Chapter 40: All the Stars in the Sky. - A.
“Everyone, I want to introduce you to Salieshie,” I said when I entered the living room. The bright light of mid-afternoon cascaded in through the windows, illuminating the smiling faces of my household. “Strafa, Faith, Allie, and Brie, Milly, Sasha, this is Salieshie. She will be joining us from the halls of Roxclou.”
“Oh my, your coloring is beautiful, Salieshie. I see why Master picked you.” Cooed Strafa, button nose sniffing her as an exciting thrill goose-pimpled her skin.
“Welcome, Salieshie; you will love Master as much as we do; I am just sure of it.” Faith bubbled happily while hugging the lavender and pink scaled lamia.
“It is an honor to be bred by one of the exalted lords. I hope to birth him many acceptable slave children.” The kind adoration was clearly unfamiliar for the lamia, punctuated by the creeping blush on her cheeks.
“Rachel dear, are we ready to head to the home?” I asked while seating myself at the table amongst the scattering of papers she was working on.
“Humm. Oh, husband, I did not see you there. What did you ask?”
“Shall we go and explore our new home. We have an enchanting workshop to set up, after all.”
“Yes, let’s. The girls have everything we need for the weekend packed.”
“I thought we would have to come back to the apartment tonight?”
“Oh, well, yes and no. Since there are no classes tomorrow, Lastnuss was given to new arrivals so they can settle in. We won’t need to come back. The apartment occupancy rules are to ensure that paired couples spend time together. As we will all be staying in the same House and hopefully the same bed, the college administration will allow the weekend trip. I already got our exemption form and told them we wanted to break in the House properly.” With Rachel’s clarification, she pulled out a formal paper and handed it to me.
“Good thinking, Rachel. I was dreading having to come back just to leave again in the morning.” While I spoke, I reviewed the form. We had been granted permission to stay at the House until Monday morning for the rest of our time at the college, so long as both Rachel, Ashley, and myself were in the House together. Handing the paper back over to Rachel for safekeeping, I stood.
“With that settled, let’s go get a carriage and head home.” Luggage in hand, the nine of us headed out. Rachel and I went to the main elevators arm in arm, more so I could guide Rachel as she still had a diagram on a paper in front of her that she was studying. While the rest of the House went to use the servant elevators, saying they would meet us in front of the east entrance to the college.
Stepping out from the elevators into the main atrium of the college Rachel and I were greeted by the tinkling laugh of Tiffany Greystorm. “Ha, and did you know that exalted lord… oh, Lady Rachel, what a pleasure.”
“Lady Greystorm,” Rachel said, tensing next to me as she looked up from her enchanting diagram.
“So, good to see you and without escort or your lovely shadow lady Ashley. And Exalted lord Grayson, handsome as ever, I see.”
“Thank you, Lady Greystorm; I do hope the day is treating you well?”
“Oh, it’s a bore. Lady Wildpoint and I were just headed up to our rooms to see if we could spice up the day. Where are you headed? I do hope Lady Albillac is not insistent on boring you with her endless enchanting?”
Rachel answered with a sickly-sweet tone, “We are headed to the new manner that we purchased and for the whole weekend.”
“I did read about that; congratulations. It must have been very expensive for a new noble such as yourself. You are planning on having a reception ball, I hope?”
“I would never dream of denying the pleasures of the house of stars to the aristocracy.”
“I heard the House of Star’s galas were some of the grandest and most beautiful. Quiet costly, I do hope you can manage to keep the tradition.”
“Lord Grayson has yet to disappoint in any way, lady Tiffany. I can’t imagine he would start now.”
“Wonderful, I do hope to receive your invitation; Adelia and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“We’ll be sure to send you the invitation with plenty of time; I would hate for Prince Leonard to not have time to arrange his schedule accordingly. Seeing you then unaccompanied to such a grand affair.”
“How kind.” Tiffany kindly sneered.
“We must be off, but it was so good to see you, Lady Tiffany and Lady Adelia.”
“Yes, yes. Good day.” A red-faced Tiffany said as we headed to the far doors leading to the east exit of the towers.
“By the Gods, she is horrible; I hate that woman,” Rachel muttered as we exited the doors to the carriage drop-off and pick-up area.
