Chapter 168 – Finally the Basics

My last problem about lunch with my wives was getting up when I was finished. They all are more than happy to go on about the bird in the forest. They even try to drag me into it, asking what I think about some plan of theirs like I have any experience outside of fucking nobles.

I guess I have fucked a few commoners and maids as well, but my point still stands.

They are trying to get the Princess to agree with their plan, I guess. Vanya seems confident that their current plan will work, but the Princess is worried they don't have the numbers for everything or something. Honestly, I think the Princess is just making things up to keep me here longer. Her hand has fallen to my thigh a few times. It hasn't done anything, but it is annoying how it almost feels comforting having her touch me.

Something must have been put in the soup for that feeling to happen.

Isda also seems a bit lost. She refuses to look me in the eyes. I guess she's sorry for not coming to me or something. The rest of the pretty women are more than happy to smile and look at me.

Elyne is another with some fear in her eyes. I'm guessing horses and dragons don't get along, and that was passed on to centaurs and dragonkin. I feel a little bubbly looking at her, so maybe the fear is one-sided.

Ioelana's hair is really cute, with her pink strands woven into all her braids. I can't wait to get to tie my hair up. Mommy always wanted to cut it, but since I was sixteen, I've been growing it out. I had the hairstyle all picked out for the class ceremony. The first time, I would be allowed to tie it up.

But the damn collar went around my neck. I've kept the hairstyle updated to include my new length, but I don't know how much longer I can go before I step on my hair. Princess better not make me cut it. The Mistress said my hair was too pretty to cut, but this Princess has strange tastes.

"I think that will work out," the Princess says. Oh, please let me go. "Thank you all for a great lunch. Thank you, Alzi, for joining us and helping Inanos and Sextia today. I'll have Aurora take you around the rooms soon to pick out where you wish to start your healer journey. We're all excited to see where it takes you."

"Thank you for letting me learn about mana," I say, getting up from my chair.

"No need to thank me for that," the Princess says. "You deserved to learn about mana a decade ago, and I'm more than happy to help my wife learn. Please enjoy the rest of your day, everyone. I know you all have packing to do."

The wives all give out different thanks and what not. Some directed me to join them. Not that I stick around to hear them.

I promptly get up when the Princess dismisses us and look for Aurora. Sure enough, she has her small smile on, clearly mad about my swift exit. But fuck it, I was only here to lower how much I had to walk.

"This way, my Lady," Aurora says with a short bow. "We can start with the front door. I made sure you were added to it."

"They wanted to call this my new home, and I wasn't even allowed to walk into it without a chaperone?" I say just before the doors close behind me.

"We needed an example of your mana to add you to the door. You were able to get in the second day you were here. I just did not teach you how, and for that, I am sorry, my Lady," Aurora says. "I should have made sure you knew how to open the door immediately. I am fixing that lapse today."

Aurora leads me to the front of the house and out into the chilled air. The front door closed ahead of me again.

"Now, like I said when you asked, just push a bit of your mana into the door, and it will open," Aurora says, showing me the door open.

"What if I run out of mana?" I ask.

"You would be passed out and unable to move through the door anyway, my Lady," Aurora says. "If you don't have enough mana to open the door, you won't be making it inside anyway. Please give it a try, my Lady."

She shuts the door again. I guess it locks automatically as she moves to the side to watch me.

I put my hand on the handle and move my mana into the door. I see it glow for a second, and then let me open it.

"Why did it glow?" I ask.

"You used more mana than needed, my lady," Aurora says. "It is a warning to stop sending it mana. It will be a common warning for the runes today. Most just need a tad to do their task."

Aurora moves into the house and down a hallway. I have to chase after her again. Is she just trying to get me to not wear large heels? Or is she still mad about lunch?

"Is something wrong," I ask her.

"No my Lady," Aurora says, continuing her brisk pace.

"Then why are you walking quickly everywhere?"

"I have several of these I wish to get through, then a bit of history so we can practice reading after dinner," Aurora says, turning into another room. "Sorry for not explaining what a drawing room is. But this is an example of one—a bigger-sized one than most, I would say. You will have a parlor and a drawing room for the tea party tomorrow."

"Why didn't you warn me that the party was tomorrow?" I ask. The room does look vaguely like our living room. Chairs lining the room, tables for drinks, and even a few tables that look like they are made for games. I wonder if they play hunting grounds? Would the Princess get annoyed with my turtling strategy or would she be so good at the game I just get crushed?

