The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 190 - My Disbelief Is No Match For Your Understanding Of Me... And My Mom?

Chapter 190: Chapter 190 - My Disbelief Is No Match For Your Understanding Of Me... And My Mom?

’Someone who believes in her no matter what that family thinks... is it?’

Elua was quiet for a long moment. Her spirit churned with conflicted emotions. Finally, she whispered while turning her face into her own shoulder. It felt like cowardice to the illusionist.

"I believe in your strength, your determination, your heart - but... I don’t know if I believe they’ll be that malleable. I’ve tried not to say anything too directly and to let you try this path because I know more than most that my opinion isn’t infallible."

She stopped and swallowed her saliva.

"But... in this, I can’t claim absolute belief in you. Not over their ability to change in the way you want."

Her ’syrupy’ voice trembled at the admission. ’Fear’ of disappointing her beloved was clear in pulses from the fragment pulled toward Qatrand’s heart. The blonde’s arms reached over and tightened across the little body resting against her.

"I know."

Elua lifted her head again in surprise.

"Over the years, your comments made it clear enough. You’ve only ever expressed trust in me, never in the potential of the Yecine family."

The low voice remained steady. Gentle. Qat.

"If even I harbor doubts, how could I expect you to fully believe? But El... I’m proud that you would tell me this. I felt how much it scared you to admit it."

The ancient cultivator tightened her core as her feet slid up and flat against the bedding. She pressed her back harder against the one behind her. Elua’s spirit flooded with ’relief’ and ’love’ and so much more at the expressed understanding.

"Be good."

The swordswoman recommended while holding tight across the girl in her arms. The brunette slowly lost the tension in her body, though not the desire to smother the other girl in kisses. It only made her realize she was fooling herself to think a calm night would be easy.

"You could overpower me if you truly lost control."

The words were quiet and matter-of-fact. Qat’s grip remained steady as Elua’s breath hitched.

"It’s been that way since I met you. You pulled me so strongly from the room as a small child."

The heiress remembered... being too excited and almost exposing her strength. Qat had never mentioned to her that she’d noticed it back then.

’Six years of living a soft life in a new body with all that tedium had really dulled my sense of self-preservation...’

"You’re strong yet you listen. You fight that ’hunger’ for both our sakes. It’s why I trust you even more."

The brunette exhaled slowly. It was with bright eyes and emotional tones that she spoke.

"Okay. I’m fine now."

The last of her tension faded under the words spoken by her fortress. Her beloved had learned exactly what to say to ground her! No matter the desire, being trusted not to act on them by the one who meant the most in the cosmos to her was as good as any ice cold bath.

"So, what about your own plans during the event? You still intend to carefully grow our reputation?"

A pair of lips curved into a smile at the deliberate topic change. Such a diplomatic Yecine!

"I suppose ’carefully’ might be relative. The competition will create opportunities. I plan to make sure any of your achievements are properly noticed."

"By the right people."

Elua quietly wondered at that jab... if the tall girl understood her little wife meant that ’everyone’ noticed. Yet, she didn’t bother to correct her. After all, Qat was technically correct~

"Naturally. Though sometimes the right people need a little... guidance in where to look."

The blonde chuckled softly.

"Well, to do all that we need you to get some rest. Don’t pretend you’re not tired."

The brunette wouldn’t have to pretend. She was quite wide awake after everything.

"But it’s so comfortable to talk right here..."

"We’ll stay here. But we’ll sleep."

The swordswoman shifted to better accommodate them both lying down on the bedding. Her El was kept securely in her arms and the ancient cultivator made a show of weakly protesting the movement. Her ’sweet’ voice pretended displeasure at being manhandled.

"So forceful, my love."

"Someone has to be. You’re being stubborn about taking care of yourself."

They settled together under the tree and under the stars. A cool breeze rustled through the leaves above them that carried the fresh scent of night-blooming flowers from elsewhere in the garden.

Elua’s back pressed to Qat’s abdomen, with a set of arms holding her there. The spirits pulsed with quiet ’contentment’ as sleep began to creep in. Traces of drowsiness especially began to seep into Qat’s spirit with the late hour.

"Your heartbeat is so steady."

