In the morning, Stelle opened her eyes in a daze.
The familiar ceiling greeted her—by now she could probably sketch every detail of the ceiling in Jean's house from memory.
Sunlight streamed through the curtains; the room was already bright.
Uncertain of the exact time, Stelle lifted her head slightly.
Then she noticed a small head nestled in her arms.
Barbara lay beside her, cheek pillowed on Stelle's chest, arms wrapped around her waist.
Stelle's hand rested on Barbara's smooth back.
Mm, it felt wonderful—she couldn't help stroking it a little.
Jean, meanwhile, was curled on her other side, also hugging her close.
Only their positions differed slightly.
"A beauty in each arm" isn't quite right—more like being embraced on both sides.
Whatever the wording, it was blissful; the two contrasting sensations made her reluctant to move.
Mainly because they'd gone a bit wild last night and she was drained.
Barbara must have been training lately—her stamina had improved dramatically.
In that outfit she'd worn, she felt like she'd received a buff; Stelle's attraction to her was off the charts.
Even so, Barbara had lasted well past midnight.
Of course Jean had lent a hand; without her teasing, Barbara might have folded earlier.
At the thought, Stelle glanced toward Jean on her right.
"?"
Blinking, she realized Jean had woken up at some point and was staring at her.
Their eyes met head-on.
"Good morning," Jean whispered with a gentle smile, her breath brushing Stelle's ear.
"G-good morning…" Stelle murmured, giving a small shake of her head.
Jean's warm breath tingled against her delicate ear, tinting it pink.
"Did you stay up all night?" Stelle asked softly.
She remembered Jean still leaning over her when she blacked out, so she had no idea when Jean had finally rested.
"Of course not—I did sleep," Jean replied, her hands beginning to wander.
They had been cradling Stelle's upper body, but one started sliding downward.
"Mmm…" Stelle let out a cute little sound.
Beside her, Barbara's eyelids fluttered as if she might wake.
Stelle quickly pressed her lips together so as not to disturb her.
Luckily, Barbara only shifted, hugging Stelle's arm tighter, showing no sign of waking.
Stelle exhaled in relief, though a new problem surfaced.
Barbara held her so firmly that her petite feet had trapped Stelle's right leg.
Most of Stelle's body was now immobilized.
In other words, she could only let Jean on the other side do as she pleased.
"Jean, don't…" Stelle's cheeks flushed as she pleaded quietly.
"Relax and leave everything to me," Jean murmured, leaning in to lick the corner of Stelle's lips.
---
Fortunately, as the ever-dutiful Acting Grand Master, Jean never arrived later than her shift, so Stelle wasn't tormented for long.
Maybe once… or twice?
After that, Jean took a quick shower, dressed, kissed Stelle on the lips, and left for the Knights of Favonius.
Exhausted, Stelle could only cuddle Barbara and catch another nap… back at the Knights' headquarters.
Jean's radiant energy drew many knights' attention.
Everyone knew she'd been overworked lately—not only were there endless tasks for the Knights and Mondstadt, but the recent meteorite incident had kept them all frantic.
Seeing Acting Grand Master Jean so spirited was rare, and her good mood lifted the entire order.
The whole headquarters felt more alive because of her.
Outwardly it was business as usual, yet every knight could sense the change.
Conversations about it popped up all over the headquarters.
"The Acting Grand Master looks surprisingly upbeat today."
"I heard she clocked out on time yesterday—how unusual."
Two knights whispered while reading; not far away, Lisa overheard every word.
Normally she would remind them to keep quiet in the Library, but the topic intrigued her, so she listened in silence.
"The Acting Grand Master left on time?! That's almost unheard-of!"
"Yeah, supposedly to entertain a guest—and come to think of it, the last time she did, it was the same person."
Lisa's brows arched; she lifted her gaze toward the two female knights.
"The same person? Who??"
"I remember her name is Stelle? You'll know her the moment I say it—she's that gray-haired girl."
"It's actually her; of course I remember."
Stelle's allure to women is beyond question—practically every female knight in the Knights of Favonius has at least heard of her.
"Isn't she on really good terms with Acting Grand Master Jean? Otherwise Jean wouldn't have hosted her to a private dinner."
Anyone who's rendered service to Mondstadt and the Knights of Favonius deserves due reward, but an invitation to dine alone with the Acting Grand Master is a rare honor.
Not even the Honorary Knight received such treatment.
"They must be close; she drops by the Acting Grand Master's office all the time, staying the whole afternoon."
"You two…" Lisa's voice suddenly rang out, making the chatting knights stiffen mid-sentence.
"M-Miss Lisa?!" Neither had noticed when Lisa arrived.
"Sorry, Miss Lisa, we were too loud!"
Coming to their senses, the two knights apologized at once; they'd seen Lisa zap rule-breakers into crackling crisps before.
They had zero desire to experience that themselves.
"Good, you understand… but I'm rather curious about your topic—care to share?"
"Eh?? O-of course…"
As the title says, today's the day to remove the bandages and negative-pressure therapy unit. According to the pre-op plan, I should be healed by now.
But after unwrapping, the doctor said my wound hadn't closed well and asked if I'd done any big movements lately.
I said I'd only played on my phone—wrist motions at most—so theoretically the wound shouldn't have been disturbed.
The doctor guessed I probably rubbed it while sleeping in a bad posture.
Anyway, I got three more stitches.
Luckily the reopened area isn't large; the new sutures still throb in waves, though.
So today's a skip—pain's too sharp to type, all I want is sleep.
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