Chapter 111: Progress

Stefan's POV

Belladonna called her Flowers, instructed them to bring in the clan servants so they could tend to be their mistresses.

I looked around the house while eavesdropping on how Belladonna got in charge and controlled everything.

In no time, the servants were moving around. Cleaning the floor where blood had seeped onto and all.

The five recovered women stood properly now. Color had returned to their faces and their postures had straightened with returning strength. Even exhausted, their high-born bearing showed - refined features, elegant lines, and figures that would have drawn attention in any court.

I looked them over once and allowed myself a small, private calculation. The debt was ugly, but the potential return was already standing in front of me.

I would manage.

Belladonna gave them short, clear orders. They were to stay out of sight, avoid anything that might bring them back to the Silent Matriarch's notice, and remain low for the time being.

The women accepted the instructions without argument. Servants were already moving in to support them.

When the group stepped back into the open air and the Flowers prepared the horses, I stayed still on purpose. I wanted to see how Belladonna would handle me now that I had actually delivered. She noticed the pause, considered me for a moment, then told me to ride with one of the warriors again.

"I would rather ride with you," I said, testing the waters.

"Why?" She asked not gently but not harshly either. Just in between.

"There are things we should discuss." I quickly added.

She studied me, then gave a short nod. A moment later she reached down, gripped my forearm, and pulled me up behind her with the same effortless strength all of them seemed to possess. I settled into place, close enough to feel the heat of her back through the armor, and the group started moving.

We rode in silence for a while. When she finally spoke, her voice carried over the sound of the horses.

"You said you had something to discuss. Start speaking."

Oops! I had nothing to discuss at the moment, not when I wasn't looking at her face. I had just said that to be allowed to ride with her.

"It can wait until Bloomhold," I answered. "This isn't the best position for a proper conversation."

Belladonna made a low, disapproving sound then spoke up; "I dislike people who cannot organize their thoughts in advance."

I swallowed hard. She would, she was military after all. But hearing her say that just firmly and not like she wanted to throw me off the horse was a small win. Our relationship was really evolving. Small progress but it was there.

"Noted." I replied her.

I didn't push further.

~~~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, we arrived at the Bloomhold.

Belladonna went straight to her cottage. I followed without waiting for an invitation. Inside, she turned on me the moment the door closed.

"What is the request?"

She was already impatient. Whatever report or next decision she needed to handle was sitting behind her eyes, waiting.

I took my time answering, which only tightened her expression further.

"Before the request, I'd like to ask a question." I began, she waited.

"Are you not going to the Queen immediately to report the success of your task?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I know my own duties. And I do not require instruction from you." she replied sharply.

"Fair." I let that subject drop.

"Then my request is simple. Let me stay near you for the rest of the day. I want to observe how you work and handle what comes next. I'll stay out of the way unless you need something done."

Belladonna's eyes narrowed. "Why would that be your request?"

"Because I want to understand how someone like you actually operates when the pressure is real. The more I understand it, the less often I become a problem you have to waste time on, you know." I said smoothly.

I was going to use the time around her to work on increasing those affection and desire stat. By all means.

She was silent for a long moment, measuring the answer for any sign of mockery or hidden angle. Finally she gave a short, reluctant nod.

"You may stay. The moment you become a nuisance, you leave. Clear?"

"Clear."

~~~~~~~~~~~

The following hours were mostly quiet, focused work. Belladonna dealt with short reports from ranked Flowers, updated instructions regarding the recovered clan.

I stayed in the outer part of the room or near the doorway, speaking only when spoken to, and twice stepped in to handle small practical tasks so she did not have to break concentration. Each time she accepted the help without comment, which from her was the equivalent of high praise.

As the day wore on, the residual tension in her frame never fully left. By early evening it had settled hard into her shoulders and the back of her neck. Body Language Analysis and Perception both flagged it clearly. She was still carrying the entire weight of the Matriarch situation even after the immediate crisis had been removed.

I waited until there was a natural pause, then spoke.

"You're locked up through the shoulders. I have a salve that can take the edge off. It works fast. You'll function better tomorrow if you let me apply it now."

Belladonna turned her head and looked at me with open suspicion.

"You want to put your hands on me?" she asked.

I knew she would ask. She hadn't taken that lightly the other time I did without her permission.

"I want you functional," I said. "You're still the one holding the response to the Silent Matriarch. If your body is fighting you, everything else gets harder. It's maintenance, not a favor."

She considered the offer longer than any of the earlier ones. At last she gave a single sharp nod and sat on the edge of a low bench, back straight.

"Do it. And don't run your mouth. Stay serious. Do not talk more than necessary."

"Understood." I nodded immediately.

Then I purchased the numbing salve, warmed it between my palms, and stepped behind her. The first contact made her spine go rigid. I didn't comment. I worked the salve into the thick muscle along her shoulders and the base of her neck with steady, practical pressure, the same way I had done for Jonquil after training. For a while the only sound was the quiet shift of fabric and the controlled sound of her breathing.

Gradually some of the hardness under my hands began to ease. I kept the movements efficient, but I also paid attention to the places that drew the smallest reactions from her - a slight pull of breath, a faint give in the muscle and returned to them with intentional care.

The air between us changed by degrees. What had started as pure maintenance began to carry a different weight. My hands moved lower along the inner edge of her shoulder blades, thumbs pressing in slow, exact lines. Belladonna's breathing had grown quieter, more controlled, as if she was managing something she did not intend to acknowledge.

I leaned in slightly, close enough that my voice would stay low.

"You're carrying more of it on the left side."

She didn't answer. The silence itself had become charged.

I shifted my weight, let one hand slide just far enough to test the boundary, and felt the exact moment her tolerance ended.

Belladonna's hand closed around my wrist, hard and precise, stopping the movement cold.

"That is enough."

Her voice had returned to its usual flat edge. Whatever brief opening had existed was gone. She released my wrist and stood in one clean motion, already putting distance between us.

I stepped back at once and kept my expression neutral.

"Understood."

Belladonna looked at me for a long second, then nodded toward the door.

"You have done what you asked to do. Leave. Tomorrow will not be as tolerant."

I inclined my head, turned, and walked out of the cottage without further comment. Only when the door shut behind me and I had put several paces between myself and her space did I pull up the interface.

[BELLADONNA — RELATIONSHIP INTERFACE]

Desire: 2%

Loyalty: 34%

Affection: 3%

Trust: 53%

Recruitment Progress: 30%

Desire had finally moved. Barely. Two percent. She had shut it down the moment it threatened to become something real. The rest of the numbers were better than they had any right to be after a single day, but the message was clear.

Progress was possible.

It was also going to be slow, controlled, and constantly at risk of being cut off the second she decided I had taken a step too far.

I closed the interface, exhaled once, and started calculating how to push the next fraction without losing the ground I had already gained.

As I took another step, the system chimed. I looked ahead and began reading the notification...

I would have to go back to Belladonna's cottage.