I wake up again, yet I don't find myself in the tub, but on Kyska's lap.

(E)

(K)

(E)

I embrace this weird insect that is constantly taking care of me.

And that grew to me in this terrifying new world.

(K)

(S)

And an overeager third party chimes in on the hugging.

(E)

After a while, we settle down and separate again.

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(S)

(E)

(S)

(E)

(K)

"Ehhk!?" (E)

Now that she mentioned it my stomach feels truly a little cramped.

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

Suki is going to fetch the assisting nurses and workers and Kyska guides me to the table.

(K)

(E)

Usually, I would avoid eating before doing something that might cause me to vomit.

Like always mushrooms and nectar.

Apparently, the nectar is more effectively converted into energy and easier to take in.

I didn't want to drink this anymore but what shall I do if this is all they provide.

Soon I'm done.

Then I have to prepare for inducing a laying session.

Kyska introduces me to a position.

(K)

I have to bend over the stool and support myself with my arms on it.

(K)

I do so.

(K)

It feels a little weird and after some repetitions, I feel a strange kind of pressure.

(E)

(K)

I do like she says and the pressure grows stronger. It gathers in my abdomen and suddenly.

"Plop"

(K)

"Plop"

There is some pain, but it more and more feels like nothing obstructs the release.

"Plop"

The nurses are already there and bring each egg away.

"Plop"

But it doesn't stop and more keep coming.

"Plop, plop"

(K)

"plop"

(E)

"Plop"

(Kyska)

"Plop, plop"

Despite her words, I feel terrible at that occurrence and my breath gets rigid.

"Plop, plop"

I despair and breathe wildly in and out, losing partly control over my body.

Especially down there.

"Plop, plop, plop, plop, plop"

I lose control!

"Plop, plop, plop, plop, plop, plop, plop, plop"

(S)

My body goes numb, yet despite that, some kind of reflex takes over and presses even more out.

"Plop, plop, plop, plop"

I lose my mind and eventually pass out.

"Plop, plop"

The next I feel is how Kyska is wiping my face, shortly followed by Suki fiddling with my wings.

(S)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

Didn't want to know this.

Now I feel somewhat guilty for doing this.

Kyska seems to be able to read my mind.

Or scent.

(K)

(E)

(K)

I feared she would say so.

Is this really fine?

I don't know, maybe they're not even alive yet.

I mean, it's not like I've never had a chicken egg which was... occupied.

There wasn't much that could live yet.

I can just hope so.

At least the eggs are much smaller than the later larvae.

Urgh, I don't want to think about this.

I should just avoid that this happens in the first place.

However, this means... I have to lay eggs the right way.

That's nothing I wanted to arrange myself with.

(E)

(K)

(E)

(S)

(E)

(K)

Sixty-eight eggs!

Sixty-eight new insects will spawn!

This is absolutely insane.

There are already enough to hatch an army.

And this took not even three days.

I am so done with my body and lay low on the bench.

Naturally, just on the stomach is possible.

Stupid wings!

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

And here I go again, strengthening the insect army.

(L)

What?

No!

No, no, no, no!

The only one who shouldn't have heard!

(L)

(K)

What I remember from the last interval is that she sexually offended me!

(K)

(L)

(S)

(L)

And she settles herself on a stool at the table.

Wait!

She stays here!?

She totally behaves as if she owns this place.

Well, I don't know for sure, maybe she does.

I think I just blinked stunned with my second layer at that invasive being.

Also, I just realized: I'm in underwear!

(L)

I don't really think she's against me.

Simply the fact that she spends her time teaching me and comes here shows that she isn't despising my presence.

Also, I can't believe she thinks of me as a threat.

I mean, yesterday she showed me how to use a deadly weapon as her first action.

This is nothing you do for an enemy.

In addition, there wasn't a single lying insect and she doesn't give the schemer.

Nonetheless, she has something threatening to her.

I just don't think it is aimed at me.

