The Shadow-kin watched its target with interest and quite a bit of amusement. Enjoying the antics of youth, true enough, the protections put in place by the so-called headmaster would make it extremely difficult to complete its mission while the girl was within her room, but far from impossible. The same goes for every other security measure they had put in place. The only reason the girl is able to enjoy her freedom is because the Shadow-kin wouldn't break its promise.

No one would understand the reasoning behind it, and its contractor might even be infuriated by it. Still, if a Shadow-kin is killed at a mission, tradition demands a three-month stop, no matter if the killed one is a master or a student. It's simply the way Shadow-kin live. At first, this tradition was put in place to make the target inattentive again, but now it is just as much a sign of respect among Shadow-kin.

Completing a mission right after another Shadow-kin had failed was deemed an insult against their skills and would only be used to show disapproval of a student or a rival. Its student was far too talented to rectify such an insult, so the master was waiting. Also, there would be far better chances to strike. Patience was just as crucial as ruthlessness.

Also, watching the honored enemy was very interesting, even if the Shadow-kin would never admit it. It was too bad that one was born a Soul-kin, for his flexible mind and driven nature would make an exceptional Shadow-kin, so maybe the Shadow-kin would spare him and try to strike a deal in training him. Though the chances were slim, this would mean the Soul-kin had to give up his guard duty, but stranger things had happened, like the destruction of the Stone-kin city, which also led to quite a few Shadow-kin dead.

Nobody would learn of that because the Shadow-kin were there faster and removed any evidence. Right now, many of its kin were tasked with monitoring the movements of the nightmare responsible for the destruction. Still, the council of Shadows had decreed to keep this information classified.

This was partly because almost every other kin saw only a bipedal Monstrosity when they laid eyes on a Shadow-kin, so revealing such valuable information was frowned upon. However, if it got out of hand, the Shadow-kin, placed within the government of every other kin, would reveal that information to chosen ruling figures, like his contractor from the Soul-kin high nobles.

The kids were oblivious to their watcher. Only Mor was sure the Shadow-kin had to be somewhere. Speaking of the kids, neither Mor nor the girls gave up the status quo. Mor because of the reasons he had revealed to the human, and the girls because of stubbornness.

This also led to some strain on Clare and Orth's relationship. Orth had a more realistic outlook on Mors' behavior, while Clare was entirely in the emotional camp of Tiara and Saphine. In the end, they both agreed to disagree and stopped discussing the situation while on their own.

On the other hand, Mors' continued dismissal of his "punishment" drove Tiara and Saphine crazy. Tiara once shouted at Mor to stop following her if he continued with this stupidity, but Mor calmly explained to her that this would not be possible, as he had to be her bodyguard.

At that explanation, Tiara shouted her frustration and annoyance. In the evening, she shit-talked with Saphine, accompanied by Clare and Orth.

"How can he be so indifferent?" Tiara complained.

"I don't know! It's like he doesn't care about us anymore, but at the same time, he doesn't treat us much differently." Saphine added.

"Yes! It's infuriating. It's like he shut out anything related to our advances and efforts!" Tiara continued.

"I don't understand why you keep up with that," Orth said, getting a stern look from Clare but shrugging.

"I can understand him. Realistically, the only future he has with you is as a friend," he continued.

"We had that discussion. That's completely up to them. Their situation isn't that different from ours!" Clare growled, wanting to silence Orth.

"But it is!" He insisted. "You are a future high noble, even if not of the highest four, and I'm not the heir of my family, and therefore are more "free" in choosing who I want to be with."

All three girls wanted to protest, but Orth raised his hand, signaling he wasn't done.

"Tiara is a princess, Saphine is the first daughter of one of the highest four, and Mor is a commoner. This difference in status is brutal."

"We know that!" Tiara answered. "But my brother would help us!"

"My father would also go along. My brother secures the future of the Sapphire family," Saphine added.

"Would they, though?" Orth asked. Can the royal family allow one of the princesses to marry a commoner? Wouldn't other noble families protest or even see a weakness to exploit? And your father also needs to keep his face, Saphine! Right now, he may be the princess's bodyguard, but nobody can tell what his future looks like. Mor wants to stay where he is because otherwise, he already would be a noble with everything he has accomplished. At least, that's what I guess.

Tiara wanted to protest but couldn't allow the secret of the Agaton family to get out, which also gave her her answer. Appearances matter, and Mor's appearance would be that of a commoner.

"But it's not fair," Saphine grumbled.

"I know, but life is not fair," Orth said, understanding.

"But when my brother gets the throne, he can change that!" Tiara tried to keep a sliver of hope.

"And how long would that take?" Orth crushed it instantly.

"Orth!" Clare chided him. "Be more gentle and understanding!"

"No. The emotional thing isn't working, and this is long overdue. It's time for them to accept the facts. With Dino leading the Soul-kin, our children might not face the same restrictions, but we do. That's how our society works, and you can't overthrow it just because." Orth stated calmly.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Mor has accepted this, so why can't you?" He asked the girls.

"Because I love him…" Both answered. "And it's not fair."

Orth sighed. "Again, with the "not fair"... Do you really think Mor only wants to be friends and not explore what's beyond?"

"If he could decide between them…" He added in his thoughts.

"Wait, you mean Mor also would like to go out with one of us?" Tiara asked, hopefully.

"That's not the point!" Orth tried to stop them, but they had wholly latched on to this bit of hope.

