Chapter 178 – A Calm Day

"Princess, why did nobody comment on my stupid tattoo?" I ask.

"Alzi, the day after you got it, most of the nobles learned about it. Your body is well known among the nobles. Rumors have been spreading for a while that you can get any woman you want pregnant with as many children as you want. Tonight, you proved it," the Princess says. "The devil tattoos aren't common; the fact Lady Osanna gave you one, and Sarania improved it was a common talking point at parties."

"Sick bitches," I mutter, starting my walk again. "Let me go." The Princess's thick arms force me into a hug.

"Yes, and I'm sorry for that. Aurora asked me to let you join Lady Oriphusa for a bit to learn the trade," she whispers into my ear. "You can let her know tomorrow. I'm happy to let you join her and how fast you're learning. Aurora also showed you the hallways with traps, correct? They also have tunnels leading out of the grounds. If we are under attack, leave if you can. Don't wait for anyone, just leave. That is a command, so you can leave the grounds if needed. Last thing I promise dear then I'll let you go. If I die, you'll be free. The collar will fall, and you'll be free." She sneaks a kiss on my cheek before letting me go.

"Then why would I ever heal you?" I ask.

"That is a risk for me, yes," the Princess says. "But I think you should know about it anyway. I need you to help my people. If I am not here, then there is no reason for you to be here. If you promised me that you would stay in the marriage, I would take it off you right now."

I walk faster this time, hoping to find my room empty. Or maybe Aurora if she is being nice again.

Inside my room, I find Aurora being a good maid. Waiting by the bed for me.

"Strip," I command.

"My Lady," Aurora says. "Why?"

"I need a teddy bear," I say. "Nothing sexual. I'm tired of that tonight. I'm tired of a lot of things right now."

"Ok, my Lady," Aurora sighs, her uniform disappearing. Did Shyla get rid of all the knots for them?

"Are you jealous?" I ask, tackling the maid into the bed and rolling the covers over us. "Why were you mean?"

"You were so soft with the other maids," Aurora whispers. "Their skin is smooth and young, and then there was the party. So yes, silly old me was jealous despite the eight kids you gave me."

"Thank you for being in my bed," I say. "Now I want to sleep."

"Goodnight, my Lady," Aurora says as I close my eyes and fall asleep.

...

I wake up to Aurora squirming to free herself from my grip like normal. I pull her in tight and give her a gentle kiss on the head.

"Thank you for the love, my Lady," Aurora says, still trying to shuffle out of my grasp. "But we need to get going for your lessons. Did Princess Elora share with you that she is letting you join Lady Oriphusa to learn the trade?"

"Yes," I say, letting the jealous woman free from my grasp. She still needs to get out of the rolled blankets, but a bit of mana frees us quickly.

With nothing stopping Aurora, the morning sun quickly invades the room. But a different view is outside. White flecks move about, piling up at the edge of my balcony.

"The lesson won't be outside, right?" I ask.

"No, the snow won't make it to the ground for most of the gardens, but it will still be too cold to be outside for long," Aurora says, turning and commanding me with her eyes to get out of bed. "Thank you, my Lady."

I got out of bed and waited for Shyla to come in or Aurora to pop out my dress.

"Shall we go pick out the dress?" Aurora asks me, turning to the closet. "We maids have been picking out your clothing too much. Shyla should be in shortly to let the dresses accommodate your new bust size."

I don't know how I'm supposed to pick from the mess in my closet. I can't see anything about the dresses besides the color.

"They are sorted by color, then style," Aurora says. "So we can start with a style you wish for or a color."

"White is fine," I say. "I don't really care much about any of this. It goes faster when you choose."

"How about something more conservative today, then," Aurora says. "Long white dress. Would you like any decorations or patterns?"

"Plain is fine," I say. I had more than enough decorations yesterday. I'll need to rethink dressing like a whore. Maybe I should go strange with a sexy feel to it instead? I wonder if they do fashion shows. Perhaps the maids can do one? No, that is getting too used to this house. Just be the whore they bought and run off once this collar falls.

"Here we go," Aurora says. "This will cover from your shoulders down, besides your lovely tail and wings. How does that sound, my Lady?"

"Ok," I say, moving into the normal position.

"Perfect timing, Shyla. We just picked out a dress," Aurora says.

"Good, I'll get to work on it for you, my Lady," Shyla says. The mother-daughter duo got to work getting me dressed.

Once complete, they lead me down the stairs and into one of the drawing rooms. Emerald green was the color for this one. This time, it is empty except for a couch and the table the maids used yesterday.

Is she coming back with more monsters?

But the monsters can't fit through the door.

"Hello Lady Alzi," Oriphusa says. "Please take a seat. Today is all about what to do when you run out of mana. I have a few guests for this as well."

