With a relieved sigh, I slumped down into my chair and rubbed my tired eyes. After spending most of the previous day at the presentation, I’d had a lot of work to get done today. On its own, that would have been manageable, but I’d also decided that if I planned to leave the relative safety of Avalon to visit parts of my homeland I would also need to brush up on some additional combat magic. I’d spent the entire morning working on painfully tedious assignments for several of my classes, the Evocation homework in particular had been very annoying this week, and then the rest of the day alternating between studying in the library and practicing spells in a reserved practice room.

It had been thoroughly exhausting, the combination of high mana expenditure and dry treatises leaving me with a rather unpleasant headache. Even then, I’d tried to keep working, but when it began to get worse I’d decided to finish up and try to relax for the rest of the evening. I’d made some good progress today and it had been a generally productive week, so maybe I’d earned a bit of a break.

Hearing a quiet rustle, I looked up to find Rea kneeling silently on the floor beside me, a small tray balanced neatly over her head. Smiling, I picked up the steaming cup of tea and took a sip, finding it to be at exactly the temperature I liked. At the beginning, I’d wondered if all the effort I’d poured into binding the purple-skinned girl had been worth it, after all she was basically a nobody with no particular talent or experience. Since then however, she’d more than proven her worth. Just having all my pointless chores and small inconveniences taken care of with only minimal input from myself was well worth the cost of the reagents I’d used and the price of keeping her fed and otherwise taken care of.

Her tray empty, Rea wordlessly stood up from the small rug I’d set up for her by my desk and backed away. She returned a few moments later, this time gingerly carrying a tall vial of thick, white-gold liquid. I took another sip, then set my cup down and took the proffered vial. There was no tray involved this time, I trusted Rea’s balance to an extent, but not this far. Spilling a cup of tea was annoying. Spilling a dose of this would be expensive.

Holding the vial under my nose, I took a deep breath. The air over the milk felt sweet in a way that extended beyond simple physical sensation. Without a cap, the milk radiated mana in an effect oddly reminiscent of the overwhelming pressure from the presentation, except it felt more like a warm blanket than a stifling weight from the day before. Some initial observations had shown that, without the enchantments I’d found and inscribed into the prepared holding tanks, the milk would lose nearly fifty percent of its potency in just half an hour. With the amount of mana I could feel poring off it now, that didn’t surprise me in the slightest. It was a testament to how mana-rich the fluid was that it was only fifty percent.

I took another deep breath, savoring the smell for another moment, then shook my head and threw the small dose back like a shot. Half a cup of the mana-rich milk poured down my throat like a torrent of honeyed fire, both burning and soothing all at once. I felt invigorated and filled with energy, like I could run a marathon or cast a thousand fireballs. Even my pounding headache receded slightly, though not even the incredible milk could clear that out completely. Maybe if I took just a little bit more…

I shook my head again to clear it, rapidly cycling my mana to speed my stomach’s absorption of the milk. I’d very carefully figured out exactly how much of the stuff I could consume safely each day and dosed it out so I could take one shot in the morning and another in the evening. Any more than that and it could cause my body to overdraw on my soul, grievously damaging both. Unlike elves, who were born with incredibly durable bodies and massively large souls and thus could drink the stuff by the gallon even as babies, I had to be very careful with how much of the miraculous substance I drank.

Still, even with those strict limits, I could feel the improvement already. I was always careful to keep track of the growth of my soul, since that was one of the key indicators of when a mage was ready to cast higher circle spells, and I’d noticed a nearly ninety percent improvement over the last two weeks. It was still painfully slow compared to what I’d managed before I’d exceeded the initial soul-elasticity I was born with, but it was still an incredible increase and likely meant I would be able to attempt a fifth circle spell by the middle of next semester.

Beyond that, I could also feel the effects it was having on my body. They were slightly harder to measure than the effects on my soul, measuring the soul was something mages took very seriously and I’d learned over a dozen accurate techniques to do so in the last few years, but I could feel the difference. I felt… lighter in a way that was hard to describe. It was still a small difference, but after a few months… a few years… a few decades? It would build up into some real improvements. Combined with my circulations, which tended to be much more effective when used with a stronger body, and I had a feeling that the next time I had to fight an elf it would be on much more equal footing. Well… comparatively at least.

I shook my head a third time and used the cool, wet cloth Rea had given me to wipe my face. Drinking the stuff was rather… disorientating, though thankfully the mental effects cleared up after just a few moments. That was another thing I had to be careful about, multiple studies showed that elven milk wasn’t chemically addictive, but the rush of power it provided could still do an excellent job of mimicking the effects of that sort of substance. That was why I didn’t take my entire daily dose all at once, I’d tried it the first time around and nearly made some very poor decisions in the short minutes before my head had cleared up.

