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.”

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...

It's Almost Harvesting Season

-Back to the present-

Mac woke up having trouble breathing. What's going on, I feel like I'm being suffocated. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see the face of Mel, slowly breathing in and out as she was sleeping, and realizing his face was stuck between her breasts. He tried to back away, but Mel had wrapped her arms around him tightly in her sleep. Again, I'm reminded of how much she like her hugs...

“Uhwm, Mewwuu, I canh bweav...” Mac said, trying to wake her by softly shaking her.

“Uwah, Mac, what's wrong?” Melissandra asked, still half asleep. Then, realizing the situation, she quickly untied her arms from around him and started profusely apologizing. “I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...”

Mac tried to wave it off, “It's fine, it's fine, just a hazard of being the in the same bed I guess.”

“You're not upset?” she asked demurely.

“No. I mean, it's not a bad way to wake up honestly, minus the suffocation part.”

Mel looked relieved, “Can I?...”

“Oh yeah, sure” Mac responded, reaching out his arms for a hug.

Mel responded by locking lips with him for a few moments, before smiling at him, and then getting off the bed.

Mac just blinked for a few moments. Guess I'll need to get used to that.

As they went to get changed, Mac noticed she was going to put on the maid outfit. “Err, I know nothing's technically official yet, but it feels weird if you act as my maid still...”

Melissandra shook her head, “You said my butt looked good in it though.”

“That's not...I mean I did say that but I meant we're not a king and maid anymore, right?”

“I need to still pretend to be your maid on this trip though, right?” Melissandra countered.

“I mean, we're gonna be out in the field working today, so a maid outfit would just be uncomfortable” Mac riposted.

Melissandra thought for a moment. “Alright, you win. Are you just going to wear your tracksuit?” Melissandra asked (she knew its actual name, instead of just calling it 'Otherworlder attire', since Mac had talked about it before).

“Yeah, it's originally meant for working out in, so it's perfect for farm work” he added, giving a big thumbs up.

Walking down to the carriage in the predawn dark, their entourage assembled together (some of the guards again nursing hangovers) and headed out for Emma's family's farm. La Hire, following the map, took only 10 minutes before he thought they were close.

“Oiiiiiii!” Mac heard shouting coming from a bit away.

Sticking his head out and looking up the road a bit, he could see Emma, wearing overalls again, and jumping up and down waving her arms to get their attention. Waving back, they stopped where she was at, a path that led from the road to a house a short walk away.

As Mac stepped out of the carriage, Emma ran up and jumped at him, swinging around his neck in a comedic fashion. “I'm so glad you actually came! My parents kept saying I hallucinated you, figuring it was too good to be true.”

Mac caught her mid swing and sat her back on her feet. “I told you I would come, right?”

“Well yeah, but I wasn't sure if you had said you would, or the you I imagined said you would” Emma explained.

“Ah” was all Mac could reply, not sure how much he should worry about the imagined version of himself. “Well, I'm definitely real, I think. Shall we go?”

“Oh yeah. We've got a stable you can put the horses in. I'll need to...introduce you to my parents first, of course” she added with a mischievous giggle.

I don't know if I like the way she said that...

As if to give reassurance, Melissandra gave him a slight pat on the back, smiled at him, and then continued walking after Emma.

Mac shook his head, I'll just leave it alone for now.

As they got down to the farmhouse, the guards went to stable their horses, while Mac and Melissandra walked up to the house. “Ma, Pa, they're here! I told you they'd come!”

A short, thick, slightly rotund man came out, wearing overalls and a straw hat. Mac's initial impression was 'now this guy is a farmer!' He was followed by a pretty woman, who Mac thought looked just like an older, less tanned version of Emma.

“Oh my, indeed they did. Thanks for coming...” the man started.

Emma introduced them, “This is Mac, he's a merchant like I mentioned. And this is Melissandra, his maid” Melissandra did a curtsy, despite being in a brown shirt and pants instead of her maid outfit “and they brought their guards too.”

“Oh my, you're so beautiful” the lady said, walking over to Melissandra and brushing one of her twin-tails with her hands.

“Uh, thank you,” Melissandra said, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Haha, sorry, Emilia can't help but act like a mother sometimes” the man explained.

“Jeez, Ma, your real daughter is right here!” Emma shouted, playfully punching her mother.

“I'm sorry Emma, here you go” Emilia apologized, brushing Emma's hair too.

Yes, she definitely gives off a motherly aura. Suddenly, Mac was hit with a sudden bout of nostalgia for his own mom. I wonder if she's realized I'm gone. Actually...how does time pass? Have I actually been gone that long at all?

Deciding now was not the time to think over such things, he shook his head and focused back on the present. “It's nice to meet you. Should we get started?”

“Oh, I was just finishing breakfast. You need to eat if you're gonna have energy to work outside all day” Emilia explained, walking back in.

Beckoning them to follow her in, the inside of the house had a cozy atmosphere, with a plethora of smells coming from the kitchen. The dining room had a long table, that looked like it could probably accommodate all of them plus the guards if they squeezed together. At the table eating already were two boys who looked to be a bit younger than Emma, but just as tanned.

“Emma, your boyfriend actually came?” said one.

“We thought you had just made him up” said the other.

“No, I told you didn't I?!” Emma exclaimed. “Mac, this is Jack and John, they're my younger brothers. I have some older siblings too, but they've all married into other farming family's so they aren't here.”

That explains the big table. “Nice to meet you both.”

They both sized Mac up, before one said “Please take our sister away, we can't stand hearing about how her future husband will sweep her up and take her to see the world anymore.”

“Yeah, she was talking about it non-stop last night” said the other.

“Hey, you weren't supposed to tell him that!” Emma said, embarrassed, bonking each on the head in turn, which they both ignored and continued to eat.

“Now now, leave your sister alone you two” Emilia said, walking past them into the kitchen.

“Yes mother,” they replied in unison, before grabbing their now-empty dishes and leaving the table and following after her.

The rest of them then sat down (the guards joining) and Emilia passed out bacon and eggs to everyone gathered. Despite their supposed surprise at them arriving, she had cooked enough for all the extra guests.

The father (who he had learned was named Ernest) asked, “So you've never farmed before, but you're willing to help us out?”

“Yeah, I mean, when Emma told me your story, and about how you didn't want to price-gouge your customers, I couldn't just let the injustice slide.”

Ernest stopped eating to look at him, “You're a merchant right?”

“Ye-yeah, why?”

“Well, you're the kindest merchant I've ever met. They're usually trying to haggle every copper out of me they can get, only to turn around and sell it so high that the poor can barely afford to eat.”

“Haha, yeah, I've been told a couple times I'm pretty weird” Mac responded.

“No, I wouldn't say weird. I just wish we had more like you around here.”

“Yes, yes, if we had more like you, we wouldn't have had to send Emma to beg for help,” Emilia added forlornly.

“Hey, it worked out okay, so don't worry about it!” Emma reminded them.

“That's right, let's get to it!” Mac added, trying to help keep things upbeat.

“Yeah that's the spirit!” Emma continued, giving him a big grin in return.

• 3 hours later -

Mac felt like he was dying. He had occasionally worked out before, but a few hours of pulling vegetables had caused his body to start aching all over. I think I'm using muscles I've never used before in my life he thought, bringing his most recent basket of potatoes over to the nearby wagon. Despite how his body felt, he thought he was at least pulling his weight in terms of harvesting. Or at least, he did, until he saw how rapidly Melissandra was digging up potatoes. She was very methodical and kept a good rhythm of dig, pull, drop, dig, pull, drop...

Mac watched her and tried to match her pace. Dig, pull, drop, dig, pull, drop, pull, dig... “Yeowch!” Mac yipped, accidentally cutting his index finger with his trowel.

“Haha, did you cut yourself?” Emma, who was in the row on the other side, asked.

“Yes...” Mac murmured out, somewhat embarrassed at his ineptitude.

Emma put her trowel down, walked over, and put his finger in her mouth, licking his cut.

Mac, eyes going wide and not expecting this sudden turn of events, wasn't sure how to react.

After sucking on it for a few seconds, she took it out it out of her mouth, and then grabbed a handkerchief out of her overall's breast pocket, wrapping it around the wound. “There! You don't want it to get infected.”

“Ah, y-yeah. Thanks!” Mac stammered out.

“Of course! We have to take care of each other right!?” she added, hitting her elbow into his side a couple times for emphasis.

Mac gave a faltering smile back, “R-right!”

Emma giggled before going back to her row of potatoes.

This girl is dangerous, she acts like what she's doing is perfectly normal, but then let's you know she was flirting after the fact.

Turning back to his own row, he noticed Melissandra was now quite a bit farther along than him. Not sure if she had purposefully given Emma and him space, or if she was just that quick, he decided he needed to focus on his own row before he fell too far behind.

Somehow surviving a few more hours, they eventually stopped for lunch, which was some bread and apples brought out by Emilia. The guards mostly seemed in good spirits (besides those who La Hire had barked at for slacking off) and they all gobbled down their food, before returning to work.

They had finished the potato field in the morning, so in the afternoon they started working on the tomato field, Emma giving examples of which ones were ripe enough to pick, and which should be left on the vine to ripen more.

Since this work was less labor intensive than digging up the potatoes, it allowed for more conversation to be had while working. Something Emma was eager to take advantage of.

“So, where you going after Loren? Or are you just traveling around on a whim?”

Melissandra glanced over at Mac, who answered “Sort of both. We're going to Cartegna eventually, but we might meander a bit. I'd like to see as much as possible while I have the opportunity.”

“Oh, I totally understand. You see that over there?” she pointed into the distance, where you could see some snow-capped mountains to the west of them. “I've always wanted to go visit there! It's all flat around here, but from there, you could probably see all of Ositania!”

This put Mac deep in thought, looking out over my whole domain, that would actually make me feel kingly, for once. “Yeah, that might be worth visiting.”

Emma leaned towards him, stars in her eyes, “Right? That sounds like a great place to go next...” she added, elbowing him like she had in the morning.

Yeah I get the message. I need to talk to Mel on how to handle stuff like this tonight...

