> Author's Note: This story happens in the year Aidan and Lumina enrolled at the Academy.
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The shaking and clacking of the carriage wheels were only matched by the clopping of the horses' hooves on the road. Every now and then a wheel would catch a rock and bump, making the main occupant of the vehicle even more annoyed.
"I can't believe I have to travel stuck inside this wooden cage for days just to get to a party." The young girl pouted. "I could fly there in a tenth of the time, you know?"
"Yes, and you could get eaten by a griffin, your Highness," The girl's chaperone complemented. "And this is the reason we are in the carriage. For your safety."
"Why isn't there a magical carriage that does not shake? Is it too hard?"
"I don't know if it is too hard, but I know that there are several problems in having one, otherwise we would." The older woman answered, suppressing a sigh.
She didn't want to look improper or give the princess she was escorting any reason to reproach her. But it was a hard pill to swallow that she was the one selected to bear the honor of escorting her Highness Princess Lumina of Yutis to a ball in a neighboring country, Calanthe.
'Honor my ass. It is a testament to my self-control that I haven't beheaded this haughty girl already.' She thought.
But Knight-Captain Theresa Rose hadn't much choice. The road is dangerous, and while Calanthe and Yutis share borders, these borders are a mountain range three to four kilometers tall. Nobody even knows what kind of monsters live there. Or under the mountains for the record. But these monsters are sure of the powerful kill-people-for-fun type. The mana concentration there is higher than in the valley. No, the road to Calanthe has to go through the northern country of Heath.
The Rose family has some ties with Calanthe nobility, but her branch immigrated into Yutis after the big valley was liberated two hundred years ago. Since then the Rose family was a strong supporter of the Yutis dynasty, but they never cut entirely their bonds with Calanthe. Theresa was schooled in the geography, politics, and history of that Kingdom. And that made her the perfect escort for the young princess.
"Lady Theresa? Hello, Lady Theresa?" Lumina called her out.
Theresa was shaken from her musings. It seems she drifted off for some time. The princess looked bored. Even more bored than before.
"What is it, your Highness?" Theresa asked, bowing her head.
"Entertain me, please. You are supposed to entertain me, right?" Her look was one that was half-asking and half-demanding.
"Unfortunately, your Highness, I am unable to comply. Knights are not known for their sense of humor, and my job is to keep your Highness safe, not entertained."
The princess was not amused by the answer. She pouted, huffed, and looked out the window. "Claire would entertain me."
"Claire is your handmaid, your Highness. I'm your guard." She tried to explain. Theresa was puzzled on how the maid could put up with that girl.
"Yes, Claire is much better than you," Lumina answered without looking at the Knight.
"My job is to protect you, I have to be on the lookout for danger." Theresa tried to explain once more.
"And are you?" Lumina looked outside, counting their hundredth forest crossed. Her tally was questionable.
The question caught Theresa unaware. "I beg your pardon, your Highness?"
Lumina turned away from the window, "Are you looking for danger right now?"
"No, your Highness. I guess, the interior of the carriage seems safe, but that is not the point. I'm here, inside, to act as your shield should something happen."
"I can protect myself."
"I'm sure your Highness is very capable of magic. However, having an able and armored body between the most important girl in the Kingdom and danger wouldn't hurt." In the end, Theresa resorted to flattery. It would be so nice if Lumina just slept or kept quiet.
"I guess you do have a point, Captain Rose." Lumina smiled and nodded.
"I am grateful for your Highness' kind words."
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A week later they arrived in Calanthe. The Kindom of Flowers. However, the flowers Calanthe is so famous for are not only of the decorative sort. The fertile soil is home to hundreds of species of medicinal and magical herbs. The Calanthe royal family has fay blood and while it is uncommon, it is not unheard of some members having slightly pointed ears.
They were coming to celebrate the engagement of the country's first princess, Melissa to a prince of another neighboring country, Argyris. Prince Orian is the fourth in the line of succession.
"We finally arrived, your Highness," Theresa commented.
"I can see that, Captain. Thank you for your most timely report."
