Ziel shifted his eyes from the artifact in his hands to Princess Iris standing next to him. The girl was wearing a black nightgown that looked very good on her. Apart from that, she was also wearing a thick sweater that covered it, but Ziel could still see the beautiful curves of her body.

“If you are sleepy, you should return to the cottage because it’s very cold tonight.” Ziel said and returned his focus to the rings on his hands.

pA n,dan0vel.c0m “I am not sleepy. I just came out of the cottage and came straight here after seeing you. What are you doing here? Is that the artifact you spoke to us about the other day?” Princess Iris shook her head and asked curiously when she saw a pitch-black ring.

“Yes. This is the artifact you requested. But I couldn’t finish all of them because I was too busy with your training these past few days. By the way, yours is done. Do you want to try it?” Ziel took out a shiny black ring that looked beautiful under the moonlight and showed it to Princess Iris.

“Could I see it?” Princess Iris saw the ring and was mesmerized by its beauty. All women love jewelry, and Princess Iris is no exception.

“Of course. Sit down. You can see it’s more comfortable than standing like that.” Ziel shifted his body and invited Princess Iris to sit next to him.

“Thank you.” Princess Iris sat beside Ziel without hesitation and placed her mug beside him. After that, she took the ring from Ziel’s hand nervously.

“This ring is very beautiful.” Princess Iris said in awe, and her eyes kept on the ring. She was at a loss for words to express the beauty of the artifact.

“I made the ring based on your hair color, and it looks exquisite because your hair is also very beautiful.” Ziel said softly. His compliment made Princess Iris blush, and she lowered her head in embarrassment to look at Ziel.

Ziel made the rings based on the girls’ hair color. But some of them have the same hair color. Thus, he gave each ring a pattern to distinguish it.

Emerald with cattleya flower pattern is Kalya

Gold with a tulip flower pattern is Freya

Gold with sunflower pattern is Helena

Black with a lily pattern is Clara

Black with iris pattern is Iris

Black with a cherry blossom pattern is Kyouka

Purple with a daisy pattern is Lilith

Purple with a lilac flower pattern is Irene

White with a lotus flower pattern is Azalia

Silver with an orchid flower pattern is Aishia

Blue with a lupine flower pattern is Cordelia

Ziel had also readjusted the pattern with a communication brooch for each girl.

“What pattern is on this ring?” Princess Iris asked curiously.

“In my homeworld, it was called an iris flower. Since the name is similar to yours, I chose that pattern for your ring.” Zeel explained.

“Can I use this ring?” Princess Iris smiled sweetly after hearing Ziel’s words. He kept looking at the iris-patterned black ring and felt attached to it. Princess Iris liked it very much and wanted to wear it on her finger immediately, but that should only be done by the man she loves.

“Of course. It is yours. Do you want me to put it on you?” Ziel whispered. He could guess why Princess Iris still hadn’t put the ring on her finger and was only holding it tightly.

“Yes.” Princess Iris nodded shyly and handed the ring to Ziel.

Ziel gently took Princess Iris’s left hand and put the ring on her finger. Then he lifted her chin until their eyes were level and met each other.

“Now you are mine. You can’t go anywhere even if you want to because I will never let you leave me.” Ziel said seriously.

“Ziel…” Princess Iris muttered and looked at Ziel with teary eyes. Then she smiled beautifully like a blooming flower and nodded her head excitedly.

“Yes, from now on and forever, I am yours. No. I have been yours for a long time, and I will never leave you, and you should never leave me either!” Princess Iris suddenly hugged Ziel tightly.

“I will never leave you. I will protect you forever.” Ziel returned the hug and stroked Princess Iris’ hair.

They felt the warmth of each other’s bodies and finally wanted to separate after hugging for quite a while. After that, Princess Iris rested her head on Ziel’s shoulder and intertwined her fingers with him.

“Are you sleepy? If so, you better finish your hot tea and return to the cottage. Tonight is very cold, which is not good for your health.” Ziel whispered and stroked Princess Iris’ head gently.

“I will return to the cottage soon after I feel sleepy. But for now, let me stay like this a little longer. You can continue your work without worrying about me.” Princess Iris said, and the smile never left her beautiful face when she saw the iris-patterned black ring on her finger.

“Okay. Then, I will continue my work.” Ziel nodded and kissed Princess Iris’ forehead. After that, he returned his focus to the rings on his hands. He worked on the artifacts with only his right hand because his left hand was intertwined with Princess Iris.

An hour passed, and Ziel finally finished all the artifacts. When he looked to his side, he saw that Princess Iris had fallen asleep. Ziel smiled and stroked the hair covering her face.

Ziel tried to free his hands from Princess Iris. But he couldn’t do it because Princess Iris held him tightly like she didn’t want to be separated from Ziel.

After trying a few times, Ziel finally let Princess Iris’ hand go from him. He had to do so because he couldn’t bring Princess Iris back to the cottage with their fingers intertwined. Ziel doesn’t use teleportation because he doesn’t want to waste his power.

Ziel slowly lifted Princess Iris’ slender body and carried her in a princess hug. Whether she was doing it consciously or not, Princess Iris suddenly wrapped her arms around Ziel’s neck. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw that and returned to the cottage with Princess Iris in his arms.