Mercifully for Mac, Emma had gone over next to Mel and was talking to her now, the occasional giggle coming from their direction. He decided he didn't want to know what they were talking about, and focused on his tomatoes instead.

As the daylight dwindled, Ernest called them in for the day, inviting them in for dinner. Starving, Mac and the rest agreed and went in, sitting at their large table again.

Dinner was as many boiled potatoes (freshly picked that morning) as you could eat, along with enough butter to drown yourself in. Mac ate three before feeling full, while the guards broke out a keg from the wagon (with Mac's suggestion) and ate near half a dozen each.

After everyone was finished, Mac stood up, “Well, we should probably get back to the inn before all the rooms are filled up.”

“Nonsense, you can just stay here for the night! If you're working for us the least we can do is lodge you as well” Ernest explained.

“Of course, since all the older children left, we have enough empty rooms, as long as you don't mind bunking a few in each.”

Melissandra leaned over, whispering, “We might have issues getting rooms this late at the nice inns. Plus it will be easier to start in the morning.”

Mac nodded, “I guess we should take you up on that then.”

“Great! Mel, do you have any outfits with you? I don't get a chance to see pretty clothes up close often.”

Melissandra, caught off guard, replied, “Yeah, I have a few I brought, if you'd like to see.”

“Yay, lets go try them on!” Emma replied excitedly, pushing Mel out the door.

“Hey bro! Let's play rocks” one of Emma's brothers said, looking at Mac.

“Uh, you mean me?” Mac asked, pointing at himself.

“Yeah, you'll be our bro once you marry sis, right?”

“Do you know how to play rocks? We can teach you if you don't.”

Deciding he may as well, Mac followed them to their den, where a circle had been drawn in front of the fire.

'Rocks' turned out to just be marbles, except with small rocks, so Mac picked it up fairly quickly. After a few games, where Mac got soundly beaten by the brothers in turn, Emilia came into the room. “Boys, get ready for bed, you know we've got a long day tomorrow too. I have a room prepared for you as well, Mac.”

Nodding, Mac followed Emilia. The farmhouse had 3 floors, and she led Mac up to a room in the corner of the third floor. “I brought up some hot water already since I figured you would want to bathe. I left some of my older sons' pajamas, too, since you look like you should fit them just fine.”

“Thanks, you're too kind” Mac responded, giving a small nod as he walked in.

“Oh its no problem dear” she said with a smile. Pausing for a bit, she continued with a change of subject, “Emma seems quite taken with you. Well, I think she's been dreaming of having a traveler come whisk her away for years now. Do you...intend to take her up on her offer?”

Well, this is definitely unexpected Mac thought. I'm not really sure how to feel about her mother asking me something so directly. ”Would you...be fine with her leaving?” he decided on asking back.

Emilia nodded, “If it means she was happy, then of course. What else could a Mother ask for? We tried setting her up with a few of the local farm boys once she reached marriageable age, but she rejected them all, saying she didn't want to be stuck on a farm forever. I don't think she hates it here, but...I think she feels confined. She wants to go out and explore.”

I can understand that, feeling confined where you're at in life, having felt like that way as well, before being whisked away to this world. Remembering his days at university, Mac shook his head. “I don't know yet. It feels like a lot to take in so quickly.”

Emilia nodded, “I understand, she is acting rather assertively. I think she just feels rushed since you're only here a short time. Just...if you would, try and say something about your intentions before you leave, one way or another. I'd rather you tell her no then leave her in a state of uncertainty.”

Mac nodded, understanding she was just looking out for her daughter. “I'll try and do that.” I'm glad one woman in this world understands you shouldn't always rush things.

Smiling and giving a small bow in response, Emilia left and closed the door after, leaving Mac by himself. Huh, I haven't had much time to myself lately, have I? he realized.

Quickly stripping and getting into the washtub, he did a double-take at how hot the water was, but slowly slid himself in as his body acclimated to the temperature. Ahhhh, this is nice. The water at the inn wasn't near this hot.

Remembering his bath at the inn the previous night (where Melissandra may or may not have watched him, since he didn't look back to see if she was looking away) he felt a bit embarrassed remembering the events that had transpired. While he was glad things turned out well, he had said some pretty sappy stuff. Although Mel had seemed to like it, so it was probably fine.

Thinking about Mel, he looked over at the door. There was no lock on it, and he had a weird feeling like she was going to burst in at any moment. Watching the door for a bit...nothing happened. Did I not set the flag for her coming in while I'm bathing? He decided to quickly wash up instead of soaking longer, and then dried off before getting into the pajamas and crawling into bed.

Actually, is Mel even coming? Maybe they gave her her own room. Deciding this was fine, since the bed wasn't super large anyway, Mac looked out the window, taking in the view from the third floor for a while. In the distance, he could see the mountains that Emma had pointed out earlier. Maybe I should visit them...

Mac's thoughts were interrupted by the door clicking open. Thinking it would be Mel, he sat up in bed, only to be greeted by a different sight entirely.

Emma, wearing a white undershirt and very short shorts that didn't cover her entire butt, slid in, before slowly closing the door behind her.

Mac, not saying anything, simply raised an eyebrow.

After closing the door, she turned around to face him, putting her hands behind herself, closing her eyes, and standing still, as if trying to show herself off.

“Errr, can I help you?” was all Mac responded.

“What, are you saying you're not interested!? I'm putting myself out there for you!” she said, looking upset.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Yes! Are you not interested at all!?”

Having recent experience in this type of situation, Mac thought a bit before responding. “Are you sure you wanna do this?”

“Yes!” Emma responded, nearly shouting, “Do you not find me attractive at all?” she added, running over and pushing him on the bed, and climbing on top of him.

Um, this is escalating quickly. I'm not that interesting, am I!?

While Mac was trying to process the situation, Emma straddled her legs on either side of him, kneeled over, and put her lips to his. Unlike the sweet, romantic kiss he had shared with Melissandra the day prior, Emma immediately started sloppily pushing her tongue in as aggressively as possible. Mac was caught off guard by the suddenness, and without thinking he reciprocated with his own tongue. After a while, Emma finally let go, leaning back up, panting heavily. Mac noticed now that she was close up, Emma did indeed have breasts, even if they were on the small side. Her white shirt had become drenched in sweat while they were kissing, and it was clinging to her body, causing her breasts and nipples to poke through as she wasn't wearing a bra underneath.

Noticing Mac was looking at her chest, Emma smiled, “Here, you can see them if you want” before grabbing her shirt and starting to remove it.

Mac, in a moment of clarity, quickly grabbed her hands to stop her, “Hold on, hold on, you don't need to do this.”

Emma acted as if she was about to cry, “What, after that, you're still not excited?”

“Um, that's not true,” he added, motioning to his crotch area.

Emma turned her head and looked, staring for a few seconds at the bulge in his pajamas, before giving an “Eep!” and jumping off him, kneeling on the floor looking away.

“Wait, how are you embarrassed now? What did you expect to happen if you got on top of me and took your shirt off!?” Mac asked, incredulous at her one-eighty in behavior.

“I don't know, I've never done this before!” Emma responded, tears starting to flow down her cheeks.

Mac, realizing he needed to calm her down, composed himself and then got down next to her, giving her a gentle hug from behind. “It's fine. You don't need to push yourself to do something like this. Besides, it's not like I have either.”

Emma abruptly stopped crying, looking at Mac in disbelief. “You mean to tell me you travel around with a pretty girl like Mel but you haven't touched her? I could have sworn you were lovers from what she told me!”

“Well, uh, we sort of are. Or, we promised to be in the future. Look, I just don't like to rush into things too quickly. Even this was sort of more than I normally would want to do right after meeting someone.”

“But you're leaving soon! With all your guards helping we might be done by tomorrow. I don't have time to take it slow” Emma protested.

Mac shook his head, “Does...does it really need to be me? I'm sure there are-”

Emma cut him off, “You're really gonna say that while you're here hugging me from behind!?”

Mac, realizing the issue, let go, “Sorry, I was just trying to calm you down.”

Emma shook her head, before turning around and putting his arms around her again “It does calm me down. Besides, after talking with Mel earlier, I want it to be you. I won't ever get this lucky again in my life to meet someone like you.”

Wait, this is her doing? “Did she...put you up to this?” Mac asked tentatively.

Emma nodded, “Yeah I was real surprised. I thought she might be upset, but she encouraged me to go for it. She even gave me permission to lie in bed with you!”

Mac raised an eyebrow at this, “Did she just say 'lie in bed'?”

“Yeah, but I figured that meant...” she trailed off, holding her face in embarrassment.

“No, I think she meant literally just lying in the bed with me.”

“What!? But she said kissing was fine too!” Emma added, eyes going wide.

“She probably meant just like a quick peck, not full tongue-action.”

At this, Emma blushed red, getting more embarrassed then before.

“Look, let's just...talk this out” Mac suggested.

Emma nodded.

As she climbed onto the bed with Mac, she pulled a move recommended by Melissandra, and wrapped her arms around him and pressed her chest against his back. Emma immediately regretted her decision, though. Since she wasn't wearing a bra, she could feel her nipples poking into his back.

“Erm, I thought we were going to talk...” Mac replied.

“I know! I just wanted to hug you...” Emma replied, squeezing tighter.

“Okay, but this is a little too much for me.”

Remembering how excited she had made him earlier, she quickly let go. I need to do something though! I can't let this situation go to waste!

Deciding she needed to be more direct, she went on a limb and asked directly, “What...what can I do to convince you to take me?”

Mac didn't reply right away. He was facing away from her, towards the window, still. After a few moments, he replied, “You mean marry you, right? That's what you're after?”

Emma nodded (even though he couldn't see her), “Yes.”

“And you're definitely sure?”

“I've never been more sure in my life!” Emma responded confidently.

Mac turned around to face her, looking into her eyes “What if I'm not sure though?”

Emma looked away, “I...don't know. If I'm not good enough...”

Mac grabbed her hands in his, “I didn't say that” he responded, shaking his head.

“Then what-”

Mac interrupted her with a quick peck on the lips.

“Why are you...” Emma stammered out.

“Look, you're a very sweet girl. I might even like you too. But its hard for me to commit to something lifelong this quickly. We've only know each other two days!”