Behind her are two ... things. They look human, but something is off with their movement—like a puppet, I suppose.

"You likely won't get far in this lesson," Oriphusa says. "These types of things take years of practice; even the most talented take all the time. There are no shortcuts when you have no mana. But I want you to at least be able to stitch someone up and plug up a wound till you get some mana. A lot can go wrong with this, so I've brought these two out for practice. They aren't alive, but they have water that will act like blood, and I can tell if they would be alive or if they died over a set period. Ready to start?"

"Yes, Lady Oriphusa," I say. I guess without mana you can use dummies for things. Or at least you better not be able to use dummies for magic training. I still have that smell moving through my nose if I think about that day.

...

"I told you it would take longer, Lady Alzi," Oriphusa says. "You did just as well as I did my first day so don't be discouraged. You have more mana than I so you need this a lot less than me. The last time I ran out of mana was a class ago, so you'll do fine unless a war breaks out. But for those, you should have helpers that can handle the non-mana healing. Princess Elora told me you are allowed to join me for a while in my practice. So tomorrow I'll be here again to continue this work then next week I'll see you at my place. Those will be long days. So be ready for it."

"Thank you," I say. I don't know why Aurora let me wear white today. My dress is soaked through, and I know Oriphusa was taking peeks at my tits and cock. Blood, water, whatever it was, just shoots everywhere. Pinch here, squeeze this. Clean the wound first, then sew it shut. All great ways of getting their blood on you. I must have killed those dummies a dozen times in what four, five hours?

Everyone better hope I never run out of mana.

Oriphusa takes her dead puppets and leaves me with Aurora in the nearly empty room. A maid comes in after Oriphusa leaves.

"Hello, Lady Alzi," the maid says. "I am here to clean your clothing. It will just be a second, so don't fear the mana." She waves her hand, and the moisture leaves the dress from the top all the way to my short heels. "Is there anything else I can help you with, my Lady?"

"Um, no, I don't think so. Aurora?" I say. I didn't know she was coming around, so how would I have anything else for her?

"That will be all Aknas. Thank you for the help," Aurora says. "Now, my Lady, lunch."

"How is Calli? I haven't seen her in a while," I say instead. I'm sure Aurora wants me to have lunch with the Princess and Isda. I think the others have all left for some mission thing.

"She is well, my Lady," Aurora sighs. "Would you like to have lunch with her?"

"Sure, you and her would be nice," I say. The Princess is trying to confuse me, so it's best to stay away from her. Then I can play this off as trying to fix Aurora's jealousy issue, though she has been nice to me today.

"I will check if she is free for lunch," Aurora says.

"Just have Annoris take over for her. I don't see her doing much," I say.

"She is the one cleaning the majority of the rooms on the fourth floor, my Lady," Aurora says. "It keeps her plenty busy."

"Whatever. To my room?" I ask. I guess I can be happy knowing she'll be doing that work while pregnant. I'll still think of her as lazy. Why be my maid if your work has nothing to do with me?

"If you want. We can pick a room on the first floor if you want. Join your wives for dinner, maybe?" Aurora proposes. "It is just Princess Elora and Lady Isda. They would love to have more at the table."

"What am I doing after lunch?" I ask.

"Reading. I know a number of people have sent out letters for you, and there will be return letters to read. Would you like me to read them or do that yourself, my Lady?" Aurora asks.

A great fucking trap.

"Me," I groan out. "But I don't want to see the Princess for a while."

Aurora gets a stupid smile and leads the way to a different room. It's a round room with windows on the back half, letting me see the snow fall outside. A round table is sitting in the middle, so at least half the people can enjoy the view. With only three eating, we should all be able to look out.

Calli walks in with the normal food cart, and the two maids start to set the table. I sit down and wait for them to finish.

"Calli, how are you feeling?" I ask.

"I am doing well, Lady Alzi," the cute dog says. "Thank you for asking. I am a bit worried about when the sickness will start."

"Yes, Mommy would talk about that some. I may be able to help you some with it if you need it," I say. "I wouldn't mind checking up on you. I am almost to my next class; I just have to complete this level."

"Congratulations, Lady Alzi," Calli says. "I've got a long way to go on my current class. I hope you get a good class."

"I better get a good class," I say. "Can I check if you end up with triplets? Or did you check?"

"I may have triplets?" Calli says, freezing with the soups in her hand.

"Yes, I gave you two, and there was another egg coming down," I say. My mana reaching out to the thin maid. Her fluffy tail wagging again. "Just two. Probably for the best."

"I think so, Lady Alzi," Calli says, putting the soups down and joining me on my right. Aurora taking my left. "They are likely dragons, and I don't think I can take three dragons at once. Everyone says the realm beings like to mess with your mana while they grow."