The carriage entered the wall gates and stopped near the entrance to a beautiful mansion. Multicolored flower beds decorated both sides of the driveway. A line of servants formed on both sides and a man in butler clothes opened the carriage door. Theresa stepped outside and extended her hand for Lumina to come out.
And out she came. A neutral, relaxed face with a slight smile in the mouth, soft, fluid steps and a bearing proper for her station, Lumina almost floated out of the carriage. She made eye contact with Theresa and nodded in approval. The princess briefly glanced at the staff and also nodded at the butler. It was an unrivaled display of grace and beauty as she crossed the walkway to the mansion.
At the top of the few steps leading from the walkway to the porch stood two beautiful women. One dressed in a regal dress that even without meaning to, drew all attention to an ample, wide, glistening and jiggling bosom of its owner and the other with still gaudy but slightly simpler clothes standing to the right and behind the first, obviously a lady-in-waiting or handmaid to the big-busted princess.
As Lumina cleared the steps flanked by Theresa on her right, the older princess clapped her hands together sending a shockwave through the soft flesh in her chest and smiled.
"Princess Lumina of Yutis. It is such a pleasure to host one so illustrious as yourself. We haven't met, I am Melissa, First Princess of Calanthe."
Lumina curtsied and returned the smile. "I'm honored to be a guest to this most important moment of our life, dear Princess Melissa. I regret that some messengers back home will have to be flogged. They failed to make justice when they described your enormous beauty." She was talking about the other princess teats and forcing her bitterness down.
Lumina knew she was quite ahead of the other girls her age and that her own chest was a work of art. However, she could see how anyone, absolutely anyone couldn't help but stare at those, in her own words, bags of fat trying to escape the mounted dress. Even the stern Captain Theresa looked. And even more envious that she was sure there was enough room in Melissa's corset for breathing. She just needed to squeeze some more boob mass out.
Melissa brought a fan to cover her mouth and laughed. "Oh, you flatterer. Were you not a girl I'd cancel my engagement right now. I am just delighted by your sense of humor, my little princess."
The game was on. Melissa knew that Lumina had made a reference to her chest and returned in kind. But then again, she could call anyone little in that context.
"Princess Melissa, allow me to introduce you to Baroness Theresa Rose, Knight-Captain."
Melissa measured Theresa. Sparkling steel plate mail, runed, captain pauldrons, a pretty but modest face, and figure, betraying the strength of the woman inside the metal armor.
"Baroness Rose. Rose, rose. Do you, perchance, have any relatives here in Calanthe?"
"My family is a branch from Viscount Rose that immigrated to Yutis during the liberation war, your Highness."
It disturbed Melissa a little. The surprise and realization flashed in her face but her princess mask returned right away. "Yes, the schism in the Rose family. It is quite a source of sorrow for us, to know of such dark treason within our ranks." Melissa forced her best fake smile, relaxed her posture a little and touched Theresa's vambrace. "But that is ancient history. We are glad that your family survived, dear. And that you earned your place beside our prized friends in Yutis. Yes, yes. You must be tired from the road. Come inside, dear guests, there are refreshments and a warm bath ready for your delight."
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Flower, herb, herb, herb, flower, flower, bush, berry, herb, flower. Oh, a tree. Mushroom, flower, bush, berry, herb. Lumina gave up on even trying to follow the conversation. She was sure there was a dialect made entirely of vegetation-derived substantives, adjectives, and verbs in Calanthe. And by the twelve, how much do they like their plants. She tasted so many types of tea during those two days of inane conversation, flower viewing and tea drinking that her tongue was green. Not literally.
"What gown should I use, Theresa? The blue or the yellow?" There was a green gown too, but she had enough green for a lifetime.
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"Use the green one, your Highness," Theresa recommended.
"I don't want to use the green. I asked blue or yellow. The green dress is rather drab. I want to shine." Again figuratively. With her Light magic affinity, Lumina could literally shine anytime she wanted. "You can have the green, I'm sure you can fit inside with minimal adjustments."
