Looking around our bedroom, I took notice of what would and wouldn't need to be moved.
All the loose books would need to be organized on shelves after I made sure they were clean. Additionally, I would need to make the bed and clean the other pieces of loose furniture, like the dresser and small couch and chairs that were haphazardly scattered about our room.
Pursing my lips, I slowly let my mind wander, thinking about what I could fill this space with to make it feel more... homey. In my previous life, I had always lived in small, compact spaces; it was all I or my family could ever afford. Even Kyoka, when I lived with her, had a smallish apartment.
Sighing, I pushed the thought to the back of my mind for now. After all, I have no idea what either of us would end up liking in the future, so why bother decorating now. Though I think Jahi wouldn't particularly care either way...
Grabbing the cloth that I used on my first day in this new world; a gift from the Marquess for moving into a new room, I set about cleaning the shelves before organizing the books. For those that were open, I placed a small bookmark that Jahi had an abundance of but never used.
If they were my books, I wouldn't mind folding the corner; it was a habit I picked up from my mother, and I always thought it added character to my books, showing that they weren't just for show, that I really read them. However, seeing as how Jahi either left them open or placed bookmarks in them, she clearly didn't share my same sentiment, so I placed the bookmarks in them before shelving them.
Finishing the first shelf, I slowly made my way down the wall, deciding to work the edges of the room first before moving towards the middle. Thankfully, the Marquess had no qualms splurging her enormous wealth, as she had the few carpets in our rooms embroidered with self cleaning runes, meaning I didn't have to take them outside and beat the dust out of them.
Slowly but surely, I finished the room. The bed proved to be a slight problem for my tiny frame, considering it was a gigantic bed and the sheets were quite... heavy.
Wiping the small sheen of sweat off my brow, I turned towards the various loose pieces of furniture around the room, a grin on my face as I couldn't wait to get my large sum of experience.
While I was in the middle of finishing the table that was placed at the foot of the bed, I had a notification.
[It is currently 2:45pm. Will you finish the room or go greet your master?]
Sighing, I quickly finished the table before pursing my lips.
'Hah... whatever, it's good enough. I'm gonna go wipe my face before going to the library.'
[Understood]
[Quest Complete!
Clean the Bedroom:
Reward - 368xp (460xp)]
[Level 10 (863/3843) -> (1323/3843)]
Seeing the large amount of experience, I grinned.
'How long is the cool down for the quest?'
[2-3 days. Or if it gets dirty WITHOUT your interference. No trashing the room just to clean it up.]
Chuckling, I quickly entered the bathroom, turning on the sink. Pooling a little water into my hands, I splashed my face before wiping it off with washcloth. Looking at my reflection, I smiled.
Seeing my wide amber eyes filled with a happy light made me think back to my previous life.
I'm sure I looked like this often as a child; happy at random things all the time. I had no problems making friends, finding different things to occupy my time. Later in my life, I slowly stopped going out of my way to approach people, focusing instead on my studies. Of course, I still was a people person, but didn't feel the need to be the one to approach others.
Thinking of this, I looked a bit deeper at my features, seeing just how similar I looked as a child to when I grew up.
My eyes slowly started drooping, and due to my personality my thin lips were always slightly upturned, giving me a carefree look. My nose was small, while my brows had always been thin. Of course, currently I was stick thin, but that was my major change from kid to teen; my height and my body.
Just thinking about having my old body back made me excited, and considering the recent... thoughts I've been having, I was so happy that cores accelerated physical growth. In a years time I would start growing rapidly.
My grin widening, I finished up before making my way towards the library. If I knew Jahi, she would be barely holding herself back, her eye twitching slightly as she refrained from bolting towards the door.
A small smile rose to me lips at the thought, and when I reached the door I stood straight, my hands clasped in front of me.
Different servants passed me by, giving nods to me before carrying on with their work.
Minutes passed, and eventually the door flung open, a blue blur flashing towards me.
Feeling the familiar warmth and arms of Jahi, I leaned into her embrace, gently wrapping my arms around her. She nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck, taking a deep breath.
Sighing, she pulled away slightly, her dazzling amethyst eyes shining with warmth.
"It feels like it's been weeks since I last saw you, Kat..."
Chuckling, I smiled up at her, saying "It's been but a few hours, Jahi. How are you going to function when you have more responsibilities, or need to attend an event where I can't accompany you?"
Pouting, she said "Then I just won't attend, or force them to let you attend."
Chuckling again, I leaned back into her. It was moments like this that made me anticipate the future. If this strong love continues...
Blushing slightly, I was about to say something when a servant approached us, bowing.
"The Marquess and Countess have requested your presence in their chambers."
