It had been a couple weeks now since the new King had been summoned to Ositania. On another bustling day in the capital city of Pearie, Bella stood at her flower stand as usual, greeting the occasional customer while smiling and waving at passerby. Her thoughts, though, were to the couple she had met several days before. The whole interaction had been a bit...odd. The young man, Mac, had given her a gold coin, saying he didn't have any smaller coins, and insisted she should take it, saying he would get more flowers from her in the future, but he hadn't come back since. Nor had she seen his wife, Melissandra, around either. It's possible they lived in a different part of the city, but it seemed odd that, even after inviting and getting to know them over dinner, neither had shown up again at all. Even with the dinner, she was still much indebted to them.

Additionally, seeing the young, flirty couple had awakened something in her husband. While Ben had always been good to her, lately he had been more affectionate than normal, especially in bed. She was wondering if they might end up with another child soon. That wouldn't be so bad, she thought, smiling at the idea of another kid. We're fine financially and the other two are old enough Aunty could look after another at this point. Maybe we could offer to look after Mac and Mel's child too once they have one. She assumed those two would have a child in no time, based on how close they seemed.

Bella, thinking of their two future children playing together, sighed while leaning her head on her stand. I hope they come back soon. I don't have many younger friends to talk to about this stuff with...

Sneezing, Melissandra took out a handkerchief, wiping her nose. I wonder if Mac is thinking of me... she thought, bringing a smile to her own face, as she packed clothes for herself in a trunk. The next day, she would be in the King's entourage that was leaving the palace. While they were going incognito, she was going to be dressed up as a maid on their journey still, since it fit in with the disguise of Mac as a traveling merchant, while their guards would be dressed as mercenaries instead of royal guardsmen. While the main roads were generally safe enough, they couldn't take any chances with Mac. Most citizens wouldn't dream of doing something to the King, but bandits wouldn't blink twice about robbing and murdering them.

Melissandra shook her head. No, we should be fine. In a pinch we can defend ourselves too. Err, well, I can...Mac might hurt himself again she thought, remembering his first attempts at using magic. While she hadn't been there, she had helped with the aftermath. And while it had led to a nice moment between then, she would rather he didn't cause harm to himself in the future.

Going through her outfits, she made sure to pack several of her non-maid outfits, including the one she had worn into town the day she and Mac had snuck out. Remembering the day fondly, she was hoping they would get several opportunities to do similar things during the journey. She had been able to advance her plan forward, and Mac, for his part, seemed to enjoy going along with it despite knowing what her goal was. Did that mean he had already decided on taking her and was just waiting for the right time? Or maybe he enjoyed her advances? Or could he possibly just not know what he wanted? Regardless, things definitely weren't going badly, so it was fine for now. 'For now' being the important part. I'm not waiting forever, especially when other woman are bound to start getting close to him soon.

Besides her though, Mac hadn't really talked to many woman as of yet. Ignoring the marriage offer introductions (which could barely be counted) and Marie, who was the Magistrate, he had really only talked to maids, and even then only her and Kay had made any sort of connection with the King. I wonder if Kay will really be happy with the way things are she thought, thinking of her cat-eared friend on the maid staff. While Kay had said she would support her getting with Mac, she wondered if Kay was just being a good friend, and waiting to try and pursue him later. If anything, she would be ecstatic to have Kay as a fellow concubine, knowing she would have at least one other in the royal family to work with. Of course with Mac, just throwing woman in front of him wasn't the way to go about winning his attention. It was more up to how he felt, and how Kay felt...

Kay sneezed, almost losing her balance, before leaning back onto the broom she was holding. Errk, I hope Tillie isn't thinking about me, I was hoping to slack off a bit more... She was currently cleaning the royal bath, and was using the opportunity to get some 'rest' in, out of the watchful eye of the head maid.

She was a bit sad about the upcoming trip. Melissandra would be leaving with Mac, and while she got along well enough with the other maids, some of them were a bit jealous of the time she and Mel had been spending with the King. While nothing had happened (Mel had been very insistent!) they still ended up occupying a large part of his attention. Mac had said he was fine with Kay being there too, but she sometimes skipped out on their tea sessions to give Mel more 'alone' time with him.

Kay sighed, thinking over the conundrum she had found herself in. I don't want to get in the way, but I'd like to try pursuing him as well...

The summoned King seemed to be a bit of an odd one though. Despite Melissandra throwing herself at him, he hadn't slept with her, instead opting for some odd courtship/relationship that Kay couldn't really understand. They both seemed happy, though. I'm not sure I can win his affection anyway...Kay thought, looking down at her B-cup chest. No! I have my selling points too! My ears and tail are irresistible! I'll turn him into a catgirl fanatic like my father! she thought, pumping her fist. Of course, I'm not gonna jump in front of Mel...I'll just wait and see how things turn out for them.

Hurriedly facing away from his lunch, Mac sneezed hard enough his chair shook.

“Bless you, sire” the maid waiting behind him said, with a smile.

“Thanks,” he responded, wiping his nose with a napkin. I'm guessing they imported that from our world he thought. After a couple weeks in this new world, he had come to the conclusion that, despite being a fantasy world, many of the customs and sayings were actually from his previous world, either directly or with a few modifications.

His thoughts quickly turned back to the upcoming trip he was about to undertake the next day. He was going to be exploring the country that he was now supposed to be King of. While they hadn't had the official coronation yet (which apparently needed to wait until he had a Queen!) he was already acting King by virtue of having been summoned to this world. The trip was partly so he could see Ositania, the kingdom he was in charge of, which according to custom was always ruled by Otherworlders, as they called them, or their descendants. He had only been summoned because the previous royal family had died out.

That was the other reason for the trip. In addition to seeing the country, he also needed to visit his marriage candidates. He needed to make sure and have children (or if Marie has her way, many children) in order to prevent another scenario where the royal family dies out again. Of course, as of now Mac was only scheduled to visit one of the marriage candidates, Eleanor of House Cartegna. Part of her marriage offer was the entire estate of House Cartegna, which would be a huge boon to the royal demesnes, and Eleanor herself already had experience running the administration of a House, so having her as part of the royal family, helping run the kingdom, would also be a huge help.

That said, Mac still had problems accepting the arrangement. Despite Marie saying repeatedly that, if he were to accept Eleanor's offer, she would probably be the happiest woman in all of Ositania, he wasn't so easily convinced. I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much now, I'll wait until I'm actually there.

Daydreaming as she looked through the window in her office, Eleanor sneezed. Oh, maybe the King is thinking of me! she thought. Getting excited about the possibility, she quickly picked up the letter on her desk, reading it again, the third time this lunch break.

Eleanor,

As I am sure you already know, the King will be visiting you soon as part of a trip to visit and get to know some of the marriage candidates before choosing any Queens. That is the official statement, however, I wanted to let you know some confidential information related to this trip. I feel I may risk the ire of the King, but I believe it is worth it to inform you of the following:

1. First, and I'm sure most importantly for your sake, the King has no issue with your curse eyes. You may have guessed that based on your being chosen as a potential candidate, but in truth, he actually complimented their appearance when I asked about them. I told him of the superstition around them in our world, but he merely shrugged it off.

2. To add to this, he seemed to have a positive opinion of your appearance. The King specifically used the term 'gorgeous' so there should be no issue in physical interest. He can be hard to read though, especially when it comes to women.

3. The King has no issue with you being beyond normal marriageable age, despite being taught our customs around such.

4. Your father's comment on your ability to run your House effectively seemed of great interest to the King. I believe he sees you as a potential asset to the royal family. I do think he also sees the value of adding House Cartegna's estate to the royal demesne, but he didn't seem to place much importance there. Again, the King can be hard to read.

5. Lastly, and this especially must not be spread around, but you are actually the only candidate being visited, at least as of now. To be clear, the King only showed any real interest in you amongst the offers, so make of that what you will.

I know some of these may be hard to believe, but I swear on the Stone they are all from conversations I had with the King.

I believe our interests in this situation align. I understand yours and House Cartegna's situation. I would like to see the King married, or at least enter into an engagement, as soon as possible to help secure the royal line. As someone who was there for every step of the process, you were by far the only candidate to pique his Majesty's interest, so I am putting my hopes in you.

The summoned King can be a bit odd, especially when it comes to our customs and practices. If you think you need help winning him over, speak with the maid accompanying him, Melissandra. As of now she is the only woman he has gotten close to, and she understands the importance of the situation, so she should be able to help get an idea of what the King is thinking.

A letter will be sent by Melissandra a day or two before arrival. The King is doing some 'sightseeing' on the way there so we don't have an exact date as of yet.

Sincerely,

Marie Lorraine, Magistrate of Ositania

P.S. Outside of my official role, I really do hope the best for you. I think you and Mac will get along.

Finishing the letter again, Eleanor wiped a few tears of happiness she got every time she read it. I can't believe I feel like this just from a letter...

Eleanor was twenty-seven, long past the normal upper limit of marriageable age. While it had rarely been said to her face, she knew the reason she had never received any interest was due to the superstition around her different colored curse eyes. It hadn't helped that her family circumstances had almost reinforced the appearance of a curse. Her mother had taken sick and died while she was still young, and all her brothers had been killed during the last war, leaving only herself and her father to run House Cartegna. Her father had refused to take another wife and have children, instead dedicating himself instructing her on running a house, along with trying to set up marriage offers for her, although the latter was to no avail.

Now, while she had submitted herself as a marriage offer as almost just a formality, the tiniest hope she had of the Otherworlder King showing interest in her had somehow happened. For her, it felt like almost a miracle.

Of course, showing interest and accepting the offer were two different things. She knew she needed to pull out all the stops to win the King over, even if it called for some unconventional methods.

Although based on what Marie said, maybe just seducing him isn't enough? It sounds like this maid going with him isn't a concubine, but still a lover? Either way I'll need to make sure and talk with her...

Deciding she should send a thank you letter to Marie, she grabbed a pen and started writing.

Sneezing so hard she dropped her pen, Marie shook her head. I hope I'm not getting sick, I don't have time for that now.

Quickly picking it up and continuing writing, she needed to make sure everything was in order for the King's departure tomorrow.

However, once the King left there wouldn't be that much to do. Her workload would actually decrease without needing to give lessons to the King, and she was leaving looking after the King in the hands of Melissandra. While she trusted Melissandra implicitly, she was a bit worried how things would turn out between her and the King. In truth, she wouldn't be surprised if Melissandra ended up becoming pregnant during the trip, but with how unpredictable Mac was, anything could happen. Well, I don't think he has any desire to return to his world, at least not right now, so I think we're okay there.

Shaking her head so as to not dwell on the thought, she returned to the letter she had been writing, which pertained to sending advanced guards along the route the King would be taking, and bulking up security in the towns he was visiting. While it shouldn't be that dangerous, Marie was taking no chances. The Kingdom couldn't afford to lose Mac, especially right now. I should probably confirm with La Hire the retinue for the King tomorrow.