Theresa looked at the two gowns. Both had crystals embroidered into the fabric to catch the light and sparkle. It was a trend in Yutis, everyone wanted to shine. But she also followed Lumina's eyes. She knew the princess was favoring the yellow one.
"I am thankful for your generosity, your Highness, but I'll go in my formal plate and tabard. I'm still your guardian." She pointed at the blue. "Use the blue one and keep the yellow in reserve."
Theresa was afraid of some prank ruining the yellow dress. And she was sure that being the youngest princess in the engagement party would make Lumina a big target. There were too many princesses present. That was a recipe for disaster.
"Nonsense. I'll go with the yellow." Lumina shot Theresa down.
That night, Lumina had to go twice in the same night. She looked at the chamber pot and retched, pushing the disgusting utensil back beneath the bed, carefully so it wouldn't slosh. She had no choice but to go outside and use the garderobe.
Lumina could ask Theresa for another chamber pot, but that would be too much. Theresa was a Baroness and a Knight Captain. She put on some robes and a cloak over her nightgown. Opening the door, she walked outside.
"Moonlight Eyes."
Her spell allowed her eyes to see with even a minimum speck of light. With the moonlight filtering in from the sky, it was as good as day.
She was halfway through in the direction of the garderobe when she heard a moan and a muffled scream. Hurried steps came on the other side of a door and she hid. The door opened and a disheveled maid came out. She had a red welt on her cheek, seemed to be crying, and was holding on to her clothes, dressed only with her underpants and a tunic. Even her petticoat was on her arms. She walked away and Lumina could see that she was bleeding between the legs.
"Stupid bitch bled on my cock!" Came an angry male voice from the room. "Fuck."
The man came out of the room. He was naked from the waist down but more important, he was prince Orian of Argyris. Melissa's fiancé. He walked, obviously drunk and entered another room.
Two cries came from the room, both voices female. Lumina sneaked and peeked through the slightly ajar door. Another two maids were on the bed, each one had an arm tied to a pole of the headboard.
"Please, your Highness. Spare us." One of the maids pleaded.
"Did I allow you to talk, whore?" Orian slapped her. The other maid was frozen in terror. "Shut up and don't make a sound or I'll kill you, bitches."
Orian ripped their clothes out, the girls forcing themselves to not scream. Orian stood up on the bed and looked at them.
Lumina went away. She had no stomach to see what was going to happen. she bumped into the door and it creaked.
"Who's there!" Orian shouted.
"Invisibility."
Lumina returned to her corner of the corridor and remained still, invisible. Orian came outside, walked around, his manhood dangling and swinging freely. Satisfied that he found nobody, he returned to the room and closed the door behind him. A metallic sound showed that he had also locked the door.
She went to the garderobe, relieved herself. As she was going back to her own room, she heard muffled whimpering coming from a simple door. These kinds of doors were usually a small chamber for spare bedding, pillows or blankets. A faint light was coming from underneath it.
Lumina opened the door. Inside she found the two girls, huddled and hugging one another. They looked at her and cringed. There was an oil lamp hanging from a chain in the ceiling.
"Please don't hurt us." One of them spoke. Lumina recognized the voice.
"Shh. Poor things worry not." She spoke with a soft voice. "I'm here to help, not harm."
Lumina entered the cabinet, stepping over a mop and kneeled next to the girls. They looked at her and recognized the person.
"Your Highness Lumina. Please get away. Don't bother yourself with us." There was a deadly fear in their voice. They were shivering.
Lumina blinked too hard and tears rolled down her cheek. "I cannot. This is too terrible. Allow me to help." The princess reached with a hand and touched the cheek of the maid.
"Healing Light."
"Cleansing Waters."
Even though Ceres taboo forbade avoiding pregnancy, there was an exception for girls in their situation. Used against their will. Lumina healed and cleansed the maids.
"Go to your quarters and take this cloak with you. Tomorrow, seek Baroness Rose in her chambers and show her my cloak. Ask for sanctuary."
The maids nodded. Lumina left.
