Business Before Pleasure

"I have plenty of class," you reply, "we ARE in a class room, after all."

Harmony makes a face at your pun as she growls, "Seriously?"

You chuckle but walk over to the desk, sitting on the edge of the desk as you look at Harmony's visible head from where she stands next to the mattress. "So tell me," you say after a moment or two of silence, "Was what happened at the end of the match really an accident?"

Harmony bites her lower lip, chewing on it thoughtfully for a moment before finally answering, "... No."

"Was it your idea?"

"... No."

You frown in thought. Given what you saw in Harmony's dream on top of her behavior, that is what you suspected to be the case. You do not like what that implies about who you suspect did forward the idea but you need to confirm it. "Who's was it?" you ask.

"... My father."

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath to fight down the worst of the anger that boils to life in your gut. You cannot suppress the growl that enters your voice however, as you ask, "WHY?!"

"To put it simply," Harmony replied, "father believes you are too powerful to ignore even at this stage."

"Too powerf--" you start and then it hits you, "was my score really that important?"

"That, your rare affinity, and the... rumors of how you humiliated me in Psionics class. Once the rumors of that started circulating the school, it was only a matter of time until one of the faculty loyal to my father passed the information along."

"Professor Zizana?"

Harmony shakes her head. "While she owes a debt to our family for getting her position here, it makes her too obvious to use as a cats-paw. There are... others."

"Of course there are," you grumble.

"However," Harmony suddenly adds, "I think there was something more father was interested in, thought I do not know what. His excitement at the thought of you being brought into the fold, one way or the other, was palpable when he told me what he wished for me to do."

"Okay. So if your family wants me so much... what about Victor? What's he get out of helping you get... y'know... preggers?"

"Or to make you deferential to me in all matters not concerning life or ****, had I won," Harmony replied, "And his reward would have been an arranged marriage with either my older or younger sister, depending on his preference, once he graduated."

So the Kyrie family was in on whatever this was too. Which meant you had to further watch your step around Victor even more than you already planned to.

Harmony is not done with her explanation, as she adds, "But now, since both options have failed... I am to be promised to him."

The hot anger spikes inside of you again as a cold chill simultaneously runs up your spine. "And you're... okay with this?"

"It does not matter if I am or not."

"THE HELL IT DOESN'T!"

Your own passion surprises you as you stand up, slamming your hands on the desk as you do so. Harmony starts a bit but then, to your surprise, she gives you a sad smile. "I actually envy you a bit in this case, Worm," she says, "you do not have the responsibilities of my family."

"Responsibilities?!"

"We Ashcrofts pride ourselves on our power. On being the strongest, the wisest, and richest of all the great magical families. I... I wanted to be the head of it, like my father is now. But... I am also a woman. And a woman has... duties a man cannot perform but which she must abandon if she intends to lead the family. That is why I needed to be the best at everything, which I was until you came along. And why my attempt to bring you into the fold had to be in the form of a duel. One way or another, I would be upholding my family's values."

She sighs deeply as she sees you are still not quite getting what she is telling you. Truth be told, you suspected her overly haughty attitude had been cover for something but not anything quite like this.

Harmony licks her lips and despite only her head being visibly, you can sense that her entire body is tensing as she says, "I am an Ashcroft woman. It is my duty to be the best..."

Your breath catches in your throat as you hear a soft click and the cloak falls away from Harmony's body, revealing that she had been completely naked under it all along. She stands there, facing you with her arms by her sides, trembling just enough to make her huge breasts jiggle ever so slightly as her nipples harden in the cool evening air. You look further down, past her surprisingly toned stomach and full hips, to see a very meticulously groomed patch of golden pubic hair that rests above her glittering slit. Her legs are pressed together but she is rubbing her thighs together softly, almost as if she is anticipating what is to come.

"... or to be bred by them."

You continue to stare at her, both in awe of her beauty and as you try to wrap your mind around what you have just learned. "I guess that's your way of saying those are all the answer you have to give?"

Harmony nods, looking away from you as her face flushes and she all but whispers, "I swear the birth control spell is in place this time. Y-You may do with me as you wish without fear of... consequences."

As you did before, you feel the whisper of the spirits around the room confirm what she says...