Gardenia’s Heart

Even after having done it numerous times, the desire the girls felt for each other didn’t seem to calm down anytime soon.

“Lily... I’m going to...!”

With her butt on Lily’s face, Nia moaned intensely as the orgasm she had just reached spilled a large amount of her love juice into her wife’s mouth.

“Mhnnn...”

Licking it all up to make sure not even a single drop of her wife’s sweet nectar had escaped, Lily curled her lips into a smile while watching her wife do her best to stay quiet.

After continuing to make love intensely for another hour, Nia sensed through her mana-location that Selene and the others had finally returned. Because of this, the two girls now took care to ensure their moans wouldn’t be heard throughout the entire house.

“Good job, my naughty girl~” Sitting on the bed, Lily pulled Nia toward her chest. “Here’s your reward.”

Even with her face flushed and the ecstasy of the orgasm flooding her brain from climaxing so many times, Nia reached her little hands toward the pair of warm breasts in front of her.

“Mhnnn... Lily’s nipples are so hard... Nhm...”

Seeing the girl full of joy, sucking on her sensitive nipples with intensity and love, couldn’t make Lily happier.

“No need to rush, I’ll give you as much affection as you want, Nia.”

However, just as Lily was about to kiss the woman in her arms multiple times, a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

“Lady Lily, dinner is ready. If it’s alright, would you give us the honor of your presence?” After a few light knocks, the unmistakable voice of Cleomel echoed.

The voice caught her by surprise, and Lily didn’t know what to do. Although she wanted to continue pampering Nia, she knew it would be rude not to attend a meal when this person had let them stay in their house without charging anything.

“It’s okay, Lily, you can go to dinner.”

Calming her agitated wife upon noticing she was overthinking the matter, Nia snapped her fingers, and Lily’s black dress appeared in an instant, all the sweat on her body disappearing as if it had never existed.

Smiling upon seeing that Nia didn’t mind her pampering session being interrupted, Lily got up and was about to head to the door when she was caught off guard by what her wife did next.

“Nia, what are you doing!?”

Unlike what Lily expected, Nia didn’t return inside her as soon as she stood up. Assuming her metamorph form again, Nia leaped from the bed and slipped under her skirt.

(I’ll stay out here a little longer~)

By the time Lily realized she wasn’t wearing any underwear underneath, it was too late. The warm, electrifying sensation of the metamorph sliding between her sensitive thighs almost made her fall to the floor.

“You little naughty girl~”

Since Nia formed the clothes Lily wore daily with her “material,” the silver-haired girl knew her beloved was always wrapped around her entire body. However, when it came specifically to clothes, Nia’s mind wasn’t actively focused on those parts. Thus, although her penis had dissolved to avoid standing out under the dress, having her wife in metamorph form in place of panties wasn’t exactly something that wouldn’t cause stimulation when she tried to walk.

(Don’t worry, even if you get excited, I’ll make sure to swallow everything so nothing escapes under the skirt.)

Lily couldn’t help but laugh exasperatedly as her beloved wife rubbed against her groin, the gentle tickling quickly turning into waves of pleasure.

“That’s not what I’m worried about, you know?”

Even though she was protesting, Lily didn’t have the strength or the will to go against the wishes of her mischievous little wife. So, being careful with every step she took, she left the room and followed Cleomel.

“Hah... Aah... Mhnn...”

However, it took her best poker face to prevent Cleomel from noticing the soft

moans that escaped her lips as Nia had her fun.

(Nhmm... Ah...)

Nia didn’t have a mouth to speak at that moment, but the moans flowing from her mind to Lily’s nearly brought the girl to the brink of collapse. Her beloved’s touches were always gentle and soft, but every time Nia’s gelatinous body went a little deeper into her vaginal walls or explored her anus further with a tentacle, Lily wondered how she was still able to walk.

(Lily... Nhmm... Lily)

Nia’s voice, craving more and more of Lily, made it clear to the girl just how much her beloved had been holding back over the past few days. Even after their lovemaking session, if Nia didn’t get more of Lily, she would go crazy.

When Cleomel turned a corner in the hallway, Lily was genuinely grateful that the woman was walking ahead of her. With a quick movement, Lily leaned against the wall and bit her dress, her eyes rolling back as her legs trembled more than ever when she reached her limit and released her love juice.

