Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Bellatrix POV - seventeenth day as Miach's daughter.
"Really, if you're the one who wants to talk to me, you could find me yourself," I said playfully as I walked back into the Loki family office. I saw Riveria give me an apologetic smile; she was standing to one side of the desk, just as she had last time.
Finn was also there, his eyes closed in exasperation. The other girls were standing nearby. Ais was just staring at me, Lefiya was glaring daggers, and Tiona and Tione were laughing at the whole scene. The surprise was Bete, who was standing alone in a corner, glaring at me.
Riveria sighed and began to speak.
"I'm really sorry, that was the plan, but... we had to tell our goddess about our whole agreement and she-"
"I won't give her to you! Riveria-mama is mine! Go away, abomination! Leave Orario and go back to the forest you came from!" Loki growled as she literally clung to Riveria's leg. With Riveria standing, Loki was on the ground with both arms wrapped around her leg, shaking her head vehemently.
I could see Riveria's eye twitch slightly as she tried to kick Loki off her, but Loki's grip seemed too strong for her to break free easily. I smiled, amused.
"So, what's your decision?" I asked curiously while ignoring Loki.
"None! No deal! Go away! Riveria will teach the whole Family whatever she wants!" Loki said childishly. I raised an eyebrow and looked at her for the first time while smiling.
"And how would she do that?" I asked playfully. Loki glared at me.
"Riveria is the best!" Loki said, as if it were obvious. I hummed.
"I don't doubt it. It seems you were able to learn all the books in less than a week? Impressive." I said playfully, looking at Riveria. She just smiled shyly and nodded.
"They're truly incredible, I couldn't help it," Riveria said simply, and I nodded.
"I'm sure Serena would love to hear it. But that's not what I mean. I'm surprised you didn't realize it. I suppose you're more... honorable than she expected." I said, genuinely surprised. Riveria blinked a couple of times.
"I... thank you?" Riveria said, confused. I just smiled amusedly.
"The Books are cursed, Nine Hells, no one but you can read them, and you can't talk about their contents." I said bluntly. Everyone in the room froze; I smiled amusedly.
"What? That's not possible! There was no dark magic in the books! Besides, I talked about them! I proved it!" Riveria said quickly while frowning.
"Did you try telling them how to use them? Try it, if you can," I asked playfully.
"Of course, to cast the Lumos Charm you simply have to—" Riveria's voice broke off, her jaw froze, and her eyes widened. Her hand went straight to her throat. "You have to—" She tried again, and she paled.
"I told you I had my ways of preventing its disclosure," I said playfully. Riveria just looked at me incredulously.
" Hey, Abomination." Loki said, slowly rising to her feet, her gaze terrifyingly piercing. "Free Riveria from that curse." Loki growled as she took a step forward. "...or I'll make you regret it." Loki hissed, her eyes having lost all trace of the playful demeanor they usually possessed.
Now all that remained was a murderous, protective fury. I just shrugged.
"It's not like I could," I said honestly. Loki growled, and I just looked at her. "I didn't put the curse on the books; my wife did. They're there to prevent that information from leaking. Although my wife wants it to be freely accessible to the public, the truth is, we have people infiltrating us. We need some safeguards for the sensitive information."
"My wife is much stronger magically than I am. I can't remove them myself. I'm able to slightly modify the curse to allow Riveria to read them and then teach them, but the curse will bind all members of her familia. They can use magic as they wish, but no one besides Riveria will be able to teach it." I said honestly.
"And is it... completely safe?" Finn asked, frowning. I nodded.
"Definitely, as I said, these books are meant to be public. My wife didn't want to put a stronger curse on them. The restricted books have other, more unpleasant curses," I said jokingly.
"If anything goes wrong with Riveria, you won't be able to hide from me even on the other side of the world, got it?" Loki hissed, and I just smiled amusedly.
