The greenery sparsely decorating Hoburns' countless streets and plazas had now fully finished its transformation into the current season's signature colours. Tree crowns boasting vibrant shades of yellow, orange, scarlet and burgundy now joined the uncountable roofs and spires of the skyline, supplying diversity to its stone, brick and copper. Just as signature of the Earth season was something carried throughout Hoburns by the morning's biting breeze - the smell of those tree crowns' leaves dying and rotting, of turning brown and fragile after falling to the ground, where their pleasing crunch becomes a start to the mornings of many as they are cleaned up by undead workers at the earliest break of every dawn.

In a remarkably opulent and extraordinarily guarded mansion not far from the city's centre, a young mother had just breastfed her daughter. It was an act the woman took pride in every single time, especially since it once seemed unthinkable that she could ever be in this situation, that she could be living such a wonderful life.

"Wa..."

"That's the window, Ayame. Do you want to look outside for a bit?"

"Uu?"

"Okay, let's see what kind of day it is…"

Neia Baraja carefully got up and slowly brought her divine daughter towards the specific window which seemed to have caught the little Goddess' interest just then.

"It's a really nice day out isn't it?"

Ayame did not respond, instead staring outside for a moment before seemingly deciding that it was too bright in that strange place, and that her mother's smile was a more comforting sight anyway.

"Nothing interesting out there? Alright, let's get you a bit of tummy time, okay?"

...

Suzuki Satoru's personal room within Nazarick was usually a dark and quiet place, even with its owner occupying it. The undead king used to often forget this, however, as seeing even in absolute darkness was something he had grown accustomed to, and silence felt only natural to the focused or the resting mind. But over time, it became more and more common for Satoru to feel that the atmosphere of this room was somewhat... unwelcoming? Lonely, perhaps? All the darkness, the only sounds being those of his own making, the subdued and dark colours, the lack of windows...

Well, that was all probably just because of another private chamber Satoru could now compare it to, that being Neia's bedroom. With all the time they've spent there together, all the decorations of personal significance to the person Satoru loved the most, and the fact that he was only ever really there with Neia made that room feel quite special, a place where the two made countless memories together, where they ate together, where they shared a warm bed, as well as their most intimate moments. And following the birth of Ayame, it was a place where the whole family rested.

Regardless, Satoru's own room was still a space he valued, its mood one of absolute privacy, somewhere he could ruminate uninterrupted. Currently, the proud father was using a brief segment of free time to look into something exceedingly important before he'd have to attend yet another meeting with all the greatest minds of Nazarick. For a week or two now, the undead king had been going over all of his notes on relationships, while also creating new ones constantly, ones belonging to a new category.

Satoru was looking into the longevity of romantic bonds.

It was not that unusual to see young couples marry and have their love persevere until death did them part. But that was only one lifetime. Satoru thankfully possessed the means to allow Neia to stay by his side for all eternity, but seeing this incredible blessing as something without consequence was entirely naive. If he was correct, the very passage of time itself could one day begin to strain his hard-fought, impossibly intoxicating marriage, possibly even breaking it altogether. Perhaps after copious lifetimes spent side-by-side, growing tired of a romantic partner and leaving them would be only inevitable.

But that was merely the worst-case scenario. Yet even if it was, Satoru's next course of action would be the same, and just as clear. Even if his relationship did not have any problems either spouse could identify, even if it had no apparent path to further improvement, then that was not an excuse to rest, but merely meant that it was time to instead shift focus to their love's preservation, on keeping it forever fresh and exciting, on ensuring Neia would always be happy... ensuring she would always be by his side. Forever.

At this point, a life without Neia seemed like a distant, completely foreign thing.

And a terrifying one.

... ...

Due to this evening's upcoming event, the High Priestess made sure to give herself a thorough scrubbing, shaving, and preening of the feathers. Neia would need to wash her face and wings again while adding some final cosmetic touches later, just before the arrival of the earliest guests, as the day was still very young and such preparations would not last if she were to make them now.

Fetching Ayame back from Amelia's care, the two had to stop and gush about the princess' cuteness for a bit before finally heading to a different part of the mansion, the one where the decorations were being put up first. Soon enough, they reached the worksite of a few of the maids, as well as some off-duty guards volunteering extra pairs of hands. And just nearby was of course the person currently ensuring all the decorations were being arranged properly and according to the provided specifications, the head maid.

"Ah, Your Holiness."

"Hey Emma!"

Neia's close friend hurried over, as dignified and outwardly serious as ever. Ayame, as usual, got quite excited to see her, reaching out and making adorable happy little sounds. The head maid returned the affection with a smile and especially gentle tone.

"And hello to you too, Ayame."

"How's the decorating going? Any issues?"

"Everything is going according to schedule. We'll be done well ahead of time, even if I were to include myself thoroughly triple-checking everything in that estimation."

"Good work! I can always count on you, can't I?"

While the head maid was faintly glowing with pride at the statement, another voice chimed in with a noticeable sort of unease.

"Your Holiness?"

Turning to another maid, who spoke without pausing her work, Neia responded quickly, though with minor surprise at her tone.

"Eli? Is something wrong?"

"Well, I am deeply sorry I must ask, but... well, we've been talking about it, and... may I know what exactly this festival is about?"

Knowing Emma, the head maid probably just told them to mind their business or forward their questions to Neia instead if they felt they really needed to ask. With a bit of a sigh, Neia looked around first. There were decorations of both paper and wood depicting pumpkins, skeletons, zombies and variants of them called "mummies", bats, vampires, wraiths, spiders and cobwebs, black cats, foreignly dressed female wizards with green skin and brooms for chariots... in other words, it seemed a mostly random collection of unrelated and sometimes very bizarre things, with the most common identifiable pattern being the several different types of depicted undead.

Neia herself was previously also completely lost on what the connections between these things could be, that was until darling had explained that the theme was frightening things, and this long-lost holiday was called "halloween".

The realisation that this festival's theme regarded the scary and disturbing was something that probably would have been a lot more obvious to someone not living within the Sorcerer Kingdom's borders, where perception of undead had shifted massively within mere years as they became a common part of everyday life. Satoru's undead were direct extensions of his will and constant reminders of his unfathomable power. They represented the safety of perfectly tireless and unbribable guards, the prosperity that came with so many hungerless and sleepless labourers who toiled in demanding and risky labour purely for the benefit of the living...