Moving her hips back and forth, Lily felt a warm liquid escape from inside her, bringing immense relief to all the tension she had built up.

“Ah... Aaah...”

Her hot, soft breath was all that remained as proof that she had an orgasm, as Nia, true to her promise, had devoured every last drop while humming cheerfully in her mind.

(Did you like it, Lily~?)

“When we do this again, it’ll be inside a room, understood?”

(I can’t promise that~) Nia’s mischievous reply made Lily certain that she would do this again.

Still leaning against the wall, another wave of pleasure hit her, and Lily blushed as she felt Nia going back to work. Placing her hand on her groin, Lily gently rubbed Nia’s gelatinous surface, a small tentacle quickly wrapping around her hand.

“Later, I won’t stop even when you reach your limit, you little rascal.” Her words were obviously not threatening to the girl, who was eagerly waiting for exactly that.

Quickly, so that Cleomel wouldn’t notice she wasn’t following her, Lily caught up and continued walking with her.

After a few minutes of walking through the mansion’s corridors, they finally reached a large double door.

Entering the dining hall, Lily observed the enormous, luxurious rectangular table filled with various types of food, many of which she’d never even seen before.

As if the table itself weren’t impressive enough, the entire room was illuminated by opulent chandeliers adorned with expensive jewels. Paintings, likely created by Selene, decorated the walls, and beyond the passageway to a vast balcony, there even seemed to be a designated area for musicians to perform harmonizing melodies during meals.

Following Cleomel, Lily was guided to her seat. She noticed she was the last to arrive, as Abelia and Selene were already present, along with Oliver and Alice by his side.

”I don’t really understand etiquette, but isn’t the head of the table the seat of honor?”

Lily’s brow furrowed when she realized her designated seat was the only one without chairs beside it.

”It is usually reserved for the head of the household or the guest of honor,” Oliver explained in a subtle tone, bowing his head slightly. ”Please, Lady Lily, we owe our survival to you. We wouldn’t feel comfortable sitting any other way.”

Lily wanted to say that chair positions didn’t matter and that it actually made her feel embarrassed, but thinking about the complications of dissuading those earnest looks, she gave up.

As she sat down, Lily noticed Cleomel taking the seat next to Abelia. Her sharp gaze didn’t miss the moment when the two intertwined their fingers beneath the table, bringing a faint smile to her face.

”Alright, before we eat, I need to update you about what happened with my contact in the capital, Rival,” Selene spoke in a low tone.

The rabbit-eared girl had noticeable dark circles under her eyes. Lily quickly realized that Selene must have been working tirelessly to resolve the situation since she had awakened.

”The capital?” Lily asked.

Selene nodded, resting her weary body against the chair.

”Even though they don’t care about what happens in the Mist Territory, they can’t ignore what happened in Caligo. Since you insisted that I omit your involvement, I was provisionally promoted to a three-star mage for supposedly killing the leviathan alone. It will become official once a high-ranking member of the tower comes to verify the corpse.”

Despite just announcing her promotion, Selene stared blankly at the ceiling, her expression devoid of joy.

”You helped a lot in the fight, so don’t look like you don’t deserve it.”

Although Lily and Nia had been responsible for most of the attacks that led to their victory against the leviathan, Selene’s knowledge, planning, and containment of the beast for the final attack had been crucial. Without her efforts, they would have exhausted themselves much further in the battle, which could have left Nia unable to face Orlaith without severe fatigue. This, in turn, would have complicated the teleportation of the Seed of Chaos out of the city and endangered everyone’s lives.

”I know... that’s not why I’m upset. Those bastards only raised my rank so the capital could claim that the Mage Tower played a significant role in resolving the conflict, considering it was one of their members—a two-star mage—who caused the entire situation. It’s obviously a political move to avoid further problems for themselves.”

The rabbit-eared girl was on the verge of unleashing a long string of curses but was swiftly interrupted.

”Selene, watch your manners! The children are here!” Abelia scolded, tugging her sister’s cheeks repeatedly.

”S-Sorry, Sis. Soooorry!”

