The Edict of Loyalty

“Well then… you should change your pants first. I haven’t dressed yet, so you’ll need to fetch an outfit for me.”

Saranya gently ruffled Paresha’s hair, then smoothed down the stubbornly unruly strands that had sprung up.

Under Saranya’s soothing touch, the shame in Paresha’s expression slowly receded. Yet, her gaze remained fixed on Saranya’s eyes, her body unmoving.

“Lady Saranya…”

A subtle, ambiguous atmosphere began to swirl between them. As Saranya attempted to pull back, Paresha’s grip tightened around her waist, squeezing hard enough to elicit a soft groan and a furrow of Saranya’s brow.

“I—I’m sorr—”

“It’s alright, Paresha. You don’t need to apologize so readily.”

“Understood… I’m sorry…”

Paresha simply continued to apologize, looking up at her. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her blonde hair a disheveled mess, presenting a truly pitiful sight.

Saranya could discern the yearning in the girl’s gaze. Her eyes drifted to Paresha’s soft, strawberry-like lips, and her throat convulsed.

At that moment, Paresha seemed like a sweet, delectable pastry, waiting solely for Saranya to open her mouth and savor her.

She could lean in and kiss her now, pressing Paresha beneath her. Within the confines of this secluded cabin, they could abandon themselves to desire, indulging in acts that would bring them both pleasure.

The door was securely shut, and no footsteps echoed from outside. Perhaps everyone was on deck; no one would notice, and Kaelan… Kaelan would never know.

“Please… Lady Saranya… bestow your grace upon me…”

A heart-shaped glint appeared in Paresha’s eyes. Her lips slightly parted, she looked eager for more.

But in the next instant, cold, cutting words escaped Saranya’s lips, interrupting Paresha.

“What are you fantasizing about, Paresha?”

“Eh…?”

“Was my meaning not clear enough? We… we cannot do this. You should know that you are not permitted to directly consort with your Master. Now, put away your vulgar and impure fantasies, and release me at once.”

Indeed, at this very juncture, where natural inclination promised comfort, Saranya found herself repeatedly cautioning herself against any further impropriety with Paresha.

The reason? For some inexplicable reason, she felt an instinctive repulsion towards the situation’s progression.

The last time she experienced such a sensation was in the VIP room of the Tidal Mirror Hall, when the dryad Lenix attempted to force herself upon her.

Discomfort, nausea, vomiting—these were the physical symptoms. Yet, these bodily reactions stemmed from an internal edict within her mind.

Now, this edict had, more accurately, transformed into a prohibition, its core message being:

“Infidelity is forbidden. Saranya must remain loyal to her Master.”

Kaelan’s rules were explicit. As part of their management of Paresha’s desires, Kaelan permitted Saranya to toy with Paresha’s affections, and even to offer a certain degree of physical and emotional gratification—or rather, a reward. This was their chosen method for controlling the priestess.

However, if she were to engage with Paresha now, it would completely transcend the bounds of desire management. It would be blatant infidelity, an absolute transgression.

This sense of repulsion, if she were to describe it, was akin to standing on the precipice of a cliff, on the verge of falling. Her brain instinctively compelled her to retreat, making her fervent and desperate to remain outside the forbidden zone.

“Yes… Master…”

The priestess’s expression… if given the choice between rejection and being stabbed, the girl would undoubtedly prefer the latter.

Following the instruction, Paresha released her. She then humbly prostrated herself, gently kissing the back of Saranya’s foot.

“Please rest here, Xiao Sha will fetch your clothes…”

Thus, Paresha, still clad in her damp pants, tiptoed out to retrieve clothes for both of them.

The door clicked shut. Saranya let out a long breath, leaning against the cabin wall as she slowly slid to the floor.

After a moment of vacant thought, a bitter expression suddenly curved her lips.

“Heh… heh-heh…”

It was, in retrospect, rather absurd. Given the peculiar dynamic between her, Kaelan, and Paresha, any private encounter between either Saranya or Kaelan and Paresha would be deemed an ‘impure’ relationship, a betrayal of the other.

Yet, if all three were together, engaging in what outsiders would undoubtedly perceive as an utterly abnormal, perverse interaction, it was considered ‘normal’ among them—even embodying a form of pure love. What’s more, Kaelan and Paresha both seemed remarkably content to maintain this arrangement with her.

‘How utterly strange…’

She found it difficult to adapt, yet she had no choice but to do so. Should she dare exhibit even a hint of protest, her Master would undoubtedly employ far more brutal methods to force her compliance.

She indulged in these tumultuous thoughts until a soft knock at the door announced Paresha’s return to the cabin.

Paresha, without even pausing to change her own damp clothes, first helped Saranya wipe her body clean, re-bandage her wounds, and don warm, clean cotton garments. The priestess herself only changed into a thin, earthy-yellow linen jumpsuit—which, if Saranya remembered correctly, was the attire typically worn by sailors, slaves, and prisoners.

Saranya steadied herself against the cabin wall and rose, moving towards the door. She truly did not wish to face Paresha; to remain alone with her like this, she felt she might lose her mind.

“Wait! Please, wait a moment…”

“I… I thought I’d go up to the deck for some fresh air. You should come too.”

Recalling her recent words and actions towards Paresha, which had hardly been kind, Saranya made an effort to compose herself this time, extending an invitation to the young woman.

“You… you cannot go out. Lady Kaelan gave explicit instructions: the situation is currently sensitive, and no matter what happens, you must remain in this room with me…”

Paresha, having donned her eye patch, dared not dissuade Saranya with a firm tone, nor did she raise a hand to stop her. She could only murmur weakly, hoping Saranya would see reason.

Saranya sighed.

If she disregarded Paresha and insisted on leaving, she could find any number of reasons to chastise Paresha, then proceed to the deck. However, if Kaelan discovered Saranya was not in the room, she would, in turn, severely punish Paresha for failing to uphold her duties.

In any case, Paresha was doomed to suffer.

“Then I’ll just stay here—”

Just as she was about to concede, the entire ship suddenly shuddered. Then, several sounds of splintering timbers echoed through the air.

A question mark hung in the air.

Paresha reacted swiftly, immediately stepping forward to support the less mobile Saranya. Together, they braced themselves against the corner where their weapons were stored.

Just as Saranya hesitated, wondering whether to defy Kaelan’s orders and take Paresha out to assess the situation, an unforeseen event erupted.

Crack! Boom!

A muffled crash resounded from the cabin wall behind them, as something pierced two large holes through it. Then, the wall suddenly burst apart, and a torrent of seawater surged inwards. The powerful jet nearly swept Saranya away, but Paresha plunged her sword into the doorframe, stabilizing both of their bodies.

“Well… I suppose staying here is no longer an option, is it?”