At night, Drak made himself ready to go to bed. In the Bath he wiped himself with a wet, hot towel to clean away anything, but it was only because of his upbringing. The Silver Ring on himself is an enchanted Ring with the [Cleanse] cantrip on it. While it is always active he is at most sweaty but cleaned back to pristine condition right after the sweat evaporated.
He found the ring in his early time, as it was viewed as defective. Normally it should be some kind of ring that uses the residue Magic to cleanse the wielder when activated, but without any activation trigger, it was working all the time. Normal people would be drained of magic in a few days if worn, and even higher Mages would feel the drain a bit annoying for so little return, so it was sold as scrap Material.
“Drak, let me help you with your back~”
“Huh? Ah! Alice, I am unclothed! Do not come in here like it is nothing!”
“I am Masters Maid, and have a duty to fulfil~”
“I am already twelve! I can do it on my own now!”
“While I know this, your body is slightly different and we Maids will help you reach places, you would miss otherwise. Please do not struggle~”
“But…! Hah, alright.”
Hurriedly throwing a towel around his lower body Drak resigned himself to his fate. In the eyes of the older Maids, he must still look like a child, but he himself has other problems which came with getting older. While it would maybe solve the problem if he said it, he was too embarrassed to mention it for one.
Alice in a night gown wiped clean Drak’s back and dried all spots he himself might have missed otherwise. While Drak was slightly red in the face, Alice did just smile and work diligently and carefully.
“Finished Master. Do you want me to help you put on the night gown~?”
“It… it is alright. Please take care of yourself first. I need a minute… or five… alone for a while before making myself ready. You still need to take care of your Hair, don’t you?”
“How considerate of you Master, then I will take my leave~”
When Alice left the Bath, Drak took deep breaths to slow his beating heart. When he felt better, he just stood up, put on his nightgown and started to go to his Bedchamber.
Inside the chamber Celia and Seria were waiting. Standing side by side and having a smile on their faces.
“Good evening Master. Let us go to bed, shall we?”
Nodding he lied down on his side. While Celia were lying down in front of him, Seria hugged him from the back. Every night they did this and it was not at all strange to them in the slightest.
Holding him they felt him shiver a bit. They knew he still was just a child inside and all the happenings had him traumatized. Today he was shivering more than other days, they noticed how the meeting had impacted him.
Both said nothing and just held him tight for a while. The shivering took a time to abate but they were patient and gave him all the time he needed.
“Seria?”
“Yes Master?”
“Am I a Monster?”
“No Master, you are not.”
“Sometimes I feel that way.”
“We know Master. But be assured you are not. We know you better than anyone else, and you are the furthest from a Monster as it possibly gets.”
“What Sister Seria said. You are the kindest Master, and we love you for that.”
“...thank you.”
Still the shivering took a while to fully stop, but after falling asleep Ceila and Seria also closed their eyes, while they were a slight bit wet around the corners of their eyes.
-
A new School day and after the first few Lectures, in the Mensa for their Lunch break.
“...~”
“In which way different?”
“Their magical gear got changed Master. Instead of minor true sight, the guards and the Princess have steady mind and Mental reading inhibition on them.”
“Huh… Clever, but still a miss. Now at least I know what the problem is. Alice take one extra.”
Putting something secretly on the table there was a black round pill with silvery specks on it. The Pill was only shortly there, as it was scooped up by Alice in a move which ended in pouring more Tea for Drak.
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“...~”
“I know they are bitter. It is the only way for now to inhibit Precognition. You sadly need to take them now bi weekly and not only monthly any more.”
“...~”
“Sorry about it. Did not think your body would be that resistant even to those pills. We need to find better ways to ward it of.”
“We already surveyed for alternatives. There is the method of using the warding tattoos with Snow ink as mentioned but…”
“Yeah, the problem is Celia and I, right Seria?”
“I am sorry about that.”
“We could just use it on the three of you, for now.”
“...~”
“I agree with Alice Master. If you have to take it, we will too. No special treatment please.”
“Raja… Okay, we need more ways, but please not the pouch with different entrails.”
“Do not worry Master, I never thought about this method to begin with. There might be amulets with similar affinities, but are harder to find.”
“We search a better way. In exchange for making you take two a month Alice I will make it up to you.”
