Daniel and Hekate escort Erimaya and her personal knight, a young woman named Praemar, as well as the maid that Daniel knows, Xiannelle to the prison cells, where the twenty thousand soldiers captured during the brief siege are being held.

“We’ve applied a magic contract to these soldiers that forbids them from returning to Fievegal territory after we return them to the east. If they do, they’ll become immensely weak and perish after three days if they remain in our territory. They’ve all been appraised and chose the contract over death, since we chose not to apply any slave contract terms beyond this. After all, we just want to be left alone.”

Erimaya asks gently, “Will you be applying this contract to us as well, your Grace?”

“No. You came under the flag of diplomacy, and you’re a future family member.”

Xiannelle clears her throat, causing Erimaya to glance over her shoulder briefly, but Hekate ignores the maid. “The intent is to stop soldiers from returning, especially with experience. If I have to contract all of my enemies so they can never attack again, I see no down-sides.”

“I can see the value in such an approach,” replies Erimaya. “And, I thank you once more for your hospitality.”

“Of course! It’s nice having someone younger than me to talk to for a change. That said, it’s a little awkward to be talking about prisoners.”

“Please pay it no mind, your Grace. I know not the totality of the siege you mentioned, nor am I particularly familiar with warfare, sadly, but if what you say is true, that there were no casualties, then we can only be thankful.”

“I should charge the eastern Empire or their home kingdoms for feeding them and providing them hotel services.” Hekate cups her chin, murmuring more to herself, “Maybe I’ll send them a bill and see who is gracious enough to pay up.”

“H-Hotel… services?” repeats Erimaya.

“Hmm? Oh!” Hekate glances at Daniel briefly, and then explains. “Sorry. It’s a word that means services like water, bathing, laundry. That kind of thing. An otherworldly word.”

Erimaya giggles, and Hekate grins.

They reach the first cell they chose. “The person we’re here to visit is Captain Muindis of the Stalvaltan Grand Duchy.” She opens the door, leading the way inside.

About 50 soldiers are gathered in the cell, seated in rows as they await their return to Fort Twilight. Several of them look up, including Muindis, and they look defeated, but otherwise in perfectly good health.

However, Muindis finally recognizes Erimaya, and he scrambles up to a kneel. “Princess Erimaya!?”

The other soldiers do a double-take as well, and they scramble up to a crisp and noble kneel. “Princess!”

Erimaya quickly says, “Please be at ease, soldiers.”

“Empress Hekate, your Greatness, please have mercy on the Princess. She doesn’t deserve…”

“Relax,” states Hekate bluntly, but with a warm tone. “Eri and I are friends, right Eri?” She looks at Erimaya, and the latter blushes. “Y-Yes of course, Y… H-Heka… Hekate.”

Hekate laughs. “Yeah, my name isn’t easy to shorten. THANKS, Darling.”

Daniel smirks. “You can change it any time you like, your Greatness.”

She gasps in horror. “As if I could do something so horrifying! My beloved husband gave me my name.” She returns to being more professional, and Daniel keeps a stoic expression when Xiannelle glares at him briefly. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry about Eri. We’ll be sending her home with you, but without any add-ons. Unlike some people in this room, she returned to us with diplomatic intentions.”

Muindis makes eye contact with Daniel, seeing him without his helmet. It would be unthinkable for Erimaya not to realize who he is now, but what is also unthinkable is why the second princess of Mornistae would be all the way out here. “Princess,... How did you come to be here?”

Erimaya smiles. “I came looking for Daniel to purchase him from Em… Hekate, before we became friends.” She gestures over her shoulder at Daniel, solidifying that she knows who he is. She adds with a slightly exasperated smirk. “I’ve heard at length why I should reconsider traveling here myself. I’ve also threatened my loyal guards and servants that if they didn’t let me undertake this mission, I would end up here one way or the other, either with trusted guards or with untrustworthy mercenaries.” She smirks a little deviously, reminding Daniel that she’s a little devil when she wants to be. “I won out in the end.”