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"So, girls. Allow me to introduce you the up and coming star to our group, Princess Lumina of Yutis!" Melissa over-the-top introduction of her 'friend' was received with muffled claps fake smiles by the other princesses gathered. It was the beginning of the engagement party, and they were enjoying a late afternoon tea. Then a dinner party, a ball and the engagement ceremony.
"Oh, Lumina, your hair is so pretty!" Said a fox-kin princess from a nation to the east of Calanthe. Lumina's elder brother Lucien fought in that country against a horde of anubises, half-jackal, half-man monsters.
"You are gorgeous, my darling." Another princess, a draconian commented. They had mostly humanoid features, but their necks, torsos, arms, and legs were covered in scales and they had dragon horns.
Some of the girls here she knew, a few she even met before. Quiet on the other side of the long tea table was Pearl of House Juvela, a neighbor to the southeast of Yutis. Lumina waved her hand at the other princesses.
"So, we have a test we do with all new princesses to our group," Melissa spoke. "Here we have some gravy encased in a caramel drop. It is tied inside this napkin. your job is to untie the napkin carefully, so no gravy spills out of the caramel. It is easy for one as gracious as you."
The other princesses nodded, not-so-friendly smiles in their faces. Lumina knew there was some sort of trick to this, maybe this was a hazing. However, she was silently pressured into trying. She was the youngest princess present. Others younger than she could be around, but they were not allowed in this kind of party.
She was about to pick the thing up to look closely, but Melissa held her hand. "No. Don't lift it. Just untie the knot, it is super easy."
The crowd of tiara-wearing girls nodded. Lumina suppressed a sigh and went for the knot. It was not hard, she could see that the knot was not tightly tied. She unraveled part of it, then another, making sure to do graceful and light movements. She heard encouragement from the other princesses and got confident. Another knot went by and she unfolded the napkin, revealing the crystalized caramel drop.
It jumped toward her. She could see a coil beneath. The delicate caramel hit Lumina's chin and broke, splashing gravy all over the girl.
Most of the princesses burst into laughter. They pointed, laughed, jeered and uttered malicious whispers.
"Oh, my. I think that was not gracious enough, my dear Lumina." Melissa mocked.
Lumina had to hold herself back to not attack those bitches. Wretched hyenas, gibbering vultures. She just clenched her fists and walked away to her chambers. She was so disturbed she didn't even think of using water magic to cleanse herself.
Lumina reached her room, locked the door and ripped off the gown. She undressed completely and tried to wipe the gravy with the ruined clothes. It was mixed with ink.
"Cleansing Waters."
Some gravy came out, but the ink was oily in nature. Naked in front of the mirror, Lumina looked at herself. Her face had ink, shoulders, even her decolletage. Some spilled on her hair.
This would burn most of her mana, but she would not suffer this indignation.
"Light Purge."
She used the spell in its maximum setting. Searing light enveloped the princess in a cylinder. All impurities on her body, even dead skin flaked away by the light. If she had not such a high Light affinity, it could even give her skin first-degree burns.
Lumina looked at herself after the light went out. Her hair had a brightness, entirely clean of any grime. The ink was gone and her skin had a healthy tone. She used a burst of wind to wipe away the dust from her spell and dove into her bed. Crisis averted, she cried.
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Lumina woke up and it was night already. her back hurt a bit from sleeping exposed. From the window, she could hear the music. They were already dancing. She missed the dinner party. She felt hungry when she remembered that, but there should be food in the side tables of the dance floor. She put on her blue gown and went to the party without a corset. how good was it to be free, to breathe.
The princess walked down a corridor and heard a muffled scream and a moan. Looking around, she found herself in a familiar section of the castle. She rolled her eyes and felt the rage boiling.
She kicked the door and inside found Prince Orian, assaulting another maid.
"Who the fuck..." The prince turned to curse and met Lumina's eyes.
"Mesmerize."
Her spell hit the mind of the lecherous man and she felt his will submitting to hers.
"Move away from the bed and lay on all fours on the ground like a dog." She ordered and the man did as she said. Lumina addressed the maid. "Go. You have my sentiments, this is awful. I'll punish this man in your stead."
