Second Night: The Fondler

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Lily awoke alone the following day. James had already gone about his own affairs, leaving her behind. Sunlight streamed through the window of the opulent manor as the indolent princess let out a yawn from her bed. As she emerged from her slumber, she was startled to find herself in an unfamiliar room, a far cry from her own cozy bedroom. Reality washed over her as she realized she was no longer a princess but a captive in a foreign land.

"Ah, yes. I am now a prisoner," she muttered, the weight of her situation sinking in. "My home is gone, occupied by the Red Nation."

As the fourth princess of the Blue Nation, her older sisters were not in the capital when it fell. Unlike Lily, they were not indolent. One sister, a level 179 paladin, had fallen a year prior to the capital's conquest. Her other sisters had married princes from the White and Yellow Nations. The crown prince and the king had both fallen when John conquered the capital, leaving her alone. Only two estranged brothers remained from her family.

"Lily, please step aside. Nyaa," a maid greeted her from behind as she wallowed in her melancholy.

"Eeek!" she shrieked in surprise, thinking she was alone when she was not. Like a rat trapped in a corner, she stared at the maid in fear. But her gaze softened as she noticed a cat's tail swishing behind her. She was relieved to see that the king had assigned at least one maid to her, and an animalkin at that. She smiled and greeted her, "Are you here to serve me?"

"Meow? Nyo way! I've come to tidy up this space and offer you some delectable treats. So, would you kindly move away from the cozy bed? I must attend to his royal highness's chamber," she replied, placing her hands on her hips.

"So, where are the delectable treats? I am starving!" Lily exclaimed eagerly as she searched for food. She wondered if the cart the maid carried contained a bounty of delicious food or was filled with cleaning tools, considering the maid had mentioned tidying up the space. Lily tilted her head in confusion.

"Nyaw. Are you hungry? Right here!" the maid placed a plate filled with a steak and a cup filled with milk on the floor. She smirked and added, "As his majesty's new pet, you need to eat on the floor!"

"Okay!" Lily obediently nodded. It was hardly a grand delectable treat, as she said. However, Lily was a light eater anyway. The insult flew over her head. The catgirl's jaw dropped in astonishment as the princess simply complied with her instructions. No untrained princess or nobles had ever listened to her before. Lily sprawled on the ground beside the bed as she drank her milk. With no fork for the steak, she improvised with her salad, using it to pick up the meat so as not to dirty her hands. She ate with a smile, known as the indolent princess; neither etiquette nor pride availed her.

"Have you received training from his majesty? In just one day?" The catgirl spoke out. Her confusion was evident as Lily appeared to still be in control of her senses.

"What training? No, I haven't been trained by anyone," Lily innocently replied. It was true; this was her usual nature within the confines of her own bedroom, known only to her previous maid.

"Alright, stay there while I clean," the catgirl responded. After tidying up the room, Lily suddenly embraced her from behind.

"Nyaa!"

"Ahh, an animalkin! I couldn't resist these ears and tail any longer while you cleaned the room!" Lily exclaimed as she began to stroke and caress the fluffy catkin features.

"Nyaa! Don't touch me! Aren't nobles and royals supposed to despise beastkin like us?!" The catgirl was taken aback.

"Come on, you know that's a political pretense! If we truly hated you, how could you even work here?" Lily said, continuing to tickle the catgirl's ears. A surge of electricity ran through her as she let out a moan. "See, see, I'm quite skilled at this."

The catgirl quickly halted her, her face turning red. She was surprised at how effortlessly she stopped Lily's hand. Most royals were high-level individuals, but the fact that she could stop Lily indicated that she held a considerably higher level.

"Alright, I've finished cleaning. Bye-bye!" she exclaimed before storming out.

"Wait! Please tell me your name!" Lily called after her but was ignored as the maid hastily departed.

"There she goes again... I wonder why all these beastkin seem to avoid me," Lily whispered as she gazed out the window, observing the towering skyscrapers and magiplanes soaring above.

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"Why did we lose?" Lily murmured to herself. Being an outcast within the royal court, she had been unaware of their impending defeat in the war until the knights in foreign armored suits breached the palace.

Referring to the place she now resided as a castle felt peculiar, with its concrete walls adorned with vibrant wallpapers contradicting the notion of medieval structures. Fortresses had been invented fifty years ago, but kings and nobility had rejected them, opting instead to construct mansions within its confine. It was such a waste of space. However, since this was the capital, there was no fortress, rather, a mansion was built surrounded by a mere decorative wall. Unlike her estate in the Bluebox nation, these walls were thinner and shorter, serving primarily ornamental purposes. Even a level fifty human could easily breach them. Bored, she wandered around the room where she was held captive. Nightfall arrived, and James returned to her room, prepared to indulge her once again.