Daniel tries to lighten the mood with Xiannelle and Praemar. “I understand your pain. Hekate tried to kill me to convince me to help her conquer this place.”

“I-... Well…” Hekate tries to object, but she realizes he softened the truth a lot, and she blushes, looking away. Erimaya giggles again, which causes Hekate to let it go.

Muindis takes a breath and exhales. “Regardless, your Highness, I am glad you’re safe.”

“You seem to be well-treated, Captain. I’m glad about that.”

“Yes, your Highness. I have been afforded the opportunity to account for everyone under my command. No casualties or grievous injuries to report.”

“You should be grateful for the potations we shared with you,” replies Hekate. “Just remember that.”

“Of course, your Greatness. Thank you for healing our injured.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll send Grand Duchess Aramellianna a bill and we’ll get it all squared away.” She winks at Erimaya, who smiles, but remains respectfully silent for a moment.

Muindis nods, unable to object to the notion, since some of the soldiers that threatened Shek were already walking hand-in-hand with Death.

“Is there anything else you need, Captain? Any requests before we’re returned?”

Muindis looks at Hekate briefly, but she retorts, “Don’t look at me. I don’t look down on respectful requests. I’ll just lie to you if I have no intention of giving up something I care about.”

Muindis looks down. He finally replies softly, “Your Highness, I dare not ask you to sacrifice any further…”

“Name it, Captain. That’s an order,” retorts Erimaya sternly with her soft and delicate voice.

He hesitates, but he finally says softly, “Many of us have family heirloom weapons, as well as ceremonial armor…”

Hekate instantly answers, “Done. I won’t give it to you until we reach Twilight, but your equipment will all be returned. Don’t worry. The golems are very thorough.”

He bows his head. “Thank you, your Greatness.”

“You did make me a promise, though. Do you remember, Captain?”

He hesitates, but nods. “I’ll oppose any further invasions of the Fievegal.”

Hekate nods in agreement. “Thaaank you!”

Erimaya smiles and nods. “I’ll be checking on the other soldiers to reassure them that everything is alright. Endure for a little longer, soldiers.”

The soldiers all bow their heads. “As you wish, your Highness.”

Hekate and Erimaya lead the other three out of the room, and Erimaya asks Hekate, “Was it you that offered them mercy, Hekate?”

Hekate nods, though she smiles at Daniel. “We had to work harder to keep them alive than to just kill them all, but everyone wins this way.”

“It helped that no one on our side got seriously hurt,” replies Daniel.

“And, you have no intention to invade?” asks Erimaya gently.

“Nope!” answers Hekate happily. “Vaergraes made the decision based on shrinking land to live on because of the Devourer, and because the east wouldn’t hear diplomacy.”

“Vaergraes? Didn’t you mention she’s one of your companions here?”

Hekate nods, and Daniel explains as they walk. “You probably know her as the Demon Tyrant.”

Erimaya, Xiannelle, and Praemar all gasp, and slow to a stop. Daniel adds, “She’s not a tyrant. That’s just how the east knows her. And, she’s been deposed by her own people when the Devourer was defeated.”

“D-Deposed? Why?”

“Our speculation is that there’s an entity in this world orchestrating a perpetual war from both sides. To do so, there always needs to be a threat with which to sell safety to one side and convince them to fight the other, becoming the threat to the other side.”

Hekate nods in agreement. “Hard as it is to believe at first, we’ve heard from both sides that diplomacy hasn’t been pursued at all. Vaergraes tried, but was shut down, and now she’s here with us. She’s a good person. I think you’ll like her.”

“Could I meet her? I don’t know how much I can do… But, I, too, would like to end the war. E-Especially if it is as you say.”

“Princess…” murmurs Xiannelle cautiously.

“I won’t make rash decisions, Xiannelle. I just want to do as they have; to hear both sides and understand the truth, if I can.”

Xiannelle sighs. “Very well, your Highness.”

