Today's morning was a little cold, which made it a little unlike the past few weeks.
Her father had formed a habit of getting up early to do archery alone. She normally wouldn't join him, but since she didn't have much to do today, she decided to do so.
They were now practising some long distance shots, which was something they both found quite relaxing.
After taking aim, she deeply inhaled the somewhat chilly air, and then released the arrow.
And then, without another word, she holstered the bow, and they both started walking towards the targets.
They continued on in silence for quite some time before Pabel started talking.
"... so, I assume you're excited for the vacation?"
"Oh, very much so. I'm quite eager to see the Empire's Capital. I assume it won't be as amazing after having visited E-Rantel, but still... I'll be there with him, so it's sure to be great."
"Hm. I quite want to see it as well... Heh, do you think he'd take me on a romantic vacation, too?"
She chuckled.
"While I don't think he'll be taking you on a romantic anything, I'm sure he'll arrange for a trip for you and mom if you ask."
"Yes, I'm sure he would... yeah, he seems like a good man, even if he's a cruel adversary..."
He was of course referring to the destruction of Re-Estize. It was one of the things she avoided telling them for a while. But when she did, she made sure they understood it was the justified course of action... Well, she tried her best to make them understand, but her mother didn't react so well.
... ... ...
Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix was laying down on a sofa, snacking on some grapes and nuts.
He spent the first half of the day with two concubines, and now felt rather drained because of it. There wasn't much for him to do today, so he let himself rest in every sense of the word.
But just as he was about to lay down and maybe take a nap, he heard knocking.
"Your Majesty, Sir Anoch is here to deliver a missive from the Sorcerer Kingdom."
He felt the energy and joy of simple relaxation quickly drain away. With a pained sigh, he sat up.
"Let him in."
As the door opened and footsteps could be heard approaching, he simply looked at the food on his table.
"... Your Majesty..."
"Hey, Nimble."
He looked up, and grabbed the document out of his hands.
After undoing the seal, he breathed in deeply to gather his courage before he started reading.
At that point, it didn't take long for shock and horror to overtake him.
The document plainly said that Gown and Baraja were coming to Arwintar for a vacation.
He rubbed his forehead for a moment as the reality of the situation was setting in, with his despair deepening every passing second.
He would have to provide the best accommodations possible, and even then, he absolutely can't guarantee that the wife of the Sorcerer King will be satisfied.
Yes... in the coming weeks, he was going to be at the mercy of that terrifying woman... and her taste… Gown was not going to tolerate any imperfections when it came to the treatment and comfort of the woman he most likely loved.
He let himself fall backwards on the sofa.
This was one of the worst things that could have possibly happened…
He didn't have the energy to tell Nimble what was going on, leaving him to stand there awkwardly.
... ... ...
Ainz was walking through the wilderness of the 6th Floor along with Albedo, as they were on a date.
He found that the easiest date to manage was a walk. He had once tried to sit and have a conversation with her for their date, as he always did with Neia, but her pushiness made him only last a few minutes before having to excuse himself, even with all the experience he had.
Since even talking was troublesome when it came to her, he needed to figure out an activity for them instead. An activity which wasn't inherently romantic at all, and one where they wouldn't need to talk.
Every time, the simple walk had proved itself to be the most reliable. He always said that lovers didn't need words to communicate love, which he could now combine with the excuse that walks are meant to be peaceful, and that touching wasn't appropriate either.
This gave him an almost perfect shield with which he could deflect her displays of affection.
"Almost" was the important word there...
She still insisted on always holding his hand.
This was of course very uncomfortable to him. The only person he ever wanted to hold hands with was Neia.
Even worse, Albedo sometimes pushed herself against him as they walked, hugging his arm. At times like those, he wanted to physically push her away, but he knew that would be too much.
What allowed him to push through without too much trouble was that he always requested dates with Neia after dealing with Albedo or Shalltear.
But even then, he sometimes felt like he was always creeping closer to... well, to some sort of breaking point.
... ... ...
Neia was sitting on her bed, waiting for Ainz to finally arrive.