“...~”
“I want to take two a Month too!”
“You don’t need to Celia.”
“Mou!”
-
“Is everything okay Drak?”
Eleonora asks in the short pause between Classes. While she is a bit less talkative this week, she seems to still try her best to have a good relationship with her desk partner.
“Ah, yeah. I am just a bit winded from the meeting with my Siblings. Not every family is harmonic, but I do not mind.”
Behind them a voice was heard, albeit it was silent it was enough to be heard by both of them.
“Serves someone like you right.”
Eleonora snapped her head right at the person talking with a scowl. It was the same Duke that already had a scuffle with Drak. He forced to switch seat with the one right behind Drak to have a better sight on Eleonora, when she looks to the side, but still kept the grudge of not being able to sit right next to her.
Realizing he was overheard he looked right at his book and cursed inwardly for his bad luck. While thinking he was in the clear he looked up and still saw the death glare of Eleonora and buried his head right back into his book.
* sigh * “Drak, not everyone thinks that narrow like that guy. Do not take it to heart.”
“I am used to it, do not worry. People that can only bark have no actual power.”
“What did you say?!”
Standing up and full of anger he looked at Drak with a red face and was about to explode. He got never embarrassed like that before. In his Duchy he was praised to all heaven, and here a fat, white blob made him to a laughingstock like that.
“Do you dare to duel with me?!”
“I am under no obligation to duel you. Also I am barred from fighting class, so it makes it even less of an honour for you to duel with someone like me. What? Are you duelling a Servant next?”
Nearly exploding the guy breathed a few breaths before getting his anger down.
“That is right! You are as lowly as a Servant! Now that you know your place, polish my shoes for me and I might forgiv-”
Finally Eleonora exploded.
“CHARLES BENEDICT! You are a stain on your Dukedom and an embarrassment for every single Aristocrat in this Empire! If you do not cease your harassment on your fellow Classmate I WILL file a complaint to the Headmaster!”
While many Problems can be turned legally into a bloody mess, this is one of the occasions he might be in deeper trouble if it was known to the Headmaster. The Rules were lenient and can even be exploited, but there is a line for everything.
If someone dies in a Duel and it is known to be malicious there could be an entry at the end of the Certificate of ‘did kill a Classmate in a Duel’ at most. Some even saw this entry as an honour, even if it made some steps in the Fiefdom a bit more problematic, but an entry of ‘dishonoured a fellow classmate of the same Rank’, this would be something that would ruin the reputation forever.
If Eleonora really made it public it had a high possibility to become a real blemish, especially as she is an Imperial Princess and has high sway.
‘Everyone in the School is equal’ goes only so far. He never would believe her words would not be prioritized.
“I am sorry Eleonora, I will be silent.”
Quickly he sat down again and hid behind his book. Eleonora wanted to make him apologize to Drak, but how fast Charles escaped behind his wall of books she could only grit her teeth. While she could make a fuss, it would be too suspicious to be that friendly with Drak, showing too much enthusiasm and favour for him.
‘Just noting him down and maybe I can help Drak later. If we can put Drak in the central Domain for an easy job, the Merchant might stay near his dummy and be controllable.’
-
“How was School Master?”
Celia asked cutely at the afternoon dinner before leaving the School.
“It was okay. A bit stressful as Charles made some noise, but Eleonora kept him down.”
“Charles, Master?”
Right at that point Raja opened the small black Book.
“Target Number Four in School. Charles Benedict. Son of Duke Malcom Benedict of a western Kingdom. Hot temper and aggressive, as their Family is keeping the Fief in tow by heavy handedness. Has no female Servants as his Father forbid him having some after he assaulted one and had a miscarriage. If he had a child with eleven he would only shame the Family especially if it is outside a marriage and not even with someone of Aristocracy.”
“How do you… Never mind.”
Drak gave up to know how Raja already has so much Information. He knew some of the Bloodsworn were rather good in Information gathering and it would better to leave that to Raja and Seria who knew more than him of that kind of stuff.
“Ah, that guy with the glare. He wants a beating?”
“...~”
“Or we can set up a scandal. He seems to have a hot temper, so there are options.”
While Raja carefully put away the book, the other three Maids were discussing his demise, but Drak did not care. If he made him problems, he would handle him, when they are at that point.