“Thank you for trying to look after me. I know I’m troublesome.”

“Not at all, Princess. I am only worried about the company you’ve been choosing to keep.”

“Vaergraes is a woman,” replies Daniel with a polite smile. He knows she’s making a subtle dig at him, specifically, but he doesn’t care. She knows more of the truth of the situation that led to Daniel’s banishment than many likely do, and it’s possible even worse rumors about Daniel are out there. He can’t do much about those rumors, but he can live with integrity and try to control how people see him directly.

Failing that, he can probably fake his death more effectively the next time.

Hekate says proudly, “I’m sure Vae will like to meet you as well. Let’s go! We can meet the rest of the soldiers later.”

The young feldrok Empress gathers everyone close, and then she casts her spell. Praemar instinctively puts her hand on her sword, but Erimaya halts her with a hand gesture, and the five of them disappear and reappear in the library.

Daniel is a little surprised, since he assumed Vaergraes would be in the town or in the makeshift temple they set up for her.

However, she is, in fact, sitting at one of the tables set up for Hekate and anyone else who wants to study, reading a fairly old-looking tome, alongside Thymeria, who is copying a worn out document.

They notice the group and perk up, both rising out of their seats. “Your Greatness. Please forgive our intrusion.”

“You’re not intruding at all, Vaergraes. You’re exactly who we came to see, if you’ve got some time.”

Vaergraes studies the group for a moment, easily recognizing the visitor that she had yet to be introduced to. “Me?” asks the former Queen.

Hekate nods. “Yep! Are we interrupting?”

“Oh! No. I was reading a history of the western territories from the feldroks’ point of view. They were apparently observing the rest of us long before even I was born.”

Thymeria bows, adding with her demure voice, “And, I was merely copying some of the texts we managed to salvage from our temple in our evacuation.”

“Great!” cheers Hekate. “Then, ladies, please allow me to introduce Princess Erimaya, second princess of the kingdom of Mornistae of the east.”

Erimaya curtsies with a practiced elegance, perfectly demonstrating the results of her training in royal court.

Vaergraes and Thymeria put their own forearms together in front of themselves and bow slightly at the waist.

“And, Eri, please allow me to introduce Arch Priestess Vaergraes, former Queen of the Demon Covenant, and her sister, Shrine Acolyte Thymeria.”

“It is my sincere pleasure to meet you, um, your Majesty,” replies Erimaya gently.

Vaergraes counters just as politely, “The pleasure is mine, your highness. Surely, your station is far higher than mine now. At present, I serve only as the caretaker of the mana of the world.”

Erimaya’s eyes brighten, and the Uhl’tall woman chuckles softly. “It sounds fancier than it is, your highness. Because of my attunement to natural magic, I can sense instabilities that can foretell cataclysms.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Really? We have Dawnseers that can do something like that,” states Erimaya warmly.

“Ahhh, yes. I’m familiar with the art of dawnseeing. It is similar, and can range from far in the future to the immediate present. I have heard a sect of Dawnseers were even able to gaze into the past and see the truth of events. Or, so the story goes. What I do is merely search for strains on the mana of the world.”

Erimaya approaches as they begin passionately discussing the nuanced differences between the magic and history they know, including the summoning ritual, which is a methodology fairly exclusive to Mornistae, and it relies on an ancient artifact that no one can yet make sense of.

Daniel, Hekate, Xiannelle, and Praemar make themselves comfortable nearby, and Thymeria joins into the conversation, asking about the east, the way they make use of magic, and even begin discussing what ‘royalty’ means between the east and west, which are vastly different. Vaergraes was more or less a Queen in name only, where Erimaya is truly a part of a royal family. Though, traveling deep into enemy territory for the sake of an exiled commoner would definitely be the least royal thing Erimaya has done.

“I don’t understand, though,” murmurs Erimaya after a while. “My father and mother would never want to prolong a war. If they knew of your attempts at diplomacy at the time…”

“I have regrettably forgotten which factions or individuals I have had envoys meet with,” replies Vaergraes softly.

