Miss Talia looks over her shoulder to Dunwayne. He gives her a subtle nod and she turns back. “The same as before, try to answer my questions completely. You are married to Kierra Atainna, are you not?”

“Now and forever.” I turn to give her a smile. She purses her lips in a false kiss before grinning back.

“Where did you meet?”

“We met in the Enchanted Forest. Beneath a really big tree. While a bunch of wolves were trying to eat me.”

“…when did you fall in love?”

Hoh. That sounds like a personal question, Miss Interrogator. Not that I mind. You can have all the details you want. “That’s a hard question. I was immediately infatuated. When did I know I wanted to sleep with her? Almost immediately. When I knew I wanted to marry her? I think I had my first inkling when I was tackled to the ground for the hundredth time.”

Thinking back, our beginning is strange. Kierra is a sweetheart, underneath layers of blood, brazen disregard of morality, and savagery, but who falls for someone shoving their face in the dirt every day? Even if it was supposed to be for my own good.

Miss Talia, I know what it looks like, but I don’t have those kinds of interests. Please don’t get the wrong idea.

“Definitely knew after our first night together. Whew.” Kierra chuckles while Aurelius’ lips twitch. Holding back a frown there, baldie?

“Have you ever used the mental affinity to influence the actions or thoughts of Kierra?”

“Never. I hadn’t even contracted an elemental when we met. She fell in love with me and everything since has been completely of her own will.”

There is a long pause as Talia scans my thoughts. As Bell is giving her the full scope of our relationship, there is a lot to go through and I’m sure she sees exactly how willing Kierra is in all of it.

Her face shows the faintest blush, the tiniest hint of pink on her pale cheeks. She clears her throat as she releases my hand. “She is telling the truth.”

“Shall we be thorough?” Kierra stands and extends her hand toward Miss Talia. “To forestall whatever ridiculous excuse he can come up with to explain how she passed your little test. Come on.”

Miss Talia again looks to the grandmaster. This time, he wears a small smile as he nods. Miss Talia, reluctantly, grabs my wife’s hand.

“Don’t hold back. Ask whatever.”

“…you are married to Lourianne Tome, are you not?”

“Happily.”

“Where did you meet?”

“In the Enchanted Forest, the common name for the strip of land that connects our homes. I found a helpless little creature cowering from the most useless predators in the forest.” She chuckles as I flush in embarrassment. “I couldn’t just let her be eaten.”

“When did you fall in love?”

Kierra chuckles. “Hm~ Shall I answer it the way my darling wife did? I was fascinated immediately. As for when I wanted to sleep with her, it would be a certain morning after we’d started our lives together, watching her try not to wake me as she alternated bemoaning being stranded in a strange place and fighting her desire to fondle the ‘sleeping’ woman next to her. Her fingers twitching over me with such an unsightly gleam in her eyes.”

She chuckles while my flush deepens. The room is giving me a very uncomfortable look, especially Lady Filagree. Why do you look disgusted? I want to see you calmly keep your hands to yourself lying next to her!

“When I knew I wanted to marry her? Mm. That would be after a very special night. You know the one.”

“Oh, I know it.” The one where I brought back her ‘tickets’ to return home.

“Have you ever felt that your actions were not under your own control?”

“Several times.” The room seems to take a collective breath at her answer. Kierra laughs at them. “Oh, relax. I must answer the interrogator truthfully. There have been plenty of times when I’ve felt like I didn’t have control over myself. Have you ever heard the saying ‘fucked senseless’? It applies here.” She licks her lips. “And it had nothing to do with anyone messing with my thoughts.”

Miss Talia’s faint blush advances to a full one as her eyes steadily grow wider. Jeez, what is that elf thinking about?

“Coo!” [The elf is truly deviant. Haha, she is showing the mind reader what future she is seeking!]

What? Dammit, I want to see too.

Miss Talia suddenly drops Kierra’s hand, averting her eyes and taking several steps backward. Her blush hasn’t abated in the slightest. “She is…not under any influences. She doesn’t need them.”

“Exactly. Now, if we are done with this farce, I have a class to get back to.”

“Indeed.” Dunwayne stands. “Thank you for your time and I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No worry.” She turns to Aurelius and unleashes her full-on glare. The one reserved for something she is about to kill. The hostility in it makes the bald caster take an instinctive step back. “We all have to deal with the pests that worm their way into our lives. Come on, Lou.”

“Right behind you,” I say while jumping to my feet, grinning broadly. Aurelius’ attempt to hide his crestfallen expression at her dismissal of him is seared into my brain perfectly. It started off terribly but this is turning out to be a grand day.

Placing Bell on my shoulders, I reach out to grab my wife’s hand as we leave the room.