Mad God – Reborn

In the early evening, Kitten and Ariana stood before the courtyard's open gate, not the usual guards.

"Haaah… When is she arriving already?!" Kitten moaned, completely bored out of her mind.

"Be patient! The sun is still only halfway down." Ariana looked at her with one eye. "You act like the waiting is going to kill you. She wrote in her letter that she is coming in the evening."

"At least that would be fun or something... I am booooored!" Kitten moaned as she crouched down and drew circles in the dirt with her finger. "Plus, this should be the guards' job, no?"

"The one who is coming is notorious for how she handles men. Why do you think Master ordered us to be the welcoming committee?"

"And? What if she is a lesbian? Should I applaud her or something? Just because she likes pussy, it does not mean I should be here!" Kitten moaned as two cat ears and a tail suddenly appeared on her, and she meowed like a proper cat.

"Since you became relaxed around Master, you dropped any pretense, eh?" Ariana asked, shaking her head, smiling. "We are here to minimize any conflict from the get-go! So please, don't start a temper tantrum right now, Kitten."

"It's not a tantrum! And… you think you could stop me if I want to throw one?" she asked with a provocative light in her eyes, looking at Ariana as her mood quickly changed from bored to playful.

"Mmm, I could." Ariana nodded with confidence.

"Are you sure? I went up against Nameless too! And held my ground. He even escaped the fight!"

"Because you can cheat death a few times." She crossed her arms, watching her with a flat look. "He was unsure of your trick, so he chose not to risk anything."

"You want to say it would be useless against you?" She grinned, revealing her sharp, canine teeth.

"It would be. We can have a little spar later on if you wish!" Ariana returned her smile just then. "I know you wouldn't believe me until then!"

"Sounds fun! I'm in!" She stood up, clapping happily again as she shook off her demonic body parts and returned to human form. "By the way, are you also a lesbian?"

"Huh?" Ariana blinked rapidly, unable to believe her ears what she'd just been asked. In a flash, a deep red hue crept up her neck, engulfing her whole face.

"You know! The girl-on-girl thing. When you rub-" Kitten started to explain.

"I know what the word means, for the Gods' sake!" She raised her voice at her, turning even redder.

"Oh, okay, okay! Just asking! Geez, you don't need to bite my head off because of it!" She raised her hands in surrender, giving up quickly.

"Why do you even ask something like this?!" Ariana snorted, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Because I never saw you with guys before. Even my own Master had some downtime in the Capital… Plus, when you sit in your Master's lap, you look like you could melt. Also, I smelled your scent change when you were being pampered by her!"

"Shut up! You are once again speaking nonsense!" Ariana answered in a snap, already flustered, ignoring her completely and ending the argument right then and there.

"Don't need to be shy about it. It's normal! When the heart falls in love, you can't help it." She grinned, but when Ariana didn't even look at her, she gave up and let out another bored sigh.

After another ten minutes of silence, Kitten was about to ask something once again. Still, to Ariana's relief, they spotted a carriage approaching, bearing the Spire of Keina's crest. It was a white orchid in full bloom, bearing a purple eye at its center. As the carriage stopped before them, Nuray, the driver, stepped down, opened the door, and helped Keina down, who wore an elegant, white, one-piece dress.

"Greetings," Ariana said as she stepped forward, cupping her hand as Kitten followed suit. No matter how playful or quippy she was, she now gave them a perfect curtsy with a respectful look.

"Mmhm." Keina nodded, not taking them seriously because of their maid outfits, but she wasn't ignoring them either.

"The Lord of the Spire of Keina has arrived!" Nuray stepped forward in a firm voice, though not as aggressive as she was with Balbeer or Sentios. "Why isn't the Lord of the Spire of Ren welcoming her?"

"My Master is waiting inside, entertaining other guests," Ariana answered calmly.

"Other guests?" Keina opened her mouth before Nuray could lose her temper.

"Yes." Kitten said, "The Lord of the Spire of Rabout is also here." She explained with a soft smile, enjoying the new, surprised, and slightly panicked look on Nuray's face before she could regain her composure.