I double checked the vial to make sure I’d gotten every drop of the valuable fluid, then handed it back to Rea. I took another sip of tea, then used a touch of pure mana transformed into heat to raise the temperature of my drink by a few degrees and took another. Hmm, slightly too hot now. Directly transforming pure mana into elementally aligned mana was tricky, especially since I didn’t have any sort of affinity for fire or any of the associated elements. Maybe I could try to enchant a few of my cups? One to keep drinks cold and another to keep them hot? Or perhaps a variable stasis array, something that would preserve the exact state of the cup’s contents when it wasn’t being held? What would be the most mana-efficent way to arrange that sort of enchantment on a ceramic base material, maybe…

In the back of my mind, I noticed that Rea was back, kneeling once again in her usual spot by my chair. She’d stripped out of the light dress she’d been wearing and was diligently practicing a mana control exercise, small orbs of dim light dancing along her arms and breasts in intricate patterns. It was impressive progress, making light was one of the most simple applications of pure mana but she was controlling four several balls that were each moving independently. When I had time, I would probably need to evaluate her progress, maybe reward her or something if she was coming along as well as I’d hoped.

Oh! Right, I’d been meaning to ask Rea about what she thought Miranda might like. I set my pen down beside the preliminary cup sketch I’d been working on and turned to look at my little helper. Ahh, very neat, the little balls of light had a lovely light-pink tinge to them that I hadn’t noticed with just my mana sense. The contrast between their glow and her darker skin was rather lovely.

“I’ve been thinking,” I began slowly. Rea raised her head just enough that she was looking at my hips instead of my feet, “I want to put together some sort of reward, something to show that I appreciate how hard she’s been working for me…” I trailed off, biting my lip as I looked down at Rea. “Miranda’s done an excellent job these last few weeks. Between heading off rumors about the new duo, gathering information, and helping me with some of my own research, she’s been a very good servant. Do you have any ideas?”

Rea shifted around under my inquiring gaze, turning slightly so she was on her knees facing me with her palms resting lightly on her spread thighs and her head lowered submissively. “This slave… does not presume to know better than master. It is certain that whatever master decides is suitable will be an excellent choice.”

I sighed slightly in annoyance. That was one of the problems with asking Rea for input. It wasn’t quite as bad with the other two, though I’d spent much less time speaking with them, but Rea always defaulted to assuming I knew best. “I didn’t ask for the right solution, simply your own ideas. I will of course make my own decision in the end.” I winced internally as I finished speaking and saw Rea’s head sink even lower. That might have come out slightly harsher than I had intended.

After a few moments, Rea raised her head again. “This slave understands. This slave does not know Master’s Miranda well, but this slave has heard Master describe her as part succubus. Perhaps, Master should reward her in a manner befitting her heritage? This slave has read that Succubi are considered very lustful when summoned to this world.”

Well, that was a terrible idea. Still, I continued to listen as Rea layed out another suggestion. “Alternatively, this slave has heard Master say that Master’s Miranda was bound with an inferior form of oath. This slave was overjoyed when Master bound its soul to Master’s, if Master’s Miranda has been good, perhaps she is worthy of such an honor?”

Wow. That was… just stunningly horrible. Why had I thought about asking Rea again? “If Master’s Miranda has not earned such an honor yet, perhaps Master can bestow on Master’s Miranda a simpler sign of Master’s ownership? In this worthless slave’s former home, former master’s favorites were given elaborate jewels to represent their status.” Rea started to say something else, then stopped and silently looked back down at the floor.

Well, none of those were at all serviceable. The third idea was at least slightly more reasonable than the other two, I somehow doubted Miranda would consider either of those a reward, but not in the way Rea was suggesting. I remembered the descriptions Rea had given me when I’d been helping her put together a few outfits, and I doubted Miranda was interested in the sort of large nipple piercings and heavy collars that Rea considered to be the height of fashion.

Maybe I should just ask Miranda, or at least someone a little bit more biased. I would table the idea for now, there would be large markets surrounding the portal once it finished moving and perhaps something there would be appropriate or at least point me in the right direction. For now, I would just head to bed. The energy from my nightly drink was wearing off and I was dead tired in both body and mind. Coming to professor Meadow’s class exhausted sounded like a recipe for a very bad time indeed. It was only in the morning as I lay in bed that it came to me. Those were things Rea wanted me to do to her.

“Ah, Lord Shatterstorm! I hear congratulations are in order!” Plastering a smile onto his face, the young lord turned to look at the approaching noble, only to stiffen slightly when he realized who it was. “Your betrothed looks like a lovely young lady. You must be pleased.”

