I will strive beyond this cursed bloodline!

Elizabeth wasn’t quite sure what to think at the moment. For one, the job evolution was going quite well. She had prepared most of her Shadow Mages to deal with any mana surges, set up Aura at the ready to teleport anyone who got in the way of one of the mana surges, and even spread her minions around to make sure no one would be a victim.

 

To make sure there weren’t civilians around.

 

Even with all of this, she had expected something going [Wrong], but even so. Rena had opened her eyes, and the silly girl had apologized to them because she hadn’t picked a [Job] suited for combat.

 

Even with that, Elizabeth could feel how Rena’s [Authority] grew and how her [Mana] became heavier and more refined. What kind of [Jobs] had she ignored that she could even think that this one would give her less power?

 

Elizabeth didn’t know.

 

What she knew was that she had never been happier in her life. Not only was Rena safe, but she was also [Healing].

 

Elizabeth noticed how the apartment within her [Shadow Haven] had grown more stable, the fusing of their shared space was coming along quite nicely. And that meant that Rena was recovering.

 

That meant that Rena was one step closer to a full health.

 

Part of the reason Elizabeth was so adamant about waiting until they were eighteen was that she wanted both Rena and Rossie to be as healed as possible so they could all work forward with a serious relationship.

 

With all the jokes and silly things she liked to do and act, she really wanted a formal relationship to be set before fully immersing herself in it—before committing to the next step, before moving from a mere romantic relationship to a full-fledged relationship.

 

“So long as you are happy, I am happy, Rena,” Elizabeth said to her girlfriend before turning to Rossie.

 

The one next to go under the job evolution. Elizabeth was more worried about this one than about Rena and even about herself. God knew what she would find when she tried to tier up her job.

 

What kind of options would she even get?

 

But Elizabeth would find out about that soon enough. And before she could even think about it, Rossie had already sunk way deep into her job change. Elizabeth didn’t perceive any changes around her other girlfriend.

 

Her Mana was stable, her soul only seemed to twitch in annoyance…or surprise, she wasn’t that good at interpretting the changes of the soul like Rossie was.

 

“Beatrice, Aura. Any changes upon Rossie?” Elizabeth asked aloud.

 

“None so far Mistress, Mother seems to be taking her time and picking her choices.” Beatrice was the first to answer.

 

“Sounds about right, she seems to be increasing in weight but nothing important. I should still be able to teleport her away in case of an emergency. And the containment cell is ready to receive her.” Aura answered…with information a little more concerning.

 

“If I may Mistress?” And as a third and final option, Reginald chimed in. Right, she had him back… Elizabeth nodded at the butler and so he answered. “Mistress Rossaline’s Soul Structure is stable, it seems to be moving into a healthier state. As for the weight increase…. well I think we don’t need to worry about that. Mistress Rosaline and Mistress Rena are merely moving closer to you Mistress.”

 

She was? They were?

 

Elizabeth didn’t feel their connection grow stronger, they did felt more familiar, but wasn’t that normal? They were living together, eating together…learning together. Elizabeth liked to think that she knew more about Rossie than she did two years ago. And even thought they just had started having Rena with them.

 

Elizabeth had learned plenty about the red-haired girl, like how, even though she had a strong front, she was more childish than anyone else. She liked cute clothes, and if it wasn’t because Rena had access to Rossaline and Elizabeth, Rena would have probably gotten a plushie to hug.

 

Actually, Elizabeth would commission a plushie in her form and another in Rossie’s form for Rena. Yes, then she would get a third one with her own form and would make them all kiss and do…things.

 

“Fine, no evidence of anything going wrong? Her [Soul] is not going to burst or anything?” Elizabeth still remembered how Rossie’s soul had looked before bursting into oblivion. She had felt her blood grow cold, and her heart almost broke.

 

She knew that if Rossie’s soul had burst… There would be no bringing her back, something told her that she would never manage to get her back. Even if she managed to save her [Body], there would be nothing there.

 

“Nothing so far, everything seems to be settling fine.” Beatrice answered as she manipulated a few of Rossie’s diagnosis artifacts.

