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Looking at the heroine's strange expression, Emilia understood that she must have already figured something out. But since she had never intended to conceal it, Emilia wasn't too worried.
She caressed the blonde girl's thigh gently before moving her finger to the girl's lower abdomen, pressing it into the soft flesh with a smile. "Do you feel strange… here?"
Even though they had done so much already, the heroine couldn't help but blush at Emilia's teasing. But despite her embarrassment, her reluctant nod was all the answer her lover needed.
It wasn't that she didn't want to say it, but that she had no idea what to say.
Emilia hummed in thought. 'In that case, since she's already aware of my origins, it's better to clear any misunderstandings before they have the chance to take root… Mhm, but I'm curious what she came up with, after all…'
The crimson-haired girl smiled, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Well, does my clever little heroine of justice, the super detective, have any idea what's going on? Of course, if you get it right, you'll get bountiful rewards."
It would be wrong to say that Crystal's heart wasn't shaken, but she recovered soon enough, biting her lip thoughtfully. "W-Well… I'm not sure, there are too many possibilities, after all."
Emilia hummed, looking a little dissatisfied with her response. Did Crystal not care so much about her rewards now that she got what she wanted? If that was the case… forget about rewards, some punishment would be in order.
But Emilia wasn't an unjust princess, and would give her subjects the chance to defend themselves, most of the time. "Then tell me the ones you think are most likely? I'm curious. Just two will do."
The heroine frowned, completely unaware of the proverbial guillotine hanging over her head. "I-I… I think it's likely that there is some reaction between your alien cells and my own, it could be due to our two species having either too high compatibility or aversion?"
Seeing Emilia motion for her to continue, Crystal gulped. "A-Another possibility is that since your species is genetically superior and has some special properties, it might be able to slowly replace the human parts of me to convert me into one of your own?"
Of course, while anyone else would be alarmed when they thought of such a thing, Crystal felt like if the second possibility was true, she would be quite happy. After all, becoming the same as Emilia, even if it was far off in the future, would be like a dream come true.
The heroine didn't mention the third, and most likely possibility in her mind - that she was simply being given a part of Emilia's power every time they did something like this. Subconsciously, Crystal didn't want to believe in such a thing, since it would mean slowly depriving Emilia of her strength.
Just like Dixie wished to be Emilia's protector and knight, Crystal wished to be her companion and pillar of support. How could she accept such a thing as depriving the one she loved the most of their own strength? What kind of support was that?
Emilia tapped her chin in thought, looking down at the blonde heroine with a smile. "Interesting… as expected of my Crystal, both of them make sense. However, in this case, that's not exactly how it is."
She caressed the blonde girl's thigh endearingly. "It's nothing to worry about, really. Crystal can think of it as every part of my body containing some energy, and when you take some for yourself, that energy is then transferred to you. Understand?"
Crystal's expression twisted involuntarily as she realized that her worst guess indeed turned out to be the correct one, but she tried her best not to let it show on her face. "S-So you lose some every time?"
Emilia's expression was a little subtle as she stared at the blonde girl. Although she was a little dazed from the energy overflow, she could still focus if she wanted to. Since this wasn't a trivial matter for Crystal, she was of course paying attention to her lover's emotions.
The crimson-haired girl could see that her lover was burdened, and while she felt warmth in her heart from Crystal's care for herself, she also couldn't help but be distressed.
Emilia pursed her lips, deciding she would have to cleanse this thought from Crystal's mind, one way or the other. "I only lose a very, very small amount. Negligible, really. Plus, even if I could control it, I won't since it increases your lifespan, and I wish to keep you by my side forever."
Crystal seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but she still looked a little reluctant. Before she could speak, however, a fluffy fox tail brushed across her face.
Emilia glared at her with a stern expression. "If you reject this… doesn't that mean you wish to leave me behind?"
The blonde girl was immediately stunned. Although Emilia didn't say it, her expression clearly screamed 'You dare to have such thoughts right after fucking this princess?', and Crystal knew she would be in for a long, long period of suffering — and not the good kind — if she didn't clear it up immediately.
Immediately grabbing the fluffy tail in her hands, Crystal stared into Emilia's eyes, trying to convey her sincerity directly to the girl's soul. "I-I would never leave you! Didn't I already say this before? In fact, even if you keep kicking me away, I'll still keep clinging stubbornly! I-I was just… I was worried that I would drag you down…"
The ice in Emilia's eyes melted as she smiled. "You don't have to worry about such things. I will never chase you away."
Right after the heroine breathed a sigh of relief at her narrow escape, another thought emerged in her mind. "W-Wait a minute… doesn't that mean that having sex with you is like drinking from the fountain of youth?!"
Looking at the blonde girl's disbelieving expression, Emilia couldn't help but burst into giggles.
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