"Then let's end his punishment because he had a good reason to. Let's get back on the offensive!" Saphine declared, and Tiara nodded along enthusiastically.

Clare gave her boyfriend a big smile because he had given the girls their hope back, even after he had said those accurate but hurtful explanations, making Orth sigh and give up. Girls be girls…

While the discussion was going on, Mor was in his room alone, relaxing and thinking about ways to flush out the Shadow-kin, but he came up short. The human kept silent, accepting that the Shadow-kin would reveal himself when he deemed it time.

A knock on his door ripped Mor out of his musings. He stood up from his lounging and opened the door, his surprise complete, when Tiara and Saphine entered his room. After giving him a smooch on his left and right cheek, respectively, he stood there stunned, holding the door. It took a hot second for his brain to catch up, but then he blushed, sputtering some unintelligible questions until getting out one of them.

"What's happening right now?" Mor asked.

"It's simple. We're here to say we forgive you." Tiara started.

"And also, we won't give up," Saphine added.

"But!" Mor tried to give his reasons and got shut down.

"We know, but we don't care. The only way you can get us to stop is to tell us you don't like us truthfully," Tiara stated.

"This is also not negotiable. You aren't getting rid of us now. No matter how socially inept you are!" Saphine continued.

°Lucky guy? Unlucky guy? Can't say.° The human mumbled, confused.

Mor looked at both girls, took a deep breath, and said.

"Please stop this! I don't have any interest beyond friendship with both of you."

Staying true to his resolution.

°Lie! But an understandable one.° The human said.

"That's a lie," Tiara stated, and Saphine nodded.

"Your reaction and what Orth has told us betray your true intentions." She added.

"I didn't lie!" Mor tried, but he was shut down when Tiara got close and put a finger on his mouth.

"Again, and that means more punishment is in order," she said, looking back at Saphine. What do you think?"

"Indeed, and for lying twice, it has to be a major one," Saphine said, then smiled as if she had an idea. "You will treat us to dinner, and we will have a sleepover at your place!"

"You can't! The Shadow-kin is still out to get you, and Clare won't allow it!" Mor protested.

"Don't protest. You will make it worse." Tiara threatened playfully.

"Clare is spending the night with her boyfriend, and you are more than enough protection, so don't fight it," Saphine added.

°Why do I feel like this was a setup or a trap?° Mor asked.

°Because it was. The moment you opened that door, you had lost.° The human answered with much more amusement than Mor felt.

In the end, Mor had no choice but to give in to the girl's demands, though he insisted they wouldn't share the bed. He would take his blanket and pillow and sleep on the floor while the girls could share the bed after getting their blankets and pillows. The human said this was a moot point, but Mor didn't understand why it would be.

After dinner, the girls quickly got their things and had a quick celebration with Clare, who, in fact, did not spend the night with Orth. Then they returned to Mor's room. The three young Soul-kin chatted there until late at night. The girls mostly tried to get Mor to confess his "true" feelings but also talked about mundane things, like favorite foods and such.

The human watched this all with great amusement, only wishing they had a bucket of popcorn for the show. Some questions led to hilarious, almost rom-com interactions. Still, in the end, it was time to go to sleep. Mor made himself as comfortable as possible on the floor while the girls took the bed, giggling about something he couldn't understand.

Late at night, while Mor was sleeping peacefully, the human was awoken by movement. This came as no surprise, as a soul without a body doesn't really need sleep, but it lets the dull hours of the night go by more quickly. The human's first instinct was to warn Mor of the danger, but when the movement revealed itself as two figures sneaking, the human thought the alternative was way more funny.

In the early morning, Mor woke up because his arms hurt, and he felt pressure on his chest. Alarmed, he asked the human what was happening before even opening his eyes.

This time, the human wasn't of any help, as they broke out in a giggling fit. Mor forced his eyes open and tried to wipe them with his hands, noticing he couldn't move his arms. As his vision slowly blurred from groggy to normal, he finally saw the reasons. Both of them.

Tiara and Saphine had snuck out of the bed and instead chose to snuggle with him under his blanket on the floor, leading to this strange situation.

°Why didn't you wake me?° He complained to the human.

°Because it's funny.° The human answered.

Mor carefully tried to struggle free, but this made his situation more precarious, as Tiara grumbled and held on tighter to him in her sleep while Saphine rolled onto her back, locking down his arm, used as a pillow, closer at his wrist. In the process, she revealed to Mor that she might be a restless sleeper because this made her come out from below the blanket, involuntarily showing her slightly undressed body. Her shirt, which she wore as part of her sleeping gown, no longer covered her stomach, and if his angle of view had been different, Mor might have even noticed how close it was for her underboobs to be visible. He could see her panties, though, as the second part of the nightgown, the comfortable pants, were no longer filled by her butt but instead ended at her thighs.

°That's ridiculous!° He complained. °How is someone like me supposed to resist such advances?°

°Don't complain! A ton of boys would gladly switch places with you! Even with all the looming danger!° The human answered, giggling.

At the same moment, Tiara stirred again, pressing herself against Mors' body, letting him feel her growth while soundly asleep. This was finally too much for the poor boy. He forcefully freed himself and got up, giving the girls a sudden and forceful awakening. The girls, still groggy from waking, only saw Mor rushing to the bath to cool off. Cold water was just what he needed right now.

They stretched, looked at each other, and broke out in laughter at the situation. Saphine only then noticed her disheveled appearance and quickly fixed it with a shy blush.