He said he had to arrange a few things before they could go have their vacation, which was just around the corner. This unfortunately meant that they haven't seen each other in several days now, which was an exception in the last few months, where they had dates every day or two.
And even though they exchanged letters multiple times a day, it was of course not enough. How could it be? She wanted to always be with him, always feel his touch... her heart would always ache for him, and her mind could not focus on anything else. Simple letters couldn't fix that.
Still, it was always only for a few days at most, so it wasn't too bad. Not as bad as when their dates only took place once every two weeks, all that time ago...
Just then, Ainz finally appeared.
"Darling!"
She ran up to him, her wings flapping.
He sighed, and spoke in a tired, but calm tone.
"... Hello, Neia. I'm very happy to see you... Just had another rough meeting..."
"Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that..."
"... But a kiss could cheer me up."
She chuckled.
"Of course!"
He then grabbed her by the hips and slowly moved his face down to meet hers.
When her lips touched his teeth, she once again felt her wings flapping rapidly.
The kiss then went on for quite some time, during which she felt her heart beat faster and faster.
When he finally pulled away, he only did so slightly, meaning their faces were now very close to each other, almost touching, but not quite. They looked into each other's eyes for a few peaceful moments before he pulled away fully.
"Let's sit down, hm?"
"Of course."
After they approached the sofa, he sat down first like usual, which was so that she could decide whether to sit in his lap, or next to him.
Today, she chose the former, as she did most days.
"... Darling? Can I ask you about these meetings? You never mentioned any being that stressful until recently."
"Well..."
He sighed.
"... There's just some things I'd rather not have to deal with when it comes to making certain people satisfied. It's exhausting to even talk about, honestly."
"I see... sorry to hear that, darling."
"It's fine. But what about you?"
"Since we last met and discussed the vacation, I've been making sure everything will go smoothly in my absence. As you know, I have been trying my best to make the church as independent from me as possible ever since our honeymoon ended, so that we could take the time to be with each other again without me needing to make up for it too much. This will be our first vacation since then, so I just hope it works out as planned. I am quite optimistic about it, honestly."
"Hmm... that's good... I hope to take many vacations with you in the future, after all."
She chuckled, and her smile got even happier.
By this point, he also seemed to be relaxed, and spoke in an affectionate tone.
"What else was there besides work?"
"Oh, just the usual. Bonding with my parents, doing archery... Ah, and I suppose I have some good news... Well, just a confirmation of what I told you before. My father said that you seem like a good man, even if you can be cruel to your enemies."
"... Referring mainly to Re-Estize, huh?"
"Yes, darling."
He sighed.
"Well, I suppose nothing much can be done about that... but this is good, yes..."
He then put his hand to his chin, and looked away from her for a moment.
"... Perhaps it's time I speak to them again? How about a dinner? The four of us, just eating and talking."
"Ah, that... Uhm... are you sure? My mother still has a long way to go with... adjusting..."
"Well, I suppose it won't hurt though, will it?"
"N-no, I'm not sure that's a good idea, darling... What if mom says something really rude?"
"Don't worry about it, my love. It'll be fine."
She wanted to protest more, but he then started stroking her cheek, which completely disarmed her. There probably wasn't a point in arguing about this, anyway, since he would just insist no matter what she said...
"... o-okay... I assume you want this dinner to happen after we come back from the Empire?"
"Hmm... why not today?"
Her eyes widened, which made him chuckle warmly.
"Surprised?"
"Uhm... t-today?"
"Is that a problem? I hope they aren't busy."
"N-no... I suppose it could be alright..."
"Don't worry about the lost time. I know today was supposed to be just for us, but I'll definitely make it up to you later, hm?"
... ...
Neia placed her Nazarick-made meal on the table, and then turned back around to her parents.
She wanted everything to be just right, since this was of course a big moment for her husband, who cared deeply about family, just like his son did.
Thinking everything looked proper and ready, she went over to Pabel and Sofia. Up close, her mother's discomfort was obvious, and so was her father's minor unease.
