***Seria’s floating Island***

***Sharid***

It took a while to satisfy Aengus, but eventually, we managed to transfer our liaison to a more private place where we could clean ourselves up and get rid of the sand. Nothing against losing my virginity on a romantic beach, but getting the sand out of my hair turned out to be a nightmare.

Unfortunately, Aengus didn’t allow me to diddle-daddle in his arms and instead brought us to Seria’s place; a small, floating island in some unknown dimension.

I barely got time to frown at the seemingly endless sky which provided the background while being pulled towards Seria's abode. Having a multiverse of stunning landscapes at my beck and call is truly tiring. I wonder at which point I will stop paying any attention to my surroundings.

Together, we barge into the small villa, Aengus taking down the door with a kick and screaming bloody murder at his sister who was sitting with two familiar faces in a spacious living room.

My eyes wander back and forth between the game of cards on the table between them and the three people who are apparently watching a recording of Aengus and me on the beach. I feel my cheeks instantly turning red when I realize that the scene isn't showing us talking an innocent walk.

“Seria! Miruliru? Nazareth!” I can't help but scream out their names, joining Aengus’ outrage while pointing a shaking finger at the screen with the indecent scene.

Seria drops her hand of cards, trying to appease Aengus. “Big Bro, please don’t over-dramatise this. You know me. I tried to act in your best interest and, hehe, as you see, everything went as planned.”

Miruliru doesn’t pay any attention to us. Her whole concentration is still on the game when she frowns and growls, searching with a finger through Seria’s dropped hand-cards and another pile. “Why are you playing six ‘Wrath of God’!? Only four copies are allowed in each deck!”

“Hahaha,” Seria sorts through the cards. “Oops!”

Nazareth turns to Seria, likewise ignoring my outraged boyfriend cum fiance. “I think that I will take my leave now before I get further involved in any of this. I will run far, far away, just in case Angrod remembers me.”

He looks at me and shakes his head. “And to think that I even warned you of having a relationship…”

“You didn't warn me of that!” I bark back, vividly remembering that he only warned me of having children... an advice which I didn't exactly follow either.

“Yes, yes, here is your payment, Nazareth. You did a good job.” Miruliru flicks a crystal towards my master which I recognise as one of the Guildpoint recorders.

“Ho! Always a pleasure! It was a long job after all.” Nazareth takes the crystal and stows it away.

“You people, you are all in cahoots with each other!?” I can't believe it! This is an epic set up! “Just for how long did you plan all of this!?” Did they start when I was still a babe?

Miruliru massages her chin, still glaring at Seria because of the cards. “Well, I was following your growth since your birth, and I admit paying Nazareth to have an extra close eye on you. I thought about using you in one way or the other against Angrod. I don't like the man's demeanour, but the plan to set Aengus and you up with each other came from Seria.”

Seria huffs. “I pitied my idiot brother for a long time now. His track-record with women is horrible. And then you came along... young, beautiful, without any knowledge about the multiverse! The perfect naive maiden.” She snickers, quite obviously not seeing anything wrong with her actions.

Seria gestures towards Miruliru. “Of course, it became even more hilarious when I met Miruliru in the process and I learned about your history. Sorry, Big Bro, but Sharid is just a perfect match for you. I couldn't stop myself.”

“Little Sis, I hope you know that I will have to use you to take the blame. Of course, this situation is perfect to draw our mother's anger away from me and my ~fiancée~.” Aengus puts an arm around my shoulder and draws me close, then summons a crystal sword from seemingly nowhere.

Seria freezes as the pointy end of the weapon approaches her nose.

“My cruel Little Sister played the worst trick of all times on me. She set me up with our former arch-enemy – all without my knowledge, and now Sharid and I are stuck with each other!”

Aengus's tone suddenly became cruel and dangerous. It sent a shiver down my spine.

Where is his gentle and educated voice? He forewarned me that we had to get a little rough with Seria, but I didn’t expect him to mean it quite like this.

Seria uses the tip of her finger to push the sword aside. “Big Bro, allow this stupid sister to assist you in explaining the situation to our parents! I even have detailed ~video documentation~ of your commitment to your ~fiancée~, should it be needed!” She gestures towards the screen where Aengus and I are still going at it like rabbits.

“Please, delete that,” I beg her, unsure of what the first Chimeran princess might be capable of.

Seria summons some kind of controller into her hand. “But the two of you are so cute. Especially when you go-”

Aengus isn’t as wary of his sister as I am and instead uses the flat of his blade to smack Seria a good one over the top of her head.

“~GYAAA!~” She raises her arms, trying to ward off a second blow.

I snatch the device out of her hand and, not knowing what to do, hand it to Aengus who presses a few buttons, deleting the recording.

“That won't work. I have the data stored away in various ~safe locations~,” Seria points out and raises both hands above her head when Aengus’ sword comes back up.

