Valen held Cassia's gaze for several seconds. She was fucking beautiful…
Although the silence between them was so dense it seemed to absorb the sound of his own breathing.
Cassia had gray eyes, cold and sharp, that fixed on his without blinking.
There was no trace of fear or hatred toward him. Even though he already knew the deep hatred she felt, the kind of hatred cultivated over years and sharpened every morning like a knife.
Valen felt a shiver that did not come from the chill in the room.
"Cassia," he began, in a forced but neutral tone he remembered from the novels he used to read.
The elf lowered her head again and then raised it. "Your mother, the duchess, is waiting for you for breakfast," she said in a neutral and professional manner.
"Would you like me to guide you there immediately or… do you prefer to delay?"
Valen caught the subtle venom in those words. It was not an innocent question.
"There's no rush," he replied, taking a step toward her. "First I want to clear something up."
Cassia did not step back; she only adjusted her posture, her shoulders slightly straighter. She distributed her weight so she could move in any direction in less than a second, if necessary.
Valen noticed, but for some sick reason, he found it… intriguing.
"Are you still resentful about last night?" he asked, expecting that he had done something wrong. And it seemed he had.
Cassia's lips pressed into a thin line.
"My feelings are not relevant, Your Excellency. I am merely fulfilling the contract…"
"Good. Because feelings won't make the contract disappear," he replied, and immediately regretted it.
[Cassia Stormguard Affinity: -30% ➔ -38%]
[Notable progress. You managed to sound like an arrogant noble without getting stabbed… yet. Keep it up.]
Valen ignored the system message and took another step forward. Now he was close enough to smell the scent of dried herbs emanating from her. Cassia clenched her jaw, but did not move.
Without asking, Valen raised his hand and brushed the tip of her left ear with his fingertips.
The contact was warm.
The ear was soft, almost like freshly washed velvet. Valen felt it tremble subtly under his touch.
Cassia went completely still for a fraction of a second; then a visible shiver ran down her spine.
Her pupils dilated and her breathing hitched, while a faint, traitorous blush climbed from her pale neck to tint the tips of her ears, because of Valen's sudden action.
'W-what the hell does he think he's doing?' she thought, confused and tense.
Valen did not notice her reaction. He slowly slid his fingers from the base to the tip, tracing a curve with deliberate slowness.
He felt the ear contract and then relax against his palm, as if it had a life of its own.
Cassia swallowed a sharp sound that was about to escape her lips. Her knees weakened subtly; for a second she almost lost her balance, but managed to prevent it.
Her hand rose instinctively to cover her violated ear, but stopped halfway, trembling.
'Don't… do that,' she thought, but did not dare refuse an action from her contractor.
Valen calmly withdrew his hand, watching her.
"Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt!" she replied instantly, without measuring her tone. Her cheeks were flushed. "You… caught me off guard…," she murmured. It was humiliating for her to react like that.
However, her body betrayed her in ways she could not control. Her breathing had become rapid and her nipples, beneath her clothes, hardened almost imperceptibly. All of that escaped her own will.
[Cassia Stormguard Affinity: -38% ➔ -36%]
[Net progress: +2%. You discovered elves' number one weak point and used it to piss her off… and turn her on at the same time. You are a glorious disaster.]
[Tutorial mission completed!]
[You survived the conversation without getting your throat slit.]
[Reward: +50 EXP ➔ Level 1 (50/100)]
[Additional information unlocked: The original Valen was a sadist with a declared fetish for non-human ears. Cassia has been under a total control contract for three years. If you die, she dies. If you free her… there's an 87% chance she'll try to cut your throat before you finish the sentence.]
Valen felt a cold knot in his stomach.
"Enough…," he said out loud, more to himself than to her. "Take me to my mother. Now."
Cassia took several seconds to compose herself. She touched her ear with trembling fingers, took a deep breath, and nodded stiffly.
"As you command, Your Excellency."
***
The mansion's corridors were an endless spectacle: black marble with gold veins, crystal lamps floating with no visible support, tall windows showing the garden under the light of dawn.
Valen walked behind Cassia, absorbing every detail with a mixture of disbelief and childish greed.
'This is real… I'm in another world, magic exists…'
Servants appeared every few meters, lined against the wall like living statues: heads down, hands clasped, breathing controlled. None of them looked him in the eye.
Until he saw one who caught his attention.
A beastwoman of around twenty, with thin, velvety black ears and a long, fluffy tail curled around her own leg.
She had warm cinnamon-colored skin, golden eyes with vertical pupils, and generous curves that the uniform barely contained. Her name was Nyra, according to the system's quick flash.
Valen stopped.
Cassia took two more steps before turning around with evident annoyance.
He approached without hurry.
"Nyra," he said in a low, serious voice.
The beastgirl barely raised her gaze, maintaining her posture of respect.
Valen extended his hand and gently scratched the base of one of her ears.
The reaction was immediate.
Nyra tilted her head toward his palm with a slow movement, almost like a real cat.
A subtle, deep purr vibrated in her chest. Her eyes half-closed at the contact, and her tail began to sway from side to side with contained force, softly hitting the marble wall.
Cassia, a few meters away, froze. Her pointed ears flattened against her skull. Her expression was a mixture of disbelief and absolute disgust.
[Cassia Stormguard Affinity: -36% ➔ -41%]
Valen kept scratching for a few more seconds, fascinated by the way Nyra's body completely yielded to the contact.
"Your mother is waiting for you, Your Excellency," Cassia said, no longer able to endure what she was seeing.
Valen slowly withdrew his hand. Nyra's tail stopped reluctantly, as if protesting.
"Let's go," Cassia ordered, already turning on her heels with furious steps.
Valen followed her, still wearing a half-smile he could not erase.
They reached the main hall: a vast space, with high ceilings, windows overlooking a garden of black roses, and a long polished ebony table.
There they were.
His mother, Duchess Ysolde Emberwolf, around thirty-nine years old, intense red hair tied in a high bun, with loose strands framing an angular and perfect face.
With glacial violet eyes and full lips painted dark scarlet.
She wore a tight black gown with silver edges that highlighted a mature, voluptuous, and lethal figure. She emanated authority as if the air itself belonged to her.
At her side, Lira Emberwolf, seventeen years old.
A younger version of her mother: lighter red hair cascading to her waist, large violet eyes with golden specks, subtle freckles over her upturned nose, and heart-shaped lips.
She wore a flowing white dress that hinted at youthful curves.
Ysolde did not even lift her gaze from her glass of red wine.
"Valen," she said in a calm and cutting tone. "Sit."
Lira, on the other hand, looked up and smiled.
A sweet, bright smile… and sharp as a freshly opened razor.
"Good morning, little brother," she sang. "You're late. Again."
Valen felt the air grow heavier, denser, as if the entire room were holding its breath before a blow.
And the system, of course, did not stay quiet.
[Main mission updated: Survive the family breakfast without getting killed… or worse, without being publicly disinherited.]
Valen swallowed and took a seat.
'This is going to be a fucking disaster.'