She's too prideful

I considered what Regina just told me. It would be easy to get Vanessa like that, even if the ring would probably take a heavy toll on me for using it to do something so drastic. But could I do that? If I cared enough about respecting Vanessa's wishes to not take her towel off and look at her naked body, then what would that make me if just moments after I went ahead and decided who she could be attracted to or not? Sure, I made her like girls in a way that the she didn't beforehand, but at least that was me giving her a lot more options to choose from. This would just be acting like the little dictator of her love life, and felt a step too far from being acceptable.

"No, I'm not using the ring to get myself a girlfriend." I shook my head. "If I want to be in a relationship with someone, I have to earn it."

Unfortunately for me, Regina didn't see the same reasoning I did for my actions. "Oh, great. You want to 'earn it'." She mocked my words as she rolled her eyes. "You know what that sounds like? It sounds like someone is insecure of herself and wants to hide it under some sort of code."

"Oh, so having some self respect is a tell for someone being insecure?" I reply.

"It is when you talk about a relationship being something to earn. Those things happen, a person can't just earn a partner because they deserve it." She grabbed onto my ring hand. "But the ringmaster doesn't need to play by the rules of a normal person. You get to **** this things to happen and it works for you. You're special now, so stop acting like you're not able to control the situation they way you want it to go." As weird as it sounded to me, it seemed like she was pleading for me to wish Vanessa was attracted to me instead.

"Do you not like her?" I ask in confusion. "I wasn't trying to **** you to be her girlfriend."

Regina groaned as she pulled her hair. "Don't you get it? I'm trying to make this really easy to understand, you know? What I want is for you to use your powers, ringmaster!" She grabbed my shoulders. "Why is that so hard to understand?"

"What's a ringmaster?" Vanessa asked as she entered the room, and both me an Regina panicked.

"You didn't hear that!" I yell, and despite not meaning it, the ring fortunately treats that as a wish.

Vanessa blinks a couple of times, and then she looks at us. "Why do you guys look like I just walked in on something?" Regina was still grabbing onto me, and it seemed like Vanessa was afraid that she interrupted us when we were about to kiss. I soon learnt that I wasn't the only one to get that out of the face she made.

"I was showing Maria how to kiss like a pornstar." Regina says calmly, before staring into Vanessa's eyes. "But I think it might be better if she got to see it up-close rather than being part of it. Would you mind helping me?"

That fucking bitch, trying to get me jealous. The worst part was that Vanessa would surely accept the offer, if I didn't do something. But wouldn't I still be trying to dictate her love life if I didn't let that happen?