Mila was currently floating next to Isabel, who was smiling dopily. It was awkward, yes. They didn’t know what to say, yes. But both of them were happy.

They had just finished bathing. Despite the boldness Mila had shown, she now felt quite meek. They were now putting on a fresh change of clothes while avoiding looking at each other.

That wasn’t like her. Mila decided to take a look, but seeing Isabel pull up her trousers was too distracting.

Cursing to herself, Mila finished dressing. They had spent a long time in a bath, and after such an emotionally charged talk, she felt drained both in body and spirit.

The warm water had helped Mila’s muscles to relax, and she felt soft and malleable right now. She yawned, making Isabel do the same.

“So sleepy,” Mila muttered.

“Yeah.” Isabel agreed. “Sleepy.”

This simple exchange made Mila feel inexplicably happy. She exchanged a smile with Isabel and headed out towards their rooms.

The hallway was empty and dark. Judging by the silence around, Andrew was likely long since finished bathing and left before them.

Mila started to walk, turned around and invited Isabel to follow. She slightly bowed. “Let this humble me escort lady to her door.”

Isabel giggled and returned the bow. “Okay- Or, I mean, I’ll allow it.” She straightened her pose and joined Mila. “Did you call yourself humble just now?” She slightly bumped against Mila’s shoulder.

Mila put a finger on her cheek and thought for a moment. “Is that not true?” She returned the bump. “

“Eh, that’s not really-” Isabel started.”-how I would-” Her voice turned into a whisper. “-describe you.” And then lightly swayed to let the side of her arm press against Mila’s shoulder.

“Oh, then how would you describe me?” Mila pressed back, the contact burning the place they touched. It was exhilarating and embarrassing at the same time.

“I- I mean-” Isabel hesitated. “Do I have to?” She tried to avoid answering.

“It was you who raised the question.” Mila matched Isabel’s slow step.

“W- well, then self-assured?” Isabel tried as she slowed her step even more.

“Oh, is that how it looks to you?” Mila tilted her head, letting it fall against Isabel’s upper arm. “And not cute?” She snuggled against it and pouted. “I prefer cute.”

“S-See, that’s what I mean.” Isabel's heartbeat raced. “And- And you are cute.” She added with a tremble in her voice. “You are beautiful.” Another mutter followed.

Mila ignored the bliss those words brought her. “Why, thank you, Isabel.” They were moving so slowly now - barely forward. “And likewise. I find you to be gorgeous. A real treat for the eye.”

“Please, spare my heart.” Isabel released a hot breath. “I still can’t believe this is happening.” She continued. “I feel like I am dreaming.”

“You are not,” Mila reassured. “This is most definitely real.” The doors to their room closed at an inexcusably fast rate. She took a deep breath of Isabel’s irresistible aroma. “And as for your heart,” Mila pressed closer to Isabel’s warm figure. “We will have to make sure it gets used to it.” Her fingers brushed against Isabel’s.

But the doors were already here. Mila playfully slid away from Isabel’s side before their fingers could intertwine. She deeply bowed. “And here we are. I have dutifully led you to your room, my lady.”

“Mila,” Isabel took a step closer. Her breathing was rough and needy. “Can I-” She released a trembling sigh. “Can I-” Her voice wavered. “Never mind!” She suddenly exclaimed.

Isabel clumsily returned the bow and hurried to her room. “Ah, um, it was my pleasure.” She quickly added. “And, yeah, see you tomorrow?” Isabel opened the doors and slipped inside, then peeked out. “And, Mila.” She bit her lip. “Thank you. I- I-” Her voice kept growing feeble. “I like you too.” She finally managed and quickly fled inside the room.

Mila’s lips bloomed into a wide smile. “So cute!” She praised Isabel.

And with that, it was finally time to rest. Mila yawned again. She entered her room and let herself fall into the bed. Her lips refused to stop smiling. She pulled the blanket over her and slowly drifted away to sleep.

—-

Only to find herself on the hillock. Mila sighed. She knew it was inescapable, but she really wanted to have some fluffy dreams sometimes. People normally had those, so why couldn’t she?

Mila had long since forgotten how those even felt. She prepared herself for the usual training regime when she realised the presence once again was here - wanting something.

After a moment of pondering, Mila wagered a guess. “Is it about whatever lies at the centre of the city?”

The vague push against her senses told her it was the correct conclusion. But there was more.

“What is it?” Mila asked, but of course, there was no answer. “Is it important?”

This time, she got an affirmation with an additional frosting of vertigo. After her mind cleared, Mila straightened. “How important? Is it urgent?”

Stolen novel; please report.

The answer was yes. Probably. It wasn’t like the being spoke. Mila shifted in place in discomfort. “It sounds dangerous. I am not sure it is worth it.” She admitted.

There was a feeling of sadness and craving.

Mila fell on the ground - retching. “Fuck.” She released a rare curse. “Okay, I get it. It’s important. I’ll see what I can do. I just hope it helps me too.

Another wave of emotions, later she had an answer. “It will? No, it felt more like maybe.” Mila tried to decipher. “I am getting quite good at this, am I not?” She joked.

There was no answer. “Okay, back to the usual.” Mila started to stretch. Even if she couldn’t dream of Isabel, she sure could think of her while exercising.

And with Isabel in mind, Mila began another night of excessive training.

