After a long trek up the hillside, I finally stood before the imposing gates of the Azalea Manor. The hike up the hillside proved more difficult than I’d initially have thought, and a freak hot weather front had made it even more unpleasant.
Thankfully the local townsfolk had proven to be cooperative with my inquiries, and the innkeeper regaled me with a tale of a brown haired lad with sad eyes that had passed through a moon prior. She’d gotten a curious smirk on her face when she suggested I go investigate it myself, but I had no time to think of that right now.
Lukas was close by, I could feel it.
Reaching out for the brass bell, I gave it a good shake, the resulting ringing reverberating through my ears and causing me to wince in response.
And then I waited.
And waited.
Just as I was reaching out to give the bell another ring, the large double doors opened, and a man stepped out. He was clad in a stately uniform that marked him as a manservant, his salt and pepper hair tied back in an efficient ponytail. Gray eyes studied me from behind a pair of square reading glasses, which only served to heighten the inscrutability of his visage.
The man’s appearance stirred unbidden feelings of admiration at his professional appearance, and another emotion I couldn’t quite place, but had no desire to ponder on.
“Welcome to the Azalea Manor. I’m afraid my Lady is not taking guests or salesman at the moment.” The Butler’s face was framed by a disarmingly apologetic smile, one that Matthew recognized from years of turning away prospective hustlers.
“My apologies for the disturbance, but I am on a most pressing errand that I cannot wait for.” I pressed, putting on the most polite wording that a Butler would know to look out for.
The man’s expression remained inscrutable, but his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “And what errand might that be?”
Matthew realized that the inside of his mouth had grown dry, and wet his throat. Therein lay a possibility on how to advance things further.
“Might we discuss my business indoors? It is uncharacteristically hot today, and I could use a cool glass of water to parch my throat after such a climb.”
My attempt to appeal to a Butler’s innate caretaking nature proved successful, as he bowed his head in acquiescence to my request, and began to open the gate.
“But of course, sir, I’d be happy to provide you with a pitcher of ice water, or perhaps some lemonade? Our Head Maid whipped up a lovely rosemary lemonade for the heat.”
I could already feel the innate desire for refreshments betraying my sense of caution, as Lemonade sounded absolutely heavenly at the moment. “I would love to partake in your servant’s concoction. The inventiveness of servants is not to be underestimated.”
The old butler’s eyes widened a little, even as he maintained his impeccably polite smile. I regretted that my search for Lukas would mean I couldn’t receive professional tips from the man.
“Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Alder, and I have served as the butler to the Azalea family for nigh on thirty years.” He accompanied his introduction with a low, yet firm bow. I felt compelled to return one of my own, though it paled in comparison to Alder’s.
“And I am Matthew, I served as the Arslow family’s butler for fifteen years, and as the personal manservant of Lukas Arslow.”
It was almost imperceptible, but I could see Alder’s eyebrows raise, ever so slightly. It wasn’t from surprise about my station, that much could have been deduced from my demeanor and mannerisms up until this point. No. He clearly knew something about Lukas, and I was determined to figure out what.
I just hope that he’s safe right now.
*
My moans reverberated through the room as I felt silky lips enveloping my tool. I arched my back as pleasurable spasms coursed their way through my body, and toes curled from their impact. Being unable to see the source of my pleasure was only driving me up to further heights, as Lilia continued her heavenly ministrations.
The maid’s feathery arms were like a soft pillow against my legs, distracting me from the amount of force that was being applied to keep them spread. The urge to twist and writhe was overwhelming, but my bindings ensured that the most I could do were pleasurable archings of my back.
“My but your reactions are absolutely delectable…Have you never been pleasured like this before, Iris~?”
Pathetic whimpering was all my voice could muster, and I fell back on vigorous headshakes to convey that this was indeed my first time. Her delightful lyrical giggles filled my ears, which never failed to get my ears to perk up, and my new tail to resume its vigorous wagging.
“I’m so glad that your first time is with me, so I can show you all the love and affection you deserve…” She punctuated her words with a gentle kiss on the forehead, and a shiver of arousal spread all the way down to my excited member.
Our tender moment was interrupted as the door opened, and my newly developed ears could discern the sound of Mistress Azalea’s clicking heels approaching. The urge to hide my exposed body from her was once again hampered by my inability to move, and my helplessness only increased my arousal.