"I promise, I have no intention of hurting Riveria. After all, I want her to marry my wife, and although it pains me to say it, she's kinder than I am. She'd scold me if I did anything," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"Well, although I would have preferred you had warned me about the curse." Riveria said, wrinkling her nose. I smiled slightly at her.
"Would it make any difference? I'm sure you'd read the books anyway." I said playfully. Riveria blushed slightly as she coughed and looked away.
"Even so, it would have been good to know," Riveria said, embarrassed. I chuckled.
"Okay, then, let's get back to the point. Your decision?" I asked once more. Riveria paused slightly before looking at Loki, who just clicked her tongue, walked over to the desk, and sat down.
"As much as I want to keep Riveria and the others for myself, this is Riveria's decision. She can do whatever she wants." Loki grumbled, muttering under her breath, yet still glancing at Riveria. "But don't you dare say it's 'for the familia.' The familia survived and thrived even without those magic spells and magical items, and it will continue to do so. So just do what truly makes you happy." Loki snarled, almost as if she were having a tooth pulled.
She had to give Loki more credit for that. Riveria nodded and took a deep breath.
"I... must refuse the portraits." Riveria said, slightly blushing. I just nodded.
"Very well," I said simply. "I'm going to have to take the Twice Critical," I said simply.
"Just like that?" Tiona asked incredulously. I shrugged.
"Of course, pictures of Riveria in skimpy outfits would have been a nice and valuable gift, but I'm not going to insist or beg," I said casually. "But I'll have to ask for Twice Critical back; it's the only thing that wasn't for sale through Grimoires," I said simply. Finn nodded.
"Ais, give back Twice Critical," Finn said simply. Ais just nodded sadly. She took Twice Critical off her wrist, walked over to me, and held it out. I grabbed Twice Critical, or tried to, but my arm stayed put as I couldn't snatch the bracelet from Ais's strong grip. "Ais," Finn said wearily.
Ais just pouted and looked away, but didn't loosen her grip on Twice Critical. I heard Riveria sigh.
" Relashio." The spell struck Ais's back, and her fingers were forced open.
I finally recovered Twice Critical while Ais stared at the Sacred Gear as if her puppy had just been kicked.
"You know... last night we had a meeting with the head of the Guild, there were some... fascinating items for sale. Completely unpublished." Loki began, humming to herself.
"Oh? Really?" I asked lightly.
"Oh yes, I even managed to get some information out of Royman. It turns out that he, the supplier of these new items, asked for Grimoires in exchange." Loki said, staring at me intently. I just smiled.
"Wait! Is that why we didn't find any grimoires when we searched Orario?" Lefiya asked with a slight gasp of surprise. Loki snapped her fingers as she pointed at me.
I smiled slightly. Royman really took acquiring Grimoires seriously. Somehow, he'd managed to get 15 in just a few days. If I remembered correctly, there was a skeleton working for Uranus who could create Grimoires; I suppose most of them came from him.
And then there was the one I had stolen from Freya. Just thinking about her reaction made me smile sadistically.
"I can't prove it, but my instinct tells me it was you. Such special magical items don't just appear out of thin air. You just said you wouldn't insist, but you fixed everything," Loki accused. I chuckled under my breath.
"Well, I mean, I won't confirm anything, but in such a situation, I might not insist or beg, but that doesn't mean I couldn't tip the scales in my favor," I said playfully. Loki snorted.
"And now we have no Grimoires to buy for the deal you made with my children, we even ran out of Valis to buy the new items, it's all left in Riveria's hands." Loki said simply, I shrugged.
"What luck, huh?" I asked cheerfully. Loki glared at me. Riveria just sighed.
"I guess it shouldn't surprise me that she could create something like Storage Bags or tents, but just to know... they..." Riveria tried to say shyly, and I laughed slightly.
" Extension Charm expands the internal dimensions of an object without affecting the external ones. It's advanced magic; you'd need to complete all seven books of enchantment. It's very valuable magic, but also somewhat... dangerous if misused, which is why they're placed in restricted books." I said honestly.