Looking around, it seems the rooms will also have a color scheme. Or maybe they all share the light green look? A light brown for all the wood? Another forest room, I suppose.

"This way, my Lady. This could be useful for the party," Aurora says, moving over to the small bar to the side. "This has a few different runes for you to use. One for making ice, another for heating water up, and another to call over a maid. You should only use the ice and call ones. Let the maid handle the drinks, and only use the ice if you are getting a few ice cubes. Otherwise, let the maid handle that as well. You are a noble, no need to serve the women at the party."

"My question," I say, looking over the bar. There are so many fancy glasses—short, tall, wide, skinny. The drink portion is missing, or the maids know how to make it appear.

"Of course, my Lady. I simply was not told the date. I knew it was tomorrow or the day after. I learned about it shortly before you did," Aurora says. "Now, these are the runes. I am not a runemaster, so I can only explain so much. Princess Elora should be able to explain more about them. But what I can say is never send mana into a rune you do not understand. A single rune may not be able to do much, but array masters can turn them into powerful machines that will bleed you dry of mana or inflict terrible curses and all sorts of things. I will start having the ones I know to be part of the lessons, and we can work on making sure you can tell them apart. This one here is for ice, this is for heat, and this one is for calling a maid."

The runes look nothing like what they should. I would've though they would appear like what they do. But no, just more squiggly lines to confuse me. Each one is in a little box.

"Ok, they work the same as the door. Move a little mana into them, and they will do what the rune shows. Some call this the language of the Goddesses, but champions are not able to read them naturally, so most think it is a cheap copy of their true language. You can give the ice one a try and then call the maid. It should go to me so we do not have to worry about bothering others."

"Ok," I say. I try doing this one without touching it. Just sending a small strand of mana towards the two characters. This time, I managed to keep them from glowing. A small pile of ice slowly forms under the ice character and Aurora scrunches her face up.

"That is enough, I think, my Lady," Aurora says. I cut off my mana for her, and she turns the ice into water and makes it disappear into thin air. "Sorry, the ringing is loud. When you use it, try to just send a short strand; we will know where to go."

"What if the closest maid is busy?" I ask her.

"We have ways of signaling others and will make sure you are served, my Lady. You are the star of tomorrow; you will have all three of your maids and a number of the housemaids working the party," Aurora explains. "I will try to stay near you, but that will not always be possible. Depending on what you wear tomorrow, I may be able to give you a device that can call over maids that you can hold in your pocket; otherwise, raise your hand as I instructed or use this. I will make sure to show you all the call runes tomorrow before or during the party if needed."

"Thanks. Anything else I should know?" I ask.

"Try to have fun. The others are the brothel girls looking for the man to pick them. You can have me or Annoris join you in bed, and the woman will have a maid who can also join in. All of it will be your choice," Aurora says. "You may be forced to go to the brothel, but you pick the girl this time."

"I don't want it."

"You know very well the world does not care what you want. I do not wish to have pain when I am not serving a woman with a breeder class," Aurora says. "The Goddesses have set up the world in a way that requires men to share their seed more than they would like."

"What else do you want to show me," I say. What a step up in this world. How is this any different than my last party at the brothel?

The other men did say they did this as well. I guess that is why they rarely came by. Hard to enjoy a brothel when you work at one.

"Mainly just more runes that you should know about around the house," Aurora says. "Most are some sort of defense system in case people try to kidnap you. Now that you can control your mana, you should learn to use them."

"Could someone really get in here?" I ask as we leave the lavish room.

"Yes, never think a place is perfectly secure. Not even in Princess Elora's arms with Geta in front of you and Vanya behind," Aurora says. "Someone can always get to you."

Aurora continued to move quickly through the house. Every hallway had two call runes: one for a maid and another for help with an intruder. She said they may even add a third, a call button for me, in case one needs a healer.

Some of the side hallways even had a rune that would send out some death trap to kill intruders in the hallway. Aurora didn't let me test those, which probably is a good idea. I don't know how they picked the hallways, but they don't seem to be the best place for me. Always in small hallways that lead to nowhere.

"My Lady, I wish to show you the heating rune on your balcony, and then we can have dinner and your writing lesson. This took longer than I thought it would," Aurora says. "The heating rune is another one that will stay on till you turn it off. It is right here by the door."

I saw the standard scribbles in a box next to the door frame, along with the other runes.

"Ok, time for dinner," Aurora says, pulling me back inside.