Turing towards the bowing maid, Jahi nodded before grabbing my hand. Allowing her to lead me towards the Marquess' room, I was wondering what they summoned us for.
As the library was close to both our rooms, the walk wasn't long, and what greeted us when we entered... well, it was an interesting sight.
My mother sat on the couch, pouting while she looked away from the Marquess.
Standing next to the sitting Marquess, the Countess was 'smiling', her eyes flickering between her normal deep blue and the bright azure.
Finally, the Marquess had an exasperated look on her face as she alternated her gaze between the two upset women. Her ruby eyes looked helpless, and her she was constantly opening and closing her mouth as she thought of what to see.
Seeing us enter, she sighed before gesturing for us to sit. The Countess stalked over to us, dragging me into her lap, petting my head to destress herself.
Sensing the serious atmosphere, Jahi let this invasion of my space go, keeping her amethyst gaze locked on the Marquess.
Surrendering myself to the Countess' attention, I also turned my gaze to the Marquess, wondering what could anger both the Countess and my mother to this extent.
Sanding up, the Marquess lifted an envelope, sighing.
"Well, the Empress has invited herself to our home. She has also invited the Sultana Anubi and one of her wives and daughter..."
With that, my mother gave a 'Hmph!' and the Countess started petting me faster.
The smell of ozone was also slightly disturbing...
"The Empress wishes for Jahi to 'Meet more people of her age' and 'Broaden her horizons with a meeting with our neighbors'. What this actually means is that four really important adults, and two really important children, are visiting our house."
Shrugging, Jahi said "Well, it was expected, wasn't it? I awoke Light Magic. You yourself said there is only one other in the Empire. So why are Mother and Julie both so... emotional?"
Chuckling dryly, the Marquess looked between the two women before saying "The woman the Empress is bringing is her newest wife, Lorelei Presa. Someone who I... well, I used to have an interest in her..."
Scoffing, the Countess said "An 'Interest'? You used to flirt heavily with her while we were in the Academy. If I hadn't approached you first and got you under control, you would have brought her in as your second wife, before you even did anything with your first!"
Flinching slightly, the Marquess pursed her lips. "Well... fine, I give you that. But I never did anything, nor did I plan too! Also, that's all in the past; I wouldn't do anything to her now!"
Clicking her tongue, the Countess looked away.
The ozone smell was much more prominent now.
Continuing, the Marquess looked towards my mother. "The Sultana is bringing her third wife, Kio Sera... who was the rival of Julie here..."
Growling slightly, my mother looked towards the Marquess "So tell the Sultana to bring someone else! I don't want to see that-"
Stopping, she looked towards me before saying "No good woman!"
My mind blanked slightly, wondering why my mother was trying to not curse in front of me when I witnessed her getting intimate multiple times. Surely that would be worse than cursing?
Sighing again, the Marquess rubbed her temples, before continuing.
"I can't, because..."
Her next words made my heart clench.
"The child of Lorelei and the child of Kio are both potential partners for Jahi..."
---
Well, lets start with the things that aren't related to the thing above this :)
1) I decided on how to proceed with the Lemons of this story: I will gradually ease in over time (BAM_AMVS idea) with things I won't be posting a '*' for; things like kissing or light touching. I believe that beautiful little star is reserved for when things get... heavy. But yeah, I will slowly ease into their more... intimate relationship. (If you aren't here or haven't seen my Naruto Fanfic, that * in a chapters title means it's a lemon. Many other authors use that as well, just so you dont end up reading something... embarrassing in public.)
2) We hit 50k Views and 200 Collections! Thank you so much for that! It's so cool to know that people are actually reading and enjoying something I started on a whim! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!
Finally, lets talk about that oh so little thing I mentioned at the end of this chapter...
I am going to be introducing two characters, both of which will be different from each other. Both are here to stay, but whether they enter a relationship with Jahi and Kat will be up to you all. Honestly, the current ideas for both are quite rough, but I just have to write about them as kids, so I have time to decide exactly how they end up as adults.
However, like I said: who ends up in bed with our little Demon and her cute Puppy will be up to you all in the end. If there is enough support for both, then both. If there is no support for them, then... maybe they start changing slightly, or someone new is introduced?
(Or if I fall in love with one of them too much... then your opinions may not sway me... haha~)
So, yeah. These two should be the only two that have a chance to join Jahi and Kat. One of them will more than likely end up with Jahi. I know some people dont want Harem, but again, I don't plan on a galaxy spanning Harem; one or two more people, that's it. I call it: Harem Lite!
Of course, we haven't seen these characters yet, and there is still the Academy that needs to happen, not even mentioning what happens during and after that...
Well, that's what's planned for the foreseeable future: The introduction of important characters and then... Kat's core.
Enjoy~
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