“If the marriage is arranged, it's not uncommon for some people to first meet at the altar” Emma shrugged.

Mac shook his head. “I wouldn't want things to be like that. Would you?”

Emma shook her head.

“Exactly. So, how about this...come with us on our trip. Let's get to know each other better. If you still feel that way afterwards, then-”.

“There's no way I'll chan-” Emma tried to protest, before Mac stopped her.

“I understand you feel that way now. But are you saying you've never changed your mind before?”

Emma made a pained face, “...No.”

“Then, if you still feel that way afterwards, we can talk about it.”

Emma was stunned. Did...did I actually succeed? Is this for real? “You really mean it? You're not gonna change your mind tomorrow, right?”

“No, I'd be pretty bad if I changed my mind after saying all that. Here,” Mac put out his pinky finger, and grasped her pinky in his. “This is a way to keep promises from my-...where I'm from.”

“Huh, that's pretty cool” Emma replied, smiling and shaking her pinky.

Mac smiled “I'm glad someone else thinks so, too.”

Emma got hearts in her eyes. Feeling herself heating up, she had to resist the urge to jump on top of him again, worried he might get upset. Deciding on a lesser outlet, she asked, “Um, can we kiss again?”

“Do you mean kiss, or...kiss?” Mac asked, emphasizing.

“Um...kiss...” Emma said, blushing and making her intentions clear.

Mac gulped. Maybe because of the mood that had been set, but he replied “...Yeah, if you promise to keep it at that.”

Instead of answering, Emma sat on his lap, and dug her tongue into his mouth again, which Mac again reciprocated, this time less haphazardly. This is the most amazing feeling ever was all she could think. After a few moments, she felt a bump on his crotch poke against her thigh, but she paid it no mind, instead clutching him closer and pressing her chest against his, as tightly as she could.

Finally releasing her lips when she was running out of breath, Mac grabbed her shoulders to prevent her from going in again.

“Did you...not like it?”

“No, I liked it too much” Mac replied. “I need to calm down. Where did you even learn to do that?”

“One of my sisters explained it to me. She said to just shove my tongue in and play with theirs, and then after doing it a bit you figure out how it works. She made the man she wanted to be her husband fall for her by repeatedly doing that to him.”

“Yeah, I don't think any man could resist that for long” Mac explained from his point of view, shaking his head at the poor farmer who had never stood a chance against Emma's sister.

“Sitting in their lap like this is actually the correct way to do it,” she explained, wrapping her arms around his neck, and going in for another kiss.

Mac let it go for a few more moments before pulling back again, causing Emma to giggle. “I guess I know your weakness now.”

“To be fair, I think I have a few,” Mac responded, sighing.

Emma giggled again, “Okay, I guess I'll need to learn those too,” she added teasingly, before gently hugging him again and closing her eyes. Mac wrapped his arms around her too.

No, this is the most amazing feeling ever she thought. As the warmth enveloped her, she eventually fell asleep.

Felicia Shopping

• Earlier that day -

Felicia took a deep breath, and walked into the clothing store. She was keeping a deathgrip on her coin purse, not wanting to drop (or worse, have stolen) the gold that Mac had given her. She had already hired the carriage to take her siblings to Pearie, and even bought them all a couple new sets of clothes, but she still had a considerable amount left for herself.

Well, I'm going to need to make sure I look nice, Felicia thought. Mel had a really nice maid outfit, it would be nice if I could get something like that.

As Felicia was thinking, an older man in a tuxedo walked up to her.

“Why hello there, madame, how may I help you today?” he asked.

Felicia froze, unused to being addressed this way. I guess this is an upper-class clothing store, they don't expect some random prostitute to stop in. Attempting to compose herself, Felicia forced a smile, “Hello. I would like to buy some clothes.”

The old man gave a light chuckle, “Well, I figured as much, madame, considering you came in. Would you like to look at our dresses? Or perhaps something a bit more...risque? We do have quite a large lingerie section.”

“I just...” Felicia started, before stopping herself. Actually, maybe that's not a bad idea. “Maybe a bit of both.”

The old man smiled again, “Of course! Then, I can give a few recommendations...”

Felicia followed the man as he grabbed an assortment of clothing and started piling them in her arms. Eventually, she had a few lingerie sets, and a dozen dresses.

“Try those on, let me know your favorites, and we can choose a few more from there.”

Felicia nodded, and entered the dressing room. Picking through the lingerie, she decided she liked the black ones best. They always got me the most customers, so I'm assuming I look good in them. Actually, I was wearing black last night when Mac found me too...

Blushing a bit, she set those aside, and started trying on dresses. She normally wore thick, rough dresses that were normal for commoners, but these were all thinner and more silky. Some of them she could clearly see her undergarments through, while others exposed a large amount of her cleavage. Urgghh, I don't know what's best!

Thinking back, she remembered what Melissandra, Mac's maid, had been wearing. While it covered her up, it was also tight-fitting, or at least on Melissandra it was. Since she was betting they were lovers, she figured it would be a good basis to judge off of.

Hmm, so he likes tight fitting clothes on his women? No, maybe he has them wear more revealing clothes at home, and that's just the outside outfit?

Mulling this over in her head, she decided to get a smattering of the outfits she thought she looked sexiest in and brought them to the old man.

He looked at the few she had given him, then gave a knowing grin. “Trying to look your best for a man?”

Felicia smiled and nodded.

The old man nodded back, and then quickly set about grabbing a few more outfits for her to try on. As he was rifling through a rack, he turned and asked, “Do you think he'd like...maid outfits?”

Felicia smirked, “Well, actually...

• Back at the farm-

Waking up the next day, Mac felt rays of sun hitting him in the face, and the warmth of someone next to him on the bed. The events of last night quickly ran through his mind. Embarrassed at some of the things he had done and said, he felt like he needed to talk with Emma again, now that his mind had slept on things. He also wasn't sure how we was going to face Melissandra. Even if she sent her here, I can't imagine she wanted things to go like this.

Turning around in bed, Mac started to say “Hey, can we-” before abruptly stopping, as he saw the person laying next to him was Melissandra, here eyes already open, and leaning her head on her hand as she laid there, smiling up at him.

“What? We should do what?” Melissandra asked, a serious look on her face.

Mac was nervously alternating between looking at her and looking away.

Unable to contain herself after a few moments of this, Melissandra let out a “poof” and started giggling. “What, were you expecting someone else?”

“Uh, yeah, unless I'm going crazy.”

“No, you're not. Emma came and got me before anyone woke up so we could switch places. She was worried what her parents might say if they knew she had stayed here last night. Though it's not like you did anything to be ashamed of.”

Mac nodded, though got red when he remembered their aggressive bouts of kissing.

Melissandra, noticing him going red, asked “You...didn't, right?”

I don't think she would hate me, but I can't bring myself to talk about that. Mac shook his head, “No, I'm just getting embarrassed thinking about it.”

“Why? It's not that different from what we talked about the night prior,” Mel contended.

“I guess that's true...which reminds me, why did you put her up to that? Are you really okay with this?”

Melissandra sat up, putting her hand to her forehead in frustration, “How many times are we going to have this discussion? I like Emma, I think she'd be great to have as a sister in the palace.”

“Wait, so now you're choosing my partners for me?” Mac said, raising an eyebrow.

“I'm not choosing them for you, you seemed interested in Emma, so I helped. And besides, you approached her first, didn't you?”

Mac sat there, thinking about how he had been acting. “Is that...how it looked?”

Melissandra nodded. “It was the same with Felicia. I'm not saying you can't approach other woman, of course, but you need to be aware of how you talk and act.”

Mac nodded, “Sorry, I'll be more careful in the future.”

Melissandra shook her head, “No, you don't need to apologize. I'm here to support you” she added, reinforcing her words with a hug. “Just make sure to support me too when I need it. That's what families do, right?”

Oh...I guess that's true. I was just kinda focused on the present, but we'll be a family in the future. Mac simply gave her a kiss in response, causing Mel to grow a bit red in embarrassment at the tender moment they were having.

After another morning breakfast, they were back out in the fields to harvest again. Emma kept giving him sidelong glances while they were working, and would sometimes go over to Melissandra, where they would whisper together as they worked.

Both of them seemed happy, so Mac decided to not bother them at all, even if he got the suspicion that they were scheming something.

During lunch, Melissandra pulled Mac away behind the stable while the others were eating.

Alarm bells were ringing in Mac's head, “Err, is something wrong?”

Melissandra stopped once they were out of sight of anyone else. “I heard from Emma about a...special type of kissing.”

Mac grew red, both from blushing and the embarrassment of what he had done with Emma the night prior. “I'm sorry,” he said, bowing deeply.

Melissandra looked at him confused, “You don't need to apologize.”

“You're not...upset?” Mac asked tentatively.

Melissandra shook her head, “I'm not going to get upset over kissing...but I'd like to do whatever this was as well” she added, a hint of blushing on her face.

Mac let out a 'phew' and reached over to Melissandra. However, she pushed him down onto a bale of hay, before climbing into his lap, and wrapping her arms around his neck. She then stopped, their faces even. “...I'm not sure how to start.”

Mac took the lead, gently kissing Melissandra, before slowly pushing his tongue into her mouth. Melissandra flinched a bit in surprise, but quickly caught on, following Mac's lead. After a few moments, she pulled herself tightly to him, pressing her breasts against him, and wrapping her arms around his back instead.

After a few minutes, she let go, panting. “This is amazing. I can tell you're excited too.”

Mac scratched his cheek, “Sorry...”

Melissandra shook her head, “Don't be, I'm glad I can get you...aroused...so easily,” she explained, giving him another quick peck and sly smile, before getting off him and straightening out her clothing. “Let's head back...er, after you calm down.”

By late afternoon, the surrounding fields had been almost entirely harvested, and they had even helped pack some of the pickings into crates for market. Ernest was beside himself with joy, “This is amazing. We've never been done this quickly before! I can't thank you enough. I'll make sure to add a little extra into your pay” he let Mac know as they were stack crates.

“No, that's not necessary. Like I said, you don't need to pay us at all. The money won't make much difference to me, but I'm sure you could use it.”

