Lilia swallowed as she stepped into the manor’s meeting room, where the atmosphere was so tense you could cut it with a knife. The dimly lit room held a large conference table and an array of chairs, two of which were occupied. One of them was Alder, a man of many years, who had faithfully served the Azalea household since before I’d been born. He had greying hair, and a stern expression accentuated by a pair of round reading glasses. It gave him a very intimidating air.
Of course, I knew that wasn’t his true form any longer, the disguise simply let him pass as the typical butler. I felt a small smirk crawl its way onto my face as I thought about my own hidden form. It would be quite the shock to the young egg currently held in their custody.
Turning to address me, Alder adjusted his glasses before speaking. “Are you sure it was wise to leave him-pardon me, her alone, Lilia?”
Setting the tray of tea and snacks down in the middle of the table, taking special care to serve everyone at the table, I took a certain amount of pride in my abilities as a hostess. It also gave me time to carefully weigh my response. Alder was a kind man, but his years of service and temperament meant he could come across as a bit cold and judgmental. He was also a man of immense professionalism who took his job as butler extremely seriously, almost to a fault. Any threats to the manor, or to the Lady were not to be tolerated.
“I believe it will be fine. While she does have access to magic, most of her power is in a state of dormancy.” She frowned and quietly shook her head as an idle thought passed through. “Whatever training methods they were utilizing at the academy clearly were not working for her.”
Alder sighed and reached up to adjust his small round glasses, but overshot by a mark. Flustered, he successfully performed the motion and then cleared his throat. “You’ve grown quite attached to her in such a short time. She isn’t some stray animal that you can take in, she is a mage. A mage from the Court no less. Even if she herself isn’t a danger, there is no telling what this might mean for us in the near future.”
A clear and commanding, yet still notably feminine voice issued forth from the far end of the table, and I smiled as my Lady Azalea finally spoke. “Which means it’s a future problem to deal with, but the girl herself is not any particular threat.” My smile widened. I knew she’d understand.
Turning to fully face her, I couldn’t help but be taken in once again by her beauty. My lady was a petite woman of 25 years, with flowing ebony locks, and wearing her favorite crimson dress. Her eyes were a bright yellow color, hinting at her true nature beneath the surface. She looked so confident now, and had come a truly long way from when I first met her. Taking a longer sip of her tea than was necessary, her serene pose made it look like she was giving the question serious thought. Being my lady’s maid for a decade, I already knew what she wanted to do. What we’d done with the other travelers who had passed through in recent months.
“You said that she let herself get caught, correct?”
Adjusting my glasses, I nodded my head. “More or less. Poor thing was exhausted from traveling by foot all the way out here from the capital. If she couldn’t arrange transportation via carriage or train, I suspect that she likely doesn’t have much standing in the court.” I took a sip of my own tea to cleanse my dry throat.
“And given that she doesn’t seem to be very powerful, yet, it’s probably a safe assumption that you could handle her if things took a turn for the worse, yes?” I gave her another confirming nod, and a confident smirk. “Given how easily she went along with me to the hot spring, I don’t think that should be any problem at all.” Azalea gave me a toothy smile. Her disguise was dropping just a hair, but she did enjoy showing off her pointed and filed teeth. “Very good. Get her presentable, and then bring her directly to me. I want to assess her myself.”
Rising from my chair, I gave both of them a polite curtsy, before retrieving the tray with the remaining pot and cup and departing the room. A smirk crawled its way onto my face as I considered the possibilities of what to do with our cute little captive.
This will be fun…
====================
Back at the hot springs…
Slipping into a dazed state, my thoughts drifted onto fluffy clouds and filled with cotton candy. Wrapped up in warmth, I heaved a sigh as another wave of tension left my body. A long yawn escaped my lips as I leaned back against the wall. My body temperature was getting hot again, but I released another wave of cold infused mana throughout my body and I shivered as though a strong winter breeze had passed through me. Thus cooled down, I decided I could stand to stay in the tub just a little longer.
“Master Lukas, are you all right in there?”
Oh, Lilia had returned. I guess that meant it was time to get up again.
“I’m… fiiiiine. I’ll be right out…” My voice came out dreamier and more distant than I’d intended. Perhaps I’d stayed in for too long, even with the cooling magic. It had kept me comfortable during many study sessions in the deep summer, but I guess it had its limits.
