The reborn cultivator looked at the bed as she started to close the door. She hesitated to actually finish that task before exhaling and flipping the latch. The girl promised herself it would be fine! Elua led her fiance to a chair and asked her to sit before joining her - and imdiately acted in a way that would have concerned her parents.
’Nuzzling is okay, right? There’s nothing wrong with it at all~’
Her cheek and nose rubbed into the swordswoman’s neck while she hugged her torso from the front. The one it was being done to found it kind of ticklish, but couldn’t ask her to stop. That is - the teenager perfectly well could - she just chose not to while using the available reason of her having been upset.
It wasn’t at all that she felt like she was being held onto by a cute animal and didn’t want it to stop.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don’t, but you’ll understand better if I do. The man I was supposed to have threatened in that play was the one that took sothing from ** - and tried to hold my old body under the water with his Elent."
Despite usually returning to her ’real’ self when talking about these things, this ti the reincarnator felt stable enough to stay in her facade. The dinner had helped quite a lot. She didn’t think she would get too emotional this ti.
"You could say that I did boil a sizable amount of seawater due to the conflict of our essence. I would also freely admit that it probably had a negative impact on the local population... not to ntion the ecosystem."
A harsh sigh escaped from her normally ’sweet’ mouth. Talking wasn’t as good as quiet intimacy in the short term, but it was better in the long. She actually really loved that the girl always listened without judging.
"But wishing that didn’t happen doesn’t an I think I should have changed my reaction. Qat - you should probably know that if sothing happens to you, I am not going to be okay."
Qatrand’s dominant hand sought the small of the girl’s back and held her palm there. She wanted the other one to hold the back of her head as well... but sohow felt that would be a bad idea. There were these edges of ’hunger’ again in the girl’s spirit, even though they had just eaten.
The Yecine was pretty sure her assessnt of the emotion was wrong...
"So when you said he took sothing... you ant he killed soone? Soone that you loved."
"...Yes."
The pair sat quietly together in the chair after that short tale. Her ’fortress’ was too obstinate to ask for more details knowing that sinking into the mories might be upsetting for her... and El felt she had already described her lack of attachnt to the people themselves sufficiently to not bother to reiterate.
"Feeding you was really the best distraction I could have asked for. Thank you for always being so willing to put up with my selfish requests."
The blonde thought about the tis the girl must be talking about and felt for the most part... nothing seed worth reproach. More than that, what little she’d ever done for the brunette almost felt tiny next to the things she had been given by her. Acceptance and constant love most of all, but also so much advice on cultivation that it completely changed the trajectory of her life.
She was beginning to realize that it wasn’t just that her father had said those words - that he had attributed his disappointnt in her failures to her being female - and therefore more weak and useless than a male son would have been. It was that she felt he.... was wrong. It had hurt because he was *wrong*!
’With El’s help, I can’t be considered weak, even if I’m not the strongest.’
"Thank you for being willing to help improve myself, even though it risked all of your secrets."
A ’cute’ giggle returned rather quickly to that sentence the Yecine had spoken.
"That’s adorable, Qat. My secrets? I would shout out every one of them if you honestly needed to. I love you. I would risk far more than that."
Without thinking, the older girl raised her last free hand and stroked the back of the Goltbred’s hair. Then her earlier hesitance proved correct to listen to. Elua let out a shuddering breath into her neck and bit down softly... before pulling away and blaring ’panic’ and ’alarm’ over the other emotions.
"Y-y-you need to go. Out of the room. Quickly."
Her small but incredibly strong arms pushed Qat’s aside then dragged her towards the latched door. After a step or two away she hopped back and dove into the bed alone.
"Tell my mother to hurry. Please. Just don’t... don’t tell her what I just did."
’There’s no way it left a mark, right? It was so quick and barely...’
The heiress wanted to scream into her pillow, but knew with how emotional she was being that would be unwise. How dare her Physique choose that timing to exert itself and return all her adolescent level hormones! Thankfully, the uncertain but loyal fiance just turned and left.
Inside, she was wondering if the animal she had absolutely not been picturing wasn’t a hungry wolf cub. In any case... if it was sothing Yatrel was capable of handling, then she felt maybe she indeed didn’t have the experience. She didn’t know how mothers and daughters got along.
The woman with reddish-blonde hair squinted her eyes as she saw the ’boy’ rubbing two fingers along his neck in a strange spot after knocking and entering the room. The cultivator was extrely sensitive to spiritual marks of lust. She hurriedly said goodnight to Ondua and gave a shoulder pat with a sigh to Qatrand before leaving.