Selene apologized until finally being forgiven. Rubbing her slightly reddened face, she turned back to Lily.

”Regarding Velmont Sunshard, I reported it to the capital as a deliberate act of insurrection. When I arrived at the castle this morning, I found none of the Sunshard family members. The rooms were empty, from the family’s quarters to the servants’ lodgings. The Mercenaries’ Guild informed me that Velmont had claimed over the past few years that his family was ill and couldn’t leave the house. Given the situation, it became clear to me that he either killed them all or used them in experiments.”

Lily frowned slightly at these words. She knew the man was twisted, but she hadn’t imagined he would go as far as killing his own family to seize control of the city.

”When I reported the Sunshard family’s treason, I omitted the presence of demons. As long as no one in this room lets that information slip, we’ll be fine.”

Selene’s words prompted Lily to tilt her head slightly.

”Is there a specific reason for that?”

Hearing the question, Selene used her thumb to trace an invisible line across her throat.

”If we confirmed demon involvement, the entire Mage Tower would descend on Caligo in a full-scale hunt, believing the population was still under mind control. It would be a total incursion with no right to trial.”

Lily’s eyes widened in surprise. She hadn’t realized demon involvement was such a serious matter.

”But isn’t there a risk of that information leaking? I mean, much of the city was under mind control,” Lily asked anxiously, tightening the tentacle wrapped around her waist.

”Even so, since only we know about the demons, we can frame it as some sort of mass hysteria or a drug Velmont developed to control the population. I’ve already contacted trusted associates at the bank and the Mercenaries’ Guild headquarters. Any questions from the capital will be relayed to me before they answer. Even though I can’t explain everything to them, they understand that now more than ever, we need to stand united if we want to survive.”

Lily barely managed to suppress a whistle of astonishment.

Even in such a tense situation with limited information, Selene had chosen the best long-term approach for the city’s survival.

”From my years in that place, I know the Mage Tower will focus on figuring out how the leviathan got so close to Anthus and why it happened. We can divert their attention from the real reason by stalling until they either give up or treat it as a coincidence in the monster’s behavior. Furthermore, since the royal capital doesn’t care about the abduction cases as no nobles were affected, we’re on our own to find those who were sold.”

Selene’s words triggered a memory Lily hadn’t mentioned until now.

”Oh, right. If you need to interrogate that man for more information, I’ve completely incapacitated him and frozen him in one of the mine’s rooms. I’ll thaw him whenever you need.”

At Lily’s casual remark, the rabbit-eared girl’s pink eyes widened.

”Wait, Velmont is... alive?” Selene could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Even though she had not witnessed the battle, Selene had gone to the throne room and observed the destruction that had taken place there. Besides the collapsed ceiling and dozens of bloodstains from the completely obliterated and unrecognizable monster corpses, there were so many cracks throughout the castle’s structure that she believed it was impossible for that man to have survived the confrontation.

”Death isn’t a fitting punishment for that man. He must pay for everything he’s done by giving us all the information about his slave trade.”

When Lily spoke those words in an icy tone, Selene didn’t dare ask what ”incapacitate” truly meant in her previous statement.

”Very well. Tomorrow morning, we’ll start reopening the mines. Even though it’s a place that caused much suffering, it’s still one of the city’s few sources of income. I’ll make sure the workers are paid and hired properly this time, and I’ll deal with Velmont to gather information.”

Addressing both Lily and the other family members in the room, Selene remembered a topic she needed to share and suddenly spoke with a cheerful tone.

”Last but not least, the administration of Caligo, along with all its assets, will be transferred to Russelian Oliver Anthus.” Selene clapped her hands several times before pointing at her nephew, who shrank in embarrassment.

”It’ll only be in the name. Aunt Selene and my mother will handle most of the administrative and economic responsibilities.” Scratching his cheek and taking a sip of water, Oliver did his best to handle the weight of the responsibility placed on him over the past few hours.

”That’s surprising...” Lily murmured. ”I was certain the command would go to you, Selene.”

”Even though I’m from a noble family, because I’m demi-human, they never transferred the city’s protection to me.” Selene shrugged. ”Besides, now that Caligo’s management is in their hands, I have an excuse to keep Sis in the city with me!”