I had been expecting to have to hire a carriage but waiting near the front of the cobblestone roundabout was Timmothy. Two carriages sat waiting. The first was the same sleek lacquered black with silver imperial eagles and tinted black crystal windows. The second was polished wood, brown and drab by comparison but still nice enough to be in the front of the college.
“Timmothy, I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”
“I am most glad that I could exceed your expectations, Exalted lord Master Grayson. It is my duty to anticipate your needs and see them tended. Would you like any of your House to provide companionship on the trip to the estate?”
“Send Sasha in and Milly,” I answered, climbing into the carriage after helping Rachel in.
“Very well, lord.”
Once Sasha and Milly were seated, we slowly moved along the road and out onto the main street. The second wagon followed behind with the rest of the household, leaving Milly and Sasha to snugly press themselves in on either side of me.
Rachel sat across from me, her dazzling blue eye flicking over the papers she was reviewing. She wore an elegant, tight-fitting black jacket with a high collar that framed her neck, with the front split open just past her cleavage, revealing her small pert breasts. She had changed into a pleated miniskirt that rested lightly at mid-thigh. Delicate lacy stockings with embellishment at the top hid just below the line of her skirt. Her legs were thin but not emaciated, and they glided up from her feet in near-perfect symmetry. I could see the barest hint of flesh between the skirt and stockings.
I wonder if she is wearing panties, my mind helpfully questioned. I reclined back in the large carriage, letting the sights of the city gates and buildings pass as I thought. Milly was soft and warm, pressed up next to me. Her clothing did little to protect her from my idle, wandering hands. Sasha’s tails flicked over my other side, and with one arm draped over her, I caressed the top of her chest with the tops of my fingers.
It was Harness or Thursday, as the people here called it. The auction for the priestess would be held in three days, on Sunday or Dawning. That left me with the rest of today and tomorrow to get all my affairs in order to attend the auction and have enough money that I could outbid any who would wish to steal her out from under me. I currently have 17 Mithril coins in my bank account, along with 65 platinum coins, 509 gold, 250 silver, and 200 coppers. When the Titan’s Shield finished selling our haul from the dungeon, I would get more money, but I did not think it would significantly increase my balance.
Our new House had cost 9 mithril coins, and that had been overpaying. I doubted Sarah Allenoic, the priestess I was to rescue, would cost more than I had, so I was secured on that front. I doubted any noble would pay more than a house for a slave.
“Rachel, I saw that there was a special slave auction happening on Dawning, I was thinking of going.”
She looked up from her paper’s bright blue eyes, meeting mine. A lock of black hair had escaped from the braid she had over her right shoulder. “Really, I would think you might find such a thing tedious?” her eyes flicked around the carriage, and I saw her shake her head with the barest hint of movement.
“I’m in the mood for some new acquisitions. Since I got to sample the wet hole of Salieshie I find I might want to broaden my menagerie.” I indicated slightly with my eyes that I knew we were not free to speak inside the carriage.
“Wonderful husband, I can’t wait to guide your large hard cock blessed by the God Ack into the wanton wet hole of a new slave. I delight at the thought of lapping the holy cum from your shaft that has been milked to fruition by a tight new girl.” Rachel said with a smirk.
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The carriage pulled onto Emperor Way and turned once we reached Temple Street. Soon, the twisting vines and flower patterns of the wrought iron gates to the noted House of Stars opened and we were traveling under the tree canopy along finely crushed stone.
Dappled shade covered the slight incline of the path. The outer section of the grounds was a well-maintained section of forest. Breaking from the trees after a few minutes led to open gardens and the front of the manor house. Finely crushed white marble gravel was lain on the front drive and around one side of the House. I could only just see the outlines of the outbuildings; their shapes were broken by trees and flowering bushes. It was just as beautiful as the first time I had seen it and there were already a few well-appointed carriages waiting to the side in the front drive. It looked like Ashley had company over already.
The front of the home was not immaculate; ivy grew on the north side of the building, and the telling signs of age slowly crept throughout the area. The front of the building had double doors that awaited the entrance of guests. Sets of three tall windows lined each side of the door, matching the ones on the two stories above the first. Gabled roofs and angles hid windows and chimneys. On each side of the center house were rounded towers, some levels enclosed by windows, while others offered covered patios. The cylinder towers rose above the main House, conical roofs pointing to the heavens.