 

It annoyed her that Beatrice was better at using Rossie’s magic than Elizabeth. But well, like daughter like mother, or something.

 

“Lady Rossaline is about to wake up Mistress, do you wish for a picture?” Aura asked from the side while manifesting a magical circle, it had the [Image Record] spell node.

 

“How dare you even suggest that!” Elizabeth snarled, “Of course I do, you should know better!”

 

And answered as such, Rena's panicked face when Elizabeth pretended to be angry was funny. “Sorry for the scare Rena, but I do need something to release stress. Since I can’t indulge in the pleasures of the flesh like you and Rossie do.” And the blushed face that Rena made after that was adorable.

 

“Pictures taken Mistress.” Aura said from the side.

 

Making Rena’s blush climb higher and turning it redder.

 

“*Thumbs up*” Elizabeth enjoyed when Aura used his evil powers for the good of Elizabethkind.

 

One of the very few reasons the girl could get away with most of the things she did to tease her was that she was also her main dealer for Rossie and Rena's cute pictures. Elizabeth could probably sell an encyclopedia with the amount of cute pictures Aura had given her through the months.

 

There was a gap in those true, mostly since Aura wasn’t that… old. And then the last month they had been mostly offline since she had been slumbering as a part of the mind of a fragmented dragon. But still!

 

Aura worked fast.

 

“I’m back.” And the melodious voice of her hot psycho girlfriend brought her back.

 

“Welcom-” Elizabeth was about to say before Rossaline silenced her with a kiss in her mouth, the pink-haired girl’s attack was relentless and she could even feel the other girl’s tongue explore her mouth with great interest.

 

As if the girl didn’t already know how her mouth was made. Or how she tasted.

 

“Ross-” Elizabeth attempted to speak between kisses, but Rossie didn’t allowed it. “Hmmmghhalshkdalslk.”

 

Almost as if the other girl had experienced something bad and wanted soothing. Elizabeth didn’t mind that, of course, but she also needed to know why she was soothing her.

 

“[Rossie, I don’t mind this, but can you explain why are we making out?]” Elizabeth wrote in the air with her shadow manipulation and left the message hovering behind her where Rossie’s eyes could see.

 

She left control over the message to one of her minions since she could feel her mana manipulation wanting to slip and turn into shadowy tentacles….to help her better support herself and Rossaline, of course.

 

“...Have I ever told you how grateful I am because you don’t hate me?” Rossie said after reading her message and ensuring her makeup was intact from the…somewhat wet welcome back they did.

 

“No?” Elizabeth said confused, “Why would I hate you? You were with me before anyone else, you helped me. You loved me more than anyone…besides my parents. Above all, you were my greatest friend, and now you are one of the greatest girlfriends any girl could hope to have.”

 

And she was, Elizabeth didn’t doubt it for a second, if Rossaline Singh hadn’t been there. She wouldn’t be here, she wasn’t even sure she would have survived the [Advent]. Or would have woken up as fast as she did.

 

“....I know you are aware.” Rossie said with a sad tone, “That I… manipulated you into loving me.”

 

That statement floored Elizabeth.

 

“....I….will go outside…and stick my head into… the sand or something, you….resolve that and send someone to get me if you need help. Okay bye!” Jenna said while walking to the outside of the tent.

 

Half a second later, they heard the sound of something hitting the ground hard, followed by a muffled scream.

 

“That is what worried you?” Elizabeth asked, getting a whimper and an adorable nod from Rossie.

 

“Rossaline Singh, let me tell you this again.” Elizabeth said sitting straight and staring right at Rossie’s pink eyes, the girl tried to shift her eyes anywhere else, but Elizabeth got hold of her head and made sure the other girl was looking at her. “There were very few ways someone could tamper with my mind at that time. Ethan was one and he only managed because he wormed himself before Mother set up her protections upon my mind. No power on Zaanam could have allowed you to make me do or think anything I didn’t want to think.”

 

And Elizabeth was sure of this, Rossie was smart, hot, cute, mildly crazy, but she wasn’t that good at magic to pierce the protections set up by Mother.

