The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'
Chapter 226 - Talk Of Grudges, ’Proof’ Of Scandal... Pressures Private & Public

Chapter 226: Chapter 226 - Talk Of Grudges, ’Proof’ Of Scandal... Pressures Private & Public

Elua being held ’willingly’ only emboldened her desire to tease the tall girl. She raised her lips and spoke directly into her beloved’s ear... aware that there was a time when it used to make her Qat uncomfortable. It still did - but obviously in a different way than more than a year ago!

"I must say, if all of this side of your family appreciates my cuteness it will make accepting them easier for us both, right?"

The reincarnator was clearly poking fun at her, having felt all the jealousy and displeasure she had released. The swordswoman’s low sigh brushed against her wife’s brown hair as she hugged her tightly. It took a lot of willpower for the schemer to not change the scene others were seeing back to reality.

"Next time, maybe try not using yourself as bait?"

"No promises. I make good bait for your kind, apparently. But it’s fine, because I’ve already caught the only one I care about~"

The return to emotional singsong at the end, just before the side of her face was kissed, left the Yecine in a bind. She wanted to kiss her back, but the spot they were standing in was too open even if they were hidden from sight. It also seemed like it would make her El think it was okay to do whatever she wanted... as long as she flirted with her after.

"Be good."

The low voice said weakly as she began stalking off, not bothering to let the girl out of her hold. The illusion of them walking side by side, the heiress holding onto the dark-haired ’heir’, portrayed a pleasant closeness between young spouses. The actual scene spoke of much more dependance and spoiling than would be socially acceptable to show in public.

"What do I get if I’m good?"

"Do you need something?"

...

"...Something *else*?"

Qat blamed herself for the open ended question, but didn’t forget to fault the little culprit that started squirming against her chest and breathing on her neck. She didn’t mind that she had to be the one in control of the little reincarnator, but the girl did walk the line between making it hard and making it easy. A line which was usually as wide as a road, but for El was as thin as one of her hairs.

"Not really. I know I have your love. I know you’ll do your best in your fights. I’m pretty sure both of those will be true even if I’m not ’good’. I was just curious what you would offer."

The distance between the Goltbred camp and where they left from seemed further and further distant as the spiritual pressure leaking from Elua increased in spurts. Not because she was affecting Qat’s perception, but because the swordswoman was just realizing it would be too far to get to in a pinch.

Her spirit wrapped as tight around the cute girl as it could.

"And are you trying to test what *not* being good when I asked gets you?"

"Oh, I don’t have to test that. I know what happens."

Her voice was monotone but something in her spirit was ’mocking’. She had lifetimes of examples of what going overboard, against the wishes of her partner, or against the expectations of those around her in general ended up ’giving’ her. Or taking away.

"I was just suddenly a little tired of holding back. Don’t worry, I’m keeping the pressure away from the people we are passing."

Qat was also a little exhausted from the day’s fighting, but her mind immediately went to work. She hadn’t seemed tense from talking with Talva, so it must have been from the situation earlier.

"...Because of dealing with that woman whose weapon broke?"

"Well, that’s a part of it. Yes."

"Is she-"

"No, not quite like me."

The heiress interrupted quickly, knowing what her beloved would ask.

"I expect she has no clear memories as her spirit is not the same. But also, yes. She proves that reincarnation isn’t only something I was granted. Nothing to worry about, I’ll get over seeing that face."

The small cultivator took in a deep breath of her husband-wife’s scent.

"It was just easier to tell myself I didn’t care enough to do anything with a glimpse at a distance, back at our wedding. I wouldn’t let it ruin my day, then. Compared to being stuck with her nearby this time."

Calloused fingers traced soothing patterns on her wife’s back, knowing from experience that touch helped ground her wife when her ancient nature surfaced.

"Revenge is something hard to give up, Qat. I hope you never feel the need to take it."

The fragment in the Yecine’s chest pulsed with complex emotions - mainly ’gratitude’ for the comfort she was extending warring with ’bitterness’ at the old wounds. The concept of forgiveness wasn’t foreign to her, but expectation that she could give it to an existence that crossed her bottom line?