Despite a tickle in his nose, Captain La Hire did not sneeze. In fact he did not move at all, besides his eyes scanning over his men. As recently appointed Captain of the Royal Guard, he stood over the other guards, watching as they drilled with spears, taking turns stabbing at their partners shield, before raising theirs to be stabbed at. While a normal drill, everyone was intensely focused today, as La Hire would be choosing guardsmen who would be accompanying the King on his first foray out of the palace.

While he wasn't happy that he and his men would be dressing as mercenaries, he did understand the reasoning once Marie explained it. Still, it feels debasing to my pride as a guardsman.

At twenty-three, La Hire was young for a Captain, although even at that age he already had years of experience. He had joined the military as soon as he was old enough, fighting only at the tail end of the previous war, but it had been enough to distinguish him among his peers and secure a spot as a royal guardsman. Of course, for a few years he had had no King to guard, so they had mostly fought off bandits in the surrounding area, although it meant the forests around the capital were all relatively safe compared to the rest of the Kingdom. The previous Captain had retired a few months prior, saying that a new King meant there should be a new Captain. La Hire, popular with the other men for his bravery, had been an easy choice.

He, along with the other guardsman, had been riding a wave of enthusiasm now that they had a King to guard. There were rumors one of the maids was really popular with the King too, so there may even be an actual family to guard soon. But the odd circumstances of this marriage candidate visiting had put a bit of a damper on the mood.

No, I can't let the men see me like this. I need to keep the proper attitude. I'm sure everything will work out. And if not, I'll make it work out.

“Alright men, take five, then we'll be deciding the contingent joining the King tomorrow.”

Journey Start

* The next day -

The entourage going with the King wasn't a large one. They had one wagon that carried supplies, and one carriage for Mac (and Melissandra) to sit in. They would not be taking the royal carriage, as that would defeat their purpose of going incognito, but instead of riding in a less ornate, but still fairly nice, carriage that was normally used by the maids or other staff accompanying the royal family on trips.

Along with them, a dozen royal guards dressed as mercenaries, along with the Captain La Hire, who Mac was meeting formally for the first time (although Captain La Hire had been in the room for the summoning ceremony).

“My lord, this is Captain La Hire. He has sworn his life to protect the Ositanian royal family” Marie said, introducing him to Mac while the wagon was being loaded.

“Nice to meet you” Mac said, giving a small nod of his head.

“Myself as well, my lord. I'll defend you to the death if needed” La Hire responded, giving a deep bow onto one knee.

“Thanks, but please don't die on my account if you can help it...” Mac said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“But my lord, every guardsman-”

Marie jumped in to avoid any issues “He merely means to protect yourself as well, La Hire. No taking risks if they can be avoided.”

“Of...of course!” La Hire responded, standing at attention and giving a salute. “I'll let the men know to be cautious.”

As La Hire went over to give orders to the guardsman loading the wagon, Marie turned to Mac and Melissandra.

“Mel, make sure you keep an eye on the King, I'm sure you know the importance of both the importance of this trip and his safety.”

“Of course,” Melissandra responded, giving a proper curtsy.

“Mac, make sure to take care of Melissandra. I won't forgive you if anything were to happen to her.”

“Wait, why am I the one getting threatened!?” Mac responded, incredulously.

Marie shook her head, “Would you forgive someone if they did something to Mel?”

“...No” Mac responded after a pause.

Melissandra turned her head away, slightly embarrassed by the way they were both talking about her.

“Mel will be writing to me regularly regarding your trip, so let me know if anything is needed. I believe we discussed you were heading to Loren first?”

Loren was a medium-sized town a couple days out from the capital, and roughly on the way to the Cartegna estate, so it seemed like an obvious choice to make a stop at.

“Yes, we'll probably spend a bit of time there, and then decide the next destination.”

Marie nodded. “Good. I don't mind you taking your time, but make sure you don't keep Eleanor waiting too long.”

Mac simply nodded. He still didn't know how he felt about meeting her, but he didn't intend to shirk the meeting at this stage.

“Alright, best be on your way” Marie finished, before turning back to walk inside the palace.

Mac and Melissandra got into the carriage (Melissandra tried to have Mac go in first, but Mac insisted on helping her up instead) and with that they were on their way.

They hadn't been on the road for more than a minute before Melissandra spoke up. “Should we stop in the capital? I was thinking it would be nice to see Bella and Ben again.”

“Uh...I guess I'm not against it, but I didn't expect to be stopping so soon.”

“It should be fine. We could at least see if Bella is at her stall and invite her to lunch.”

“Alright, that shouldn't affect us too much” Mac nodded. “Why don't we go to that cafe again?”

Melissandra smiled, “I agree, I'm sure she would enjoy that too.” After that, she stood up and start untying her maid outfit.

“Hold on, hold on, why are you undressing!?” Mac let out, half-covering his eyes.

Mel stopped and looked at him. “I don't want Bella to see me in my maid outfit, so I'll change into the dress from last time.”

“Okay, that makes sense, but why are you changing here in front of me!?”

Mel made a show of looking to either side, “Where else should I change?”

“Okay, okay, can you wait until we're there so I can get out?”

“We don't want to waste time, right?” Melissandra responded. “Besides, I have undergarments on, and it's not like I mind if you want to watch me” she added, a hint of red on her cheeks, as she started removing her clothes again.

Mac, deciding to take more direct action, grabbed and held her hand. “Please just wait until we stop. I don't need you making me excited when we're supposed to be having lunch with a friend.”

Mac calculated correctly, and Melissandra let go of her outfit and sat back down, still holding his hand. “Oh fine, you know how to twist me around” she said, a bit red but with a sly smile.

“I just know you like holding hands,” Mac responded, a bit red himself and scratching his cheek.

“Well, you'll need to go a bit farther each time you want something,” Melissandra smiled back.

Having let Captain La Hire know they wanted to stop in the capital, they parked in the area around the cafe. While the guards were a bit confused at first, Mac explained that Melissandra wanted to say hi to a friend before they left, so they were going to grab her and stop by a cafe for a bit. When Melissandra stepped out of the carriage, wearing the blue blouse and white skirt from their first visit to the capital, the other guards looked a bit shocked. Their faces then changed to smirks seeing her grab the King's hand and take off down the street.

“I think you surprised them a tad,” Mac whispered to her as they walked away hand in hand.

“Of course, I was wearing a maid outfit earlier.”

“No, I mean, it's definitely because of how you look in that” Mac corrected her.

No matter how you looked at her, Melissandra was extremely attractive in that outfit. She looked like a young noblewoman (which, technically, she was) and would occasionally draw the gaze of passerby.

Melissandra merely squeezed his hand in response. Is that a thanks for the compliment? Yeah I'll just go with that.

After a bit of walking, they worked their way over to where Bella's flower stand was.

Lighting up when she saw them, Bella waved both her arms as she saw them approaching. “I'm so glad to see you! I thought you had forgotten all about lil' old Bella and her flowers. Here, here!” she added, giving Mac a white flower.

Melissandra leaned in expectantly towards Mac, and he tied the flower into her hair as he had before.

“Of course we didn't forget, we've just been busy. Right dear?” Melissandra replied, cupping the flower to show it off.

“Oh, yes, sorry. It's been non-stop from sunup til sundown” Mac added, truthfully. Besides the occasional tea-time, he had been kept busy with lessons and meetings with Marie the past few days in preparation for leaving the palace.

“Well, I'm glad you were able to stop by. Please, come over for dinner again! I'm sure Ben would be happy to see you.”

Melissandra shook her head, “Actually, we're going to be doing a bit of traveling, we just wanted to stop by for a bit. We can't stay long, but would you care to join us for lunch?

“Oh, of course! I'm honored you'd spend your precious free time with me” Bella responded, closing up her stall quickly.

“Nonsense, I've wanted to have a young, married friend to talk to occasionally,” Melissandra explained.

“Haha, I don't know if 'young' is still accurate for me, but I feel the same.”

Not wanting to interrupt their good mood, Mac hung back as the two made small talk on the way to the cafe. Once there, Mac volunteered to grab drinks while the two women found a table in the corner and continued talking.

Deciding to get a kettle of some citrus green tea, he took it back to the table, only to see Bella whispering in Melissandra's ear, while Melissandra progressively grew redder and redder, although nodding furiously in response to whatever was being told to her.

“I, uh, should I leave for a bit?” Mac asked half-jokingly.

“No no, of course not. Just verifying some stuff with a fellow woman” Bella responded.

Melissandra, still red, nodded in agreement.

Deciding not to inquire further, Mac poured some tea for the two, before pouring some for himself and sitting down.

“So, where are you two going?”

“Well, Mac needed to make a trip to Loren for a couple weeks for business, and I couldn't bear to be away from him for that long” Melissandra replied, holding her cheeks in her hands and shaking her head dramatically.

Bella crossed her arms and nodded, “Of course, and if you take your eye off him too long he might start chasing other woman.”

“Hey now, I wouldn't...” Mac started before trailing off, before remembering the actual purpose of their journey.

“Well, he knows laying his hands on another woman would incur my wrath. At least, without consulting me first.”

Bella raised an eyebrow, before quickly having a realization, “Oh right, you are nobles after all. Are you fine with him taking another wife so soon though?”

Melissandra nodded, “If I deemed them worthy, and they increased our family's standing, I wouldn't mind.”

Mac shook his head, deciding to butt in now, “I don't think I can handle anyone besides Mel right now.”

Going a bit red at the response, Melissandra looked down at the table, causing Bella to break into hysterics. “Haha, you two are always a riot to be with.”

Finishing up their tea with a bit more casual conversation about the goings-on in the capital, they eventually said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

“Stop by again once you're back in Pearie!” Bella shouted as she waved.

“Of course! And I hope....it...goes well!” Melissandra responded.

“You too!” Bella said with an exaggerated wink, before turning around and continuing on her way.

Upon returning to the carriage, La Hire greeted them with a bow. “Are you ready to set off again my lord?”

“Yeah, sorry for the wait.”

“Not at all, we're traveling based on my lord's desires, correct?” La Hire asked inquisitively.

“Uh, yeah, that's true. Well, thanks for your hard work then.”

Deciding just to nod, La Hire opened the door as Melissandra and Mac got back in the carriage before taking off down the road.

Mac decided to leave one of the window panels slightly ajar so he could get a view out into the city as they passed by.

For a while the scenery seemed similar to the previous parts of the city, but after a while the area became noticeably...dirtier. He looked on in consternation as he saw more dilapidated buildings, and several kids looking hungry on the side of the street.

Noticing a change in Mac's mood, Melissandra peaked out the window to see what he was looking at. “Ah, I guess we are passing through the slums now.”

“I shouldn't be surprised that this world has places like this too, but...it kind of hit me hard after the how the rest of the city looked.”

