Kita appeared next to me. “Huh, so it was true.” Was all she said. I turned to her. And looked at her, she looked at me and our eyes met.

  After a moment, I took a deep breath and spoke. “Tama doesn’t like slaves, Tama doesn’t want slaves. But Kita wants to be Tama’s slave. Tama… Tama is willing on one condition.”

  After a moment she responded. “You aren’t going back on our deal are you?” Her eyes narrowed slightly. Her tail lashed and her ears flattened.

  “No… Tama will go through with it… Tama just wants to make something clear.” I said as I looked into her eyes. “Tama will be a friend and not a Mistress. What you want, Tama can’t give. She will activate your collar. But Tama will never be what Kita craves.”

  Kita smiled sweetly at me and shook her head. “Oh Tama, for being so strong and adorable. You really are quite stupid. It is because you are the way you are that I want this.” I blinked at her and she just shook her head in amusement at me.

  After a moment, I pricked my finger and moved it towards her collar. I saw as her eyes dilated and excitement flooded her. I gently touched the collar and my blood instantly caused the collar to glow, then shrink around her next.

  Kita shivered before taking a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes and looked into mine. “And just like that, the future Queen of Rojier is a servant to the soon to be Queen of Trissiale.”

  I froze and she giggled before turning to Manna. “Nya! Wait!” I tried to say but Kita just shook her head.

  “Too late my Mistress, you run two kingdoms now… I wonder what my future people will think of a puppet as their Queen? Doesn’t really matter does it?” I clenched my teeth as she spoke.

  “But Rodrick is King!” I snapped at her. She looked at me confused then laughed.

  “Why do you think my father came out here? Your coronation is nice and all, but it was an excuse to get what he has always wanted. He has your Aunt, his ‘perfect’ love and he is retiring. My mother will crown me as Queen when we return.” Kita explained happily as she turned back to Saki who was about to throw the now massive void sphere.

  “SAKI!” I screamed as I blinked over to her. Saki lost her focus and the void sphere evaporated.

  “What Tama!” She snapped as she turned to me. “We are about to finally get rid of this monster and you interrupt me. This had better be extremely important!” Despite her words, she looked worried.

  “Tama accidentally became Mistress to Kita!” I said quickly. Saki facepalmed and shook her head.

  “Yea, I know Tama, that was part of the plan. The deal we made. So what, she has an obsession. It’s fine. You told her the friendship thing right?” I nodded, then opened my mouth to speak.

  “What she is trying to say, Saki.” Kita talked over me and I winced. “Is that she just turned Rojier into her puppet kingdom.”

  “Quiet!” I snapped at Kita, her collar glowed and she smiled at me lovingly. Saki froze as what Kita had just said hit her. “That’s.. That's not possible.” Saki said dryly. “Rodrick is the ruler of Rojier, he has been for three hundred years, he is immortal!”

  Kita just kept smiling gleefully. “Nya!” I said as I turned back to Kita. “Tell her!”

  Her collar glowed and she began to speak. “Yes, my father is currently the king of Rojier, but as I just got done telling Tama, now that my father is marrying Regent Alissa, he has already planned for retirement and my mother is having me crowned Queen when we return.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Saki stared in horror for a moment then she relaxed. “Ah, but you are not queen yet Kita. When your mother learns of your actions and enslavement, I doubt even as crazy as she is that she will go through with this!”

  Kita simply continued to look at me silently. “Have her answer Tama!” Saki snapped at me. Her tails were now lashing and she was looking panicked.

  I turned to Kita. “Kita! Answer her!” Kita’s collar glowed and she made a quiet moaning sound while rubbing her legs together.

  “Who do you think planned it? Mother never intended for me to run anything and Father wouldn’t give me a child. She improvised. She doesn’t want me to be Queen and neither do I. So, we outsourced it.” She spoke matter of factly and yet I had no idea what that meant.

  Saki looked even more horrified than even a moment ago. I was trying not to think as it was starting to hurt my brain. “You… You enslaved yourself and your entire Kingdom through a blood collar to a girl who can’t even spell. Thereby making your entire kingdom, all of your people, as glorified puppets to a girl who blinks around and kills people!” Saki began to scream near the end and I winced.

  Kita continued to smile quietly. Saki looked around as if looking for an escape. “You realize you are literally a slave Kita. Like, maybe you don’t understand the precedent. This isn't a political ally. This isn’t some playful game or besties. You are a slave to the Queen of another kingdom.”

  Kita nodded. “I understand fully.” Her tail lashed happily back and forth as her ears did a weird dancing thing.

  “Is that so?” Saki suddenly asked, a look of amusement on her face. “Tama, do me a favor and order to obey me as a second Mistress.”

  I shrugged and turned to Kita. “Kita obeys Saki from now on!” Kita bowed obediently.

  Saki stepped forward. “Kita, pull out your hammer and smash Manna until she is dead, then undress and state you are nothing more than a tool. After that, you are to go find my boyfriend Lyran, let him know I'll be there soon. Then you are to return to the castle and stand at the gates until I arrive.” Kita giggled as her collar lit up. She pulled out her hammer and walked over to Manna.

  “Tama, let’s go.” Saki said to me as she took my hand. “We need to talk to Mixie.” I heard a loud smash and winced. I went to blink but Saki held me still for a moment.

  I was confused at first, then I heard Kita call out “I am nothing more than a tool!” and she literally flashed past us so fast I barely saw her move. She was naked.

  “Nya! Why make her undress?” I asked Saki. I leaned in curiosity as we made our way up to the city gates.

  “Well..” Saki said, smiling. “Because I need Mixie to see her daughter covered in blood, nude, in front of the castle. I am pretty sure it will help.” She giggled and then added. “That and even if it doesn’t, Kita is cute enough that I want to play with her.”

  I considered before nodding. I didn’t fully get it, but Saki seemed to be enjoying herself. “Besides.” She continued. “No one said Kita had to Queen of the Rojier Kingdom. We just need to find a successor willing to lead. Once that’s done, we have her abdicate the throne and pass it to them.”

  I froze at that. “TAMA DOESN’T HAVE TO BE QUEEN!” I screamed at her. She held up a hand giggling.

  “No Tama, do. It’s the difference in how the kingdoms work. Rojier is a meritocracy based one. Our’s is divine lineage. Your ancestors and all descendants were chosen by the four elements themselves to rule over these people.” Saki explained as I frowned.

  I was about to ask why again, when I got a popup box.

  I closed the popup thingy and looked at Saki. She had gone super pale and was frantically moving her hands around her screen thingy. After a moment she fell to her knees and began to sob. “I just.. I just want one day..”

  She shook herself and shakily stood to her feet. “Tama, we need to get you crowned, then we need to reach that shrine immediately. Maybe Drake can help..”

  “Tama doesn’t understand!” I snapped at her.

  Saki sighed and shook her head. “Manna is dead Tama, Manna was guarding a shrine, when Manna died, the shrine stopped working. Now that the shrine isn’t working.”

  I opened my mouth but she held up a finger. “Oh, it gets so much worse Tama. Let’s start with the fact that the ‘whole map’ that we have been living on? Yea, it’s less than ten percent of the full map. Turns out we are in this place called a Caldera, which is centered dead in the center of this massive map.”

  I frowned, but she continued. “Worse, the world around us is a bigger than I ever imagined. We are surrounded by water… but unless we get that shrine activated.. Apparently anyone with a system map like me or you can now see us on their maps.”

  She turned to face me and smiled weakly. “Tama… we might need to keep Kita in power…”