"Alright, entertain me!" he demanded, taking a seat on the luxurious bed, his gaze menacingly fixed on her. "You can start by stripping!"

Lily trembled with fear. His gaze seemed to devour her, causing her heart to race. Her mind raced to find a way out of this situation, berating herself for not considering an escape plan from this prison earlier in the afternoon.

"Ah... well..."

"Oh, are you flustered? You can start by drinking this potion," James Syahrar said, placing a glass bottle filled with pink liquid on the table. The mere sight of it sent shivers down her spine. Desperately, she searched for a way to protect her innocence.

"Ah! Did Your Highness forget? We haven't finished the story from before!" Lily quickly recalled how she had managed to escape her predicament the day before. She didn't know what absurdity she would spin now, but her life depended on it, much like an author meeting a deadline for their work.

"Oh! That did slip my mind. So, how is the rapist?" James remarked, recalling the case of a serial rapist known as Mr. Smith. Since this story was narrated from a third-person perspective, the name was rementioned to help the audience remember. However, being as indolent as she was, Lily had forgotten the name and only remembered that there was a rapist somewhere within the court facing legal troubles who had used a ridiculous tale involving borrowed boobs as his defense.

"Ah, the rapist presented that tale in court to justify the sexual harassment he had committed," Lily began her tale. James looked at her coldly.

"Tell me, in which part of the court did he present his defense like that? The only place where a defendant can speak freely is during a trial. But what questions would the judge or the prosecuting attorney ask the defendant to produce such an answer?" James tilted his head inquisitively.

"Ahem... This story doesn't belong in either Redbox or Bluebox. It doesn't even belong in the LitRPG Continents," Lily stammered, attempting to navigate the critical research failure pointed out by James.

"I see. Please continue. How does their legal system function?" James pressed on.

"The victim and the criminal present their cases before the judge, speaking their accusations and defenses. Then, the judge delivers the verdict," Lily explained. James found it odd that there was no mention of laws, prosecutors, or attorneys, but he chose to listen nonetheless. After all, if he continued to complain, the story would not progress.

"Alright, please continue," James sighed. He was disappointed with the lack of research in her story, but he decided to entertain her nonetheless. There was amusement in watching her flustered and panicked expressions.

"Ahem. The story began when the criminal was caught molesting a woman. The woman reported the assault to her parents. Anguished by the fact that their daughter had been violated, the parents sought justice and challenged the man to a trial by combat. However, even though the father was highly skilled, his daughter was not. If they continued, she would not only be violated but also put her life at risk. So, they appealed to the judge and attempted to gather evidence," Lily continued, trying her best to fabricate a plausible narrative.

"Then the trial took place. The case gained fame, attracting the attention of mayors and spectators. When the defendant was given the chance to defend himself, he spun a tale to the audience. He confidently stated, 'Women are part men. We are meant to be one. I did her no harm. The terms violation or harassment are grossly overexaggerated since I didn't engage in any violent actions or disparage her. I merely touched her body and appreciated it,'" Lily recounted, mimicking the defendant's words. She spoke like a true politician, devoid of any shame or guilt.

"And then it was time for the judge to hear the victim's plea. Before that, a recess was called, but it was evident that the judge favored the defendant. Moreover, it was also shown that the majority of the audience, mostly males, sympathized with the defendant's cause."

"So, did Mr. Smith win the court case?" James inquired. Unlike Lily, he hadn't forgotten the details of her story. With his perk [Perfect Memory], he remembered every aspect. Furthermore, his [Analyze] skills piqued his curiosity about the outcome of the trial.

"Well, I would like to continue the story. However, it's getting late into the night. I don't want to disrupt your morning routine..." Lily said, glancing at the time. It was only midnight. The indolent princess was used to staying awake until morning, reading light novels or playing games back in her castle. However, her mind was already exhausted from conjuring up the story just now, and her head throbbed from the strain. So, she pleaded with him to wait for the rest of the story until tomorrow.

"True, I have an appointment at six. Alright, good night," James replied, turning on his magiphone to check his schedule. With a sigh, he resigned himself to sleep, even with his skill [Fast Sleeper]. He had to wake up at four tomorrow unless he wanted to skip his morning practice, so it is better to sleep more now.

Lily watched him as he slept. However, unlike the previous night, she didn't dare to sleep in the same bed as him. Instead, she sat on a chair like a statue. But her tired body and the tranquility of the night didn't allow her to stay awake for long, and she eventually dozed off, resting her head on the table before her.

And so, the second night passed for Lily, with her purity still intact.