"Mom, dad... I hope you're both ready?"
Sofia looked away, while Pabel sighed.
"Right. Feels a bit sudden is all."
…
After teleporting to the agreed-upon spot, Ainz was met with a maid, who instantly knelt when she saw him.
"Your Majesty, they are ready."
"Hello. Take me inside, then."
The maid hastily got up, and opened the door.
He stepped through, and saw the Baraja family standing there. It seems they were just talking to each other. He went closer as he heard the door close behind him.
"Hello, darling! You arrived just in time."
"Ah, that's good... Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Baraja. Perhaps we should sit down right away, before the food gets cold, hm?"
"Hello Ainz. Yes, let's."
Sofia only nodded.
After they all sat down, Neia immediately started speaking.
"I hope you like the food, mom, dad."
Without skipping a beat, she then took a bite herself. It felt like she was acting a bit different just now. Was she trying to force a casual attitude?
...
"... I then killed the frost dragon with a spell called [Grasp Heart]... Hm. Probably my favourite spell."
The story about some of the things he did in the Dwarf Kingdom was one which he told Neia all the way back when they were just getting to know each other for the first time. She has since told him about how it had impressed her and how she enjoyed it, which is why he was now telling it to her parents.
Sofia was eating without speaking at all, while Pabel seemingly alternated between awe and unease.
"Uhm... that spell which can kill a dragon instantly... of what tier is it?"
Ainz hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he thought that this information wasn't particularly important, nor was there a high chance of it leaking.
But just before he answered, Neia chimed in suddenly.
"Uhm, perhaps we should switch the topic?... I mean… this hardly seems like an appropriate topic for dinner… talking about killing…"
Ainz didn't know what exactly was going on here that he missed, but decided to go along with whatever she said. He trusted her judgement when it came to reading her parents, and knowing what was best in situations like these.
"Yes, perhaps that's true... Mrs. Baraja? I see you enjoy seafood."
Being addressed made her pause momentarily, and then sigh.
"... Yes... It was popular around where I grew up."
"So it was near the coast?"
"... It was."
He wasn't sure whether to ask more, or whether he was just making her hate him, so he decided to play it safe and stop there.
...
They talked for a bit more after everyone finished eating, but everyone could feel the conversation sort of slow down.
After he finished answering a question about how the frost dragons were currently being used, silence filled the room.
"... darling?"
He turned to face Neia, who just spoke.
"Yes?"
"Perhaps it's time to end it here for today?"
He once again trusted her judgement.
"... Very well. Neia, will you want to spend the night with me, or...?"
"Ah... would it be possible for you to wait for me? I do want to talk to mom and dad for a little while."
"Of course."
He got up from his chair, and in response, so did everyone else.
"It was great talking to you, Mr. and Mrs. Baraja."
"Oh, of course, Ainz. The feeling is mutual."
Sofia did not speak or even gesture anything, only looking at him with a neutral expression.
...
Ainz was currently waiting for Neia in her bedroom, while she spoke to her parents.
He sat down on one of the sofas, and let his body relax. It felt quite good after the dinner, which left him a bit drained.
But all of that fatigue would disappear very soon, because he would finally be alone with Neia again. He would hear her voice, look into her eyes, touch her body...
He also hoped she would be in the mood for a bit of fun.
He wanted to see her bare breasts, squeeze her cute butt, feel her inside with his fingers… he wanted to hear her moan with pleasure in that adorable, wonderful way.
Ainz really enjoyed thinking about Neia.
Well, it wasn't just enjoyable all the time, however... Doing so while he wasn't currently with her was risky, as he might start painfully yearning for her.
But he couldn't really resist such thoughts. She was perfect, after all.
Just then, she opened the door, and so he got up.
"I'm so sorry to have made you wait, darling. That was selfish of me."
"No, it's fine. Don't worry at all, my love."
Her face went from worried to happy almost instantly as he called her that, and her wings started moving.
They then started fully flapping around as he stepped close, and started stroking her cheek.
"... I love you, Neia."
"I love you too, darling."