But this is a reason to comply.

Also, there is never a good reason to make enemies.

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

"G-good! Wheen iet is thiEs what you want." (E)

(L)

She begins to make some weird stretchings with her jaw.

"IEeet ieeEz fieEEene lieeEeke thieeEEz?" (L)

Rather I think this scream would terrify any human being.

Yet since I'm used to this from my own attempts I can keep it together.

"Ie thienk you have got thee words rieght, yet thEy are a little high. Miene as wEll. However, humans can very eeasily get frightened. So thies tone could be a problem." (E)

"Creeak! ThieeEz wieeell bEee a pieEece of woork!" (L)

"Are you going to ienteract with theem?" (E)

"Youu seeE, mEe and myE brood are veEryE invEeested ien mEainteeainieng thEee pEEacee of thee syEsteeem. Soo iet iEs naaatural that IIE want to know such thiEngs to beE able to dooo thieees. IIieeek! ThieeEs ies reEallyE haard, IE honoor youuu to mEainteeEn iiiet lieeEke thiieez!" (L)

She said she is maintaining the peace.

In other words, she is fighting.

This means she is accustomed to violence.

"You... you areen't going to attAck humans rieght?" (E)

(L)

She switched back to creaks and screeches.

I know already how hard it is to keep human speech up.

"Y-yes I am. Ie, I know that me being human is quEstionable, yet at leeast, I really don't want a conflict or that innocent pEople diee. Or worse, that you use anyething you heard from mee against them and I thEn am responsieble for their deaths." (E)

(L)

Her offer appears to be honest and having someone on my side sounds good too.

And she appears to be rather strong.

Both in power and mentality.

Yet her proposal has a flaw.

"I would lieke to accept your offer, but theere is a little problem." (E)

(L)

"Thies alreadye counts as knowledge, but humans are not lieke thee swarm. They are indieviedualiEstic." (E)

(L)

"It meeans that humans aren't going to follow every order a supeerior gives theem. Theere might be incidents, wheen separate acting humans are provoking. Or thee other way round a supeerior forces thee people to fight, even if they don't want to. My familye and Ie got caught in a war that wee didn't want to take part in. Would you spare if thies happEns the innocent?" (E)

(L)

(E)

Maintaining human speech is hard and I got emotional.

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

Suddenly she stands up, walks to me, and looks me intently in the eyes.

An action performed with black insect eyes isn't any less intimidating.

(L)

Busted.

That she is this perceptive.

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

So my family maybe too.> (E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(E)

(L)

(K)

(L)

I am absolutely in for that kind of thing.

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(L)

She grabs me from my bench and immediately starts to drag me out.

For me, this is a worrisome topic.

She really wants me to fly with these things which feel just like a foreign attachment to me.

In my opinion, people are just not made to fly.

On the other hand, it is a little bit difficult to consider me as such.

I mean I did grow them.

So, am I made to fly?

She drags me to the middle of the courtyard.

(L)

Immediately the workers are spreading over the whole area.

(L)

I am anxious, yet I know how they are attached to me.

I feel them and like this, can figure out the controlling muscle.

And so they spread.

(L)

(E)

I draw a little hope.

At least I may not have to rise to dangerous levels.

(L)

So she already made up her mind that I'm going down!?

(L)

This doesn't sound too hard and I try to move them.

As soon as the muscle tenses there is movement.

Yet, the air pressing against them feels strange.

(L)

In practice, I need to stand upright and don't move them all the way.

Yet, controlling them is hard.

I cannot really stay conscious of three different sets of movements.

Three because the sets are moving synchronous and I don't dare to try to alternate.

(L)

I try but at this speed, I can barely perceive how they swing.

However, it is astonishing how fast these things are in the first place.

A bird's wings are nothing against the speed with which these are rushing up and down.

Yet, because I concentrated on this I was occupied for a moment and notice in the next that my feet aren't anymore on the ground.