Melissandra nodded, “This area has always been for poorer residents, but during the war it saw an influx in refugees, and that exacerbated the problems they were already having.”

“I feel like I should be doing something for them as King” Mac said, watching as a few people in mended clothing pulled some carts with a few withered vegetables on them.

“We had programs to help pass food along to poorer residents before the war, but due to the financial situation of the past few years, there hasn't been any funding for them.”

“I guess I will need to make sure we can re-instate them soon. This is...hard to look at.”

“We'll have to make sure we prioritize it then, right?” Melissanda said, smiling reassuringly to try and assuage his concern.

Mac nodded. True, I can make it a priority once we have some money. It's not like I'm presuming to eliminate poverty or anything that grandiose,but I could at least make sure the population doesn't go hungry...

Eventually, they made their way through the rest of the city, and out through the gates. Immediately outside the walls, there was a mish-mash of inns, caravans, and traders off to the sides of the main road.

“I'm surprised there are so many inns and stalls outside the city as well. Why don't they just go inside?” Mac asked inquisitively.

“Any number of reasons. Some people aren't allowed in, like if you're armed and not registered here. Some may want to avoid the bustle of the city and would rather stay at an inn outside. There may also be...more unsavory types who stay out here where they are less likely to get caught” Melissandra explained.

“Does that mean its not safe?” Mac asked, slightly worried.

“No its still fairly safe this close to the city. The only time we might have issues is in the middle of a forest or plains far from a city, where the guards don't patrol often.”

“Well, that's a relief at least.”

As they rolled along, the buildings became sparser and sparser until they were almost entirely surrounded by farmland, with only a few buildings dotted along. Eventually, they sat in silence (Mac enjoying the scenery) until at some point he noticed Melissandra had nodded off, leaning against the side of the carriage. I don't think I could fall asleep with how much the carriage goes up and down, but maybe I'll get used to it eventually.

He watched as Melissandra's chest slowly went in and out, her mouth slightly ajar. I remember hearing from a friend that if a woman will sleep around you, it means they trust you. Well, I wouldn't want to sleep around someone I didn't trust either.

Since Melissandra was asleep and the farmland was getting a bit repetitive, he decided to pull out the stone he had brought in his pocket. Mac had been using this is a way to practice controlling using his lighting magic. Although, he had realized after a bit of testing, that what he was really doing was producing electricity (which he could form into lightning). His practice consisted of using his magic into the smooth rock, which would grow hot if he put too much electricity into it too quickly. So, if he could use his magic but the rock wasn't getting any hotter, he knew he was managing to control it. After a few days (and a couple instances of almost burning his hands) he had got the the point now where he could control it without the rock having any noticeable change in temperature. I feel like I'm getting the hang of this...but I'm worried I might exhaust myself too much. Deciding not to take any chances (and risk his health again), he put the rock away after he felt like he had practiced enough.

After a couple more hours of traveling, and Mac daydreaming of casting lightning down from the sky, he heard a loud crack followed by the carriage abruptly stopping. Melissandra, who had been still asleep, fell sideways on the bench she was sitting on before rolling towards the floor. Mac, seeing what was happening, had time to catch her in a princess-carry style, although only barely. Not that Melissandra was heavy, but Mac wasn't strong enough to hold a person of any size for very long.

Waking up and realizing the situation she was in, Melissandra instinctively put her arms around Mac's neck, helping stabilize herself.

As they looked at each other, the door suddenly slid open. “Sorry sire, one of the wheels broke off and we need to-” one of the guards started explaining after opening the door, then stopping when seeing the sight in front of him. “My apologies,” the guard finished, before closing the door.

Growing a bit red, Mac quickly sat Melissandra back down on the bench.

Melissandra, only reluctantly letting go, asked “What's wrong? I don't mind...” before trailing off and giggling.

“Sorry but I'm not very strong, I can't hold anyone for very long.”

“I was merely teasing, thank you for catching me,” Melissandra responded, giving a small sitting bow.

After a few minutes of some talking and hammering outside, there was a knock at the door.

Mac opened, to see Captain La Hire standing outside, “Erhrm...sorry about that, the carriage has been fixed and we'll be continuing.” La Hire's eyes glanced between Mac and Melissandra, before he turned away back to his horse.

As Mac closed the door, Melissandra giggled again. “I think the guards got the wrong idea from earlier,” she explained, before getting up and sliding next to Mac in the seat. “Or maybe the right idea?” she added, wrapping her arm around his and smashing the side of her breasts into his arm. While Mac was a bit embarrassed, she had done this enough times now that it didn't phase him as much. Realizing this, he thought Is she trying to wear down my defenses until I end up accepting her advances? Although I guess I haven't been stopping her at all...

Giving him a smile as he looked at her, she added “This way I won't fall off if we stop again, right?”

“Well, we might both fall off this way...”

After a couple more hours of travel (Mac having trouble focusing on the scenery with Melissandra pushed up against him) the carriage stopped again, this time properly slowing down, until it came to a rest in front of a inn on the side of the road.

Fascinated, Mac got out and surveyed the building. A bit larger than the inn's he had seen around the capital, this one also had a stable for horses and carriages. The ground floor looked to be a pub of sorts, with lively chatter audibly pouring out.

Captain La Hire came over, acted as if was about to bow, then remembered they were incognito and awkwardly stopped himself. “I will secure our rooms, please wait here.”

As La Hire went in, Mac caught a few glimpses of food stacked on tables, causing his stomach to grumble. “Now I'm hungry, hopefully we can get a table, it looks pretty busy.”

“We can always bring the food up to our rooms” Melissandra replied.

“Yeah, but I want the experience of eating in the tavern.”

Melissandra thought for a bit, then nodded, “True, I guess that's partly why we're going on this.”

After a few minutes, La Hire returned, giving a key to Melissandra. “Here's the key for the top level room. It occupies the entire top floor, so we should be able to guard the room easily” he explained, before turning to give orders to the guards, assigning them to posts.

“Wait, what are you doing, aren't they going in as well?” Mac asked, seeing what was going on.

“A couple will, but we need to station some around the inn in case a threat appears.”

“Um...won't that be kind of suspicious if a bunch of mercenaries are just standing looking around?” Mac asked.

“Urk...” La Hire grunted, realizing that as well. “But...”

“We're supposed to be incognito, so let's just go in and eat.”

“But, we can't eat with sire...” La Hire protested.

“There's no issue then, since I'm a simple merchant right now. A very hungry merchant.”

Defeated, La Hire sagged his shoulders. “Understood. Men, we're eating with our generous...benefactor...tonight!”

The dozen guards gave a hearty cheer, as they finished parking the carriage while Mac, Melissandra, and La Hire went into the inn.

The tavern area on the ground floor was lively with travelers of many different races talking, laughing, drinking, and occasionally shouting. There was a huge bouncer (a bearman?) standing right inside the door, who gave them a quick glance before going back to scanning the crowd. No one else paid them any mind as they walked in.

Grabbing a couple of tables near the back, they sat down. Taking in the sights around him, he noticed several races he hadn't seen in the capital, including some beast-human races that he couldn't really make out. He knew from Marie's lesson that calling one a different race than it actually was could be highly offensive, which would be an issue if he couldn't really tell some of them apart.

After a few moments, a middle-aged looking tanukigirl came over to take their order. La Hire responded, “Two...actually make that three pheasants. And...” La Hire glanced at Melissandra, who nodded, “fifteen pints of whatever ale you have.”

Smiling at the huge order, she gave a quick bow, “Of course, I'll have the ales out right away, and the pheasants will be out a bit later.”

Mac leaned over to Melissandra to talk in her ear due to the loud din of the tavern “Is it normal for maid's not to drink alcohol?”

Melissandra shook her head, before cupping her hand to whisper in his ear, “No, we drink as much as anyone else. I think he was...verifying I wasn't pregnant before ordering me alcohol.”

Mac grabbed his forehead, “Does everyone just assume...” he trailed off, shaking his head.

Melissandra shrugged, “I think Marie gave them the impression we are, so the guards would understand why I am being treated better than a normal maid is.”

“Would you normally be treated....worse?” Mac asked tentatively.

Melissandra shook her head, “Not necessarily. Some masters treat their servants poorly, but that's not the issue here. From the outside, most people who don't understand our...situation...are just assuming we're lovers.”

“That's...” Mac was about to object, before thinking about it. They spent time almost every day together (often alone together in his room). Several people had seen them walking while holding hands. Actually, they'd hugged as well, although only Kay (who had seen it) and Marie (who had known from Melissandra's reports) knew that. Melissandra has also given him a couple quick pecks on the cheek, which Mac (correctly) assumed was a way to slowly but surely inch their intimacy closer together.

“Um...is everything alright?” La Hire asked, seeing them whispering to each other while Mac looked progressively more defeated.

“Yeah, it's fine.”

Before La Hire could inquire further, the tanukigirl returned with a tray of the ales. Mac quickly turned his attention back to the experience he had been looking forward too, and clacked glasses with Melissandra and La Hire and took a swig. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it seemed like some sort of fruity ale, although a bit strong on the alcohol content.

The other guards started to filter in at this point, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Mac made a point of clacking glasses with them as well. At first, they looked to each other, then smiled and laughed while clacking in return and taking swigs as well.

After a bit, the tanukigirl returned, this time with two other taverngirls, each holding a platter with a roasted pheasant, before setting them down on the table. Mac quickly dug in, cutting himself off a hunk of meat and chowing down. Seeing some of the guards cut off a wing and eating it like that, he cut one off too and tore the meat off the bone with his teeth.

Melissandra, seeing him hungrily tear at his food, giggled, “Is this the kind of experience you were hoping for?”

Realizing he had been caught up in the moment, he swallowed what he was chewing and slowed down a bit. “Yes, actually. Stopping at an inn with the group you're traveling with, drinking and making merry.”

Melissandra smiled, “Good. I like seeing this different side of you.”

After another round of drinks, the pheasants were eaten down to just the bones. Feeling satisfied, Mac leaned back in his chair, the light of dusk showing through the windows. By this point, the tavern area had completely filled up, with some people standing about due to the lack of chairs.

La Hire whispered something to Melissandra, who nodded and then turned to Mac. “Are you ready to retire for the night, sire?” she whispered.

Mac nodded, standing up. Melissandra quickly wrapped her arm around his and started walking towards the stairs, which elicited a few cheers from from the guards. Mac just hung his head in embarrassment, while Melissandra giggled at his reaction.

Making their way up, they passed several other of the inn's tenants. Some gave a few looks at Melissandra, but seeing her wrapped arm in arm with Mac, quickly continued on their way. I guess someone as attractive as Mel would normally get hit on in these types of situations, or possibly worse...he thought, with a grimace. I should make sure some of the guards are watching her room.

As they walked up the last flight of stairs, they reached a door with a number '1' on it. “Is this it?”

