Three weeks had passed since Elios had started training with Lia. During this period there were more times when he was absent rather than not, but since the undead lord still handled the management of the territory it didn't cause many problems with those that remained in the castle.
And majority of the problems it did cause, were just the personal issues of one person.
While sitting in the room behind the curtain of the throne room, on a separate couch from the one Elios used, Jeanne glared at a set of files as if she wanted to use the Magic Eye of Fire and burn a hole through them.
"Damn her!"
Since becoming Elios' familiar, everyone who knew Jeanne was used to her sharp tongue and were aware that she was normally a very rational person. However, there were two people who could cause her rationality to vanish. One was her master who she swore her everything to, and the other was the Queen of Night City.
Jeanne wasn't sure why but she just couldn't stand that woman, and that feeling only grew every time she had to look at one of the 'gifts' she sent.
The gifts used to be short messages exaggerating how much Elios loved it over there, but after Jeanne asked for proof the gifts started including obscene photos with her master and sometimes Queen as the focus.
The fact that there was not a single time where his private parts were shown was what allowed Jeanne to keep clinging to the hope that this was fake, but it was enough to make her too afraid to simply ask him for an answer.
With every day he stayed over there, the urge to stop him from leaving grew. As a loyal familiar she knew how selfish and foolish that would be, treasonous even, but her own excessive loyalty egged on her jealousy.
She didn't think there was anything wrong if he wanted to 'relieve stress', but the two of them had been together for ten years, and yet not a single time had he touched her in that way.
She believed that he just didn't fancy that act, but now, she wondered if he just wasn't attracted to her.
Maybe she, not Ein, was the most useless familiar. Ein was gathering vital information, Brad was strong enough to protect the castle in her master's absence, Thanatos was in charge of raising their undead army, but what about her?
He once said that she was his aide, his right hand. But did he really need her? Sure she helped out at the castle and took care of his personal needs, but anyone could do that.
If he didn't even want her body, she might as well be replaced by an undead with sufficient intelligence.
Due to these depressing thoughts that continued to linger in Jeanne's head, everyone in the castle could feel a dark aura around her 24/7.
If she was strict before, then now she was a total demon. Not a single mistake would go unfixed and unpunished.
"You call this cleaned? Redo it immediately!"
"Faster! Just because you're rotting doesn't mean you can't pick up the pace!"
"Why isn't this fixed yet? Are you trying to make me angry?"
Since the staff was all undead there was no need to worry about dissatisfaction growing among them, and all of the issues she brought up were valid ones so though she was intense, Thanatos didn't say anything about it either. However, Brad and Kaili had different opinions.
The two weren't that close, but they knew each other due to frequent meetings in the library.
"Why is Big Sister acting so, uptight lately?"
"I'm not sure but I think it has something to do with master staying over at Night City."
While Brad went back to reading a book on dangerous territories in Lambda, Kaili thought more about why Jeanne was so upset lately, and then, it clicked.
"Could she be jealous?"
"Jealous? Why?"
"Maybe she thinks young master will choose Lord Queen over her."
"Impossible. The bond between the master and us isn't something that can be broken so easily. She should know that."
"Hah, you don't understand women do you. Even if her mind tells her not to worry, the heart isn't so easily convinced."
Brad had to lower his book and raise an eyebrow at the girl pretending to be experienced in these matters, but he didn't think she was completely wrong. Back when they were human, he did remember her showing some incomprehensible behavior so maybe that behavior was still part of her true self.
'I guess I should do something then.'
If he referenced her human behaviour, once she got fed up she would eventually take more drastic measures, and he didn't want her to do anything that might hinder the master.
On the day before Elios would meet Viscount Rose for the first time, Jeanne was ranting to herself inside the usual room.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
The latest piece of evidence that Lia sent along with a message that her master would be staying over, had Jeanne incomparably frustrated. She was constantly trying to come to terms with the fact that he just didn't see her in that light, but her efforts were never a match for Lia's provocation.
'If only I could just ask master about it, I could finally find some closure.'
Despite the fact that she knew she lacked the courage to ask him, Jeanne really wished Elios was there with her.
"Hey, you have a troubled look as usual."
In response to the relaxed voice that she heard, Jeanne raised her head to look at Brad's confident expression.
"...What is it?"
"I've been thinking that you're not looking too well these days, so I thought we should have a drink together and relax."
As he raised a wine bottle and fancy transparent cups, Jeanne found her eyes drawn to them but she still shook her head.
"Not interested."
"Oh, don't be like that. If you don't drink I'll tell master how lonely are you~"
"Tch, you sound like One."
"Well, he does know how to lighten the mood."
Though Jeanne maintained her frown, when Brad handed her a glass she took it and let him fill it up with the dark-purple wine. She stared at the liquid a little longer before taking a sip and flinched due to the unexpected high quality.
"This..."
"It's good isn't it? I found it in a cellar underground. Apparently it's been there since this castle was still owned by humans."
"Did you ask for permission before taking this out?"
"Of course I did. Undead lord told me that they had no use for it so I could take as much as I liked."
"Hmm."
Jeanne was curious about the backstory of this wine, but she was more interested in enjoying the taste.
Half-spiritual beings like them couldn't get drunk, but the way Jeanne's expression softened after every sip was proof that the wine was helping.
Without any more talking, the two continued to drink until Jeanne dozed off.
