Woke up way too hard!

What happened last night?

Warm sunlight spilled in through the window, turning the room dim and hazy with intimacy.

Naya sat up in bed. One hand clutched the blanket over the curves before her chest, but her palm was too small to fully hide her proud swell. Beside the quilt, those half-spheres rose like a pair of newborn suns. Under the rosy morning light, the red marks on them stood out clearly, dotting Naya's fair, tender skin.

The person beside her was already gone.

Naya stared blankly ahead.

Bit by bit, memories of last night came flooding back.

She lifted the blanket, still full of her own scent, and glanced underneath. In an instant, her mind turned into a sobbing little Thomas train going woo-woo-woo.

Last night, she'd meant to teach Elise a lesson.

In the end, she never got to spank Elise.

She just got herself dragged in instead.

[System! Didn't you say that as long as you were there, you could help me suppress Elise's hypnosis?!]

Where was the System?

Where had the System gone?

Oh, right. It was muted.

Unmute.

[I said that as long as you stayed connected to me, I could help interfere with Elise's hypnosis. But you blocked out my voice, which was basically the same as cutting off our mental link. How was I supposed to help you suppress Elise's hypnosis then?]

[Sorry, System. I forgot about you.]

The System was so mad at Naya that it didn't even want to speak.

A woman like you would probably go work the streets and get so into it you'd forget to ask for money!

It had seen every bit of the host's miserable state last night.

Big talk before taking her clothes off. Nonsense during the process. Total silence after she'd had her fill.

The System's long silence made Naya feel so ashamed she wanted to disappear.

Last night, she really had forgotten the mission the System gave her.

Because it had felt too good.

[B-but it wasn't like there was no progress at all. I at least touched Elise's butt. If you round it up, that's basically the same as spanking it.]

[How did you manage to make something this simple so difficult? Is taking the initiative really that hard for you? Fine, you lost your memory for those five years. But now you've got it back, so why are you still like this? Can you pull yourself together already? What were you before this? You used to be a man. You were a Chosen Hero!]

[I got it. I won't mute you today. Tonight, we're going hunting for real!]

Naya was so embarrassed by the System's scolding that she could barely lift her head.

It was all because Elise's hypnosis was too strong.

That was why she'd forgotten what she was supposed to do in the first place.

Naya threw off the blanket and got out of bed. On the nightstand, she found a sheet of paper with a purple magic crystal pinning it down.

Curious, she picked up the crystal.

Suddenly, Elise's voice came from inside it.

"Good morning, Naya. Since we played a little too late last night, I didn't have the heart to wake you this morning. If you're still sleepy after getting up, then go ahead and get some more rest to recover your strength. Before I left, I already woke Eliya and had the maids take care of her, so you don't need to worry. Love you, Elise."

What?

What did Elise say at the end?

Play it again.

After listening several times to Elise's slightly cool yet gentle voice, Naya hugged the magic crystal and smiled like a fool.

[Host! That's just Elise's sweet talk. Don't fall for it.]

[Shut up, System. You're not allowed to doubt Elise's love for me.]

[...]

If the host had even half the backbone when talking to Elise that she had when snapping at this System, she wouldn't be failing this hard at taking the lead.

Forget it.

After being pinned down for five years, it was understandable that the feminization had gone a bit deep.

Besides, if killing Elise were that easy, so many Systems wouldn't have failed before.

It shouldn't lose heart.

Compared to those Chosen Heroes who shattered the moment Elise touched them, Naya still had the greater advantage. She just hadn't remembered her Hero's heart yet.

Setting down the magic crystal, Naya stretched lazily.

Even with kiss marks scattered all over her body, her silhouette was still endlessly graceful.

After getting dressed, Naya sat before the mirror and checked her neck.

The red marks there were already gone.

There were still plenty left on her body, though hidden under her clothes, they weren't obvious.

As for her thighs...

A pair of black stockings would cover that just fine.

There wasn't much flesh on her arms, and the feel of them was far inferior to the rest of her body, so Naya's arms were still smooth and flawless.

