Later, the kitchen was dimly lit, and the soft clatter of dishes was the only sound breaking the quiet.
Margaret stood at the sink, her hands deftly scrubbing a plate clean as steam rose from the soapy water. Her posture was relaxed and her casual humming sounded very sweet.
Melisa leaned against the doorway, watching her for a moment. Melisa was still weary from all that testing earlier. She needed to blow some steam off.
A little smile tugged at Melisa's lips.
Without a word, Melisa padded across the floor, wrapping her arms around Margaret's waist from behind. She pressed her cheek against her back, sighing contentedly.
"You've been sooo busy today," Melisa murmured, her voice low and teasing. "Do you ever stop?"
Margaret chuckled, not pausing her work.
"Someone has to keep this place running. If you ask me, that's probably why Javir's been so willing to let us stay all these years. I keep things clean, though you and your friends certainly don't make it easy."
"Hey! That's unfair," Melisa said, feigning offense. "I'm practically a model resident."
Margaret snorted softly.
"A model resident who spent almost eight years throwing fire, lightning, and whatever else in the garden."
"Details," Melisa replied, grinning. She tightened her hug slightly, her hands resting on Margaret's stomach. "Besides, you love having me around. Admit it."
Margaret turned her head slightly, smiling with a raised brow.
"You're just lucky you are very, very cute."
"Mhmm~ I know."
Melisa laughed, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Margaret's back. The fabric of her dress was warm from her body heat, and Melisa's lips lingered for a moment before trailing lower, planting small kisses along her spine.
"Melisa," Margaret said, her tone half-warning, half-amused. "Are you perhaps trying to distract me?"
"Depends, is it working?" Melisa's voice was playful, her hands sliding down slightly to rest on Margaret's hips.
Margaret set the plate down and turned off the tap, her hands still dripping as she placed them on the edge of the sink.
"I suppose I could spare a moment."
"Lucky me," Melisa replied, pressing another kiss just above the small of Margaret's back. She slid her hands lower, fingers grazing the curve of Margaret's ass.
Margaret's laugh was softer.
"Wow, you're awfully bold tonight," she teased, glancing over her shoulder. Her gaze met Melisa's. "What happened to that shy little girl I raised?"
"She grew up," Melisa said, her voice dipping slightly. She straightened, sliding her hands around to Margaret's waist again and resting her chin on her mother's shoulder. "And learned how to appreciate beautiful things."
Margaret's cheeks flushed faintly, though her smirk remained firmly in place.
"Flattery will get you nowhere."
"Oh, I'm not trying to go anywhere," Melisa replied, her tone light but edged with a playful undertone. "I'm perfectly happy right here."
Margaret shook her head, laughing softly as she turned in Melisa's arms to face her. Her hands came to rest on Melisa's shoulders, her touch gentle.
Melisa grinned, leaning in.
Their lips met, the kiss soft at first, then deepening as Margaret's fingers slid into Melisa's hair. Melisa's hands roamed down Margaret's back, settling once again on her ass, giving it a playful squeeze. Margaret broke the kiss, her laughter filling the kitchen.
"Melisa," she scolded lightly, though her tone was far from serious. "If you want to do this, you should help, not distract me."
"Helping is overrated," Melisa quipped, stealing another quick kiss. "Besides, I think you're enjoying the distraction."
Margaret shook her head, but her smile betrayed her.
"Help me finish up here, then we'll talk about distractions."
Melisa stepped back with a mock salute.
"Yes, ma'am." She grabbed a towel to dry the dishes, her smirk never fading.
---
The night air was cool against Melisa's skin as she knelt before Margaret, the soft lantern light casting a golden glow over them.
They'd decided to take this into the garden for tonight, which gave things an overall more sensual feel. Either that or Melisa was incredibly horny.
[Gotta get my Essence back up somehow, right?]
So, her lips moved with purpose, her tongue dancing as she licked away at Margaret's pussy, eliciting soft moans from her.
Margaret's hands tangled in Melisa's hair, her breaths coming in shallow gasps.
"Goodness... You're really not holding back tonight, huh?" she teased, her voice trembling with a mix of amusement and arousal as her face flushed.
Melisa glanced up briefly with a wicked grin.
"When have I ever?"
Without waiting for a response, she dove back in, her tongue swirling in deliberate, teasing patterns that made Margaret's hips jerk.
[Gods, this is distracting… Which is good. As much as I want to help out Kimiko, I... I dunno, I can't help but feel like it's futile.]
Just thinking about that problem was enough to almost eliminate any lust in Melisa's body.
Almost.
[I just wish I had, I dunno, a system or something to tell me what exactly it even is that I'm doing with these spells. It would be super helpful, for sure. Right now, I can't even tell if what I'm doing is real resurrection or...]
