked the sky to make sure a dragon wasn’t going to appear or the sun wasn’t falling, events she considered equally impossible.

“We can discuss it at length when you spend the night~” She grinned. “I’ll even give you a demonstration if you want.”

“Saints damn pervert,” she growled.

“Thanks.”

“It wasn’t a compliment!” The familiar words made her smile. “Besides, I’m not going to lose our bet.”

“You really are. I don’t know why you think I’m stupid. I’m quite a devoted scholar, you know. Far more than you, steelhead.”

“Don’t call me that,” Alana grumbled. “And if you’re a scholar, a dog is a king.”

“Hey, if it can get the job done.” Lou scraped down the last of her breakfast and stood up. Alana blinked, looking at her own half-finished plate.

She’d forgotten about the food when they started talking.

The realization made her stomach do an uncomfortable flip.

“Come on, people. Let’s get this training or whatever over with so I can get back to my wife. Ah, Alana, you’re free to stay as long as you want.”

Her heart bloomed with happiness as she outwardly sneered. “Who would want to?!”