Xiannelle offers a suggestion a little coldly. “Could it be possible your envoys failed to express your diplomatic intentions, Arch Priestess?”

Erimaya looks at Xiannelle with a little disappointment, but Vaergraes doesn’t take offense. “It is not impossible that such could have been the case in some instances. However, unless every one of my envoys, as well as those I met with personally from the east, failed their duties…”

Thymeria clarifies, “Elder Sister has been trying many times for years since the Devourer appeared. She even offered to meet with rulers of the east to try to negotiate, but was rejected time and time again.”

“I don’t understand,” murmurs Erimaya.

“You’ve probably never considered a war economy, then,” replies Daniel quietly. “Or population control. My world subtly, but actively, announced what they were doing all too often.”

Erimaya stares at him, and Hekate nods in agreement. “I believe Daniel. Someone has decided they have something to gain from the war not ending when the supposed cause was removed.”

Praemar finally chimes in. “Forgive me for asking as the lowest person here, but… Can you prove this ‘Devourer’ even existed? It seems like a convenient excuse, when the demonkin have been pressing eastward continuously since my grandfather’s generation.”

Vaergraes is quiet for a moment, but Daniel is the one that explains. “Vaergraes is the only reason the demons and dragons didn’t conquer the entire continent inside of a couple of years. I understand the skepticism. So, let me ask you; are you three willing to take a flight?”

They glance at him, and then Praemar and Xiannelle look to Erimaya, who is smiling. “Yes. I would like to see proof of the Devourer’s existence.” It’s clear with the way she said it that there’s another motivation; likely, the desire to fly.

Daniel asks, “Xyreko? Are you nearby?”

Xyreko appears as if walking from behind a bookshelf. “I am whatever you need of me, your Grace.”

“Ugh… Thank you. How is the shuttle faring?”

“I am still running tests. I would recommend against using it at this time, but that does not mean it can’t fly.”

“You don’t want to fly on one of our dragon companions, Daniel?” asks Hekate.

“I didn’t want to impose if the shuttle was ready.”

Daniel notices Erimaya fidget, and when he looks, so does Hekate and Xyreko. “What is it?” asks Daniel gently.

With a blush, the princess replies sheepishly, “Um… I know I briefly got to see them at the audience, but… I was wondering… If I could see the dragons… i-in their… true forms?”

Daniel looks at Hekate, who grins.

“We’ll ask them, but they’re people just like us. I won’t force or coerce them.”

Erimaya nods vigorously. “I understand completely! Thank you so much!”

The group travels to the very peak of the castle, where the highest turret is, and where a shaded area was made for the dragons to retreat from the sun when they’re done basking, but still want to be outside.

There, they find just the three that are friendly with Daniel, as well as their eggs, resting in the shade in lounge chairs.

“Ahhhh, Darling. You came all this way to visit us?” muses Ryuogriar warmly. “Oh… And you’re here, Hekate…”

Hekate glares at the dragon woman, who is in human form with the other two.

“Ladies,” interjects Daniel. “Enjoying the sun?”

“What’s it to you?” retorts Geirahoel with a little feistiness, but with far less than she used to.

Daniel simply smiles, and Ryuogriar replies warmly, “Indeed we were, Mukori. But, we were discussing how rather plain the area around the Citadel is. The feldroks seemed to have had rather quaint tastes when they chose the location.”

“Or,” begins Xyreko. “The land has changed many times in the time since the Citadel was built, a testament to the ever-shifting nature of time itself.”

Ryuogriar nods in agreement, and Erimaya squeaks, “F-Feldroks?”

Daniel smiles at her and nods. “Yep. Feldroks built the Citadel. Only a lone feldrok, feral from his lack of upbringing, remained at the time Hekate and I arrived. Ladies, I’d like to introduce you. This is Princess Erimaya, Second Princess of the Kingdom of Mornistae in the east. Princess, these three are dragons that have joined our inner circle, and are among my closest companions. This is Ryuogriar, Reignleif, and Geirahoel, in order of seniority.”

