The Unexpected Embrace

Lenix was slow and clumsy with her errands, taking ages to heat a single bath, and even forgetting the perfumed oils. It was evident that this new servant was still unaccustomed to attending her mistress.

As a former soldier and once a struggling student, Saranya was not one to demand the exquisite refinement of a noble lady. Thus, she did not reprimand Lenix for her shortcomings.

By the time she had cleared her mind and enjoyed a refreshing bath, it was already nearing noon.

Draped in a large, beige bath towel, Saranya’s wet, dark hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders. She swept aside the strands clinging to her collarbone, humming a tune as she padded barefoot to the window and leaned slightly outwards.

For once, Vero City’s streets were free of protesters, and the quiet was truly a welcome change.

The winter air, though crisp, was remarkably fresh. It brushed against her exposed skin, sending a shiver through her and raising goosebumps instantly across her shoulders, arms, and a small patch of her toned back.

Perhaps accustomed to the harsh conditions of military camps, she wasn’t afraid of the cold after her bath; instead, she adored the outdoors. Immersed in the cool temperature, the wind not only whisked away the lingering moisture from her skin but also left her with a peculiar sense of exhilaration.

‘Alas, it seems I’m straying further and further down the path of a masochist.’

Just as she was savoring the cold wind, the room door suddenly slammed open. Someone had pushed it open unceremoniously.

Kaelan wore a black dress today, its hem embroidered with dark gold patterns. This lent her the air of a dignified, aristocratic old lady.

Lenix immediately bowed her head in greeting:

“Lady Kaelan!”

“This doesn’t concern you. Get out.”

“Yes…”

‘Oh no, I forgot to ask Lenix when the mistress was setting sail. Kaelan must have been furious to burst in like that…’

The witch’s voice carried a clear note of displeasure. Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, the little fox-girl quickly scurried out of the room.

Saranya, by the window, had certainly heard her mistress arrive and inwardly cursed her misfortune. Swallowing hard, she timidly turned her head, only to see Kaelan already poised to deliver a reprimand.

“Saranya, what are you doing?! Do you have any idea what time it is—”

The moment her moist, ice-blue eyes blinked and met Kaelan’s gaze, Kaelan’s scolding words abruptly ceased.

“Uh…”

She saw her mistress looking dazed, her small mouth unconsciously parting then quickly pressing shut. Kaelan then cleared her throat, feigning composure.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. A delicate silence descended.

****

‘Kaelan was absolutely fuming. She had sent Lenix to wake Saranya so early, yet the girl had dawdled until now, not even emerging from her room!’

‘Saranya must be severely punished!’

‘Before entering, that had indeed been her intention. Until she… until she saw…’

In her line of sight, Saranya stood sideways, tall and statuesque, her form subtly gilded by the sunlight. A bath towel was loosely tied across her chest, barely concealing two symmetrical mounds of soft flesh. Large expanses of supple back muscles, faintly reddened from the hot water and still diffusing white steam, were exposed to the air.

Saranya’s shoulders and back, sculpted by years of training, boasted smooth, powerful lines that narrowed sharply at her waist. They then became full and shapely where the towel wrapped around her hips, forming an almost perfect curve. Below, a pair of straight, well-proportioned long legs led to snow-white bare feet upon the cool floor.

Water droplets began their journey from Saranya’s dark hair tips, gliding along the curve of her neck and shoulders, rolling over her smooth back. They finally left dark stains at the edge of the bath towel. Leaning against the windowsill, Saranya exuded a lazy charm, yet possessed a beauty brimming with vitality.

‘Xiao Ya always manages to surprise her.’

“Are… are you an idiot?”

Kaelan, feeling a little flustered, took a step, walking directly past Saranya and slamming the window shut with a thud. She tried hard to maintain a cold tone, aiming to reclaim her usual mistress’s demeanor, but her words were still tinged with a chiding affection.

“It’s winter now. If you catch a cold, how will you sail out to sea…?”