Melissandra nodded, “Yes, it's common for inn's to have a nice room on the top floor for high-end clients.” As she unlocked and opened the door, he could see what she meant. While it wasn't on par with this quarters in the palace, it could be described as upscale, with carved furniture, an ornate bed, and even a couple pairs of pajamas laid out.

“Do they give pajamas for every room?” Mac asked, picking up the men's pajamas.

“No, no, this is just one of the top level perks. I mean, for how much you pay for it...”

“Oh, I didn't think about that, I should probably-”

Melissandra held up a hand to stop him. “Captain La Hire will be upset if you ask to stay in a regular room.”

“Alright, alright, I won't say anything,” Mac conceded. Picking up the woman's version of pajamas, he handed them to her. “Here, obviously I don't need them, and since your room won't have them, this is probably easier than digging something out from the carriage.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Melissandra took them, but gave a sly smile, “What do you mean? I'm sleeping in here as well.”

Mac froze. Fighting the urge to be embarrassed, he tried to calmly protest, “Hold on, hold on, why are you sleeping in the room too? Can we not afford another one?”

Melissandra shook her head, “It's not that. The Captain assumed we would be in the same room since he thinks we're, you know...” she continued, pretending to pout, “and besides, are you saying you want me to stay in a different room all by my lonesome?”

Mac grabbed his forehead. Actually, no, I would be worried with you in a room by yourself, but that doesn't mean...

“If you really want-”

“No, its fine. Just...promise me you won't do anything to me?” Mac asked.

Melissandra curtsied, “Of course, I will be as platonic as possible.”

I didn't say that... “Well, I guess I can sleep on the couch, I'll give you the bed.”

Melissandra pointed to the corner, where a section of the room was partitioned off by a divider. “These rooms always have a bed for servants, I can just sleep there.”

“I can-” Mac tried to protest.

“I am sleeping in that bed. Of course I won't stop you from sleeping in any bed you want...” she trailed off.

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

Melissandra went behind the divider to change. Mac, grateful for the privacy it provided (partly for himself) also quickly changed before pouring himself some of the fruit-water that had been sat on the table, and leaving a glass for Melissandra as well.

Mac went to the window, looking out over the front area of the inn next to the road, and the fields beyond. The view and the days events made him think about his whole situation.

I know I have been just accepting it, but this is still so weird. Now I've left the palace, and I'm going on a journey, and staying at an inn with a beautiful girl in my room...

As if to reinforce his thoughts, he felt the familiar sensation of Melissandra hugging him from behind, pressing her breasts against his back. The pajamas were fairly thick (since it was getting to what seemed like the autumn season of this world) but he could still easily feel everything.

“Do you enjoy always tempting me like this?”

“Yes.”

Mac shook his head, “I appreciate your honesty at least.”

Releasing the hug, Melissandra grabbed the other glass of fruit-water and stood next to him. “I know it's weird for me to say this, but it feels odd not having you jump on me when I do things like this. From what other woman tell me, they wouldn't consider you much of a man.”

Mac shook his head, “Look, I've told you, it's not like I don't find you-”

Melissandra grabbed his arm, “I know, I know. At this point I don't agree with them, you've definitely changed my opinion on how a man can act if they want. Or a woman too for that matter. Besides, despite having done nothing, these couple weeks have been very...enjoyable” she got out, before turning red and looking down into her water.

“I've been...enjoying it too” Mac replied. Of course, it would be hard for anyone to not enjoy spending time with someone as sweet and straightforward as Mel. Wrapping his arm around her to help reinforce his words, Melissandra snuggled into him.

Suddenly, a few catcalls from below rang up. Realizing that anyone in the yard below could see them, they both turned red and backed away from the window.

After that scene, they both finished their water in silence, and agreed to blow out the lantern and turn in to their respective beds (after closing the window for good measure).

Getting under the covers, Mac was exhausted, but had too much on his mind to fall asleep. Well, too much being mostly related to one specific person.

I guess I need to make a decision at this point. Or really, I feel like it's already been made for me. For a while now, Mac had felt like him getting with Melissandra had been an inevitability. Ever since she had tried to seduce him on his first night here, he had been spending most of every day with her, to the point where she ended up taking up a large part of his time and thoughts. Which was probably her plan all along... A small part of him was bothered that she had only been interested in him because of his title as King, but at the same time, it made sense from any practical perspective. She even had taken his initial refusal of having sex the first night and went along with his preference for taking relationships a bit slower. Even then, she had been fairly straightforward with her intentions, slowly getting closer to him and trying to become more intimate.

Well, what do I want? Mac thought, realizing he was only focusing on her intentions. He had been very accepting of her advances. While he had often been embarrassed, he had never actually turned her down or stopped her (except for the sex part) as she got him more and more accustomed to her touch. Actually, at this point, wouldn't I totally be at fault if I didn't go through with things?

Turning in bed, he tried to play out scenarios in his head. Okay, what if I don't go through with things? And image of a crying Melissandra came to mind, along with an image of Kay wringing his neck, and Marie about to throw a fireball at him. Yeah, that seems awful. Ignoring the bodily harm, I don't want to make her cry...and with that, Mac had an epiphany. Actually, doesn't that basically answer what I should do? At this point, I couldn't bear to see her sad, regardless of the circumstances of how we got here in the first place.

Feeling relieved that he knew what he needed to do, Mac quickly fell asleep.

* The next morning -

Waking up, Mac felt extremely heavy. Where am..oh yeah. Remembering he was an inn and not his normal room in the palace, Mac squinted open his eyes, a ray of sunshine filtering through the crack in the window.

Ugh, I know we did some traveling yesterday but I feel like I cant even move. Actually, my body feels weird...

Pulling off the cover, Mac turned his head to see Melissandra lying next to him, arms wrapped around him, face snuggled into his back.

Looking at her for a few moments, and remembering his thoughts last night, Mac decided to not let himself get embarrassed.

“Mel, what are you doing?” Mac asked, rubbing his eyes.

Melissandra opened her eyes, groggily replying, “Oh, good morning Mac. Did something happen?”

Mac sat up, “You tell me, I thought you were going to sleep in the other bed.”

Melissandra, sitting up as well and rubbing her eyes, paused for a moment before replying, “Oh, I did, but I woke up cold in the middle of the night, so I thought I would snuggle under the covers with you for warmth” she added, giving a sly smile.

Mac just blinked a few times. “That makes sense” was all he replied, before getting up to go wash his face.

Melissandra, not sure how to react to Mac's non-reaction, stared at his back for a few moments before getting up herself.

After they had changed (Melissandra had gotten into her maid outfit), they met back up with the guards, some of whom seemed to be nursing a hangover from the previous night. Captain La Hire simply saluted as they got into the carriage, and after all the guards had been corralled, they went on their way.

Melissandra was holding her hands together, feeling uncomfortable after their interaction this morning. She was worried that crawling into bed with him had been a step too far, even if she hadn't done anything besides curling up next to him.

Mac, for his part, wasn't saying anything, just continuing his pattern of watching the surroundings as they rolled down the road, seemingly unbothered.

After a while, Melissandra broke the silence and and asked, “Are you upset with me?” while looking down at the floor.

Mac shook his head, “No, why would I be?”

“You're not upset I crawled into the bed with you?” Melissandra asked, looking up at him.

Mac paused and thought for a bit. “No. I mean, you said you were cold right? I don't want you freezing when it can be avoided.”

Am I just going crazy? I'm worried he's upset and he's confused why I'm even asking! I don't understand what I'm even worrying about...

Seeing Melissandra seemed to be worrying, Mac asked “Are you okay Mel? If you're worried about something you can tell me. Especially if it's about me.”

Now he's worried about me! I need to just calm down. “No, if you're fine, then I'm fine.”

Mac still seemed concerned “Do you need a hug?”

Melissandra's eyes lit up, “Yes.” Before Mac could respond, Melissandra switched over to sit next to Mac and wrapped her arms around him from the side. Yeah, this definitely calms me down.

“I meant me hugging you, but this is fine” Mac sighed, wrapping his arm around her.

After staying there a few minutes, Melissandra eventually let go, instead putting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. “Is it okay if I stay like this for a while?” she asked.

“Yeah, I mean, I'm not going anywhere. Well, not without you, at least.”

This fluttering feeling. I can't get enough of it.

“Would you like to take a nap?” Melissandra asked, stumbling upon an idea.

Mac scratched his head. “I mean, we haven't been on the road for long, I don't think it's even noon yet.”

Melissandra patted her lap, “Are you sure? I was going to let you sleep here.”

Mac looked at her, then at her lap she was patting, then back at her, “Suddenly I feel myself dozing off.”

Giggling and grabbing his head, Melissandra laid it down on her lap before turning him over to face up at him. Which resulted in...only being able to see less than half his face. Her breasts protruded out enough that they couldn't really look at each other. Leaning her neck out, she looked down at him, “Erm, sorry.”

“You know, I'm not a boob-maniac or anything, but normally you don't apologize for having large breasts” Mac replied, raising an eyebrow as he looked up at her.

Wow, he's being pretty frank now, but I guess that's good. “Yes but now we can't see each other as well.”

“Wasn't this so I could sleep though? I can't sleep with my eyes open.”

“Yeah, but wouldn't looking at me put your mind at ease?”

“I'm pretty sure this view will have the opposite affect” Mac replied, almost teasingly.

Actually this isn't just good, this is amazing! He's turning the tables on me now! “Fine, fine, just go to sleep” she answered, patting him on the head.

After a while, she could see the gentle rise and fall of his chest, showing that he had actually fallen asleep. Smiling to herself, she gently stroked his hair. This turned out better than expected...

Two Clandestine Meetings

After uninterrupted traveling for most of the day (Mac woke up after a couple hours of napping) they eventually made their way to the outskirts of Loren, where a line had formed in order to get into the city.

After a few minutes of no progress, Captain La Hire knocked at the door. “Sorry, my lord, I sent one of the guards to inquire and it seems they are checking carriages and wagons due to issues with bandits lately. They won't allow armed escorts in if they aren't registered with the local guild.”

“I'm guessing that's an issue?”

“Yes. If we had registered ahead of time it would have been fine, but since we are just pretending to be hired guards, we won't actually be in their records at all.” La Hire explained.

“Could Mel and I just go in? You guys could just relax at one of the inns outside the gate.”

“That's-” La Hire tried to protest.

“It's fine, it's fine. There wasn't any issue in the capital right? And no ones going to attack me in broad daylight. Plus Mel will be there.”

Melissandra nodded in reassurance, before forming a spike of ice in her hand and holding it up.

Uh, I didn't know she could do that. I better make sure not to piss off Mel, ever.

Taken aback at the aura coming from Melissandra, La Hire just nodded his head in defeat. “Okay. I'll have the guards wait outside the gate to take you once you're done.”

