"Hey, we're standing in front of Dannep, I don't think..."
Ilyss ignored Yumi's complaints and continued kissing her while fixing her gaze on Dannep.
The latter wanted to look away, but something held her in those crimson eyes. It wasn't magic, she knew that, yet it was as if she had fallen into the queen's web.
After a few more seconds, Ilyss pulled her tongue away from Yumi's, creating a distinct line of saliva that Dannep could clearly notice.
"Yes, this cake tastes very good, I'll eat it, you don't mind, right?" Ilyss asked, playing with Yumi's hair.
"No, no, I'm already full, I want you to eat it, you must be tired from shopping, we just finished doing our shopping too, right Dannep?" Yumi asked, even happier than before.
Dannep froze for a moment. They had ignored her while they were doing... their thing. And now they care about her opinion?
"Yes, Your Excellency, we have just finished obtaining everything necessary for this month, I hope it is to your liking." But she cannot show her true feelings to either of them.
"Good, I'm glad Yumi was the one who gave you a tour of the whole city. I'm sure with her it was quite easy to understand everything."
After finishing the cake, Ilyss stood up and took her bag to leave.
"When you're done, go to the castle, I'll go take care of other things. See you there." The woman said as she began to walk away.
"God, I truly love her, she's so lovely. She's never kissed me as passionately as today. Could it be that she liked my performance last night?" Yumi spoke to herself out loud.
"Performance last night? But she had dinner with me. So was she with Yumi before or after..."
The memories of yesterday flooded Dannep's mind; she had trusted too much in a woman who was clearly a demon. That kiss, those words about liking her, and that jealousy— it was nothing more than someone with power being someone with power.
But Dannep did not feel angry in the slightest. In fact, a strong sense of relief wrapped around her soul. Ilyss was acting exactly as she had predicted she would.
"Well, sorry, my mind went blank. How about I keep showing you the kingdom and then we head back to the castle? Silvia told me she would personally cook dinner to celebrate your first day with us."
After saying that, Yumi went into the shop to get some desserts for the other three, and they continued on their way back to the castle.
On the way back, Yumi took another route to show Dannep more places, but just like before, Dannep only paid attention to those related to magic.
Her main focus was on a Tarot house; from what she could read, apparently the woman there could read your future. Dannep wondered whether the woman might be able to see if her sister Layla would be cured in the future.
"We're here!"
Those were Yumi's words as they crossed the castle entrance.
"Well, so you finally decided to show up? How was the tour?" Martha asked as she saw them arrive.
Dannep felt bad just seeing her. Martha's dress was completely dirty from work.
She had spent her time eating desserts and strolling around with Yumi, leaving the work to the others. They had told her it was fine, but....
"Ah, good thing you're here. Yumi, you bought us desserts, right?" Zafiro asked, approaching them.
Unlike Martha, Zafiro's uniform was shining, as if she hadn't worked at all.
"Yes, I bought you that lemon cake you like so much, I bought Martha the apple one, and for Silvia I still want to figure out which one is hers. Today I'm going to try carrot cake."
"Well, I'm sorry to tell you that you failed again, because I don't think I'll like it." Silvia said as she came out of the kitchen.
"What kind of companions are you, so focused on sweets. Tell me, Dannep dear, what did you think of the city? Did you like it? Did you like the cakes? Did you go to one of those magic shops? Come on, tell us."
Silvia showed her warm smile to Dannep; she still didn't understand why, but she saw sister Layla in her every time she smiled.
All of Dannep's negative thoughts disappeared instantly, and she began to speak.
"Yes, the kingdom of Drakmorya is very different from Viremont, there was a magic school, there were plants created by mages, I think I saw a shop of elemental creatures but I didn't see it clearly and..."
Realizing she was saying too much, Dannep chose to fall silent.
"Damn it Dannep, you said too much, look at how they're looking at you, it's obvious that servants shouldn't like magic, it's not proper, know your place." She thought, avoiding the others' eyes.
"Well, it seems then that we won't make you uncomfortable if you see us around doing things like this." Silvia said, raising her hand.
Suddenly, the bag Dannep was holding flew straight into Silvia's hand.
Zafiro followed along and pulled out a kind of wand from her pocket, pointing it at the bag; a hand of water emerged in front of them, pulling the fruits out of the bag.
"Show-offs, do it properly." She snapped her fingers and then watched as the fruit was perfectly sliced.
Dannep stared at the scene in astonishment; everything had happened so fast she could barely comprehend it. They were mages! She had had breakfast with three mages this morning!
"Hahaha, sorry, we didn't want to make you uncomfortable or scare you. But yes, the three of us can use magic. From what I can see, you're interested in it. Would you like to learn?"
Silvia asked, handing Dannep a piece of sliced fruit.
"I... How could I? I'm sorry, I..."
"Hey, don't pressure her, she'll decide later, you always want to show off your stupid magic. I'm hungry, what do we have for dinner?" Yumi interrupted, walking toward the kitchen.
"Ah, sorry Dannep, come, I made dinner myself, let's eat." After saying that, they all went to the kitchen.
"Well, that was delicious." Dannep said as she entered her room. Silvia had made a whole feast for her; at first she hadn't planned to eat so much so as not to seem rude, but she couldn't resist something so delicious.
"To be able to use magic, huh... Maybe if I learn, I can cure her."
Dannep sat on her bed while looking at her hands. Even though dinner had been fantastic, she couldn't forget what she had just seen.
"If I learn, she has a chance."
The main reason she had become so interested in everything magical was her sister Layla.
Dannep believes there is a way to find a cure for her sister through magic; if she is capable of using it, maybe...
"No, first I must ask Ilyss for permission." She said to herself, getting up from the bed and leaving her room.
She would go ask Ilyss if she could learn magic; after all, she was her owner. Cythian had been bothered by Dannep wanting to learn anything about magic; maybe Ilyss is the same.
"~Ah, you're being very harsh today."
But as she approached the large door, Dannep heard a voice that was not Ilyss's. She had heard that voice all day— it was Yumi's.
"~Punish me, come on, I know you want to do it, my great queen." Yumi said, slightly breathless.