Ryuogriar remains lounging proudly, while Reignleif stands up and bows slightly. Geirahoel nods, though she seems a little sheepish more than curt.

Erimaya curtsies again. “It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear Ladies Ryuogriar, Reignleif, and Geirahoel. I hope we can get along.”

“So long as you treat us well, we have no quarrel with you, sweet child,” replies Ryuogriar, and Reignleif and Geirahoel nod in agreement with her.

“Now then, her highness and her two companions, Praemar and Xiannelle, would like to see proof of the Devourer to corroborate our claims. The shuttle isn’t yet ready, and Princess Erimaya made a request.”

“I see. You wish for one of us to fly you to the site?” asks Ryuogriar.

Erimaya speaks for herself quickly to ensure there are no misunderstandings, “I would be grateful, but my request, in truth, if the flight is unacceptable, was to bear witness to your greatness. I’ve… I’ve heard stories of dragons all my life, and ever since I was a little girl, I could only imagine your beauty from the drawings in books.”

Ryuogriar smiles. “I see.” Ryuogriar stands up, shooting Daniel a devilish smirk. He realizes he’s in for it now, but he simply observes. He could stop her, since the contract is still in effect until Xyreko can modify the contract circle to undo a contract, which is trickier than Daniel hoped. Given that safety is higher priority, he’s not rushing her.

Ryuogriar begins her explanation with a sultry, but somewhat amused and devious tone as she gestures with elegant movements. “You have a wonderful way with words, Second Princess Erimaya. Since dearest Reina and dearest Geira are currently with second eggs…” Daniel resists the metaphorical knives of Ryuogriar’s intentional glance at him. “... before the first have even hatched, and given our relationship with Daniel, I suppose I’m the only one who will humor you.” Ryuogriar walks out into an open part of the roof, her elegant dress glimmering in the sun. She then casts the simple spell as the others watch.

Her form rapidly grows in size, and Erimaya gasps as she instinctively falls into and hugs Daniel, while both Xiannelle and Praemar fearfully try to take hold of her to guard her, but also are unable to peel their eyes away.

Ryuogriar is massive compared to any of them. Her smallest teeth are as big as their forearms, and her elegant horns dwarf the humans. Daniel would compare her to a private jet in size, as she’s definitely larger than either Geirahoel or Reignleif.

Ryuogriar’s voice now reaches all of them, except Daniel, as she uses telepathy.

“What do you think, child? Am I still beautiful?”

Erimaya stumbles forward, taking in the breathtaking size and beauty of the being before her. “Y-Yes! I… It’s… difficult to find words, Great Dragon Ryuogriar. E-Everything… Y-Your scales… Y-Your eyes…” Erimaya holds her hands in front of her, sighing as she tries to steady herself.

A metallic clang draws everyone’s attention. Praemar is holding her hand out, shaking like a leaf, as her sword rests on the ground where she dropped it, trying to draw in her terror. Her face is pale and expression horrified. She has probably served as a royal guard most of her limited career, and only stories of the dragons reach the capital of the kingdom of Mornistae.

Ryuogriar’s draconic face shifts in a smile, though it reveals her humongous teeth. “You are truly adept at flattery, sweet child. Yes, I will fly you to the resting place of the dreadful Devourer.”

“Since we’re not utilizing a god-killer this time,” begins Xyreko. “I’ll provide safety and support with wing-golems. I will accompany you as well.”

Daniel nods. Hekate asks, “Ryuo, can you carry all of us?”

“Can Darling Mukori tame a dragon?”

Both of them chuckle together, causing the other three humans to look at him in shock. “Let’s get started. It’s a decent flight to the site.” Daniel approaches Ryuogriar, and she lays as low as her humongous body allows, though she nudges him with her tail as she grins at him deviously. Daniel sighs. Yep. She’s not going to let me live it down. See what you two did? He looks at Geirahoel and Reignleif, who both seem to be ignoring him intentionally. Yeah. She-demons.

