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I dropped my fork and wrapped my arms around myself just after they served dessert. In terms of how fast it came on, this was the worst yet.
“My Lady?” came Mireia’s worried voice from across the table. By that time my head was down and my eyes were squeezed shut. I couldn’t see her anxiety, but I could hear it easily in her tone.
Without a word, my husband rose and scooped me out of my chair, then headed straight for my bedroom. We took dinner in my suite, so it was a mercifully short distance and I didn’t have time to grow fully embarrassed before arriving. Only enough to protest that I could walk, which he stubbornly ignored.
As he gently seated me on the bed, Lady Benedetta reported, “Genette is fetching the caregiver team, Your Royal Highness. Please leave her to us.”
I don’t know why, but the fact they had chosen a euphemism for the girls feeding me was embarrassing in its own right.
But he hesitated instead of leaving. “I’d like to stay until they arrive. It’ll take some time, won’t it?”
Mireia responded, “Rod, we need to dress her for bed right away. I’ll see you later tonight, okay?”
Which was, of course, an oblique way to say, Get out of here already.
“We already planned to feed her this evening, so the caregivers are just downstairs, Your Highness,” Benedetta replied smoothly. “Please be at ease. We will take good care of your wife.”
The night previous, I had fed on Syl and the two chamber maids in the end, so I wasn’t surprised to hear they had already organized things to that degree. Obviously, these three couldn’t repeat so soon. But the news that they were literally keeping girls ready in the castle for me did surprise me a little.
Especially since we had a concern about overdoing things with Father’s old Servants by feeding on three of them every night. No matter how you look at it, that was going to eventually cause bad rumors about me. The girls themselves were being told I had a rare vampiric illness, which Aunt Elianora was on hand to treat, and until I recovered, I would need much more blood than normal. But even with that explanation, things were bound to get out in a distorted fashion.
With my husband finally out of the room, Syl and Lilsa, the chambermaid, swiftly worked to change me from dinner gown into yukata, while the other chambermaid, Ena, helped Mireia out of her clothing.
“It’s too soon for you to feed me!” I protested when I realized she was disrobing.
“It wouldn’t be too bad,” Mir noted with an impish smirk as Ena undid her bra. “I fed you on Restday, and here it is, Sixthday. That’s almost a week.”
“My Lady Mireia will stay to supervise,” Benedetta explained. “As the girls who will see you today are not Servants. But Lady Mireia, please remember you promised His Royal Highness you would wait a minimum of seven days between feedings, for your health.”
The reason for her reminder was almost certainly the yukatas the maids chose for us. These treacherous maids were taking advantage of my distress to bring out the most revealing yukatas possible! I knew with one look that they had raided Mother’s collection. Mine, being black, was only just see-through enough to be erotic, but Mireia’s was a flower pattern on a background so translucent that it became just plumeria blossoms decorating her otherwise naked body.
“There’s no way you should be wearing that without underthings!” I protested.
Mir giggled and did a full spin, modeling her scandalous attire for me, and sure enough, I felt my fangs grow. I clapped my hand over my mouth and retreated to the bed, trying not to look.
There was nobody here I could feed upon. It was too soon for Mireia, I’m pretty sure that Benedetta, as an Elemental, can’t feed me, and the maids themselves were definitely off the menu, since these were the same three who fed me the previous day.
As a result, we had confirmed that as long as my father’s Servants were amicable to me, their bond transferred to me automatically through feeding, so, just like Syl, the two chamber maids were now my Servants. And it was clear that their goodwill toward me as their new mistress was translating into an urge to tease. Their playfulness here was an enormous difference from how they had acted, just a few days ago. Fortunately, they were behaving themselves the rest of the time.
While Lilsa and Ena retrieved all the discarded clothing items to hang them properly, Syl steered Mir in my direction. Benedetta stated in arch tones, “I’ll be outside, My Lady” and retreated along with the chambermaids, abandoning me in the midst of my distress.
“We can’t feed you, but there’s other ways we can satisfy you, My Lady,” Syl purred as she joined Mir and me on the bed. “I think we can help you keep your mind off your hunger. Don’t you think?”
My eyes widened a bit as I realized what she was proposing. A vampire feeds to satisfy their hunger, but from the donor’s point of view, blood feeding is a form of romantic embrace. My Servants were making the natural assumption that pleasure through physical intimacy would stave off my hunger.
I didn’t get a chance to rebut, because Mir’s mouth met mine and her tongue invaded. Syl’s hands began slipping inside my yukata as her lips pressed against my cheek.
These two weren’t hesitating at all!
Honestly, I doubt it would work indefinitely, but it certainly worked long enough. At least, it was still working a solid ten minutes later when Genette quietly entered with three others to the sight of the three of us in a tangle.
Having sensed the newcomers, I struggled to push free of my Servants. They finally understood that we were no longer alone and detached from me with embarrassed giggles. Syl put a respectable distance between us, while Mir slipped behind my back, as if using me as a shield. Maybe she was hiding her indecent attire?