Well, honestly, it might've been hard to guess what this "halloween" was all about even for someone who feared the undead. There wasn't really anything fearsome about pumpkins, bats, black felines or foreignly-dressed magic casters who rode brooms. The last of those was rather comical, if anything. Nonetheless, these were all things that were for whatever reason considered sinister at some point in the past, and were thus traditionally associated with this long-lost holiday of fight.

"I understand what you mean. Don't worry at all about not knowing, this isn't a festival you'd hear about. These are all dead traditions from His Majesty's younger years."

"Ah, I see! Uhm, could you explain it to us, then, Your Holiness? I would be delighted to know more about it!"

"Assuming you don't use this as an excuse to slack off."

Everyone within earshot of the conversation shared a good, brief laugh before Neia started her explanation, with everyone listening intently with eagerness to understand their God as much as possible. This was knowledge which could not be obtained anywhere else, after all.

... … …

In the late afternoon, and while in the middle of her final cosmetic preparations, Neia Baraja saw a figure suddenly appear out of thin air in the table's large mirror. This figure was of course a skeletal Satoru, the sight of him forcing Neia's wings to begin flapping as the High Priestess scrambled to get up and run over for a welcome hug.

"Ah, darling!"

"Hey, Neia. Hahh, finally home..."

Neia embraced the God with all her might while the previously resting Ayame made a quiet noise of surprise and could then be heard stirring, likely searching for the source of her father's suddenly appearing voice.

"I missed you, darling."

"I missed you too. And what a trip... I can tell you all about it if you're interested."

"Oh, please do! Will you want to sit down first or..."

"I'll let you finish preparing. And is everything alright here?"

"Yep, decorations are ready, food is ready… Ayame is fine, of course..."

"Good, I'm glad."

The spouses moved deeper into the room before performing their kissing routine and parting again for the moment, with Neia returning to brushing her hair while Satoru went over to Ayame's crib.

"Hey, sweetheart. Dad's back, though he's currently a skeleton."

"U?"

"Sorry, I'm not sure what that means, but I'm glad to see you, even if I look all weird and you don't recognise me. I can't greet you normally because the party starts soon and changing forms has a stupid cooldown… Welp, goodbye for now, I gotta talk to mom and all that. I hope you've been keeping her good company like you promised!"

The young mother watched through her mirror as Satoru sat down on one of the sofas with a sigh, leaning backward with his head turned up at the ceiling.

"It was honestly quite boring, even if everything is continuing well. I got back very early this morning, and while I ended up having a few hours to myself in between some meetings, it's hard to relax with my free time being spread across brief breaks before more and more meetings resumed.

And as for how it all went, the dwarves are a stubborn bunch, but they're not hard to sway if you have what they want. The forgemaster, for example, was a lot more eager once he heard about those new ore veins we found recently thanks to our ability to send undead scouts to hazardous environments with comparatively minimal supplies and costs. Silver and orichalcum deep in poison-infested caves, I believe it was? Either way, leveraging some things we prepared, the deal went through just fine.

They asked to loan even more skeletons than we hoped for, actually, which was also a boon. With all this, economic and cultural ties should be strengthened massively in the following years. Albedo will be staying behind in their capital to handle some more details and briefly monitor the populace's isolationist actors, probably for the next week or two. Maybe more if she deems it necessary."

"Do you expect a lot of resistance from them? The nationalists, I mean."

"Nothing too troublesome, but I expect the church will continue to have a very hard time there."

"Still, finally establishing proper and safe roads in and out of the mountains, and throughout too... Ah, how exciting! So many people moving back and forth, starting families... Hmm, hopefully the descendants of the dwarves who move out of there will be more open to seeing the light."

"I'd hope so too. And we'll be here to see it all happen, to see the generations shift in beliefs, over hundreds of years… We'll see it all together."

Satoru's tone was a bit strange just then, as if he was thinking about a great deal of things at once... or perhaps about something very specific that evoked strong feelings? Maybe it was both.

"Well, besides that, I'm just glad to be back. Even if it's just a couple of days, being without you is… well, not pleasant."

That sweet tone made Neia's heart feel as though it was about to completely overflow with love. A blush graced her cheeks and wings moved faster and faster, following the heart's lead in doing so.

"I know, darling. I feel the same. I love you."

"I love you too."

Soon enough, Neia felt ready. Getting up and slowly making her way to the sofa, she sat down and took Satoru's cold hand, after which the undead king slowly turned his head at the priestess, their eye contact always an invigorating thing.

"... Love? How much time do we have?"

"Oh, I'm sure we have a moment to ourselves! Even if we spend some time relaxing alone, I'm sure the guests won't mind if we turn up somewhat later rather than early! It's okay if you need a break."

"Well, I wanted to have a more serious talk, if that's okay."

Seeing just how solemn her husband's tone was, the Prophetess immediately felt an awful and deeply familiar feeling creep up from somewhere in the back of her subconscious. Neia immediately pushed it away, and following a deep inhalation, answered with a tone matching Satoru's.

"Of course, darling."

"Thank you. I wanted to ask if you think or just feel that there are any problems, or just things we could improve in our marriage."

That feeling now returned and took full hold of Neia, mind racing. What did her beloved mean? What was the problem he was referring to? What did she do wrong? Neia must have been too distracted by Ayame and her own happiness to see that she was being a bad wife. For how long was she doing something wrong? What did she do? Everything was perfect precisely because of Satoru, so perfect that she got lost in it all and failed to be appropriately grateful, appropriately devoted. What should she do? Would he forgive her if she apologised right now? How should she do it? Should she just blurt it out or prepare something and risk seeming impolite with silence? But she was so ignorant that she didn't know what she was doing wrong. Should she get down on the floor and bow before him? Should she just beg for forgiveness or offer something in addition to that? She could promise that she would do better and be even more devoted, but did her words have any worth at this point?

It was too late, she was sitting still for too long now. She needed to do it right now, but her body was frozen. She should beg for him to not abandon her and-

"Neia? My love? What's wrong?"

An ice-cold hand grasped Neia's shoulder.

\\\

What happened? Neia seemed a little... well, more than a little out of it, becoming silent for a few seconds and averting her eyes. And when Satoru spoke, she turned pale at his words, expression losing all life with unblinking eyes staring off into nothing, only to turn misty as her hands started to shake. When Neia's gaze turned to meet his, it was with an incredibly strange expression that seemed like an impossible combination of confusion and horror.

What the hell just happened?

"Neia?! Honey, are you okay?! What happened? What's wrong?"

"I... what? I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I... Please help me..."

"U... bu!"

Ayame's uneasy vocalisations interrupted the couple for a moment before Satoru responded, their daughter likely perturbed by the pain in her mother's voice.