"Dangerous?" Finn asked, frowning. I hummed.
"Not in the sense that the object can harm a person, only that it can be used in improper ways. Store a small assault team inside and place it in an enemy lair. Steal objects without anyone noticing. Kidnap people and traffic them into slavery. Capture monsters inside an object and release them into a crowd."
"And much more," I said easily. There was a reason the Ministry strictly controlled the enchantment in the wizarding world. I could see more than one person pale slightly.
"But the bags and tents have already been given to the other families. Besides, Royman said that none of those things could be done." Loki pointed out, and I nodded.
"safeguards that my wife put in place when creating them, the Extension Charm doesn't have any of those limitations naturally, as an object with an Extension. " A charm without any protection will serve to do what I just mentioned." I replied, and Loki grimaced.
"It's good to know you have those protections," Riveria said with a sigh of relief, then took a deep breath as she blushed slightly. "And as for the rest, even if you hadn't encouraged the guild to buy Grimoires, it's true we couldn't afford it."
"Most of our money goes toward supporting the rest of the familia, so our profit isn't really that big, like Finn said last time. So I... might consider accepting the marriage proposal," Riveria said shyly. My eyes widened.
And it seems I wasn't the only one; everyone else was surprised, too. Apparently, she hadn't told anyone else about her decision.
"Riveria... are you sure?" Loki asked seriously, and Riveria just nodded firmly.
"I am." Riveria said so that Loki could hear her. Loki looked directly at her before nodding.
"My Riveria-mama is getting married!" Loki started crying as she threw herself at Riveria's feet once more. Riveria sighed, though she managed a small smile.
"Riveria-sama," Lefiya said, sounding worried. Riveria just looked at them and smiled as she nodded. Finn and Riveria exchanged a glance before nodding.
"Wow... I wasn't expecting that," I said, surprised. "I was hoping you'd negotiate the portraits with clothing that covered a bit more skin; I would have accepted that." I said playfully, and Riveria looked at me incredulously.
"You would have accepted that?!" Riveria asked, almost indignantly. I laughed slightly.
"Yes, that you would have tried to negotiate, of course." I said playfully. Riveria almost growled before sighing.
"I'll ignore that," Riveria sighed, and I laughed loudly. "Regarding the... engagement, I have... some demands," Riveria said, taking a deep breath.
"Of course, let's draw up a contract." I said simply as I nodded.
"A contract? Will it be legal even if we sign it right now?" Riveria asked, confused. I nodded.
"I have full authority to sign on Sera's behalf; she will comply with everything in the contract." I said honestly, and Riveria nodded.
"Finn, if you can start drafting it," Riveria said simply.
"Of course." Finn said immediately as he grabbed some papers and began to write quickly.
Then we began negotiations. I had only demanded that Riveria marry Serena, and on the condition that we have sex; after all, that was the reason I was doing all this. Riveria, though blushing, agreed.
Riveria's demands were far greater, but none of them couldn't be fulfill. Interestingly, most of what Riveria asked for was to help the Loki familia. There was nothing about her biological familia; in fact, she even went so far as to insist we not get involved with them.
In short, as long as Riveria was alive and the marriage continued, she would have to supply the Loki family with various resources, especially magical artifacts, whenever possible.
The ability to read and teach any book Riveria wanted, as long as it was suitable for teaching. She wasn't going to be teaching curses left and right.
And basically any kind of help if there were a danger to the Familia as a whole in the future.
And the only rule she set for herself was that Riveria would not be involved in or drawn into any political conflict in a mandatory way.
"Very well, I have no complaints." I said while looking at the contract. Riveria seemed nervous about everything, but she finally nodded.
"Wait! Riveria doesn't even know your wife, or has even seen a picture of her. Don't you have one of those portraits of her?" Tiona asked excitedly. I blinked.
