Fetters

Midway through Cairn's breakfast preparations, Reine appeared with a bit of bedhead, looking slightly panicked as she exclaimed, "Please, allow me to prepare your meal!"

"You're welcome to join me, but I need the practice," replied Cairn. Reine's Rank 43 Cooking would be an excellent reference for improving his Talent. More importantly, her Nurturing allowed her to aid in the growth of others, particularly those she felt a sense of obligation or affection towards.

Not expecting Cairn to propose they cook together, Reine's brain stalled for several seconds. Her kitchen wasn't exactly large, so they would need to be in fairly close proximity if they were to prepare a meal together...

"J-Just give me a moment," replied Reine, subsequently disappearing into her home to freshen up. Cairn had made it clear he wasn't interested in a relationship with her, but it was well known that not even Restia could see the future. There was no telling how things would develop if they spent a lot of time together, but Reine's biggest reason for retreating was that she was afraid she smelled funny...

Returning a few minutes later, looking freshened up and sporting an apron that seemed a few sizes too small for her, Reine readily joined Cairn at the stove. Her lack of care for the concept of personal space made him a little tense, but as it had been more than three months since his transmigration to the world of Plainaire, Cairn had largely gotten used to such things. His body tensed when she positioned herself behind him to guide his actions, but he assumed that was normal based on his other experiences. It didn't 'feel' normal, especially when Reine rested her cheek against his shoulder, her voluminous breasts pressed against him, but Cairn's common sense had been irreversibly distorted by his interactions with Kaia, Elle, several Dwarves, and the churchgoing quartet...

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Once breakfast was prepared, and Reine placed a fresh batch of bread in the oven, Cairn and Kaia waited patiently for her to retrieve her daughter so they could eat together. When she returned, Cairn got his first look at Reine's daughter, the young lass bearing a remarkable resemblance to her mother, albeit around half her size and with her brown hair fashioned in a ponytail.

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Name: Fleur Dakota

Species: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 8

Title: Fledgling Scholar(Talent Growth increased by 50% and weighted towards Intelligence.)

Class: Commoner

[Attributes]

Level: 5/63(6,642/8,253)[Commoner(5)]

HP: 1,341/1,341

MP: 1,595/1,766

Str: 5+2

Agi: 9+4

Vit: 38+15

Int: 66+26

Dex: 11+4

Cha: 21+8

Talent(s): [Resilience(5/20)], [Nurtured(39/58)], [Studying(15/75)], [Cooking(11/69)]

Skill(s): N/A

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Seeing Fleur's status, Cairn's eyes widened as he used Insight to inspect the description of the Nurtured Talent. It was clearly the result of Reine's Nurturing. As for its effect, it boosted Fleur's parameters by a percentage corresponding with the Talent's Rank.

("Wow, a mother's love is no joke...") thought Cairn, no longer bothered by Reine's actions when they were cooking. It was a stretch, but if he could acquire the Nurtured Talent by permitting her to coddle him a bit, it would definitely be worth it...

Seeing Kaia sitting at the table, Fleur's face lit up. When she saw Cairn, however, her brows and nose wrinkled as she asked, "Who are you?" in a standoffish, accusatory tone.

Laughing nervously, Reine knelt so she was at eye level with Fleur, gently caressing the young girl's face and hair as she explained, "This is the man I told you about last night, the one who rented all our rooms. His name is Cairn, and he's nothing like Philip and the other men who come around to bother us. He's a very kind man, much like your father..."

Maintaining her pouty expression, Fleur directed her gaze to Cairn, finding him smiling awkwardly. He never knew a kid's gaze could be so sharp, but Fleur's was like two tiny daggers stabbing him in the face.

Rising to her feet, Reine ushered Fleur to the table, helping her sit before taking the only other seat around the small, square-shaped dining table. Then, in an effort to ease tensions, she adopted a bright smile and said, "I know, why don't the two of you tell us about your journey up from Austral? You must have seen and experienced many things, covering such a great distance on foot."

Before Cairn or Kaia could respond, Reine directed her smile to Fleur, asking, "Do you know how many kilometers separate Austral from the Capital, Fleur~?"

"3,142..." replied Fleur, her hazel brown eyes still staring intently at Cairn, almost like she was waiting for him to make a mistake.

"Very good~!" said Reine, clapping her hands together. Her praise caused Fleur to smile faintly, but despite her mother's efforts, tensions remained high throughout breakfast. Fleur had learned to be extremely cautious of men after Philip and others tried to approach her, offering her candy and other things in an effort to use her to get closer to her mother. She didn't know what Cairn's angle was, but she didn't trust his roguish appearance, no matter how handsome or cool he looked...

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While Kaia escorted Fleur to her classes, Cairn and Reine stayed behind, seeing them off. Fleur looked back several times, but once she and Kaia turned a corner, the atmosphere became a lot less tense as Reine turned to Cairn, lowering her head with her hands in her lap as she said, "Please don't take my daughter's actions to heart..."

"Do I strike you as that kind of guy...?" asked Cairn, prompting Reine to look, staring intently at his face for several seconds. He did his best to hold her gaze, but it became increasingly awkward, compelling him to ask, "What?" while half-turning his face.

