I was out of the water and had changed into my pajamas, sleeping soundly on the bed.

By the time I opened my eyes, it was morning. I yawned softly and gently stood up, but froze as I sighted my beast-men sitting and staring at me. Even a guy I had never seen before was there. I pulled the blanket up, covering my body except my eyes.

"What are you all staring at me for?" I asked and Azrael’s lips curled up evilly.

"Don’t worry, he just arrived, he saw nothing!" he said and turned to the guy. "You didn’t...right?" Azrael asked coldly and the guy trembled.

"Y-yes," he said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked and he straightened himself.

"Headmistress Lysanadra sent me to show you around the lab today, but you have been asleep since and your beast-men wouldn’t wake you up," he said shakily, hoping I would scold them, but instead a smile crept on my face, and my gaze became more intense than intended. My reputation seemed good.

"I’ll be out in a second. Wait outside," I said and waved my hand, but he trembled.

"The Headmistress will kill me. That is worse than being late. Please dress up, no need to—" my stare stopped him mid-sentence, and he felt a chill run through his bones.

"I’ll be outside," he said and walked out.

He was a cat beast-man. Thinking of that, I remembered Orange and couldn’t help but smile.

I threw the blanket off as soon as the door closed and walked down from the bed. My beast-men froze but wouldn’t tear their gaze away. The nightgown I was wearing was really short, my thighs and arms exposed, and it was slightly transparent.

I grinned seeing how flushed they all were, even AZRAEL.

"How does it look?" I asked and their lips trembled, struggling to form words. I raised the gown slightly and they all paused, as if waiting for my next action. I reached for the straps, about to loosen them, but Veyra stood up and gently rested his hands on my shoulders.

"Raven, you’re not going to undress right in front of us, right?" he asked and I laughed... then stopped.

"Of course I am."

I removed his hands gently before they could protest, then the tiny nightgown slipped off and landed on the ground.

To be honest, I saw Veyra’s eyes roll back slightly and he placed a hand over his nose.

He was bleeding.

"Huh?" I panicked and reached out, but Veyra stepped back and ended up slipping, falling to the ground.

"Are you okay?" I asked again and turned to the others, but they were also hiding their noses.

Why were all their noses bleeding?

Wait... don’t tell me they actually couldn’t handle me being naked.

Before I could think further, I looked down, and they were all gone. The door shut close.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

"They’re so cute," I mumbled and froze as Thyrian sighted me. His eyes were wide open.

Oh! He was the only one among the three who hadn’t seen me naked. His eyes flashed with excitement and clear admiration. I winked and his cheeks turned rosy red. He looked away embarrassed, like he had been caught stealing glances.

I pushed the toilet door open and walked in. The tub was neatly structured on the left side with a raised sink. It looked promising. It resembled a modern bathroom but clearly it wasn’t.

I stepped in and let the water caress my skin, gently scrubbing my body, when the door opened. Ryker and Veyra stood there with sponges.

I instinctively covered my chest.

"What are you guys doing here? Wait outside for me," I said but they shook their heads.

"We will help you take a bath," they said and I blushed.

Looks like my trick had backfired.

Before I could protest, they were already beside me, crouching down and gently scrubbing my body.

Ryker gently removed my hand from my chest and placed the sponge there, but instinctively cupped my boobs softly. I gasped.

Veyra’s hand, on the other side, pinched my waist and I bit my lip.

"Was this a bath?" I thought, still confused.

"Don’t move, let’s scrub your body absolutely clean," they said in unison.

Really... how were their minds alike?

I moaned softly as Ryker’s fingers gently brushed my nipples.

"Wait, just bathe me!" I cursed out and Ryker chuckled.

"I’m trying, they are just too soft to ignore," he said and I sighed.

Veyra, on the other hand, was touching my right nipple, caressing softly, and I closed my eyes enjoying it.

The door suddenly opened and I snapped my eyes open. Azrael?

"We are late," he said coldly, slamming the door shut, but I swore I saw jealousy in his eyes.