The maid tried to smile but she burst into tears, gathered her ruined clothes and ran out.
Lumina moved next to the man. "Look in my eyes. What do you want the most to do in this castle?"
"I want to fuck those huge tits of that bitch Melissa."
"You deserve each other." She commented, but that was not an order. However, the hypnotized man parroted her.
"We deserve each other."
Lumina wanted to kick the man, but she was too disgusted to think of touching that vermin. She thought of shoving a sword in his ass, now that it was sunny-side-up, but she thought of a more devious plan.
"Listen up, you sorry excuse for a prince. This is what you'll do."
She explained her plan to the mesmerized Prince Orian. As she was about to leave, she gave him one last order. "Follow my orders, but forget everything about me. You never met me."
And a pleased princess strutted back into the ballroom.
Theresa found her ward stuffing her mouth with the food on a corner table.
"Where were you, Lumina? What happened to your yellow gown?"
"Oh. You were right, Baroness Rose. I should've used the green one for the dinner party and changed afterward. Please forgive me." Lumina seemed happy in a creepy way, Theresa noted. "Please stay with me, Captain. I sense trouble tonight." She whispered. Theresa rested a hand on the pommel of her sword.
Lumina kept eating and drinking like a ravenous desert traveler when Pearl approached.
"Princess Lumina. I'm sorry I couldn't warn you."
Lumina met Pearl's eyes. She smiled. "Oh, Pearl. We can call each other without our titles, can't we. I know dear. I saw your face. I'm thankful that you were one of the few that didn't laugh."
Pearl looked away, "It happened to me too."
"Let bygones be bygones, my dear. Let's enjoy the party, I heard the entertainment tonight will be marvelous." She declared with a lot of schadenfreude.
The dance continued, music after music. The King and Queen descended from the royal balcony and made a long speech about how this wedding would unite Calanthe and Argyris. They brought Melissa forward and stopped. The fiancé was nowhere to be seen.
Silence.
"Where is Prince Orian?" Melissa asked.
And his voice came from the balcony. "Oh, yes! Melissa you milk cow, how delightful are your bosoms! Yeah, moan for me bitch! Oh, right jiggle those jugs for me!" Among moans and other obscenities, Prince Orian appeared in the balcony, wearing his birthday gala suit and jerking off.
"What the hell is happening here! Orian what are you doing there! That's obscene!" Melissa shouted.
"Stop this indecency this moment, young man!" King Calanthe shouted.
The crowd went wild. Shouts, comments, giggles, damsels that probably never looked at a naked man fainted.
The Calanthe royal family was right in front of the balcony, on the ground level.
Orian came and jizzed all over them, but he aimed at Melissa. The queen tried to cover her daughter and got the brunt of the slimy fluid.
Pearl was frozen, covering her eyes. Lumina whispered.
"Dismiss Mesmerize."
Orian came back to his senses. He looked around.
"What the fuck!"
The entire ballroom started to scream and claim for justice.
"Come with me, princess. I need your help." Lumina took Pearl and Theresa and they sneaked out and back to the guest rooms.
"Please tell me that wasn't your doing," Pearl asked.
"That wasn't your doing," Lumina laughed and parroted Pearl. "By the way, Theresa, are those girls safe?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Bring them here. I think my friend Pearl has to hear their story. I have a favor to ask, Pearl. Shelter these girls and take them with you to Gohar. I'll give you gold so they can start a new life there. I'm afraid I can't do that myself because they will suspect me and execute these girls just to spite me."
The two maids came in and told Pearl their story.
"Don't worry Lumina. I'll help them." Pearl promised.
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The shaking and clacking of the carriage wheels were only matched by the clopping of the horses' hooves on the road. Every now and then a wheel would catch a rock and bump, but nothing could wipe the smug smile off the face of the vehicle's most important passenger.
"Prince Orian was executed. There's talk of war between Calanthe and Argyris. I hope you are happy." Commented an annoyed Baroness and Knight-Captain by the name of Theresa Rose.
Lumina covered her mouth to avoid cackling.
"Oh, Theresa. You know what they say about vengeance..."