"What are you apologising for, sweetheart? What's wrong? Come on, talk to me please... I'm here, it's okay, I want to help."

Neia started fully weeping, but doing her best to force words out.

"I'm sorry, Satoru! I don't know what I did wrong... Are you angry at me? Please forgive me. Please be here... Please don't go."

"Neia, why... I-I don't understand. You did nothing wrong at all, honey. I'm here and I will be forever, okay? I don't know what brought this on, but we're in love, remember? We're happily married. We have a daughter. Everything's okay..."

"Why... I thought you... Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry. Please stay."

"You did not, my love. Everything's okay."

"Okay? It's okay?... Everything's okay... and you're here forever?"

"Of course."

"Forever... Satoru..."

With deep breaths, Neia blinked rapidly to clear her eyes of tears before their gaze turned pleading.

"I love you."

"I love you so much, Neia."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologising for?"

"I don't know what came over me... If you say it's okay, then it's okay, and I shouldn't have gotten like that. I-it was just a bad case of female hysteria! I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again. I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologise for that under any circumstance. I'm your husband, and I'll always be here to comfort you."

"Really?"

"Of course. I would never lie to you."

"I… Thank you darling... you're so kind to me. You always have been."

"Of course I am. How could I not be? You're the woman I love. You're my wife. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. How could I do that so suddenly?"

Neia wiped away her tears and took several more deep breaths before speaking again.

"Thank you, Satoru. I… I thought I'd already buried the fears that you'd suddenly abandon me… It all came back so suddenly. I don't understand what's wrong with me."

"It's okay."

"... But you said something... About there being a problem in our marriage? I'm sorry I interrupted you like that! What can I do better?"

"N-no, that's not what I meant at all! Ah, is that why?!"

Satoru cursed himself within his mind. He was such a fucking idiot.

"Fuck, fuck! Ugh, I just wanted to know if I could do something better..."

Neia's eyes became blurry with tears again.

"W-wait! I'm sorry for shouting! I, I didn't mean to."

Neia simply smiled back, but without her tears stopping.

"You just wanted to know what you could do better? I... I have such a kind and caring husband… You're so thoughtful, darling... I'm sorry I turned your gesture into such a scene."

If Satoru really was thoughtful, he would have been far more considerate with his words. Yes, Satoru needed to train himself to be even more sensitive and assuring. Neia very suddenly lost everything at a young age and became a child soldier. All of that happened just a couple of years ago. Regardless of any strength of spirit, such horrible things would obviously leave profoundly deep trauma regarding the topics of not just gore and genuine violence, but also sudden loss.

These were the same scars which once caused Neia to become so uncomfortable in Arwintar's great colosseum. These were the scars that Satoru should be far more aware of, aware enough to not be this vague when placing "problems" and "our marriage" within the same sentence.

Well, due to the recency and sheer horror of the invasion Demiurge led, these traumas likely weren't even scars yet, but wounds still in the process of closing. Satoru inhaled deeply.

"Like I said, no apologising for this, my love. It's okay. I know it's hard."

"I… But… Okay. I love you."

"I love you too. I just want to say it again and clearly now, just to make sure. You did nothing wrong, honey, and if there ever is a problem between deeply loving partners, ending the relationship should be the very last resort, after all feasible options to fix it fail, okay? I won't suddenly sit down and tell you we're divorcing. I love you."

Neia nodded vigorously before speaking.

"But… there isn't really anything I can think of when it comes to problems in our marriage. If anything, I'm always the one who does something wrong, like just now! You're just such a wonderful person, darling, and I'm so lucky to have you... Everything you ever did for me was so kind and positive and gracious!"

Satoru felt thankful for the lack of flesh adorning him, as mere bone did not allow Neia to see the self-directed anger that would otherwise be plain to see on the king's face. Satoru did not deserve anyone saying such things about him, let alone the wonderful woman he hurt so much. A pause was required to ensure Satoru wouldn't let any of his irritation poison his tone.

"Well, it's because our marriage is so wonderful and because I'm so passionate about it that I wish to make it the best it could possibly be. Is there not even the vaguest hint of a blemish on it that you can think of?"

"O-okay, I'll try to think of something!"

Visibly moved by Satoru's words, the now blushing Neia wiped her tears again and put a finger to her chin, wings flapping along, something that contrasted oddly with her eyes which were still freshly reddened from weeping.

"Oh, you don't have to think of anything right now. It's just that if you ever feel there's anything, or even something that might develop into a problem down the line, I want you to never hesitate before bringing it up, alright? I just want that to be a new… rule for the future, for both of us. If we think something might be wrong between us, or there's something that could develop into a problem later, we should work that out. That's our duty as wife and husband, right? To never leave each other, because that's how strong our love is, right?"

Neia nodded forcefully.

"Yes! Of course! As you wish, darling! I'll be vigilant and consult you often to see if I'm doing anything wrong!"

"N-no, Neia, I didn't mean…"

Satoru sighed.

"Don't become too focused on what you're doing wrong. What if I start mistreating you? You need to also make sure nothing I do hurts you. Or even irritates you, actually. That's what I meant, honestly. The small things. Maybe if I were to make jokes that make you uncomfortable, because they're too vulgar regarding your body? Things like that. Anything, the earlier we fix that, the better."

"... Okay. I understand."

"Alright... Will you be able to attend the party today, or should I excuse you?"

"Oh, yes. I just need some time, I think. And maybe some cuddles from the love of my life?"

"Of course, honey. Anything for you."

...

Due to their delay, the two had missed their chance to welcome everyone in the entrance hall and personally declare the event started.

Entering this entrance hall, they only saw the motionless undead guards which replaced the paladins for tonight. Being the cause of that delay, Neia felt deeply unpleasant guilt enter her mind as she hoped this didn't disappoint any of the guests, her grip on Satoru's skeletal arm strengthening.

The undead king was wearing a fur coat that was as white as the purest snow, its golden buttons reflecting the light of the mansion's magical lanterns flawlessly. It was part of his costume, and accompanied by a white "kitsune" mask originating from Satoru's home country. Neia's own costume was identical in colour palette, the High Priestess proudly sporting her white-gold dress and a dove mask covering the upper face, also with matching colours. It was a bit heavier than it might seem, due to the golden accents not being merely gilded, but fully made of the purest gold.

Merely a corridor away from the mansion's entrance was of course the gathering hall. Two of Nazarick's maids waited at its large door, their presence here a kindness by Satoru which allowed Neia's entire staff to partake in the party without worry. The maids bowed and opened the way with happy smiles.

