A five-year-old Bryn was playing outside a small house with a makeshift bow that she had made using a branch and a piece of string.

"Bry, what are you doing?"

Bryn watched her smiling mother emerge from the house.

That made her realize something; this was a dream over which she had no kind of control.

"I'm practicing to go hunting with Dad!"

Little Bryn gave that answer to her mother with a dazzling smile.

"I see, I'm sure your father will be thrilled to have your help"

Bryn's mother was laughing happily.

That scene changed abruptly; a seven-year-old Bryn was now playing with a small bow that her father had made for her.

"Dad, like this?"

Bryn directed that question to her father, who was standing next to her.

"You need to raise your arm more like this"

Bryn's posture in holding the bow was corrected by her smiling father.

"Honey, you are teaching her seriously, do you really intend for Bry to use a bow?"

Bryn's mother who was watching this let out a slight laugh.

"Why not? Bryn is a hunter's daughter after all"

"That's true mom, one day I'll use a bow like Dad to protect you from monsters!"

"That sounds quite encouraging, I'll be waiting for it"

"Wait for it then mom!"

The three of them laughed happily, wrapped in an atmosphere full of warmth and love.

This was not a dream, but a memory, and at understanding this: Bryn woke up.

Bryn opened her eyes and was surprised to see Elena's smiling face and was startled once realized she was lying on Elena's lap.

"I-I'm so sorry, Elena-sama."

Bryn quickly stand up and bowed deeply as she apologized.

Elena also stood up and, after taking Bryn's shoulders, forced her to lift her head.

"Elena-sama?"

"You don't have to be so formal Bryn, as of today there is a deeper relationship between us, right?"

Remembering the ritual, Bryn's cheeks flushed as she instinctively brought her hand to her lips.

Elena let out a lovely laugh when she saw that.

"Your life is linked to me, that's what I mean"

Bryn blushed more when she heard that. What was she thinking? This question took shape in her mind as she tried to get her thoughts under control.

Soon enough Bryn was surprised again when Elena approached her and cupped her chin to force her to look into her eyes.

"How you feel?"

"I-I feel perfectly fine, Elena-sama..."

Elena smiled and pulled away from Bryn, who let out a slight sigh of relief. Elena's beauty was such that it could affect Bryn's senses, and with the precedent of that kiss, such an effect was causing Bryn's emotions to fluctuate continuously.

"Why don't we check your body?"

"Eh!"

Bryn was startled, she was still trying to assimilate what happened during the ritual, so, following the theme of those thoughts, Bryn took Elena's words in a peculiar manner.

Elena let out a charming laugh again.

"I mean the physical changes that your body has undergone thanks to the ritual"

Bryn flushed because of embarrassment as she nodded.

Nervously walking behind Elena, Bryn returned to the training yard, and at Elena's request, she took her practice sword and began swinging it.

Bryn swung her sword and her eyes widened in astonishment. The feeling was different. Soon Bryn noticed some small changes, her body felt much lighter, her vision and hearing had improved considerably.

Somewhat dismayed by those changes, Bryn turned her gaze to the person who had made this possible, Elena.

"Those are just the changes you can notice now, but..."

Bryn was surprised to hear that she could see in the dark, and she was filled with dismay when she heard about the disappearance of the need to go to the bathroom...

"Elena-sama..."

"You are already in the same circumstances as Nia, now everything depends on your own effort Bryn"

With tears in her eyes, Bryn nodded as the gratitude she already felt in her heart for Elena grew once more.

As Bryn looked at her mother's shadow in Elena's faint smile, she remembered that dream she had had earlier and brought her gaze to the palms of her hands.

"Elena-sama, do you think I could use a bow?"

Elena was shocked for a second. A bow should be the least Bryn wanted to hold in her hands since her father had been a hunter.

"With the improvements that your body has undergone, you could probably surpass many elves in the bow's use"

Bryn smiled and then looked back at the palms of her hands.

"When I was a child, I wanted to learn to use the bow to protect my mother, I will return to that dream, but this time I will protect you, Elena-sama"

Elena showed a sweet smile upon hearing that.

"That sounds pretty encouraging, I'll be waiting for it then"

Bryn showed a dazzling smile as her eyes filled with tears.

"Wait for it then, Elena-sama!"

◈◈◈

Elena returned to the palace leaving Bryn in the training ground, Bryn was overflowing with too much motivation to stop checking the changes in her body.

"Elena-sama!"

As soon as Elena entered the palace, Lynette jumped into her arms.

“Where did you go, Elena-sama? For a moment I thought you were gone"

"I was just helping Bryn with her training, where could I have gone?"

Elena let out a slight laugh when she saw that Lynette seemed genuinely concerned.

"I thought you had gone to heaven with the gods!"

"It almost seems that you consider me a goddess"

"T-to me, E-Elena-sama really is..."

Unable to resist Lynette's adorable expression, Elena hugged her and kissed her cheeks.

"You are very adorable"

Olga and Nia who were behind Lynette had different reactions to seeing this scene. For Olga, Lynette's admiration for Elena had reached a point where she considered Elena a kind of older sister. As for Nia, she only narrowed her eyes as suspicion was born in her mind.

"Elena-sama, did you allow Bryn to perform the ritual?"

For a second Elena's body tensed. How did Nia know about that?

"Y-yes, I offered to her do it and she accepted..."

"Elena-sama, what kind of ritual are you talking about?"

Elena was grateful that Lynette offered her the opportunity to divert her attention from Nia. Although Elena didn't understand why, Nia seemed upset, and dealing with it in front of Lynette and Olga was not the best time.

