Late at night, in the bedroom, Triss had just taken a shower, her fiery red hair swaying on her shoulders, still damp.
She wore only a comfortable robe, leaning against the heavy headboard.
The tip of her pen hovered over an open notebook, the ink long since dried.
Her thoughts were not on the pages of the book, nor on those rare theories.
Instead, everything revolved around Karl's earlier ideas about the nature of the soul, which he had discussed at the banquet.
The bedroom was very quiet, only the crackling of firewood and the occasional sound of turning pages could be heard. This peace lasted less than half an hour.
Suddenly, a faint hissing sound came from the air not far to the right of the bed, sharply breaking the silence.
Triss frowned slightly, instinctively wanting to turn her head to check, but just as she turned her neck and before she could look away,
an oval portal with golden sparks falling from its edge suddenly widened beside her bed.
"Mmm...!" Before Triss could cry out in surprise or even see the scene beyond the portal,
a pale, sweat-slicked, shining figure was thrown from the other side of the portal, not particularly roughly.
This figure, perfectly squared, pressed horizontally against Triss's thigh, covered by the thin blanket.
"Mmm... After complete exhaustion, she relaxed, then let out a satisfied moan, escaping from her swollen body and throat.
Triss tensed, nearly dropping the book and pen from her hands, as Iris ended up on her lap.
At that moment, Iris's face was flushed as if drunk, her eyes half-closed.
Her black hair was slightly damp and stuck to her forehead and neck, with a few strands at the corners of her mouth.
On her body... only a nearly torn dress remained, revealing large areas of pale, smooth skin and an impressive view of her chest.
"Iris? You...?!" Triss's voice caught in her throat, her shock nearly robbing her of speech.
Iris had actually appeared in her bedroom like this? She couldn't finish her sentence.
Iris on her thigh suddenly woke up at her voice, her dreamy eyes straining to see Triss's surprised face.
Then a vague, dazed smile appeared at the corners of her lips.
She barely supported her upper body with her hands, completely unconcerned about her wide-open chest.
Instead, using this movement to stand, she suddenly lunged forward.
"Ah!" Triss was caught off guard; Iris firmly grabbed her wrists and pushed her back sharply.
THUD! The book and pen fell onto the carpet.
Her back slammed hard against the wooden board of the carved bed, her hands raised high above her head, pressed against the headboard.
Iris's hot breath touched her neck, her dreamy eyes so close, filled with complex emotions Triss couldn't read.
There was a hint of confusion, but mostly... some kind of provocation, like complicity?
"Iris! What are you doing?!" Triss was stunned, trying to break free from Iris's grip.
At that moment, inside the portal, its sparks dulled, a figure flickered by the bed, and Karl slipped inside.
His gaze swept over the two intertwined on the bed. He reached out, grabbed the edge of the thin blanket covering Triss's legs, and gave his wrist a slight flick.
The soft blanket, along with the heavier woolen bedding beneath it, was lifted and gently placed back down.
However, the object and position covered when it fell had changed.
"Ah?!" Triss felt the world spin, and the hand holding her wrist suddenly withdrew.
Then everything went dark, and the soft fabric covered her from head to toe.
Before she could make sense of the sudden darkness, a huge force pushed through the blanket.
She felt like she was being flipped over like a feather, her face sinking into the mattress, wrapped in an impenetrable "cocoon."
Only her hips, wrapped and pressed against the blanket, stood out even more, tilted towards the foot of the bed.
"Karl! Iris! Are you two really...?!"
Triss's voice was muffled by the blanket, filled with incredible shock and panic.
Karl's voice finally sounded through the thick fabric.
"You dare to conspire to drug me? Haven't been taught a lesson in a while, looking for trouble?"
These words made Triss struggle, and a second gasp of shock escaped her tongue.
Immediately, Triss's expression changed slightly. Karl knew? Iris... Didn't we agree to keep it a secret?!
This potion was supposed to be colorless and tasteless, so even the sharpest Witchers wouldn't notice it. How did Karl find out?
Triss twisted sharply, trying to escape the blanket.
At the same time, trying to make her voice sound justified enough, or at least full of innocence.
"No! Karl, weren't you willing to accept it before? Why did you suddenly...?"
Karl didn't answer her explanation. Triss only felt the blanket covering her gently shift position so she wouldn't break free or suffocate.
Then a warm, dry palm, through the soft fabric, gently touched the contours of her hips, accentuated by her posture.
"Hey, I'm not listening. Just accept the punishment." Karl's voice became low.
"Mmm~!!" Feeling the fiery invasion, Triss's cries and struggles turned into a drawn-out, uncontrollable moan escaping from her throat.
...…
Time passed quietly, the night gradually faded from its darkness, tinged with the faint gray-blue prelude of dawn.
Near the forge, the light source was already on. In the open space, many discarded plate armor pieces had been moved from the prayer room.
Karl stood before a large oak workbench, holding an un-enchanted steel breastplate.
Just as he was about to begin, Keira approached.
Today she wore a deep red long dress with lacing for easy movement, combined with a light leather work apron.
However, no matter how exquisite the makeup, it couldn't hide the fatigue in her eyes and brows.
Under her eyes, there was a slight bluish-black tint, and her steps seemed a little unsteady.
One hand still covered her mouth, letting out a large, barely suppressed yawn, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
She looked sleep-deprived and mentally exhausted.
Approaching Karl, Keira stopped and first swept her gaze over the half-armor mound.
Her eye twitched slightly, then stopped on Karl, her eyes full of obvious grievance.
Her room, coincidentally, was right next to Triss's bedroom.
The soundproofing of the wooden walls was good, but it couldn't withstand some... noise – it wasn't a constant sound.
Instead, it had a rhythm, sometimes mixed with such hard-to-hear, but it could pierce the walls and penetrate directly into the ear with suppressed hoarseness, a short sob, or a long incantation.