“What is Amira to me?” Kemiro pondered, confused. “I don’t think the Matriarch is asking about affectionate feelings. Our social status is too different. Besides, she doesn’t know about my Heritage. It can’t be that! So, is she implying that I’m plotting something against Amira? Even after helping her all these years?”

Sensing Kemiro’s silence as he carefully considered his next words, Daliah felt disappointed, saying, “For you to be unable to answer such a simple question about your feelings, it seems you need some encouragement.”

Even more puzzled by Daliah’s statement, Kemiro didn’t notice her exchanging glances with Kirianna.

With superhuman speed, Kirianna moved behind Kemiro, grabbing him, immobilizing his movements by locking her arms beneath his and intertwining her fingers behind his neck.

Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Kemiro was startled by the unexpected turn of events. On impulse, flexing his muscles, he accidentally broke free from Kirianna’s hold.

This shocked her tremendously. In that split second, her mind nearly went blank, but being well-trained, Kirianna raised Kemiro’s threat level to the highest possible.

Then, pressing her body against his, she embraced Kemiro with all her strength while drawing a scalpel-like dagger from her sleeve, bringing it to his neck.

“I only wanted her to scare Kemiro; why is she being so intense?” Daliah wondered, confused as she hadn’t realized the shock between the two.

“Perhaps now you’ll be able to answer sincerely…”

Before she could continue, Daliah was interrupted by Kemiro, who, ignoring his situation, raised his hand with a serious expression, saying, “One moment. I’m contemplating!”

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Kemiro reflects, “In the name of Hein'Ra. She’s not wearing a bra!”

Due to the perfect refinement of his body, Kemiro had a heightened sense of awareness. With all the pressure applied by Kirianna, who was practically his height, by focusing, he could feel everything clearly.

Kemiro reflects, “Whatever reason the matriarch had for calling me here, I’ll forgive her rudeness after receiving this unexpected gift. However, I must seize this opportunity to test my plans to include Amira in my family. After all, I don’t know when another chance to meet the Matriarch will arise.”

Determined, Kemiro says, “The Matriarch asks what Amira is to me. That’s a silly question. Of course, Amira is a person I cherish the most in my life. Even among all those who claim to be skilled, Amira was the first to recognize my Quality, even when I do my best to hide it. Not only that, but despite our difference in status, she treats me as an equal.” After a brief pause, he looked directly into Daliah’s eyes, saying, “As such, Amira is someone I aspire to have as part of my family in the future.”

No sooner had Kemiro closed his mouth, he felt a tingling sensation all over his body. He noticed that even Kirianna trembled slightly, tightening her grip on him.

The cause was Daliah’s energy, which expanded to cover the entire floor.

From her back, a pair of bat-like wings, white and lustrous like silk, emerged. Her golden eyes now glowed with a red hue, burning like a sun.

The energy pulse pushed the documents on the desk aside. Rising to her feet, she said in a dark tone, “You are quite bold to declare in front of me that you want to make my daughter a mere concubine! For daring to say such absurdity, I should castrate you.”

Watching the Matriarch walking toward him, Kemiro calmly replied, “Your opinion assumes Amira would be treated differently. Do not underestimate my feelings for Amira. My affection for her goes beyond mere carnal desire. Besides, her being the sole heir of the Telffira family holds no value to me!”

As she listened to Kemiro, Daliah came within a step of him. Unfolding her enormous wings, she said, “You truly have an extraordinary gift with words. Even though you are unworthy, earlier, for Amira’s sake, I was considering allowing you to stay by her side. But clearly, you need to be put in your place first. My daughter is far above any mere Priestess of a lowly clan stuck in this inferior dimension! And you, a cast-off descendant of a lesser family, dream of making my daughter a concubine?”

Surprising Kemiro, Daliah firmly grabbed his groin, a move he hadn’t noticed until the final result. Daliah questioned, “Do not think that being the Pair of a high-ranking Sere'No means anything to me. Banishing her back to whatever dimension you summoned her from is as easy as snapping my fingers. So, tell me, what gives you such confidence to make this bold claim?”

Noticing Kemiro’s lack of reaction, his head lowered. Staring at her hand while she squeezed his pelvis, Daliah tightened her grip.

Daliah was shocked when Kemiro raised his head with a mocking smile, saying, “As I said, those who claim to be powerful often become blinded by their own ignorance.”

Before Daliah could process Kemiro’s words, she felt intense pain in her Intention.

She also felt a sharp pain in her wrist, causing her to release Kemiro’s groin. But before she could react, her body was pulled back by her neck, arms, forearms, thighs, ankles, and waist.

“Daliah!”

Hearing Kirianna’s desperate voice, Daliah snapped out of it, only to be beyond words, utterly shocked.

Her entire body and wings were being restrained by black cubes. Around her head, neck, heart, and abdomen were dozens of sharp stakes made of the same black crystal, hovering mere millimeters from piercing her.

“Guuhh!”

Hearing a groan, Daliah turned her attention to see Kemiro effortlessly holding back Kirianna’s hands.

Realizing she couldn’t win in a contest of brute strength, Kirianna tried to pull away from Kemiro, only to be restrained by black cubes that held her by the neck, arms, and legs.

“Being able to use my Heritage without restraint... is liberating,” Kemiro said, sighing in satisfaction.

Walking toward the Matriarch, he warned, “It’s best if you don’t resist. While I believe you could escape, if you try to hurt me, I will retaliate without restraint. But that will harm Amira, so let’s avoid spilling unnecessary blood.”

Daliah reflects, “Even after all these centuries, I can count on one hand the number of times someone has overpowered me like this!” Frowning, she said, “Have you inherited Helga’s Bloodline? What is Boronéa House planning by hiding your Heritage?”

