Being at the estate relatively alone had certain boons, too. For one, I could take a long, warm bath in my room without being interrupted halfway through by either Aria, Camilla, or Bella. All three of them seemed to have unique timing for visiting me, just when I climbed into my bathtub.

  Drying my long hair was still a pain in the butt, though, especially without modern devices like hairdryers at my disposal. Simply cutting my hair shorter, on the other hand, seemed like a terrible waste.

  I could appreciate beauty even if the knowledge that this beauty, this time, also extended to my person was still sometimes flustering.

  Drying my hair with a towel could only do so much after all, and I didn't have a spell that could gently dry it over time. I wasn't willing to experiment on myself either. God's above, I might set myself on fire by accident, no, there were many more mundane and at the same time safe approaches to this problem.

  Therefore, seeing how it worked out in the past. I pulled on a simple white dress, a one-piece with short sleeves and a hemline just below the knee. Then I placed a towel on my head and lastly put on my sandals before heading towards the kitchen.

  The corridors of the estate were relatively chilly compared to the rooms, but it wasn't that bad. So I kept going until I eventually reached the kitchen. It only took me two times to trace back my steps after a wrong turn. That proved I was getting used to living here.

  Stepping into the kitchen was a relief. The warm air and the crackling fires swiftly lured a genuine smile on my face. One that froze on it the moment I noticed the other occupant of the room. Our eyes met, dark brown against pale gray, my focus slightly drifted towards the crude scar on her face before I forced myself not to stare at it.

  I swiftly looked down, mumbling an apology, and was just about to excuse myself. My actions, however, immediately elicited a sneer from the other woman.

  "Where are you going?" ─ She began, stopping me halfway through the door. ─ "If you have a problem, say it to my face, elf, instead of trying to avoid me all the time. We are living in the same damn place after all, it's getting tiresome."

  I was surprised by her words. Turning slightly towards Jolga with a confused expression.

  "What are you staring at? Stupid elf, so what if I pinched your butt? You sent me flying across half of the great hall and made me break several bones for it. I would think that settled your grievances, with interest. Not even mentioning how much of a fool you made out of me." ─ She added vehemently.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. ─ "You have only yourself to blame for that. I am not going to apologize for defending myself." ─ I stated, not backing down on this one.

  "Defending yourself? It was nothing serious, and you overreacted like the fool you are." ─ She spat out the words, before taking a few deep breaths, visibly struggling to rein in her emotions. ─ "Whatever!" ─ She said. Waving her hand dismissively. ─ "Put your round butt down next to that fire, your hair is dripping wet."

  "Yes, I... wait, really?" ─ I couldn't help but ask, feeling surprised by the unexpected gesture.

  Jolga rolled her eyes. ─ "Put your arse down before I change my mind, girl."

  I gaped at her momentarily, then closed my mouth, weighing my choices for a few seconds before recalling the cold of the corridors and deciding in favor of the place next to the fire, even if the present company left much to be desired. I hesitantly walked over to the fire and took the chair next to it. The heat radiating from the burning fire pit was already filling me with a comfortable warmth.

  I sat there in silence, enjoying the small respite against the cold. Jolga, in the meantime, was preparing some food on the table and in one of the pots hung above the fire right in front of me.

  I was fine with the silence.

  Apparently, she wasn't. The next time she walked over to the fire, sliding some of the freshly cut meat and mushrooms into the pot from her cutting board. After the simple process, she turned her attention to me and said.

  "So, a witch, eh? What's it like?" ─ I blinked, processing the unexpected question. I opened my mouth about to answer, but I couldn't quite make up a sufficient explanation on the spot. So I closed my mouth and thought about it for several seconds, while still struggling to make a proper answer, I decided to speak in general terms.

  "It's not something I could easily put in words, but... I suppose being able to rely on magic is freeing, in a sense, the ability alone opens doors and opportunities that otherwise would never come by." ─ I said while narrowing my eyes at Jolga. ─ "It is also good for self-defence."

  She cocked her head in my direction. ─ "Hah! You cheeky little cunt." ─ She slapped me on the back, the powerful back slap clearly disguised as camaraderie, almost sent me face-first into the flames. Surprisingly, it was Jolga herself who caught me and pushed me back onto the chair.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Now what are you falling over for? You should watch out for yourself, witch, I hear your kind isn't exactly comfortable with fire, you wouldn't want to fall into that pit, would you?" ─ She smirked. ─ "It's lucky for you that I was standing right here to save your pretty skin. Alas, now it appears that you owe me one, sweetheart."

  I glared up at the annoying dwarf. Why would I ever believe that she wouldn't have some underhanded intentions? Clearly, if simply sending her flying was enough to correct her ways, that would have been done already. This is a warrior clan after all, there is no way Jolga has never been beaten by other warriors of the house. There is a lot of training shared between them.

  She chuckled, seeing my expression. ─ "I like that fire in your eyes, elf. Now, if you are done glaring, why don't you shake that fat ass of yours over to that table and cut me some onions?"

