A week has passed, and Astrid is looking at herself in the mirror. She was excited. For the last week, under John's suggestion, she's been allowed free reign. By that, it means that she's been devouring him morning, noon, and night. Coincidentally, she finally felt temporarily satiated at about the time John got raw.

She had to admit, he really was too large as a whole, but that's alright; It wouldn't matter in time. While she has no plans to do this regularly, for a first wedding week, it was more heavenly than any honeymoon to her. It was almost enough to forget about the actual wedding. Almost. Her and John had cooked up some plan, but it grew fuzzy behind her other priorities.

Astrid looked at her naked body in the mirror, slowly inspecting her changes. Even after just one week, there were physical clanges if she looked closely. Her famous elf ears were a quarter of an inch shorter. It was an unexpected, but happy surprise. Humans liked elf ears normally. Her eyes had an interesting pattern of darkness where a new color was slowly fading in, and the very roots of her hair had changed color to some shade of red.

While she wasn't sure what color her eyes would end up, Astrid was interested to know that John had a preference for red hair. Perhaps she'll cut it all off soon, just so only John's colors show. That would be nice. Her skin also was changing color slightly. It was a tiny bit darker, a change that would have taken her a month of intense training in the sun to get before.

She also paid close attention to the smallest bit of muscle growth, though it was only visible to her due to the sheer time she's spent watching her own body in its stagnant growth. The real victory was in the growth her feminine charm! She finally had breasts! Sure, they barely even counted among the smallest around, but she has breasts! Her hips and buttocks also changed shape ever slightly!

To make matters even more wonderful, after measuring her height, she was almost a full inch taller! No wonder she'd been eating more this week than ever before! She almost even matched John's normal appetite, though there was no matching him while she was busy enjoying him. As if to agree with her new predation, she could tell her teeth were changing just slightly. She couldn't tell how, but she knew there was a small change.

Then there was her voice! It still sounds like a child's, but it was as if she was finally being blessed with the adolescent change so many women get to enjoy! It's a small tone drop, but it's one she amlost want to cry over. Even now, she touches her body in a half daze, afraid to wake up from this hopeful dream. Her eyes gently gazed over the faint hint of gold coming from the fourth finger on her left hand. A dicate pattern of golden ink wrapped around her finger, like a precious living ivy of love.

There was her aether! Obviously, she had more of it now. Just touching John's hand had been enough to slowly grow her aether, but connecting their whole body was almost ten times as good! For the first time in her life, she was freely able to use aether however she wanted to, as she could refill her bowl from John multiple times a day.

Not only was her bowl growing by leaps and bounds, but her proficiency and aether quality were changing rapidly enough to notice, just over one week! Besides the heroes, she wondered if there was anyone alive who could experience the sweet sensation of refilling their bown multiple times a day. She went form treating every scrap of aether as if it was precious to venting it almost as fast as she could get it. Almost. She actually had trouble using it all up multiple times a day after conserving it for so long.

Astrid was excitedly inspecting her body more and more until a knock on her door disturbed her.

"Mistress, it's time for your sword practice."

"Thank you."

Over the last week, the only regular part of Astrid's schedule that hadn't changed was her daily practice. Today was the last day she could ignore her duties as the lady of the estate, but she didn't miss a single day of sword practice at John's insistence. Astrid quickly put her clothes back on. The fit was getting poor, and she'd have to have the closes refitted soon.

Astrid took one last look at herself in her training clothes, before leaving her room. Outside, Nicholas was waiting for her. He was one more bastard who had to be solved, but that could wait. She planned to follow John's advice as she went, and slowly begin introducing him to the way the estate was ran starting tomorrow. It would probably be over a full month before they started moving and making waves.

"You seem to be in a good mood today as well, Mistress."

"Thank you."

She found herself liking him less and less lately. Never once before did he look at her as a woman, but now he did for just the briefest of moments. She didn't like Nicholas to start with, but now she began to feel slightly disgusted by him. Regardless of the looks, she found herself feeling more and more upset with most of her staff.

Astrid quickly made her way with a faintly sour mood now to Sir Beckhart. She naturally found herself moving in a more powerful stride than before, and standing just a little taller. She always struggled before to maintain her air of authority, but it was strangely coming to her with greater ease every day now.

She naturally moved into the training field, picked up her sword, and met her silent instructor. They silently bowed, like normal, and quickly started. Astrid wasn't sure why, but after hours of being beaten down, she vaguely felt like she was making progress. It's like her body had been rejecting the sword before, but now it was slowly accepting its graces.