—

“Ah,” Mila opened her eyes. A loud bell rang, announcing the start of a new day. She rolled on her side, not quite feeling like getting out of bed.

It just felt nice to not feel the stiffness from sleeping on the ground. Mila’s body still ached, but it was better than what she had to go through for the last couple of weeks.

She wondered if Isabel had woken up as well. The bell had been quite loud. After lazing around for a few more minutes, there was a knock on the door. Mila answered it, and a moment later, Galtron started to speak.

“Good morning, Miss. Breakfast has been prepared, and the family head will be waiting at the table.” He explained. “As will the rest of the family. I’ll be waiting at the entrance for when you all are ready.

After another moment, Mila heard the man repeat the same to Isabel, then Andrew. She stretched and finally got out of the bed.

There wasn’t anything fancy to wear, so Mila settled for the usual trousers/tunic combo. It was simple but comfy, and most importantly - it didn’t smell like dirt and sweat.

Once she exited her room, Mila was met with her friends plus Mr Crow waiting. She suddenly froze. Her eyes met with Isabel’s, and she started to sweat.

Mila couldn’t call Isabel her friend anymore. Then what was she? There was something they had entirely missed yesterday. They had confessed their feelings, but that didn’t mean they were dating just yet.

No, but just by confessing to each other, they had taken a step forward. Besides, hadn’t Mila herself claimed they had to get to know each other better before taking the next step?

This was just fine. There was nothing to worry about. Mila masked her panic with a wide smile and bowed to Isabel, who blushed and muttered a greeting.

Yes, this was just fine. It didn’t bother Mila at all. They were closer, and putting a label on their relationships wasn’t what defined them.

It was the interactions and the touches. It was the gazes and warm smiles. It was so much more than just a word.

But dammit, it did bother Mila after all. She took a step forward and joined the trio. Andrew looked at them both in surprise, then knowingly smirked.

Mila didn’t react. They walked towards the exit to find Galtron.

So, what was Isabel? Well, she was Isabel, clearly. Was she now Mila’s girlfriend? Yes! Maybe. Probably. They really should have talked about it more yesterday.

From the blissful expression on Isabel’s face, it didn’t seem like she was bothered by the same thought. Mila let her fingers brush against Isabel’s, making her jump in surprise.

Isabel looked down and almost melted from happiness.

Yeah, Mila couldn’t raise the question like this. It was a silly thing to worry about this so much. She reigned in her emotions and decided to wait for an opportune moment to speak with Isabel.

If nothing else, then for her own sanity.

Galtron greeted them once again and showed the way. They crossed the courtyard and entered the building clearly built as home. It had a wholly different feeling from the patient quarters, the warehouse or what looked like two other buildings meant for production.

Andrew finally turned his smug smile away from Mila and Isabel. “What about the rest of the party?”

“Young Kefo and Tiff are recovering in their rooms,” Galtron explained. “As for Mister Ampry, he is already inside.

Mila extended her senses and found the foul stench Silinth radiated in one of the rooms. It looked like Hanna had not yet gotten to the man, as he seemed to be growing worse.

Mila narrowed her eyes. She hoped he had at least talked to this healer about his problem.

Next to Silinth, Mila felt another sizable mana pool and another smaller one - just about the size of what Kefo and Tiff had.

“Now, then,” Galtron opened the doors. “Let’s head inside.”

They slowly entered the building, finding themselves in a wide hallway decorated with various paintings depicting nature.

“Here.” Galtron led them deeper.

Mila followed and soon heard a lively discussion. She watched Galtron open the doors and reveal a large dining room with several people sitting around it.

She took the lead and took a step inside. The conversation died out as they entered the room. The attention of people sitting around the table turned towards the newcomers.

A woman in what looked like her late thirties rose from her seat and warmly smiled. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes and was a bit round around the waist.

“Welcome!” She greeted. “I am Hanna. The head of our little family. You already met Harry, my beloved husband.” She nodded towards the portly man sitting next to her. “And these are my sons - Nordly and Bazil.” She continued pointing at the boys around the same age as Kefo and Tiff. They looked similar to their mother if lacking in the smooth features their parent had. “And you are?”

“Mila Kostel.” Mila introduced herself. She chose one of the seats and headed for it. Truthfully, she was hungry. It had been a while since the last time they ate. Behind her, Andrew, Isabel and Mr Crow followed with their introductions.

Once they were seated, Mila looked around the table once again. She met the wondering gaze of the brothers as they studied them. They happily repeated their names, making sure Mila remembered them.

Now that they were seated, Silinth coughed in his palm to bring attention to him.

“Now that everyone who can is here, it’s time to talk about what’s next.” He eyed the two brothers with displeasure. Silinth made it clear he didn’t like them being here.

“Now, now.” Hanna noticed it, too, “Bazil and Nordly are being taught how to properly deal with issues like these. I have high hopes for their futures.” She spoke in a tone that indicated this was not the first time this had happened.

“Yeah, yeah.” Silinth didn’t look convinced.

Mila studied the boys once again. Brazil didn’t have an ounce of mana to his name. Nordly did. With proper training, he could probably do quite well.

“Besides, you already agreed to train them.” Hanna smugly added.

“Not by choice,” Silinth growled.

“What is a couple more when you already have so many pupils?” Hanna airily spoke while adding vegetables to her plate.

“You sure have grown in brazenness since the last time we met.” Silinth sighed. “Anyway. Let’s talk.” He finally turned towards the trio.