Melisa stopped.
[Wait a second.]
The thought struck Melisa like lightning.
A fragment of an idea began to form.
[Could it be that...?]
"Um, Melisa?" Margaret said. "Not to be demanding but... Could you continue, please?"
"O-Oh, right, sorry."
[Right, you're busy. Finish what you started, Mel.]
Margaret's thighs trembled around her, her moans rising as Melisa's pace quickened.
Moments later, Margaret's body tensed, her breath catching before she cried out, her climax washing over her. Melisa lingered, savoring every second, before finally pulling back with a satisfied smirk.
Margaret exhaled shakily, leaning back against the bench with a soft laugh.
"You… certainly know how to keep a woman's spirits up."
Melisa wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, grinning.
"Hey, it's a gift." She climbed up beside Margaret, resting her head on her shoulder as they both caught their breath.
The earlier thought resurfaced, nagging at the edge of her mind.
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
[Kimiko… Could that work?]
---
The next morning, Melisa strode into Zephyra's study, her steps purposeful despite the lingering soreness from the night before. This time, they were going to work at the palace.
Zephyra looked up from a scroll, one eyebrow raised at Melisa's determined expression.
"Someone looks energized," Zephyra said, leaning back in her chair. "Have you come with some new ideas to test out?"
Melisa plopped down in the chair opposite her, crossing her legs and leaning forward.
"Oh, you're gonna love this one. So, you know how we've been thinking of Kimiko as, like, resurrected?"
Zephyra nodded slowly.
"That is our general consensus, yes." Zephyra blinked. "After all, she did die, apparently, and then was brought back to life."
Melisa held up a finger, smirking.
"Wrong. I have a different idea."
Zephyra tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
"She's not resurrected. She's undead."
Zephyra blinked.
"Come again?"
"Hear me out." Melisa leaned forward, her hands gesturing animatedly. "What if Kimiko isn't alive-alive? She's more like a… thrall."
"A what?"
"You know, like in, uh... those old stories where vampires or necromancers create these undead servants? They're not fully alive, but they're not rotting corpses either."
[Do they actually not have those stories here?]
Zephyra's expression was unreadable, but she motioned for Melisa to continue.
"Okay, so here's the thing. My theory is that when Isabella used the spell on Kimiko, she didn't actually restore her life. She gave her enough Essence to function—like a battery recharge. I mean, like an Essence recharge. You know, how Essence is connected to life energy? Well, because all Isabella did was sort of... give her more Essence, she's gonna run out eventually. I think that's why the spell's effects aren't permanent."
Zephyra tilted her head, considering.
"Interesting theory. If I'm understanding where you're going with this, you think refilling her Essence is going to keep her around longer."
[She is very, very smart,] Melisa thought, blinking.
"But, what makes you think that would stabilize her condition? Is this assertion all you have to go off of?"
Melisa smirked.
"Well, it's just how Essence works, right? It's the foundation of magic, life, and pretty much everything in this world, right? So, if we can find a way to replenish her Essence regularly, it might… I don't know, trick the universe into thinking she's still alive."
Zephyra tapped her chin.
"It's… plausible. But how would you deliver that much Essence? I mean, enough Essence to keep someone alive... I imagine it would take so much."
Melisa's grin widened.
"I have my methods. A bit unconventional, but, I have some."
"Unconventional? From you? I'm shocked," Zephyra deadpanned, though the corners of her lips twitched. "Well, alright then. If you think that would work... I suppose it's worth a try. The only question is, how would we even know it's working?"
Melisa leaned back.
"Well, I guess we could just go by time. It took the king a couple of months for his Essence to dry out. Isabella revived him with a lot less Essence than I probably used, so... her time should be running out already. If my guess is right, well..."
"We'll find out soon." Zephyra nodded.
"Yeah."
It was a bit dark, of course. To think that the only way they could possibly know whether Melisa's theory was right or not was literally to wait and see if Kimiko flopped at any point.
But, it really was the best theory Melisa had. So, they were going to put it to work.
"Ugh, well this is boring. Here I am, having set my whole day aside to work with you and you go and give me a theory that doesn't involve me at all. Now, what am I supposed to do with myself?" Zephyra asked melodramatically, lightening the mood a bit.
"I have a few ideas for what we could do with our time~" Melisa grinned.
"... Goodness," Zephyra chuckled, but Melisa could see some hunger in her eyes. "You are a very... forward individual, aren't you?"
"I'm just playing around, don't take me so seriously... Unless?"
Zephyra rolled her eyes.
"No, no, no, I think showing you some basic Fire spells would be a much better use of our time. Besides, what would your dear mother say if she found out?"
"She'd probably ask to join in."
Zephyra's brows shot up.
"Oh my."