The next two weeks passed by in the blink of an eye. Waking up with anticipation, attending her sewing lessons, practicing her naginata with Haru, fucking Nobuko, then going to sleep. Even that repeating schedule felt more exciting and fun than it had before. Having something to look forward to sure did change how you approached every single now. Now, it wasn't just another day when Nobuko was eating her out, but one of the st two days when she'd eat her out before the party.

  As if the party was going to change her. As if it was going to make her a drastically different person. As if she could feel it coming, in her heart.

  So, when the day finally arrived, she could hardly wait for it to be evening. Haru's practice was skipped that day in favor of another, longer bath in the evening, and the sewing lesson was cut short so that Nobuko would have more time to dress her up. This time, Saori picked the clothes on her own. A beautiful yellow kimono with flower patterns all over. She had had it forever. A gift from some random admirer of a pce she couldn't remember the name of. But she had never worn it until today. With a pink sash over it, she thought it looked rather perfect. Nobuko insisted that it was a bit too pretty and would just attract too much attention, but she didn't mind.

  "Jealous, Nobu?"

  "O-of course, you idiot. All of those men will have eyes on you for one reason, and one reason only. Do not try and get too friendly with anyone, or they will just end up trying to fuck you. That's all they ever think of when they see a princess." Nobu arranged the position of the sash once more, still unsatisfied with its symmetry.

  "Hehe." Saori giggled, "Don't worry. I'll leave some of myself for you. Maybe one of those men will just like to watch us, what about that? Then I could get married to him, take you with me, and he'll watch us every day."

  "It's a minister, not a dog. He'll pounce."

  "Well, when else are we going to use all that fighting prowess of yours, huh? You can kick him away and get right back to it. A week or so, and he'll understand his position."

  She scoffed, "Sure, princess. This looks about right, doesn't it?"

  Both of them looked in the mirror. Saori hadn't ever imagined herself looking so refined and pretty. She moved around her hairpin just a little until she felt like she looked as good as she possibly could. Nobuko had magic in her hands to be able to do this. She looked at the attendant, hoping to steal a kiss, but Nobu was far too busy staring at the mirror. Her eyes, locked so deeply, as if she hadn't seen a more beautiful thing in this world. To hell with trying to get one, Saori felt so happy that she went and nded a peck on her lips directly.

  Nobuko gasped, "Saori! There's color on your lips! Not right now."

  "Oh." She touched her lips out of habit, as if something had gotten on it, but then realized she was just getting more of it on her hands. She let out a small yelp and panicked, throwing her hands away and looking at Nobuko, who sighed and made her stand straight before taking out the color and applying it on her lips again.

  Once they were back to being calm and refined, they looked in the mirror once more, fixing any small mistakes they could find. This time, Saori took a breath to calm herself down, feeling her heart beating faster as the time approached.

  "But, seriously, Nobu." Saori whispered, "One of these days, my father's gonna get me married. Then I'll have to be with someone else. Is that alright? For me to not be with you? I don't like that."

  Nobuko smiled, "It's ok, princess. It's your duty to end up with someone, isn't it? I mean, I'd be sad knowing you don't want it, but there's nothing we can do to fight back against fate itself. I guess as long as you take me along, I wouldn't mind too much."

  "Of course I'm taking you along. Who else is going to remind me about all the makeup on my face?"

  "And if you could do it with me, once in a while. That'd be nice. Maybe I'd even watch you, do it with your husband. See your cute face from a bit afar."

  "Eww. Disgusting. I mean, not the you watching part. The husband part. I don't wanna fuck a man."

  "Then who will you marry? Another princess?"

  "Hmm." Saori nodded, "The two princesses and their beautiful, sexy attendant. That's a good imagination. How nice of you, Nobu."

  Nobuko spped her on her head, "Not allowed. Sorry, but not allowed. As much as I'd like that."

  Saori held Nobuko's hand and thought about what she was going to do in the party if her pussy started to fre up. There would be no one to help her out. All men. Nobuko wouldn't be able to do anything. While getting there, it would be nice if she could find a spot where she could run off to masturbate. That would work out. She adjusted her hair once more, and stepped away, moving to the door.

  …

  Stepping in to the rge hall where everyone had gathered wracked Saori's nerves more than picking up that sword to fight the demon. There, she had nobody to worry about except the three people involved. Nobody looking at her except her enemy. Here, she felt a hundred pair of eyes turn to her the moment she walked in. As if the entire world stopped moving because she took one step into the hall. The voice hushed, the people turned. The sound of her feet, slowly moving across the mats, echoed throughout the room.