Side wings of the manor grew from the corner towers, hinting at the internal size. The roof was done in black tiles, not unlike the Spanish-style red clay shingles from Back on Earth. While not the vibrant red color, the black matched the clean brown trim and dark green which allowed the places where white was displayed to vibrantly stand out. The home was refined but aged and needed just a bit of tender loving care. I could already tell my slaves had been hard at work since they got here, not doing anything major, but simply sweeping and dusting the outside gave a remarkable improvement to the overall glow of the building.
With the carriages stopped in front of the House, Timmothy got out along with the rest of the household from the college tower and moved to the door of the carriage. I let Sasha and Milly exit first, allowing them to take their place in the line-up of slaves waiting to enter our home.
I guided Rachel out of the carriage door and onto the finely crushed stone of the drive. Looping her arm in mine, I could see the barely contained excitement as she viewed the front of the House.
“It’s better than I could imagine, lord husband. The House of Stars has always held a special place in the hearts of those who pursued enchanting. I’m going to have to properly reward you for securing such a wonderful prize.” she said while tucking my arm close to her breasts.
“I had a feeling you would like it. Let’s go find Ashley and see how much damage she is inflicting on my bank account.” I said with a smirk. We walked arm in arm passed the lowered heads of my slaves and through the doors to the entrance hall to the House of Stars.
The curved double staircase was even more splendid now that it had been mopped and cleaned. That was not to say that Baroness Montfort had neglected the House, but any noble family that fell on hard times always had dust accumulating in hidden corners.
The ceiling of the grand Entranceway was on full display, and Rachel marveled at the precise beauty that dazzled the eyes when one would now enter our home. The House of stars lived up to its name in every way, the stunning spectacle of the ceiling a testament to the enchanting skills of the late Baron Montfort and the beauty this world was capable of producing with magical effect. The alien planets and solar system were hung precisely in their celestial cradles tracing their paths along the heavens with the backdrop of the glittering gemstone constellations providing a dazzling tapestry for which their motion could grace my eyes.
“Husband!” Ashley said excitedly, the wave of her auburn hair a sea of beauty that hung about her as she walked up to Rachel and me from a hallway.
“Ashley, you seem… Happy.” I said, emphasizing the word with one eyebrow raised.
She blushed, “Oh, now, none of that, come and see what I have selected. We have so much to do, so much to buy… SO MUCH DECORATING TO DO!” The last was said with such a thrill of excitement I could not help but smile at the exalted lady Ashley fully in her element. It was clear she was living her dream right now, and I would not dissuade her from her passions.
“Ashely, just don’t go overboard,” Rachel said as the two kissed each other’s cheeks.
“I would never! But we must restore the grandeur of the House of Stars! When we have our new home reception, I want every noble to be in absolute awe of you, Eric!” Ashely said, wrapping her arms around me.
“I would expect nothing less, but I imagine there is more than one reason to have such splendor.”
Ashley’s and Rachel’s eyes shifted, and they simply nodded. We would have to find a place where we could set up Rachel’s anti-spying device so we could talk freely. “Show me what you have selected so far. I want to see your skill for homemaking in full bloom wife.” My lips pressed to hers, her wide smile making the kiss more a moment of shared happiness than one of heated passion. It was then I realized, my heart was warming to these two amazing women, and love was settling into place.
“Come, I had the furniture makers from the Elegant Lounge come over, as well as a slave from the Noble Rose and a provider from Crates and Silos.” Ashley turned and nearly sprinted to the side ballroom, where she had set up her war room for her battle against the bare-bone minimalism the House had been reduced to with the departure of Baroness Monfort.
The once empty basketball court sized ballroom was now set up like some kind of fantasy world Ikea. The bright light of the room glittered off the selections of room furnishings set up in full. Through the labyrinth of polished wood and silk cushioned chairs were imitation rooms set up with dressers and armoires, beds, and side tables all displayed so one could experience the feel the collections would illicit within the rooms they mimicked. There were dozens of such displays.
