Chapter 38 - Deal
Roxa and Maelle slowly stirred, sitting up against the log beside the firepit. Both of them blinked sleepily, rubbing their eyes as the hypnotic fog finally cleared from their minds.
Vincent sat across from them with an easygoing grin as he rested his chin in his hand. "Hey, sleepyheads. Welcome back to the land of the living."
Maelle looked down at herself and realised she was fully clothed, no longer sitting in the steam-filled waters of the hot spring.
She narrowed her eyes and fixed Vincent with a suspicious stare.
"Vincent..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t look at me like that!" He held up both hands in total innocence.
"I mean, what was I supposed to do? Just leave you two bare-ass naked out here? You would’ve caught a cold. Not to mention the mosquitoes and bugs would’ve had a feast on you."
Maelle let out a quiet, defeated sigh, running a hand over her face before looking up at him with a grateful expression. "I... suppose you are right. Thank you for helping us."
Roxa stood up straight, checking her arms and legs before turning toward him and bowing.
"Thank you as well, Vincent. My debt to you is growing far larger than I can ever hope to repay."
"Oh wow. If there was anyone I thought would lash out at me for changing your clothes, I thought it would’ve been you. Even at the Sanctuary, you defended me against that old man."
Roxa shyly tucked a stray strand of her raven hair behind her pointed ear. Despite keeping her face straight and stoic, a faint pink flush warmed her cheeks.
"It would be entirely disgraceful of me to treat you with disrespect after everything you have done for us... And me."
Maelle raised an eyebrow, looking between them.
"Roxa," she called out, her voice snapping whatever delicate mood was forming between the two. "Care to explain what happened back there?"
In an instant, Roxa’s shy posture vanished, and her composed soldier persona returned full force.
"My apologies. To explain: everything was going smoothly during my perimeter sweep, and I was making quick work of the monsters in the area. But as I drew closer to the lower ridge, I heard the faint whispers of pixies calling out to me."
"Pixies?"
"Yes." She nodded at Maelle.
"You see, long before the Silver Leaf Sanctuary came into existence, pixies ruled this part of the forest. When the Hero and the Goddess of old searched for a sanctuary to settle the refugee elves they had rescued, they stumbled upon these woods and forged a covenant with the pixies to coexist peacefully.
"Only Elder Bran knows the full details of that deal, but she taught us that the core agreement binds us to an obligation: if the pixies seek our aid, we are bound to assist them.
"When they called to me tonight, they offered a deal – they asked me to sit in the spring and offer a small portion of my mana as an offering for protection against the night creatures until we safely navigated out of the forest.
"I obliged. It was my first time encountering a pixie in person, and though I have heard tales of their tricky nature... I did not expect..."
"You didn’t expect them to hypnotise you and drain your mana to the point of unconsciousness," Vincent finished her sentence.
"Precisely."
Maelle folded her arms, her brow furrowing as she thought back. "When I approached the spring, I felt a hypnotic voice pulling me into the water. Is that the pixies you are talking about? Was that their doing as well?"
"It was. When you two arrived at the spring, for a moment, it broke the hold they had on me. However, I thought it was a monster that intruded. When the pixies realised it was safe, they affected me before I could fully snap out of the haze. I am deeply sorry for putting you in danger, Princess Maelle."
"So that’s what happened... In any case, do not worry about it, Roxa. I assume Vincent took care of the issue?" She turned to look at him.
"Yep. Not only that, but I solved their problem. Turns out they weren’t doing it out of malice – apparently, their mother tree was dying. They needed mana to hatch a batch of newborn pixie sprouts. So, I gave the tree a big hit of my divine power. No more mana-draining trap. It’s just a regular, relaxing hot spring now."
Roxa’s jaw dropped slightly. "You... you shared your own unique mana with the mother tree?"
"Yeah, why not? And in return, those little guys upgraded the deal they made with you. Instead of just protecting you until you leave the forest, they promised to protect the three of us from night monsters of the forest forever."
Even Maelle seemed genuinely astonished, looking out toward the dark woods with a newly found sense of awe.
A soft, rare warmth entered Roxa’s eyes. "Vincent... you truly never cease to shatter my expectations."
She looked up at him, and for the first time since they had met, her stoic lips curved into a radiant smile.
Vincent stared at her for a second, caught completely off guard by how much her aura had changed around him. "You know... you’re really beautiful when you smile like that, Roxa."
"Eh?" Roxa’s entire face flushed a violent crimson under the fire’s glow. She quickly looked away and cleared her throat to hide her flustered expression.
Maelle rolled her eyes and stood up to stand between him and her. "Vincent, how long have we been out?"
"Well, judging by this thing," Vincent picked up the hourglass from the ground. "About half an hour."
"Good. Speaking of deals... we had one, did we not? You asked me to dismiss you before four hours passed, correct?"
"Yes! Man, am I glad you remembered!" He stretched his arms to the side and closed his eyes. "Whenever you’re ready, Princess."
Maelle held out her right hand toward him. A shimmering, golden magic circle conjured in the air before her palm.