“I am sure you won’t mind a round of respawns?” he asks, his voice cold as ice.

“Mom won’t let you!” Seria points out, leaving me to wonder what 'respawns' are.

“She will, once I start spilling every little detail about your machinations you had me assist you with over the years,” her brother replies instantly.

“Hahahaha...” Seria starts laughing, but stops when she realizes that Aengus is serious.

“That’s what I get for having an accomplice…” She sighs. “So, let your little sister try to assist you, but I will safeguard that video! Just in case it won't work out with Sharid in the end. I never would have imagined that this well-behaved big brother of mine would actually forcefully push down a girl and rob her innocence!” Seria puts both hands on her cheeks and starts wriggling in her seat.

“If I am not satisfied with your performance, I will take you down with me ~Little Sister~.” A few veins become visible on Aengus's forehead. “So where are Mom and Dad at the moment? I am sure you have a tracking device on them.”

It takes a few more minutes for Nazareth and Miruliru to excuse themselves, then we are off to another world.

Following Seria's guidance through the pathways, we appear in a snowy landscape which reminds me of long and cold nights which I had to spend alone in the mountains. There are high hills and a dark forest all around us. The stars and a big moon illuminate the snow with eerily blue light.

“To think that Mom and Dad would take the time off to go skiing...” Aengus pulls me with him towards a small, wooden house which is closer to a hunter's cabin than a king's domicile. We have to raise our legs high just to get through the snow which reaches up to our knees.

“Excuse me, this doesn't look like a god-king's domicile at all,” I comment, huffing out and watching my breath freeze instantly in the cold night.

Seria is right behind us, humming a little song. “What did you expect?”

She must be very happy because of the imminent bloodbath!

“I don't know,” I step onto the raised platform which is in front of the cabin's door. “Maybe some dark castle with lightning in the background and the howling screams of some innocents caught in the dungeon below?”

Aengus scoffs and knocks on the wooden door. “Well, he has those too, but this place is 'family only'. There is no need to intimidate anyone here.”

A blonde elf-woman opens the door, and Aengus brushes past her with a wave of his hand. “Hi, Rose! I need to see Mom and Dad.”

Seria gives the elf a quick hug.

I only overcome my initial shyness when I realize that the woman wears a maid-outfit which likely means that she isn't someone of great importance.

“Of course, they are in the living room.” Rose leads us towards another spacious room.

I blink, taking a quick look behind to confirm that the internal dimensions of this cabin don't match the outside ones, but Seria ushers me onwards, not giving me time to ponder this newest mystery.

We enter a living room with enough space to house over a dozen people without it getting crowded. Seria's little sisters are playing cards on the ground, hogging a round and plushy carpet for themselves.

An older version of Seria is writing something at a table on the far end of the room, facing a window that shows the landscape outside. I recognize her as the queen from the Crystal City's plaza.

A guy who is looking a little older than Aengus is sitting in a comfy chair while reading a big tome, looking very relaxed.

So that's Angrod! Just wait! I haven't completely given up on revenge! I will be the worst daughter in law you can imagine! I will claim both! Eternal ~love~ with Aengus and eternal ~revenge~ against my enemy!

“Mom, Dad. I want to introduce someone to you!” Aengus addresses the gathering with a calm and smooth voice.

Uwah! Now they are looking at us and I am not ready!

Why are they looking at me as if I am prey!?

Then I am suddenly grabbed at my shoulders and Aengus shoves me in front. “This is Sharid. I love her with all my heart and I confessed to her! We want to marry as soon as possible!”

Caught in the limelight, I don't dare to move a muscle while I watch the incomprehension in the children's eyes, and slowly, very slowly, awakening recognition in the parents' expressions.

There is the sound of ripping paper as Angrod tears his apparently very expensive tome asunder and the crack of a broken pencil when Celes tightens her grip.

How much strength does Angrod have to rip a book like a sheet of paper!? And that pen, it was golden and looked precious!

I smile and bow to them, fighting the urge to throw myself to the ground. “Nice to meet you! My name is Sharid. ~I hope we can get along with each other.~”

Angrod jumps out of his chair and stomps towards us, an aura of light-bending shadows coming off of him in waves.

I squeak and twist out of Aengus's hands to get him between myself and his father.

“Do you know who that is!” he screams at Aengus while waving a part of his ripped book at us.

~Bad!~

He immediately recognized me!

Aengus nods, apparently not intimidated at all. “The reincarnation of someone you gave a very petty punishment to. I hope that you can forget the past and give Sharid the same chance you gave to others because I love the person she is now,” Aengus answers his father with a straight face, his words warming my heart.

“No! Nev-”

Angrod's words are cut short when the queen who approached from behind takes the ripped tome from his hand and smacks it onto the back of his head with full force.

“Don't lower yourself further into a pit of your own making!” his wife reprimands the king of gods. “Don't think that I've forgotten that little incident from a few years ago. This would have been preventable if you hadn't played god!”

