Jemina slept for fifteen hours.
Nobody dared wake her.
Not after she nearly collapsed from suppressing a corrupted Primarch mating bond while simultaneously driving away a deranged Demon King from the village.
Honestly,
if anyone truly stopped to evaluate everything she had accomplished recently,
Jemina probably deserved several decades of uninterrupted rest.
The Ghastlies certainly seemed to think so.
The fluffy creatures gathered around her bed protectively and remained unusually still the entire time, surrounding her with warmth and softness.
Which was deeply impressive considering Ghastlies normally possessed the collective stealth and grace of collapsing furniture.
Outwardly,
everything looked peaceful.
Unfortunately,
Jemina's dreams were not.
After her particularly mischievous stunt of disappearing from the duke's estate without warning and staying inside an outrageously expensive hotel in a neighboring city,
the duke's knights eventually found her.
Escorted her home.
Very politely.
Very stiffly.
Jemina herself did not resist much.
Honestly, she had expected Noctellis to barely react at all.
Her husband usually buried himself beneath military duties and endless imperial responsibilities.
At worst, she expected disappointment.
Maybe a lecture.
Possibly a cold stare.
Instead,
after returning home, bathing, and collapsing into bed from exhaustion,
she awoke sometime later to the sound of her bedroom door opening quietly.
Noctellis entered the room holding something metallic.
Jemina blinked sleepily.
Her vision remained blurry from waking too suddenly.
She rubbed her eyes while slowly sitting upright.
Without a single word,
Noctellis knelt before her.
The duke's black military coat remained partially open beneath the candlelight, exposing the sharp line of his throat while silver clasps reflected dimly against the darkness.
His expression looked terrifyingly serious.
Focused.
Controlled.
And entirely too handsome for someone currently placing chains around his wife's ankles.
Jemina blinked once.
Twice.
Then sighed softly.
"…Oh no."
Noctellis immediately looked up.
"You exhausted every leniency I intended to offer," he said coldly. "I will not hear a single complaint from you."
That voice should have been illegal.
Deep.
Calm.
Dangerously restrained.
Jemina stayed completely silent while he fastened the chains carefully around her ankles.
Then slowly,
very slowly,
she lifted both feet onto his lap and began rubbing them lightly against his legs.
Noctellis froze.
His gaze lifted immediately.
Jemina looked entirely too pleased with herself.
And unfortunately,
he knew exactly what she was doing.
"You truly do not understand the severity of your actions," he said quietly. "You still dare behave like this while chained."
Jemina leaned forward mischievously before hooking a finger into his collar and pulling him slightly closer.
Their breaths mingled.
The duke instantly caught her wrist.
Too quickly.
Too tightly.
His breathing deepened slightly.
Ah.
There it was.
The real problem.
Noctellis Ellengarde,
the Empire's terrifying war hero,
was losing control.
And somehow,
that only made him more attractive.
Jemina tilted her head innocently.
His jaw tightened.
Jemina nearly laughed out loud.
The feared chimera duke looked one step away from combusting simply because his wife found his possessiveness attractive instead of frightening.
Honestly,
that felt like a personal victory.
"If I kiss you right now," Jemina whispered conspiratorially, "will you forget why you chained me in the first place?"
Noctellis stared at her silently.
Then finally,
very quietly,
"…No."
Jemina grinned brilliantly.
Liar.
Then suddenly,
the duke moved.
One arm wrapped firmly around her waist before pulling her directly into his lap while chains rattled sharply across the floor.
Jemina burst into laughter immediately.
Noctellis had already buried his face against her neck while leaving slow marks against her skin.
"You will be punished," he muttered darkly.
"I certainly should be."
Jemina captured his lips hungrily before he could continue speaking.
At first,
he resisted.
Reluctantly.
Briefly.
Then eventually,
he gave in completely.
When Jemina finally woke,
she stared blankly at the wooden ceiling for several long moments.
Then slowly covered her face with both hands.
"…I cannot believe I found the chains sexy."
A pause.
"…Actually no. I absolutely can believe it."
From somewhere nearby,
"You've been awake for three minutes and already embarrassing yourself."
Jemina lowered her hands slowly.
The Goddess lounged upside down atop one of the wooden ceiling beams.
Jemina narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"…Were you watching my dream?"
"I watch everything."
"Horrifying."
"I was more horrified by your taste."
Jemina gasped dramatically.
"He is gorgeous."
"He represses himself so aggressively he looks perpetually constipated."
