As soon as Ned disappeared in the form of a black fox, Arabel's mood improved a little, but not completely. When she looked at Idan, a strange smile appeared on her face, which made Idan feel uncomfortable.
"Um...Belle, are you okay?" asked Idan cautiously.
"No, Dan. You can see for yourself that I'm not okay..." Arabel replied, on the one hand she was smiling, on the other hand it was clear that she was struggling with this condition.
Coco, who was in Arabel's arms at that moment, froze in tears. She didn't understand what was happening to her Mistress. Coco used to have a good opinion of Arabel, but after this incident, she began to be afraid of her and decided that her Master was much better than the Mistress.
Idan pulled himself together, gently hugged Arabel and hugged her to him. At that moment, Coco, who was in Arabel's arms, was trapped between them. With difficulty, she managed to free her head so as not to suffocate.
Idan hugged Arabel and gently stroked her hair. After all, the current outburst of emotions began when Arabel saw Idan caressing Ned, so he decided to give her some of his attention.
"Dan… Do you consider me your pet?" Arabel suddenly asked, lying in Idan's arms and closing her eyes.
"Of course not. You are my fiancee," Idan replied without hesitation, and these words made Arabel sharply raise her head and look into his eyes.
The way Idan confidently and without hesitation called her his fiancee made a special impression on Arabel.
Idan had told others before that she was his fiancee, but there was always some uncertainty in his words. After all, they weren't an official couple then, but just two acquaintances in the situation who got into this mess because of the choice of the System.
For some reason, Arabel was very pleased with Idan's current admission that she was his fiancee. She couldn't help but be happy for herself, and her sudden outburst of jealousy towards Ned, caused by the side effect of the Madness Energy, began to subside.
Her strange smile changed to a more joyful one. Lowering her gaze, she buried her face in Idan's chest, and after that, the vibrations of murderous lust emanating from her disappeared. Coco and Idan both breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at each other.
"Be patient, Coco. I'll give you an extra piece of candy for this," Idan said, speaking to Coco through a mental link. When Coco heard the word "candy," she immediately cheered up.
After lying there for a while longer, Arabel finally calmed down. She felt so comfortable being in Idan's arms while hugging Coco as she used her unique ability.
"Have you calmed down?" asked Idan, and Arabel nodded in response.
"I do not know why you reacted to Ned like that, but let me say that I myself could not decide how to treat him until recently," Idan continued, wanting to share his opinion about Ned. He hoped it would help Arabel sort out her feelings for Bera.
"It's only now that I've started to realize who he really is. I used to think of him as a crazy perfect double. But now, after signing a contract and some time of interaction, I realized that his mind is like the mind of a child who is just starting his journey outside of his native home, and like a child who longs for new sensations."
Arabel listened attentively to Idan, and every word he said coincided with some of her observations about Bera and the feelings that were transmitted to her through their contract.
"Do you remember how Geminia was attached to Kitty and how she pampered her?"
"Yes, I remember," Arabel replied, understanding what Idan was getting at.
"You should have felt it yourself after signing the contract with Bera," Idan, as Arabel expected, also noticed this.
"They were jealous of her," Arabel added.
"Yes, not only Ned and Bera, but all the doppelgangers there were jealous of Kitty."
"And then when Kitty signed a contract with Nemo, he started spoiling her too," Arabel said, getting ahead of his words. It was at this moment that Bera began to look at her strangely. She seemed to want to experience what Kitty was experiencing, too. First from their ancestor, and then from the new owner.
Bera and Ned, who had both signed a contract, wanted attention from Idan and Arabel, but they perceived them differently than Nemo perceived Kitty. Because of their ability to take on human form, unlike Kitty, they were difficult to perceive as a small animal that could be pampered.
"Then Coco showed up, and after seeing how we treated her, they also started to get jealous of her," Idan said, looking at the little fox that Arabel was hugging.
"Ned and Bera, like children, crave our attention and a little pampering," said Idan Arabel. "It seems to me that this is the least we can offer them. I don't know if it's because of the contract, or if the Doppelgangers are just like that by nature, but you must have felt it yourself because of the contract: their loyalty and trust in us are almost limitless. They will never betray us and are ready to fulfill any request, no matter how absurd it may be."
Arabel completely agreed with Idan, and although it was not easy for her, she was ready to reconsider her views and abandon the outdated prejudices of their former world.
"By the way, how is your bloodline?" she asked.
"Oh, it's fine, very good indeed, — Idan replied with a smile. "Now I won't have any problems with transforming into an Alpha of Fire. It's just a pity that my bloodline's rank didn't rise after the Ascension Trial."
"Oh, that's really wonderful!" exclaimed Arabel, raising her head and looking at Idan.
After he gained control of his bloodline, Idan really changed. His face became more attractive, but there were still recognizable features of his former appearance. However, his body changed the most.
It was unclear what had caused these changes: whether it was the control of the Alpha Fire bloodline, or the attainment of the Flame Spirit form, or passing the Ascension test. Maybe all at once. In any case, his human form has also undergone significant transformations.
"Hehe, — Arabel grinned, snuggling into Idan's arms. She felt his new body with trepidation, and the realization began to excite her again. The side effect made itself felt again, filling Arabel's thoughts with obscene images. Her face turned red and the blood rushed to her head.
A little more and Arabel's nose would bleed again.
"Well, damn it, not again..." said Idan with annoyance, noticing the sudden change in Arabel's condition.
"It won't be easy to rid Arabel of this side effect.", Idan thought.