Hours went by, as she went through her normal practice. It was less frustrating than normal now, as she found herself strangely aware of John's gaze from his bedroom window. She forgot to bring up the idea of changing rooms this week, but she felt it wasn't so bad to see her husband's gaze and smile from time to time while training.

Her brightened mood after bowing to Sir Beckhart was ruined by Nicholas's voice.

"Mistress, it's time for your regular measurement."

Astrid sighed.

"Very well, let's get this over with."

"As you will. Please place your hand on the stone."

Astrid did as she was instructed, placing her hand on the stone, as she has done for years. Even if she's feeling better, it's obvious that she doesn't want to see her results. She watched as Nicholas carefully handled the somewhat precise instrument.

"Hm? What a remarkable improvement, Mistress! You have a reading of 1.029!"

"1.029?!"

"What an amazing change in growth! I guess it's true what they say: Love unlocks a nymph's potential."

Love… she wasn't entirely sure if she was in love yet, but she certainly has made a great deal of love this past week. In the time between when she had earned a reading of 1.000 and her previous reading on her wedding day of 1.001, two months had passed. To gain a mana efficiency of .028 in just one week!

Astrid quickly restrained her excitement. There was a time and a place for this, and it wasn't in front of this bastard.

"Of course. I am my mother's child, after all."

"Indeed. We should have found a fitting partner for you years ago. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Astrid was quick to leave Nicholas behind as she prepared to see John. She didn't even take the time to wash herself this time as she rushed into John's room. It seems like he was waiting for her, as he wasn't writing this time. She almost flew into his arms, however his words caught her first.

"Close the door behind you, please."

Yes. This is what she really wanted.

John and Astrid connected, spending whatever strength he had gathered by resting most of the day, and she was currently nestled into his arms, enjoying his touch in the afterglow of their evening. By now the sun has set, and there was only enough moonlight in the room for her to make out her husband's face.

"Congratulations, by the way. I heard about your measurement from here."

A deep smile bloomed on Astrid's face in the dark as she nuzzled deeper into John's chest, as if she could reach his heart from here. She spoke with her slightly muffled voice.

"Thank you. It makes me happy to hear you say that, especially since you're the one who caused it."

"Well, as long as you enjoy it, I don't mind taking a little credit for it. No matter what, it's probably only possible because you're such a hard worker."

Astrid paused, taking in John's words for a moment.

"Why are you so nice?"

"I made a promise to myself to treat my future wife well. I might not have had a choice in the matter, but I'm happy with the results so far."

"Even if I completely drained you again today?"

"Well, it's not like I don't like it. The evidence is in the fact that I didn't take the medicine this time."

"I noticed that it was a little harder than usual to get you going."

"Yeah, but we managed without it. If I didn't enjoy getting drained so thoroughly, at least a little bit, then I don't think I would have reached this point."

"I'm happy to hear you say that. So, I have something I want to talk with you about. A few things actually."

"Alright. I won't fall asleep yet."

"Good. The first is that I'd like you to move to my room when you get time this week. It's a little inappropriate for us to be in separate rooms now that we're married."

"I was just thinking about that today. That's fine with me, though we'll probably have to figure out any adjustments."

"Feel free to settle yourself as you please, you'll be home more than I will. Now that we're married, I should stop avoiding some of my obligations. I am still bad at desk work, but I need to at least communicate and reach out to the other nobles more. This is fundamental if I ever want to take over while my mother is alive."

"A good plan. What about your administrative work?"

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"I won't force you to, but can I ask you for some help?"

"Sure. I don't know how much help I can offer right now though. I'm still learning the language and writing, let alone the cultural nuances."

"I know, but I'd just like you to at least be with me for a month while I'm doing things, and get used to how we do things. If nothing else, it will give me peace of mind when I leave."

"If that's all, then I'll help as much as I can."

"Thank you. You have no idea how relieving it is being able to trust that you're on my side."

"I'll have to settle for taking a guess."

Astrid smiled, enjoying the moment.

"Also, I know I've been keeping you busy, but now that we're actually married, you should be fine to explore the grounds. I'm sure it'll help knowing that you're not trapped inside a building all day anymore."

"Thank you. I wanted to ask about that, but never remembered while we were together."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"On that note, just… try to be careful. I want to say more, but I don't want you to feel like I'm restricting the limited freedom you actually have."

"Thank you, but don't worry. It's not like I'm just going to hide around the edge of the estate, gazing out all the time. You did say that I'm free to leave once we're married, as long as I am with you."

Astrid flinched.

"That's… still a little difficult. Can you give me another month or two to get stronger? I'm sorry."

"Alright. I understand a little more now than I did before. How about this, just to be safe, why don't we wait until spring? We'll make a date of it, and it will give you a few months to get comfortable."

