Clingy Mornings and the First Signs
“Ugh....”
Marian groaned as she woke from sleep.
“She was right here....”
Clearly, Chloe had been there when she first opened her eyes in bed. But after drifting off again and waking up, Chloe was gone.
“My lady, did you cough?”
“We'll help you change.”
Just then, Arona and Perona entered. Whether it was thanks to Chloe's threats... no, her discipline taking hold so well, they were remarkably polite even in Chloe's absence.
“Ugh....”
“M-My lady?”
“Wh-What's wrong....”
“Never mind, get on with it.”
And because the two of them were so thoroughly disciplined, they could only tremble in fear at the sight of Marian's sullen mood. If something were wrong with Marian, it could spell trouble for them too.
“B-But....”
“My lady...!”
“I said start!”
“Y-Yes, ma'am.”
“Then we'll start by helping you undress.”
Of course, that was their concern....
Marian kept her pouty expression the entire time they dressed her.
I thought Chloe would be here when I woke up in the morning....
No such luck. Chloe wasn't there, and all that lingered in Marian's heart was a sense of disappointment.
Chloe was doing so much for her, that much was true—but human emotions were treacherously fickle. Back when she starved for attention, even brief chats with the maids had made her happy. But now, nothing satisfied her except Chloe.
Even seeing Chloe every day didn't feel like enough. She wanted to sleep with Chloe every night, wake up together, get stroked while asked if she'd slept well. She craved the kind of treatment a mother gives her daughter in fairy tales, or an older sister her little sibling.
It was her unmet childish whims from infancy exploding at age twelve. No wonder they said late bloomers burned hottest.
“Chloe, just you wait....”
She vowed to grill her on why she'd slipped out of bed last night.
Of course, that was just her vow....
“Chloe!”
“Yes, I'm here. Miss.”
“Chloe's the best, don't go anywhere anymore.”
“The best...? Where'd you even pick that up....”
“From a book...?”
“What era was that book even written in...?”
“Doesn't matter, I super duper like Chloe, so don't go anywhere anymore.”
The moment Chloe entered her sight, everything changed. Marian was like a puppy starved for her presence, tail wagging furiously as she rushed over—even if she didn't have one.
Like calling a wolf with a people-loving psychosis a dog, Marian had been a loner for so long until Chloe came along. Now she was sick with love for her.
“Let's stay like this forever.”
“No can do. We've got lessons.”
“Wah....”
“It's the height-growth potion class, don't you wanna?”
“Oh, then two hours? No, one hour!”
“Hehe, got it. Exactly one hour, okay?”
“Chloe's the best!”
There were no words but “the best” to describe Chloe. She had no memory of her mother's face, and the wet nurse who'd fed her as an infant never held her except to nurse. From her earliest memories to the most recent, she'd never experienced a proper family.
“Hugging like this will wrinkle your dress, you know.”
“Don't care. This way I can feel all of Chloe. Gotta stay like this for the full hour now.”
“Alright, if you say so.”
With that, Chloe and Marian moved to the bed, embracing tightly in what was commonly called the “facing lotus” position.
“Feels good....”
Marian wrapped her legs around Chloe's waist like she never wanted to let go, resting her face in the valley of her breasts with a dopey grin.
Is this okay...?
And like Marian—perhaps even more so.
This feels... kinda nice....
Chloe felt an odd satisfaction too. To her, assassin peers were rivals competing for kills, and elders were tiger-like masters drilling her harshly—not figures to rely on.
This sensation of holding someone more fragile than herself was entirely new. Hugging a woman in bed as a man had been different. Her few experiences with women had been mission-related, nothing like this.
Motherly love?
The fulfillment from feeling a weaker being's warmth and nurturing it. It was close to the dictionary definition of maternal instinct.
Me...?
Her, feeling motherhood less than a month after becoming a woman? She hadn't borne children, never mated with a man, and here she was cradling a twelve-year-old—not even an infant.
Nah, no way.
Chloe dismissed it, but even as her mind denied maternal feelings for Marian, her body betrayed her. Her breasts—part of her body—stayed pressed to Marian, and her heart wanted to fill this hour before lessons.
Anyway....
“Okay, time's up.”
“Already...?”
The blissful hour ended.
“Should we do this every day before lessons? Hug for an hour?”
“Well, could be nice. If it makes you happy, Miss.”
“Hehe, love it. Can't even put it into words....”
“That much, huh?”
“Yeah, exactly.”
And it seemed this hour would continue from now on.
The first alchemy practical Chloe prepared was developing a height-growth potion. Marian had shown interest first, and if done right, it was a solid potion—letting someone grow half a handspan beyond their natural height.
She'd brought the recipe; they just needed to brew it together.
“Do you know the basics of alchemy, Miss?”
“Basics of alchemy...?”
“Precision processing. Precision.”
“Precision...?”
“Minimize errors. Especially for ingestibles like height potions—tiny mistakes could cause lifelong handicaps.”
“Gasp....”
“So, we'll brew together, but drink the one I make. Okay?”
Marian nodded frantically, hands clamped over her mouth, bobbing her head up and down.
Chloe chuckled at how cute it was—pfft—and seeing Chloe laugh made Marian beam dopily back.
The harmonious mood between the two lasted only a moment.
“Alright, let's add ingredients first. Pot on the furnace artifact.”
“Pot on....”
“Teletope lizard tail, mermaid scales, kitten heart....”
“K-Kitten?”
“Store-bought stuff. Safe to use.”
“Poor kitty....”
“You wanna grow tall, right?”
“Yeah. Add kitten heart....”
They followed the steps meticulously. No wonder they said passion makes the work fly.
“Most ingredients in. Seal the lid and simmer.”
“How long?”
“Come here, watch how I do it?”
“Yeah!”
Marian showed terrifying focus. With pre-portioned, prepped materials, her quick following made great progress—nearly 70% done before sunset.
Low simmer for an hour, then finish the last 30% and capsule it: growth potion complete.
“We've got time, so set a timer and rest a bit.”
“Yay!”
That short break.
“Ahem. Chloe.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Marian cleared her throat unusually, lips twitching. She wanted to ask if they'd sleep together tonight too.
“Sleep with me tonight too, all the way to morning!”
She even voiced it.
But.
“No.”
Chloe refused. Separate from any maternal feelings, she knew well what it meant for a noble lady to share a bed with someone outside blood kin.
“Why!”
For the first time, Marian resented Chloe's curt rejection. Chloe had to stay with her forever—so why not sleep together too? Why refuse her?
“Hmph....”
She made a petulant noise to show she was mad.
“Eek....”
“Ch-Chloe?”
At that inopportune moment, Chloe felt something squirming inside her, soaking her panties.
“M-Miss? I need the bathroom quick....”
“You said you don't use mine?”
“It's urgent....”
No time to explain. Peeing herself in front of a twelve-year-old? What a disgrace.
“Not pee...?”
In the bathroom, panties down, Chloe saw the pooled white fluid. Sticky, sour-smelling, lotion-like, white and semi-transparent.
“Wh-Why does a woman's body have so many issues...!”
She shrieked, baffled. Then it hit her.
“Discharge...? Precum for periods...?”
She'd heard of it. One of the precursors to menstruation.
Now that she was a woman.... Her body was signaling readiness for pregnancy.
Over half a month since transforming, it'd have been weirder if periods hadn't started.
“This is driving me insane, fuck....”
She felt like she was losing her mind.