Upon entering, the room went rather quiet. All attention was now on the new arrivals, with several guests walking over to greet them, but taking care to do so in a polite way that would not block them from moving deeper in.

"Ah, Your Majesty!"

"Your Holiness!"

"You look excellent, Your Majesty and Your Holiness!"

"Welcome! We were all so eager for your arrival!"

"Your Holiness, hello!"

Among the many costumes, Neia had a bit of a hard time figuring out which voice belonged to which mask. Satoru spoke soon after the initial wave of reverent and joyous greetings.

"Hello, everyone. I apologise for being late. Hopefully everyone's having fun?"

"Oh, absolutely!"

"Of course!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Another wave of similar tones came, this time responding to her husband's inquiry in the positive. Neia took this opportunity to have her sharp eyes scan the room for guests of particular interest.

Quite difficult to make out due to her short height, Shizu was also among the excited greeters, face decorated with a skeleton mask. Her outfit seemed the same as always, however.

A bit further back were Neia's parents with near-identical bear masks, the only difference being that Sofia's had a cute pink bow around one of the ears. The two wore clothing fit for royalty, shades of brown in colour.

Another couple Neia made mental note of was that of the well-built wolf and visibly timid bunny near the alcohol table. Both wore mostly white, same as the colour of their masks, though there were some nice blue accents as well. The clothes themselves were nothing out of the ordinary for a high-class event.

Neia was also glad to spot a specific married pair which now brought the wife's younger sister along to almost every event, making up a trio with varied masks and outfits.

And standing proudly towards the centre of the hall was the incredibly eye-catching figure of someone whose dress matched even Neia's in quality, a woman who would stand out just about anywhere due to looks alone, her flawless face and incredibly curvy body being things men could hardly resist outright staring at, and many ordinary women would surely kill for, despite the large black wings and curved horns signifying to everyone that its owner was no mere human. Neia could not quite tell what exactly the woman's mask was depicting from this distance, despite the Prime Minister staring directly and unflinchingly in this direction.

With a single clap, Neia finally took hold of the greeters' collective attention.

"Greetings, everyone! I thank you sincerely for the warm welcome, and apologise profusely for causing our delay. I did not mean to interrupt anyone's conversations or enjoyment of the refreshments, so please feel free to resume whatever it is that you were doing until just now, that is unless you really wished to speak to us immediately, of course. Don't worry, the evening is still young, so there's no need to rush and compete for our attention like Arwintar's gladiators, hm?"

With chuckles followed by more words of reverence and good wishes, the small crowd gathered around them had then mostly dispersed, the whole hall once again echoing with many concurrent, separate conversations. As a certain maid was making her way towards the pair, Satoru turned towards Neia and spoke with a troubled tone.

"Please don't take the blame for our delay like that, love. It's not your fault... I... I'm sorry, it was my fault you-"

"Hello..."

Shizu, seemingly unaware that her master was speaking, greeted the pair. Neia sighed before responding.

"Hello, Shizu. Sorry, could you hold on for a bit? You interrupted Ainz."

"No, it's fine. Nevermind that, Shizu. I hope you're doing well?"

"... Yes... doing well... I apologise for daring to interrupt Lord Ainz... Careless… so excited that I acted foolishly..."

"Like I said, it's fine. I'm just glad to hear you're well. Say, do you still get a lot of curious questions?"

"... Yes, Lord Ainz... many questions… sometimes annoying questions... But where is Lady Ayame?"

"Still in the bedroom with Pestonya."

"... I will go hug cute Lady Ayame... But first, a hug for cute Lady Neia..."

The High Priestess smiled as the maid embraced her firmly without hesitation, a gesture she of course returned.

"... Still so strange... Lady Neia was like a little sister... Is now a mistress of Nazarick... Changed so fast... But still cute..."

"Don't forget to be gentle with Ayame, Shizu!"

"... Right, right Lady Neia... I always am, no squeezing cute Lady Ayame... See you soon..."

With that, the friends let go of each other, and parted with a wave.

"Ainz? Would you like to talk to anyone in particular?"

"I kinda hoped to just get a general feel for how everyone likes the style of the whole event and not much else, so it's fine if you lead. But you should definitely see Albedo too before it gets too late."

"Of course. I wouldn't dare not make time for the Prime Minister after she visited. You always talk about how busy she is and all that..."

"Yeah... I wish I could reduce her workload as much as possible... If only I could be a better ruler and lower the amount of work everyone has to do with my own efforts..."

"Oh, darling, I'm sure you're doing great!"

"Could be a lot better in my opinion... Well, nevermind that. You can lead the way, or go on by yourself if you prefer of course."

"I'd like to go talk to Enri first, and I'd definitely prefer to go together."

"Of course."

The pair finally proceeded deeper into the room, closer to one of the food tables, on which a great variety of colourful things lay carefully arranged in a manner that remained quite pleasing to the eye even after a good amount of sampling by the guests had left many platters half-empty. There were treats both salty and sweet, though most were in the latter category, visually matching the colour palette and themes of the holiday, with all sorts of creations depicting the same subjects as the inedible decor. There was gingerbread, marzipan, pies, cakes, cuts of sandwiches both open and closed, salads of fruits and vegetables…

Although the cooks of Nazaricks had provided a great deal of guidance during the preparation of tonight's refreshments, Nazarick's involvement was still kept to an absolute minimum, and the same went for the sourcing of ingredients. For a good while now, this was merely standard practice for all sorts of events, even though it would be easier to just have Nazarick handle every aspect of food preparation. The reason was of course to prevent any attendees from developing a temporary lack of appetite for normal food, and Neia was truly grateful that Satoru would allow the spending of additional time and resources on such a thing when he could've refused completely and left the staff scrambling to procure and properly prepare something appropriate for the specific festivals at hand, or be forced to give up and serve refreshments not at all traditional or otherwise fitting.

Soon enough, they got close enough for conversation. Enri gave her greeting first, followed by Nfirea, and then Nemu.

"Hello Neia! Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"Hello you two!"

"Your Majesty! Your Holiness!"

"Hi! Welcome to the party! I hope everyone's enjoying themselves?"

Neia's sharp eyes took in the body language and what she could see of the family's expressions. Enri, as expected, looked quite ecstatic to be there, wearing a multi-coloured dress with blue as its primary colour, while a silver mask tastefully imitated wings of a butterfly with its shape.

The outfit of the cheery, but not quite as excited-sounding Nfirea consisted of simple brown pants, shirt and vest, but anyone with an eye for the finer things could easily tell all three pieces were of great quality and a perfect fit, all matching the colour of not only each other but also the alchemist's owl mask.

