Which was why I there were maids.
When I got downstairs, I didn’t look like a puffy mess with bags trying to form under my eyes. I just looked tired, which was how I felt.
Calmar, thankfully, didn’t comment at breakfast, and the staff kept trying to bring me what I’d guessed was Danielle’s comfort foods. All of them had way too much sugar, but I did appreciate the attempt.
I started going through the forms for the tonfas that Grimoire had modified based off of some hand to hand techniques he knew. I didn’t know how well they worked, but they got me used to the weight of the weapons, and I found the monotonous motions rather soothing. I wonder if this is how Alexei used to relax?
My comfortable state was interrupted by a butler informing me of the arrival of Lord Chatterdeem. I sighed, and put the tonfas through loops on my belt. I intended to start carrying them wherever I could to get used to them.
I heard him before I saw him. “What kind of incompetent servant can’t pour a decent drink?! I asked for red berry and you gave me flare berry! I hate spice in my drink!”
My eyes narrowed as I opened the door. The maid looked at me like I was an executioner. There was a wet stain forming on her dress, likely the contents of the empty glass on the table in front of, who I presumed, was Lord Chatterdeem.
The man was… corpulent was the politest way I could describe him. His clothes were richly designed of some fine fur that he was sweating in and he wore dozens of rings per hand with a number of chains and pendants around his neck. In short, he gave off an air of unwashed asshole.
He heard the door, “Ah, about time you arrived my flower.” The man stood up with a grunt of effort and turned to look at me, letting out a startled cry, “Who is this drab commoner?! Where is my lovely rose?”
I nodded my head to the side at the maid, dismissing her and she practically ran from the room. I caught her sobbing, but contorted my face into something less… confrontational.
“Sorry, but do I know you?” I said, in the politest tone I could.
He clutched at his chest, feigning injury. “You wound me, my blossoming rose. How could you forget my passionate love for you?”
Before I could speak, he stepped towards me. Since my back was to the now closed door, I didn’t have much room to maneuver. Luckily, he didn’t try to reach out to me, just examining me rather closely. “Though now that you mention it, I suppose I was informed there were some issues recently.”
I wondered how much Calmar had informed him of what happened, “You could say that. My memory… hasn’t been what it was because of it.”
“Ah! Not an issue!” He exclaimed happily before motioning to the couches. “Come, sit. We can get to know each other all over again, it will be marvelous.”
He didn’t seem to sense my hesitation, but I let him guide me by the arm to a couch opposite of where he took a seat. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as his first impression.
“Now, where shall I begin?” He mused, thick thumb and index finger rubbing at his chin. “How about our first meeting?”
I nodded, “A good enough place to start.”
“Ah, it was a magical day. I saw you at my sister’s tea party, discussing some nuance of fashion. You were particularly adamant about the use of lace, I believe.” He nodded, as though that was the most important part of the story. “I was enchanted by your beauty then and there and vowed to find out more about you.”
Not the weirdest thing in the world. I thought as I listened. “What about when I actually met you?”
“Oh! A formality that I orchestrated.” He smiled, rather pleased with himself. “I bought a rather abundant amount of Flame Flax from your father and we discussed family. When I mentioned interest in his daughter, I suggested I meet you myself. We met over tea and had a lovely chat about the arts. Mostly plays and performances you enjoyed.”
I nodded, “Sounds like I enjoyed your company.”
“That you did! Especially after I mentioned my plans to buy a private room for when the Jade Strings next played. We spent the whole evening listening to music and discussing how best to invest in the arts.” His eyes took on a dreamy far off look.
“I have not heard of them since my… injury.” I’d tried to find a polite way to phrase being assaulted and murdered in an alley. I thought I did rather well.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Lord Chatterdeem’s eyes lit up in excitement, “I still have the room reserved for performances! The next time they are in the city, I will be sure to invite you to attend.”
“I would… appreciate it.” I would, I realized. It sounded like fun.
Then I had an intrusive thought. Is this how you really feel?
That caused me to pause. I knew Charisma could ‘guide’ someone towards an outcome, but was it truly that effective?
He hadn’t caught my hesitation. “We’ll visit the theater and then have dinner at the Glazed Swine. They serve the best boar, drizzled with a sweet sauce that is to die for. I’ve a bottle of two hundred year old Fiend Wine on reserve there. Despite the price, it’s got a small buff to one’s sensitivity and charm. Great for use before bedroom activities.”