It was midnight, and the girls were fast asleep in their respective rooms. Ziel brought Princess Iris back to her room. This was the first time he had entered Princess Iris’ room, and he was slightly surprised when he saw the atmosphere in the place.

Unlike Clara and the girls her age, who had rooms with a girlish feel, Princess Iris’s room was elegant and had very little decoration. Ziel didn’t dare to observe the room for too long because doing so without the owner’s permission would be impolite.

Ziel walked over to Princess Iris’ bed and laid her down slowly. He tried not to wake the girl in his arms from her sleep.

After laying Princess Iris down on the bed, Ziel wanted to get out of the room, but he felt the hem of his shirt being pulled. Ziel saw that the person who did that was Princess Iris. The girl opened her eyes and saw Ziel as if she wanted to say something but hesitated to speak.

“Did I disturb your sleep and wake you up?” Ziel asked.

“No, you didn’t disturb my sleep. I’ve been awake ever since you carried me here.” Princess Iris said and blushed.

“Then you can continue your sleep.” Ziel took Princess Iris’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“I couldn’t sleep after I woke up. Can you accompany me while holding my hand until I fall asleep?” Princess Iris looked at Ziel with expectant eyes. Ziel nodded in response as he couldn’t refuse her request after seeing the expression on her face.

Ziel took a chair and placed it next to Princess Iris’ bed. After that, he sat down and held Princess Iris’ hand. The atmosphere between them became awkward because neither of them spoke, and Ziel decided to open his mouth first to break up the situation.

“Are you happy living in this cottage with Clara and the others?” Ziel started their conversation.

“Of course, I’m happy to live under the same roof as Clara and the others. But since the occupants in the cottage increased in number and made it more and more crowded, I became a bit awkward. You already know the reason why I feel that way.” Princess Iris said weakly and looked sad as she recalled her past.

Since Princess Iris was a child, no one dared to approach her because her curse-like mana made others fearful whenever they were near her. Hence, when many people suddenly surrounded her, she felt confused because she was not used to the situation. Ziel wanted to say something, but Princess Iris spoke first.

“But now I’m used to their presence, and I’m glad they’re here with me.” Princess Iris showed a genuinely happy smile from the bottom of her heart.

“I’m glad you feel that way.” Ziel smiled when he saw Princess Iris’s expression and stroked her head with his free hand.

“It’s all because of you, Ziel. Thank you.” Princess Iris took Ziel’s hand and placed it on her chest.

“Because of me? I’ve never done anything for you. If you mean the servant master’s contract to suppress your mana, you don’t need to thank me. I did that because I didn’t want you to get out of control and hurt the people around you, especially Clara.” Ziel never intended to help Princess Iris in the past, and he did it solely for Clara because Princess Iris was her best friend.

“Not only that. If it weren’t for the artifact you gave Clara, I wouldn’t be able to befriend her. If it weren’t for you stopping me before I injured my classmates during the survival test in the Alba Mountain Range, I would have already left this school for not daring to show my face to them.

If it weren’t for you helping me control my mana, I wouldn’t be able to get along with the people around me and feel the warmth of friendship. Besides all the things I mentioned, there is much more that you have done for me. Thank you, Zeel. Thank you.” Princess Iris said in a hoarse voice, and tears flowed from her eyes.

“You don’t have to think about your past anymore. What you have to do now is live your life well and fight for our future. You, Clara, and the others are my fiancees. We are Family. So you don’t need to thank me for such a trifle. Do you understand?” Ziel smiled and wiped the tears off Princes Iris’ face.

“Ziel…” Princess Iris felt touched when she heard Ziel’s words. She subconsciously pressed Ziel’s hand tighter against her chest. Then she smiled broadly and nodded in response to his words.

“Then you should sleep soon. Tomorrow the academy will reopen. You don’t want to oversleep and come late to attend the class, do you?” Ziel stroked Princess Iris’ bangs and kissed her forehead lightly. Princess Iris closed her eyes to enjoy his treatment.

“Kiss me here too.” Princess Iris pointed at her lips and said with a red face. Ziel smiled slightly and pressed his lips against Princess Iris’ according to her request.

When Ziel wanted to leave the room, Princess Iris held onto his clothes tightly and wouldn’t let him go. Ziel was confused by her actions. But before he could say anything, Princess Iris opened her mouth first.

“Can you sleep with me as you did with Kalya and the others, Ziel? Didn’t you also do it with Kyouka last night? I’m also your fiancé, right?” Princess Iris said in a barely audible voice.

Ziel smiled and stroked Princess Iris’ hair. He did not question her request as it would embarrass Princess Iris. Moreover, Princess Iris is a part of his family, and he has to fulfill her wish. Ziel passionately kissed Princess Iris on the lips and lay down with her on the bed. Before long, moans of lust and love filled the room.

***

The next day, the people in the cottage, except Princess Iris and Ziel, woke up earlier to start their activities. Ziel and Princess Iris didn’t sleep until morning because of what they had done last night.

In the afternoon, the girls finished their activities and quickly gathered at the training ground. Kalya and the others will be repeating their first stage of training today.

“Shall we start our training now, Ziel?” Kalya asked after Ziel appeared in front of them.

“Not now, because we have guests.” Ziel turned his eyes towards the entrance of the forest area, and the girls followed him. They saw an older man and a middle-aged man approaching them.

“Leonida…”

“Father…”

Queen Helena and Princess Freya said in shock at the same time.