As they took off from the carriage, they joined the procession of walkers filtering into Loren. Since individuals weren't being searched like wagons were, they were able to get into the town relatively quickly.

Mac attempted to hold hands with Melissandra, but she shook her head. “I'm your maid today, we shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves.”

“Oh, good point, sorry.”

“No, its okay, I want to as well. But there will be plenty of time in the future” she added with a smile.

Smiling back, Mac nodded, before turning down the street. Loren was just as busy as the capital at this time of day, although whereas the capital seemed an eclectic mix, Loren seemed to be weighted less on travelers and more to everyday citizens. Looking at everything bustling around him, you wouldn't think they had any sort of problems.

“I'm surprised they have bandit issues. Couldn't they submit a request at the local guild or something like that?”

Melissandra raised an eyebrow. “What guild? There isn't any that would just go out and fight bandits.”

“Don't you have some sort of adventurer's guild?”

“Adventurer's? What kind of guild is that?“

“Uh, like, you form up parties and and people can submit requests for help, and they get paid once they're completed...” Mac attempted to explain.

“Hmmm, that's an interesting concept, but there's nothing like that. We have guilds, and you can submit requests to them if you want. I guess in a pinch they could try to hire out the local mercenary guild, but that would be seen as an insult by the town's soldiers” Melissandra explained.

“Ugh, these things are always so complicated. I get it, but it's complicated” Mac crossed his arms, deep in thought.

“We could ask Marie to dispatch a punitive force of guards to the area. Some of the local lords might be upset, but they won't have much recourse to complain since they couldn't handle bandits on their own.”

I'm really glad Mel is so quick-thinking at times like this. “Yeah if you don't mind, that would be great.”

Melissandra nodded. “Let's stop at the nearest letter courier and I will send one out.”

Finding one in short order, Melissandra went in, telling Mac he should browse the nearby stalls while she wrote and sent the letter.

While he was looking at the stalls, he thought, Maybe I should get a gift for Mel. Maybe a token of affection will tide her over for now? Not a great gift-giver, Mac looked around until he saw a stall with necklaces. I feel like my mom told me all girls like jewelry. After a bit of browsing, he decided on a simple silver with a stylized heart that he thought would look good on Melissandra. That should make it obvious, right?

With his purchase complete, he turned to what he was most interested in, the people of Loren. Unlike the capital, there was a lot of different beast-human races in Loren, probably outnumbering humans.

As he walked about for a bit, his attention was drawn to a human girl in the middle of a thoroughfare, standing on a box and attempting to hand out fliers to passerby. I haven't seen anyone trying to advertise their shop like that in this world, they usually just shout from their stalls.

Having had his curiosity piqued, Mac walked closer. The girl seemed to be a few years younger than him, wearing overalls, with her short brown hair drawn up in a small ponytail. However, her most noticeable feature was that she was very tanned. I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess she's a farmer. He was now close enough that he could hear what she was saying over the din of the crowd.

“Please, we're harvesting tomorrow and could use the help! No experience necessary!” she almost shouted, trying in vain to hand out fliers as passerby paid her no mind. As Mac walked up to her, he took the flier offered, causing the girl to do a double-take, as she took a second to realize someone had actually taken one.

“Can you help!?” Emma asked excitedly, her eyes lighting up.

“I don't know, I've never done any farming before. Well, I did in some video games, but nothing for real.”

Vid-ee-oh? What is he walking about? Well, whatever... “That's fine, we can show you how to do everything, we just need the extra hands.”

The man looked like he was deep in thought. His appearance looked to be that of a young noble, or maybe a well-off merchant. Why is he interested though? Wait...is he trying to hit on me!?

She tried to puff out her small chest before continuing “Are you interested? We have to start harvesting tomorrow or we won't get it to market in time.”

“Why did you wait until now to try and find people to hire!?” he asked, seeming a bit incredulous.

Uh, that's not how you hit on someone! Or wait, maybe he's just teasing me? “Errrr, it's kind of a long story. The local farmers guild-”

“Oh, there you are, master.” Behind the man, a gorgeous maid walked up to them, giving off a menacing aura. “I leave you for a couple minutes and you're off hitting on a girl.”

“Um, mister, your maid seems pretty upset with you,” Emma pointed out.

“Hold on, hold on! She said she needed some help, so I was thinking we might be able too.”

The maid looked at Emma, and after a few moments, the maid sighed, her menacing aura dissipating “Fine, fine. Let's hear it.”

Since Mac wanted to hear her story, they decided to get a table at a nearby cafe. While Melissandra went to get drinks (Mac had tried to, but Melissandra pulled him back, grabbing her outfit as if to say 'I need to since I'm the maid').

“Are you from around here mister?” the farmer girl asked.

“No, I'm a traveling merchant. And you don't need to call me mister, just call me Mac, I can't be much older than you.”

“Haha, I guess that's true. You're not talking down to me like a noble so I guess I don't need to be so formal, right?”

“Yeah, that's fine, um...”

“Oh, sorry, I'm Emma. I'm from a farming family outside of town” she added, gesturing to the map on her stack of fliers.

Melissandra returned with some fruit-water for all of them, and poured some drinks while asking, “What was this story you were going to tell?”

Emma took a sip of her drink, before starting, “Well, it's not too exciting, but...my family have been farmers around here for generations. We've always been guild members, since that makes it easy to hire hands during planting and harvesting season to help out. The guild was a pretty loose organization, until a few years ago, when some of the bigger farmers decided they wanted to start raising prices, since there was more demand due to all the refugees here due to the war. At first, my father just ignored the others and kept selling at a reasonable price. The others didn't make a fuss, since there was so many people here that all the food was getting bought up anyway, even at the higher prices. But this past year, a lot of the refugees either returned or moved on, and the other farmers weren't able to sell all their food at the higher prices. They got angry and kicked us out, and threatened all the guild members that they wouldn't get hired anywhere else if they worked for us. So now I'm here, begging for people to come help. We're even paying double the normal rate! So please, if you can, it'd be a big help if you came!” she finished, looking at them expectantly.

I understand a bit about supply and demand from my classes, but this just sounds like taking advantage of war refugees. I guess this world doesn't have an organization to prevent price-fixing or collusion. Mac leaned over to Melissandra and whispered “I think we should help her. I don't know anything about farming but it sounds like a fun experience. I feel bad after hearing that story, too.”

“Are you taken with her, sire? She didn't seem your normal type, but she'll probably accept if you reveal your actual position.”

After taking a second to register what she said, Mac went a bit red, before furiously whispering, “I'm not using my position to get with girls! And what are you even basing my type off? Yourself?”

Melissandra shrugged and nodded in response, her face serious.

Considering the situation, Mac could at least understand. Melissandra was taller for a woman, with long dark blue hair, a large chest, and always in maid outfits or an elegant blouse. Emma was tanned, short, with shoulder-length brown hair, and no chest visible (at least with her overalls on).

“Look, she's cute, but in a different way from-”

Melissandra cut him off, still stoic, “I was merely teasing you. I hadn't made you embarrassed all day so I figured this would be a good chance.”

“...Really?” was all Mac got out.

Melissandra nodded again. “I don't have a problem with it. We could probably get the guards to help too if we promise them some more ale afterwards.”

“Ummooo,” Emma said, interrupting their whispered conversation. “Are you really a merchant and maid? You seem more like siblings...or maybe lovers.”

Mac coughed, “Yes, she's my maid, I just...value her opinion on matters.” Melissandra nodded in agreement.

Emma shrugged, “Well, you could be the King and Queen for all I care, if you're willing to help. Well, I guess we don't have a Queen right now...”

At this, Mac did an involuntary shudder, while Melissandra grew red and looked at the ground.

Emma, not noticing, continued, “So, are you interested? It's 10 silver a day. We'll probably take 4 days, but might finish faster if we get more help. We'll guarantee the 4 days of pay even if it doesn't last that long.”

Mac looked at Melissandra, who responded, “That's double the normal pay for farmhands.”

Emma nodded, “We have to in order to try and get people to help. Of course, since the guild put it in everyone's ear they can't help us, it still hasn't been enough to convince anyone.”

“How many people do you need?” Mac asked.

“Do you have more!?” Emma asked excitedly, slapping the table with both hands and leaning over to him. “If we had 10 we'd probably finish a day earlier.”

“What about 15?”

“With that many we'd get done in 2, but...I don't think we can afford to hire that many” Emma shook her head.

“That's fine, you don't need to pay us” Mac responded, shaking his head.

Emma just stared at him for a few seconds, before replying, “Um, are you serious?”

Mac nodded, “Yeah, I don't need the money.”

Emma narrowed her eyes, then looked at him and giggled, “Oooooh I get it. Well that's fine, you can have me if you want” she added, emphasizing her point by hugging herself and shaking back and forth.

Mac choked on the water he was drinking.

“What? That's not what you want? I know I'm not as pretty as your maid here but I think I have my own charm, right? Right?” she contended, posing with one hand grabbing her waist and another behind her head.

Is this just a thing with woman in this world? Mac shook his head, “Just save yourself for your future husband.”

“Oh, I meant that you would be marrying me too. Being married to a merchant seems fun. Maybe because I've been on the farm my whole life, but I always wanted to travel and see the world. Plus you seemed like a pretty decent guy, what with how you're offering to help, and how you treat your maid. Oh, if you are lovers, that's fine with me, as long as you make sure to give me attention, too.”

Mac didn't even know what to say at her offer. He looked to Melissandra for help, but she had crossed her arms and was nodding in agreement. “Yes, she has a good eye. I wholly approve.”

“You shouldn't decide your future husband on the day you meet them!” Mac protested, leaning back in his chair and putting a hand to his forehead.

“Well, really, I decided a long time ago. You just happened to be the first one to fit what I was looking for” Emma responded, crossing her arms and nodding to match Melissandra.

“Look, let's go back to the harvesting...”

“Oh right. We'll be starting at dawn tomorrow. Well, if you're a bit late, with that many people we should still be fine” she said, as she looked up thinking about how things would work out. “Oh, make sure you take this so you don't get lost” she added, handing both of them one of her fliers. “Actually, I better get back and help with preparations now that we have workers coming.”

Getting up, she got up and started to walk out, before turning back, “You're definitely coming tomorrow, right?”

Mac smiled, “Of course, I wouldn't back out now.”

“Good, I'm holding you to it,” she smiled back, before turning around and heading out the door.

“I like her,” Melissandra stated, watching Emma's back running off into the distance.

“Of course, she reminds me of you, trying to get with me the first time we meet. Well, maybe a bit more talkative...” he added, scratching his head.

“Should I talk like her then?”

“Please no, I like you the way you are now.”

“Oh” was all she replied, caught off guard by the response.

“Even if you do like her, I'm surprised you were so okay with her advances on me though” Mac mused, before draining the rest of his water.

