I woke up with Natalia curled against me, her breathing slow and even. Morning light spilled through the window, illuminating her purple hair spread across my chest like a silken waterfall.
The System interface hovered persistently in my peripheral vision, the faint blue glow a constant reminder of last night's gacha pulls and our subsequent advancement. That new Ice Spike ability I'd imparted to Natalia through our strengthened bond—she didn't even know she possessed it yet. The thought of showing her, of watching those ice-blue eyes widen with surprise and then narrow with predatory delight, made me smile. My Ice Queen needed her proper crown, and I'd be the one to gift it to her. Another link in the chain I was methodically wrapping around her.