"No, I suppose not," replied Reine, a genuine, heartfelt smile blossoming across her face. Then, feeling a little emboldened, she stood up with her hands behind her back, willfully puffing out her chest as she asked, "So, what now? It will take around half an hour for Kaia to return. What do the two of you have planned after that?"

"We'll either visit the Grand Cathedral of Light or register at the Freelance Company," replied Cairn, causing Reine's eyes to widen. It was normal for tourists to visit the Grand Cathedral at least once, but she had the distinct impression Cairn wasn't going there to take in the sights.

Surprising Cairn this time, Reine asked, "Can I accompany you? Since you leased out all my rooms, I don't have much to do while the two of you are away. Ordinarily, I would clean or watch the front desk, hoping in vain that a customer might stop by."

"Hmmm..."

Though his initial instinct was to refuse, Cairn had already involved Reine and Fleur in his matters by choosing to reside at the Rainy Day Inn for the rest of his stay in the Capital. He wouldn't reveal his status as Champion unless he had to, but witnessing him throw his weight around might help to put her heart and mind at ease.

"Sure," replied Cairn, surprising Reine as his initial silence made her think he would refuse. Since he didn't, her smile became even more radiant as she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the Inn, merrily stating, "Then I need to change into something more suitable. Care to join me~?"

"That's probably not a good idea," replied Cairn, smiling wryly as Reine's breasts squished against his arm.

"Hmmm? But I heard from Kaia that you, she, and that Dwarf named Elle bathe and sleep together all the time," said Reine. "I'm 23 and unwed, so there's no harm in seeing each other naked. Besides, I trust you not to try anything. Though, even if you did, I wouldn't particularly mind..."

Realizing for the ten-thousandth time that he was no longer in his former world, Cairn's smile became even more awkward. Everything Reine said 'made sense' based on everything he had learned, but agreeing to watch her change felt like a gateway to much more...

Thinking she might have pushed too hard, Reine's smile cramped as she nervously combed through her hair, muttering, "You don't have to if you don't want to..." in a faint tone, unable to meet his gaze.

Closing his eyes, Cairn exhaled a long, exasperated sigh through his nose. Because he knew of Reine's situation, her behavior plucked directly at his heartstrings. There was also nothing strictly immoral about them seeing each other naked. He just needed to keep his hands to himself, and there was no problem...

("I can't believe I'm doing this...") thought Cairn, even as he outwardly replied, "Fine. So long as this doesn't lead to us bathing together in the future, it shouldn't be a problem..."

("Well, there goes that plan...") thought Reine, regaining her smile as she assured, "It won't be~!" in a cheerful tone. Then, before he could change his mind, she practically dragged Cairn to her room and started to strip, demonstrating one of the many idiosyncrasies of Plainaire, the fact most women didn't wear undergarments. They certainly existed, but they were incredibly expensive, often costing well over a hundred Graadis for even a simple pair.

Looking back to gauge Cairn's reaction, Reine's eyes sparkled when she caught him stealing a glance at her ass. That confirmed that he was, at the very least, attracted to her. If she took her time and played her cards right, getting him to act on his desires shouldn't be impossible. The most important thing was meeting Elle and getting to know her. However, if she was anything like other Dwarves Reine had encountered, it shouldn't be a problem...

Feeling a little more confident, Reine retrieved a blouse from her drawer before turning to face Cairn, leaving her lower half completely exposed as she held the piece of cloth over her chest, asking, "How does this look...?" in a slightly nervous tone.

Doing his best not to let his eyes wander, Cairn crossed his arms as he observed the blouse Reine was holding. He honestly didn't care what she wore, but understanding she would probably be upset if he said as such aloud, Cairn pretended to deliberate for a few seconds before responding, "It doesn't look bad, but it's not very practical. We might go directly from the Freelance Company Headquarters to the Grand Cathedral, or vice versa, so you should wear something suited to traveling or venturing into Dungeons..."

"Ah, that makes sense," replied Reine, tossing aside the somewhat frilly blouse before fishing for something else. This time, however, she looked for clothes in her middle drawer, bending over in a way that unabashedly showed off her ass and the fact she was becoming increasingly aroused. Cairn noticed this, and despite his best efforts, his little brother began to stir, causing him to frown but continue standing his ground.

Finding a somewhat worn but markedly more durable top, Reine turned around to ask for Cairn's opinion but froze when she noticed the tent he was pitching. She had vaguely felt it through her ass cheeks the previous day, so she already knew he was well-endowed. But, now that she saw the tent he was pitching, she realized she had underestimated him quite a bit.

Swallowing hard, Reine remarked, "That's pretty impressive...do you mind showing it to me?"

"We came here so you can change..." responded Cairn, his eyes becoming half-lidded despite his dick threatening to break free from his Shadowsilk Braes. Reine's haggard appearance from the previous day was nowhere to be seen, so her face was easily an eight out of ten while her body was a damn twelve. If he weren't already in a relationship, albeit a very peculiar one, he might have taken her right then and there...

"Right..." replied Reine. However, instead of holding up the blouse she had just picked out, she turned around to select a new one, bending over and holding the position for several long minutes. She even started swaying from side to side, gradually whittling away at Cairn's self-restraint, only stopping once he closed his eyes and threatened to walk out if she didn't stop fooling around...

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(A/N: Never underestimate the hunger and persistence of a lonely single mother...)