Finally, Nemu was as excited as Enri, yet it seemed tempered by unease. The aspiring priestess' outfit consisted of a rather simple white dress matching in colour the mask of a lamb.

"Oh, we're doing great! Right, Nfi?"

"Yes! This is such an interesting festival! The decor and the cuisine and the idea of wearing costumes... it's all so... novel! Though at first, it was a bit confusing since I could not figure out what the uhm… theme seemed to be."

Neia nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Yes, it's quite amazing that darling can show us so much about long-lost cultures and traditions!"

"I sincerely hope Your Majesty will not hoard this knowledge."

The group shared a small chuckle, with Nemu's being a bit late. Satoru turned to the young woman with a question.

"And Nemu, how have you been? Still studying all day?"

"Y-yes!"

"Really now? I know it's grown into quite a large club at this point, but am I really that interesting?"

The group shared a full laughter this time, all except for Nemu.

"Well, I do want to say that I'm proud of your diligence. I'm sure you'll make for a great priestess if that's the path you pursue, right Neia?"

"Of course!"

In truth, Neia had already wanted to take Nemu under her direct guidance, but the girl was even more concerned about adding to the High Priestess' workload now that motherly duties were also part of the equation, and so everything was pushed back even further, with Neia merely overseeing things from a distance in the meantime. This mostly meant ensuring Carne's church had an especially well-equipped library, highly experienced preachers, and a few knowledgeable scholars ready to devote time specifically to Nemu.

"Ah, thank you... Your trust humbles me greatly."

Neia asked the unnecessarily reverent young woman a question.

"And say, Nemu, have you picked what you want to focus on yet?"

"Well... Sorry, I'm still not entirely sure. But... uhm, Purity Inspector seems like an appealing position to me."

Purity Inspectors were priests of the church whose primary role was to carefully examine all publicly distributed texts for signs of heresy. Such things were usually nowhere near as blatant as what the church used to directly deal with years ago, with explicit insults hurled directly at Neia or Satoru. There was no point in spreading such things anymore, as doing so would now result in immediate arrest.

The more concerning heresy was the subtle and insidious kind, such as novels and plays where the Sorcerer King's law and order was questioned in a very indirect manner, perhaps by a fictional character who questioned their righteousness, yet was not promptly proven wrong in an obvious way. Or perhaps there would be stories with the undead as its villains, but without any explicit example of good undead, or a character which would point out that not all undead were evil.

Many old masterpieces created by artists once thought to be great no longer adhered to the church's ever-rising standards. Especially within Roble's cultural wealth, there were unfortunately countless depictions of demi-humans as heartless and primitive beasts who only wished to kill and felt no remorse, and so such works had to be adapted and massively edited for a more enlightened age, their original versions confiscated and only made available again to certain members of the public in special cases.

Satoru had also personally involved himself in the creation of rules as to what is to be censored by having single-handedly contributed an entire category of such guidelines, this being unacceptable and unfair portrayals of women contributing to bad attitudes. This was something Neia never really thought about before Satoru brought it up, and explained that his own country would consider the continent's present stances outdated.

Darling had used the example of an old tale where a princess wished to lead her people, something the king eventually granted due to being blinded by love for his child, only to realise it was a mistake to not have his eldest son lead instead, because men were more fit to be leaders and thinkers while women were better at housework and raising children. Neia thought these things to be self-evident common sense, but Satoru explained to her that it was merely a regional belief.

And due to the popularity of the late Holy Queen Calca Bessarez in her hometown, a very young Neia had actually heard of that specific tale by chance when an uncle once joked that its country of origin, Re-Estize, simply "liked their women dumb as dung, because that's also how their food tastes". In agreement with her younger sibling, Sofia then began a passionate tirade about the superiority of Roble's seafood, and how "those fools up north couldn't tell a rank fish apart from their wife's crotch".

Neia nodded to Nemu with a wide smile, both because she was trying to be assuring, and because of the pleasant memory.

"Oh, don't worry too much about picking one thing! You can always try being an assistant and get some experience that way! That'll help you pick."

"Yes, I probably don't need to worry... Uhm, thank you for being so patient with me!"

"Of course. And how's little Stella doing?"

Neia addressed Enri next.

"She's well. Still quite the sleeper, though. Let's hope she loses that laziness by the time she grows into a woman."

The group shared yet another chuckle.

... After finishing up the conversation with the Mayor and her family, Neia led Satoru to the next person of particular interest to her, only to be stopped by a man's voice addressing her from just behind.

"Your Holiness?"

Turning around, the divine couple was met with a pair, that of Adren and Linda. Linda wore a goat mask, while Adren's face was hidden behind a human mask. The sight forced a hearty laughter out of both Neia and Satoru.

"I see you like our masks?"

Once the High Priestess managed to stifle this laughter, she responded playfully to Linda's question.

"What masks, Adren?"

This time, all four laughed. After it had all subsided, Linda was the one to continue.

"Well, I hope we're not bothering you. Just wanted to say hello and thank you for the party! This decor and custom of wearing masks is so interesting!"

"Oh, we're not in a rush or anything."

"Ah, in that case, I also have some news."

"Oh?"

"Well, me and Adren were talking about going out to visit the area he grew up in."

"Yes, I have been living in Roble's culture and attempting to assimilate into it as best I can, but it seems my wife is now growing jealous that I get to experience so many new things all the time."

"Hey, that's- hey! I'm not jealous, I just think it'd be nice to go there!"

"She is also a liar."

While Adren was being assaulted by several light smacks with Satoru chuckling at the scene, Neia put a hand to her chin before speaking in a more serious tone.

"Well, uhm, do you know what the Abelion Hills are like these days?"

The atmosphere around the four quickly became different, a bubble of something else amidst the joyousness of the event. Adren responded quickly, however.

"Yes, the days of tribes are gone, especially the nomadic ones. What used to be hunting grounds is now farmland and cities, regardless of the wishes of the land's former masters, who must take up the hoe as obedient citizens or starve, no?"

Neia did not expect Adren to put it so bluntly.

"I suppose that's… entirely not wrong. Yes, uniting and integrating the region has had consequences as of late, and… Yes, there were some casualties from starvation following refusal to integrate."