  "Oh, yeah? Well, I am going to... wait, what?" ─ I wasn't expecting that kind of turn of events, and felt speechless for a second. Hearing my answer, Jolga snorted. ─ "Now, that's what I am talking about." ─ She grabbed my hand and pulled me up in a powerful and sudden motion that sent me stumbling towards the kitchen table ─ "Ah!~" ─ A loud shriek left my mouth involuntarily when, in the middle of said stumble, I felt a sharp burst of pain spark across my butt, sending a shiver of surprise and discomfort over me. As the realization of what just happened once again took root, I was enraged. It set my blood on fire.

  In a moment of anger and humiliation, I twirled on the dwarf after just managing not to knock over the table, which I fell against, only to be confused by the empty room behind me.

  As my confusion cleared in a few seconds, my ears twitched, then my hearing picked up the frantic running and the distant echoes of wild laughter coming from the shamelessly escaping woman. ─ "HAHAHa-haha! Take that, elf! I am going to spank that bitch-ass of yours whenever I get the chance! Who knows, based on that screech of yours, you might just start to like it!"

  Realizing the sheer level of shameless spitefulness that this woman possessed took me a few seconds, but I eventually came to myself and screamed after the bastard. ─ "Where are you running, y-y-you YOU COWARD-OW-owowow... owiee..." ─ I was just about to run after her, but after taking a few steps, I was forced to bend over and start massaging my burning buttocks.

  "I swear I will kill you!" ─ I cried out in the growing silence of the room, blinking away tears of frustration, while furiously massaging my butt in a half-bent over posture.

  One thing was certain: this meant war.

  ~oOo~

  I needed a few minutes to rein in my emotions and stop myself from going after Jolga. The reason originated from my fear that I would end up freezing her, along with her annoying mother, into an eternal ice statue, then place them in the great hall of this cursed house for all to see. I was seriously pissed off, and starting to suspect that all the hatred between elves and dwarves had a lot more stable foundation than the dwarven people gave it credit. The idea lingered on my mind for quite some time, as I fumbled in my pitiful attempts to calm the irritated skin on my bum. I even conjured a piece of ice, cut my mana from it, and used it to try to treat my burning discomfort. It didn't help much, but it certainly made my underwear wet.

  I will have to get back to my room for a change. I sighed, rolling a curl of my black hair between my fingers while waiting for it to dry up enough for me to get back to my room without further incidents.

  It was at that time that my attention was drawn back to the boiling pot still hanging over the fireplace.

  Then, I felt like bursting a vein in my head. ─ "No, she didn't just leave me here to finish the food!" ─ I prayed in desperation.

  ~oOo~

  Approximately one hour later.

  I was presently stomping back from the dining room after delivering the finished food that Jolga indeed had left half-cooked hanging above the fireplace.

  I was not one to waste food, and since I would be sitting there, drying my hair anyway, I couldn't simply leave it be. That naturally didn't mean I wasn't infuriated by the whole situation. ─ "That bitch, better not appear in my sight for the foreseeable future, or I might just send her flying again!"

  I threatened under my breath, just about to reach my room.

  Before I could enter and prepare for my afternoon visit to Alita's house, my eyes caught sight of a small note pinched between the door and the doorframe. I grabbed it, opened the door, and then took it out to start reading it aloud. ─ "Thanks for finishing the food, aren't you a good girl?" ─ There was an obscene drawing sketched in the corner depicting a hand firmly spanking a naked butt. I could feel the lingering pain pulsing through my bottom at the sight of the image alone.

  With another burst of anger, I crumpled the paper and stomped into my room, shutting the door behind me with a loud bang. I sit down on my bed, only to hiss from the stings, and instead lie on my stomach, not even taking off my sandals.

  I stayed there motionless for a while before the thought manifested in my mind. ─ "Am I actually being bullied?"

  I wanted to dismiss the possibility out of pride, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do that. Not when the facts stared me in the eyes.

  I huffed. ─ "I will have to show this idiot that I am not one to be trifled with. I should do it without breaking her bones too... this time. If she wants to fuck with me, I will teach her a lesson that she won't forget. No holding back anymore, we are both women now, isn't just what she kept saying last time? Now, let's make her eat her own words." ─ I chuckled at the idea. ─ "Let's see, who will end up who's bitch, Jolga. I am going to blow up your socks, quite literally. Hehehe...." ─ I glanced towards the clothes Nerha, and I prepared for the afternoon teaparty, and I stopped my mad giggling.

  "Alas, I will have to change if I don't want to be late for Alita." ─ It is a relief that she intends to introduce me to her circle. I don't have the energy for another scene like last time.

  Sighing and wincing occasionally, I climbed out of my bed and started washing up and changing into my other dress. This time it was a silver coloured one, which was a lot more fancy, suitable for such an occasion. Well, at least that was how Nerha described the thick fabric in my hands.

  I really need to buy some pants next time.