“Nonsense, I can't just not pay my workers, especially hard working ones like your men” Ernest protested. “Unless...are you saying you're taking my daughter as your payment?”

“I didn't say that!” Mac, now taking his turn to protest.

“Haha, well, if you're really not going to take my money, then I'm considering that the case!”

Mac shook his head, “Are you really okay with your daughter leaving with us?”

Ernest chuckled, “Of course! We've been trying to get her married off for years now, but she didn't want to settle down on a farm for the rest of her life. She wants to go off and be her own woman, and I'm not going to stand in her way. Actually, I'm relieved she didn't get conned by any suspicious men. You seem like the decent sort.”

At that explanation, Mac smiled in appreciation, “I'm glad she has such caring parents.”

Ernest slapped him on the back, “Well, if things work out, we'll be your parents too, right?”

“Haha, yeah, I guess that's true” Mac awkwardly laughed.

They continued working until Emilia called everyone in for dinner again. At the table, Emma made a point of sidling up to Mac as they were eating, as if wanting to make sure he wouldn't be able to go anywhere without her knowing, although it made it a bit hard to eat. Melissandra glanced at her a few times, but didn't say anything. I hope she doesn't plan on doing this for every meal. I'll let it go this time since she's probably just happy right now.

After eating, Mac played a couple games of Rocks with the brothers again, before wanting to go take a bath and lie down. Emma, who had been chatting with Melissandra and Emilia, followed him up.

Once they were in the room, she grabbed Mac from behind.

“What's wrong?” Mac asked, although having an inkling of what she wanted.

“I just need my good night kiss” she said, before leaning up and kissing him quickly. “Alright, I need to go pack” she said with a smile, before heading back out the door.

Mac got in the tub and quickly washed himself, before getting into bed. As he laid down, there was another knock at the door.

Before Mac could answer, it swung open, Melissandra coming in and walking over to him.

“Do you need a good night kiss, too?” Mac asked.

Melissandra did a double take. “Yes...how did you know?”

“Just a guess.”

Melissandra sat down next to Mac, giving him a kiss, before leaning her head on his shoulder. “I had hoped to have more time by myself with you, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.”

Mac decided not to point out that it was partly due to her that this was the case. “It's not like we can't spend time alone in the future.”

Melissandra smiled, giving him a hug. “In truth, I wish I could spend tonight with you, but I should help Emma pack.”

“I'll still be here in the morning,” Mac said, giving a small chuckle. “I think I need some extra sleep anyway.”

“Well don't sleep too long, we need to leave early to pick up Felicia in the morning.”

“Oh...yeah of course.”

“Did you...forget about Felicia?”

Mac shook his head, “No, I'm just worried about adding another woman into the fray.”

Giggling, Melissandra replied, “Okay, I won't say anything to her then” before leaving.

Turning over in his bed, Mac had trouble tearing this thoughts away from the events of the last couple days. Hopefully I can survive until we get back to the palace...

On the road again

In the morning, they were seen off with one last breakfast, with Emilia and Ernest profusely thanking them again for all the help. La Hire had the guards loading up the wagon and preparing the horses (Emma had packed a couple chests worth of items).

After breakfast, Emma said her goodbyes in private, before coming outside to where Mac and Melissandra were waiting. As they got in the carriage, they waved by to her parents, as well as the two brothers, who looked to be sobbing a bit. Running back to them, Emma hugged them both and ruffled their hair, before coming back and getting in again.

Sitting down next to Melissandra in the carriage, Emma closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again, smiling at her two travel partners.

“So...where are we going?” she asked, looking a the other two expectantly.

“We have to pick up the other one I mentioned, remember?” Melissandra reminded her.

“Oh yeah...but where then?”

“We'll talk about it once we've picked her up.”

“Hmmm...” Emma said, confused why they were waiting, “alright, I guess there's no need to rush things.”

Taking the short trip back to Loren, they again ran into a line of wagons waiting to get inside the city. Parking the carriage, the three (accompanied by two guards) walked adjacent to the line to the agreed upon meeting spot with Felicia.

“I think I see her,” Mac said as they got close. While he couldn't see all of her, he saw a pair of bunny ears that he thought belonged to her. Walking up, he noticed there was a throng of people that seemed to be around her. Fighting his way through the crowd, he finally managed to get up close.

“There you are!” Felicia called, rushing up to Mac and throwing herself against him.

“Felicia! What...what are you wearing!?” he asked as she hugged him.

The reason there had been a throng of people around her was now plainly obvious, it being mainly down to her attire. It was a maid outfit similar looking to Melissandra's, but with a few adjustments, such as the skirt not fully covering her panties, and a huge section cut out from the chest, so that the entire top of her breasts were visible.

Melissandra and Emma now also came through the crowed, which looked like they were starting to disperse now that the maid's attention was on a specific person. Melissandra put her hand to her forehead and shook her head, whereas Emma's draw dropped, stunned at what she was seeing.

“Do you like it?” Felicia asked, falling into her seductive voice, as she noticed Mac staring at her.

“I won't pretend like you don't look good in it, but why are you wearing it in public!?” Mac asked taking off his outer shirt and wrapping it around her.

“I thought I would surprise you” she explained. “Are you upset that others are seeing me in it?”

“Sure, let's go with that. Only wear it in private.” After thinking a few seconds, he added, “Anything else that shows that much skin, too.”

“Haha, well, if you say so,” she replied with a giggle.

Grabbing her trunk and guiding her back to the carriage (and getting a few odd looks from the guards), they got in.

As they started rolling on, an awkward silence filled the carriage.

“Ummmoooo...” Emma said, breaking the tension. She looked at Felicia. “I'm Emma. I lived at a farm near here, but now I'm also one of Mac's future wives like you.”

Felicia looked at her, before breaking out laughing, “Oh sorry, I'm not a future wife, I'm just a prostitute he liked so much, he hired as a maid.”

As Emma quickly turned to stare at Mac, he shook his head and quickly held his hands up, “Hold on, hold on, you're leaving out some important details. Like that we didn't actually do anything.”

Emma nodded in understanding. “I thought that seemed off. But...that means the other parts are true?”

“Do you have a problem with a prostitute being here?” Felicia asked dryly.

Emma shook her head quickly, “No! I was just...surprised, that's all. If Mac and Mel like you, I probably will too” she added, giving a nod instead.

Felicia smiled, leaning over and hugging Emma's face to her chest, “That's good, I was hoping to get to know a cute girl like yourself as well. You remind me of my little sisters.”

Melissandra let out a small 'phew' that Mac thought only he picked up on. She then leaned over and whispered in Mac's ear “We should probably tell them now.”

Mac raised an eyebrow, “Tell them...?” he whispered back.

“You're...actual occupation.”

“Oh...” was all Mac replied, realizing what she meant. I had been committing so hard to the merchant role-play I forgot they would need to be informed eventually. “Yeah, I guess we can trust them now.”

“It'd be an issue if we got this far without trusting them...but I agree.”

Emma finally got herself free from Felicia's embrace. “Is something wrong?” she asked, seeing the two of them whispering in hushed tones.

“Yeah...um, I need to come clean about something” Mac explained.

At the unusually serious tone he was giving off, both of them looked at him with rapt attention.

“I'm not actually a traveling merchant. I'm...the King.”

Both of them stared in silence. After a few moments, Felicia asked, “No, really, what did you want to say.”

Melissandra stepped in, “I know it seems ridiculous, but...he's being truthful.”

Seeing Melissandra confirm, the two others had opposite reactions.

“Wait, I'm going to marry a King!? Is that even allowed!?” Emma said, staring at Mac with hearts in her eyes.

“Hahaha, you're telling me the King of Ositania walked into a brothel and purchased me as a personal maid? I hope this makes it into the history books” Felicia responded, laughing uncontrollably.

“Sorry we kept it from you, but we're traveling undercover so I can visit different parts of the kingdom, and learn more about the people and places.”

“So you being interested in my story wasn't a lie,” Felicia asked, starting to control her laughter, and wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Yeah, I was genuinely interested. Same with Emma when I saw her asking for help in town” Mac confirmed.

“I have to let Ma and Pa know, can we stop by again on the way back?” Emma asked.

Melissandra shook her head, “You need to wait until we finish our journey to say anything, we don't want to risk it getting out.”

Emma nodded, “Okay, I understand. Still, they're gonna be in for a surprise when they know the King of Ositania helped them dig up potatoes.”

Felicia nodded, “So will my siblings when the 'house' they arrive at is the royal palace.”

“Wait, what about you Mel? Are you actually the Queen pretending to be a maid.”

Melissandra shook her head, “No, I'm actually his maid.” She paused, before blushing and continuing, “Although Mac has promised to make me his in the future” she added, squirming in her seat.

“I think it's more accurate to say you're making me yours” Mac sighed.

Melissandra shrugged, “I did what I needed to do to win you over. Are you upset?”

“...No” Mac replied, giving a shy smile.

“Besides, I'm nothing compared to Emma,” Melissandra added, nodding and crossing her arms.

“Yeah that's true” Mac agreed, crossing his arms and nodding in turn.

“Hey, I'm right here! I just did what I needed to, too!” she added, tearing up and repeatedly punching Mac.

“I know, I know, I'm not upset,” Mac added, patting her head.

This seemed to calm Emma, who sat back down and continued, “So, can I know where we're going now? I'm assuming that was why I had to wait?”

Mac replied, “Yes, we're also visiting one of the marriage candidates I met when I first got here.”

Felicia laughed again, “Another girl? When are you going to have time for all of us?”

Mac felt those words like a brick to the head. Over the past couple days he had finally convinced himself that having multiple women in his life was fine (if they were ones like those around him now, at least) but he hadn't even considered the implications of that yet.

Melissandra, seeing Mac was visibly worried, “I'm sure we can work something out.”

“Yeah, with Mel in charge, she'll keep everyone in line!” Emma added, pumping her fist. Even Felicia nodded in agreement.

Actually, isn't that about what she's been doing already? Is that what she wants to do? He decided to mull it over and bring up her intentions later.