"Yours is still a bit fast. Are you alright?"

While tugging the calloused hands around her a bit further away from her chest area, the heiress shifted to find an even more comfortable position.

"Well, this is quite different from dozing off here because I was bored with a book. The company is... far more stimulating."

"I rank above your childhood reading material? Good to know."

The girl felt Qat’s arms tighten briefly around her middle as they both softly laughed.

"Sleep well, my mint-drop."

"I’ll do my best, my fortress."

---

Light found Qat blinking awake to an unusual predicament. Somehow during the night, Elua had shifted almost entirely off their bedding. The small cultivator had the other’s hand pressed against her face.

Apart from that, the exposed muscular forearm was clutched to her wife’s stomach. Thin legs were wrapped around her upper arm and shoulder in what could only be described as a martial leg hold. The swordswoman couldn’t help but twitch the end of her fingertips, making sure the limb had not gone numb.

"Are you actually asleep like this?"

The half-awake question carried more amusement than concern. A flutter in Elua’s spirit answered before mint eyes slowly opened. The brunette took a moment to languidly process her position, then pressed a kiss to the captured palm.

"Good morning to you too. I was very much asleep until you doubted me."

"My apologies. I just felt that you might have captured my arm intentionally."

"Did I? How terribly rude of my sleeping self."

The ancient cultivator made no immediate move to release her husband-wife’s arm. If anything, she seemed to be considering how to adjust for more comfort in her current position. A subtle ’drowsiness’ filtered through the fragment of Elua’s spirit.

"Don’t even think about it. We need to head inside before your servants start their morning rounds."

The brunette sighed dramatically. She began unwinding her legs from around Qat’s arm. As she sat up, a few leaves fell from where they’d settled in her hair during the night.

’I wonder how many centuries it has been since I woke up in an environment like this?’

Putting aside the untidy positions that seemed to plague her as she opened her eyes next to Qat each time... there had always been a house, a voidspace, or other structure with something other than natural sky as the ceiling.

"I suppose you’re right. I can’t help but wonder if mother already knows exactly where we are. I’m sure her or father tried checking on our sleep."

"What makes you say that?"

"The way she looked at us after dinner when you said you would stay."

Elua tried to keep her face straight, but ’mischief’ still simmered over her spirit as she stood and stepped away.

"Well, maybe more because I asked her to borrow some camp bedding to take with me. I excused it as something necessary for the next time I worked at the competition grounds. But... I think she suspected I might use it for something like this."

Qat gathered up the supposed ’evidence’ while watching her cute wife attempt to smooth her dress and hair into some semblance of order. The pale yellow fabric had definitely seen better nights. The illusionist’s outfit was flecked with brown dirt and bits of green.

’How far around did she roll about before taking my arm?’

"She didn’t try to stop us?"

"As if she has any right to judge... after all the stories she’s told me about pursuing father? Please~"

The Yecine slowed her hands and paused while gripping a corner of a blanket.

"I don’t believe she thinks of anything you do in that way. Yatrel... just wants to protect you. She has let you make your own choices while keeping an eye out for your happiness."

The observation made Elua turn her face. She did nothing but watch Qat folding the last of their bedding before pigeon-blue eyes stared directly into her own. They were warm and the tendrils of spirit needling into her El were full of nothing but ’care’ for parent and child.

"Mother cares about your freedom to chase what you want, just like she did. She has spoken about this with me seriously once, even before we were wed. The fact that she gave you the supplies instead of making you sneak them says a lot."

Before the brunette could respond in agreement... her stomach let out an impressive growl. Her eyes dulled and a light blush colored her cheeks. The blonde picked up their belongings and started to walk away slowly.

"I should go see if your cook needs help with breakfast. Maybe learn something new."

Tiny feet jumped to match stride with the tall girl. She didn’t really want to complain, but she felt like she needed to.

"...You spoil me."

"I enjoy it."

The swordswoman quickly turned and brushed a few more leaves from the back of her wife’s hair. Qat was almost certain that they had been left there intentionally. She had a feeling that the illusionist was not going to hide her appearance at all this time.

’Even if she easily could...’

"Go get cleaned up. I’ll make sure there’s something ready when you come down."