Rising to my feet, I wobbled unsteadily as a rush went through my head. My arms flailed to the side in an attempt to steady myself, and I balanced precariously on my toes. Finally I caught and steadied myself, then sighed. Even with the magic, I’d definitely been in the spring for too long. Good thing to know for next time.
A towel was offered to me, and I gratefully wiped down my face of the sweat that had accumulated. Half a second later and my mind registered that it was Lilia who’d handed it to me.
“Eep!”
I let out a distinctly unmasculine shriek and quickly wrapped the towel around my waist. My ears were burning red hot with embarrassment as I heard Lilia let out a melodic giggle, and my mouth curled up in an angry scowl.
“Awww, no need to pout Master ‘Lukas’. It’s nothing that I haven’t seen before.”
“I-I’m not pouting!” That only drew a wider smirk out of her, and she stifled another giggle. I saw her elf ears twitch for just a moment, and I wondered what emotion had brought on that reaction.
“Gods, you are adorable. It’s hard to resist the urge to tease you.”
“I brought you a change of clothes, I’ll be waiting outside for you cutie.” Giving a sly wink, she turned and left, graceful as ever.
It took me a few moments to collect my thoughts together after the onslaught of compliments. Why did she keep calling me things like ‘Cutie’ and ‘Adorable’ when I was clearly None of those things? Did she… see who I really was?
I shook my head to clear out the thought. No, there was no way that was possible. I was Lukas, a court mage, and I was most definitely ‘not’ a girl. Thusly reinforced for my upcoming mission, I approached the pile of clothes she’d left.
Or rather… Piles.
The first pile consisted of a button up shirt, slacks, and briefs. It looked so plain and boring to me, and my eyes kept drifting to the other pile. I caught only glimpses of the dress I’d chosen, and I found myself continuing to try and re-focus on the first pile. After the fifth attempt, my gaze lingered on the second pile of clothing. Was… was it okay for me to wear that? It had been offered to me, so I guess it didn’t really matter what I wore.
Before I knew it, I was holding the dress up against myself, and noticed the collection of girly underthings beneath it. I swallowed as I felt another wave of heat and dizziness wash over me. This wouldn’t make me perverted, it was just clothes right?
I slowly slid them up my legs, marveling at how soft they felt against me. They were a bit snug once they’d settled on, but I’d never been particularly… impressive in that department so it was barely noticeable. My heart fluttered at the thought.
Thinking back to how I looked in the dress before caused a pit to well up inside, causing me to hesitate. Remembering Lilia’s comments gave me the extra boost of courage that I needed, and I slipped into the warm dress once again. It felt so soft and fluttery against me, and I couldn’t help but sway my hips and watch the hem move with me. A happy little giggle rose up from deep inside, and I felt truly comfortable in that moment.
After slipping on the soft socks and shoes, I finally stepped out from the hot springs. True to her word, Lilia was waiting outside, and a glowing smile spread on her lips. I bashfully turned my head away again, I must have looked silly.
"An excellent choice Master 'Lukas', you look quite adorable. Now, if you would follow me, we still have a few steps left to take care of before you're presentable for my Lady."
I blinked. Between the hot springs, and all the compliments, I'd forgotten about the mission. Right. I was here to meet with the Lady Azalea. There were a lot of questions that I needed to ask her. About the disappearances, and the strange stories, and... and...
Wanting to be a girl maybe?
I shook my head again and bit my lip. No no, I couldn't possibly ask her that.
Lilia looked back to me, having already begun to walk down the hallway. With flushed cheeks at being lost in my thoughts, I hurried after her. Gazing down at my feet, I marveled the flat shoes that I'd been given. They were certainly effeminate, with the cute buckle across the middle, and they felt very natural to walk in for me, despite having never worn shoes like this before.
Our next destination didn't take nearly as long to reach, and Lilia opened the door for me. It appeared to be a normal ladies' room, much like the one I'd slept in.
"You're quite lucky you know, it often takes longer to get invited back to a girl's room." She smirked at me, and I felt butterflies in my stomach again.
"Th-This is your room? Why are we here?"
She clapped her hands enthusiastically and took my hand again, and I let out a surprised yelp. Using the right amount of gentle force, Lilia brought me over to a nearby vanity and set me down in the chair.
"Close your eyes for this next part, I want it to be a surprise."
With a surprising amount of obedience, I did as she asked and shut my eyes. It felt surprisingly good to listen to her. She'd been making me feel really good so far, surely I could trust her for this next part as well?
