Vexion couldn't help smiling as she watched the familiar exchange between Dante and Lexa. For some reason, seeing the two of them together always put her at ease.
Perhaps it was because Lexa was the only woman Vexion had ever genuinely believed her Master might fall for.
She was beautiful, kind, dependable, and intelligent—the sort of woman who could stand beside Dante without being overwhelmed by his personality.
If he ever wanted another woman, Lexa would've been the obvious choice.
Even physically, she lacked very little. Perhaps she was a little less full around the hips and thighs, but in every other regard, she rivaled Vexion without question.
Yet nothing had ever happened between them. Not once. Instead, their relationship had settled into something almost sibling-like, with Dante behaving like a childish younger brother and Lexa constantly scolding him.
He would ignore her complaints, she would sigh in exasperation, and then she would follow behind him anyway.
Vexion chuckled softly. 'She really does adore Master... just not the way I do.'
Somehow, that was comforting. Very comforting.
She stepped beside Lexa and absentmindedly ruffled her hair, prompting the other woman to blink in surprise.
"...What?"
Vexion smiled innocently. "You looked cute just now. Like an older sister praising her hopeless younger brother."
Lexa immediately coughed into her hand. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."
Her slightly reddened ears suggested otherwise. Before Vexion could tease her any further, Lexa quickly changed the subject.
"...Master. Where exactly are we sleeping tonight?"
Dante looked genuinely bewildered. "...Why are you asking me?"
"Because you're Master."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"It answers every question."
Dante stared at Vexion, his expression turning serious as he addressed her.
"...V. My cute..."
"...very attractive woman."
"You're completely delusional."
Unfortunately, Vexion had already stopped listening halfway through his sentence. Her cheeks slowly turned pink as she swayed happily from side to side.
'Master called me cute... and attractive...'
Lexa watched the entire thing unfold before quietly covering her face.
"...Hopeless."
Both of them.
She looked back toward Dante, only to notice his eyes casually drifting downward from Vexion's face to her chest before returning upward. Lexa's expression immediately flattened.
"...Master. You do realize everyone can tell when you're doing that?"
Dante calmly turned toward her. Without the slightest shame, his eyes dropped to Lexa's chest for barely a second before returning to her face.
"I believe actions speak louder than words," he said. "So I think looking is far more respectful than walking up to someone and announcing..."
He politely cleared his throat.
"'You have nice breasts.'"
He offered her the smile of a perfect gentleman.
"So really, I'm exercising remarkable self-restraint."
Vexion burst into laughter while Lexa simply stared at him.
"...That's not what that saying means," she said at last. "And it definitely wasn't invented to justify staring at women's bodies."
Dante shrugged, apparently unconcerned.
"You complain regardless. If I look, you complain. If I compliment you, you complain. If I ignore you..." He paused thoughtfully. "You'll probably complain about that too."
Lexa opened her mouth, then stopped herself and sighed.
"...Why do I even argue with you anymore?"
"You enjoy it."
"I don't."
"You do."
"I really don't."
Vexion giggled even harder. Watching the two of them bicker somehow soothed the lingering anxiety inside her, allowing the last traces of unease to fade into the background.
Dante casually walked toward the cave entrance and rested a hand against the stone wall.
"System."
[Ready, Master.]
"Mental Domination."
"Telekinetic Mastery."
"Perfect Technique."
"Try not to bankrupt my mana reserves."
[I'll optimize the construction.]
The cave trembled as the surrounding stone began to shift. Entire walls folded inward before rebuilding themselves, pillars rose from the ground, and the uneven floor flattened beneath their feet.
Windows opened where solid rock had existed only moments earlier, allowing the mountain air and distant scenery to enter the newly formed space.
Within minutes, a fully furnished, two-story residence stood inside the mountain. It had bedrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, a living room, and even a fireplace.
The interior looked remarkably similar to Dante's academy residence, as though he had simply moved the entire building into the cave.
Lexa blinked several times before walking inside. She pressed a hand against one of the sofas, testing its texture with a faint look of disbelief.
"...This is real."
Dante nodded. "I can reshape existing matter. I can't create something from nothing." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And... this cost me around forty percent of my mana."
Vexion immediately looked worried. She hurried over and gently took his hand.
"Master... are you alright?"
Dante looked down at their joined hands, then back at her.
"...Why are you holding my hand?"
Vexion blinked.
Lexa immediately understood what was happening. Without another word, she quietly turned away.
"I'll prepare dinner."
She disappeared into the kitchen before either of them could stop her. Only then did Vexion finally realize what she was doing.
"...Ah."
She slowly guided Dante's hand away from hers, lowering it until it rested naturally against the curve of her backside. A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she settled into place.
"There... that's better."
Dante immediately looked far more comfortable.
"Much."
His fingers instinctively squeezed, softly and possessively. There was no hurry in the gesture, no greed behind it; he simply held her as though that was where his hand belonged. Vexion leaned against him, and a contented sigh escaped her lips.
"...Master really does love my butt."
Dante considered the statement before nodding.
"It feels nice."
She laughed. "You're supposed to say something romantic."
"I did." He gently squeezed again. "It's soft. Very soft. Comfortable." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "Perfect size. And extremely grabbable."
Vexion immediately covered his mouth with both hands, her face turning scarlet.
"...Why do I even bother?"
Despite her words, she couldn't stop smiling.
Her thoughts drifted back toward the fake Dante: the false smile, the gentle words, and the awkward embrace. Everything about that encounter had felt wrong, even when she had believed it was him.
Now she looked at the real man standing before her, one hand lazily resting exactly where it always did, while the other had already begun wandering because he'd become distracted by the architecture and was absentmindedly continuing to grope her.
She suddenly laughed.
"...Master. I don't think anyone could ever imitate you."
Dante looked genuinely pleased.
"I agree. I'm one in several quadrillion."
Vexion shook her head, laughing softly.
"No... they'll always make one mistake. They'll assume you behave like everyone else. They'll think you're romantic. They'll think you'll hold my face, look into my eyes, and whisper sweet things..."
She stepped onto her toes and placed a gentle kiss against his lips before smiling at him.
"But that's never been you."
Dante blinked.
"...Should it be?"
"No. I like you exactly as you are." She poked his chest. "The only thing you're missing..."
"...is common sense."
Dante frowned.
"I have common sense."
"You absolutely don't."
"I do."
"You don't."
"I have an exceptional amount of common sense."
Vexion simply laughed before turning toward the kitchen.
"Come on. Lexa's probably finished cooking."
Dante immediately followed after her, still arguing.
"I genuinely don't understand why everyone keeps saying that."
From inside the kitchen, Lexa answered without even looking up.
"Because literally everyone says it."
Dante looked offended.
"That's hardly objective evidence."
Lexa sighed.
"...See? I rest my case."
Vexion laughed all the way into the dining room. For the first time since the fake Dante had appeared, the lingering fear inside her heart had completely disappeared.
She was home again.