The blonde was still confused as she took off her jacket and laid in bed - in the room ant for the ’n’ of the group. Had the girl really been so hungry that she tried to take a bite out of her? The idea seed wrong... but sothing inside of her sensed it would be unwise to ask the man preparing himself to sleep on the other side.
As she tried to think of anything else but the feeling on that part of her skin, her thoughts drifted toward her own problems of the day instead of El’s. The one that stuck out most was related to her still...
’She said it was her choice to help hide it. My family had once given a choice... and I took it. So why is it bothering this terribly?’
---
After breakfast, the group set out on a quick loop of the town before heading to the station to go back ho. Not long after starting, they passed by a shop displaying the kind of elaborate silver wedding attire the pair would soon be wearing.
Ondua stopped his steps and his eyes locked toward one in particular on display. Seeing that it was so similar to the one his wife once wore, he beca lost in sentint while imagining his daughter in it.
"Dear, what is... oh. I see."
The Da Goltbred stepped close and locked his arm. She knew he’d be useless for a little while at this rate, so she would have to lead him along. Though there was also...
"We aren’t in a rush. Why don’t we take them inside to see?"
Elua’s interest beca imdiately piqued upon those words. She knew that her mother had commissioned one already and that the fitting would be soon. But this was a chance to see Qat in a different colored suit! She could tell that the teenager felt a nervousness looking at the outfits - though she wasn’t sure of the reason.
"How about it? While both of our families are handling our own preparations, this is a chance for the two of you to get a closer look at the current styles."
"I would love to look at the dresses. Would you mind, Qat?"
"Ah? No, of course not."
To sell her ultimate goal, the brunette began eagerly prancing through the section of won’s attire. So of them were sold as sets in the center - and while she really would have liked to try on the matching outfits... the heiress also stubbornly wanted her fiance to be stunned on the day of the ceremony!
Her father trailed after her while her mother stuck to Qatrand’s side. The division was interesting to her. Though it did make sense.
’He feels in a very nostalgic mood, so of course he would be with his daughter. And she... is clearly more attached to my husband-wife than him. Though he is trying his best~’
"Do any of them look like the one you’d want to wear, young miss?"
She smiled ’softly’ back at her father before turning to the shopkeeper who had approached.
"They are all beautiful in their ways, but the only one I want to put on is the one my parents had made. I also want to keep how amazing I know I will look a secret for my beloved over there."
While she looked over at the other side with the girl, the older woman grew a little duller in spirit knowing that the rich looking custors were browsing without buying.
"Would you like to try one on, dear? I’m sure my daughter would be happy to see you shining before her in reality rather than just in her imagination."
The question was innocuous enough, but the Yecine was just a little unsettled at the prospect. She’d noticed how well-tailored everything seed to be... and would be lying if she said she wasn’t drawn to wearing a few of the suits. However, in front of Yatrel it beca hard to admit to. Her presence was reinforcing the deception she maintained.
"Is this the future groom? I was told that you might require so assistance."
"Why, yes. This dashing young man is my future son-in-law."
"Indeed, what a gentleman. I can tell by their bearing that they must co from a good family."
Further waves of guilt about deceiving the Goltbreds began to ripple in her heart. They had shown such care and acceptance. Far more than that of her own family. The Yecines were respected, but she was no longer sure they were all respectable. She was no longer sure this lie was for the best of everyone like she’d once been told.
The sound of footsteps preceded her hand being clasped and dragged towards the center area.
"I just saw this one here. What do you think?"
The brunette’s words and actions said one thing, but her frazzling spirit said another. It was clear to Qatrand that she had been keeping a kind of eye on her... and that she was worried about what she saw.
"It’s fine. Though perhaps it’s a bit thick on the shoulders. I’m not sure what do do, El."
The teenager’s voice beca quieter for the end. The reborn cultivator wasn’t sure exactly what to say... at first. But then she realized sothing. That she might have *oversold* part of their current problem. She had explained that it was her choice to ss with the mory of her mother... but not sothing else.
"You know, my promise was that no one would learn your secret from . If you ever want to tell them *yourself*, I’m on your side. Even if you never want to. I don’t care about this decision - I just care that you’re happy with it."
Mint eyes looked up at pigeon blues while pressing her shoulder into the other’s elbow.
"I care that you’re happy. At least... as long as it’s with . We can’t forget that part."
Knowing that adhering to the secret was *her* choice again didn’t assuage anything, but it did allow her to move on from it for a while. After all, there were more issues involved than just lying to the Goltbred pair. A large section of the Yecine’s also didn’t know the truth. The tall ’boy’ chuckled and smiled downward.
"No, I suppose we shouldn’t forget that."
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