“Boronéa House? What makes you think they know any more than you? To them, I’m just a failure, just as I planned.”

Seeing Kemiro’s pure smile as he toyed with the sharp dagger without cutting himself, Daliah couldn’t help but smile. With a condescending expression, she remarks, “It seems time has ‘blinded’ me. To have not realized you were hiding something like this.”

Looking at Kemiro with a deep gaze, she reaffirmed, “No. The truth is, you are more capable than I gave you credit for. But I’m glad my Amira was able to surpass me in discovering your Quality. For you to be able to overpower me like this, I owe you an apology for how rudely I acted.”

“That’s nothing. You don’t seem to understand the value you possess. As Amira’s mother.” Waving his hand, Kemiro made all the crystals disappear, saying, “If it’s to protect Amira, I would kill even Gods!”

Both Daliah and Kirianna’s expressions changed for secret reasons, beyond just the absurdity of Kemiro’s declaration.

"Kill Gods..." Daliah sighed with a somber expression, retracting her wings as she spoke, "Take this advice from someone who has lived longer than you: be careful in front of whom you make such bold statements in the future. I’ve seen many die for far less."

“I appreciate the wisdom,” Kemiro replied sincerely, noticing Daliah’s thoughtful expression.

Looking at Kemiro, Daliah hesitated, saying, “I’m asking this not as the Telffira’s Matriarch, but as Amira’s mother. What exactly drew Amira to you? She refuses to reveal any details.”

“Amira is really possessive," Kemiro thought, shaking his head.

“Well, one of the reasons she hasn’t shared anything is that we're under a Pact of the Soul. But I never expected her to keep even that a secret.” After a brief pause, Kemiro continued, “I won’t reveal the true reason, but I will at least share one of them. I’ll allow Amira to disclose the secret of our pact to you, so you can ask her later.”

Walking over to the table, Kemiro picked up the goblet that had fallen, spilling its contents. Using Kirianna’s dagger, Kemiro channeled his Ma’Jia to enchant it. Relaxing his palm, he made a cut, holding the dagger as his blood flowed, filling half the goblet.

As soon as he withdrew the dagger, Daliah was surprised at how quickly the wound healed.

Kemiro then gently pushed the goblet toward Daliah, smiling as he says, “As a Vanaphir, I’m sure you’ll understand once you drink my blood.”

Returning to her senses, Daliah felt a slight tremor as the blood’s fragrance reached her nose. It was a pure red hue, almost glowing faintly as it reflected the light.

With elegance, in silence, Daliah took the goblet to her lips, her mouth drying in anticipation. As the aroma caressed her nose, she felt an electric current surge through her body. But she controlled her reaction. Closing her eyes, she drank the entire contents in one go.

Even after emptying the goblet, she remained frozen in place until she released a warm sigh, her breath condensed in the air.

“I see. Your blood is quite delicious. Amira is so foolish for trying to keep this from me,” Daliah remarked, shaking her head and smiling like a loving mother.

Kemiro’s expression showed slight disappointment for a moment due to Daliah’s lack of a stronger reaction; he reflects, “Strange. Her reaction isn’t even closer to how Amira responds every time she drinks my blood.”

Before they could continue, the portal shimmered as someone passed through.

“What is Kemiro doing here?”

The one who crossed was Amira, Kemiro’s teammate, but her voice is different. Ignoring Amira’s authoritative tone, Daliah scolded her, saying, “Amira, I’ve already told you not to use anything but Laurin’s eyes! Are you trying to hurt your Krutriz by possessing her?”

Her comment was also ignored by Amira, who stood in front of Kemiro, inspecting him, as she said, “Laurin isn’t as weak as you think, mother. And I would never do anything to hurt her! More importantly, you broke our promise not to summon Kemiro without my consent.”

“Amira, my daughter. You’re stopping me from thanking Kemiro for putting up with you for almost five years. Isn’t that enough? You act as though you think I’m some kind of threat.”

Noticing her mother’s slightly flushed face, Laurin’s eyebrows furrowed, reflecting Amira’s emotions—a flush that she recognized.

Controlling Laurin’s body, Amira turned toward Kemiro, lowering his shirt collar, patting his neck, and even sniffing him like a hunting dog. She then noticed the bloodstained dagger in Kemiro’s hand.

Lifting Kemiro’s hand, Amira took the dagger, sniffing it. Her expression shifted to one of terror as she said, “You offered your blood to my mother?”

“Yes, just a little. Why?” Kemiro replied, confused by Amira’s reaction.

“Aaaaah! Kemiro, you idiot!”

“Why?”

“Anna, idiot, why didn’t you stop him?”

“Uughh!” Kirianna, weak against Amira, winced at being rudely called out for the first time.

“Mama, you idiot! Chupacabra!”

“PFFFF-! Amira, that’s no way to refer to your mother!”

Daliah blushed, embarrassed by the derogatory comparison Amira always made when upset with her.

“I don’t care! After I talk to Kemiro, you and I are having a woman-to-woman talk in the gymnasium! Come on, Kemiro.”

Amira tossed the dagger on the ground and stormed out, dragging Kemiro by the wrist.

“Wait, Amira. Your mother and I were in the middle of a conversation,” Kemiro said, though he made no effort to resist, as he too was weak against her.

“Whatever it is, it can wait. I’m wearing those stockings you said you liked! Or is the conversation with her more important?”

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Kemiro nearly choked, unsure how to respond. He felt a shiver down his spine as he heard ominous voices:

“Kemiro...”

“Castration is the only salvation...”

“No, wait! I didn’t ask for anything like..."

His attempts to protest were in vain as Amira dragged him through the portal, his laments fading away as mere echoes throughout the floor.