"Ah, I apologise. Did I sound embittered? No, those who do not adapt to progress choose to die. If clinging to their old ways is what caused their deaths, I mourn both them and the loss of tradition, but it is only the natural outcome. I know very well that if my wife and I were to travel there as we wish to, we would find only those who've already assimilated into the Sorcerer Kingdom's law and order, and that disappointingly many would only ever do so begrudgingly. But please worry not, I shall not let the bitterness of a foolish and stubborn minority spoil our trip."

Adren was a man who had formed quite a habit of surprising the High Priestess. Neia did not expect anything the paladin had said today, whether that be the the couple's plans, or Adren's knowledge of certain attitudes in the region and the consequences of those attitudes, or the fact that he viewed it all with this much pessimism, while seemingly not blaming Neia or Satoru for any of it in the slightest. Was it because Adren had been looking into the situation? Did he maintain an old contact, and lie about doing so? No, Satoru would know due to the repeated interrogations using mind-control magic. In that case, Adren must have simply deduced everything.

"I hope you don't feel that I've been keeping anything from you, Adren."

"Hm? Your Holiness, what do you-... Ah, please do not worry. I had already said I feel no attachment to my birthlands or clanmen, so surely it would be wholly unreasonable to become enraged at not being informed of local happenings. Had I failed to realise what must obviously be taking place there and only found out later, directing a single hair of wrath at my generous mistress who granted me shelter and nourishment would be deeply shameful, worthy of immediate shattering of the horns followed by exile... No, that sort of punishment would be impossibly forgiving for even the most lenient of clanmasters. I apologise profusely if I came off as attempting to assign some sort of blame to Your Holiness, as this was not at all my intention whatsoever."

Adren bowed with his entire upper body.

"Please, that's not necessary at all. Would you raise your head?"

The paladin obeyed. A few curious gazes seem to have made their way in their direction, which caused Neia to sigh before continuing.

"It's alright. Please don't hesitate to ask for help in planning out a route through the region and back."

"Thank you, Your Holiness. That is a very kind offer, truly."

Following a brief silence, Linda chimed in.

"Ah, but we did not intend to hold you for so long! We should probably go already."

"Feel free to. And don't worry about that, we really were not in a rush."

The two couples went their separate ways. Soon enough, Neia and Satoru arrived at their destination, with the High Priestess taking the initiative and greeting the wolf and bunny.

"Hello, Gustav."

Being a red-haired woman in Gustav's company, the bunny's identity was already almost certain. This someone tensed up immediately, and eyed the hand Satoru raised in greeting as if it were about to reach straight for her heart and crush it, or at least that's what the scene looked like to Neia. A masculine voice responded to the High Priestess.

"Greetings, Your Holiness. I must say, what an event."

The bunny sprung into movement, swiftly bowing with her entire upper body in a practised manner, one that gave Neia yet another clue as to her identity.

"Your M-Majesty, Your Holiness! I apologise for my rudeness!"

The angel responded immediately and with an internal sigh, hoping this wouldn't gather more gazes again. A final piece of the puzzle was how the bunny sort of shouted out while addressing the spouses, something suspiciously similar to a soldier addressing a superior officer. Even if it was not entirely appropriate when it came to a monarch, some soldiers still made this mistake purely out of habit, including Neia back before she started calling Satoru more affectionate terms.

"Oh, don't worry about it! There's no need to bow in a setting like this, so please raise your head. You must be Squire Liska Ryshava, right? I've heard a lot about you from Gustav."

"Y-yes, Your Holiness. That's me."

The young woman obeyed with practised movements.

"Well, maybe before we get to know each other better..." Neia turned to Gustav. "When you said 'what an event', I hope you mean that in a positive way, hm? Are both of you enjoying yourselves?"

"Ah, of course! I'm really charmed by the... uniqueness of it all. Makes one wonder what else we've lost to time, and how much traditions from across the world will continue to change, so that's what me and Lishka were discussing."

Satoru joined in with a playful tone.

"I hope you're not just suddenly all charmed because it's a festival from my youth, eh?"

"Not at all, Your Majesty. Being dishonest directly to Your Majesty's face like that is not something I'd ever do."

"Ah, that one didn't quite land, did it?... Well, I don't have much of a face to be dishonest to anyway, so feel free."

All except for the bunny shared a chuckle, after which Satoru turned to the young guest.

"So, Miss Ryshava, I don't believe we've met, have we?"

"Not at all, Your Majesty."

"Hm. Could you tell me a bit about yourself, then? I haven't heard anything about you myself, actually, so perhaps we should start from the beginning?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am Squire Lishka Ryshava, and uhm... Well, I joined the order a few years ago, and before that I was just helping out my cousin because I know tailoring, and she's a shoemaker by trade... uhm, it's her family's tradition... and uhm... I try to practise archery when I can, but I'm not very good at it, but it's really fun! And... Well, I'm about to turn fifteen, and... I still like tailoring."

For some reason, Neia registered her beloved tense up for a moment, a movement that was incredibly subtle due to his present form. There wasn't much time to ponder what caused Satoru to react in such a manner, as he responded by clearing his throat and speaking not too long after.

"Uhm, say, is your name a foreign one?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Hm hm. Are you not from Roble? Or is your family not?"

"My grandfather was from a war-torn country called Saari, far in the south. He never really wanted to talk about it, but from the little I heard it sounded like it was about to fall apart back when he left."

"I see."

An uncomfortably long silence followed, and so Neia dispelled it.

"Ah, I didn't know that! Say, Miss Ryshava, would you like to visit that area one day?"

"Well, I don't think so? I love Roble very dearly, and uhm... I'm just so happy it's now led by people as incredible Your Majesty and Your Holiness! And, well... it would also depend on Gustav, since we are... uhm... as you know... uhm, dating..."

Judging from Lishka's tone and subtle movements just then, it was obvious her mask must have been hiding downright scarlet cheeks. Gustav chuckled happily, and took the young woman's hand, something that finally sent Neia over the edge, wings flapping intensely as she could not resist vocalising.

"Aww!"

This only embarrassed the bunny more. Blossoming love always had a very easy time making Neia feel all sorts of nice things, especially now that it was her good friend Gustav who finally had someone to share intimacy and tenderness with.

"You two are so cute together! Hehe, you've got quite the catch there, Miss Ryshava..."

This time, it seemed to be Gustav who was embarrassed, causing Neia to giggle for a second time.

Satoru's cold voice interrupted the High Priestess' soaring mood, however.

"Sorry, I think Neia and I should take our leave for now."

"Darling? Huh? Already?"

The High Priestess did not shy away from allowing disappointment into her voice.

"Yes. Uhm, at least I will take my leave. I'd definitely like to talk to you both more later, but me and Neia were just giving a few greetings to everyone, so I'll continue doing that."

