| Japan hentaiCaroline. And no, you just keep on being yourself," I sighed, letting the hot water sooth over my body, the scents filling my senses as I splashed a little water over myself, almost playfully, and paddled around the large circular indoor pool.
"As you command," Risha replied, and as I watched her, she began to light little candles all the way a round the room, their glittering flames glinting on the water splashed tiles, creating a wonderful cosy atmosphere.
"I could get used to this," I said, grinning as I ducked under the water to wet my hair, coming up again and blinking profusely.
Risha was already there and had a towel for my eyes. Really, having a servant was actually quite useful.
"Yes, we were informed of your previous position. We have a lot of respect for you, My Lady."
"Caroli...oh never mind. Yes, I used to be a tavern wench. It was a pretty hard life, but seeing as where I've ended up now, I'm glad, in a way. If I hadn't hated it so much, I would never have run away."
"All the other suitors who have come here have been of noble birth," Risha commented, passing me the soap as she sat on the edge of the pool and dipped her feet in. I imagined the other servants would have looked at her with horrified contempt at this point, had they been watching, expecting me to smote her down for her brazen disrespect. But I looked at her and all I saw was her willingness to serve me, there was no disrespect, she just treated me like one of her friends, and to be honest I was so glad of that I could have hugged her. She wasn't making me feel like I was someone I was not. Aenerin had made a good choice for my new confidant.
"So there have been a few?"
"I don't want to upset you my Lady, but there have been a few, but then His Lordship is over five hundred years old."
"Alright, I understand that," I answered begrudgingly.
"From what I know," Risha said, as I continued to sudd myself, wiggling her toes in the water, "Lord Aenerin has never been wed, even as a mortal man, all those centuries ago. In fact, from what I know, he is not very good with women in general."
I couldn't see how that could be true and frowned.
"I didn't mean he couldn't attract a woman," Risha continued, "I mean that he usually ends up offending them so much that they leave."
I almost choked with laugher.
"How?!" I exclaimed, finding the thought amusing.
"Well, His Lordship has been searching for a Lady to help him run his affairs here for many years. He has wooed many women, both mortal and otherwise, but all of them were frightfully horrid, and although His Lordship believed he could change them, he could not.
The human women he tried to befriend were either too scared of him and returned home sobbing to their wealthy fathers, or were so conceited, they would have caused all of us- his staff- to leave. I remember this one woman, she managed to insult my father so much that Aenerin picked her up himself and threw her into a coach, ordering his coachman to take the 'pedantic old sow' back to her own estate."
The thought was highly amusing and I sniggered, finding I felt a little better about my lover's past relationships, especially if there were all like this.
"He really cares for all of us," Risha said, and I believed her. "He isn't the fiend people believe him to be. The stories are all made up by those who don't know better or have been attacked by one of his kind who are not as nice. Like humans, vampires can be either good or bad, it's just people forget that."
"That makes me feel a little better," I smiled. "So what of the vampire women, Aenerin tried to woo?"
"Unfortunately, some of his own kind were just as bad as the humans. They tended to have these little whims and needs, all which had to be met and catered for. These women were terribly hard work and of the ones who had the riches and the land- like His Lordship- not one of them was like him in any way. In fact there were so stuck up their own backsides they..."
"Risha...language," I scolded her, but she looked back at me with such an amused look, we both ended up laughing and splashing each other with water.
"Hehehe," she giggled, "Yes, they always wanted humans to be scared of them, I don't recall one who actually was very nice. Some were better than others, but out of everyone, there was not one suitor who I think actually ever loved His Lordship. They were just after his title and property."
"You mean," I said, being a little more serious now, "that despite their beauty and money and everything, all he wanted was someone who would actually love him?"
"It's probably not my place to say, but I think so, My Lady, even if it does sound like romantic nonsense."
"And," I said slowly, "was I the first person he turned?"
"As far as I know. His Lordship doesn't take a human life lightly. We all know he feeds from our kind, but some of us offer our blood freely to him, so long as he doesn't bite us, we won't die. When there are no wars for him to fight in, he has been known to drink animal blood, and many of his kind look down on him for that. But he will not take innocent life, the thought disgusts him and makes him angry."
"So I'm not innocent then..." I uttered before I could check myself. I mean, what if I had changed my mind? It was a bit late now.
"Did he ask your permission to turn you?"
"Well yes...I guess so..."
She just looked knowingly at me. I half expected her to poke out her tongue and say, I told you so.
"Come on, I'll do your hair," she said, thankfully changing the subject, as I felt myself being lathered with something that smelt of lavender. We didn't say anything for a while as she washed my long hair and combed it through. I just let myself relax, and found having her skilful fingers running across my scalp was actually somewhat erotic and I felt myself tense and harden again. I was a little shocked. I didn't go for other women, although back at the tavern I had been required, for certain customers, to be a lot more friendly with some of my fellow wenches than I would have liked.
Argh, I thought to myself, I really am missing Aenerin, aren't I?
"Did you see the man on the horse come into the courtyard?"
I flinched, I had been a long way away.
"Sorry," Risha replied, rinsing my hair through.
"Yes...Who was that?"
"That's Caith."
She blushed so much at saying his name I thought she might faint.
"I take it he's your lover?"
"Welllll..." Risha replied a little awkwardly, "does it count if I'd like him to be?"
I just raised my eyebrow at her.
"Look, we have had a few drinks togther, gone on a few rides in the forest, you know, that sort of thing. He always looks for me when he's visiting, I haven't seen him with any other girls, although they do crowd round him...but..."
"But?"
"But he won't say to me what he wants, nor will he stay. He lives in the forest north of here, I don't know where, he seems a bit of a loner. He's never shown me where he lives, but he comes and goes from The Estate quite a lot. He's close friends with Lord Aenerin, they always hunt togther and bring back more game than we can cook for a week. They both handle a sword like no other and we see them practising a lot in the courtyard."
"Maybe he's just shy."
Risha pulled a wry face. "Believe me, he's not shy." She then blushed again, and I guessed what she meant. He had taken his way with her, but that was about as far as it went.
"I don't know what more he wants from me," she muttered, cleaning off her hands. "I have given him everything he needs to know that I'm willing to be his..."
"Has he said that he loves you?"
She nodded. "I don't understand men."
"Does anyone?" I smiled and reached up to squeeze her hand, trying to reassure her.
"OWW!" she yelped.
"Er...sorry," I murmured. "I haven't quite got used to being so much stronger than I was before. I didn't mean to hurt you, and well, look, if this Caith gives you any problems, just you let me know. I'll sort him out...I'll shake his hand and cripple him...or something."
Risha giggled and agreed that she would let me know. I had finished washing and wanted to just lay and soak for a while, so my maidservant agreed to leave me to it, her duty now to go and fetch fresh warm towels, showing me, before she left, how to top up the hot water in the pool by pulling on a little chord. |
