BXBX NOVEL Chapter 149 148: Two Weeks (7)
She was staring at me for another few moments, remaining silent, her blue eyes alternating between Anput and I before she hesitantly asked "Did... did you mark her, Miss Anput?"
Freezing, Anput choked on the pierogi she was eating, her cheeks darkening as everyone turned to stare at her.
The Marquess was grinning widely, her eyes holding a knowing gleam as she glanced at Jahi, while the Countess had pursed lips.
Sighing, I nodded to Mother, making her blush slightly at how readily I admitted to it.
"Mother, I am... well, I guess the easiest way to say it is that we\'re ALL together..."
That made the Countess frown for a moment, her eyes moving over each of us before she turned towards the Marquess, only to shake her head a moment later.
Considering the possessive glint in her azure eyes as she did so, I held in a chuckle as I realized that she was wondering if she could have done that as well.
Though, she certainly grew into being able to, considering Mothers pregnant bump.
Letting out a chuckle, the Marquess grinned at her daughter as she slyly said "That\'s my girl~"
Jahi grinned back at her, only for it to stiffen as the Marquess \'innocently\' asked "Any plans to grow that number?"
That made all three of us, Anput, Leone and I, to glare at Jahi, the Demoness raising her hands as she said "Nope. Never even considered it! I swear!"
Seeing her daughter instantly get \'put in her place\', the Marquess chuckled again as she glanced at the Countess, a wry smile on her lips as she said "Trust me, I know that feeling well..."
The Countess just raised a brow, a \'smile\' on her lips as she looked at her wife, only to return to eating when the Marquess shivered.
However, Mother then asked "Katherine, are you sure..?"
Seeing the worry in her eyes, I chuckled as I nodded, gesturing to the Vampire, Jackalkin, and Demoness.
"Yeah, I\'m fine. Besides, without me these three would be completely lost..."
Jahi rolled her eyes, Leone nodded, and Anput pouted, however none refuted my claim.
Mother sighed before nodding, staring at her plate in silence for a few seconds.
"Well, as long as you all are able to respect one another..."
"We do. Besides, Kat\'s not wrong; she\'s the one to solve most of our problems, and she keeps the house in good order. Last thing I\'d want to do is piss her off."
The Marquess grinned at her daughter as she nodded, saying "Never a good idea to piss off the housekeeper. You\'ll lose out on quite a bit~"
What followed was small talk; the Countess asked about the Academy, Mother reminded us to take it seriously, the Marquess suggested some specific courses for each of us...
The meal passed by pleasantly enough, and once it was finished I started clearing the table, stacking the dishes and utensils in the sink.
That was when the Marquess let out a cough, poured herself a drink, and gave Jahi a serious look, her ruby eyes locked on Jahi\'s amethyst ones as she asked "So, spill it. What happened?"
Hearing that, Leone and Anput stiffened up, looking over at Jahi, while I glanced over my shoulder to see a frowning Countess alternating her stare between her wife and daughter.
Jahi reached forwards and poured her own drink, taking a gulp from her glass before sighing.
"We\'ve been going to Zhu\'Rong Caverns..."
That made the Countess relax for a moment, only to stiffen as Jahi continued.
"And on our last expedition, well... we ran into a Draconas."
The Marquess frowned, her eyes narrowed as she waited for Jahi to continue.
However, the Countess shot out of her seat, her eyes flaring for a moment as she shouted "How in the hells did you encounter a Draconas?! They only roam deep in the Caverns!"
Her eyes were accusatory as she glared at us, but that didn\'t perturb Jahi, as she held her hand up and said "Listen to the story, Mother... please."
Letting out a huff, the Countess sat back down, her arms crossed as she glared at her daughter.
Glancing at my own Mother, I saw her frowning as well, however her eyes held worry as she stared at me, only relaxing when I gave her a small smile.
"When we were down in the Caverns, we found a crevasse in the wall, one that led into a deserted city..."
Jahi explained everything that happened down in that city; how we found it, what was inside, the eyes, the ritual, Lord Pele...
She told them about it all.
Recounting the fight, I could see her eyes flicker gold as she stammered over the part where I had almost been choked to death; her tone had turned self-depracating as she clenched her fists, telling them about how Leone had managed to come and save me at the last moment.
Leone pursed her lips, staring down at her pale hands, while Anput sneered, her fists quivering before she closed her eyes taking in deep breaths.
Hearing that I had almost died, Mother stared at me in worry again, her hazel eyes watery as she listened to Jahi\'s tale.
Giving her another smile, I then looked at the Marquess and Countess, the two women showing different expressions.
The Marquess was staring at her daughter silently, her gaze hard as she rested her chin on her palm.
As for the Countess, relief was writ clearly on her fair features, the golden haired Elf letting out a sigh as Jahi finished telling her story.
Jahi could only meet her Mom\'s gaze for a moment, quickly turning her eyes elsewhere as the Marquess remained silent.
Letting out another relieved sigh, the Countess looked over each of us, her azure eyes gentle as she said "At least you made it out unscathed. Not many first years could say they faced, and beat, a Draconas and lived to tell the tale."
However, I could see that those words held no comfort to the other three; Anput\'s lip rose again as she grit her teeth, Leone bit her cheek and continued staring at her hands, while Jahi glanced over at me, her golden eyes filled with a glimmer of shame.
The Countess noticed that too, the Elf slumping into her chair as she looked between the three girls.
Was I feeling the same as them?
Of course; I had a whole damn system to help me get stronger, and yet I had been the one to be tossed around like a doll.
We all had thought of ourselves as strong, but that fight had humbled us quickly.
But that fight also taught me that there truly is always a bigger fish; and after the fish, there are the birds.
There will always be something out there ready to claim our lives.
That was why I wanted to pour more time into my fine tuning my magic; it was why I had started walking the road of an enchanter.
I had dozens of ideas for tattoos to help boost my strength, ideas for spells that simply required more mana than I currently possessed.
My bladework and footwork could always be better; I could be quieter, I could hit faster and harder.
My healing and support magics could be broader and more individualized; each of the women I loved had something they did better than the others.
Besides that, I could put much, much more effort into improving my foundations; better control, better strength, better agility...
Each was something I could train on my own daily; be it weights, sprints, stretches, continuous mana cloaks...
Something.
There was always something I could do to improve.
However, I was also aware that, so far, there was more to our lives than individual strenght.
Jahr was a Marquess; Anput and Leone were both Princess\'s.
That meant events, dealing with the others nobles, other nations...
Jahi would eventually take over March Asmodia, and we would be supporting her.
Currently, our next challenge wasn\'t some monster, nor a dungeon.
It was a banquet, where we would fight not with blades, but with words; our battlefield would be a ballroom, not a cavern.
So, I needed to support each of these three women, to make sure that, when we reached that banquet, they had everything they needed; dress, jewelry, etiquette...
After all, that was the most I could do for this \'fight\'.
I could support them to the best of my abilities, but that was it.
Shaking my head, I observed the silent Marquess, the giant Demoness remaining silent.
Jahi sat, unmoving, under her Mom\'s stare, her pale blue skin growing clammy.
The Countess looked like she wanted to step in, but after seeing her wife\'s seriousness she closed her mouth, remaining quiet.
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Sorry for the late upload lol
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