Veyra and Ryker left the bathroom. I stepped out, wrapped a towel around myself, and walked out drenched from head to toe. I moved to my wardrobe and picked a fitted blue vest corset gown that was mini and lifted my chest, pairing it with white boots.

"We will be back, Thyrian," I said and he waved at me, but looked slightly sad.

I ran up to him and pecked his lips before rushing back out.

I shut the door.

They all stared at me outside, including the cat beast-man. He looked away instantly, especially since my beast-men didn’t seem pleased with his staring.

It took a while, but I arrived at the entrance of the lab. It was huge, like an ancient castle. Clearly built with the most advanced structural techniques they had developed.

The moment he pushed the giant door open, I couldn’t help but be in awe of my surroundings, as I stepped in, the air smelled fresh.

It was breathtaking.

Soft hums echoed from the walls, like something alive was buried inside them. Crystals were embedded everywhere: blue, violet, some flickering gold, glowing faintly as if they were watching me.

The scent hit next... burnt metal, warm oil, and something oddly sweet... like charged magic.

Tables stretched across the room, cluttered but not messy. Tools laid out in sharp precision: engraving needles, rune etchers, crystal cutters, mechanical clamps. Some looked ancient, carved with symbols that pulsed faintly. Others were gears, wires, metal arms....half-built machines sitting mid-creation.

In the center stood a massive construct, not fully complete. Its metal ribs were exposed, glowing gemstones embedded into its core, each one pulsing like a heartbeat. Threads ran through its frame, flickering with raw energy. Every few seconds, it clicked, adjusting itself slightly, like it was trying to wake up.

I smiled. It looked like a magical workshop where engineering principles were applied. Even the walls had painted images of weapons I had never seen before.

"This way please," I heard the cat beast-man say and followed him, tearing my gaze away from the structure.

We walked deeper into the lab, just a straight path—until...

I paused as I sighted the Architect. His protective glasses were on, and he was gently adding a crystal into some kind of machine. I stared, fascinated.

Even the beast-man leading me froze and finally realized I wasn’t following, stopping in his tracks.

"You shouldn’t be there, that’s the professor’s stu—" he yelled, but froze as I had already walked in.

His eyes widened.

"The professor is grumpy. He doesn’t care about status, you will be in troubl—" he continued, but I was already beside the table.

"Young Duke," the Architect said and bowed subtly. I did the same.

"Huh?" the cat beast-man thought in confusion and shock, but my gaze was fixed on the equipment on the table.

"What is that?" I asked softly.

He turned his gaze to the table.

"That’s my recent invention, a Verdant Acceleration Spire," he said and I moved closer to look at it. It was large, almost filling the entire table.

"Did you name it that? What does it do?" I asked, staring closer. Then my gaze landed on an open notebook.

"Elixir potion," I muttered. It was clearly an ancient-style notebook filled with potion research, laboratory notes, and instructions. My eyes sparkled. This was really nice.

Although I was an office worker dealing with business proposals and paperwork, it wasn’t what I truly wanted. My parents forced business on me for my twin Rosy. Even in college, I joined science clubs and paid for extra classes because I loved science.

It was exhausting, but I still enjoyed it.

So seeing a laboratory like this made my eyes shine.

"I can do this," I thought.

"Are you adding magic into the Verdant Acceleration Spire?" I asked, staring closely. It curled like a snake, with a needle-like tip, a green gem in the center, and root-like veins at the base.

"Is it for plants?" I thought.

The Architect smiled. "It is still a work in progress. Its main purpose is to speed up plant growth. Instead of growing in a year, it could limit it to a few months," he said.

Wow. The Architect was really smart.

He thought of food first...

"Can I also invest in this?" I said bluntly.

The cat beast-man froze. "Huh? It’s just personal research the professor is working on—" he didn’t finish as he received a glare from the professor.

"As you wish, Young Duke..." he said and stared sharply at me.

"But I do not guarantee success. You might lose more than you gain," he said.

I smiled.

"Isn’t that normal when trying new things?

Don’t worry, I’ll suffer the losses and we can both share the wins..."