Chapter 213 – Lottie’s Punishment

"My Lady," Aurora says, her pregnant form bowing beside my bed. "There is an important event being held this morning. I know you are tired, but your attendance is needed for this event. Shyla has provided some casual clothing for you to wear in return for waking you so early."

I look out the window and see the sun still crawling over the horizon. What event could possibly need me up right now? We still have a bit before the sailors come to be healed, and I don't feel like eating breakfast, so what is there? Looking back at Aurora, I find a plain blue dress hanging in the air for me."What is the event?" I ask.

"I am told you will understand when we get there. It is just in the backyard, a bit past the garden, so it does not clash with the healing tent," Aurora says. "Please, my Lady. I know it is early, but I will make sure tomorrow does not have an early wake-up call, and I will skip the reading lesson for today."

Oh, that sounds so nice. But I need to learn how to read, or these letters will never give me what I truly want. Not that they could ever truly get me what I want. For that, I need to lose this damn collar. But it would be nice to not have them worrying about what they say in the letters. Then, I need to learn how to write so I can respond fully to them as well. "I'll keep the lesson if it is like yesterday."

"Very well, my Lady," Aurora says. "Shall we get ready?"

"Fine," I say.

Aurora's practiced hands get me dressed quickly. The blue dress doesn't give me much support in the chest, but it is comfortable, and I like how the jiggle attracts the eyes. Even in casual clothing, I can look like a whore.

"This way, my Lady," Aurora says, directing me through the manor.

She leads me out to the yard, and I already see a new fixture beyond the garden. Though I can only see the top of a wooden pole. Has Elora captured a brothel owner for me to burn? I would promise to stay with her if she did, but I can never tell her that. I've told her my wishes regarding those women; Elora can connect the dots and take the risk. However, I think she is a little too broken to think properly right now.

Moving past the garden, I find a few maids and Fluvis standing in a small clearing. A wooden post stands with Lottie tied to it naked, her back facing us. Her hands are tied together with a rope on a hook above her head, forcing her to stand on her toes. Her hair is tied in a ponytail and also hooked to the wooden pole.

"Welcome, Lady Alzi," Fluvis says. "I got the full story last night from my wife, Lottie. I'm sorry for what she did, and the deal we made last night does not cover the damage done by her. That is not the way she should've behaved herself. She knows better and did it anyway. So, I am here to correct that mistake. As you can see, my dear wife is tied to a post."

"I am ok..."

"No," Fluvis says. "Sorry to cut you off and force my thoughts onto you, but I think you are too used to nobles taking advantage of you. My house will no longer do that and get away with it. This new, respectful treatment was meant to start shortly after our breeding session. I was ashamed of how our first interaction happened, and then Lottie decided to choke you into fucking her. No, that will not do and will not go unpunished. It was wrong and must be corrected. Me pressuring Elora to marry your Mother does not come close to being enough to pay back the harm done."

"Ok," I say. I did fuck Lottie in the ass, choke her, and then got help with marrying my Mommy, which is a lot more than I normally get. But if she wants to give me more, let her. It would be the first time someone wanted to give me more of a good thing. They are usually just jumping in line to give me more pain.

"Lottie, are you ready?" Fluvis says.

"Yes," Lottie says without pause. That's some conviction about getting tortured.

A thin line of water forms from Fluvis's hand. The stream grows, reaching Lottie's back and then moving over her shoulder and past the pole. Once it seems to have grown to the size that Fluvis wants, she lifts it like a whip, the water floating in the air. Then her hand comes down, and the water whips against Lottie's back.

A small snap comes when the water strikes her back.

A muffled scream comes from Lottie's lips, a rag now tied into her mouth. A thin red line goes right down her spine where the water strikes. Fluvis resets, the water high in the air again, the sun's light reflecting and refracting as it passes through before the water strikes again. A new red line marks the noblewoman's back with a muffled scream. Her muscles tense for a second, even after the whip has struck. Her legs work hard to keep her from putting her weight on her hands.

Yet, Fluvis hasn't had enough. Another strike rings out, the scene replaying yet again. How many more is she going to do?

Another thin stream comes out, matching the first. The streams strike in turn, not letting Lottie relax. I don't try to keep count of the strikes; the tallies along her back will do for now. But I don't know if Fluvis will keep going until Lottie has no skin left on her back. She doesn't seem ready to stop any time soon.