 

“...B..but the boiling crab strategy…” Rossie whimpered as she made her case.

 

“No Rossie, those didn’t made me fall in love with you. If anything they enabled me to laze around, those made me think of you like a good friend. I got bashful at seeing you naked, yes. I got worried for you when you would take too much time doing the laundry, but mostly because I thought that you were too serious about making sure our clothes were white.” Elizabeth found those instances funny, she now knew that Rossie was probably using her underwear for other reasons besides making sure they were pristine white, but she didn’t mind that now…or not as much as she would have minded if she ever found out before, “No. I fell in love with your dedication to me, with how much you cared for me. I fell in love to you, because you were there and took the time to worry about me.”

 

Elizabeth Starbright didn’t love Rossaline Singh because she was a woman, or because she had tried to manipulate herself into her heart. No. She loved the lone girl who took the time to care for her.

 

If Rena had done that, Elizabeth would probably love Rena and think of Rossaline as a friend. If anyone else had done what Rossie did, she would probably love that one.

 

“No one else did what you did for me, so looking at all of that as a single movie, then finding you continued doing that even when there was no guarantee of my awakening. Knowing how far you went for me…knowing you grounded your soul for me.” And that was one of the important bits, “How could I not love you?”

 

Anyone who received all of that and didn’t love the other person back was a crazy person, “Why does it matter that you wanted to manipulate me into loving you? I wasn’t manipulated into loving you, I loved you from my own accord.” Or at least Elizabeth liked to think that.

 

“...If…someone else had your memories and they said they hated what I did…wouldn’t that mean that under other circumstances you wouldn’t have loved me then?” Rossie asked in a small voice.

 

“Rossaline Singh, would you love me if I was a worm?” Elizabeth asked back.

 

“Hah? What has that to do with this?” Rossie asked back.

 

“What has someone else with my memories have anything to do with our relationship?” Elizabeth asked back.

 

“....fine…And I would love you so long you still were Elizabeth and not someone else, worm, girl, dragon…what matters is that you are you.” Rossie answered.

 

“And so long I am myself I will still love you Rossie, someone else with my memories will not be me. They will be someone else who happens to have my memories, they will have other set of values and opinions, they may be valid to them. But I myself think that I will love you no matter what, be it now or in a thousand years.” Elizabeth was sure of that, at the very least.

 

That even one thousand years afterwards Elizabeth would still love Rossie. Even after eight thousand years later…she would still yearn for her. One hundred million and two thousand more?

 

She would still proudly say [I love you].

 

“*Sniff* Okay, go on then. You have a job evolution to go through.” Rossie smiled while still crying.

 

“No.” But Elizabeth’s answer seemed to take Rossie by surprise.

 

“No?” Rossie sniffed while asking, “You need to [Evolve] your job, we don’t know when [Shadow Pact] will come. We need to be ready, we need to train and settle this new power. Even at this moment I don’t think my [Spells] would work as well as before. Imagine how much you will grow!”

 

Rossie was getting frantic.

 

“Elizabeth, there are important things to do. If [Shadow Pact] arrives, you will not be ready. The more time we waste, the more time you will lose practicing.” Rossie said as her eyes shone with the pink hue of her mana, she was losing control over her mana, just like in old times.

 

“Rossie, you are right.” Elizabeth said.

 

“But you are also wrong.” Rena said from behind Elizabeth, before she could say anything else. “There are important things, that is correct. But you are one of those important things too Rossie.”

 

“Exactly, we have important things. But you and Rena are the most important things for me.” Elizabeth said, taking Rena’s hand with her left and Rossie’s hand with her right. “If [Shadow Pact] came this very instant, we would just teleport away and try again later. But if I left you here crying just because we have no time to lose. That would mean that I would be prioritizing a man over my girlfriend.”

 

Elizabeth smiled at the notion of that, she didn’t mind men as potential lovers, even if Rossie was a full blown declared lesbian and Rena seemed to have developed some type of fear for men.