I felt something cold up against my cheek, and I jolted in surprise. "That's just the razor, sweetie." I felt a wave of panic rush through me, followed by her placing a gentle hand on my head. "Relax. I won't hurt you. Just sit still for now." I still felt uncertain, but I obediently nodded my head.
"Good girl, now then..." I barely felt a thing as she ran the razor over my face, and the hairs that had grown during my time on the road fell from my cheeks. Her skill with a razor meant that I barely felt a thing, and the entire experience felt strangely intimate.
After a few moments, she pulled the razor away, and I felt a few other odd sensations. Fluttering around my eyelashes, a soft implement against my face, gently dabbing. I had an idea of what she was doing now, but all the same I kept my eyes shut. I didn't want to ruin the surprise either.
Finally she brought a comb to my hair, and I felt her slow, sensual brushing against my long brown locks. When I brushed my hair, it was with a utilitarian approach of getting it over with as quickly as possible. Lilia took her time with it, gently brushing out knots, and running the comb through smooth and silky hair. Like the shaving, it felt very intimate, and I felt a rush of blood go to my little member.
Dammit, not now...
My body tensed up in response, my hands balling into fists and my face scrunching. I felt Lilia's comb move even slower, almost massaging my scalp. "Relax sweetie. You're doing great."
A whimper escaped my lips. "B-But I-"
"Am excited?" I nodded my head, and she giggled. "It's okay to feel excited, in fact it makes me feel super happy~"
My shoulders and hands relaxed at her words, and I gave another silent nod of my head. "Good girl. Just a little bit longer, and you'll be ready."
A few more strokes of the comb to my head, and I felt it pull away from my head, and she stood to my side. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Light flooded back into my eyes as my lids opened. I was not prepared for the sight in the mirror, and I felt my heart flutter in my chest.
My hair had been combed into a lovely part on the right side, the normally scraggly looking locks combed out into silky smooth strands that tumbled their way down my back. A few pins held my bangs up, allowing my face to truly shine its way through. Normally I liked keeping my hair down to hide, but the reflection was hypnotizing me.
The girl in the mirror had silky smooth cheeks, painted with a subtle amount of blush that gave her whole face a bit of color and glow. Her long eyelashes fluttered in the mirror, enticing onlookers to gaze into her icy blue eyes, which were complemented by her cerulean dress. Her lips were a natural shade of pink, with just a small hint of glossiness to them.
"I... Is... is that... me?"
Lilia leaned down to my level, her hands resting on my shoulders. I felt a thrill rush its way through my body. "Yes it is~ Quite a fine outcome, wouldn't you say?"
A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed. Staring at my reflection, I couldn't help but be taken in by the girl staring back at me. She really was quite adorable.
And the best part was, that was me in the mirror. I was that girl.
Happy, fluttering emotions swelled inside me and spread to my cheeks. I couldn't help it as several tears formed in my eyes, and started to fall down my cheeks. Lilia caught them before they could ruin the makeup, and she smiled. "I'm so glad you like it. I don't want to ruin the moment by using your false name, do you have another name in mind for yourself?"
Looking back at the reflection, I swallowed. I already knew what I wanted to call myself, and the name slipped out from my lips as naturally as taking a breath of air.
"Iris..."
Lilia smiled happily, and nodded her head as if confirming something. "Inspired by my own name there?"
I shook my head. "N-No! It's... honestly what I've wanted to call myself for a long time now."
The maid nodded her head and gave me another smile. It sent more flutters through my chest. "Iris is a lovely name for you, why don't we go to meet my lady now?" She extended a hand out to me and bowed.
Realizing what she meant by this gesture, I felt another rush of heat come to my cheeks, and I took her hand. She gently brought me up to my feet, which sent more happy flutters through my body.
"Right this way, Lady Iris."
She ushered me through the door, and we stepped out into the hallway...
End of Chapter 5
This is so cute it makes me forget shes technically a prisoner still.
She's in horny jail.
hehe, spotting a little fox on my reread
@RoseWinegarden hehe
Loving it so far. <3 (Something we'd like to point out though is that there seems to be some weirdness in regards to PoV at the beginning? Swapping between third-person and first.)
Thank you for pointing that out. I originally wrote it from third person, but then decided it should be first person for consistency. It's my first time writing anything like this, so I appreciate receiving pointers so I can keep improving.
loving this story~
Now if the updates can come a tiny bit sooner (no rushing you, just being hopeful here
), that would be great!
I will do my best!
Awwww
Iris, how nice
the euphoria chapter! awe! she’s adorable :3
Mega cute