There it is. I caught the moment his charm stopped working on me and suddenly, he didn’t sound as eloquent to me. I’ve had zero interest in that kind of thing since the alley, and even the books in Danielle’s room didn’t, too quote one of them, ‘cause a warmth to spread from my loins through my body’.
“I think I would pass on the wine. I haven’t had much interest in such things. That may change, but I am still trying to figure things out.” I said as… delicately as I could.
“Oh, but you must! How else would we celebrate our wedding night?! Or if you’d like, I could give you a taste before.” His eyebrows raised up and down in what I suspected was a lewd manner.
I couldn’t resist shuddering, which he mistook as excitement, “I knew you’d enjoy that! You were always so adamant about those books of yours. Even mentioning a few things I could try with one of my toys.”
My eyes narrowed, “Toys?”
“Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t remember. You were the one who convinced me to buy them, after all. Once the marks are in place, they’re a bit dull but you don’t need anything exciting when practicing for the one you love.” He said, proud of himself, despite the topic.
“Marks?” I prompted, still not fully certain of what he was talking about.
“The slave marks, of course.” He laughed, “What, you don’t think I’d risk one of those brothels? They’re full of harlots who’ve slept with more people than I can count. Some of them even service other women, can you imagine?!”
My enthusiasm for continuing this conversation plummeted through the floor and seemed to connect with something hot that started to work it’s way up. I gave him a brittle smile, “You said I encouraged this?”
“Of course! I’d never do such a thing without the permission of my bethrothed. Not while I prepare to get married, anyway.” He waved his hand dismissively, “Besides, they’re more like animals anyway. I use them once or twice and toss them to the side.”
And that was my limit. “That… is interesting. I do have something else I need to take care of, however. Grimoire has been helping me learn what I’ve lost since the attack.”
“Attack?! I thought you’d just hit your head or something?!” He stood up, outraged, “Who would do something to my precious flower?!”
I stood up as well, stepping clear of the couch and the table. “I do not know, but I came too with ripped clothes and covered in blood. A priest said it might be the cause of my memory issue.”
His face soured, “How dare they defile my blossoming bud?!” His shout actually caused Porter to poke his head in. I shook my head at him, Lord Chatterdeem looking the other way and not seeing him.
Porter left the door open as he continued ranting, “It is no matter. Even defiled as you are, I will still wed you.” He let out a sigh, “A shame that I will have to take a mistress to bring to bed.”
My eyes narrowed, “Why’s that?”
He scoffed, “I may love you, but I would never dream of sleeping with one soiled by another. Such a thing is beneath me.” The noble approached me and reached out, caressing my cheek. “Do not worry, we’ll find you a few toys to play with, perhaps even one to bear a child for your father.”
The touch made my skin crawl, and the handle of my tonfa was in hand before I realized it. I brought it up hard, directly into his chin. Something cracked, and he flew backwards. The table caught his fall.
Then it immediately broke.
I pulled the other one out and had to resist the urge to start hitting him. The pop-up didn’t help:
Quest Discovered
Slaver
You have identified someone breaking the rules of Veldern. Punish them for their crimes. Authorized for Level 2 Punishments
I brought up the moderator menu. I found all of the Level 2 Punishments and read them.
Moderator Action
Strip
Removes levels equal to the severity of the committed crime. Can reduce stats to 0. Can result in death or sever injury.
Time Out
User is put into the Veldern Jail system for an amount of time determined by his crimes. No time will pass for them in Veldern. All sense will be cut off for the duration of the punishment.
EXP Penalty
User will face a complete halt to all Experience gain until such time that the victims of their crimes are fully compensated for the pain and suffering endured. If victims are deceased, the value will be credited to the victim’s account and may provide beneficial traits upon character generation.
Of the three, I decided to pick the one that wouldn’t immediately out me as someone of power.
JUDGEMENT PASSED
User 53FG221eT will be under a 100% EXP Penalty until 521,432,021 Experience has been paid out to victims.
Quest Complete
Moderator Alexei Drowlek has been award 10,000 EXP.
I swiped the notifications away and spat on Lord Chatterdeem before leaving. I looked Porter in the eye and he flinched. “Throw out the trash.”
I went up to my room and slammed the door shut.