"Thank you. That should give us plenty of time to settle your position as my husband, and let the news of the heroes die down. It'll also give me time to get stronger."

"That's not a bad thing at all. It'll also give me enough time to become confidently fluent in the Veshi Imperial language."

"Yes, but not enough time to become fluent in Veshi Low."

"True, but do I need to be just yet?"

"No. Almost all of your work will be in Veshi Imperial, and you can get help from my staff or myself when it comes to Veshi Low. You just won't be able to communicate well with most townspeople or villagers."

"A shame, but that's acceptable for now. If time allows, I'd like to only worry about Veshi Imperial for about two years before trying to learn Veshi Low. It'll give me time to settle into the language and some of its stranger uses."

Astrid nodded. She was pressed into John's chest, which was a nice feeling, but her mind began to wander. Without a word, she naturally broke away from his grip, not that he resisted, and she shuffled her position on the bed. It was a little difficult to find a comfortable spot, but she managed to get to a 'higher' spot on the bed.

John let out a confused chuckle.

"What are you doing?"

Astrid responded by hugging his head to her chest.

"There. That feels better. I like burrying my face into your chest, but something feels wrong every time I do it. This is much better."

"Burrying my face into your chest?"

"Yes. Feel free to rub your face if you want to. This… this feels right."

"Alright."

John indulged her, and it instantly gave Astrid a since of both power and peace. This is how she's going to sleep from now on, she can tell. Astrid was almost completely asleep when she heard John's breathing change. She knew he was exhausted, but if he fell asleep almost as quickly as she did, surely it felt right for him too, right?

The next morning came in just the blink of an eye. Astrid awoke first, and slightly stretched, before freezing when she realized her current position. She was exactly how she fell asleep, and so was John. That first meant that they both slept through the night in one go, which is very rare for both of them, but most importantly, John was still asleep.

John always wakes up first, no matter how exhausted she makes him before bed. He also clearly had issues, and typically wakes up in a meloncally. Astrid knows just how stressed John is at times after this week. That's why she's shocked to see that he's still deeply sleeping, his face pressed into her chest.

Astrid couldn't explain the feeling welling up deep from within her, but she felt the need to gently pat John's large head. She smiled faintly as the morning sun slowly graced them with its presence. There was something healing and nice about having one's loved one held close.

Astrid froze. One's loved one? Really? Had she truly been so easy of a woman? She's known John only for a few months. Sure, they're married now, but love? How could it be love already? Yet… the pleasure and calming joy she got as she continued to pet his head didn't diminish in the slightest. The moment felt full and complete.

How great would it be if I could bury all of him in my chest, held in my hand…

Astrid's mind wandered to such strange thoughts. She knew just what desire she harbored after being small, weak, and powerless her entire life. Oddly, she didn't directly crave to exert great power over someone, what she craved was to express ultimate grace and gentleness. To have someone completely and totally at her mercy, and for them to have complete trust in her. To have a person in her hand, who could be crushed to death with one squeeze, but to completely be at ease, because it's her hand, and they totally trust her.

Of course, that's not to say that she didn't also dream exerting power that couldn't be resisted in the slightest, pinning a person down, completely helpless using only one finger. The ability to trap them with any part of her body as she so chooses, and they can do nothing about it. To-

Astrid suddenly stopped herself. She didn't even notice just how aroused she had gotten just fantasizing. Her body was naturally reacting to her thoughts, especially when she pictured them with John in them. The issue was both her sudden need to squirm and the trail of warm fluid leaking down her leg, and onto her husband… her loved one.

His face was still pressed into her, but he began to rub his face against her for a moment, as he spoke out in his deep and rich voice.

"Good morning to you too."

It sent a bolt through her body as she was happy to hear his good mood, and that his low voice practically rumbled her chest with its close proximity. As a Nymph, her sense of smell finally caught a whiff of simething. Arousal. It wasn't just hers, its distinctive odor belonged to one large man… John.

Astrid all but pounced on him to start the day. By the time they were done, they were just getting dressed as a knock came from the door.

"Mistress, are you in there?"

It was Maria, her longtime servant who usually woke Astrid up.

"I am. I will be out shortly."

"Alright. We were concerned when we found your bedroom empty."

"Don't worry, I'll be back in my room from tomorrow on."

"Yes, Mistress."

"John?"

"Hm?"

"Come with me for today. We can figure out your schedule out as we go, but at the very least, you should familiarize yourself with the general way I spend my day."

"Alright. I think that's more than reasonable. By the way, I won't get started yet this week, but do you already have a dress designer?"

"Dress designer? No. Why?"

