A Twisted Morning Ritual

In the confined cabin, Paresha’s timid pleas for mercy echoed:

“It was me… I did it all willingly… Please don’t trouble Lady Saranya…”

Paresha attempted to take the blame for Saranya, but given the young priestess’s timid nature, such an assertion held as much credibility as her own status—zero.

“If you don’t want a beating, get out of my way.”

Kaelan shoved Paresha aside, then deftly swung her arm, whipping a belt into the air as she advanced towards Saranya.

The narrow black leather belt sliced through the air, producing a series of sharp, cracking sounds.

“Ugh!”

Seeing the belt poised to strike, Saranya quickly cowered, hugging her head and trembling uncontrollably.

The anticipated lashing never came.

Kaelan stood motionless, her gaze sweeping over the unsheathed dagger on the floor before settling on Saranya’s pale, drawn face.

The atmosphere solidified for a moment, Saranya’s heart thumping wildly as she awaited Kaelan’s judgment.

“Hmph…”

A melodious hum drifted down from the young witch above. As if a thought had occurred to her, Kaelan’s lips curved into a playful smirk.

“To be lurking beside me, attempting to steal a taste so early in the morning, Xiao Ya, you truly have a lot of nerve…”

“It was me… I was wrong!”

Paresha interjected loudly once more, prompting Kaelan to glance back, her brows furrowing deeply.

“Useless! Shut up and turn around!”

“Yes… yes!”

The young priestess tremblingly turned her back to Kaelan and Saranya, then dropped to her knees with a soft thud.

“Lady Kaelan, Xiao Sha was wrong, Xiao Sha is useless, please punish Xiao Sha—”

“Whap!”

“Ugh-y-y-y-y-y-y—”

Kaelan’s treatment of Paresha was far crueler than her treatment of Saranya. Before Paresha could finish speaking, a sudden burst of magical light erupted from the witch’s arm, and a single belt-lash sent her sprawling to the ground.

“You deserve this punishment. You can’t even grasp basic propriety, you perverse beast in heat. You only disgust me…”

“Yes… ugh… Lady Kaelan is right…呜…”

“Don’t turn back around!”

“U-understood… Xiao Sha won’t turn back…”

“Stay like that, and continue reflecting.”

“Yes…”

After subduing Paresha into complete obedience, Kaelan extinguished the black magical light from her arm, re-secured the belt around her waist, and narrowed her eyes as she turned to Saranya.

“Saranya.”

By pure reflex, Saranya’s body trembled, her back instantly drenched in a wide patch of cold sweat.

“Here… Master, I’m here!”

“Why are you just standing there? Pick up your things.”

Sunlight from the distant horizon streamed through the porthole, illuminating the small cabin and casting a slender silhouette of the young witch. Kaelan’s figure was petite, yet radiated an suffocating aura of authority.

Saranya nodded guiltily, then slowly crawled beneath her master, retrieving the dagger from the shadows and sheathing the deadly weapon at her waist.

Paresha sobbed softly just half a step away, utterly oblivious to the attempted assault that had just failed. Saranya, however, ran a hand over the dagger’s hilt, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Xiao Ya, Master knows what you’re thinking… *Hoo*…”

Kaelan’s voice suddenly whispered into Saranya’s ear. Her body tensed as her master drew her into an embrace, a warm, moist breath teasing her sensitive neck and earlobe, causing her to narrow her eyes slightly.

It seemed her master wasn’t angered by her intentions; rather, Kaelan’s mood had brightened considerably.

“Master understands you very, very well, Xiao Ya, but… Paresha is very important to us. The kind of thing you wanted to do… isn’t allowed right now, you see…”

“Master, it’s my fault… I don’t know… I don’t know why I had such a thought…”

To kill Paresha… She had actually harbored such a deranged idea, and almost acted on it. Her mind truly wasn’t normal after all.

She leaned back against Kaelan, sinking deeper into self-reproach, while Kaelan extended a small hand and gently stroked her head.

“Shhh… Master doesn’t blame you… Doesn’t this simply prove Xiao Ya’s love for Master…? Xiao Ya loves Master… just as Master loves Xiao Ya… The two of us are becoming more and more alike…”

“N-no… that’s not right! I—”

“Do you still not understand? You are the one who taught Master what ‘love’ is… Now, only the love between you and Master is the most important thing in this world… Compared to that, the life or death of a mere animal… is utterly insignificant…”

Before Saranya could retort further, a warm, soft touch descended upon her earlobe.

“Haaah…”

Until now, she and Kaelan had never truly reached the “final step.” What Saranya coveted most, above all else, was Kaelan’s noble lips, yet her master’s willingness to bestow such a reward was exceedingly rare.

Saranya was certain her master was deliberate, intentionally creating scarcity to make her utterly defenseless against Kaelan’s rewards, plunging her into an endless craving. This desire relentlessly burned at her spirit, slowly twisting her perception.

Saranya understood. She understood everything, yet she was powerless to resist her master’s allure.

Sucking, teasing, lightly pushing, entwining…

There was no experience more exquisite than what her master bestowed upon her.

Her lower abdomen grew hot, and a faint, purplish magical glow flickered in her eyes.

Bathed in such pleasure, certain things she once found unacceptable slowly became perfectly natural.

Indeed, Kaelan was right… She needn’t blame herself for the thought of killing Paresha.

The needle of depravity in her mind seemed to advance another notch.

“I say…”

A boisterous, husky voice abruptly cut through the cabin’s atmosphere.

“You’re all too lazy, aren’t you? What time is it, and you’re still not up—”

The newcomer didn’t knock, simply pushing the door wide open, their voice abruptly cutting off mid-sentence.

At the doorway, Talia’s head, topped with dark brown curly hair, peered in, immediately taking in the slightly bizarre, amorous scene within the room.

“What… what is it?!”

Kaelan released Saranya’s flushed earlobe, her eyes wide with fury as she glared at Talia.

“…”

“Wha… what the…”

Even Talia, a seasoned individual who had “climbed out of a pile of men,” paused in shock at the strange games the three young women were playing. She couldn’t help but let out an expletive, a flicker of bewilderment crossing her tanned cheeks.

“Ahem!”

After a brief silence, Talia cleared her throat, half her body retreating behind the door. Her gaze darted past Saranya and Kaelan, soaring to the ceiling.

“Well, haha… the weather’s nice today, so breakfast is being served on deck. You can come eat, and also… also… uh…”

It was evident that Talia’s brain, having processed an overwhelming amount of information, was spinning rapidly, struggling to form coherent words.

“Anyway, you’ll know once you get up there, alright!”

“Is there anything else?”

Kaelan’s tone was icy.

“No! Nothing else!”

“Close the door behind you when you leave.”

“Got it!”

Talia, understanding the hint, raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

“Three, uh… take your time, ladies! No rush!”

Before the last syllable left the sailor’s lips, her head vanished with a “whoosh” outside the door, which then clicked shut. The entire sequence of movements was swift and efficient, tinged with a faint hint of frantic haste.

A long silence settled over the room before Kaelan finally spoke.

“Paresha, clean this place up. Saranya, help me get dressed. It’s time for breakfast.”

“Yes, Master…”