“Please excuse me, Ryuo.” Daniel climbs onto the back of her tail, helping Erimaya up and towards the middle of Ryuogriar’s back. Hekate huffs, and Ryuogriar snickers as the young empress climbs up on her own, followed by a hesitant Xiannelle and finally Praemar after she recovers. Xyreko simply steps onto Ryuogriar’s giant palm, and she elevates the golem caretaker to her back.

Ryuogriar spans her massive wings, reminding Daniel briefly of a passenger airliner thanks to her size and platinum color. And, rather than broad sweeps of her wings, she does the initial liftoff with magic as she steps into a rising glide, cruising easily into the sky as the three guests scream.

Hekate remarks dryly, “What? We’re just flying.”

Erimaya peeks, glancing at the ground that’s already far below them and growing more distant. Her eyes snap open as she clings to Daniel’s arm. “W-We’re flying! We’re actually flying!”

“Princess! Don’t lean so far!” cries out Xiannelle as the Princess tries to get the clearest look she can from Ryuogriar’s broad back. Daniel keeps his hand gripping the ribbon on the back of the Princess’s dress, just in case. But, as promised, there are twenty flying golems that have already fallen into formation around Ryuogriar, all carrying belt-fed machine guns bolted to their arms -not that the three guests would recognize the weapons for what they are-.

Erimaya tries to crawl to the otherside to look, confirming that they are in fact high in the sky. As they did during the mission to defeat the Devourer, Ryuogriar is actually shielding herself -and consequently everyone- with a wind barrier to keep the air around her body still, as well as increase her overall aerodynamics.

Erimaya cries out again, “Xiannelle, look! We’re truly flying!”

Daniel realizes his own belt is being clutched tightly, and it’s Xiannelle, who is unable to form words of response. Praemar is keeping her head and body pressed to Ryuogriar’s back, desperately afraid of falling off.

Xyreko remarks, “If I didn’t know better, Daniel, I’d be surprised that you didn’t have a similar reaction to flying.”

Daniel chuckles. “I did it enough times to lose the magic. Though, believe it or not, I can’t do what Erimaya is doing.”

She’s currently being held taut by Daniel’s grip on her dress’s waist ribbon as she gawks at the glistening lake they’re cruising over. “Lady Dragon Ryuogriar! I envy you so much! This is incredible!”

“You flatter me, sweet child. The skies have always been our domain.”

“They’ll be mine before long,” declares Hekate proudly. “Hahahaha!”

Erimaya finally returns to center, and she lays back against Daniel as she puts a hand on her forehead. “Goodness, this is so wonderful. I never dreamed I would get to fly.” She looks at Hekate, who is only barely containing her envy. “Your Greatness,... Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.”

Hekate flinches and blushes. “M-Me? Oh… Uh… Of course! I understand you’re a kind and compassionate person. I believe we’re allies, so it’s only natural.”

Ryuogriar chuckles, and Hekate huffs, but Erimaya adds, “Lady Ryuogriar, thank you so much for this. This is truly breath-taking.”

“You are welcome, sweet child. Perhaps next time, you would like to see your home from the sky, hmm?”

Erimaya gasps. “C-Can I really?”

Ryuogriar nods. “So long as we remain allies, of course.”

Erimaya nods vigorously in agreement. “Let’s save the world together!”

As they fly, the dark stain on the world of Zenkon becomes visible, with a glistening pit in the center.

Erimaya asks as she tries to inspect the darkness, “That blackness… Is that from the Devourer?”

Hekate replies bluntly, “That was the Devourer. It’s dead, now, but much of its body was out of the range of the weapon we used to kill it.”

“You… made a weapon to kill… that?” She points at the humongous black remains of a titanic being spreading like a fungal infection. It’s the size of a country, with black tendrils reaching even further.

