. Mother had been Royal Escort for years, but that’s a ceremonial position. Intimacy isn’t part of the package. Her private relationship with Owen was an open secret in the Palace, but regarded as a separate matter. But she has a very small waist, and she was beginning to show, and naturally, the proud papa wanted his new daughter to …

. Sweeping into my view, right in front of me, was an elegant girl who I guessed was likely also a third year. She had gorgeous blond hair in a half-updo piled up on one side of her head and lightly spiraling side bangs that were perilously close to classic ojou-sama drills. Rod cleared his throat, his eyes flicking over …

. When the ceremony ended, we filed out, two by two, just like we came in, but to my confusion, the line kept filing along, along an ornate corridor, then out into a long covered walk that looked vaguely like a line of Japanese toriis, except holding up a roof. Maybe it was the fact that all the columns and …

. Ged had already stood and made his way to the podium in order to give his little sister his hand so she could step down. Around me, I could hear a widespread ripple of feminine sighs. My eldest brother did indeed have a lot of fans, as Amelia had claimed. I noticed in that hesitant step from the podium …

. The ceremony began with the students filing into the event hall to stand in ranks on the floor. The third years filed in and took up positions in the back, followed by the the second years and then the entering class stood in front That might sound backwards, but they are just doing things the way they had been …

. I had hoped to do all this unseen, but just before I uncloaked, the door opened in front of me. Fortunately, it was Sir Belgar. Although he did blink and his hand did travel to his sword for a moment, it was all reflex, because he hadn’t expected a sudden appearance right in front of him. But, Belgar already …

. Genette was waving at me from a short distance away. I turned and nodded to her, so she approached. “Young Mistress, you have a caller. The house is still in disorder. Shall I bring tea to the pavilion?” “He came here already?” I asked, a little stunned that this was happening so soon. Genette understood what I was thinking …

. It did occur to me later that when Dana said ‘customer’ she might have actually meant ‘hiring a girl to feed her vampire daughter’, but I was now stuck with the possibility that Mother has been carrying on with a (female) prostitute. I honestly did not need that mental image. It was stuck in my head in the morning …

. I managed to not let the sensations on my back cause me to emit any weird sounds as I replied, in what was probably a pretty weak voice, “I’m still a maiden, Miss Dana. Please don’t do that.” To my Tiana side’s great consternation, my Robert side was all for the idea. But I still felt like I would …

. As I expected, packing for school was an enormous chore. After all, I had already gone through the experience, when Robert headed off to college for the first time. But I never expected to be told that I was in the way, and please go read a book or something. I forgot. The daughter of a duchess is as …