At present, in the Nexus headquarters.
Adela had left a while ago; Elizabeth was left alone, her eyes lost in papers full of scribbles, maps, and theories that didn't convince her.
"Where could they have gone…?" she murmured in an exhausted voice, her eyes showing clear fatigue.
"Elizabeth…" a soft voice sounded from the doorway.
The woman inside frowned.
"Thalassa, I'm busy right now."
The mermaid, who had spent quite a long time away from home, frowned as well. She approached her with a serious, determined expression.
"I don't know what happened to make you so anxious, but…" the woman with sea-blue hair briefly looked away. "I want to help. You can trust me."
Elizabeth looked at her doubtfully.
She had spent a lot of time with her ever since he brought her here. Although after she half-hypnotized her, she had always kept her guard somewhat high against her, the truth was that they had grown quite close.
Perhaps it was because Cassian hadn't managed to completely remove the calmness Thalassa had induced in her to control her, but that shouldn't be the case…
An exhausted sigh escaped the leader of the largest trading house in Demor—and possibly the world. Nexus's expansion beyond Demor was still under construction, but Elizabeth was quite proud of it.
Still, she fixed her eyes on Thalassa and finally replied:
"You can't help me. Cassian is leaving for Pradiles in a few days; he'll surely take you with him. Focus on that."
"I figured. Either way, I won't insist. I was just trying to be nice, but I guess that's no longer necessary," Thalassa's voice sounded particularly sharp, as if not being trusted hurt her more than she wanted to admit.
The mermaid turned around and left the office with quick steps, without looking back.
Once outside, she stopped. Her eyes showed a mixture of sadness and nostalgia.
"Lumia… everyone… I hope you're all okay. Soon, very soon, I'll bring help. It won't be like in Hidria; I'll make sure of that," her eyes grew colder, her fist clenching tightly. "No matter what I have to do to achieve it."
…
"Ahhngh~! Wait, not there… mmmngh… I can't take it anymore, seriously."
The Duchess and Cassian were still enjoying their intimate fun in the former's room.
Valeria had left them quite a while ago and didn't seem to be coming back to insist her mother go to eat again.
At that moment, Cassian thrust hard again, hitting the spot he had already tormented several times that day, knowing exactly the reaction he would get from her.
Selyne burst into moans once more. If her pussy had already been an ocean of fluids, what came out after this could be compared to an entire galaxy of them.
He was about to push back inside her when he noticed the Duchess had closed her eyes. With a satisfied and exhausted expression, she had passed out from the orgasm.
Cassian raised an eyebrow, let out a sigh, and pulled out of her.
He stood beside the bed, still naked and with his cock still hard. He looked at it with a hint of helplessness, but the hardness quickly faded as if he had released, even though he hadn't.
The bed, covered in fluids and remnants of what they had been doing, returned to its impeccable state.
A sheet covered Selyne's naked body while Cassian changed his clothes at the same time.
Although he felt he should probably stay to talk to her when she woke up, the idea of lying down beside her or sleeping without any other kind of intimacy didn't quite sit right with him.
He had done it very few times, always more used to how "those women" preferred him…
Cassian's eyes dimmed. He didn't want to bring back those memories again…
He shook his head sharply with a frown and took a step as if to disappear, but then a soft moan stopped him.
"Mmm… Where are you going? I still have something to tell you."
Selyne had opened her eyes slightly, lying in a relaxed and lazy posture with a big smile on her lips.
"What do you want?" his sharp voice echoed in the room.
She frowned but didn't take it to heart.
"I just want you to help me with what we talked about before: make Sylvia understand what it means to desire something but not get it."
He frowned. He couldn't say he wasn't interested… but he didn't have time for that.
"I'm leaving soon."
"Huh?" Selyne's eyes widened in surprise, her relaxed and satisfied posture breaking instantly.
Her legs moved restlessly, rubbing together, as if they could already feel the longing they would suffer when he was gone.
"My sister is in Pradiles, and I have other matters to resolve outside Demor as well. Didn't you know?" He raised an eyebrow, seemingly confused.
"I don't hear about everything," she complained, crossing her arms. "Last time I only found out about Elara by chance. If there's anyone in this empire who really knows everything, it's that cunning Valois witch."
"Mmmm, either way you heard it, though I suppose you'll get what you wanted in a certain way…" He paused as if thinking about something, then looked at her with a sly smile. "Though of course, I think the only one who won't be able to handle it is you…"
"Ha! I've held out for so long without… Sylvia will be the first to fall, you'll see."
"Mmm, then I guess I'll wait to see who falls first," Cassian said with amusement. "Tell Sylvia. When one of you is ready to surrender…" he smiled faintly, "you know where to find me. Elizabeth has ways of getting in touch with me."
…
When Cassian returned to his place at the Academy, he was prepared to spend the remaining time as relaxed as possible: enjoying some peace with Adela and seeing if his two stepsisters would visit him or if he would go see them. He remembered the first one had mentioned they wanted to see him.
But once he arrived at his room, he found that Adela wasn't there.
"I guess I'll enjoy a bit of alone time…" he whispered softly, letting out a tired sigh.
He threw himself onto the sofa and scanned the room where he had spent a considerable amount of time since arriving in this world—though in truth it was insignificant…
THUD!
A sound came from his bedroom.
He frowned and fixed his gaze on the slightly ajar door. Adela? he thought for a moment.
No, it didn't seem to be her. He shook his head.
He stood up, the sound of his shoes echoing as he walked over to see who was there.
He could have checked with his senses, but he preferred to see with his own eyes and be surprised.
And, in a way, that's exactly what happened.
Bethany's maid was inside. She seemed to be holding something back.
Her shoulders were red from how hard she was gripping them, and her nails showed traces of scratched skin and blood.
"This isn't my sister's room."
The woman inside finally noticed she was no longer alone.
She lifted her head, fixing her gaze on her mistress's brother. She had been looking for a place without people to hide, thinking her condition would pass soon…
But upon seeing him, it seemed she could no longer hold it back.
She suddenly jumped toward him with supernatural speed and grabbed his chin, scanning his face.
"Mmm, you'll have to do for now. Forgive me, but I can't resist it. None of us can, not after that," she murmured, trying to explain herself.
Fangs appeared in her gums and she sank them into his neck without hesitation.