“Oh my,” the tallest of the three newcomers observed from behind her fan, “Perhaps our services aren’t required, after all?”
The trio all had comely faces and wore elegant qipaos that highlighted their attractive figures. The woman who spoke appeared to be around twenty, with striking jade green eyes and a lush, wavy coif of auburn hair. Her companions, in their mid to late teens like me, respectively had long, flowing blond hair and brunette hair in a half-updo.
Still giggling slightly, Mir peeked out from behind me and shook her head. “It’s too soon for either of us to feed her again. Your services are very much needed, ladies. But haven’t we met before?”
The auburn-haired beauty closed her fan with a snap and bowed her head elegantly. “We have, My Lady. I am Dana, from the Velvet Retreat.”
Genette made a surprised noise, drawing my attention. She answered my curiosity with, “That’s a famous establishment, My Lady. But it’s in Atius!”
The auburn beauty gave her a nod, but then faced me and gave a commoner’s curtsey. While her companions followed suit, she stated, “I said this the last time we met, but we are, by royal warrant of His Late Majesty, purveyors to the crown. We are here to assist you.”
That was a bit mind-boggling. A brothel with a royal warrant?
Lady Benedetta had followed them back into my bedroom. She stated, “The late king lent them support after the war impacted their business.”
Dana nodded. “The other day, the new king sent word requesting that we close down the Retreat and come to Narses to serve you instead. Although I don’t entirely understand how we were brought here. Lady Benedetta put us to sleep and we woke here.”
I looked at Benedetta, perplexed. “We’ve hired an entire house of leisure?”
I don’t know why, but I can’t really bring myself to use a crude word like ‘brothel’. Even if it’s a much nicer word than the ones the men in the Royal Knights use. Of course, a high-class establishment really is a ‘house of leisure’ rather than something you would describe with crude words.
She bowed her head and stated, “Your mother and the crown were supporting them and guaranteeing them assistance to remain in business after the war. All of their clientele fled during the battles for the city, and have yet to return, so they were receiving a royal subsidy to serve at the crown’s pleasure in the meantime.”
After allowing me to remain bewildered for a few more seconds, she added, “Miss Dana is one of your mother’s close friends, My Lady. Naturally, His Majesty helped them when she asked.”
Perhaps it doesn’t reflect well on the image I have of my mother, but the news that one of her close friends was a fancy prostitute was the one part of this that didn’t surprise me in the least.
“Miss Syl, we should withdraw,” Genette stated.
Syl nodded and obediently retreated, adopting the prim manner of a proper maid that didn’t match her actions in my bed during the previous several minutes at all. Genette and Benedetta left as well, leaving me alone with Mir and the three courtesans.
Dana’s smile grew a little devilish as she sat on the edge of the bed. As her fingertips lightly stroked my calf, she noted, “My Ladies, you’ve both clearly become more comfortable with pleasure since our last encounter.”
I felt my face warming a bit as her hand roamed. “You’ve fed me before?”
Her eyes widened slightly, and Mir hastened to explain, “The illness that Lady Tiana is suffering has affected her memory, Miss Dana. Especially her memories of recent events. Please have patience with her. She will get better eventually.”
“I hope so,” Dana told her, while moving up the bed to stroke my cheek instead. “It would be a pity if she doesn’t remember the rather enjoyable times we’ve had together.”
Doing what, precisely? I wanted to squeak, but Dana claimed my lips before I could.
Between Mireia and the ravenous Servants who stayed in the Castle briefly before heading out to Kasar, I have become more accustomed to this whole kissing thing. And, somehow, Syl and Mireia’s attention really had made me able to endure my hunger. I didn’t want to believe it, but intimacy was helping. I could feel it working even as Dana’s tongue explored mine.
The blonde and the brunette slipped in to either side of us, with the blonde asking Mir, “Are we here to serve you as well, My Lady?”
“You’re here to feed Lady Tiana,” Mir replied firmly.
But the brunette laughed lightly, then replied in seductive tones, “Between the way you’re dressed and where your hand was when we entered, I’m certain you would enjoy our services too.”
I began realizing as Dana’s ravenous lips held mine captive that Benedetta had left us in the hands of three hungry predators. As the other two continued to tease Mir, Dana’s hand guided my fingers to the frog closures at her collar. I managed to pop the buttons out of the loops one by one, moving down along the hem, despite continuing the kiss.
She didn’t make me go all the way down the side. Once the top was open far enough, she briefly broke away to stand and snake out of the qipao with a provocative wriggle, displaying in the process her rather brazen total lack of undergarments.
You’re supposed to wear something underneath, Miss Dana!
Hadn’t I just said something like that to Mir?
My fangs had been ready since long before. I didn’t need the visual stimulus anymore. But Mir, who was present to monitor my feeding and make sure I didn’t blood-bond anyone, still had her hands full of aggressive courtesans. I hesitated to begin feeding without her. And Dana clearly had other delights in mind.
If my brief time with Mir and Syl were any guide, those delights would work to delay my need for the time being, so I was tempted to cooperate.
No, I should probably be honest and admit it. As long as it was working, I was willing.