"I see. So the old man really did crawl out from his cave." Keina sighed, shaking her head a little. "Please, lead us in."

"That is why we are here. This way!" Ariana bowed slightly, already used to her role as a maid, and led them inside.

At the top of the stairs, Seya waited, dressed elegantly. When Keina was led up, she curtsied respectfully and introduced herself.

"Welcome to the Spire of Ren, Your Lordship! My name is Princess Seya."

"Princess?" Nuray raised her eyebrows, but no more words escaped her throat as two auras pressed down on her at once. One was coming from Ariana and the other straight from Kitten. She was caught off guard, not expecting them to be this aggressive in Keina's presence.

"My apologies," Keina replied, placing a hand on the back of Nuray's head and pressing her into a bow as she fought back against their auras. She was combating both of them to a standstill. "We are just not used to seeing someone call herself a princess. Not with her strength, and especially not someone impure," Keina explained, but also questioned Seya as to how she dared to use that term.

"It is a title bestowed upon me by Her Majesty after the Council agreed on it." Ren's young cousin answered, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"Council?" Keina whispered, finding it weird. "And… 'Her Majesty?' As far as I know, the throne of Rozex still stands empty."

"Our bloodline is the natural heir; Her Majesty has come home because she is the next in line to inherit the throne," Seya answered calmly, not diverting her eyes from Keina's. Deep inside, she was extremely nervous as she waited, doing just as Ren ordered. She felt like fainting multiple times already. Yet when she stepped into her role, she found herself surprisingly collected and calm, gaining courage by every passing second as she stood her ground against Keina.

"You are up to facing obstacle after obstacle if you really think that way," Keina said, breaking eye contact, and as she did, Ariana smiled at Seya, her eyes saying she'd done excellently.

"Thank you for your concern." Seya bowed a little toward her. "This way, Your Lordship." She signaled, remaining unflustered as she smiled back at Ariana.

Leading them into the Spire and to the big, fancy ballroom, Keina came across another big surprise. She stepped through the door and immediately recognized Ren from the recording she saw, speaking and giggling with Rabout. They stood next to a table laden with snacks and bite-sized delicacies. What surprised her was how many people were present... and how few of them had her bloodline's signature hair and eye colors.

"My Liege…" Nuray sent a voice transmission over, "That tall male on the left side is the head of the Nelvis family."

"I heard about them. His poor granddaughter… if not for our intervention, his family would be dead already," she sighed, but not because of what happened to Ooda, but only because she felt sympathy for what happened to Ina. "What is he doing here? He should be an annoying splinter inside their sides, not a friend..." She furrowed her brows a little as she saw him talking with Daryan, a happy expression on his face. He even slapped his shoulders and laughed, while Ina, already looking wholly different and radiant, smiled ear to ear beside Daryan and hugged her son tightly with both hands, not letting go.

"We don't know… we did not have any direct connections with them to avoid further problems for us."

"Doesn't matter…" Keina answered quickly, ignoring them and looking over the rest, watching the guards at the entrances, one of them being Balbeer. Since they entered, he hadn't taken his eyes off Nuray, but for them, his gaze was nothing, easily ignored. Instead, Nuray watched Sentios, who stood behind Ren, acting as a butler and bringing her drinks or snacks when she asked. He didn't even spare the new arrivals a glance.

"Your Majesty." Seya stepped forward, bowed to Ren, and respectfully presented Keina.

"Good job, Seya!" She smiled at her, then looked at her guests, nodding warmly as she handed Sentios her wine. "You must be Keina, correct?" She asked, ignoring Nuray's presence altogether.

"I am… and as I see it, you have not been raised in how etiquette works between nobles. I'll chalk it up to being raised in the Empire." Keina's words sliced at Ren like sharp blades from the start.