"Ah, I suppose that's fair." I nodded slightly, reached inside my trench coat, pulled some pictures of Serena from my inventory, and quickly shot them with a Gemino. The originals were saved, and I took out the copies.
There were a dozen pictures, and I held them out in Riveria's direction, but Loki immediately snatched them away, and everyone else except Riveria crowded around her.
"Oh! She's beautiful!" Loki said immediately as she looked at the photographs. "Wait, does she have horns?" Loki asked, terribly confused.
"She's not an elf!?" Lefiya asked in surprise. I chuckled slightly. Riveria's eyes widened.
"I never said I was one, and if you don't believe me, I'll say it as clearly as possible. Neither my wife nor I are elves." I said playfully, looking at Loki, who wrinkled her nose at the truth of my words. Riveria frowned and looked at the picture.
"I was so sure she was an elf..." Riveria murmured incredulously. I smiled slightly. "So... will there be a problem?" I asked slowly. Riveria shook her head.
"No, none, it's just that the horns and tail are part of her," she said simply.
"She looks tall and thin! Like Riveria! Wait, how many earrings does she have? There are dozens in her ear! And lots of rings! Her ears are normal too!" Tiona said as she looked at the picture.
"Hmm, she has just as angular features as Riveria and a similar figure, although she favors dark colors, they would complement each other." Finn said with a hum.
"She's dressed more lightly than I expected for an elf, and in somewhat strange clothes, I mean, those pants are high quality, because they're ripped?" Tione asked, confused.
"She looks weak and pale, too thin. Is she really capable of creating everything you've shown us so far?" Bete mocked, adding his own opinion.
"Can you all shut up and give me the pictures?!" Riveria growled, embarrassed.
"Wait, it's moving!?" Lefiya squealed incredulously. The first one was an 'official' image of Serena. It was an enchanted sample photograph taken as a test for Jester's work.
In it, Serena was dressed 'casually' while waving to the camera with a small smile.
"It's a spell; it can repeat a small movement on a loop," I said simply.
"Can you do that?!" Loki asked in shock, her mood completely changing. "You know what, Riveria! Forget about marriage! You have to make these portraits! I just want one copy of each! And girls, do the same!" Loki ordered immediately, only to be met with blows from Riveria and Ais.
"Let's just... sign this already." Riveria sighed as she snatched the pictures of Sera. She looked at them intently for a few seconds before flipping through the photos. Her eyes widened, and she blushed. "W-what is she wearing?!" Riveria squealed. I smiled slightly.
"A dress she wore to one of her engagement parties," I said playfully.
"Will I have to dress in something like that?!" Riveria squealed in disbelief.
"Let me see!" said Loki, hanging onto Riveria. Loki saw the photograph and her eyes widened. "Wow! I say go ahead!" said Loki happily.
"That won't be necessary," I said playfully. Riveria removed Loki from her and put the pictures in one of her pockets. Finally, she approached and quickly signed the paper.
"Okay... before I change my mind." Riveria sighed as she looked at her own signature. I approached.
"Last chance to back out." I said simply, Riveria paused for a few seconds.
"Do it," Riveria said simply. I nodded and signed my name. As it was, this contract was supposed to be legal enough for The Company to validate it and for Riveria to be captured. It would only be a matter of time before Sera found out.
"What did you just do?!" Sera screamed in my head. I smiled broadly and quickly sent her everything I'd been doing with Riveria for the past two weeks, making her stop. Then she groaned in frustration. "I'm going to fix this," Serena growled as she severed the link.
"Well, my wife realized how binding the contract is; she's on her way here," I said playfully, and everyone's eyes widened.
""" What?!"""
I smiled broadly. Sera sounded annoyed; I almost shuddered at the thought of the punishment she'd give me, which would surely be something sexual. Sera got a new wife, I got an excellent punishment—it's a win-win situation.
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