Recovering quickly, he gave a shallow nod and greeted the older noble. “Lord Seatamer! Thank you, thank you. What a surprise to see you here today, I hadn’t realized you were on the island.” Reaching out, he snagged a pair of champagne flutes from a passing waiter’s tray and passed one to the slender nobleman. “You simply must try the wine, it is from my dear Adonia’s family fields, truely a vintage like no other.”

“Of course, that sounds positively delightful.” The finely dressed elf delicately took the offered glass and raised it to his nose. “Ah, yes. Very nice.” He swirled the wine, then took a tiny sip. “Yes, very nice indeed. Perhaps I may order a few bottles for myself before I leave. It is rather… excellent wine.”

“I’m glad you like it. One of her grandparents was once titled ‘Grapesinger’ for his bountiful vineyards, and though it is not the family’s focus any longer, it is still a major part of their holdings.”

The lord tilted his head in thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Oh yes, young Adrian, I’d nearly forgotten. I hadn’t realized… oh, of course, yes. He was married to that Earthshadow girl, it's good to hear that his family is doing well. I wonder… no, no, I remember his funeral invitation… a shame… a shame…"

Edwin let out a silent sigh of relief as the older elf spotted someone else in the distance and wandered away. Lord Seatamer was something of a fixture in Xethisian politics, with fingers in just about every pie and ties to almost every family of note. His favor could open a lot of doors, just as his wrath could cause someone no end of troubles. Unfortunately, he tended to be reclusive and prickly at the best of times, and interacting with him was always a gamble. Thankfully, it seemed he was in a good mood today.

Taking another sip of his own wine, Edwin began to move towards a group of his friends when a slender hand closed around his forearm. “Ah there you are, my dear lord future-husband. I’ve barely seen you all night. Why, it feels almost like you are avoiding me.”

As a matter of fact, that was exactly what had been happening, not that he was willing to tell her that. Instead, he turned to look at the girl who would one day be his wife and smiled innocently. “Why, I would never want to avoid a vision of loveliness like yourself. You look positively ravishing tonight my lady Earthshadow.”

Adonia looked up at him with an unamused expression. “Why ever would you, indeed.” She extended a single, perfectly manicured hand palm up, “Father says that we are expected to dance tonight, so let's get this over with.”

Suppressing another sigh, Edwin gently took her offered hand and led her towards the dancefloor near the center of the large hall. When Lord Earthshadow had first floated the idea of him marrying his gorgeous, talented daughter, he had jumped at the opportunity. Sure there were some negative rumors going around about the girl, something about openly toying with a merchant-girl at her school, but there were always rumors going around, so he’d thought nothing of it. Earthshadow was a much more powerful lord then he was, even if their Names were of comparable valor. Additionally, having permanent access to the wealth of the capital instead of being limited to his family’s outskirts holdings would open a lot of doors for him and his family.

Ever since then though, things had only gone downhill. He’d thought nothing of signing the secrecy contract, it was a rather standard thing that ensured that internal family matters stayed internal and that married members wouldn’t be forced to hide their family secrets from their spouses. His own family employed the exact same practice, which had ensured that none of their family magic had been leaked to other nobles despite centuries of intermarriage.

In this case however, it had been nothing less than a filthy trap meant to hide his new wife’s unnatural tastes. She was beautiful and talented, there was no doubt about that, but behind her demure demeanor hid a devious and willful chit who was in no way happy with their newly formed relationship. She’d made it absolutely clear to him that she was only marrying him because it was her father’s will that she did so, and that she didn’t plan to spend any more time with him than she absolutely had to in order to fulfill the letter of their future marriage contract.

He’d tried to make the best of the situation regardless, but she hadn’t made it easy. These last few days she’d been particularly frosty, he’d overheard several servants saying that one of the girls she… slept with had rushed out of the building in a huff a few days ago, so maybe that was the issue, but he didn’t understand why she had to take it out on him. He hadn’t known any of this nonsense going into this relationship, and now it was too late to back out. Lord Earthshadow was not as powerful as his great ancestor had been, but he had enough strength, both political and magical, to crush him and his remaining family.

When the next song began, he gingerly set one hand on his future betrothed’s hip and did his best to ignore the icy glares she kept shooting at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. In a few years, once they had an heir and a spare on the way, he could leave her with her family and move back home. Perhaps some girl on his own island would catch his eye, if his wife was allowed an extra lover, there was no reason he couldn’t take one as well, as long as he was discrete.

He winced as a heeled foot came down deliberately on his toes. His hand had only slipped the tiniest bit, the silky-smooth fabric of her dress not giving him much of anything to hold onto. There was never going to be any love between them, but did she have to be such a bitch about it?