"It is a special ritual by which a person can become stronger, but someone as adorable as Lynette does not need something like that"

Elena kissed Lynette's forehead, and she completely forgot about the ritual as her cheeks flushed.

With a big smile on her lips, Lynette went back to her task of setting up her temporary workshop, while Elena went to her room followed by a very silent Nia.

Once in the room, Elena was quite surprised at listening to Nia break the silence with that question. Her tone of voice, although calm, it was wrapped in an air of claim that also shone in her emerald eyes.

"I thought it was something special..."

For Nia, that ritual had created a special bond between them, so feeling that this was her position, Nia could bear that Elena seduced Lynette. Yet now Bryn had invaded that special position.

"Nia, come"

Elena smiled at Nia's clear jealousy.

Ignoring Elena's words, Nia crossed her arms and looked away with a grumpy expression.

Seeing that, Elena approached Nia and wrapped her in her arms, and when Nia tried to resist, she kissed her.

Nia's body trembled slightly, and all her previous resistance entirely vanished.

"Elena-sama, I..."

As soon as her lips were released, Nia tried to speak, but Elena stopped her by giving her another passionate kiss.

"Nia, what is special between us is not the ritual"

Elena pulled her lips away from Nia and exclaimed this.

Nia blinked twice while her chest ached. She did not imagine that the pain Elena felt because of that event was so deep. From the moment she met Elena, she always seemed to be strong.

“Thanks to you, I could feel that I could open my heart, that this world was not so cold. Your warmth made me feel alive once again and led me to wish for more than just stay alive. Nia, I really love you... "

Elena wasn't lying. Meeting Nia helped her counteract the heavy and suffocating Kaname´s memories that continually trying to poison her heart. In addition, Nia's presence helped her to dispel that deep bitterness that stained her world after what happened with Richell.

For Elena, meeting Nia had been her true new beginning, and before this; Elena was close to being consumed by Kaname and her own grudges and bitterness.

Thanks to Nia, Elena had discovered a whole new world.

"I love you too, Elena-sama!"

Nia felt immense happiness, which pushed her to express her true feelings.

Elena's eyes generated a bit of moisture upon hearing Nia's response. It wasn't just about the topic they were both women, love was a fantasy that very few people could afford to seek in this world. Both nobles and commoners, convenience prevailed in couple relationships. The marriages were a commercial agreement where both parties tried to get some benefit.

Therefore, being reciprocated by Nia flooded Elena's heart with happiness, happiness as warm and welcoming as the one she had not felt since she lost her mother.

Elena kissed Nia again, and she could feel Nia's body trembling slightly.

“Hearing that you love me makes me immensely happy, but I am a bad person, I am a mean woman who aspires to be loved by many beautiful women. Can you forgive me for being unable to be entirely faithful to you? If you cannot forgive me, I will understand perfectly and seal my love for you at bottom of my heart so as not to bother you, and even if you want to leave me, I... "

A selfish and petty desire, to be surrounded by beautiful women who will love her and whom she will love. Not even Elena herself understood the real reason she longed for something like this.

Kaname had loved only one woman deeply, and that love had consumed him completely, pushing him to the brink of insanity. Perhaps Elena was unconsciously seeking to diversify her love so as not to end up like Kaname. Another possibility was that after she had experienced death and seen Kaname's tragedy, Elena's moral locks broke, allowing her deep desires to overwhelm her mind.

Nor could a much simpler motivation for Elena's peculiar desire be ruled out. She was a free, ambitious, and perverted woman.

Elena was surprised when Nia took the initiative for the first time and kissed her.

*I am also selfish and mean, Elena-sama. I want to stay by your side forever, no matter if it's just as your maid!

At hearing this, something break in Elena's mind.

"Chrono Collapse"

Elena spoke those words and Nia watched as a magic circle appeared under Elena's feet, then rapidly expanded until it covered the floor, walls, and ceiling of the room.

"E-Elena-sama?"

"I have slowed down the flow of time in this room, an hour in here equals only a minute outside."

"E-Elena-sama, w-why did you do something s-so strange?"

Nia flinched slightly when she saw Elena's gaze.

"It's your fault, I had promised to contain myself until I fully established Izana, but I can't do it, it's impossible for me to contain myself after hearing you say something like that"

Before Nia could ask about the meaning of those strange words, Elena gave her a passionate kiss and then took her in her arms and carried her like a princess.

A confused Nia was deposited on Elena's bed.

"E-Elena-sama ...?"

Elena kissed Nia again, and while Nia´s mind and heart were pushed to the limit, Nia felt Elena's hands go through her entire body, undoing each button on her maid uniform.

Soon Nia's clothes were reduced to a single garment, her pumpkin panties.

"E-Elena-sama...!"

Nia viewed as Elena undressed in a hurry, almost desperate, and she was forced to cover her eyes with her hands when she saw Elena even take off her own panties.

When she felt her panties being removed, Nia finally removed her hands from her face to find Elena being responsible for that.

"E-Elena-sama, w-what are you trying to do?"

Nia tried to resist being stripped of her panties but could not it, all she could do was reach her hands down to her lower abdomen to cover herself.

"What am I trying to do? I will make you completely mine. I will use your body as a means to leave my mark right at the bottom of your heart. I will make sure that you can only love me"

"E-Elena-sama, you don't have to do that, I..."

Nia's lips were sealed and her mouth was invaded by Elena's tongue. Nia's body shuddered as she felt one of Elena's hands slide through her skin to reach her lower abdomen.

Elena withdrew her lips from Nia´s lips and Nia gave a sweet moan.

Nia sensed that she no longer had control of her body or her thought. Her neck was continuously kissed, and her crotch was gently caressed by Elena's hands.