“We've talked about this before, but it's not like I expect to be the only woman in your life. Actually, it would cause problems if I was the only one. So from my perspective, I'd rather have woman that I think I can get along with, and who also wouldn't cause problems within the family.”

“So I need your approval first?”

“No, but...you trust my opinion on these matters, do you not?” Melissandra asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Mac sighed, then nodded, I feel like I lucked out too much with Mel, she always has our best interests in mind. Maybe I should make things official before they get awkward.

“Of course, if you were to lay your hands on her before me, I don't think I could forgive you...” she added, her face giving a smile despite the threat of her words.

And I definitely can't piss her off. “I know, I know, I wouldn't dream of it. This is just hypothetical anyway. She probably wasn't that serious.”

“I'm not sure about that,” Melissandra replied. “You said she reminded you of me, right?”

Urggghhh...Mac gulped.

After their conversation with Emma, Mac and Melissandra headed out to continue exploring the city. At one point they had stopped outside a row of shops in order to get some souvenirs. Since he had already gotten something for Melissandra (although hadn't given it yet), Mac was waiting outside the the shop Melissandra was in.

Looking around the town, he took in the sights and architecture of the surrounding buildings, until something caught his eye. Sitting against the frame of an open window was a girl with bunny ears and wearing a black negligee, lounging while smoking a cigarette. She had long white hair to match her ears, and her chest and height (minus the ears) were probably close to Melissandra's. Mac was momentarily moved by the sight. She's really beautiful, maybe even on the same level as Mel, if I'm being objective.

The girl seemed to be scanning the crowd, until her eyes met Mac's (or at least, he thought they did). Staring at each other for a few seconds, the girl gave a slight wave at Mac. Not sure how to respond, Mac decided just to wave back. The girl then smiled, snubbing out her cigarette and beckoning Mac towards her, before disappearing from the window. She wants me to come over there?

“Who are you waving at?” Melissandra asked, walking back over to him (she had purchased a brush for Kay).

“I don't know, there was a girl in the window, and she waved at me, so I just waved back.”

Melissandra paused for a moment, “Did she...try to beckon you over?”

Mac raised and eyebrow, “Yeah, actually, how did you know?”

“She was most likely a prostitute looking for a customer. If you were staring at her like you do every pretty girl, she probably thought you were interested in purchasing her for tonight” Melissandra explained.

I feel like I should have realized that based on her outfit. Also, I feel like that's a bit much of a back-handed tease. Mac, however, decided to play into it, “Hey now, I don't think you saw her but she was quite attractive. Almost as beautiful as you if I'm being honest.”

“Almost?” Melissandra responded, raising an eyebrow back.

“That's what I said, right?” Mac responded, making it a bit more obvious he was teasing.

“Well, if you want to meet her that's fine.”

Mac was taken aback, doing a quick head shake in surprise. “Really? You're okay with me meeting up with a prostitute?”

“Yes. I just told you what will happen if you laid your hands on another woman before me. I'm assuming you're interested in talking with her now, right?”

Mac thought for a moment, “Well, I didn't think of that at first, but I guess hearing her perspective could be useful.”

Melissandra nodded. “Generally woman who turn to selling themselves are among the poorest, and have no other choice,” her face twisting in a bit of a grimace.

Walking over to the building the bunny girl had been in, they entered. The building was dimly lit, and a bit smoky, with the only other person being an older lady with a pipe in her hand, softly taking puffs as they walked up to the counter she was at.

“Why hello there, sir. Do you need to see the available girls, or do you already know who you'd like to hire?” she asked.

“Yeah, there was a bunny girl who lured me in.”

The lady giggled, “Oh, Felicia, excellent choice. I'm not surprised you were taken with her. Are you wanting to hire her at the hourly rate or for the whole evening?”

Mac looked at Melissandra, who shrugged in response, “Let's just say the whole night to be safe.”

The lady gave him a questioning look, before looking at Melissandra. Her, the lady seemed to look over as if evaluating a product she was looking to purchase. After finishing, she nodded, “Okay, that will be 20 coppers for the night.”

After Mac paid, the lady deposited 10 coins in a coin purse, and put the other 10 into her pocket. Beckoning them to follow her, she led them back, talking about her establishment in the process “...also, our rooms are also completely soundproofed to prevent any outside interference.”

Mac was taken aback at the explanation. “Um...thanks.”

The lady looked back and smiled at him, “Of course. We're running a reputable establishment here, not a seedy place in the slums.”

Not that I would know the difference, Mac thought, shaking his head.

After a bit more walking, the lady stopped in front of a room, knocking twice. The door opened slightly. “Felicia, you have a customer” she announced, taking the 10 coins of copper from her pocket and reaching inside. A hand reached out to grab them. The lady turned to Mac, “you can enter now. Please enjoy your stay.” She then bowed, before heading the way she came.

As the man entered the room, Felicia quickly stepped over and enveloped him in her arms. “Oh, mister, you did come! I was hoping you would,” she cooed in a seductive voice. She then wrapped her arms around his neck, and shoved up her chest against his so it was just a few inches below his face. From this angle, he could clearly see down her negligee at her ample cleavage that was oozing out. “And you paid for the whole night? I'm glad you're keeping me company, I was getting a bit lonely...” she trailed off, noticing a maid had followed in after him and was closing the door. You brought your maid, too? She's really pretty, I don't mind if you want her to join in.”

The maid bowed and started to untie her outfit. Is this a normal occurrence? She seems like she's fine with it.

“Wait, hold on, hold on, that's not what I'm after,” the man said.

The maid giggled, and stopped getting undressed.

Wait...what? I'm confused now Felicia thought, looking between the two. “Are you sure, mister? I really don't mind a threesome if that's what you want. I don't know what your relationship with your maid is, but I'd feel bad if she's just watching us all night.”

The man shook his head, “No, I didn't hire you to do anything like that. I just wanted to talk with you.”

Uh....what? Felicia withdrew her arms from around him. “Wait, so you hired me, but you don't want to like, have sex or do anything. Just talk?”

The man nodded, “Yeah, is that an issue?”

Looking at the maid, she nodded in reassurance, “Don't worry, I went through this too.”

Well, whatever. “I don't really get it, but I guess it's fine since you already paid. Easy night for me, right?” Felicia went and laid down on the bed, turning to face them with her hand supporting her head, and lit a cigarette on a candle.

Pulling up some chairs next to the bed, Mac and Melissandra sat down next to Felicia.

“What do you want to talk about? I can't say I'm very interesting, just your run-of-the-mill lady of the night. If you're trying to get info on my clients, I'm not allowed to say anything. The Mistress would have my head.”

“No, nothing like that. I guess...when I saw you sitting in the window earlier, I just took an interest in you. 'Who is she? What kind of person is she? How did she end up where she's at?' That sort of stuff.”

“My master has a tendency to pursue every pretty girl he sees. We just got done talking with a different girl earlier” Melissandra quickly followed up, making an exaggerated sigh.

“Hey, Emma was looking for help, I didn't just go up to her for no reason...”

“Wasn't Felicia here also looking for someone? Hmmm...” Melissandra put her hand to her chin as if deep in thought, “Does Master actually just like girls in need of help? They tug at his heartstrings and he must help them...”

“What...what's wrong with helping people!?” Mac said, trying to defend himself.

“Nothing, I'm just hoping no one takes advantage of your kindness” Melissandra responded, giving another exaggerated sigh.

Felicia looked at the two of them, then burst out laughing. “You two are great, are you really just his maid?”

Urk, I guess our bantering would give away our 'real' relationship. “Well, yes, but she's allowed to be frank with me.”

Melissandra nodded in agreement.

“Haha, okay, if you say so. Um, let's see, you already know I'm Felicia. Who are you, mister?”

“You can just call me Mac.”

“Melissandra” Melissandra responded in turn, giving a small sitting bow.

Felicia continued, “Well, as you can see, I'm a prostitute. According to the Mistress I'm a good one too, not that I really care as long as I'm getting paid well.”

“Is that why you...decided to become one?” Mac asked tentatively.

Felicia nodded, “Yeah. Long story short, my family are refugees from the south. We had a small clothing store in Toulouse before the war, but our parents sent us away when the invasion started. We're pretty sure they didn't make it, since they never came to get us, so we've been living here since. We've been able to cobble together jobs here and there, but I ended up taking this job to help support all of us.”

During her explanation, Mac noticed Melissandra had clenched her hands together tightly. Oh, this is similar to her family, isn't it...

“Since there's twelve of us, even with me having this job, the older siblings need to work too, or else look after the younger ones while I'm away.”

Twelve!? Mac thought. Then, he had a flashback to one of Marie's lectures. “Rabbit-human's are extremely fecund, and also have only an eight month gestation period while pregnant, so rabbit-human mother's will often end up with a lot of children if they don't use contraception medicine regularly. Some countries even put in child-limit laws to prevent them from having too many children, although luckily we've never had issues like that here in Ositania.”

Snapping back to the present, Felicia was continuing her answer. “So yeah, that's how I ended up here. I don't really like it, but it helps pay for everything, and I don't want my siblings to go hungry. Fiona, the oldest one besides me, keeps saying she'll work here too if needed, but luckily I've been able to make enough to prevent that.”

She really cares about her family, if she took on a job like this to support them. Mac couldn't help but feel touched, even if this was, unfortunately, probably a common occurrence in this world.

“Well, what about you? I'm curious what kind of person hires a prostitute and then just asks about her past.” Felicia asked, now sitting on the bed, letting her feet hang over the side.

“Well, I'm a merchant. I've been trying to learn more about the places I'm traveling around too. I figure learning more about the people and towns will help me be better at my job.”

“Huh, I guess that makes sense. But couldn't you have just asked someone random on the street if that's the case?” Felicia asked.

“Err, well, after you beckoned me over, I felt like I would be disappointing you if I didn't actually come visit...”

Felicia paused, before bursting out laughing again, “Haha, you're really weird, worrying about what a random prostitute thinks.”

“Haha, sorry, I guess I am a bit weird.” Mac said, laughing.

“Oh you don't need to apologize, I didn't mean it as an insult. Being weird isn't always bad” she explained, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. “Hey, hey, I know you said you just wanted to talk tonight, but if you wanna actually hire me in the future, I'd be pretty happy...” she added, squeezing her breasts together to emphasize her point.

Mac looked away hurriedly, “Sorry, um, we're only staying here a couple days, so I don't know...”

Melissandra, who had been silent for the duration of her story, suddenly leaned over and whispered in his ear, “We should help her out.”

Taken aback, Mac whispered in response, “I mean, I felt bad about her situation so I was thinking we could give her a bit of coin.”

Melissandra nodded, “Yes, I agree.”

Mac was about to ask why she was so gung-ho about this, but realized it must be because of the similarities to Melissandra's own past. She must be able to empathize. Well, it'd be hard for me to do nothing after hearing her plight, anyways.

“Please mister, I don't like begging, but business has a been a bit slow lately and it would really help me out” she added, this time pulling down her negligee with her finger to reveal more of her chest.

