The three had been walking away from Solace territory for hours now, long enough for the sun to climb its lazy arc and begin bleeding gold across the western hills.
None of them carried a single mana stone; every step was paid for in dust and silence.
Ash could have flown, but he chose the road instead. Bonding time, he had told himself that afternoon with a soft smile.
He was wrong.
Three hours of nothing but the crunch of gravel and the occasional scorching glare Nia shot at the tiny black fox curled on his shoulder like a living crown of midnight.
The little creature's ten miniature tails flicked with smug satisfaction every time Nia's flames flared in irritation.
Ash finally shook his head, lips twitching with barely contained amusement.
"Don't you think it's time the two of you actually meet?"
Nia slipped away from his arm, her brow knitting in that endearing confusion she wore whenever things just didn't add up.
"Huh? Ashy, what are you talking about?"
His reply came without a single word.
The little fox gave an exaggerated pout before leaping from his shoulder. In mid-air, shadows and moonlight flared outward in a silent supernova. The small creature stretched, shifted, and unfolded into a woman.
Long, abyssal hair cascaded down her back.
Her skin was polished and flawless. Ten magnificent black tails unfurled behind her; each edged in white. The full moon mark on her forehead glowed softly and proudly, while her black-and-white-tipped ears twitched once in greeting.
Nia's eyes narrowed to slits.
She moved in front of Ash so quickly the air seemed to crack, her hand flying to her sword's hilt as golden flames surged up her forearm in a fierce, possessive blaze.
"I knew something was off about you."
Vaeloria's lips curled in a slow, regal smirk. A late B-rank human daring to speak so boldly to the Last Sovereign of the Silver Court might have been laughable once—now it was just… cute.
"Ashy…" Nia's voice dropped to a low, possessive growl that could have melted steel. "He's mine."
Both Ash and Vaeloria froze.
Then Ash threw his head back and laughed, loud and unrestrained.
'Seriously? First time seeing a non-human and her opening line is about me?'
He wiped away a tear, still laughing, and gently pulled Nia back by the waist before she could actually draw her blade.
"Easy, Little Nia. This is Vaeloria Lunareth, the Ten-Tailed Celestial Fox—my master… and my lover."
With a dramatic flourish, he presented her like a showman unveiling the night's star. Nia froze for a beat, her mind faltering, before her frown deepened twice over and the flames around her flared hotter.
"A f-fox? What is that, and what do you mean, lover?!"
Vaeloria tilted her head, dark eyes glinting with quiet curiosity.
'Why is she acting like the fox race is something new?'
She kept he thought to herself.
Ash carried on, completely unfazed.
"Vaeloria, meet Nia Solace— also my lover."
Vaeloria's expression remained unchanged; she had seen them kiss in the throne room, after all.
The two women just stared at each other, the tension between them almost tangible.
Ash face-palmed, then hooked his arms through theirs and started walking, pulling them along.
"Look, I know the idea of me having multiple lovers is… a lot. But it's not something I can just turn off. Literally."
He offered a wry, resigned smile, the kind that somehow made his confession feel more like a promise than an apology.
"Six months ago, I stopped being entirely human. I became the embodiment of a concept."
Both women blinked.
"A concept?" they repeated in perfect, startled unison. Neither had ever heard the term before—until moments ago, Nia hadn't even known anything but humans existed.
Ash nodded.
"Think of it like an affinity, but older, and more primal.... And the concept I am… is Lust."
He held their gazes without flinching.
"I will always draw others and be drawn to them. Fighting it would be like asking fire not to burn. So yes, there will be others. But never random. Never meaningless."
Three heartbeats of silence followed, as heavy as the coming dusk.
Then, in the same instant,
"Fine, but…"
"Fine, however…"
They faced each other, glares meeting like crossed swords. Nia let out a breath first.
"It's fine, but if you ever bring someone into our bed, into our family, you'd better actually love them, alright? Not just because they're pretty."
Vaeloria's brow lifted, a glimmer of real respect flickering in those dark eyes.
'That's exactly what I would have demanded.'
Ash's smile turned soft, devastatingly soft.
He pressed a lingering kiss to Nia's forehead, lips then turned and brushed another to the glowing moon mark on Vaeloria's brow.
"I love you two."
Warmth and fierce devotion answered him from both sides, a silent vow that needed no words.
They strolled on, arms linked, until the border stones of Velora territory loomed ahead like ancient sentinels, deep-indigo banners rippling in the evening breeze. Nia glanced toward the far-off walls, then back at him, her voice quiet but sure.
"So… what are we doing in Velora territory, Ashy?"
Ash released his hold on their waists, rolled his shoulders, and strode forward alone, his coat flaring behind him like the wings of living night.
"Well, today we're starting our own kingdom."
He threw a glance over his shoulder with the most casual, arrogant shrug, as if he'd just suggested stopping for lunch.
"And what better foundation than something already good and established?"
The easy, unshakable confidence in his words struck both women like a physical touch. Nia's breath hitched, her cheeks burning crimson, a helpless sound slipping from her as heat coiled low in her belly.
Vaeloria's ten tails curled close, her thighs pressing together as a shiver ran through her, raw and ancient in its pull.
They shared a swift, heated glance—understanding sparking between human and fox, like lightning in a storm—before hurrying after their beautiful, impossible man.
Today, a kingdom would crumble.
Tomorrow, one would rise.
And neither had any intention of sharing the view with the unworthy.