As they continued their journey, the three girls chatted amongst themselves, with Mac half-listening, his mind jumping between different topics as he watched the fields go by. Foremost among his concerns was his meeting with Eleanor. Previously, they had only been introduced briefly during the introduction ceremony on the first day of his arrival in this world. It had been a few weeks since then, and he had tried not to think too much about it, but it was now staring him in the face. The more he thought about it...the more he realized he didn't seem to mind. Actually, why am I so okay with this...

Thinking about Eleanor objectively, there was no reason to refuse the marriage offer. Adding the entire Cartegna estate to the royal demesne would make the royal family a lot more powerful. Eleanor herself seemed to be a skilled administrator, by Marie's (and her own father's) account, which would help immensely in running the country and making decisions. And...she was quite beautiful. He's pretty sure he had called her 'gorgeous' when Marie asked about it. Mac shook his head, No, I need to consider her feelings too.

Eleanor stood on her room's terrace, watching the road that approached her castle longingly. She knew that the carriage the King was in wasn't arriving until tomorrow, according to the letter she had received from Melissandra, but she secretly hoped he would get there sooner. Despite only meeting briefly when she had visited the capital for the Introduction Ceremony, lately he was all she could think about. I've fallen head over heels for him, and we've barely even met!

While she knew she was probably being ridiculous, for Eleanor, who had gone twenty-seven years without any man showing interest in her, the fact there was one now who considered her attractive, was more than she could handle. She had long since come to terms with never marrying, never having children, and probably having to adopt a child to inherit the Cartegna household after her father passed away. But now...she felt she had been given a new lease on life. She was going to make sure they got engaged, no matter what.

The official letter from Melissandra had come with a second, more personal letter for Eleanor. In it, Melissandra had detailed out very...specific...details on winning the King – no, Mac – over. She seemed to have an intimate understanding of his likes and dislikes. Eleanor had already planned on doing anything and everything she could to make sure he didn't leave without them being engaged, but now that she had this info, she felt almost like she was cheating on a school exam.

Tearing her eyes away from the road, she decided to run through tomorrow's events with her servants again, and make sure nothing would, or could, go wrong.

The King and his entourage had stopped for the night at an inn along the road, tucked away in between fields, so you wouldn't know it was there until you stumbled across it. Unlike the others they had been too, this one only had a few other rooms occupied, with the tavern area mostly empty as they ate.

Emma, who had never traveled before, was just as in awe as Mac had been his first time at an inn. “This is awesome! I always wanted to stay at an inn.”

Mac matched her enthusiasm. “Right? It really feels like an adventure when you're staying at a roadside inn.”

After eating, Mac went up to his bed, staring up at the ceiling of the room he was in. La Hire must have thought that one room would be ridiculous for Mac and three woman, and had gotten him two rooms, letting them sort out the sleeping arrangements themselves. Melissandra had grabbed one and ushered the other two girls into it, shooing Mac away. Maybe she wants to have a 'girl's night' with them? This is the first night all three of them are together.

After a while, Mac felt himself dozing off, but was jolted back awake by the door creeping open. Felicia entered the room, alone, and wearing her negligee that she had had on the first time they met. “They said it was my turn to sleep with you tonight” she explained after she closed the door.

“Oh...” was all Mac could reply.

“Do you not want me to?”

“No, it's fine. I've already slept in a bed with both of them, so I'm used to it at this point” Mac explained.

“You mean like...” Felicia trailed off.

“No, just literally slept in the same bed. Well, I guess maybe we did a little more, but we didn't, you know...” Mac trailed off.

“Have sex?” Felicia finished.

Mac nodded his head, a little red, “No.”

“That sounds kinda fun” Felicia said, jumping into the bed, before sidling up next to him.

“Fun just sleeping next to each other?”

“Yeah, normally the guys would just jump on top of me right away, and most of the time they didn't even sleep in the bed with me.”

Mac gave a pained smile, “Well, I won't jump on you, I can promise you that.”

“Well, what if I want you to?” Felicia said, going into her seductive voice.

“I thought you-”

Mac stopped as Felicia gave him a peck on the cheek. “Hmmm, they said I could do a little more, but I think I'm good with that for now.”

“For now?” Mac asked, not sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

“Yeah, I wanna talk for a bit, now that I've got you alone.”

“Um, that's fine...was there something in particular?” Mac asked, wondering what she had wanted to wait until they were alone to ask.

“Yeah...are you really okay with hiring me as a wet-nurse for your children? Mel keeps telling me it's fine, but it seems like she kind of forced you into it. You seemed like weren't totally on board, maybe because of you're...actual occupation” she added with a smirk.

Mac grew red thinking about the situation, “It's not that I don't want to hire you, but doing something like that...”

Felicia looked at him pointedly. “You mean sex? I'm not some maiden who's going to blush if you use the word” Felicia explained, rolling her eyes.

Mac took a deep breath to compose himself. I guess I'll just be clear with her. “Yes, I guess I'm concerned about having sex with you just for that kind of reason” he explained, his face managing to stay composed.

Felicia crossed her arms and closed her eyes, looking deep in thought. “Are you the kind of person that wants to have feelings for the other person? Otherwise it doesn't feel right?”

“Yes! Exactly!” Mac responded emphatically, glad she was understanding.

“Yeah, I understand. I've always been the object of men's lust, but not their love” Felicia added with a sigh.

Mac nodded, “So you-”

Felicia quieted him by putting a finger to his lips. “Isn't there an easy solution then? We just need to have feelings for each other” she said, slowly sliding her finger off his lips and down to his chest, poking where his heart was.

“Are you saying feelings are that easy to develop?” Mac asked, though his own heart was racing.

Felicia slid up, putting her face next to his, close enough he could feel her breath on his cheeks, while playing with his hair. “Well, let's say you're stuck in a bad situation. Like...working in a brothel to support your family, perhaps? And then one day someone shows up, offering to whisk you away and make all your problems go away. Gives you a job so you don't have to sleep with different men every night. And they'll even take care of your family, too. Are you saying you wouldn't feel...anything...for that person?”

Mac paused for a bit, before replying “I guess I would.”

Felicia smiled. “I'm glad you understand how I feel then, too” she replied, before leaning over to give him a kiss on the lips. Their faces close together, Mac could see a tinge of red on her cheeks. “I better stop there or I'll jump you. I'd rather not make Mel or Emma angry...”

Mac gulped. Neither did he.

Felicia, thinking for a moment, continued, “I do have one more request though.”

Mac nodded, unsure if he should be worrying or not.

“Can you....hold me while I sleep? The other's said it was very comforting, so I wanted to try it too.”

Smiling, Mac put his arms around her. “Of course, that's easy.”

Felicia shivered a bit, then laid her head on his chest, her ears tickling him under his chin. After a few minutes, he could hear her slowly breathing in and out, as she seemed to have fallen asleep.

Mac sighed, before closing his eyes as well. It's also hard not to have feelings for someone when they act like this towards you...

Felicia woke up, taking a few moments to remember where she was at. It was probably sometime in the middle of the night, with no candles or lanterns lit, and only some soft moonlight streaming through the window and illuminating the room.

She realized she was not laying on a pillow, but instead on a man's chest. Turning up and seeing Mac's face, the events from earlier that night came to mind, bringing a smirk to her face. I get now why the other two seem head over heels for him, doing stuff like that. Even I can't help myself.

Felicia had had sex with countless men, but never once had her heart fluttered. While she may have played it up for the customer, there relationship's had always been of a transactional nature. Now, whether it was the person, the mood, the situation, or maybe some combination of the three, she felt like a young maiden courting her first crush. She had felt her heart swelling just from some cuddling and light kissing.

At first, she had merely wanted to make sure she and her family wouldn't be thrown back out on the street if her purchaser was unhappy. Now, considering how Mac was acting around her, and with the support of the other two women, that seemed unlikely. Once they were back at the palace, one of the others would probably get pregnant fairly quickly, and then, she'd get to have her own children with Mac too. Having helped raise her younger siblings her whole life, she had always dreamed of having a family of her own one day, and now her goal was within reach.

Silently yawning, Felicia decided she needed to get some more sleep before the morning came. They would be arriving at a noblewoman's estate the next day, who was also a marriage candidate for Mac. She wasn't too concerned, since Mac seemed to make every woman he met smitten with him, but she should make sure she didn't do anything to make their party look bad.

Putting her arms around Mac and snuggling her face into his chest, Felicia attempted to fall back asleep. Mel was right, this is definitely the best... she thought, reminding herself to thank her in the morning for suggesting it.

Once dawn came, the crew assembled together in the empty courtyard, preparing to leave for the House Cartegna mansion.

Melissandra was in her maid outfit, and she had lent a spare to Felicia. Since Felicia's body proportions were fairly close to Melissandra's, it fit fairly well. Emma was wearing a white sundress, which made her normal tan-lines really stick out. “I wanted to wear a maid outfit too, but Mel's don't fit me at all,” she pouted, looking down at her small chest.

“It's fine, you look good in that dress” Mac reassured her, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a thumbs up with a smile.

“Geez...” Emma responded, blushing and grabbing her burning cheeks.

'Cough, cough' came from Melissandra.

“Ah, you two look good in your outfits too, of course,” Mac hastily added.

Melissandra giggled after the hasty compliment.

“I wanted to wear the 'sexy' version again but the other two vetoed it” Felicia explained, holding up her hands in an exaggerated shrug and seeming disappointed.

“We're on an official visit,” Melissandra replied, shaking her head.

After they were loaded up, the carriage took off down the road. The inhabitants were mostly quiet as the rolled along, Melissandra having explained the importance of the visit going smoothly, which had caused the others to be nervous.

Mac, for his part, was thankful for the silence. He thought things would probably go well, but it was an adjustment to go back to 'King' mode. It had mostly been a non-concern during the travel so far, but now he had to go back to it for visiting with Eleanor.

Seeing him deep in thought, Melissandra grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze, before leaning in to whisper, “Don't worry. Just treat her like you treated us, and everything will be fine” and adding a peck on his cheek for good measure.

“Thanks,” Mac simply replied, with a smile. I've thought this before, but I'm glad she's with me.