"Hopefully this makes her feel less stressed."
Brad laid a sheet over her before leaving the room with the empty glasses and wine bottle.
Brad wanted her to get a good night's sleep and clear her mind, but soon after he left Jeanne woke up and stared at the ceiling, bothered by the fact that she was alone in this room.
'Should I, contact him?'
Despite the fact that she couldn't get drunk, Jeanne tricked herself into thinking she was. That way, any mistakes she made would just be because she was drunk.
"Master."
Jeanne nervously initiated the conversation.
"Did something happen?"
His voice, which she missed, reverberated in her head, and pushed her to keep going.
"...That woman sent a message saying that you won't be coming home. Is it true?"
"Well, yes. I have to get in the right mood for my meeting tomorrow."
At this point, Jeanne froze for her a moment before forcing out the words that she wanted to get across.
"...Was I not good enough?"
"Hmm, what do you mean?"
"Am I not appealing to you?"
Her heart pounded as she waited for his answer, which she swore to accept no matter what it was.
"Before we go any further, let's see if there are any misunderstandings I need to clear up. What did Lia tell you?"
"She, said that, you need to rest there so that you could meet that noble with a clear mind."
"Mhmm."
"And so to make sure you could be in your best condition, she said that she would provide you with the best service."
"...Wait, what?"
"She said you told her that you needed to **** a few ******* so that your hungry **** could be satisfied."
"Um,"
"And so she sent some of her succubi to your room so that you could **** and **** while ******** without worrying about safety."
"And you believed her?"
"I didn't want to believe her at first, but then she mentioned the cute mark on your upper back and the fact that you are sensitive around the upper part of your stomach."
"Huh? I have that? I do!! Wait, why does she know that? Why do you know that?!"
She pretended not to hear certain questions and went on.
"But, but the thing that pushed me to believe her the most was the image she sent of the two of you in bed. I ran all sorts of tests but, it, it, it was real!"
"It was real?!"
Her vision became blurry with tears as she laid her heart bare. She had no idea what she wanted him to say, she just wanted an answer. However, she wasn't sure if was she truly prepared for it.
Her lack of preparation became more obvious as she even got sweaty while waiting for her master to respond.
As fear that he was disappointed in her set in, she hesitantly called, "Master?"
"It's not like that. Do you really think I would waste my precious time on something like sex?"
"Well, no, but she mentioned that you would find it bothersome to have a one night stand with someone you see everyday."
'I thought it sounded like you too.'
"..."
"It's true, isn't it. It's okay I'll still be faithful to you. I'll always be your right hand. Even if you don't want my help in that area."
Jeanne tried to calm down as she convinced herself that she couldn't let him be any more disillusioned than he already was.
"J-, Witch. I'm your master, aren't I?"
"...Yes."
"Then there's no point to this conversation."
'...'
"You're, right. I shouldn't poke my nose into my master's matters should I."
'I'm such an idiot. I overstepped my bounds because of these stupid feelings. How could I be so selfish?'
"No, that's not it. I became your master, I made you one of my people because I wanted you by my side. Out of all my surbordinates, I made you my aide. Don't doubt the feelings I had when I made that decision."
At that moment, she felt a ripple in her heart. As if all of her questions, all of her worries and all of her fear were peacefully quelled.
'That's right. How could I forget?'
"... You're right. I really wasted your time, master. And to make it worse I let the words of that woman stain my loyal feelings, I'm willing to take any punishment to make up for this sin."
"It's fine. Just continue to act fit as my right hand."
"Of course. I'll put my greatest efforts into making myself useful to you."
Once Jeanne finally cut the call, she held her hands at her chest and had a sweet yet determined smile that would have surely fascinated Elios if he was there to witness it.
"That's right. I don't need to think about anything else. As long as I pour my heart into serving him, our bond will never be threatened."
[Your skill has met the required conditions. Devotion has evolved into Fervent Loyalty.]
[Jeanne
Race: Half-Spirit Familiar
Strength: 788
Agility: 839
Dexterity: 811
Defence: 699
Skills: Assimilation (Unique) | Curse Magic (MAX) (Rare) | Holy Magic (MAX) (Rare) | Magic Eyes of Perception (Rare) | Fire Magic (MAX) (Rare) | Fervent Loyalty (Unique) | Hypnosis (Rare) | Forest's Blessing (Special) | Dark Magic (MAX) (Rare) | Necromancy (MAX) (Rare) | Mana Manipulation (Rare) | Barrier (Rare) | Superspeed Thought Processing (Special) | Drain Touch (Rare) | Dragon Eyes of Truth (Incomplete) (Rare) | Nature Magic (level 8) (Rare) | Spirit Form (Special) | Return (Rare) | Spatial Magic (level 3) (Special) | Wind Magic (level 4) (Rare) | Water Magic (level 5) (Rare) | Earth Magic (level 4) (Rare)
Titles:]
[Fervent Loyalty (Unique)
Your feelings for your master have surpassed any and all limits.
All stats +10 when acting for your master's sake
All stats +20 when being commanded by your master
All stats +30 when being in close proximity with your master
All stats +50 when in close contact with your master
All stats +100 when protecting your master
Magic capacity also increases in proportion with the stat increases
Stat increases for each condition stack
Any fatal wounds incurred by your master can be transferred to the you. Your master cannot be killed as long as you are alive.]