Why did Satoru lie to them like that? The bunny nodded, and the wolf spoke for them both.

"I see. Please enjoy yourselves."

"Thank you."

Satoru began walking off somewhere before Neia or Lishka had a chance to say anything, and so the latter scrambled to bow and say something, even if it was to the king's back.

"G-goodbye, Your Majesty!"

Neia was utterly baffled. Did something happen? Was Satoru alright?

"I'm sorry, and uhm, I'll go too, so goodbye for now. It was great meeting you, Miss Ryshava!"

"Th-thank you, Your Holiness! It was an honour!"

Neia resisted the urge to lower her head in apology before hurrying to catch up with Satoru, who now stood still, seemingly to be staring off into nothing.

"Darling? What happened? Are you okay?"

"I... well..."

"Darling?"

Satoru slowly turned to meet Neia's gaze as the angel's mind raced to find an answer. Was it something she said? Did she do something wrong?

"I just... Fuck..."

"Darling? Please, tell me what's wrong."

"I'm... ugh, it's nothing. Let's just... let's ignore that and uhm, talk about that couple?"

"Please, if I can help you, darling... Is there anything I can do?"

"Humour me with a distraction regarding a brighter topic then, please. I just... uhm, do you think they were a good fit?"

"Well, I would've liked to find out more, but... Well, I've known for years now that Gustav is a truly honourable and virtuous man, so... As long as nothing bad comes up that drives a wedge between them, and Ryshava is a good wife, they should make a happy couple, right?"

"Yes, yes... that's true... uhm, well, don't you think maybe she was a bit too young for him?"

Neia's confusion continued to deepen.

"Too young? Uhm... wait, didn't she say she was fourteen? Almost fifteen, even."

"Yeah..."

For some reason, Satoru simply stared back in silence. With no movement or tone to gauge, Neia was left clueless as to what her husband might've been thinking or feeling.

"Uhm, darling?"

And then, suddenly, he sprung back to life.

"Yeah, nevermind, then. And uhm... earlier, I just seem to have had a stray thought that distracted me a bit too much, so I excused myself. Ah, I need to apologise later for doing so in such a rude manner."

"Are you sure it's nothing?"

"Yes, we should continue. Who did you want to talk to next? Or should we go back to talking to them?"

Neia listened very intently to Satoru's voice just now, focusing all her attention to probing its tone for any hidden meaning. But her husband seemed genuinely relaxed just now, as if his earlier worry had somehow vanished into nothing at the drop of a hat. The High Priestess wanted more samples, just to be sure, and so she adopted a pleading tone.

"Darling?"

"Yes? If you're still worried, I'm fine Neia, really. I... was just being rude. It's alright, I can apologise to them later and hopefully continue the talk."

God's consort retreated into her mind for a moment before finally deciding the cause of Satoru's strange behaviour seemed to have truly passed for whatever reason. She committed to being vigilant for the rest of the party, however.

"Alright then... So, have you seen mom and dad around?"

\\\

Satoru had almost never felt this grateful for possessing a skeletal form, and the emotional suppression that came with it. Had it not repeatedly activated just now, the undead king probably would've caused quite the scene.

Neia was right. Gustav Montagnés was an honourable man of outstanding moral character by all accounts. To every single person in this room, the Paladin Captain's relationship with that girl was as natural as sunrise, and equally beautiful. The only person raised in a world that believed otherwise was Satoru. And yet, he also started dating Neia when she was too young. Not that he ever intended for those dates to go anywhere. Satoru was just cruelly usingher. Was that better or worse?

Either way, being reminded of it all just then, that was just too much...

With an internal sigh, Satoru released the remnants of tension which still clung to the back of his mind. This time, it was fully his own doing, and not the temporary relief afforded by some racial trait.

Why was he so upset about it anyway? Neia was happy. Did it matter that Satoru previously caused her so much pain? Did it matter that it was because of him that Neia's parents, friends and countrymen were slaughtered and tormented? Did it matter that their relationship was wrong from the very start? It absolutely did not. None of those things affected Satoru's current duty as a husband, the duty to ensure the happiness of the woman he so desperately loved. The king needed to focus on improving their marriage and making sure it would last, not wallow in worthless distractions, more of his worthless self-hatred. This wasn't just about him, this was about them both, their marriage, their family.

The supposed God also made a mental note to wish Montagnés and his new girlfriend the best of luck in their relationship, in addition to that apology. What was the alternative? Tearing them apart? They would see nothing more than a powerful man imposing restrictive and foreign rules that split them apart when they had just found love. Satoru would have to raise the age of who was to be considered an adult over time, slowly. In the meantime, vigilant strictness around marital abuse combined with his kingdom's usage of mind-control magic in courts should suffice. Satoru had no intention of being a monarch who disregarded the populace's opinions and lives in his decision-making. His goal should be to change the perception around this sensitive issue, not suddenly enforce anything with such far-reaching consequences. At least he certainly wouldn't like it if his marriage to Neia was deemed wrong and something that had to end by those more powerful than him.

\\\

After looking around a decent while, Neia finally spotted her parents and immediately chuckled. They seem to have snuck away into a corner and behind a pillar, where Pabel was lifting his mask above the lips to allow them direct access to Sofia's neck. The High Priestess adopted a most mischievous demeanour.

"Look, darling. Maybe someone's had a bit too much to drink?"

Satoru followed her gaze.

"Hm? What do you... ah, there... They're already at it? It's barely past sunfall and they're already so shameless... Is that where you got your habits with alcohol?"

As Neia chuckled again, her parents stopped what they were doing and began making their way to a food table. It seemed the High Priestess managed to catch them during a very brief window of time where they felt brave enough to do something like this, and for just a moment.

"Hm, talking about your own parents like this... I wonder how you talk about me when I'm not around."

"Oh, they brought that on themselves this time. I can barely mention you before they tease me for gushing. It's always nice to have something to shoot back."

"Well now I'm just curious what you say about me behind my back."

"Just gushing like a little girl about her first boyfriend, according to them.

Satoru chuckled smugly.

"Cute."

"Not you too..."

"Hey, that's a compliment."

Neia chuckled too.

"I love you so much, you know that? Can't believe I married my God…"

"I love you so much too. Do you want to go tease them about being this daring now, or…"

"No, I think I'll be saving it. Maybe we should greet the Prime Minister? I feel like I'm being rude by taking so long to get to her..."

"Don't worry about that at all. She's here for most of the night regardless."

"Yeah, but still... And where is she?"