"Hm? Oh, I was. I even married to a prince!" Ren jabbed back quickly, especially as she knew it was a pivotal failure in Keina's past. "I just think the respect and whatever else you attach to it has to be earned and not just given to people. Plus…" She looked her up and down, eyebrows raised. Even though she was smaller than Keina, Ren made her feel like she was looking down on her. "I heard something like that here... How did it go...? Oh yes! What really rules is strength! Heh, and they say the demonic forest is a dangerous place. Please!"

"So you think you have the strength to discard my friendly invitation just like that?" Keina questioned her, not backing down. By now, everyone had cleared the room around them, watching with curious eyes, especially the young family members of Ren's courtyard.

"Yes. Also… friendly? It did not come across like that at all." Ren stretched out her hand, and Sentios put a giant cookie into it. "It was," She bit into it with a loud crunch, continuing with a full mouth, "trying to order me around. I may be new here, but you are snorting something wild if you think I'd take something like that seriously." As she spoke, big chunks sprayed at Keina, materializing Ren's insults into reality, most to Nuray's dismay.

"Your attitude is even more barbarian than Rudrick's was," Keina said, crossing her arms, outwardly unbothered but fuming inside. "You may have a lovely figure and a gorgeous, charming face, but your insides need a complete rework, it seems." Her sharp words immediately drew Ariana's attention, and she spewed daggers at Keina, while her shadow even wriggled, almost sprouting black tentacles.

"Relax…" Kitten whispered, grabbing onto Ariana's hand. "Your girlfriend can handle it!"

"She is my Master!" She answered back through gritted teeth, "And of course, she can handle her… but she should not! There must be an order for this kind of thing…"

"Whoa, girl, you are completely lost…" Kitten giggled, patting Ariana's head with a grin as she tried to calm her down.

"She is a little pepper, that is for sure!" Rabout laughed as he came closer, patting Ren's head with a smile. "Long time no see, Keina. I remember when you were her size, pulling pranks on others not that long ago... You two are more alike than you would admit now, aren't you?" he shook his head with a nostalgic smile.

"..." Keina didn't reply, just kept looking at Rabout, trying to figure out their relationship, but what she saw wasn't encouraging. "It was a long time ago. It is surprising to see you outside of your own Spire."

"It was time to have a little outing, and meeting my new granddaughter was a perfect opportunity to do so." Rabout nodded at her. "But don't worry, I did not come out to fight for the throne. I lost my interest in it long ago and advise you to do the same, Keina."

"Should I take it as a threat?" She asked back in a colder voice.

"No. I'm only giving friendly advice. As your grandfather." he shook his head with a soft sigh. "You are stuck in a loop, my dear… I miss the little imp you were back then," he said, looking into her eyes, which she averted after a few seconds. "I leave you to it." Rabout sighed one last time and turned around, but it wasn't clear who he was speaking to.

"Judging by your attitude and the letter you sent," Ren continued, dusting off her fingers after finishing the cookie, "You arrived here to challenge me." Her words drew Keina's gaze back, signaling Nuray to step away. Soon only the two remained in the middle of the room, facing each other.

"Yes. I want to know if you have the strength to back up your actions." She let her arms drop, her aura on full display.

"Mmmh… you are at the first level of Harmony." Ren took a deep breath and sized her up. "Sturdy foundation and a stable aura. You are talented and strong... Okay! I can instruct you a little!"

"..." Keina's eyes turned even colder as she listened, seeing and hearing that she wasn't taking her seriously.

"Go ahead! Don't need to hold back!" Ren snapped her fingers as the tower's defenses lit up. From the outside, the whole Spire of Ren was covered in a purple energy shield that masked everything happening inside from prying eyes. "Start whenever you wish," she said, smiling as she looked at her sideways and took another cookie from the table behind her. It finally flipped a switch in Keina's mind, and she felt humiliated, something she hadn't felt since the day Rudrick refused to marry her.

"You bitch!" Keina screamed at Ren as, inside the room, a real storm kicked up as hundreds of water droplets appeared, whirling like a typhoon around Keina.

"Excuse me!" Ren corrected her with a playful wink as their battle started. "The correct term is Mini Bitch!"