Antina knocked on the door thrice. She waited for a few moments before she, after receiving her mistress’s approval, opened the door. Layers of thin curtains obfuscated the ladies’ half-naked appearances but failed to hide the panic on their crimson faces. They hurried to cover themselves, but their exhausted bodies and minds couldn’t move fast enough.

Iris lay on the bed in her silky nightgown, donning an amused smile. She drew her right hand forward. Antina chuckled. She walked to the bed, knelt before her mistress, and received that delicate hand, kissing its back. Her eyes stayed on her mistress, taking in the unforgettable imagery.

The rest of the ladies rigidly stood in a line. They stared at Antina, the way she carried her mistress’s palm, and found themselves lacking. This display of affection was too much, too romantic.

“You’re making them nervous,” Iris said.

“Please forgive your jealous maid.”

“You returned earlier than expected. Have the meeting gone spectacularly well?”

“Not as much as yours, Mistress.”

Iris drew back her hand. She sat up on her bed and beckoned for the bartender, who, while holding her breath, arrived by Iris’s side. In silence, Iris observed the bartender’s countenance. The breath she held fizzled away, and her body forced herself to inhale deeply.

“Is my scent that pungent?” Iris said. “You certainly loved it when we—”

“Please forgive me, Mistress!” The bartender blushed. “I would never find you unlikeable. I was just nervous.”

“Your punishment will be serving me and my maid refreshment.”

Iris called for the rest of the girls and gave them appropriate punishment, leaving only Antina and her in this warm chamber. Antina pleaded with her gaze, but Iris gave no hint.

“Was it fun?” Iris said.

“Lady Kasbin has already punished those who disrespected you. No one would dare to look down on you, Mistress.”

“Quite a festive meeting, isn’t it?”

“She was looking forward to seeing you. Your name rang like a melody to our ears.” Antina smiled. “However, their Sect Leader also went missing. Their clues ended at the same place as ours.”

“We’ll have to visit The Museum soon.”

Antina shook her head. “The Museum is a place of great peril. If Mother failed to escape its trial, our chance too would be slim.”

Iris stared at her maid. “What did Kasbin propose that you’d so fiercely persuade me to give up?”

Antina gave herself a moment to recollect her thoughts. She couldn’t escape her mistress’s penetrative gaze. It peered through her façade and stared into her bare heart.

“The Suppression Sect wished to cooperate with us to rescue our leaders.” Antina’s voice quivered. “Lady Kasbin would like us to infiltrate the Vault of Scripture to steal the Extradimensional Journal.”

“She would never suggest impossible missions.”

“The Suppression Sect will create a distraction for us. Other Secret Organisations too will take part in this event.”

“Is it the meeting between the Second Prince and the ecclesiastical congress?”

“There should be at most two Archbishops of Knowledge guarding the vault.” Antina pressed on her chest. “There is no need for your involvement, considering your condition.”

Iris giggled. “I cannot promise anything. After all, who doesn’t wish to browse the collection of the Church of Knowledge itself?”

“Please don’t make us worried.”

“Have your worries ever come true?”

“They’ve hurt you before, Mistress. You may survive through everything, but the scars might not heal fully.”

“Have I not the best cures by my side?”

“Even the best cures cannot heal all wounds.” Antina stood up to look over her mistress. “There’s no need for you to be in harm’s way.”

Iris leaned forward and let herself fall. Her maid caught her, held her up, and placed her on the bed. She did not take advantage of her defenceless mistress, who gave her ample chances, gave her free reigns.

Iris’s eyes lingered on her maid’s gentle countenance. She couldn’t bring herself to voice her thoughts, although she knew too well her maid understood every bit.

“What betrayed me?” Iris whispered.

“Your most honest part.”

Iris glanced at a large mirror. Her shimmering azure eyes met themselves. Within them contained myriad churning thoughts. These whirlpools of desires swept away every onlooker, but they failed to keep sealed at their centre a sense of decay. The naked fatigue rested in her soul, looking back at her through her spiritual mirror.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Have you ever felt lost?” Iris focused on her mirror self.

Antina observed her mistress’s mirror counterpart. The lady gave a mixed smile. Antina returned her gaze to her mistress, whose trance gave her a fleeting airiness too delicate for even the faintest touch.

“This body’s never known such anguish.” Antina closed her eyes. “But this soul’s felt it, even if it can no longer remember.”

“Would it be better to forget it all?”

“If our smiles define us, so did our tragedies.”

“But you, Antina, are still whole.”

Antina chuckled. “I am blessed with luck and affection.”

The four attendants returned to the room. Iris went to a sofa, where the bartender served refreshments, while the bodyguards massaged her shoulders, and the guide held scented handkerchiefs for her. She received all their feelings while expressing hers with a bright smile.

“You all have done too well,” Iris said. “The Court always rewards those who work hard. Continue as you do, and you may receive more grace, not from just me but other senior members as well.”

“We . . . shall keep your advice in mind.” The guide lowered her head.

“Mistress is magnanimous,” Antina said. “And she doesn’t shy away from rewarding the same person twice.”

The atmosphere warmed. Before the attendants could make emotional vows, Antina drove them out of the room. Iris merely watched them leave. Their hesitant eyes kept drifting toward her.

“They were lovely,” Iris said. “You, too, are lovely.”