"That is part of his appeal."
The Goddess looked genuinely disturbed.
Then sighed heavily before dropping gracefully from the ceiling.
Jemina slowly sat upright.
Immediately,
pain exploded across her entire body.
"…Ow."
"You overused your power."
"I SAVED A PRIMARCH!"
"Barely."
Jemina narrowed her eyes.
"You are shockingly unsupportive for a divine being."
"You screamed at the heavens."
"Because you ignored me!"
"I was busy."
"Doing what?!"
The Goddess looked thoughtful.
"…Watching."
Jemina stared at her in betrayal.
"USELESS."
The Goddess laughed softly before sitting beside her.
Then finally,
her expression softened.
"What you accomplished for Cyrinne should have been impossible."
Jemina blinked.
"…Oh."
"You did not tame her."
"I know."
"You created a temporary emotional pathway instead."
Jemina listened more carefully now.
"Your instinct recognized Cyrinne's emotional trust toward you and reached for it naturally," the Goddess explained. "The thread exists because she opened herself emotionally to you."
"And distance weakens it?"
"Yes. Think of it like a signal."
Jemina frowned.
"So if she travels too far away from me—"
"The suppression weakens."
"Wonderful. Fantastic. Amazing." Jemina groaned. "Is there truly no other way to undo what Isaac did?"
"The altered mating bond cannot simply be removed by force. Isaac carved it directly into Cyrinne's instincts."
Jemina's expression darkened slightly.
"But your thread gives her moments of clarity," the Goddess added quietly.
"Moments."
"That still matters."
Silence settled briefly between them.
Then,
Jemina groaned dramatically into her pillow.
"We seriously need to make the Demon King change his mind."
Later that afternoon,
the entire village went fishing.
Mostly because Jemina loudly declared that everyone had experienced enough emotional trauma for one week.
Therefore,
mandatory recreation.
Lucas regretted agreeing almost immediately.
"This river feels dangerous."
"Relax," Jemina replied confidently while holding an entirely incorrect fishing net. "I'm here."
"How reassuring," Lucas answered flatly.
Meanwhile,
Raisa sat beneath a nearby tree looking spiritually exhausted by every single person present.
Cyrinne stood silently near the riverbank.
Calmer now.
Still quiet.
Still distant at times.
But calmer.
And honestly,
that alone felt miraculous.
Jemina noticed immediately.
Then deliberately chose not to mention it.
Some things deserved gentleness.
Unfortunately,
Lucas suddenly slipped on a wet stone.
The river swallowed him instantly.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Jemina pointed dramatically.
"LUCAS IS DYING!"
Lucas flailed helplessly while being dragged downstream.
Rosaline panicked immediately.
The lamias screamed.
Several mudwolves dove heroically into the river,
only to somehow worsen the situation immediately.
Then,
something enormous moved beneath the water.
A gigantic fish erupted upward.
Far too gigantic.
Its massive jaws lunged directly toward Lucas.
Lucas screamed louder.
"SWIM FASTER!" Jemina shouted helpfully.
Chaos erupted.
Everyone screamed simultaneously.
Even Raisa stood up.
Then,
silver flashed across the river.
Cyrinne partially transformed midair before slamming directly into the monstrous fish with terrifying force.
The river exploded upward.
Water crashed everywhere.
Several moments later,
Cyrinne emerged calmly from the river carrying the unconscious giant fish over one shoulder.
Dripping wet.
Expressionless.
Lucas floated nearby while clinging weakly to driftwood.
"…I don't know who my ancestors are," he muttered shakily, "but I think I just met them."
Jemina laughed so hard she nearly fell into the river herself.
And then,
for the first time in days,
Cyrinne laughed too.
Softly.
Briefly.
But enough.
The entire village froze.
Because her laughter sounded warm.
Alive.
Real.
And somehow,
that tiny sound felt larger than any victory they had achieved so far.
That night,
the village gathered beside a massive bonfire while roasting the giant fish.
The lamias drank happily.
Lucas dramatically retold his near-death experience to anyone willing to listen.
Rosaline quietly laughed beside him.
And Jemina sat watching everything with a small smile.
Warm firelight flickered gently across the village.
Across the people gathered together.
Across the strange little home they somehow built inside the world's deadliest forest.
For one peaceful moment,
everything finally felt alright again.
High above them,
the Goddess watched silently.
Then sighed.
"Enjoy the laughter while it lasts," she murmured softly.
"The next woman I send to you is going to give everyone a headache."