The dining rooms had grand tables, some that could easily host a hundred people. The tables had been set, each lain with different patterns of silverware. Crystal wine glasses and a dizzying array of dishes were all precisely set up on the table as if a noble feast would break out at any moment at any of the tables. Candle holders with beeswax tapers danced with merry flames while others held flickering flames of different colors, their illumination created by mana.
Smaller tables were set for more intimate breakfast affairs, and each chair and table were carved with beautiful patterning. The beds came in a variety of sizes, but none would be what I would describe as small. Four poster beds, along with a wide selection of headboards and footboards, each carved by skilled hands. There were desks and sofas, daybeds, padded wingback chairs, ottomans, coffee tables, and side tables for hallways. The selection of furnishings was truly staggering, and I had no clue how to make it all come together in a cohesive way. My only thought was the price.
Each item had a paper tag, and each collection had the entire set priced in full. As Ashely guided me through the maze, I noted the prices, and relief filled me. The most expensive of the collections were priced at a platinum coin, or a thousand gold coins, while most collections were only a platinum penny or a few dozen gold coins. Even if Ashley bought everything my bank account would only take a slight beating.
“Well, there is certainly a lot to choose from,” I said.
“Ha,” Rachel chuckled from my side.
“Oh, there is so much I, well how much, can I…” Ashley trailed off. She wanted to know how much she could spend.
“Well, considering we want to make a good impression,” I teased. Ashley was tense with excitement.
I pulled Ashley close, kissing her and whispering in her ear, “Don’t let them know, but I think a mithril will do…” I paused as I felt Ashley use all her power to keep her giddy excitement under control, “Do try and get the best price though. And that includes the flower arrangements.” I added at the end, nipping her ear lobe.
After her flush subsided some, she nodded and said quietly, “Oh, I certainly will, lord husband.”
“Good, I have no doubt when it comes to your skills, me and Rachel are going to go to the enchanting workshop and sort that area out,” I said, kissing her once more.
“Oh… yes, yes, you and Rachel go and immerse yourself in the workshop. It’s in the back, connected to the very large spyglass. Can’t miss it. Now, to get this House in order.” Ashely said, turning from us and diving headfirst into the battle royale of home decorating.
“Well,” I said to Rachel as she looped her arm in mine.
“Yeah…” She said with a sigh, “I almost feel sorry for them.” Rachel said as we watched Ashley begin inspecting items.
“She’s going to be busy for the rest of the day. Shall we find the enchanting workshop?” I asked.
“Oh, definitely,” Rachel said, pulling my arm as we left the ballroom turned battlefield. Milly and Sasha had been drafted into the war, along with most of our other household slaves.
We found are way easily through the House and out the wide back doors of another sitting area into the rear gardens of the House. The ground level of the rear gardens was a wonder; fine marble tiles created large patio areas, and raised garden beds spilled their exotic plants over the side. The lush green of the plants was dotted with vibrant flowers of reds, blues, purples, pinks, and yellows. The wings of the House extended wide, creating a large central garden area. Just past the right wing of the House was the workshop.
I looked over the brass domed roof, a burnished gold glinting in the late evening sun. The building was clearly a large observatory. The thick brick construction gave the building a heavy feel, and from what mana I could sense, I knew this building was heavily fortified and enchanted.
“Would you like a tour of the grounds, Master Eric?” Timothy said, coming up behind us.
“Not yet, Timothy, I think me and Lady Rachel will be entering the workshop,” I said heading in the direction of the burnished round domed building. It was at least four stories tall, peeking above the roof line of the main house.
“Very well, Master Eric, I will return to Lady Ashely.”
I barely heard the words as Rachel and I quickened our steps, “What do you think is in there?” I asked.
“I mean, I have no way of really knowing. But definitely an enchanter’s workspace. The stories, though…” Rachel trailed off.
“Well, like what?” I said as we reached the ground floor door. The door into the observatory and workshop was made from a type of heavy iron, but as I reached my hand out to the handle, I felt the slightest tingle of magic ripple through me, and whatever had been sealing the door shut unlocked with the slightest flicker of blue light around the edges. The heavy door swung open easily, the enchantments recognizing me as the owner of the home and allowing me entrance.