After a few hours, Mac saw in the distance a large building come into view, much larger than any building he'd seen in this world so far (barring the royal palace). While Melissandra didn't have much reaction, Felicia gave a surprised look, while Emma's jaw dropped in awe.

“Is your place this big too?” Felicia asked, looking at Mac inquisitively.

Melissandra answered, “It's probably a couple times larger.”

Hearing this, Emma's eyes widened. “That's incredible!”

As the full mansion came into view, they noticed a large amount of people gathered around the grounds in front of the building. As they approached, two guards rode up on horses. Giving La Hire a salute, then rode in front and guided their entourage towards the gates of the estate.

As they rolled in and stopped, one of the guards came over and opened the carriage door. Melissandra motioned for Mac to go out first. As he did, he blinked a few times in the sunlight before looking at his surroundings.

More than a dozen maids and half a dozen butlers were curtsying and bowing before him, with twice as many guards standing at attention behind them. After they finished, one of the maids (a cat-human girl) walked up to him. “Sire, I'm glad to see you have arrived safely. Do you and your companions need to rest?” she asked, eyeing the three girls standing behind him. Melissandra merely curtsied in response, with Felicia also doing an awkward curtsy too. Emma was busy looking around, her eyes darting between everything she could see as she took it in.

“They might, but I can see Eleanor right away, if she's available” Mac replied.

“My Lady will be delighted to hear that,” the maid replied, curtsying again before turning towards the manor.

Following her in, the four of them went into a large entrance way, with a crystal chandelier above their head, and a large staircase in front.

“Welcome, I'm so glad you came,” a voice rang from the top of the staircase.

Mac looked up to see a woman smiling down at him, clad in a white dress that almost matched her skin tone, with golden blonde hair down to her waist. She had a protruding chest (a couple sizes larger than even Marie) and was very thick in the thighs and hips area. Of course, what caught Mac's attention first was her eyes. One blue and one yellow, it was hard not to notice them.

“Hello,” Mac said after a few moments, coming back to his senses.

“Would you like to join me for some tea?” she asked, walking down the steps.

Melissandra turned to the head maid. “Could you show us to our rooms?” she asked, before giving Mac a slight nod.

Mac turned back to Eleanor as she finished her descent. She was a good 10cm taller than him, and had a soft smile on her face. “Of course.”

Sitting on a veranda, Mac and Eleanor were each poured some tea by the catgirl maid (who looked like a slightly older version of Kay), who then left the two alone as a light breeze flowed over them.

Eleanor took a sip from her tea, before setting it down and asking, “How was your journey? It looked like you were busy collecting woman along the way,” she added with a sly smile.

“Err, sorry, I didn't mean for it to turn out like that,” Mac replied, scratching his head.

“No need to apologize, they all looked lovely” she added with a giggle.

Mac was struck in awe at the sight before him. Looking at Eleanor, giggling with her hair blowing in the wind, he could only think Yes, this is a fantasy world princess. Well, the purpose of his visit was to see if she would be a Queen, so it fit.

Mac, having convinced himself, asked, “Well, do you want to get straight to it?”

Eleanor took another sip, keeping herself composed. “Of course. Umm....” she trailed off for a moment as if unsure exactly what to say. “...what can I do to convince you?
Mac shook his head. “No, you don't need to. If you are fine with me, I've already decided to accept you as a Queen.”

Eleanor froze. She had been running a thousand scenarios through her head. Melissandra's letter had several tips on winning him over, and, while the letter said it wouldn't be necessary, she had been prepared to give her first time to him then and there if it meant he would marry her. But he had just come out and said it. It was almost too good to be true, and she barely believed her own ears. The only thing she didn't understand was the quantifier attached.

“What do you mean, 'if I'm fine with you'?” she asked.

Mac scratched his cheek, “Well, I don't want you to feel forced into it. And, you might end up not liking me at all. We can call off the engagement if you decide you don't want me.”

“No!” Eleanor let out, before catching herself. Mac's eyes widened at the outburst. Shoot, I let my true feelings out! She coughed, before continuing, “I don't think that will happen.”

Mac looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Eleanor shook her head, eyes starting to well up in tears. I guess I should just explain. I want him to be my future husband... Taking a deep breath, she told him, “My whole life I've been waiting for a man to see past my curse eyes and want me, but they never came. Years ago I resigned myself to being unloved forever...when out of nowhere an Otherworlder King shows up from thin air, saying they might want to marry me. How could I not be okay with you? The first person man to ever be okay with me?” Eleanor was slowly starting to break down crying.

Mac leaned over and grabbed her hands in his.

“Even if you just want me for my administrative abilities. Or my estate. Or even my body. Please, take me as your Queen. I'd be happy even as a concubine.”

Mac shook his head, “No, I want...um...all of you,” he said, blushing and averting his eyes.

At that, Eleanor started crying even harder. “Do you...really think I'm gorgeous? That's what the letter said.”

Mac got up and knelt down in front of her, still holding her hands. “Yes. When I was watching you earlier, I thought 'Wow, that's my idea of what a princess looks like'. Well, now it should be what a Queen looks like.”

Eleanor couldn't contain herself. She stood up, picking Mac up into a princess carry, and walked over to a couch just inside the veranda.

Mac, eyes going wide at the unexpected turn of events, froze in her arms.

Eleanor laid him down before laying next to him, before putting her arms around him and squeezing, causing his face to smash into her breasts.

After a few seconds, Mac grabbed Eleanor's shoulders and slipped his head out, up next to her face. He could feel her heavy breathing on his cheek.

“You don't need to do-” Mac started to say, before Eleanor interrupted him by sticking her tongue into his mouth, initiating a deep kiss.

Mac, having gotten used to just reciprocating these, decided to do so in this situation as well. After a half-minute or so, Eleanor pulled back, eyes tearing up again.

Mac, realizing she must just be happy at the situation, put his arms around her (as much as he could with her breasts pushing against him).

“The letter said I should do that to convince you to take me. Well, I was prepared to give myself to you completely if needed...”she added, blushing heavily.

“You don't need to do that” Mac responded. “Err, well, it's an awkward time to say this, but I kind of promised myself to do that with someone else first, or I might end up with an ice spike in my back. Not that I would betray her, of course...”

Eleanor sat up giggling, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Yes, your maid, or I guess your concubine, Melissandra was very helpful, even if I didn't end up needing to use anything in her letter.”

Mac raised an eyebrow, “Con...cubine?”

Eleanor nodded, “I read the letter around a dozen times, I assure you that is what she called herself.”

Mac froze for a few moments, looking deep in thought.

This is kind of awkward...was there some sort of miscommunication?

Eleanor grabbed one of his hands and put it between both of hers. “Dearest, is there anything wrong?”

Taken aback at being called 'dearest' all of a sudden, Mac snapped back to reality “No, it's okay, I think I may have caused a misunderstanding.”

“Do you need to go correct the issue?” Eleanor asked, looking a bit disappointed.

Mac shook his head, “No, it'll be okay, and I can't play favorites like that. We're doing things out of order since we already got the engagement part out of the way, but I'd like to get to know you more.”

Overcome with joy at the word 'engagement', Eleanor hugged him tightly again, putting her cheek on his head.

Mac and Eleanor continued talking after that. Eleanor insisted on sitting next to each other on the couch, alternating between holding hands with him and sitting side-by-side with her arms around him, although this wasn't the most conducive to talking, as she would usually start kissing him again whenever there was a lull in the conversation. Mac, for his part, was interested in running Houses and other noble etiquette topics, while Eleanor was interested in tales from his world. Their tea grew cold out on the veranda.

After talking for a few hours, Mac heard his stomach audibly growl.

Eleanor giggled, “Should we adjourn? I think we talked straight through lunch, but dinner should be ready in a bit.”

Mac chuckled and rubbed his stomach, “Haha, yeah, if you don't mind.”

Eleanor smiled, “We can always talk later. Besides, I need to let Father know the good news.”

“Ah, yeah, I should let the others now how it went” Mac nodded.

“Oh, I will need to talk to my future sisters as well!” Eleanor added. “Kelly!”

The catgirl maid, Kelly, opened the door, giving a curtsy.

“Take sire, er...Mac, to his companions room, then have dinner started if it isn't already. I will be joining with Father after I go see him.”

Kelly gave a curtsy, “Of course, my Lady.”

Eleanor, turned to go away, then came back and gave him a quick peck on the lips, before practically running down the hall.

Kelly gave a slight smirk, before turning and walking down the hall, “Please follow me sire.”

As he followed Kelly down the hall, he was reminded even more of a certain catgirl maid from the palace.

“Thank you, sire” Kelly said, without breaking stride down the hall. “I've never seen her so happy in the years I've worked here.”

“Err, well, hopefully I can keep her happy too.”

Kelly nodded.

Since the ice had been broken between them, Mac decided to ask, “Sorry if this is wrong, but, are you related to a Kay at all?”

Breaking her composed demeanor, she fell into one much more familiar to him, “Nyahaha, so you do know Kay. I was wondering if she had gotten herself introduced to you before you left.”

Mac nodded, “Yeah, she's friends with Mel, so I got to know her as well.”

“She's my little sister. Well, half-sister, our mothers are different concubines of Lord Gascon. Hopefully she doesn't cause you too much trouble. I might send a letter along with Mel to keep her in line” Kelly added with a nod.

“That's okay, I...think she's fine the way she is” Mac responded.

“Well, if she does, tell her Kelly will tie her tail into a knot again if she steps out of line.”

Again? “I'll be sure too if the need arises.”

After a couple minutes of walking, they arrived at the room the others were in. It was large, with four beds, with Melissandra, Emma, and Felicia sitting on one and talking. When he opened the door, they all got up and rushed over to him.

“I'll return when dinner is ready” Kelly said with a curtsy, before taking off down the hall.

The three of them looked at him expectantly, with Emma breaking the silence “So, how'd it go? Is she joining us?”

Mac nodded. Emma pumped her fists with an 'all right!', Felicia smiled and crossed her arms, and Melissandra let out a sigh of relief.

However, Mac couldn't share there enthusiasm, as he needed to address something first. “Um, would it be okay if I talked with Melissandra in private?”, he asked, looking at the other two.