The clicking heels halted, and I heard my Mistress’ honeyed voice echoing in my ears. “My, my Lilia, You’ve prepared a sumptuous banquet for me~”
My ears could pick up the telltale wet sound of their lips touching, and my cock stiffened in response. Their giggles filled my ears, swiftly followed by a pair of lips kissing both of my cheeks. Happy wagging from my tail was quick to follow.
The dour words from my Mistress put a hamper on my mood however, as she sighed and gently patted my head, before removing the blindfold. It took several moments of blinking for my eyes to readjust, but thankfully the basement (Or Dungeon), was dim enough that my eyes adjusted quickly.
“I’m very sorry, but we’ll have to put a hold on playtime for now.”
My head tilted quizzically to my Mistress, and I licked my dry lips before mustering words to respond.
“Why, is something wrong, Mistress?”
Gentle pets arrived before her words, though her attempt at reassurance only made my heart skip a beat.
“We have a new visitor to the Manor, and it’s someone you mentioned from your story last night.”
A rush of panic shot through my body like a bolt of lightning as I considered the possibility of my Uncle seeing me as I was right now. But no, he had passed away. So who could it…?
Then it hit me, and my blood turned cold.
“M-Matthew?”
Mistress Azalea nodded silently in response, and Lilia accompanied it with a surprised gasp. The two women unbound me from the bed I was strapped to, and pressed themselves up against me on either side. Being sandwiched between two wonderful women would normally leave me feeling relaxed and happy, but right now it was the only thing keeping me from panicking.
“H-How did he…?”
Azalea pursed her lips, and Lilia gently applied another pet to my head with her downy hand, before responding.
“We sent out a casualty report to the Academy shortly after your arrival, explaining that you had never shown up to the manor and were presumed dead. It’s not an unheard of practice, and the Academy often doesn’t bother to send out search parties for lost Mages. The ones that they want to keep usually stay close to the Capital.”
I nodded my head. That did make sense. “So then, why…?”
“We don’t know yet. When I came down, Alder had greeted him at the door, and began serving refreshments. If we were to guess though…”
“He came here for me.” I flatly stated.
Azalea nodded, and rubbed my head once again.
“So then… the question I have for you is, how do you want to handle this?”
My mind whirled at the idea that Matthew was here. He’d always been a good butler, and we had been raised since childhood together. Having such an integral part of my past intersecting with the wonderful new life that I had discovered, felt like an invasion.
I curled in closer against Azalea, who held me tightly and gently stroked my back, while Lilia continued to pet my head. Tears began to well up, and flow down my cheeks as the storm inside of me spilled over the dam. After a few minutes, my head began to feel clearer, and I swallowed.
“I… I don’t know. I think… I think it would be right for him to know that I am still alive, but I don’t know if he would…”
Lilia gave me another gentle kiss to the back of my head, and hummed in thought.
“For now, let’s have him stay here as our guest. We can talk to him, and let him know that you are safe. That you are afraid to see him again after everything that has happened, and to keep your needs in mind first and foremost.”
After a few moments thought, I nodded my head, as another tear rolled down my cheek.
“Y-Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Let me get my bearings, and then I’ll figure out… sorry…” I ducked my head shyly, to which Lilia responded by kissing my forehead.
“It’s okay Iris, you don’t need to apologize. I realize how stressful this must be for you, and we’ll all be here to help keep you comfortable, okay?”
I nodded my head in response, and after a curtsy, Lilia went up the stairs to meet with Matthew and Alder.
Curling in closer to my Mistress, I let out a soft sigh, and wondered why I was so afraid to meet with him…
TFTC!
She really can't find a break, can she? Not even having some uninterrupted fun in the morning after being shaken to the core the evening/night before.
I am cheering for Matthew to be happy for Iris's new situation and will be willing to keep her survival a secret.
I think it's very likely that Alder adopts Matthew as a student in the butler arts. Without Uncle and Iris around, who is Mathew even servicing as butler? All his employers are gone.
Thanks for the chapter! I hope things go well with Matthew.
I'm confused, does Iris have silver hair or brown hair? This is the second time she's been mentioned as having brown hair, the other two times she's got silvery hair. Does her hair only appear silver to Lilia?
Iris is meant to have Silver colored hair. That, is a continuity error on my part. Apologies for the confusion.
Keep up the illusions they help at least to give you a feeling of comfort and control.