"And if you do, please let me be the instrument instead."

"I won’t."

The teenager answered immediately. The brunette’s lips twitched in an awkward, partial smile. The twitchy emotion went unseen, but the feeling of ’indulgence’ in her was clear. Of course the young wouldn’t expect they might someday-

"If I do want revenge, I’d never let you handle it for me."

The follow up turned that awkward smile upside down. She twisted her head a bit, seeing that her ’fortress’ had started to change her hair color.

"Why?"

"Because... you mean more to me than anything like that. I won’t let myself add to your history of pain and lack of choices, El."

The pressure increased, startling some nearby cultivators who weren’t sure what it was they were feeling. Many sensed that something was watching them, others felt their throats were itchy. Qatrand stood in place and sat the girl on the ground, kneeling while holding her hand.

"You are not my darker half nor a villain for me to make use of to keep my conscience clear. I will not allow that. Elua er Goltbred is my light."

"Qat..."

"She’s also my cute wife. So if ever that day comes, we just have to plan how to deal with it together. Revenge."

Even as her spirit contracted and did flips, her lifeless eyes quivered and looked away.

"...You’re supposed to protect everyone, not-"

"The most effective way to protect others from someone who blatantly considers herself as the biggest danger is to be the one consulting her on what to do and what not to do. Is that wrong?"

The reincarnator’s mouth opened... and closed. There was no simple argument to levy.

"You’re not wrong. But everything else just now sounds less romantic if you phrase it like that."

"Well, I apologize for that."

The blonde reached out and held her cheek while moving to kiss her ’hard to please’ mint-drop. Of course, it only took a couple seconds of that to prove that she was in fact quite simple to make happy. At seven seconds, Elua pulled back with a start.

"...I was bad."

Qat’s brow furrowed at the sudden shift in mood. The statement didn’t sound playful, not with the ’chagrin’ underneath her monotone.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how I said I was keeping the pressure away from people passing by? Well, I may have failed to maintain our other ’protections’ during that... discussion."

The swordswoman’s pigeon blues darted to the scattered cultivators nearby - some openly gawking, others whispering behind their hands. She realized with a jolt that they’d just seen what appeared to be some blonde ’man’ kissing the relatively well known ’medical fairy’.

Those outside of their region would likely not have heard the rumors of Qatrand being around El in that ’form’. They would only know that the Goltbred heiress was wed to a Yecine, who all have black hair.

"How long?"

"Probably since you knelt down. I was a bit... distracted by your words. I’m sorry."

The swordswoman exhaled a quick breath and looked at those mint eyes. There was no ’mischief’ behind them, but there was a certain message of ’not all that upset’.

"It’s fine."

While still being watched, the tall girl began to change her hair color back to its socially familiar raven. Before false rumors spread about her wife, she would rather truths get mixed in.

"Though I feel we need to put a stop to your idea of sharing intimacy out in public while you hide us."

"...If I didn’t hide us, you wouldn’t have held me like that."

Not only to prove her wrong, Qat swept the smaller teen into her arms and began walking away ’calmly’. They’d been seen in their own city like this and they were already caught kissing. What else was there to fear?

"Y-you didn’t have to-"

"Just be quiet. Let me indulge my wife at least this much."

The low voice interrupted the returned facade’s complaints. She’d been prepared from the start for it all to fail. For something to set Elua off or make her unhappy with staying away. Nonetheless, Qat felt she had to try and make a showing of adhering to the rules of her family at this event, in order to frame both of them in a better viewing angle.

"Besides, I want to go see Onya... and share dinner with your family. Our family. So just be good. Be yourself."

The ancient cultivator figured that her spouse was talking relatively non-stop only because she was embarrassed. She ’giggled’ and wrapped herself tighter around her means of conveyance.

’Conflicting signals, my love. Am I to behave or am I to be myself? Or were you even talking to me in the first place?’