  It wasn't like she was the most beautiful person to be there, either. Just a quick gnce around and Saori saw way too many women who were just as pretty, if not prettier, than her. The amount of beauty that had gathered together in that one room made her twitch. The different hair styles, the variety of breasts on dispy, their thin (or chubby) waists, their dreamy eyes. She wondered if all the men thought she was judging them as potential partners, when she was too busy thirsting in her mind over all the women there. She shook her head and focused. This was not the time to stare, no matter how stare-worthy they were or not. Nobuko was waiting for her back in her room.

  She surveyed the hall for her father, and walked straight to him, not taking a single breath out of anticipation. She wondered what he would say about her outfit. It had been so long since he had seen her in anything other than the most pin clothes possible.

  Right now, Kawashiri Seiya was talking to some minister she had never seen. Probably one from her own court, and that made her feel weird. She ignored his eyes and moved straight to her father's side, keeping quiet and waiting for him to finish talking first. Once he did, he took a breath and turned to look at her. The moment his eyes lit up, she felt satisfied. As if she had done enough to make him happy. And that, in turn, was enough to make her happy.

  "Saori! You look beautiful." He put his hand on her shoulder, "Are you feeling alright?"

  She nodded, "Yeah. I feel great. A...lot of people here. I'll just take some time to get acclimated to it."

  "That's ok. Take your time. There's a lot of people here who I don't get to meet a lot, so I'll take time to check in on everyone. You try and find different people to talk to. You don't need to know everything about them or become great friends. Just a greeting or a smile will do. You'll b surprised at just how many people here do not know what they are doing either."

  She held back a ugh, "Sure, father. I'll go and talk to them, then. You can continue."

  He gave her a pat on the head and turned back to the minister, who did not seem pleased at having been interrupted. Saori wanted to punch him in the face. Making her come here had been their idea, and now they did not like the fact that she was making her presence known. The only reason they wanted her here was just to show her off to all the single men who were attending. She quietly walked away, holding back her anger, and went to a corner of the room where she wouldn't be bothered by anyone.

  Her father had asked her to talk to people, sure, but it wasn't like he was going to check in on her over and over again. He would be far too busy to do that. She could just stand stationary until people either lost interest in her, or thought she was too weird to even consider approaching. Spend the entire evening like that, and nobody would mind. She went and pyed around with her hairpin, feeling like it was getting loose.

  Then, right as she started feeling like it was alright again, a hand came up to the pin and fixed it for her. She smiled and looked up, about to thank whoever it was, until she noticed it was a man in his mid-thirties. Twice her age. Her smile vanished, but she quickly brought it back, hoping not to anger him.

  "Thank you, sir."

  "Oh that's alright, princess. Your hair looks great like this, so in reality I am doing all of us a favor. After all, it's not like you can see your own hair."

  Saori reluctantly ughed with him, "Thank you again for the compliment, sir."

  "Hmm." He nodded, slowly inching closer, "I'd heard that you had been in solitude for a while now. Refusing to interact with outsiders. A few of my friends told me that it was because of some prayer ritual for good fortune. Is that true? If so, then that is admirable; for you to think so far ahead."

  She couldn't smile this time. Way to twist the story for your own benefit. They had found a way to somehow make even her years of isotion a story of dedication to her future husband. A prayer for good fortune. Pathetic. She looked down at his feet, cd in sandals, and wanted to step on his toes. But she looked up and faked a smile instead.

  "Not really, sir. I was...afflicted with a disease. Only recently have I been fully cured, so I thought it was about time I came back and started attending to my duties again."

  "Ahh." He took a few steps away, "That is unfortunate. But it is nice to know that you are well now, princess. After all, to be cursed by such a fate at a crucial time of your life like this is just the worst thing possible. But now that you are out again, I'm sure your father will be able to get things back on track."

  "Yeah, definitely."

  He started looking around, "You know, somewhere over here, I've got a nephew. I'm sure he would be thrilled to meet you. A fascinating interest in medicine and disease, he has. He would probably be able to provide some more insight into just what might have happened to you. I'll go and cal-"

  "I believe I saw your nephew just now, Higematsu-dono." A mature female voice spoke from Saori's right, opposite to where the man was standing, "With the daimyo, I believe. They were having a very interesting conversation about nd ownership rights."

  "Land ownership rights? Him?" The man scoffed and walked away, rushing to find her father.

  The woman, who Saori noticed just now, held her hand and pulled her to the exit of the hall. The princess hardly had time to react as she got dragged along, out of the hall and directly to an adjacent balcony that looked out to the town. Well-lit, poputed by thousands, covered with towering mountains on two sides. It had been a long time since Saori had seen this view of her nd. The women took a breath and stood there beside her. The princess' eyes finally fell on her properly and she took a look.