Hekate nods, but adds, “It’s a national secret, obviously.”

Erimaya looks nervously at Daniel again, and he reassures her, “Eri, I promise I have no vengeful feelings towards Mornistae or the alliance. We just want to be left alone. To do that, we had to stop the Devourer. It was set on consuming the whole world.”

Ryuogriar flies lower, allowing them to more closely see the texture and structure of the Devourer’s strange, infectious form. It smells horrible, as it is a living being slowly decaying, and scavengers and other beings are even feeding on pieces of the fallencolossus.

The dragon flies them to the center, where the crater is. They land, and it becomes clear that the Devourer is not just a being that spreads like fungus, but was massive as well, towering around them like they’re standing in a bowl-shaped valley of terrifying black mountains.

Hekate kneels next to a small cross, which Daniel helped her set up after they confirmed it was safe. “Believe it or not, we’re pretty sure it was one of my ancestors, though I never got to know him.” She prays for a moment, and Erimaya approaches, kneeling next to Hekate to pray for a moment as well. She doesn’t say anything specific, since she doesn’t know what to say.

After Hekate relaxes, Erimaya asks softly, “Your ancestor?”

Hekate nods. “He was a feldrok before the rest of my race was exterminated in a swift betrayal, and his anger led him to lose control of his immense power. He became a monster… just like the Feral Feldrok, who ruled the Citadel before Daniel and I arrived.”

Erimaya is quiet for a moment. She murmurs, “You’re… a feldrok?”

Hekate nods seriously. “I’m the last of my kind. We’re considering reviving the one who became the Devourer, but we don’t know enough about him.” Hekate pets the cross gently. “But, maybe it’s better to let go. Our time came and went. No one can live forever, even the feldroks.”

There’s a respectful silence for a moment between them.

“Hekate…?” murmurs Erimaya.

“Yes, Erimaya?”

“What… does your ideal future look like?”

Hekate smiles gently, and she looks directly at Daniel, who is standing with Ryuogriar, who is in her human form again. “My ideal future is a big family to replace the one I didn’t get to enjoy as a child, and for Daniel to never leave my side. I want the world to become peaceful and focus on making everyone prosperous so they can enjoy that, too. I know it’s not fully possible, but that’s what I want.”

“You… don’t want to conquer the world?”

“Of course not! If we need to boil it down to one sentence, all I want in the world is Daniel. AND FOR HIM TO WANT ME!” she shouts at the end.

Daniel smirks at them, rolling his eyes.

“You seem older than me, Hekate… Are you not to his tastes?”

“No. He treats me like a child!”

“You are a child, Hekate,” retorts Daniel.

“Shut up! I’m older than Erimaya!”

“And, I wouldn’t marry her or touch her in that way either.”

Hekate huffs, gesturing to illustrate her point to Erimaya, who laughs softly. The princess takes Hekate’s hands and faces her. “Hekate… You’ve never grown up with etiquette training, am I correct?”

Hekate cocks her head, retorting cautiously, “Correct…”

Erimaya pulls her close, making Hekate a little nervous.

“Very well! Then, if you’ll allow me, I’ll teach you everything I know to make you the perfect woman, and Daniel won’t be able to resist you.”

Hekate’s eyes sparkle instantly as a smile spreads across her face, and she more firmly grips Erimaya’s hands in camaraderie. “Really!?”

“Yes. I’ve been raised with the intention of being a wife from when I could first talk.” Hekate bounces in a circle, and they laugh together.

Ryuogriar jokes softly to Daniel, “I’m surprised she really doesn’t know why…”

Daniel scoffs. “She knows why. She doesn’t want to give up one to have the other, but she knows she has time to enjoy the one she loses when she chooses the other.”

“I’m surprised she believes Erimaya can help her,” whispers Xyreko. “You just told her Erimaya is in the same boat.”

Daniel smirks at Xyreko. “Please don’t ruin it.”

“As you wish, my beloved Master.”

***