"The door was open, so I came in," Brenna said casually.
Kailith was caught off guard for a moment. She didn't expect someone else to suddenly show up. Her eyes blinked in confusion, and she took a step back without realizing. Meanwhile, Alice didn't look surprised at all. She had seen this woman before. In fact, the last time when she and Maruti were having a private moment, this same lady had walked in.
Alice quietly thought to herself, "Did she not learn anything from last time? She should at least knock first," but she didn't say anything out loud. She was acting as Alice now, not her other self, Arlecchino.
Kailith, on the other hand, looked at Brenna carefully. She had seen her before too—she was Ethan's mother. But Kailith didn't know anything about the little arrangement between Brenna and Maruti. She had no idea that Brenna brought dinner to Maruti every day.
"Ethan's mother? Why is she here?" Kailith thought with a frown as she glanced sideways at Maruti for answers.
Brenna herself looked a little dazed too. She blinked in surprise at the two other girls standing in the room.
"Another girl? And that girl I saw last time is here too. Why does Maruti always have new girls around her?" she wondered silently, unable to stop her thoughts from wandering in a strange direction. A blush appeared faintly on her cheeks. "What am I thinking… Urgh!" she quickly shook her head to clear the weird ideas forming in her mind.
Maruti, on the other hand, was completely frozen. Her eyes widened slightly and her heart skipped a beat. She tried her best to keep a calm face.
"Why now? Of all times? Why does this kind of stuff always happen to me?" she screamed inside her head. "I'm definitely cursed by that Seraphine bitch!" she mentally cursed the goddess of light without shame.
She quickly stood up and raised both her hands to calm the situation, speaking fast, "She's Ethan's mother! Since I have trouble making food, she brings me dinner every day!"
Kailith looked at Brenna with sharp eyes. Her heart felt a pinch of jealousy.
"Huh? Every day? For free? That's weird! Suspicious too!" Kailith narrowed her eyes, already feeling uncomfortable. "I should be the one making food for her… even if I don't know how to cook yet, I can learn!" she thought stubbornly as she glared at Brenna like a rival.
Maruti noticed her glare and quickly gave Kailith a smack on the belly with her hand to shut her up before she said anything foolish.
She then laughed nervously and pointed at the two girls, trying to act natural. "Haha… and this is my friend, Kailith, and that's Alice!" she said quickly, trying to clear up any misunderstandings before they turned into more trouble.
"Friends? Then why were you having sex with her when you were just friends? Don't tell me you've done it with this silver-haired girl too," Brenna thought to herself, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
She remembered the first time she saw Maruti and Alice in a very intimate moment. Her heart had ached strangely that day. She felt jealous, even hurt… but also guilty. How could she feel this way about Maruti—a girl who was nearly ten years younger than her? It felt like betrayal to her past lover, Rachel, and she hated herself for feeling that way.
But now, hearing Maruti call them just "friends"… her mood suddenly lifted.
"If she's saying they're just friends, that means their relationship isn't that deep yet. Young people are just hot-headed… it might not be serious," she thought to herself, and a soft, bright smile appeared on her face without her realizing it.
"Is that so?" she replied casually, trying to sound calm.
However, Kailith suddenly froze. She had felt something strange—something very real. After becoming a fallen dragon, her senses for charm and attraction had become incredibly sharp. And right now, she could feel it clearly.
Brenna… was sexually attracted to Maruti.
Kailith's eyes sharpened. Her body tensed. Her hands curled into fists.
"She's into Maruti? This woman? This old woman? Is she into young girls?" Kailith clenched her teeth, gritting in anger.
"No... No, I can't ignore this. Knowing Maruti, she won't stop anyone who makes a move on her! I can't let this happen. Alice is already enough of a problem!" she screamed inside her mind as she glared at Brenna, this time with full fury.
Even Alice was confused. She didn't understand why Kailith was suddenly so emotional.
Meanwhile, Brenna suddenly felt chills run down her back. Her instincts warned her. Something was wrong. Her body told her not to make eye contact with Kailith.
"Why… do I feel like I'm about to die?" she thought nervously.
Kailith finally took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't kill Brenna, not now. Ethan was popular and just recently became a baron and after the trouble she caused her mother, she couldn't afford to make another big mistake.
Instead, she suddenly leaned in close to Maruti. With a sly smile, she grabbed Maruti's hips and pulled her against her body in a very teasing and erotic way.
"Actually… we're friends with benefits," Kailith said with a smug grin.
"Friends with benefits?" Brenna blinked, slightly shocked.
Maruti's face turned bright red. She almost jumped back and shouted, "You! Stop saying weird stuff like that!" She was clearly flustered, but Kailith didn't care.
"Ugh, she's ruining my social image!" Maruti cried inside her mind. But it was already too late.
Kailith continued to speak confidently to Brenna, "C'mon, don't act like you don't know what it means. You're old enough. We just satisfy each other—mentally, and especially physically—without needing an official relationship."
Before Brenna could react, Kailith added, "But I'd still love to go deeper… have a real relationship with her." She pulled Maruti even closer, trying to make Brenna jealous.
Maruti struggled to escape, pushing against her, but Kailith held firm.
Alice wasn't one to sit quietly. She jumped in too, hugging Maruti from the side.
"Me too! I'm also a friend with benefits!" she said proudly.
Maruti felt like collapsing. Her cheeks were red, her body trembling.
"My image is completely ruined!" she thought as tears welled up in her eyes, She genuinely felt like crying for the first time in her life.
Brenna's expression turned blank. It was like a robot's face—no emotion. She quietly walked over to the center table and placed the food she brought.
"I'll be going now. Have a good night," she said flatly, then turned to leave.
Kailith looked like she had just won a battle. Her arms crossed, her head held high, she smirked as Brenna walked out.
But as Brenna reached the door, her cheeks turned crimson. Her heart thumped like a drum.
"Friends with benefits… friends with benefits…" she kept repeating in her mind as she walked to her own room.
After closing her door, Brenna leaned against it. Her breath was hot and heavy.
"Right… this way, I don't need to ask for a relationship. I can still be close to her, and if things go well… maybe take the next step," she whispered to herself, feeling a strange sense of hope.
"I wonder… if I could join too," she muttered while biting her lower lip.
But then, a heavy wave of guilt slammed into her chest.
"Urgh… Brenna, what are you thinking? She's so much younger than you! And what about Rachel? Where's your love for her?"she scolded herself as she covered her face with her hands. Her heart felt confused, torn between desire and guilt.
----------------------------------------------------
[author]
The chapter is short because I was having a huge headache, I'll make sure to not let it happen from now on
[/author]