A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik looked down at the items in her hand and blinked. He raised an eyebrow when he realised what they were. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

Seemingly a little sheepish, Emily chuckled. "Well… I was actually considering it even before the awakening, so yeah, I am. But only if you want it as well." She winked with mischievous devotion and a small grin. "My body should please you, after all, Master."

Erik smirked, but before answering, he freed his hands by clasping the collar around Emily's neck again. As soon as it snapped shut, a tremor went through Emily's body, and a soft moan escaped her lips. Emily dropped the hair she was holding with her other hand, and with that, the collar was back in its rightful place.

At the same time, Erik snatched the items from Emily's hand and looked at them curiously. "I've never thought about it…" he muttered absentmindedly. "But I might like them…"

Instantly, Emily grinned widely. "Hehe, good! You can do it right here if you like, Master!"

Erik rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No way." With that declaration made, he stood back up and placed the items in his storage for later use. "We'll do this later."

He glanced at Ankhur, who glared unhappily at Emily, and quickly got his attention. Grumbling, the former approached them with another ribbon. It was much the same as Emma's, except the colour was white, rather than black.

As soon as he reached them, he growled at Erik. "Try to make her behave in the future, alright? I don't even want to think about how many of my people are having nightmares tonight."

Rather than Erik, it was Emily who answered, still kneeling in front of him. "You worry too much, old man," she giggled with cruel playfulness. "I have good control of my darkness, alright? The nightmare ratio shouldn't be worse than one in ten or so, and I deliberately avoided any children."

Her confession did little to alleviate the people's anger.

Before Ankhur could argue any more, Emily reached out to snatch the ribbon from his hands. "Anyway! If Master doesn't mind, I'm going for a bit of a personal take on this handfasting thing, so we don't need you for this."

Ankhur scoffed, but he still let her attitude slide. Setting aside actual status and rankings within this barely existing empire, she was also a third ranker just like him, and was allowed to treat him like an equal, even from her knees.

After getting permission from Erik, she then fastened one end of the ribbon to the ring around her collar and extended the other to Erik with a meaningful smirk.

"Like I said… I don't want a normal marriage, Master," she teased, despite the sincere tone in her voice. "I don't actually believe myself to be worth any less than you, but… It's undeniable how much I crave your direction and firm hand."

She looked up at him with a straight back, confident eyes, and absolute devotion. Her dress showed tantalising cleavage from down there.

"I want to be owned by you, Master," she whispered huskily. "I want my every action to be accompanied by the thought of whether this will serve you, or help me serve you better in the future. But, at the same time, I want to be loved and cherished like you would a wife. Will you accept me like that?"

This time, her words echoed in the city centre, and the crowd was increasingly unsure what they should think of this woman.

Erik smiled and took his end of the ribbon. "I'll take you in whatever way you want to give yourself to me, Emily. But, I have to admit, I do really enjoy this way."

He wound the ribbon around his hand and created a knot. Just like that, he was performing a handfasting ceremony with Emily's collar, where the ribbon acted more like a leash.

They stayed like that for a moment longer as they looked at each other. Many emotions passed between them at that time, but in short, they reinforced each other's love.

Looking down at her like this, Erik got a wicked idea as he realised the crowd was still looking for some more punishment. Yet, when he remembered Alice and other children were among them, he decided against it. 'Might be a little too much anyway,' he chuckled to himself. 'Emily's stunt has disrupted this thing enough.'

Below him, Emily felt his intentions through their bond and cheekily licked her lips, clearly not unwilling. When Erik said nothing, she pouted playfully.

Meanwhile, Erik turned to the crowd below with a wry smile. "My apologies for Emily's behaviour, everyone. She can be a little zealous sometimes, but she wouldn't harm anyone without my say-so."

Although his words brought some relief, the idea that this terrifying woman of darkness was essentially his attack dog firmly rooted itself in everyone's mind. From now on, they would all think several times before betraying their emperor.

Suddenly, Emma's voice echoed in Erik's head. "Would you like me to soothe them, Master?" she asked gently, a smile on her lips.

Erik raised an eyebrow and looked at her. "You can?" he asked curiously. "You still haven't broken through, unlike Emily."

Emma nodded, still with the same smile. "That's true, but Emily was only the impetus; she actually used several sigils around the structure to spread her darkness, and they determined the power. I can do the same. We always planned it this way, but we can leave it like this if you like."

Instantly, realisation struck in Erik's mind. He'd planned to ask about this later, but Emily's ability, as well as their intention to hide her third-rank status, had confused him. But now it all made sense.

Meanwhile, he appreciated Emma's willingness to listen to him over following the plan, but he saw the benefits in letting the people feel some of Emma's light, just after Emily's darkness. So, he nodded.

Turning back to the people, one hand still tied to Emily's collar, he spread his free arm. "I promise she'll get a proper punishment in private, but to compensate, I'll let my other wife soothe your fears."

Now a little skittish, the crowd grew concerned.

"W— What is he—" some began, but were instantly interrupted when a soft white light started descending on them. Eyes widened at first, but as soon as the light hit, they felt better than they had in a long time.

"W— Wow…" they all muttered softly.

Concerns flowed away. Any remaining darkness evaporated. Soon, strands of natural green became interwoven with the light, giving the sensation of being cradled in a mother's womb.

On top of the platform, Emma's hands were clasped together as white light and green strands emanated from her. A gentle smile on her lips as she looked down at the people below. She enjoyed helping others… even if that didn't outweigh her love and loyalty towards both Erik and Emily.

The Enkarians felt like they were floating on clouds as their bodies were healed of any and all hidden ailments, and any concerns or worries seemed so unimportant now.

But, everything came to an end eventually. Soon, the light started dissipating again, leaving the crowd with disappointment and longing, but also newfound cheer and excitement… just in time for the final ceremony.