"I wasn't kidding about having some clothes made for you."

"Is that going to be your hoby? Making clothes?"

"I don't know, but at the very least I know that I'd like to show you off, especially later on when your body really starts becoming my taste. Also, I have a desire for some different clothes myself."

"I can understand that."

Astrid and John left the room, and she informed Maria about his role in accompanying her today. Astrid was curious about what type of outfits John would order made for her. She grew up around other nymhps, so provocative clothes felt normal to her. While Astrid typically wore more reserved clothes as a bit of rebelliousness, she was a little excited for whatever John had in mind. Astrid knew that she was a bit boy-ish in her lack of concern when it comes to clothes. As long as they fit well, just about anything is fine.

All day long, Astrid kept John's words about clothes in the back of her mind. It was a bit of her motivation to deal with even the most troublesome things, and there was a lot to deal with. She had basically taken a sudden and forced honeymoon, so now a number of important things have piled up.

John followed her closely, and listened even more so. His gaze went from its usual softness to an incredible sharpness. He wasn't hostile, or uncomfortable, but she had the feeling that he was taking everything in. He generally remained quiet, only asking the odd question when they had a private moment. Astrid did have to admit that it was nice being able to squeeze his hand when she was most stressed while working.

Besides the work, he followed her everywhere except to the washroom. Even when it came time for her daily sword practice. She wasn't sure when he grabbed a book, but he also waited outside for her, working on whatever book it was. He still had his gentle smile from time to time, but his general gaze seemed sharp.

Astrid was a little shocked when it was time to start her training. He followed her out to the training ground, and came before Sir Beckhart. He bowed before him and asked a question that surprised Astrid.

"Greetings, Sir Beckhart. I am John, Astrid's husband. May I be allowed to watch your training at a distance?"

"John, Sir Beckhart is mute."

"I know."

She faintly saw an amused look on Sir Beckhart's impassive face as nodded, and pointed out an area fairly far away from their draining. John didn't seem to have any problems as he responded simply with a bow and left. Sir Beckhart seemed even more amused, then his gaze sharpened on her. Astrid had a feeling that she wasn't going to like today's training.

Her premonition turned out correct, as Sir Beckhart beat her down far more intensely than usual. She had no time at all to think today, and she could only respond with instinct. Needless to say, Sir Beckhart was absolutely merciless in his training today. Astrid usually had to stop out of sheer exhaustion during her normal training, but today the pain and mild injuries got to her before the exhaustion.

When she could no longer stand, due to a particularly aggressive set of strikes to her legs, Sir Beckhart gave Astrid a faint and knowing smile. He bowed towards her, and she did her best to bow back, indicating that today's training was done. She was surprised to see him gesture towards John, and even more shocked to see John quickly coming to assist her.

"Thank you for today, Sir Beckhart. May I continue to watch from afar?"

A silent nod was all the answer they exchanged. Astrid really wanted to talk as well, but besides a groan, she really didn't have the energy.

"Let's get you cleaned up. Do you have the energy to stand?"

"I… Ugh. No, I don't. Not yet."

"Very well."

John moved with almost practiced grace as he gently lifted her up, and held her in his arms. Astrid half panicked.

"Wait! You don't have to carry me! Just help me walk!"

"Are you sure? I want to carry you."

"Yes, I'm sure! Put me down, and let me lean on you!"

John smiled in his gentle manner, but she was embarrassed for a whole host of reasons. Being carried was against everything that she wanted. He set her down on her feet, and gave her his arm to lean on. That was far better, even if her legs did hurt.

"Then I'll only carry you when you ask for it."

"Thank you. It's nothing you did wrong, but I never want to be carried again."

"I'm sorry I didn't think about it. I probably should have guessed by now, knowing you."

"Well, now you know. I forgive you, just don't try to carry me in the future, unless there's really no other way. I… I don't want to be mean, but I'd also rather be carried by a servant. Just… just care for me, alright?"

She felt bad, but it was true that John was the last person she wanted to carry her. Astrid is well aware that so many women dream of being carried gently in a manly fassion by a knight or a strong husband, but that's the exact opposite of what she wanted.

John brightly chuckled at her nervous response.

"Alright. In the future, I'll care for and comfort you instead. Just to be clear, I'm not opposed to being carried when the situation calls for it."

"Oh? So when I'm strong enough, you don't mind being whisked off of your feet by your charming wife?"

"Don't threaten me with a good time."

"A strange phrase. We have a similar one. Don't punish me with cake."

"It seems fitting. Well then, don't punish me with cake."

They both laughed as Astrid half limped to her bathing room. Naturally, she had John help her.