The next that happens is me panicking, losing balance, and the world turning upside down.

This will gonna hurt!

Or so I thought.

I notice after I managed to open my eyes again, that Liseti is holding me with all her four claws in some kind of princess carry.

...Well.

Then she dumps me down.

(L)

This princess is relentless.

She forces me to try again and again.

After some attempts, I managed to reach a decent height yet this only increased my anxiety and made me more prone to fall.

It's quite ironic how the fear to fall causes exactly that.

As Liseti said, I try to stop the movement of the wings which in the worst case would only speed me up on my way down.

Fortunately, I get caught before hitting the ground.

To my dismay, it is one of the for this reason spread workers.

Not really to be considered a shining knight.

(E)

It slowly sets my feet on the ground.

All in all, they can be pretty nice, despite their looks.

I know one shouldn't judge based on this, yet I am glad it was no guardian.

These things are walking battle platforms.

(L)

I would retort that the difference is what it causes to the body.

But I guess another fall would be healthier.

Like this, this torture of a training session continues and after far too long comes to an end.

(L)

She is coming back!

Help!

(L)

And it seems I will get abducted.

With prior notification.

This was heavily straining.

I drag myself back into my room and fall on the bench.

Before long I note a vessel with food in front of me.

And again it's mushrooms and nectar.

(E)

It's not that I dislike those mushrooms.

And the monotony isn't even bad, which probably has to do with this body that is made to consume this food.

Nonetheless, some alternation would be nice at times.

(K)

(E)

I haven't really thought about this, but now I realize that maybe my stomach changed as well.

Who knows, those mushrooms might be poisonous for humans and bread deadly for me.

The same reason why monsters don't eat bread or insects simply develop preferences.

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

This sounds too good to be true, ignoring the last part. A real feast of...

(E)

I remember very well how she said the corpses got "processed".

(K)

I think I just dodged an arrow.

I nibble a bit at the mushrooms while I wait.

Lying on the bench is desperately needed, as I am full of scrapes.

In this regard, I really can't tell why some people long for flying.

Now, out of my own expertise, I can tell: It hurts.

The workers got me almost whenever I fell and if not, I wasn't too high up, so I just got some scrapes.

Interestingly no callouses, which might be linked to the carapace that grew under my skin.

This makes me a bit worried about what my skin is still good for.

There is this disturbing thought that I only look human on the outside and my skin is just something like a disguise.

A thought heavily supported by the fact that my blood at the scrapes is green.

This again makes me sad.

I try to talk a bit in human speech to Suki, to avert my mind.

"What do you thienk about Lyseeti Suki?" (E)

(S)

"How is thies different? Aren't all priencesses controlling their own brood, so that theere shouldn't be a large scale?" (E)

(S)

I understand that the prescription "system" for their realm has a meaning.

It might be close to impossible to exist completely without partaking and like this, I am forced to give something in return.

After a while, Kyska comes back with a plate full of flesh.

At this moment, I realize the fatal error I made.

(E)

(K)

Besides the point that I am not sure what kind of creature this brown mass belongs to, I forgot the most important part.

They don't have any fire.

How should they be able to cook without?

Since Kyska did really go out of her way to bring me this, I try to eat it.

It... tastes strange.

I know I might be able to eat this and if it would be cooked it could even be alright, yet like this, it's an unpleasant experience.

Naturally, Kyska notices my feels.

No secrets for insect princesses.

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(K)

(E)

(S)

(E)

She is jealous.

Somehow both of them grew to me.

As I've now eaten and this was a terrible exhausting day I go to sleep.

This tub or alcove, how Kyska refers to it, is really distressingly comfortable.

It might be the reason why I sleep now more than usual.

Or it could have something to do with severe body modifications, in the direction of insectification, linked with being forced to the extremely taxing production and laying of eggs, at the cost of my own energy.

Whatever it is, ultimately it leads to me sleeping in, awaiting another very stressful day.