She turned around, forcing a stern expression onto her face, which rapidly melted under Saranya’s gaze.

Saranya was truly tall. At such close proximity, Kaelan could barely reach her chest, forcing her to defiantly tilt her head back to meet Saranya’s eyes. A faint blush slowly crept onto her earlobes.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Mistress.”

“Nonsense! I… I wasn’t worried about you…”

‘No, this isn’t right… She was clearly here to reprimand Saranya. How could she use such a tone when scolding a disobedient servant?’

‘Damn it… What’s wrong with me?’

What was even more terrifying was that even as she desperately tried to mask her emotions, Saranya seemed to have noticed her unusual behavior. A soft, seductive smile slowly bloomed in her blue eyes:

“Mistress, I apologize…”

That was no apology at all. It was more like a battle horn, signaling an attack.

In her alarm, Kaelan wanted to step back, but her waist was already firmly encircled, her body unable to move.

“Mmgh!”

‘No… she didn’t want this…’

A sense of losing control surged over her like a tide, as if a massive whirlpool was sweeping everything away. She utterly detested this feeling of powerlessness, her thoughts screaming at her to resist, to use spells, to use violence, to defend her mistress’s authority at all costs.

“Insolence! I did not permit you to embrace me—”

‘This couldn’t go on… She had to do something!’

So, Kaelan mustered her courage, struggled symbolically for a moment, then gently leaned forward… and embraced Saranya’s waist.

She spoke again, her voice growing increasingly soft and pliable:

“The ship is about to depart. Quickly, put on your clothes… Hurry… put them… on…”

Her body trembled slightly with excitement, her mind a blank. She unconsciously fell into the hollow of Saranya’s chest, greedily inhaling the scent of soap from her.

“I understand… By the way, Mistress, do you particularly enjoy a ‘soaked’ version of Xiao Ya?”

“What? What are you talking about? Stop messing around, you wretched servant, let go of me…”

“Hey, how about we bathe together next time?”

“Next time’s business is for next time…”

Saranya chuckled softly, releasing her embrace. Before leaving, she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Kaelan’s forehead.

Kaelan was left standing in place by Saranya, clutching her kissed forehead, her heart pounding and her face flushed crimson.

A tamer who couldn’t control a beast was destined to be devoured by it in return.

If before there had only been subtle hints, now she finally realized that their relationship had officially entered a strange, reverse development. What filled her with despair was that she found herself powerless to stop this process, not due to lack of ability, but due to her own basest, most depraved desires.

Over a century of indulgence, her threshold for pleasure had been incrementally raised. By now, simply dominating others as a supreme authority was too mundane to fully satisfy her. She saw Saranya’s potential; she wanted her Xiao Ya to give her something more stimulating, and it didn’t matter if she herself was the object of manipulation.

“That’s right… that’s it… no wonder I previously…”

Kaelan murmured, her voice tinged with a hint of madness. The desire to be ‘devoured’ by Saranya stirred softly within her, and once acknowledged, it spread like wildfire through her body, burning away all reason.

Yet, if she allowed Saranya to take the lead, would the righteous Commander Saranya sneer at her and leave without a backward glance?

The thought filled her with dread. Indeed, she still needed a sense of control. Only when Xiao Ya ‘matured’ enough to inherit her mantle as a dark witch would she consider relinquishing the initiative. But would that take too long? And before then, what if she or Saranya couldn’t restrain themselves and something unexpected happened? Well… perhaps that wouldn’t be so bad? To be thoroughly used and then discarded by Xiao Ya…

Ugh, so chaotic, she was going mad…

“Saranya, once you’re dressed, go downstairs and find Leif. Don’t wait for me.”

Pushing away the wild fantasies in her mind, Kaelan instructed Saranya. She then lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and walked towards her bedroom in a decidedly awkward posture.

The most important task at hand was to change her underwear before leaving.

Hmph, it was all Saranya’s fault…