Melissandra raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't say anything. Emma and Felicia looked between them. “Sure! I wanted to go look around a bit anyway. Come on Fe!” Emma responded, grabbing Felicia by the arm. Felicia seemed somewhat concerned, but let Emma drag her out of the room anyway, closing the door after them.

“Is...did something happen?” Melissandra asked, worried.

“No, it's nothing bad, I just realized I messed something up” Mac responded, shaking his head.

“Well...what is it then? “

“Do you remember the night at the inn? When I...when we promised ourselves to each other?”

Melissandra nodded, “I could never forget...wait, do you mean-”

Mac stopped her before she could worry too much, “No, I'm not taking it back or anything. I think...you misunderstood.”

Melissandra was confused, “What do you mean then? You were very clear, you literally said you would...have sex with me” she finished, blushing while remembering his choice of words.

Mac nodded, “Yes, but, I didn't mean I would take you as a concubine.”

Melissandra looked incredulous, “Then what would I be? Just a maid who-”

Mac cut her off with a hug, “No, I want you as my wife! If I'm going to marry anyone in this world, the first person needs to be you. I think I've only even kept my sanity this long because you've been with me. I might have gone crazy, being transported to a different world like this, if it weren't for you.”

Melissandra froze as she processed the words Mac was saying to her. After he finished, she pushed him lightly away. “Don't be silly. I'm better off just being a concubine. It's not like we can't still be together like that.”

Mac shook his head. “Even if that's true, it doesn't show my appreciation for you properly.”

Looking at the ground, Melissandra's shoulders started to quiver, “You...you realize I would be a Queen then right? I'm not like Eleanor, I won't be as useful.”

“Nonsense. Things wouldn't have gone as well on this trip if it weren't for you. You said you would support me right? I need you to support the royal family. Our family. You can help support the whole country as a Queen. No, the country needs your support, from what I've seen. You're way too valuable to have just sitting in the palace.”

Melissandra, crying, said with a smile “Dummy, you're gonna marry me just to put me to work?”

“It's not like you're alone” Mac added, smiling as he looked into her eyes.

Grabbing Mac tightly, she gave him a (wet, from her tears) kiss on the lips, before burying her face into his chest.

“So, will you marry me?”

“Yes! Of course yes!”

Sitting on the bed for awhile, while Melissandra cried herself out, Mac kept her arms around her until she settled down.

Giving him another kiss, Melissandra said, “I'm a little sad I have to wait for the wedding now...I want to just have at you here.”

Mac gulped. “I do too, but..I think it will mean more if we keep our promise.”

Melissandra nodded. “I would probably upset the other two as well. Oh, I mean three now” she added. “Um, is it okay if I ask something?”

Mac nodded, “Of course, I mean, we can be upfront with each other. We should be up front with each other.”

“Do you...plan on marrying the others too?” she asked tentatively.

Mac was taken aback, “You wanna talk about this right after we get engaged? Well, officially engaged.”

Melissandra giggled and nodded. “I'm ecstatic, but I can't forget my position. Well, my new position. Especially right after you're asking for my support.”

Mac paused, then understood after realizing she was taking his words seriously. “You've kind of mentioned it before, but you want to fill the royal family with people you get along with.”

Melissandra nodded. Grabbing his hands in hers, she continued, “I don't know Eleanor well enough yet, but Emma and Felicia, I would wholly approve of you taking as well. I want them as sisters.”

Mac raised an eyebrow, “Emma is one thing, but Felicia too? I thought you just wanted to hire her as a nurse?”

Melissandra shrugged, “I did, at first. But she can still be our nurse even if you're married, and I assume you'd feel better that way as well. Do you not want too?”

She knows me too well already. Mac sighed, “It's not that I wouldn't, it's just hard to think about already, we barely met a few days ago. I...if she wants too, I'll make an effort too.”

“And Emma?”

“Emma is going to propose to me as soon as we get back to the palace. Maybe before...” Mac said, rolling his eyes.

Melissandra giggled, “Well, I understand how she feels.”

There was a knock at the door. Melissandra quickly wiped her face off, before getting up to open the door. Kelly was on the other side, giving a curtsy. “Dinner is ready, if you would like to join.”

Melissandra curtsied back, “Yes, we will be down shortly.”

Kelly nodded, giving a glance and sly smile at Mac, before turning down the hall.

“Shouldn't you stop doing that? We're actually engaged now, you really can't be my maid anymore.”

Melissandra shook her head. “If it's okay with you, I think we should wait until after dinner. I don't want Eleanor to think we're upstaging her, that would get our relationship off on a bad foot.”

Of course, I have to think about stuff like that now...Mac thought, shaking his head. “Well, that makes sense. We can tell the others later.”

Walking down, they entered the dining hall, where the others were already. The Cartegna family only consisted of Eleanor and her father, who were already sitting down at the table. Eleanor and her father stood up as they walked over to them.

Lord Cartegna was crying profusely as he gave a polite bow. “Your majesty, I'm so overjoyed for you and Eleanor. I've been waiting so long...” he trailed off, wiping his tears.

“Of course, I'll do my best to make sure she's happy” Mac responded, giving a smile.

Eleanor blushed, holding her cheeks. She then caught sight of Melissandra standing behind Mac, and rushed over, hugging her tightly, chest to chest. “Melissandra! Or can I just call you Mel too? I'm so glad I can finally meet you.”

After being caught off guard, Melissandra hugged her back. “Of course! Me too! I was really hoping we could talk after dinner.”

“Of course! I was hoping to talk to all of you, actually,” she added, looking over at Emma and Felicia too, who were both taken aback by the attention. “But first, let's eat.”

Sitting down between Eleanor and Melissandra, Mac had a hyper-aware realization of the situation he was now in. He was engaged to two beautiful women, in a fantasy world he had been teleported to only a few weeks prior. When he first came here, he had thought he might wake one day and be back in his old world. Now, he was worried he might wake up in his old world and never see any of them again.

Shaking his head, he cleared the thoughts from his mind. No, today is a great day. Mel and I are together. I worked things out with Eleanor. Emma and Felicia are here too! I need to make sure to protect them all now. With that thought, Mac had a second epiphany. Wait, I can't just be 'oh, I'm in a fantasy world' now. I have to take this seriously. I have people who rely on me that I want to take care of.

Mac, gaining a new found resolve, looked at the two girls next to him and smiled. He then leaned over and looked at Felicia and Emma, who were sitting on the other side of Melissandra.

They both froze mid-bite, seeing him looking at them. He gave a small wave and a 'just thinking of you' smile (which caused Emma to wave back and Felicia to smirk) before returning to his dinner.

After all he had been through that day, he was quite hungry.

Later after dinner, Mac was shown to his own room, a large one to rival his bedroom in the royal palace. Eleanor had gone with the other girls back to their room after dinner, and Melissandra told him that she would explain the situation to the others, so he should go rest.

However, Mac was feeling extremely restless, his thoughts turning to his immediate future. I don't mind for my side, but I'm a little worried Melissandra won't have anyone to invite to the wedding. Eleanor too, for that matter. Melissandra was the only one left in her family, and Eleanor only had her father. I guess Kay can come. She might be her maid of honor. Actually, do they even have that in this world? I guess we'll need to hash all of that out...

As he thought about all the planning that needed done, his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Come in,” he replied, thinking he knew who it was.

As expected, Eleanor walked in, wearing a silver nightgown that was so shear, Mac could make out her undergarments underneath.

Blushing heavily, Eleanor put her hands together, not saying a word.

“Your turn?” Mac asked, blushing himself.

Eleanor nodded, “Yes, they said I could sleep with you tonight.”

Mac hit the bed next to him, “Don't worry, I'm not going to jump you.”

Eleanor walked over, sounding disappointed, “Yes, they said I couldn't go that far with you yet.”

Mac was taken aback, “Were you...hoping too?”

Eleanor nodded, “Yes, I....” she paused, blushing heavily, “I'm already twenty-seven, so I've missed a few years of having children already. I wanted to get started as soon as possible.”

Mac gulped, feeling the blood rush to his groin as Eleanor laid down next to him. The combination of talking about making babies, and her see-though garment barely covering her large curves, was causing him to get heavily aroused.

Deciding to reassure his fiance, and try and calm himself down, he held out his pinky, “Here, wrap your pinky around mine.”

Eleanor, looking confused, did as asked, “Is this...some sort of foreplay?”

Mac, despite the situation, chuckled, “No, it's for making a promise. Once we're married, I promise we can have as many kids as you can handle.”

Blushing so hard she looked like a cherry, Eleanor covered he entire face, “You really mean it?”

“Yeah, that's what the promise is for” Mac said, blushing at his own declaration.

Eleanor, still blushing, asked, “For now, can we cuddle together?”

“Of course,” Mac replied, taking the initiative to grab around her and pull her close.

Hugging him back, she gave a smile, “Ohhh,” she let out as she felt something poke against her. “You're...you're like that already?”

“Sorry...” Mac said, looking away and pulling his crotch away from her. “You're just...really beautiful.”

Eleanor smiled, still blushing, “I'm glad I can turn you on so easily.”

“That's putting it lightly.”

“Say...can we kiss again?” Eleanor asked, but already moving towards him.

Not bothering to respond, Mac reciprocated as Eleanor shoved her tongue into his mouth. After a minute of intense making out, she let go, panting heavily. She then climbed on top of Mac, ignoring his tent pole poking into her stomach, and grabbed the sides of his head as she went in for another passionate kiss. Mac, gasping for air, tried to push her away, but accidentally grabbed the sides of the large pair of breasts lying in front of him.

“Uhnnn...” Elenaor moaned, before letting go of the kiss.

“Sorry...” Mac started, before Eleanor grabbed his hand and put it back on her breast.

“No, squeeze it again...not too hard, but...uhnnn...” she let out, as Mac couldn't help but instinctively squeeze as soon as his hand touched her.

This is probably a bad idea, but...Mac grabbed Eleanor and swept her onto the bed, putting his legs on either side of her stomach to straddle her. Grabbing her breasts again, he gently massaged them while going back in for another kiss, Eleanor moaning in between kisses, her face red, and panting heavily.