“Words alone aren’t enough, Mistress.” Antina pouted. “I feel that I’ve yet to fulfil my maidly duty.”

“You’ve done enough and deserved hearty rewards, but you refused to accept it.”

“How could a maid put herself before her mistress? And the rewards . . . wouldn’t be as satisfying as they should.”

“My maid’s learned well from me.” Iris finished her drink and stood up.

She left the private lounge with her maid following behind. The passing Monster Girls shyly greeted her, peeping at her from the corner of their eyes. The four attendants called to her left with bright glows around them. Everyone too would like to receive loving touches.

She returned to her office and gave Antina letters from Lorient.

“Should I go to Jenkin?” Antina said.

Iris shook her head. “The Court cannot risk your safety.”

“We can’t risk yours either.”

“Your mother has yet to return; you’re her successor, our pillar.”

“I am Mother’s shadow, but you’re Lady Lilith’s inheritor.”

Iris did not respond. She spread rows of face-down cards on her desk. A singular card snapped to the middle, where Iris pressed her pointy index finger against it. The intricate detail, of flowing mists clashing against fiery radiance, squirmed under her nail, trying to escape her pin.

With her eyes closed, Iris raised her hand. The card under her finger flipped. Their fronts, obscured by torrents of turbulences, merged and diffused into multiple distinct scenes, whose object of focus remained constant.

A Rose Girl in a leafy dress, holding a basket filled with fruits and flowers, skipped through various dirty streets. Filthy gazes surrounded her, but her living vines protected her from their unsightly presence. She was searching for something, but her goal was never in the scene, forever hiding behind the unknown.

All cards Iris flipped revealed variations of this scene, from a crowded street to a crude bar, to a decaying office, to a lonesome beachside. There was no darkness looming over Lorient, nor was there a sense of unease plaguing her silhouette.

Iris shifted her gaze to Antina. “What do you think?”

“Lorient isn’t in peril, but certain factions may have tried to capture her.”

“She has yet to use my gift.”

“We shall send a team to confirm her safety.”

“Worry not, my Dear.” Iris stored back her unused cards. “A mastermind targeting me would’ve used a much more sophisticated design. They would’ve forced her to use my gift and exposed their traces.”

Antina wouldn’t argue against her mistress. What forces would dare to scheme against Lady Lilith’s successor?

While Antina mulled over Iris’s words, Iris tidied up her desk and finished her remaining paperwork. She stamped a membership approval for her disguise and gave herself a membership badge and a distinguished ring.

Weak orange light illuminated the room through the curtain gaps. Iris finished her drink, and Antina finished her work. The two left the salon in an old carriage.

“There won’t be any interruption,” Iris said. “Would you like to receive your reward?”

“Can I choose?” Antina patted her lap. “Please use my thighs as your pillow, Mistress. Allow me to sing you a lullaby, to give you a restful blessing.”

“My fatigue won’t get in the way of our love.”

“Carnal desire is merely an element of our love.”

A Corrupted One had a dark heart, but such a dark heart was unbound, free to choose between love and lust, obsession and compulsion.

“A corrupted chain is fragile.” Iris unbuttoned her cloak and took off her gloves. Her pale palms reached for Antina’s bosom. “I can no longer remember how pure I was.”

“No purer than now, Mistress.”

Iris lay on the softest pillow. An angelic lullaby lulled her to rest. Her hands clang onto her maid’s. They held onto her, never letting go. She drew them to her lips, kissed their backs, and kept them close. Their warmth spread within her mouth, heating her saliva and tickling her tongue.

The old carriage occasionally rocked, but no tremor could disturb the sleeping mistress and her maid. Antina redressed her mistress’s hair while Iris played with her maid’s slender fingers.

Antina woke up her mistress only when the carriage arrived at its destination. Despite Iris’s refusal, Antina carried her mistress down the carriage, to the driver’s surprise.

Ludmint, who was waiting at the door, audibly gasped. She rushed forward to help, but Antina playfully slipped into the house. Only after placing Iris on a sofa did Antina greet Ludmint, who returned her an exaggerated pout while glancing at the silently amused Iris.

“How could a maid ask someone else to help with her duty?” Antina said. “You’ve done enough, Ludmint. Please allow me to take care of you.”

“Preparing dinner for my wife isn’t tiring. It’s rather relaxing.”

Iris sat up. Her two lovers ceased arguing. They each gave her a pleading look.

“Help each other. You two would make the best dinner for me, right?”

“Please wait for the feast, Mistress.”

“I’ll give you the best, Honey.”

Iris did not give any hint or assurance. She only waited for the day to pass, for the dinner to be served, and for happiness to fill her heart. It had been so long since she could feel so liberated.

Without the shackle of purity, without the shackle of divine pressure, her restraints became undone. She could walk the earth like a girl in a flower field, like a Corrupted One in a veiled maze.

She examined her change—both in body and spirit. She could now do away with the excuses, the facades, the pretences.

If she so desired, she would give her naked body to her fiancée, who would accept her every inch, or her maid, who would treasure her every touch, or everyone else she fancied.

Nothing was stopping her, not even herself.

Iris smiled. Moonlight only began to paint the land dark and cold. The night had yet to begin, and it would not end so early. The kindling within her warmed. She blew a puff of steamy breath at it.

A flame set itself within her chest. She waited for it to spread throughout.