Stepping into the dining hall, Verena smiled warmly. "Good morning, father. Are you well?"
Dominik turned to his daughter and her maid, a tired smile on his face. "I've certainly been better. I've spent all morning dealing with the fallout of the Baron's death. A few of the other lords in the province are more than a little displeased with all this."
Marianne scoffed, a look of disdain on her face. "The bastard deserved it for trying to harm my lady."
Verena raised an eyebrow, looking at her maid. "Marianne..."
Marianne looked at Verena for a moment before she realized what she had said. "Apologies, my lord." She bowed her head towards Dominik. "I forgot myself, for a moment."
The Count just chuckled, shaking his head. "It's forgiven. I think you made your feelings towards the Baron quite clear, last night. Tell me, is what the doctor is claiming true? Was he really alive when you did that?"
Marianne just smiled coldly. "Yes, my lord."
Dominik winced, shaking his head. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, Marianne."
Verena just laughed, taking a seat at the table. "Don't worry, father. It seems that the only way to get her that angry with you is to come after me, maliciously, so you'll never be in danger from her."
He sighed, nodding slowly. "Indeed. It seems you've gotten yourself the loyalty of an extremely dangerous woman, little amethyst."
As food was brought in for them, Verena nodded, smiling. "Yes, I've been very lucky to have her around." As they began to eat, she glanced at her father, sighing. "There's some things I need to speak with you about, father. Ideally, I'd like to have mother here, too, but it's somewhat time-sensitive."
Dominik looked up, smirking. "How time-sensitive?"
"A couple weeks, I think. Why?"
He laughed softly. "Well, because I got a letter, this morning, that she's flying in. She should be arriving later this afternoon."
Verena's face immediately lit up. "Mother's coming home!? Wait, she's flying? Why?"
Dominik gave her a deadpan glare. "Yes, she's flying. She wanted to get here as soon as possible. As for why, it's almost like her only daughter just got a [Battle Maid], and was attacked by an assassin, and was involved in the death of a Baron, within the last couple days."
Verena gave him a sheepish look. "Okay, fair enough. Well, that's perfect, then. We can talk tomorrow."
The Count gave her a questioning look. "Tomorrow? Why not tonight?"
She smiled in return. "This is fairly important, and I know how tiring it is for mother to fly all the way here from Agor. Besides, I want to spend some time with her before we get all serious."
Dominik nodded slowly. "Alright, that sounds reasonable. Well then, we can speak tomorrow after breakfast. Does that work?"
Verena nodded. "Perfectly. Thank you, father."
After finishing her food, Verena stood, smiling at Marianne. "I'll be doing some work in my room, Marianne. I wish to speak with you, later, but it can wait until you've taken care of your duties for the day."
Marianne nodded, heading off to get to work while Verena returned to her room.
*****
A few hours later, Marianne stepped into Verena's room. This wasn't the first time she'd come in since breakfast, but the last one had been to collect Verena's bedding and nightgown to clean them of last night's mess.
This time, she took a seat next to Verena's desk. "Alright, I'm finished with all the pressing matters for the day. What did you need, my lady.
Verena turned, a strained look on her face. When she spoke it was soft and nervous. "Marianne...?"
The tone of her voice immediately told Marianne that the woman in front of her was speaking to her lover, not her maid, so she reached out, putting her hand on Verena's. "Yes, love?"
Verena took a deep, shuddering breath before beginning. "I've been thinking... about my class, and about us."
Marianne just gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "Alright. And?"
She closed her eyes, sighing. "You've also noticed that my class is essentially demanding I create a harem, right?"
Marianne winced, but she nodded. "I've... thought about it a bit, yes."
Verena reached out, putting a hand on her cheek. "Marianne, I don't know what to do." She leaned forward, into her lover's embrace. "We need to get stronger, and I can't see myself being able to do that fast enough without getting more [Bonded Companion]s. But the only way I have to do that is [Lover's Boon]. Maybe there will be other ways, in the future, but we can't know that. Even if there are, we have no idea how long it will be before I get them. [Lover's Boon] doesn't just need me to sleep with someone. It specifically says we need a strong connection, and considering the name of the skill, I think it's quite clear what kind of connection it's asking for. I don't want to hurt you, Marianne, but it feels like, if I don't do this, I'll just end up getting you hurt, instead. I... what do I do...?"
By now, Verena was in tears, and Marianne was heartbroken at how much this was hurting her. So, instead of speaking, she just gently pulled Verena into a kiss. It wasn't heavy or aggressive. It was soft, loving and tender. After a long moment, Marianne pulled back, smiling softly. "Verena, you will never hurt me. You will never hurt me because I know I can trust you. I know that even if you fall in love with another woman, or a dozen other women, you'll still cherish every one of us. I know I can trust you because I've felt how much love you have in your heart. You'll figure it out, and you'll never let me, or anyone else, feel as if we're less important. So, stop worrying so much, and just be who you are. Because that's the woman I fell in love with." Marianne gave her a cheeky smile. "Besides, with how you are once you get going in bed, I'm not sure I can handle you on my own."
Verena laughed softly, the joke breaking the tension perfectly. "Oh? Is that so? Because I seem to remember a certain someone was still begging me for more by the time I was finished. And, need I remind you which one of us was the horny one, this morning? I don't think you're the one who needs to be worried."
Marianne smiled lasciviously. "Care to test that theory...?" She leaned in closer, licking her lips, but Verena stopped her.
"I'd love to, dear. However, we don't know when my mother is arriving, and I'd rather not be mid-fuck when she does."
Marianne pouted cutely, but she still moved away. "Fine... Why do you have to be so reasonable when you're cock-blocking me?"
Verena leaned in, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "It's not my fault you pick the worst times to try and get into my dress."
Marianne giggled, giving her a firm squeeze on the ass. "Dear, I'll always be trying to get into your dress."
At that moment, a knock came on Verena's door. "My lady, the Countess is arriving, now. You've been requested in the atrium."
Verena smirked at Marianne. "Told you."
Marianne looked baffled. "How do you do that!? I swear, it's uncanny. If I couldn't see your system for myself, I'd start to think your father might be right about that whole 'secret [Oracle] class', thing."
Verena didn't answer, just moving to head to the atrium to greet her mother.