Dodging the hand that tried to pinch her cheeks again, Selene fought bravely against her sister’s relentless attempts until she finally gave up with a sigh.

”We’ll start inspecting the town hall tomorrow morning. I never thought we’d end up responsible for the city, but it was a good way to earn merits. Without support from the Vesalea House and with the palace becoming dangerous, having a reason to stay in Caligo with Selene while still accumulating influence throughout the country is a good thing.”

Even though everything that happened in Caligo had been dreadful, Abelia couldn’t deny that the way the situation unfolded would benefit them.

Both the mana-rich mine and the large, economically growing city would be valuable assets for building a solid base in the fight for the throne.

As the conversation finally seemed to wind down, Lily wondered if they could start eating. The girl, who had only come out of politeness, couldn’t stop herself from salivating at the sight of so many dishes.

”Lady Lily, please go ahead and eat. Alice cooked all these dishes especially to thank you for your help,” Cleomel said kindly, nodding toward the dark-blue-haired girl.

”Cleomel is exaggerating. She helped me a lot.” Alice closed her eyes and timidly turned her face away. ”It wasn’t just for me. Mom told me how much you helped our family. No one had ever done that before. I don’t have many ways to thank you, but at least I can try cooking a little.”

Though somewhat shy under the gazes around her, Alice bravely finished her words.

”Thank you, Alice.” Even though the meal was meant as a gesture of gratitude, Lily expressed her appreciation for it.

Finally overwhelmed by the sweet aroma of the food, the silver-haired girl scanned the table for something to eat, her eyes landing on a bread stuffed with various meats, which she quickly placed on her plate.

Normally, proper etiquette should be followed before beginning a meal, but everyone there knew — or rather accepted — that Lily neither knew nor cared about such formalities. So they simply started eating along with her.

Hoping her beloved wife would eat peacefully, Nia refrained from her usual antics, contenting herself with the delightful sensation of Lily’s hand secretly caressing her over her skirt.

After tasting a variety of incredibly flavorful breads, Lily felt everyone’s eyes turn toward her.

”Uh, Lady Lily...”

Before Abelia could begin, Lily raised her hand to interrupt, wiping her face with a napkin before turning her attention to the black-haired woman.

”First of all, although that wasn’t the case initially, I discovered I had personal reasons to get involved in this matter. So don’t try to thank me more than you’ve ever done. You’ve all helped me as much as I’ve helped you, so there’s no need for that.”

Though her tone was serious, Abelia took a few moments to reflect before responding.

”Then, not as a member of the royal family, but as a person, at least allow me to thank you for saving our lives.”

Abelia bowed her head, and Oliver, Selene, Alice, and Cleomel followed her lead. Letting out a sigh, Lily felt her face heat up with slight embarrassment at the situation.

Deciding it was better not to reject their gratitude and prolong the awkwardness, Lily resumed eating. However, a tentative question from Oliver interrupted her.

”Uh... Miss Lily, may I ask you something?”

Lily noticed that although Oliver had lifted his head, he avoided looking her in the eyes. Having a member of the royal family showing her such deference felt strange, but since she was already in an uncomfortable situation, she responded promptly.

”If I can answer it.”

Encouraged by her short response, Oliver raised his dark eyes, his neatly arranged dark-blue hair shifting slightly across his forehead.

”The young lady who saved me — she’s an acquaintance of yours, right? Would it be possible to meet her? I’d also like to thank her for saving my life.”

Although a simple question, it touched on a subject Lily was reluctant to address. Even though she trusted these people, she still wasn’t sure whether she should explain Nia’s existence. The decision to reveal Nia during the last fight had been out of Lily’s desire to save everyone. At the very least, she trusted them enough to reveal that much.

A long silence followed Oliver’s question, and everyone at the table broke into a cold sweat, fearing they had angered Lily. Just as they were about to say something to diffuse the tension, something seemed to leap from under Lily’s dress. A second later, as if materializing from thin air, a short-haired girl with purple hair and a black dress appeared, casually sitting on Lily’s lap.

”My name is Gardenia. I’m Lily’s wife. Just as Lily said, we don’t need your thanks. Whether you live or die, I only saved you because it was Lily’s wish. So don’t mention it again.”