“Look, you don't need to do that, I don't mind helping you out.” Mac pulled out his coin purse. It was mostly filled with gold pieces, with a few silvers, and only a couple coppers. Probably the inverse of most people, he thought, giving a sigh. He knew he didn't have enough to help everyone out (right now at least) but if he could help one family out now, he'd feel a bit better, at least. Trying to remember some of Marie's explanations of prices on different goods, Mac dug out ten gold coins and set them down next to her.

Felicia's jaw dropped. “You...you can't be serious. Are these real gold coins?”

“Yeah. I could give a couple more if you want, I was hoping to help you out for a-”

Felicia interjected, “This much is insane. For starters, you could just buy me out from the brothel for only five gold coins.”

Melissandra grabbed Mac's arm, no longer whispering “I think we should. I have an idea.”

“Really? I mean, I'm not against it, but I'm not sure what you mean exactly” Mac explained, looking between them.

“You're a merchant right? It's basically like a contract the prostitute has with their establishment, involving using the rooms and splitting money. Sometimes other establishments will purchase and sell contracts amongst themselves, or sometimes wealthy clients will take a liking to a specific one and purchase them to take into their service so they can have them around their house, instead of having to go down to the brothel” Felicia explained.

Melissandra asked, “You have a lot of experience with children, since you have so many younger siblings, right?”

“Yes, but what does that have...” she trailed off. Then, after a few seconds, she pounded her first into her other palm as if having an epiphany, “Oh, you want to hire me as a wet-nurse! I know we rabbit-humans are popular choices for the job.”

Melissandra nodded, “Yes. Master will be having a lot of children, so we'll most likely need one.”

“Wait, wait, what are you deciding for me here?” Mac protested, not sure how to react at the talk of having children.

“Do you not want to hire me? I could wear a maid outfit too” Felicia pointed out.

“That's not what I'm saying. Are you okay with it?” Mac asked.

“Are you kidding? I'm taken care of and I only have to have sex with one guy instead of a different one every couple hours? Based on how you treat the missus maid here you seem pretty nice, so I'd be more than okay with it.”

“Wait, are you implying it's going to be with me...?”

“I mean, you're the one hiring me, right? And if I'm going to be a wet-nurse, you're gonna have to get me pregnant, right?” she stated matter-of-factly. “If I stop taking the the contraceptive medicine now, I should be able to in a few days.”

“Hold on, hold on, I'm fine hiring you to look after...” Mac paused for a moment, “future children, but you don't have to be a wet-nurse.”

Felicia shook her head, “Nah it's fine, I always wanted to start my own family eventually anyway, once my siblings were old enough to take care of themselves.”

Melissandra had crossed her arms and was nodding in approval, the same way she had during their conversation with Emma.

“Okay, okay, we'll hire you as a maid, at least. We can talk about the other stuff later” Mac said, trying to move past the issue.

“Oh, I do have one condition though, I can't just leave my family here. Would you be willing to look after them until they are all of age?” Felicia asked.

Melissandra responded before Mac could say anything, “Master has a large place in the capital, we could easily house all of them there.”

“Okay, yeah, I have no issues then. Actually, I would be very happy if you did. I hope you're not just playing with me here” she asked suspiciously.

“No, I wouldn't do something like that,” Mac responded, shaking his head. “Although I do have one condition of my own.”

“Just one? I mean, I'll pretty much do anything.”

“Please quit smoking. It's not good to smoke around children. And, well, it's not good for you either.”

Felicia looked at her cigarette, smiled, and stamped it out in the tray. “That's all? Well, I only picked it up due to working here, so I shouldn't need to anymore.”

Mac nodded, “That's good. It's also bad for your skin..” he added, not able to help himself.

Felicia grabbed her cheeks in an exaggerated blush. “See, you do want me, don't you?”

“I'm just stating facts. So what do we need to do?”

“Well, go down to the lobby and let the Mistress know you're purchasing me. I'll get changed here and meet you down there...unless you want me to walk around in this” she added, looking down at her negligee.

“No, I can't have you doing that. I'll go take care of it then.”

Grabbing the coins and going to leave, Mac noticed Melissandra wasn't following. “I'll help Felicia get changed, I wanted to speak with her a bit” she said with a curtsy.

Mac raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but nodded and continued on, deciding he shouldn't inquire.

As he entered the entrance hallway, the Mistress came around from the counter giving him a worried look. “Sir, was she not to your liking? I can find someone-”

Mac raised his hand and shook his head, “No, actually I wanted to buy out Felicia and take her into my service.”

The Mistress's eyes grew wide in shock. “You-you liked her that much? Well then...I'm assuming she already gave you her price?”

“Yes, I have the five gold here” he responded, dropping a stack of gold coins on the counter.

The Mistress scooped them up, inspected them one by one, and then deposited them in her coin purse. “Please treat her well.”

Mac smiled awkwardly, “Of course.”

After a couple minutes, Melissandra came down, followed by Felicia, wearing a rough brown dress similar to what many commoners in the city were wearing, and carrying her negligee draped over her arm.

The Mistress gave Felicia a nod, “Take care dear.” Felicia nodded in return, and then walked up to Mac, who led them out to the street.

As they left the building, Mac suddenly felt a familiar sensation of arms being wrapped around him and a chest being smashed against his back. “Mel...” he let out, before realizing that Melissandra didn't have bunny ears, which were tickling his cheeks.

“Nope, it's me, Felicia” Felicia said, not letting go. “Melissandra...er, Mel, said you would appreciate this as a thank you instead of sex.”

Ah, of course. “Um, well, thank you, I definitely feel appreciated” blushing a bit at the admission.

Melissandra was giggling behind them.

Felicia let go. “Really though, I feel like I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and still be in the brothel, like this is some sort of dream.”

Mac nodded, “Yeah, I can understand that.” I still wake up sometimes confused what world I'm in.

Felicia continued, “Hey, um, do you want to meet my siblings? It'd be nice to introduce you.”

Mac looked at Melissandra, who shrugged, “We still have some time until it's dark.”

Following Felicia a ways, they eventually went into what looked like the slums of Loren. Mac was actually slightly worried, since he was dressed way nicer than everyone else around, although most of them seemed to not pay him much heed.

After a few more twists and turns, they eventually stopped outside a door in one of the rows. Felicia pulled out a key and opened the door, beckoning the others to follow her.

Inside was a small room, with several rabbit-human children sitting around. On the other side was what looked like a bedroom, with several more rabbit-human children lying on cots.

Two of the smaller children ran up and hugged Felicia's legs. “Sister! You done working already?”

Felicia leaned over and smiled, “Yup! And guess what, I got a new job too. This man hired me to be one of his maids. I'll get to wear a pretty dress like this,” she said, motioning to Melissandra.

The two children ran over to Melissandra, grabbing at her dress. “You're very pretty miss,” said one of the young girls.

Melissandra smiled and kneeled over and patted her head, “Thank you.”

One of the older children, a boy probably around fourteen or fifteen, looked at Mac suspiciously. “In Loren? Or are we moving?”

Felicia nodded, “Yes, he has a manor in the capital, we'll be heading there in a few days.”

Due to the commotion, the sleeping children, who seemed more in their younger teens, walked out rubbing their eyes. “What's going on?” one of the girls asked.

Felicia explained everything again, while the young boy dragged Mac over to play with his blocks, while the young girl was showing Melissandra her doll.

After Felicia finished explaining, the siblings, with the exception of the one boy who still seemed suspicious, all got very excited.

“We're moving to the capital! That's amazing!” one of the girls said excitedly.

“Well, anywhere is better than here...” said one of the boys, shaking his head.

Melissandra grabbed Mac and whispered, “We should probably get going, La Hire will cause a commotion at the gates if we're not back before dark.”

Mac, realizing that was a distinct possibility, nodded. “Hey, Felicia, we need to get going.”

Felicia, who was smiling at her excited siblings, nodded and followed them out.

Outside, after the door was closed, Felicia asked, “So? I know you wanna have some cute rabbit-human children with me now, right?”

Mac slapped his head while Melissandra giggled. “Is that why you brought me here?”

Felicia nodded, “Yes. Well, it was also to introduce you to them, since they'll be living with us, right?”

Mac nodded, then reached into his pocket handed her the remainder of the gold coins. “Here, take the rest of this and buy a carriage to the capital. Mel can send a letter so they know when you're arriving and to look out for you. You can splurge on some nice clothes for your family too, I don't need any of this back.”

“Alright, I'll get some sexy clothes for myself” Felicia nodded, confident look on her face.

“I didn't...actually whatever, just get what you want” Mac relented, not feeling like arguing.

Felicia smiled, “What about me though? Aren't I going with you?”

“What do you mean? Don't you need to be with your family?”

“I need a couple days to settle everything before we leave, but shouldn't I be going with you? I mean, you said you were traveling, and Mel said she would train me to be a proper maid.”

Melissandra gave a quick curtsy in reinforcement.

Mac thought for a moment but decided it was fine, “Alright, if Mel is fine with it I'm fine with it. We'll come pick you up...”

Melissandra interjected, “We'll pick you up just outside the east gate at sunrise the third day from now.”

“You'll definitely be there, right?” Felicia asked.

“Of course, I wouldn't back out now” Mac replied with a smile. Wait, haven't I already said that today?

Saying their goodbye's, Melissandra and Felicia exchanged a hug before they headed out.

After they had walked a bit, Mac decided to bring up something that had been on his mind, “You seem more taken with Felicia than I was.”

“So you are taken with her?” Melissandra quipped back.

“Well, at least from that, she seems like a caring person, to go that far to provide for her siblings.”

Melissandra went quiet for a bit, before quietly explaining, “I felt...responsible for her. She said she was from Toulouse, right? I didn't know her personally, but she would have been one of my families subjects.”

Oh right! I didn't remember when Felicia mentioned it earlier, but Toulouse was, well is, Mel's Houses' name. Since he normally just thought of her as 'Mel', he hadn't connected the dots before.

“Well, we're taking care of her now.”

“I know, but, I wish I could do the same for all my former subjects” Melissandra replied, looking down at the ground.

“We'll do what we can. If we find any other refugees from Toulouse, we can try and help them out as well” Mac replied, wrapping his arm around her as they walked to help reinforce his point.

“We shouldn't be this close,” Melissandra said, but not making any effort to move away.

“It's fine, it's getting pretty dark anyway,” Mac said. “Oh, I forgot what with...everything, but I got you this,” he added, sliding the silver heart necklace out of his pocket and latching it around Melissandra's neck. “I don't have any flowers so hopefully this will do.”

Melissandra murmured a thanks as she blushed even deeper, grabbing Mac's arm and continuing to walk.

Talking About Stuff

Outside the gate, they quickly met up with a couple of the guards, who led them to their inn. Once they arrived, La Hire grabbed tables for them as the had at the previous inn, this time ordering some sort of casserole dish made with mostly vegetables.