The king of gods remains standing, biting his lower lip while pointedly avoiding his wife's gaze.

~Serves~ you right! I dare to raise the corners of my lips just a little bit, seeing a weakness in Angrod's defences. If I can't best him in a contest of power, then maybe I can prove to be the superior social predator?

“Rose, get Ireth and Katrina!” The queen crosses her arms, then turns her ire towards me.

My faint smile immediately vanishes from my face when I realize that getting Celes on our side isn't a paved road. That and... her ability to talk up to Angrod might be based on her strength, so social skills might not help against him.

“Sharid isn't a bad person, Mom! She is my friend!” Seria hugs me from the side which causes raised eyebrows from the queen.

Celes doesn't say a word – which is actually very scary. She just points at a dinner table at the side of the room and we take a seat.

We end up with me between Seria and Aengus on one end and Celes and Angrod at the other. For a long time, nobody says a word with both sides eyeing each other for weaknesses while I sweat in fear.

Just what kind of family is this!?

The silent staring continues until two more female demons arrive with the elf maid. I guess those are Ireth and Katrina? They have an old geezer and another guy with them.

Celes gets up to approach the newcomers and mumbles a few incomprehensible words to them. After a series of nods, the women take a seat facing me, adding to our opponents' ranks.

One of the new arrivals just gives a single command to me. “Talk.”

“Uhm...” I play with my fingers, unable to hide my insecurity. “About what?”

Thankfully, Aengus and Seria cover for me, making it clear that the matriarch didn't mean just me. The two siblings spin an expertly fabricated version of the true story of my life and our encounter, allowing me to give certain details while painting the events in a more positive light than reality would allow. They somehow manage to make it seem like I am telling the tale, only interrupting me to twist certain details in our favour.

In short, the two of them are so expertly lying through their teeth that I couldn't have pulled a story like that out of my ass if I had a thousand years to think about it.

It takes an exhausting hour, but we finally manage to satisfy the female members of Aengus's family while Angrod is silently glaring bloody murder at me.

The triplets were watching us from the sidelines with curious expressions, as if this was the best family drama they ever got to witness.

Finally, Angrod excuses himself to join the other two men who are playing cards, drawing Aengus with him and leaving me only with Seria's support. The godking didn't say a single word during the entire discussion.

Being left alone with only the women, I try to make sense of their social interactions. Could it be that this household is completely dominated by the female members?

“This will be a scandal!” Ireth voices her verdict, forcing my attention back to the discussion at the table. “Our society changed over the years, but we are far from adding a complete commoner to the royal family. The Houses won't stand for it.”

“Impossible.” Katrine shakes her head. “She isn't even from a royal bloodline and she has no backers among the other powers.”

The two family matriarchs form a firm front against me.

Celes pays them no heed and just tilts her head while looking at me. “So, you say that you love my son?”

“Yes!” I bow to her, hoping to get at least her on my side since it looks like I don't have good cards with the grandmothers.

“Then you have to prove it!” Celes raises her hand, then whispers a few sentences with the grandmothers. There is a vivid back and forth and after a while, they nod.

I lean over to Seria. “Why can't I hear anything?”

“Privacy Charm,” Seria coughs back.

Then Celes disappears through a pathway.

“Huh?” Where did she go so suddenly? I look at Seria who has an equally perplexed expression.

Only a few seconds of a silent standoff with the unhappy grandmothers pass before Celes reappears again. With an evil smirk on her face, she shows me a big syringe with a long needle.

“If you manage to survive this, I will let you have my son. This is a test to join our family! If you are too weak, then I am rid of you!” She plays with the item, the syringe skilfully dancing around in her fingers.

“Mom! That's going too far! Not one of your weird experiments!” Seria takes my hand and faces her mother head-on. “Sharid, you don't have to do this! It's my fault, Mom. It was my meddling which led to this situation.”

“I know that you had a hand in it!” Celes shoots a deathly glare at Seria. “You always have a part in things like this! You will be dealt with separately!”

Seria shudders and drops from her chair, taking a foetus position on the ground, her eyes glazing over with some unknown memory and then she starts sucking on her thumb.

~Nyaaa!~ My only ally was defeated by a gaze and a few threatening words!? “Seria!?” I kneel down and shake her at the shoulder, but my last supporter shows no reaction. Just what did she have to go through to experience such a trauma?

I look towards Aengus, but he is held back by his father's hand on his shoulder. There is no help to be expected from him.

What to do? Will I even get out of this alive if I refuse? Why is the world never easy on me! Aengus, I hope we can be together. If not in this life, then in the next. And for ~revenge~! This is just another test of many which I have to best!

I hold my arm out towards Celes and close my eyes. Then I feel the needle pricking me.

“If you want to give up, just say so. I will administer the antidote immediately. Of course, you will have failed the test in that case...” Celes explains with a smirk while my vision darkens.