 

“Do you want me to prioritize a man over my girlfriend, Rossie?” Elizabeth asked mischievously.

 

Of the three girls she was the only one that would entertain the idea of having a romantic relationship with a man after all.

 

“NO!” Rena screamed first, “I mean…No. If it is instead of me then maybe, but not for Rossie. She doesn’t deserve that…I mean…That’s up to you?”

 

“Thank you Ren-Ren.” Rossie smiled while cleaning some of the tears that had pilled up on her cheeks, “Eli-Eli doesn’t mean it. She would never bring someone who we had a trouble with to our relationship. She is just teasing.”

 

“You know me the best Rossie.” Elizabeth said, “So, what will it be…will you tell me what the problem is, why are you suddenly so moody?”

 

Rossie seemed to squirm under her watchful gaze. Of course, she didn’t let go of her hand, and with Rena at Elizabeth’s side, Rossaline had no way of escape. Of course, she could use Elizabeth’s skill…

 

“*Sigh*” In the end, Rossie didn’t have another option but to surrender, “I…saw someone while selecting my job evolution… that [Someone] told me that anyone with Elizabeth’s memories would hate what I tried to do. Even if she didn’t hate me for trying to get Elizabeth to love me, but for the way I tried to do it.”

 

….

 

“She said that…she didn’t like how I tried to manipulate you, she hated how I tried to do it, not the result.” Rossie said with a sad face, “And she is right…I know she is right, what I did…well, it wasn’t something someone [Good] would do.”

 

“Okay.” Elizabeth said nodding, “We are killing someone.”

 

“Yes.” Rena immediately accepted, her hair and eyes shining in red malevolent light. Hot…in more than one way.

 

“Eli-Eli, Ren-Ren. No.” Rossie said, trying to sound imposing.

 

“They deserve it for making you cry.” Elizabeth said frowning.

 

“They messed around; it is only right that they find out.” Rena nodded.

 

“Even so. No. If it was someone else, then I would be with you. Hell, I wouldn’t even be rattled by it. I have been told way worse…I have done way worse.” Rossie sighed, “But she has a point; she is one of the very few people who have an opinion on this matter.”

 

Now that, that put Elizabeth thinking.

 

“Who was this? Who got a copy of…my….memories…..” Elizabeth realized who this was as soon as she started asking the question. “...you met… Chloe?”

 

“Yes.” Rossie nodded, “And I guess you will soon too.”

 

“I met them too.” Rena said, “They helped me with the job change… And they gave me wonderfull options, the one I picked was thanks to them.”

 

“Yeah…even with all of that, with what she said to me. Chloe still helped me.” Rossie smiled too, “She gave me the best present anyone has ever given to me.”

 

And with a wink thrown Elizabeth’s way, “At least for now.” Rossie added.

 

…..right….

 

“Fine,” Elizabeth grumbled, “We will not kill Chloe, but I will still have some words with her; she can’t just go around making my girlfriend cry like that.”

 

And why would she even do that? She had Elizabeth’s memories!

 

She should love Rossie!

 

“No, wait, she doesn’t love you?” Elizabeth asked when she realized that, “Why?”

 

“I don’t know? She said that even if she has your memories she isn’t you.” Rossie said, “I thought you knew that already, you did hint towards saying that just because someone has your memories they aren’t you.”

 

“But that was anyone else! Chloe is [Elemental Weaver], she has a carbon copy of my mind!” Elizabeth pointed, “She is literally me before [Advent]. And after [Advent] when I saw and realized everything you did for me I fell in love with you! She should have seen the same as me!”

 

An that was the greatest mistery of this, why…didn’t [Elemental Weaver] love Rossie?

 

“Well, you can ask her yourself. If you see them during your [Job Evolution], you can ask her.” Rossie answered, “And since we saw them, there is no reason why you shouldn’t see them too.”

 

That was….right.

 

“Fine, I will do this stupid job evolution thing.” Elizabeth said glaring at the blue screen that was hovering at her side. “Job Evolution, give me the options.”

 

Elizabeth said as she closed her eyes and felt herself being pulled toward her [Soul].