“Exalted Baron Montfort’s enchantments were known for being incredibly stable. His use of the imperial runes was innovative, and his love for the stars was well known. He was able to prolong his life, by some three hundred years, through the use of such enchantments though his research into the field was never made public.” Rachel answered as we entered the first floor.
The room was lit with magical light, soft but permeating, and the first floor was set up as a study. A spiral staircase twisted its way up to the floor above, and opposite the curved stairs leading upwards was a staircase descending into the basement of the observatory workshop. The walls had no windows, and the entire curve of the building was lined with fine dark wood bookshelves. Each colorful bound volume was precisely placed and well cared for. The center of the room had wingback chairs for reading, desks, and tables that, at one point during their life, most certainly had been strewn with papers but now sat completely clean. The room was clearly a place for study and to expand one’s magical knowledge.
Rachel walked to one of the center tables, took the enchanted cube from her pocket, and placed it in the center of the room, turning it on. Just like before, there was a subtle shift in the manna, and the magical enchantment on the device activated, ensuring that no eavesdropping was possible.
Once the enchantment was in place, Rachel spoke, “And it was rumored he was a world walker like yourself.”
“Oh… that’s a world walker. We’ll have to figure out if he was or not. I think we should take a look around.” I added. Rachal and I started looking around the first-floor room.
The books were mostly on enchanting and observations of the movement of the stars in the sky. I cataloged the ones that I would read in the future as we headfirst down into the basement area.
“Enchanting is best done in a highly shielded environment and underground,” Rachel explained as we entered the workshop area. Forges and tables, along with a dizzying array of tools, lined the walls. There was a tunnel that led back to the basement level of the manor house. The basement was a mostly wide-open space, aside from a few storage rooms and testing rooms that would hold the required materials for enchanting and crafting work. There was an area for blacksmithing and detail jewelry work, as well as what seemed to be alembics and other tools for alchemy.
Everything was fortified, and there was a testing chamber where one could place new enchantments and power them while being fully protected by some rather oversized and powerful glass shielding. The spider web of enchantments that networked the glass was barely visible, but I got the sense from them that they would truly be able to take the force of a massive explosion or other such caustic projections of devastation before failing.
“We will have to go over the tools and enchantments at some point, but this is going to be a wonderful place to work. If my lord husband will allow it, I would love to work down here?” Rachel asked the formality in her tone, betraying the hope she had to work on the craft she loved in such a grand workshop.
“Absolutely you can work down here, I want to see what you will be able to do. And you can teach me also, or at least catch me up some.” I said, watching Rachel’s face light with happiness.
I grabbed her hand before she could dive into her passion craft and pulled her toward the stairs. “It’s time to take a look at this telescope,” I said, heading back up to the ground level.
The stairs above the study twisted up to the third floor, where the large round room held the Eyepiece for the telescope. Seated behind it was a chair that was attached to the whole thing and the telescope was designed to be able to make a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree rotation around the room. The walls held charts and maps of the night sky along with worktables and places to create the maps. It was beautiful. The burnished brass of the telescope glowed in the low light of the room. A network of woven silver lines ran through the whole of the scope and I knew that it was magically enchanted just by looking at it.
I wondered why the late Baron Montfort would have invested so much time in creating this Masterpiece. Was it just for his personal interest in the stars or something more?
I walked up to the telescope and sat in the seat. It was comfortable but rigid enough that one would not be in danger of falling asleep while seated. Levers were to the right of the seat and clearly controlled the telescope’s positioning. I pulled a few of the levers gently and watched as the enchantment lines lit up and began moving things. One would open and close the main shutter of the brass domed roof, letting the telescope gaze into the sky and protecting it during the day. Another rotated the telescope and dome of the roof. The others controlled the angles of the telescope, letting it move up and down and side to side.
I placed my eye on the Eyepiece, with the ceiling still closed, as I did not want the fading light to somehow be magically enhanced into a laser death ray and blast directly into my brain. That would surely be a death sentence, but with all the magical effects going on I could not be sure if that would actually happen or if there was some protection against that.
As soon as my eye made contact with the telescope’s Eyepiece, I received a pop-up window from the system.