After a minute of this, Mac decided to stop before things got out of hand.

Eleanor, still panting heavily, didn't protest when he stopped, instead taking deep breaths to try and calm herself, her face sweating and almost at tomato-level redness.

“That felt...amazing” she eventually got out.

Well, I guess it was worth rewarding her, although Mel and Emma might be mad about it if they find out. Well, probably when they find out. He was now worried his fiance's (and potential fiance's) might start getting into a game of trying to outdo each other.

“Sorry, I stopped, but...”

“No, I know, I hope the others aren't mad at me...but, oh my...”she said, going back to her blushing phase.

“Let's just...keep it at cuddling for the rest of the night.”

Eleanor nodded. Grabbing a nearby towel and wiping her face, she then laid back down, facing Mac, and holding his hands in hers. “You realize...you've made me the happiest woman in the world?”

Mac didn't know what to say at the sudden assertion. “I'm...just glad I can help you. Well, we can help each other.”

“Of course, that's what you're supposed to do in a marriage. A marriage” she repeated, her eyes glazing over in happiness.

“You must be tired. It's been an emotional day, right? How about we just try and sleep now?” Mac suggested, worried she might get too excited again.

“I was hoping we could talk more...” Eleanor said, unconvincingly as she could barely keep her eyes open.

“I'll be here tomorrow. We can always talk more later” Mac reassured her, gently stroking her cheek.

“Okay” Eleanor nodded. “Can I...sleep on your arm?”

“Umm...yeah, I guess that's fine.”

Eleanor laid her head down, in the crook of his elbow, feeling her breathing lightly against his arm.

Wow, that was fast, Mac thought, Eleanor clearly already asleep. She must have been really tired after all that... Listening to her slow breathing, Mac closed his eyes as well, taking in his situation. Melissandra was one thing, but I feel like like Emma and Eleanor fell for me way too quickly. I get maybe I fit what they were looking for in a man, but still....And I have no idea what Felicia is thinking. She might just be along for the ride, which...yeah I can see that.

Mac sighed. I guess as long as everyone is happy, things will be fine?

• Bonus stories -

Girl's Talk 1

After Mac left the room at the brothel, Melissandra turned to Felicia. “Here, I can help you change.”

As Felicia took off her negligee, Melissandra grabbed the rough dress sitting on the wardrobe and helped slide it onto Felicia.

Felicia, shimmying the dress on, asked “Is there a reason you were so intent on hiring me? It looks to me like you two are close enough to be lovers, so...”

Melissandra shook her head, “It's as I said, I wanted you to be our nurse.”

“Our nurse?” Felicia asked with a smirk.

Melissandra blushed but nodded her head, “Yes, I hope to...have children with him as well.”

“Haha, I knew it” Felicia chuckled. “Well, I won't get in your way Melissandra.”

“You can just call me Mel. Were you...serious about wanting children as well?”

Felicia nodded. “He seems like he treats you well, so I figured he's gotta be a decent enough guy, so I'll make the most of it.”

Melissandra gave her a hug. “I'm sure he'll make you happy. In fact, just give him a hug later, I'm sure you'll win him over.”

Felicia smirked, “Is he that easy to win over?”

Melissandra shook her head, “Not exactly, I just know what he likes.”

Girl's talk 2

Emma had dragged Melissandra up to her room after dinner on the first day of harvesting, wanting her assistance.

As they sat down together on her bed, Emma took Melissandra's hands and looked into her eyes, “Are you...okay with me?”

Melissandra was taken aback at first, but after thinking for a moment, realized what Emma was probably getting.

“You're interested in Mac too, right?” she wanted to confirm.

Emma blushed and nodded, “Yes. I figured you two were lovers so I...I wanted to make sure I wouldn't upset you if I pursued him.”

Melissandra shook her head, “No, I don't have any problem with you, but...” she looked Emma up and down. If you look at me, Felicia, and Eleanor as women he finds attractive...I just don't see it. “I'm not sure if you fit his...type” Melissandra concluded.

Emma immediately sulked. “Errgh, I was worried about that. He seemed like he might be interested but-”

Melissandra cut her off, “I agree, he does seem interested in you, at least to some degree. It might just be a matter of winning him over.”

Emma immediately perked up, grabbing Melissandra's arms. “Please help me! What can I do?”

Melissandra, deciding to skip explaining her complicated current relationship with Mac, nodded and started explaining specifics. “He seems to like physical affection. If you embrace him tightly, and maybe give him a kiss, I think he might take to you. Well, more than he already has.”

Emma blushed, looking down at the bed. “Okay. I think I can do that. Can you...help me get a chance? You guys are only going to be here a couple days.”

Melissandra crossed her arms. It worried her, but an idea came. She would feel selfish if she didn't help someone who was falling for the same man she had. And besides, Emma seemed like she would be fun to have around the palace, if it came to that.

“You should sleep in bed with him tonight. Do what I told you, and I think you can win him over. That...helped me too” she added, blushing slightly herself while remembering the previous night with Mac.

Emma blushed so hard she was glowing. “You...you really want me too? You're okay with it?”

Melissandra nodded, “If you end up joining us, I'd be glad to have you,” she said with a smile.

After that, Melissandra helped Emma pick something to wear. In order to help accentuate what she had, they chose a tight pair of shorts, and Emma made the daring decision to not wear a bra, which Melissandra thought odd, but figured it would be uncomfortable in the tight shirt she picked.

Emma squeezed Melissandra tightly, as she readied to go. “Thank you so much, sis.”

Melissandra smiled, That would be nice if it turns out that way.

After Emma left, Melissandra laid down on the bed. I think I made the right choice, but this sure does feel lonely...

Girl's Talk 3

As they sat together in their room at the inn, Melissandra and Emma were detailing out their experiences with Mac to Felicia.

“You don't need to worry, he seems to really like larger breasts like yours. You haven't met Eleanor, his marriage candidate, but hers are gigantic, probably at least three sizes on us” Melissandra explained.

Emma shook her head, “No, I'm telling you, he was even fascinated by mine. When I was on top of him, he was staring at them. And when I poked mine into his back, he got all excited. I think he's just a breast fanatic, no matter the size.”

Melissandra sighed, “I'm pretty jealous you did all that with him. My night was pretty romantic, but I wish we'd gone farther...”

Emma grabbed Melissandra's hands, “No, I'm jealous of you! He promised to make you a concubine already! I have to wait until we get back...”

“You don't think there's any way you change your mind?”

“No way! After the way he held me...I don't think I could ever give up on him...” she explained, holding her blushing cheeks in her hands.

“I'm sure he'll agree to it” Melissandra reassured her.

Both of them looked at Felicia.

“Wha-...what?” she asked, taken aback.

“You want to join us, right?” Emma asked.

“I mean, I'm just gonna be the nurse...” Felicia responded while shaking her head.

Melissandra grabbed her hands, “Is that really all you want?”

Felicia paused, then after a few moments, blushed slightly.

“Ha, I knew it! You have to feel something for him, too, right!?” Emma exclaimed.

“Look, I'm just a prostitute, he isn't gonna make me anything official, alright?”

Melissandra shook her head. “I don't think Mac cares about your past. Why don't you confirm for yourself?”

Emma nodded in agreement, “Yeah, Mel and I already spent a solo night in bed with him, you should have a turn too!”

Felicia was dumbstruck. “You're...sure? You want me too?”

Melissandra nodded, “Yes, I trust you. And Mac.” Emma nodded as well.

Well, I guess it can't hurt anything...

Girl's Talk 4

Eleanor couldn't help but hug herself at the happiness she was feeling. After successfully getting engaged to Mac, she was now sitting in her nightgown on a bed with three other girls. One, Melissandra, she had just found out would be a future sister of hers once they were both married to Mac. The other two, Emma and Felicia, she presumed would probably be joining their family as well, eventually, by the way the conversation was going.

Melissandra looked down, holding her hands together, “Mac and I already promised ourselves to each other after we're married. And...I ask this as a fellow fiance, but I...would ask you to wait,” she finished, blushing.

Eleanor sighed, “I understand, I would feel the same if I were you.”

Emma butted in, “Hey, if we're going by how long we've known Mac, I should go second right?”

Melissandra smiled, “I think things will go well when the time comes, but...you're aren't engaged yet like Eleanor is.”

“I also technically met Mac the first day he was here too, if only briefly” Eleanor added.

“No, I'm being put at the back of the line...” Emma sulked. Grabbing Felicia to comfort herself, “What do you think?”

“Well, I have to wait until one of you is pregnant anyways” she replied with a smirk. “It's not like I have any virginity to lose.”

The three others looked at each other, then at her.

Emma was the first to ask what they were thinking, “Hey, Felicia...what is it like?”

Melissandra grabbed Emma's shoulder, “Emma...she might not want to talk about it...”

Felicia shook her head, “No, it's okay. I...don't think it would be any help though. There's a difference between someone just using you as an outlet for lust, and...having sex with someone you actually have feelings for. Or at least, I really hope there is.”

Emma teared up a bit, “Fe!” and leaped over to hug her.

Melissandra hugged her as well, “I'm sure it will be.”

Seeing the scene in front of her, Eleanor wanted to join in, and embraced all of them, lopping her breasts over their heads. This, however, caused them to all lose balance, and they fell over onto the bed in a huddle.

Looking at each other for a moment, they all burst out into laughter.

After they calmed down from laughing, Eleanor bared her thoughts. “I'm glad all of you are so nice. When I saw three of you all together, I was a bit worried I might not fit in.”

“No, of course you would! I feel a sense of sisterly kindred with you. You felt like you needed to win him over at all costs, right?” Emma asked.

“Yes. Although, it was almost too easy. I think maybe you all wore him down to the point he accepted me easily” Eleanor explained.

Melissandra nodded, “That might be partially true. I'm happy with how things turned out, but I had to try a lot harder than any of you did. I think he eventually realized he should just embrace his position.”

“Um...is it okay if I take a turn too?” Eleanor asked tentatively. “I...want to have the same experience you all did.”

Melissandra looked at the other two, who both nodded.

“Okay...tell me what I should do...”