"Hahaha"

"Haha"

I intended to stay quiet and just try to endure my embarrassment in silence, but the giggles beside me reminded me that both Mahara and Aglaya are also here, very close, and I'm sure they fully heard what Marien just said.

"Quiet."

So I turn to them and speak with a stern tone to both of them, enough to make them stop giggling. They quickly pretend they weren't doing anything and return to looking ahead with serious expressions.

Damn it. Marien made that comment on purpose. I even think Marien said it at just the right volume for them to hear too... Why did she have to bring up such a thing just to embarrass me?

"Marien... I hope you're ready for your punishment."

"Hehe, don't be like that, Young Lord, it was just a joke. Besides, it's your fault for saying things you don't want to own up to."

"..."

There's no winning against her...

*BBBOOOMMMM*

This conversation isn't over yet, but it will have to wait. Nala seems to have grown tired of playing with Abigail and Mom, or the two have given up the fight, whatever it is, Nala is finishing the match.

It's what always happens, no matter how much they try to resist and fight with all their strength and available strategies, Nala is absurdly strong and always wins, no matter what they try. Depending on Nala's mood, this can last 2 to 4 hours.

"Young Lord, I believe it's time. Lady Nala will likely finish today's training in a few minutes. We should prepare ourselves."

This time it was Mahara who spoke to me, she's by Marien's chair holding a small metal case. Mahara was the first to stand up from the chair and take a few steps forward because she's responsible for carrying the first aid items.

"Alright, Mahara, but we shouldn't rush just yet. Besides..."

I remain seated while the three maids stand up and begin organizing everything for first aid. Then I start to look at Marien and stare at her seriously, then I speak to her with a very serious and threatening tone:

"We'll talk later, Marien."

"Alright, Young Lord."

For the first time today, Marien finally shows a bit of embarrassment and confusion. But soon she returns to being busy organizing things for first aid. First aid that is by no means necessary, but is useful for some occasions.

*BBOOOMMMM*

As soon as the second boom was heard, I got up from the chair with the least available haste. Actually, this has happened so many times that I no longer feel any urgency in this situation, but that doesn't mean I don't need to act.

Anyway, I'm sure Nala prolongs the training just because she likes to play with people, both physically and psychologically. So I shouldn't think about rushing anything at this point, just follow the rhythm.

"Everything's ready, Young Lord."

"Thank you, girls. She's coming."

Once everything was organized, Aglaya quickly informed me. But at this point we should just wait a little longer, since Nala likes to show off after training, which is something we can't refuse.

So, after waiting patiently for a few seconds, Nala finally appeared in front of us with her best villain entrance. Coming out of some sort of fold in space, Nala appeared a few meters in front of us.

And as she approached closer to where I was, she opened her arms, put a smile on her face, and said:

"We have an appointment, Kiddo. Let's go take a bath."

"Don't you think you're too old to be playing fight with weaker ones, Old Lady?"

As soon as I see Nala, she's already in her humanoid form, wearing tight black shorts that covered half of her thighs and a gray tank top. It's a very eye-catching outfit, but that doesn't stop me from rudely commenting on her lack of focus.

"Brat... Shouldn't you be more polite? Besides, who said I was playing? I was training them... Training."

"Hmm... And why did it take more than 4 hours today while the last one only lasted 2 hours? Isn't it because you were playing to prolong the training? As you yourself said, today we have an important commitment, we shouldn't be fooling around."

Far from being offended by my sarcastic comment, Nala's reaction was to approach me and hug me while I was still talking. Regardless of my permission, the truth is she would hug me anyway.

By this point, after this event occurs every time they train, I don't mind anymore, it's her whim and I can only hope she finishes. The sweat dripping all over her body is a bit unpleasant, but I don't mind since it only intensifies her natural scent.

It's still a very strange thing, but the hotter a woman's body gets, the stronger her natural scent becomes. I believe it's the pheromones that make them have a distinctive smell, making it pleasant to smell this fragrance.

So, even if a woman is all sweaty, she will still exude her pheromones' scent, only in an even stronger intensity. I remember clearly the first time I noticed this, it was in one of the first training sessions I attended.

It was as if Nala had bathed in a tub of perfume, because it's as if her whole body were exuding a very strong sweet perfume, very similar to the smell of honey, but less aggressive and more enveloping.

A smell that doesn't let a person rest and that attracts to the source. That's exactly the feeling and fragrance I'm feeling now. And I think no matter how much I smell this scent, there's no way not to like it.

Every now and then I just go into autopilot mode and start to smell the fragrance while falling into a trance. And she loves it when this happens and runs to pick me up whenever she notices me staring at her, like now...

"You were amazing... As always. I noticed you took it easy today, was it because of the commitment?"

By this point, Nala is hugging me tightly as I gently stroke her hair. I praise her to let her know I was really watching the training. After that, I ask the question, which she answers by whispering softly:

"Partly... But I think I was thinking about other things..."

"What kind of things?"

"We'll talk about it later, boy."

She continues speaking softly, but her tone always subtly changes when she doesn't want to continue talking. That's a worrying sign for me.

"Hmm... Then let me go, Mom and Abigail need to wake up soon to have time to prepare for the commitment."

"Just a little longer..."

As much as I like Nala's hugs and scent, it can be dangerous to let her get comfortable. Nala can easily lose track of time when she's in this state, which is why I must remind her of the time.

Fortunately, I realized she doesn't define the hug by time, but by exchanging affection. So she hugs me for long enough until she 'recharges' her batteries, which can take a long time if I do nothing.

But it's possible to speed up the process if I cooperate by significantly reducing the required time. For that, I must

show my affection for her too, whether through words or actions.

Whenever she hugs me, she puts me on her lap, the only person who does this to me still, and always smiles. At these times, if I do nothing, she'll let go of me after a few minutes like this. But she has a weakness exactly here...

"Alright... You deserve it... You're amazing..."

At this moment, I'm gently stroking her back, just enough to make her relax, while whispering these words in her ear.

They're genuine compliments, but I believe that even if they were empty words, Nala would still believe me because of the vulnerability she shows at the moment. After I notice she's already smiling widely, I just need to do one thing...

*Kiss*

"Hey you... That... That... That's enough. Go wake up the girls, you cheeky... How dare you... You... You... ... You better get ready for your training, it's time to step up the intensity."

After just a peck on the cheek, Nala quickly put me down and started walking briskly while complaining. Even after she was already many meters away, you could still hear the grumbles she let out.

That's her weak point, she only knows how to deal with a certain level of affection demonstration. Kind words, hugs, pats on the back, etc. Things a friend would do to another, that's the level Nala has no problem reacting to.

However, if it reaches the family level, Nala simply doesn't know how to react. Even with just a simple kiss on the cheek she gets into this state. However, she would normally kill anyone who tried to do something like that.