She walked out of the room.

Then downstairs.

Only Bella was in the hall, sweeping the floor. When she saw Naya, she gave a slight nod.

"Good morning, Miss Naya."

"Morning, Bella. Where's Eliya?"

"Flanna and Nidia are in the backyard, playing with her."

"Oh."

"We saved breakfast for you. I'll bring it out now."

"Mhm. Just put it on the dining table first. I'm going to check on Eliya."

Naya walked to the backyard entrance.

The first thing she saw was Nidia watering the flowers.

"Good morning, Miss Naya."

"Morning, Nidia."

Nidia was a purple-scaled Dragonkin, so naturally her hair was purple too. A ring of small braids circled the top of her head, while long purple hair flowed down her back. She had the air of a refined young lady.

She was usually in charge of teaching Eliya magic.

Passing through the garden, Naya reached the place where Eliya could run wild. Before she saw her, she heard her first.

"Flanna, take this! Evil dragon roar, awooo! Crow takes flight! Tornado destroys the church!"

"Eh? So weak. Seriously, you're super weak."

Stepping past the garden's protective barrier, Naya saw Eliya happily playing with Flanna.

On the surface, they were just playing. In truth, Flanna was also subtly teaching Eliya some combat skills.

Otherwise, if Eliya stayed locked up in the castle all year long, she'd really turn into a useless little dragon.

It wasn't that mother and daughter weren't allowed to step outside the castle at all. They just weren't allowed to leave the castle's sphere of influence.

In other words, the maids' watch range.

Naya stood before the garden. Warm sunlight spread over the world. Eliya chased after Flanna in delight, flower fragrance drifting behind her. Right before Naya's eyes was the daughter she cared about most.

"Mommy!"

The moment Naya entered Eliya's sight, all of Eliya's attention was instantly pulled away.

She ditched Flanna and ran over, her little pink tail swaying behind her.

Seeing the dirt-covered Eliya about to pounce on her, Naya reached out and pressed a hand against Eliya's head.

"Stop. Go wash your hands and change your clothes."

Back when she'd lost her memories, Naya wasn't very good at fighting. So whenever Eliya and Flanna played in the backyard, Naya stayed far away, afraid Eliya would get dirt on her.

That dislike of getting dirty had stayed with her even after recovering her memories.

[Dragonkin really are rough. Look at your daughter. Even with your guidance, she's still this wild. The slightest lapse and she's covered in mud.]

[System, will you die if you go one day without talking bad about the Dragonkin?]

"Okaaay~"

Eliya knew Naya's habits too. She hadn't really planned to throw herself onto Naya anyway.

She was just trying to scare her a little.

Naya looked toward Flanna.

What was maidly elegance?

That was it right there.

Flanna was spotless from head to toe.

[System, say something! Flanna plays with Eliya all the time, and she never gets dirty. Eliya's just still too young and weak to be as composed as Flanna. Once Eliya grows up, she'll definitely become an elegant little princess.]

After saying that to the System in her heart, Naya looked up and spoke to Flanna.

"Thanks for your hard work, Flanna. Keep playing with Eliya like this often."

"You're the one who works hard, Miss Naya."

Flanna smiled slightly.

Compared to playing around with Eliya, fighting Her Majesty the Queen every day was what really sounded exhausting.

Of course, Naya couldn't hear the deeper meaning in Flanna's words. She simply took Eliya's hand and started leading her back to change clothes.

[Days this peaceful and beautiful won't last much longer. Six years old is a threshold for Dragonkin. Eliya will eventually have to face the same future as Elise. She can't live under your protection forever. Elise will raise Eliya to become her successor. The child in your belly is Eliya's replacement.]

"Mommy?"

Naya suddenly stopped in her tracks, and Eliya turned to look at her in confusion.

"Mm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing..."

Naya curled her lips into a smile, her eyes bending softly.

In the blink of an eye, Eliya was almost six.

Dragonkin really did grow fast, even as a long-lived race.

Five years ago, she had been such a tiny little thing.

Now she was already up to Naya's belly.