Once they sat down, Mac leaned over to talk to La Hire, giving him one of the hand-drawn maps Emma had given him. “We're going here tomorrow. All of us. We'll need to be there by sun-up if possible.”

La Hire smiled, grabbing the map. “I'm glad we'll be able to stay with you then. Is there a particular reason?”

“Yeah, we're harvesting some vegetables. I figure with all the soldiers there, we'll able to help them finish pretty quickly.”

La Hire stared at him for a few moments, “You...you're having us help on a farm? Is there...some sort of reason for this?”

“Yeah, they needed help, so I wanted to be of assistance. What kind of King doesn't help out his subjects?” Mac answered as if it was common sense.

La Hire paused for a few moments, trying to think of how he wanted to answer. “My lord, I'm not saying you shouldn't be helping out your subjects, but helping a farm family harvest seems a little too...low level...for a King.”

Melissandra, who had apparently been listening in, responded, “He is also interested in taking on one of the families daughters as a concubine.”

La Hire immediately nodded in understanding while Mac facepalmed and shook his head.

“Ah, of course, you should have just mentioned that my lord. We'll make sure to do our best.” La Hire responded, giving a small bow. He got the rest of the guards' attention, explaining they would be helping on a farm tomorrow, including the part regarding his interest in the farm girl. While receiving a mix of 'ooooooohhhs' and laughter, he ordered another round of beer for all of them to help smooth over any objections they might have, to be safe.

As they finished their dinner, La Hire gave a room key to Mac. “Sorry, they didn't have any top level rooms available, so we were only able to reserve a normal room tonight for you.”

Mac waved away the issue, “It's fine, I'll live with just a regular room for a day.”

Mac and Melissandra made their way up to the room. After they got in, Mac realized an issue he hadn't thought of when La Hire first mentioned this was a regular room...there was no separate servant bed.

“I-I'll sleep on the floor then” Mac stammered out, trying to resolve the issue before he became too embarrassed.

“Nonsense! I can't let the King sleep on the...” Melissandra blurted out loudly before Mac tried to quiet her.

“Shhhhh, we're incognito, remember? Someone might hear you...” the walls seemed like they were thick wood, but someone could probably listen in if they tried.

Whispering more softly, Melissandra continued, “I'm sorry, si-... Mac. But, I cannot allow it.”

“I can't allow a girl to sleep on the floor either” Mac insisted.

They both looked at each other, then slowly turned their heads and looked at the bed.

After a few moments of silence, Mac said, looking down and away at the floor “Well, I guess you already crawled into bed with me last night. We can just share it, if you promise not to do anything...”

Melissandra quickly nodded.

Since neither had taken a proper bath since leaving the palace, they both wanted to wash up before getting into bed. In fact, Melissandra had insisted on using it, asking Mac to go first so she could have extra time.

It probably takes a while to wash her hair Mac presumed.

Since there was no divider in this room either, they (well, mostly Mac) agreed that they would both just look away or out the window while the other was washing.

Mac for his part washed relatively quickly before taking his tracksuit out of his chest and climbing into bed, turning and facing the wall while Melissandra undressed and got into the washbasin. He presumed Melissandra probably wouldn't mind if he took a peek, but he decided now wasn't the time to do something like that. Instead, Mac tried to occupy his mind with other things.

Melissandra, however, had other ideas. She wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. Much like the first night in the castle, she had resolved herself and was going to be aggressive to get what she wanted. It felt different now, of course. She wanted this because she wanted to be with him (both physically and romantically), not just because he was the king. There were other woman getting close to him too, now (even if it was partly her own doing), so she wanted to be the first one to be with him.

Knowing how Mac was, instead of just trying to entice him with her body, she had a supplementary plan as well.

“Say, what do you think of my hair?” she initiated in the quiet, while she slowly washed her hair in the basin. “Do you like how I normally have it in twin-tails?”

Mac didn't answer right away. Melissandra glanced over her shoulder, but he was still lying facing the wall.

“It's...it's pretty. The color is nice, we don't have that hair color in my world, at least not naturally. And the way you normally do it up in twin-tails is cute.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Actually, I think when I first met you, that was the main thing I noticed.”

Wow, that was a good start, Melissandra thought, getting a bit flushed, but feeling good at her initial success.

“What if tried styling it differently?”

“Hmm,” Mac paused in thought, as if he was imagining different hairstyles on her, “I bet you would look good with a ponytail. Or maybe some braids. Actually just having it all hang down might look good too...”

I can't tell at this point if I have him going or he's just playing along she thought. This is almost too easy. I need to keep going though, even if he knows what I'm doing. “Alright then, I think I will try some then. Next, what about my height?”

“Uhhhh, what about your height? I think it's fine.” Mac added, almost as a reassurance.

Hmm, based on that reaction, I think he basically has no height preference. Well, maybe I can turn it up a bit then. “Alright, well what about my butt then?”

While she was expecting a startled reaction, Mac actually took it in stride. “Are you really asking me that? Your hair and height are one thing, but your butt?”

“Why not, we know each other well enough to speak frankly, right?” Melissandra added.

“I...I guess that's true” Mac agreed.

“And it's an important physical trait men consider, right?” Melissandra continued.

Mac paused, before responding “I guess for some.”

“So you're saying mine is not worth...”

“You know what, fine. It's great! I mostly only see you in your maid outfit but I think it looks really good in that.”

A little more...

“Okay, next, breasts. How are mine? They might be slightly smaller than Felicia or Marie, but I think they're still pretty good sized. I'm not accusing you of ogling them them or anything, but I've seen you sneak peeks at them sometimes, especially in the maid outfit.”

“Hold on, hold on, just because I'm looking at you doesn't necessarily mean I'm looking at your breasts. Maybe I'm just looking-...”

Success!

Melissandra's plan had gone off better than expected. After distracting him while talking about her, she had quickly dried off, hastily thrown on some pajamas and slipped into bed, hugging him from behind and pressing her chest against his back.

I got played, didn't I… Mac thought, heating up (both literally and figuratively). He knew what the sensation on his back was, having felt it from the same person several times before.

“Mel, you don't need to do this...” Mac started.

“I want to do this. This isn't like before. I'm not throwing myself at the King, I'm throwing myself at you. At Mac.” Melissandra continued, almost pleadingly “Why don't you want to lay your hands on me? Every night, I thought we were getting closer together...I even thought eventually you might take me...”

“We were. I mean, we still are...” Mac turned around in the bed, grabbing her hands in his.

Melissandra blushed and looked away, “You know that's not what I mean when I say lay your hands on me.”

Mac responded, “Do...do you really want to do it that badly?”

Mustering up her all of her courage, she got up and kneeled on the bed, looking down at him while holdings his hands. “Please take me. Please make me yours.” She emphasized directly, eyes watering up. “The time I've spent with you has been some of the happiest in my life, and I want to spend my life as close to you as I can. You seem to enjoy my company as well, so I figured..well, hoped,...you would want to as well. I know other woman will be getting close to you soon, and the thought of not being with you now...it terrifies me.”

Mac, despite having an inkling of this already, felt overcome with emotions at the confession he was receiving. Normally I think there's a couple more steps before asking to spend your life with them, although maybe with our weird relationship that's just how it is. I already made the decision too last night, but I didn't expect this so quickly. I just need to get my feelings across to her. He got up and also kneeled on the bed. “I really enjoy my time with you as well. And...and I want to make you happy. I just don't feel like the time is right yet to do this.”

“When-” Melissandra started but stopped when Mac put his hand up.

“I know, I want to give you an honest answer to your request...and I don't want you to lose interest in me because you think I'm stringing you along” Mac continued. Taking a deep breath, he said as if reciting a pledge “I promise, when this trip is over...if you haven't changed your mind...” Mac paused for a moment, knowing the weight of his words, “I will do my best to make you happy, for the rest of your life. Or at least, as long as you want to be with me. So please, let's wait until then.”

Melissandra, at a loss for words, just whispered, “R-really? You're promising?”

“Yes, I promise. Heck, if you want, I'll be clear and say 'I will lay ha-, no I will have sex with you when we get back.' So there's no room for doubt about my intentions.” Mac said, blushing at his own words. “I mean, probably not right when we get back, but you know what I mean.”

Melissandra smiled the goofiest, giddiest, smile a person could make. The type where you have to hold your hands on your cheeks because they are burning so brightly, just barely getting out a “Yes, that's very clear...”

“Like you said, we can speak frankly with each other.”

“You're right. I will hold you to it then then.” Melissandra nodded in affirmation.

“Here.” Mac reached out his pinkie finger towards her. “Hold out your pinkie.”

Melissandra, forgetting her giddiness for a second, looked down confused, but held up her pinkie anyway. Mac wrapped his pinkie around hers. “Is this some sort of Otherworlder ritual?”

“Uh, yeah actually, I guess. It's for sealing agreements.”

“I don't really get it.”

Mac scratched his head, acting flustered. Guess I can give her some payback for earlier then. “Alright, we can seal it like this instead” he responded, before leaning over and planting a kiss on her lips. That should make sure there's no misunderstanding.

Melissandra took a second to register what had happened. The sensation on her lips didn't leave right away, and she looked over at Mac, who had turned his head away in embarrassment.

Overcome with a mixture of happiness and relief, she leaped over and embraced Mac, launching both of them onto the bed, and giving him a lip-smooshing kiss back.

“Wait...wait, Mel, you just promised!”

“I know, I just wanted to give in kind” she replied, snuggling her face into him, her tears of joy soaking into his chest.

Mac tentatively put his arms around her, embracing her, causing her to shiver in delight.

As the emotionally heavy conversation finished, both were incredibly tired as their tension drained, and quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.

-Some time later -

Late one evening in the palace, Marie sat at her desk, finishing up some of the day's paperwork before bed. She glanced again at the most recent letter from Melissandra, which sat open on the desk next to her. It read simply: “Sire has promised to take me on as a concubine upon our return to the castle.”

Marie smiled after reading it again. It's a little odd that it's not now, but in the future. And not an agreement, but a promise? What kind of discussion lead to this outcome? She thought maybe there was more to it than the simple note implied, but she didn't think the King would renege, and Melissandra wasn't the type to misunderstand something of this importance, considering the royal family implications.

Leaving the nagging feeling alone, she was extremely happy for Melissandra. She had been at the palace long enough that she was essentially a little sister to her, being there to comfort her when her family's estate had been overrun in the war, and there for the quiet despair she had had in recent years, passing marriageable age while stuck in the palace. Becoming the concubine for a King, especially one that she obviously had feelings for (and most likely had feelings for her as well), was the best possible outcome for someone in her position.

I'll have to let Tillie know the good news, she thought, slipping the note into her pocket for later. And I guess we'll need to prepare a notice for a maid opening as well...