  Lush, brown hair. Eyes to match. Lips which looked unnecessarily puffy at first gnce, but seemed more like the cherry on the cake when you looked long enough. Coming down, past her plump cheeks, was a pair of breasts rger than any she had ever seen. She held back her desire to mindlessly grope them, even as her libido started growing. The woman's hips, just as perfect as the boobs. Saori took a second to stare at the entire body and then turned away, hoping she hadn't made the woman uncomfortable.

  "They are a pgue, men like him." The woman sighed, "Do not worry, princess. You get good at running away."

  Saori chuckled, "I hope so."

  The woman smiled and bowed down a little, "Uchitomi Marina. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintace."

  Saori returned her kindness, "Kawashiri Saori. Same here."

  Marina ughed, "I know, princess. Everyone here knows. More than half of the men in there are only attending because they found out you will be coming too. They couldn't care less about their nds or their people as long as their stomachs are full. Meeting the daimyo is merely a side-effect of getting a chance to woo you. So, I apologize for dragging you out without warning, but I couldn't stand to see their eyes treating you like prey."

  "Please don't apologize, Marina-san. I really appreciate the help. I was trying to come up with a way to get away myself. But as you said, I guess it comes from experience."

  "It also coms from understanding how they work, princess. And that comes from liking them in the first pce. Which does not appear to be one of your proclivities."

  "Huh?" She felt her heart rate rise. Her legs got weaker, and suddenly the throbbing she had been trying to ignore suddenly started to get more obvious. Why did she know? How did she know? There was no way anyone should have found out. Her and Nobuko had always made sure to have as much privacy as possible. The hunt, too, might have been risky, but they had made sure they wouldn't get caught. Saori shuffled her feet around, trying to rub her pussy between them to stop it from getting any wetter.

  "It's nothing to worry about, trust me." Marina looked out towards the city, her face shining in the moonlight, "You couldn't have been more obvious, with how your lustful eyes were looking at all of our bodies. You do this long enough, and you start recognizing when someone is doing that. It's just that usually, it is men we catch."

  "I...I-You seem to have been mistaken. I was just looking around."

  "For a good pair of tits, you mean?"

  Saori coughed and bent down, leaning against the balcony railing to not lose her bance. Her legs were about to give in. The heat in her rising. She needed to get away from this woman, and find a quieter pce as soon as possible. If not, the consequences would not be good.

  Marina leaned forward and her kimono creased, opening up the top and letting a little bit of her cleavage pop out. Her stretchy flesh graced Saori's eyes and she had to flick her head away.

  "You can have a look, princess." Her smile grew rger, "I don't mind, unlike the others."

  "I..."

  "...have done nothing wrong." Marina whispered, "Why are you so scared, dear? It is alright. You don't like men, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. I am not teasing you. Well, not in any hostile manner, at least. You can look. It is alright."

  The words pierced Saori like a sharp knife. She didn't know she needed to hear that from a stranger. But it somehow felt good. To just be told that she wasn't doing something wrong by being who she was. She reluctantly turned her head and id her embarrassed eyes on the woman's breasts. She had pulled them even further down now. The edges of her nipples visible through the dress, being lit by the moon. Saori's hands unconsciously traveled to her crotch, trying to bring herself under control.

  "As it so happens, I share the same interests." Marina seductively whispered, her tongue rolling around her lips, "And I know a very good spy or two who seem to have figured out your reasons for staying locked inside. I can understand why this gathering might be like hell itself to someone like you."

  "It's...not, hell. I don't mind, being here." Saori answered.

  "Never said that you mind being here. But you're wet, aren't you?" She brought her mouth close to the princess' ear, and slowly rasped, "I can feel it, from right here. Your trembling body, just asking to be pleasured. You want to open your clothes and start pying with yourself right here, don't you?"

  "Nngh." The princess couldn't hold herself back anymore. Marina's massive breasts. Her piercing gaze. That beautifully sharp voice. She didn't want to think of anyone other than Nobuko, but it was still turning her on.

  The woman stepped back and lowered the sides of her robe, letting them fall down and revealing her bare breasts. Like mountains, with her nipples already hard. Saori still held back her wish to press them. At least hold them once. That would be going too far. But then, as if to shatter all her ideals, Marina stepped forward and hugged her, pressing her face directly onto her skin. Saori's tongue slithered out and she licked the part of the boobs which had ended up closest to her mouth.

  She wanted to feel embarrassed. Even cry for having done that to a stranger, but the relief of it all was too overpowering. It didn't help that it was still completely consensual. Saori had done nothing wrong here. Just accepted an advance. Whoever she was, whatever she wanted. Right now, she was providing Saori with exactly what her body was demanding.

  Marina's hands went down her back and to her ass, grabbing the edge of her pussy through the dress.

  "Let me help you out, princess."