Vincent opened one eye and turned to Roxa first, waving lightly. "Goodnight, Roxa. Don’t let the bedbugs–or just bugs I guess–bite."
"Goodnight, Vincent. And... Thank you. For everything."
"Anytime." He turned to Maelle next. "Goodnight, Princess."
"Goodnight, Vincent. Thank you for your assistance tonight. I truly appreciate it–"
"Wait! Hold on a sec!"
Before Maelle could activate the spell, Vincent let his divine transformation fade away. Then, in one swift motion, he took off his tight pants and pulled off the white jacket, tossing them straight back to Maelle.
"W-What are you doing, you perverse human?!" Roxa immediately whipped her head away while Maelle simply caught the jacket.
"Best to return how I left," Vincent chuckled, standing there in his birthday suit without a care in the world.
He spread his arms and closed his eyes once again. "Alright, now I’m ready!"
"Haaa... Return."
SHEEN!
The clearing vanished, and in a split second, the forest was replaced by the warm, plush comfort of the master bed back at the mansion.
Vincent materialised softly back under the duvet. He glanced to his right first – Maribelle was fast asleep, breathing softly, her face peaceful against her pillow.
’Nice.’
Next, he turned his head to his left – only to find Natasha lying awake, staring directly at him.
Her beautiful crimson eyes were brimming with tears, and her lips were pulled into a pout.
"N-Nat...?"
Natasha let out a quivering sniffle. Her fierce voice became tiny, fragile, and laced with pain as she reached out a hand. "V...? Is it... is it really you?"
"H-Hey, hey..." Vincent reached over to cup her soft cheek with his hand and wiping away a tear. "It’s me, Nat. I’m right here. I’m back."
She grabbed his wrist tightly, holding his hand against her face. "I... I felt you vanish out of nowhere... right from under my arms..."
"You did. I’m sorry. Were you awake when it happened?"
"No... But... I’m sensitive to feeling the presence of others. The second you disappeared, my heart sank... and I woke up..."
"Nat..." Although it wasn’t his fault, Vincent felt an overwhelming wave of guilt wash over him.
Releasing his hand, Natasha crawled over his body to lay directly on top of him. She wrapped her wings under his back and buried her face into the crook of his neck.
"First thing tomorrow morning... we are going straight to Divine City to see if we can find a way to fix this summoning curse."
"Deal. We’ll fix it, I promise."
Leaning up, Natasha captured his lips in a sweet kiss, pouring all her lingering anxiety into his mouth.
On the other side of the bed, Maribelle’s eyes slowly opened in the dark.
A gentle, loving smile touched her face as she quietly listened to the profound bond shared between her son and his new lover, before closing her eyes once more.
........
The next morning, dim golden sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom.
Feeling a wonderful warmth pressing against his face, Vincent slowly stirred awake. Opening his eyes, he realised his head was resting comfortably on the familiar spot on top of his mother’s bare chest.
Glancing to his left, he noticed Natasha’s side of the bed was already empty.
"Good morning, baby."
He looked up to see Maribelle smiling down at him while her fingers gently twirled around his messy bed hair.
"Morning, Mama."
"Sleep well?"
"Yeah," Vincent nodded. He lifted his head up from her chest slightly to look around the quiet room. "Where’s Nat?"
"She’s in the bathroom. She seemed extremely energetic to start the day."
"Ahhh. Hey, Mama... do you want to come with us today? We’re going to try and get a meeting with Her Majesty in the Divine City."
Maribelle’s eyes lit up with joy, though she quickly offered a self-deprecating wave of her hand. "Oh, I’d love to come with you, but... don’t expect me to be of much help in securing a meeting with Her Majesty."
"Why?"
"I’m already on very thin ice with her because of all the favors I’ve demanded from her over the years. There was the thing with Pristina... And the thing with your Dada.... And truth be told, she is a very... prickly person to deal with."
"Oh... "That’s fine. I’d still love the moral support though."
"Hehehe~ In that case, Mama will gladly accompany her handsome baby."
Suddenly, her expression shifted.
A sly smile and mischievous little giggle erupted from her – a sound so suspicious that Vincent’s instincts went on high alert.
"Uh... Mama? What is it?"
"What is it you ask~? This is." Maribelle reached under the blanket, her soft, warm hand sliding directly down his stomach to gently wrap around his rock-hard morning wood.
"Mama–"
"Should Mama help you take care of this morning wood...? Or..."
*Gulp* "O-Or...?"
"Or... you could go have Nat help you with it. Like I said, she went into the bathroom, but she only went in about ten minutes ago... and just so you know, she loves taking her sweet time in the bath."
Vincent’s eyes widened as the realisation hit him. An eager grin exploded across his face.
He leaned forward, planting a hard, excited kiss right on his mother’s cheek. "Mama, you are a genius! I love you!"
"Aw~ I love you too, baby~"
Without wasting another second, he threw off the covers, stood up in his natural state, and marched straight out of the bedroom like a man on a mission.