-The eventful night had finally passed. As the morning sun crept through the curtains, Dazai stirred from his slumber. His senses were still dulled by sleep, but something felt… off. A warmth beside him. Movement. The scent of something familiar yet unexpected.He hesitated before lifting the sheets—his eyes widened slightly. Beneath the covers, laying close beside him in an undressed state, was Deadmourne-
-Dazai's breath hitched-
Dazai :"What the... hell happened here!?"
-Deadmourne stirred at his sudden outburst, lazily opening her eyes as if nothing was amiss. She stretched slightly, her bare shoulders exposed as she looked at him with a teasing smirk-
Deadmourne : "Mmm? What's wrong, Master? Why so noisy this early?"
-Dazai's eye twitched-
Dazai : "One—I told you to stop calling me 'Master.' And two—what in heaven's name did you do!?"
-Deadmourne chuckled, a sweet yet laced-with-mischief sound. She casually traced a slow circle on his chest with her fingertip-
Deadmourne: "Well,"- she purred- "since the other night you said I could have anything I wanted… I chose something sacred to humans your age. Your chastity, right?"
-Dazai's expression darkened- : "You—"
-silenced him by placing a finger against his lips-
Deadmourne :"Don't worry. You can use mana to fool your future brides or whatever. No one has to know."
-Dazai scowled-
Dazai :"Future brides? What the hell do you mean by that?"
-Deadmourne's smirk widened before she leaned in, pressing a short but deliberate kiss against his lips-
Deadmourne : "Those marks on your neck... The ones from me and the Queen of Dragons–who is also my mother–they aren't just casual signs of alliance in our kind. They signify a deeper bond. In short, dear husband… you're already taken."
-Dazai froze. His mind went blank for a moment. He could deal with business schemes, assassination plots, and even rewriting technological advancements in this world—but this? This was beyond what he had anticipated.
Fate, it seemed, was testing his patience.
After some time, they both got dressed, Deadmourne slipping into a maid uniform. Dazai exhaled, rubbing his temples-
Dazai :"Fine. Assets are crucial, and I suppose having two powerful dragons as wives isn't the worst outcome." He sighed. "For now, you'll act as my personal maid to avoid unnecessary questions."
-Just as he finished speaking, the doors suddenly swung open. Touka, Dazai's mother, stepped in with her usual energy, likely ready to smother her son with affection. But as soon as she laid eyes on Deadmourne, she halted-
-Her gaze flickered to the dragoness, then subtly sniffed the air. The remnants of intimacy still lingered in the room, barely noticeable but enough for someone like her to pick up on-
-Her usual cheerful expression faltered for a split second before she masked it again.Dazai swallowed hard-
Dazai :"Mother! What a lovely morning, isn't it?" -He forced a casual smile, gesturing toward Deadmourne- "Allow me to introduce the new maid I hired. She's well-versed in historical studies and has been assisting me in town. Her name is Maria."
-Deadmourne—now Maria—bowed elegantly, lifting her gaze to meet Touka's-
Maria :"It is a pleasure to be working here… for Young Lord Dazai's benefit."
-Touka's eyes narrowed slightly-
Touka:"Oh? For his benefit? And what exactly do those entail?"
-Maria smiled, unfazed-
Maria : "I'm afraid I cannot disclose that, as it would break the trust between myself and my Young Lord."
-Touka's gaze darkened momentarily-
Touka : "Oh? Your Young Lord?"
-Their eyes locked. The air between them grew thick with an unspoken rivalry, a silent battle of dominance. The urge to test each other—to see who would be the first to flinch—was palpable-
-Dazai, sensing the tension, quickly clapped his hands together to change the topic-
Dazai :"…Uhmm, moving on—Mother, is the training room prepared yet?"
-Touka blinked, her usual demeanor returning. She let out a dramatic sigh before swiftly pulling Dazai into a tight embrace, squeezing hard enough to nearly cut off his air supply-
Touka :"Yes, my dear baby boy, everything has been arranged just for you~! Though, I must say, it was quite the surprise when you requested a training room a few months ago. I suppose you're strengthening your skills for the academy, yes?"
-Dazai chuckled nervously-
Dazai :"Yeah… something like that."
-In truth, his reasons were far different. But before she could probe further, he swiftly kissed her cheek-
-That, of course, made her completely forget about her question.Touka gasped, then giggled with absolute glee, practically skipping out of the room-
Touka : "My baby boy kissed me~! La-la-la~ I should think of more ways to get this side of him~!"
-As soon as she disappeared, Dazai let out a deep sigh of relief, his posture relaxing slightly.Maria tilted her head, studying him curiously-
Maria : "Dear husband, if I may ask… how did you fight against the Hero like that? Without prior battle experience?"
-Dazai shot her a glare-
Dazai :"First off, never call me 'husband' when my mother is around. Second—" he folded his arms "—in my past life, I trained in martial arts and boxing. That was enough to handle someone who relied too much on raw power."
-Maria's eyes glinted with interest-
Maria : "I see. But still… you were able to outmaneuver him so easily."
-Dazai smirked-
Dazai :"It was a calculated risk. But now that I have access to proper training, I can finally learn the Carnage techniques."
-His expression darkened slightly as his thoughts shifted-
Dazai :"Jester… He wasn't strong enough to capture the Dragon Queen. Nor did he seem to have any idea what a dragon's tear could do to a human. That means someone else is pulling the strings."
-His sea-blue eyes gleamed with cold determination-
Dazai : "And sooner or later, they'll show up." He clenched his fists. "When they do… they'll crash and burn by my hand."
-A smirk ghosted across his lips-
Dazai : "After all… that's how business works."