The pair joined forces in looking around for the Prime Minister, and it was Neia's keen eyes which were the first to make her out in the crowd, speaking casually to the lion, a woman wearing a brown dress that was a bit more daring than most would wear due to how much of the shoulders it revealed.

"Ah, there. Shall we go?"

"Yes, let's."

Weaving between the other party-goers once again, the couple made their way to their goal, with everyone who noticed their approach once again getting out of the way as much as possible. Upon reaching Albedo, she and the lion turned to Neia and Satoru.

"Lord Ainz, Lady Neia."

The High Priestess could now get a good look at Albedo's mask for the first time, identifying it as a wooden hannya variation Satoru had not shown her or even mentioned. It was because this one was missing its lower half, which was seemingly broken off with force, now revealing Albedo's smile, the radiant warmth of which Neia matched with the tone of her voice.

"Hello, Prime Minister. Hello, Emma."

"Your Majesty, Your Holiness..."

Satoru folded his skeletal arms as he addressed both women.

"Greetings, Miss Valeria. And hey, Albedo. I hope everything's well? Are you enjoying the party?"

"I am, in fact. It is nice to know I am in the company of exclusively the sufficiently loyal, and of those close to Lady Neia."

"Good. And Miss Valeria?"

"I too, am enjoying myself."

"Excellent. Did we interrupt anything?"

Albedo was the one to respond.

"Very little. We were merely engaged in a brief exchange of our thoughts on the candy."

"I see. Then perhaps it's time?"

Neia's curiosity was instantly piqued.

"Yes. Lady Neia, I brought a gift basket with me."

Neia's eyes lit up just a bit remembering how splendid the gifts of the last basket were, though that was three seasons ago. Still, the High Priestess suppressed the selfish excitement, and prioritised ensuring that Albedo did not feel obligated to bring such offerings.

"Ah, is that so? You really didn't have to, Prime Minister."

Albedo simply chuckled warmly.

"I hope you find my selection of gifts pleasing."

"I'm sure I will! Thank you very much. I'll gladly look over them later tonight."

"You're welcome, my Lady."

"And I've heard about how much work you have cut out for you in the Dwarf Kingdom, Prime Minister. I hope it won't be too bad?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary for me."

"Will you be returning there right after taking your leave from the party?"

"I will, yes."

"Ah, then... Well, I feel obligated to ensure you're having an excellent time here tonight."

Albedo chuckled warmly yet again.

"Please, there's no need. Like I said, I don't dread my extended stay there, even if the company of those who've foolishly not yet sworn their perfect loyalty to Lord Ainz will be far less pleasant."

"Still, is there anything I could do for you?"

"Oh my, shouldn't I be addressing such questions to you, Lady Neia?"

"Of course not. You should focus on relaxing right now, Prime Minister."

"You do not need to be so concerned for me, mistress."

Neia sighed internally. Just like Satoru always said, the people of Nazarick were far too devoted to their work, far too unwilling to take breaks and relax, much like many of her own people.

"Alright then, if you're sure... But don't hesitate to ask if there is anything you do need."

"Yes, Lady Neia."

"So... Could you share your personal observations and opinions regarding the dwarves and their culture? I've never visited, and only spoke to a few. Oh, unless you wished to avoid the topic of dwarves entirely for the evening."

"It's quite alright. Well, aside from how they should be far, far more grateful and reverent towards Lord Ainz than they currently are..."

In a well-lit, originally rather sizable bedroom that has since been cluttered by haphazard-looking piles of books that nonetheless felt well enough sorted to their owner, two felines sat at a table. Krissha of Valisund looked up from her activity and towards her beloved. Alaart had suddenly stopped moving, and Krissha could now see that his eyes were fully closed, head hanging lower than it should and moving side to side almost imperceptibly.

"Darling?"

"Hm?"

As if nothing was wrong, the man simply opened his eyes, raised his head and went back to carving.

"Darling! Ugh, don't tell me you didn't sleep after all?!"

"I slept enough, love."

"That's a lie."

"Enough is… relative."

Putting down her knife, the priestess got up and quickly walked over to Alaart's chair, at which point she gave her emperor a few gentle licks on the head.

"I love you, Alaart. You need more rest."

"... You know I-"

"Yes, but that's not an excuse."

"Ugh, how I wish my body didn't need it… Sorry, but I don't feel tired enough yet. I know you care about me, honey, but let's just have a nice evening, okay? It's a holiday. I promise I'll stay in bed with you all night, how about that?"

"It's a promise, then."

"Alright, yeah, a promise."

"... I love you."

"I love you too."

The felines rubbed cheeks together, their friendly scents mixing, causing Krissha's breathing to become laboured as her nose received so much of her lover's fresh pheromones. When the priestess was about to pull away, Alaart pulled her in again for a lick on the neck.

"You smell so great, you know that, honey?"

"Nope, that's you."

Alaart's chuckle at her comment was followed by an affectionate blink, finally convincing Krissha that the emperor was alright, at least for now. The young woman moved to sit down at her spot again, both resuming their activity with purrs, though Krissha was concerned if hers was feminine enough.

"You look so cute when focused."

"At least I'm actually focused on my pumpkin! If yours is half-assed and obviously made by someone who should be asleep, I'll-"

"Yeah yeah, you'll drag me to bed next time, so scary."

"I will! And compliments won't distract me from the fact that you should be resting!"

Alaart chuckled again.

"Like an open book, huh?"

Hello! It's me, Lucy, here to ask you to tell me your thoughts on the chapter and fanfic as a whole!

I know I just said last time that I finally felt I could stick to a once-per-10-days schedule again, only to fail this spectacularly… I'm sorry to disappoint you. It's been hard to keep motivated, and one of the main reasons for this is what seems to be a decline in reviews/comments I've been getting. Not really feeling sure whether people even like what I'm writing anymore is just hard to deal with.

Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait.

And what a chapter. Another reason this took so long is because this one is four times longer than I planned. I just wanted a cute little self-contained and lighthearted halloween thing, but now I've accidentally advanced the main conflict and also pretty much every single subplot in a single chapter…

Well, rambling aside, I also hope I've handled the sensitive subjects touched upon here with the care they deserve.

I'm also considering formally stating what exactly my iteration of Neia is suffering from mentally, adding it to the tags and maybe linking some further reading. I suppose I'll just add it to the tags where possible for now.

Anyway, that's all for now. I think? The next chapter should be a brief little part 2 of this, actually! I'm determined to keep this one brief and to release it soon, hopefully.

I'll see you guys with the next one!