No, instead, the strikes are coming faster. The whips no longer stop at their apex, immediately coming down to strike the human's back with more force in every strike.

Is Fluvis literally going to flay the skin off her back? The water is starting to turn red as it pulls in Lottie's blood when the strikes hit. This has to be too far, right? It was just a bit of choking, and after that, it was my choice.

A third stream starts to form while the others continue their strikes, proving the elemental's control over her mana. The maids just watch with blank stares. Are they really this used to blood? Is this a common punishment?

"Stop," I say. "Please. She doesn't need any more."

Lottie has almost no skin left on her back, her legs no longer holding her up, and instead, she's hanging from her hands. The muffled screams have stopped, a weak groan taking their place.

"NO MORE!" I shout. "Please, no more. She has no more skin to take."

"Very well," Fluvis says. "Lottie, make sure to thank Lady Alzi well. You deserve more pain than this for treating the father of all our children like a slave. Be thankful for her mercy."

"Thank you," I say.

"She is yours to deal with as you like," Fluvis says. "The maids will take her down soon. Heal her if you wish, or let her suffer. She deserves the pain, so do not worry. I have plenty of ways to keep her healthy without the skin on her back. Do not feel sorry for her, Alzi; she did this to herself when she entered your room, woke you up, and choked you into fucking her. She deserves worse for that. She knew you were a champion and took advantage of you anyway. If you didn't have that collar on, the Queen would sentence her to worse treatment than a few strikes of a whip."

A few? This is a few? What kind of numbers does the Duchess know? I know I can't count high enough for these strikes. Lottie has no skin left on her back. Is she even awake?

"Ok," I say. Fluvis is right; Lottie did take advantage of me to get a kid and talk about things I already knew or thought.

I start going towards the bloody woman. I should make sure she isn't about to die. Fluvis isn't a healer, though she did act like she's done this before. Lottie saved me, but that doesn't give her the right to do as she wishes.

Lottie wanted to know if I was a dragon, and I need to prove that I am. I will stand up for myself, and I will not let her make me feel bad. I will just make sure she will live.

"Lottie?" I say as I near the woman. She groans back, so she must be awake. "I don't have anything to numb the pain, and I still need to heal the sailors, so you will have to live with this unless Fluvis does something for it." I don't get a response, though I doubt she is sane enough to form a word, much less a sentence.

I give Lottie a soft kiss on the cheek. I can taste the salt from her tears. She earned that, Alzi. Just check for anything terrible. Even the window status minimizes the damage Fluvis did, saying she has skin damage on her back and some bleeding. Nothing else shows up, so she doesn't seem to be in any danger of dying.

"Well," I say. "I don't see anything dangerous showing up. Carry our kid well. Soon, I'll pull you into bed and give you a real pregnancy. My wombs need to be filled with more than one child."

I think Lottie nods to my declaration, but it could just be some wind. I test the weight of her tits for fun; the soft things jiggle in my hand, yet she doesn't react.

Fair enough. I'm sure plenty of women have done this to me and gotten nothing in response.

"Can you take her down?" I ask the maids. "Let her sleep in a bed."

"As you wish, Lady Alzi," a maid says.

I walk away, letting them handle Lottie. I can start on any sailor who has shown up early. It is close enough to when I promised to begin healing them that a few may be waiting already.

*** Duchess Fluvis ***

"You are lucky, Lottie," Fluvis says. "If Alzi didn't have a warped sense about sex, you would've ruined this house with this move. I'm only keeping you around because it seems to have helped Alzi see how warped her senses are. You lucked into completing your goal somewhat. Alzi is to be your mistress from now on. Do not disobey or disappoint her."

"Duchess," a maid says. "I do not think Lady Lottie is awake right now."

"Then tell her when she wakes up. I don't have time to waste on this idiot right now. She's lucky about Alzi's mercy and the war coming up. She isn't in anywhere near the pain she should be in, and it won't last anywhere near the time it should. Make sure she understands that well. Alzi is to be treated as a free Princess by our house from now on. I do not wish to have a single other mistake happen. I will be killing them from here on out."

"Yes, Duchess Fluvis," Lottie's maid says. "Shall I spread the message?"

"Yes, do it quickly. I want no excuses," I say. I get what you were trying to do, Lottie, but couldn't you have come up with a more respectful way to do it?