After their intense moment, Freya lifted her head from his chest and her green eyes were still hazy with satisfaction.

She glanced toward the pool at the base of the waterfall.

"Let’s swim..."

Brandon smiled, helping her to her feet. He took her hand, and together they walked down the gentle slope toward the pool.

The grass gave way to smooth stones, and the roar of the waterfall grew louder as they approached.

Freya stepped into the water first, gasping softly at the cool temperature.

She waded deeper until the water reached her waist, then turned to face him, completely naked under the moonlight.

Droplets clung to her skin, tracing paths down her full breasts and the curve of her hips.

"Come in,"

Brandon joined her, stepping into the pool. The cool water rose around him as he waded closer.

Freya laughed softly and moved backward, drawing him deeper until the water reached their chests.

They swam together for a while playfully.

Freya dove under the surface, then resurfaced close to him, laughing as water cascaded down her face and body.

Brandon caught her around the waist, pulling her against him.

Her breath hitched as his palms cupped her breasts, squeezing the heavy, buoyant flesh.

The cool water made her skin even more sensitive.

He kneaded them slowly, brushing his thumbs over her stiff nipples, rolling and pinching them gently.

"Ah... Kael..."

He squeezed her breasts together, lifting them so they floated on the water’s surface, then pressing them firmly.

Freya pressed her body closer to his as she wrapped her legs around his waist in the water.

Brandon kissed her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin while one hand continued playing with her breast, the other sliding down to squeeze her ass, pulling her tighter against him.

---

The waterfall’s roar softened as Brandon carried Freya through the pool, walking toward the shallower edge where the water only reached their waists.

Freya clung to him with her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck.

She nuzzled her face into his neck, placing soft, affectionate kisses there as he lowered them both into the shallow water.

Once they were standing, Freya slowly slid down his body until her feet touched the smooth stones.

She looked up at him with a tender smile, "Let me take care of you."

She dipped her hands into the water, then began to rub them over his body.

Her palms glided over his shoulders, down his arms, across his firm chest, and over his abs.

Brandon stood still, watching her with soft eyes as her hands moved lower.

She knelt slightly in the shallow water, running her palms down his thighs, then back up, carefully cleaning him.

Her fingers brushed over his half-hard cock, stroking it lightly with wet hands before moving to his hips and waist again.

She rose again, pressing her body against his as she wrapped her arms around him, continuing to rub his back and shoulders under the water.

Brandon’s hands rested on her waist as he spoke quietly "Freya... I wanted to take our relationship slow."

She paused her movements and looked up at him.

"I didn’t want to rush anything with you... or with Amelia. I wanted time to build our relationship."

He gently cupped her face, brushing his thumb over her cheek as he looked into her eyes.

"But I will have to leave soon. Not forever... but for a while. You know I can’t always stay in the Empire, because there are more dungeons and towers to clear."

"Tomorrow I will be leaving for Cene."

Freya’s expression grew serious, and she leaned into his touch.

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"That’s why I can’t take things as slow as I wanted to. Time isn’t on my side right now."

Freya was quiet for a moment, thinking over his words. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"I understand," she whispered against his neck. "I won’t ask you to stay if you need to go. But... promise me you’ll come back."

Brandon hugged her back, "I promise. I’ll come back. To you... and to Amelia."

Freya pulled back just enough to look at him, "Then until you have to leave..." she whispered, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"...let me be with you as much as I can."

---

Freya stared at Brandon in shock as he pulled a towel out of nowhere "H-Huh? Where did that cloth come from? That day too, you took that sword out of nowhere."

With a chuckle, he showed the ring on his finger "I store them in this ring."

He had to change the appearance of the ring and lie to Rheanne that he accidentally stumbled upon this artifact inside a tower in the past.

Freya stared at the ring in awe "That’s very convenient."

"Yeah..."

Brandon took his time drying her. He brushed the towel gently across her face, cheeks and forehead.

He moved lower, patting her neck and shoulders before gliding the towel over her full, heavy breasts.

He leaned down and kissed the upper curve of her breast, then moved lower to press soft kisses directly onto her pink areolas.

"That tickles!" she laughed, squirming playfully in his arms.

Her breasts jiggled slightly with the movement, still marked with faint red imprints from his earlier bites.

Brandon smiled against her skin, giving her right nipple one last gentle kiss before continuing to dry her stomach and sides.

---

The night wind hushed softly around them as Brandon descended gracefully from the sky, carrying Freya securely in his arms.

He landed lightly on the private balcony of Freya’s chambers.

Freya’s thin white nightgown fluttered around her body, the delicate fabric clinging to her curves and still slightly damp from the mist of the waterfall.

As soon as her feet touched the balcony, she tugged gently on his hand, "Come. Let’s sleep together tonight."

Brandon looked down at her, and his gaze grew thoughtful.

He need to sleep with Rheanne to restore his ether, but at the same time he can’t just leave Freya to sleep alone after he made love to her.

Walking away now felt wrong.

Freya noticed his thoughtful expression and her gaze quivered with fear ’Don’t tell me... he is going to sleep with Lady Rheanne.’

Looking up at her, he smiled "Mhm, let’s sleep together."

Freya was taken aback. ’He chose me?’

Her heart fluttered with happiness, and she pulled him inside before closing the door behind him.

The moment they were inside, she turned and pushed him playfully onto her large, luxurious bed.

Brandon fell back onto the soft mattress with a low chuckle.

Freya climbed on top of him immediately, straddling his waist as she looked down at him with an affectionate smile.

---

In her private guest chamber, Rheanne sat upright on the large bed with her back resting against the headboard.

Her long white hair cascaded loosely over her shoulders, and her sky-blue eyes were open, staring quietly into the dimly lit room.

She was expecting him.

But instead of the familiar presence she knew so well, she sensed something else.

Rheanne’s eyes narrowed slightly as she focused her senses.

She could feel Brandon’s ether signature clearly. But it wasn’t approaching her room. It was in the chamber below hers... Freya’s room.

"...I see," Rheanne murmured under her breath.

A complex mix of emotions flickered across her face, and that quiet, unfamiliar ache she had been feeling more often lately.

She had known this might happen.

Freya was bold, beautiful, and clearly interested in Brandon.

Still...

Rheanne closed her eyes for a moment, letting out a slow breath and her fingers tightened slightly on the blanket.

For over two and a half years, their nights had been shared, resting together, exchanging ether, and finding comfort in each other after battles and burdens.

It had become something... hers.

Now, for the first time, he was choosing someone else’s arms.

Rheanne opened her eyes again, staring at the empty space beside her on the bed.

She reached out and gently touched that empty spot.

"I understand," she whispered to the quiet room.

A faint, bittersweet smile touched her lips.

"But it still feels... strange."

She pulled her hand back and leaned against the headboard once more, closing her eyes as she tried to calm the subtle unrest in her chest.

Jealousy? Possessiveness? She wasn’t sure what to call it.

She only knew that the thought of him holding Freya the way he usually held her made something inside her tighten.

Yet she didn’t resent him for it.

Rheanne opened her eyes and looked toward the balcony doors, "I hope you come back to me soon. Even if it’s only to rest."

She lay down slowly, pulling the blankets over herself as she curled onto her side. The bed felt larger than usual without him.

But she closed her eyes anyway, letting her breathing even out as she tried to find sleep.