"Are they gone?" I whisper when I find myself awake in my small temporary bed.

  "Hmm, yes, Alzi. The Duchess took them," Kelly says, taking my question as a cue to start poking and prodding me. "A few ho. She was a little grumpy to wait so long for you to give birth. She had po take them as they popped out. The Mistress says she looked stressed, but that is kids and pregnancy. You did well, Alzi."

  "Yes, yoing to have to limit how many you put in your wives, or you'll kill us all with the bor," Mai chimes in, rubbing the side of my head. Somehow, she mao curl up oo sleep.

  "Is there anything I o do?" I ask.

  "No, just rex," Kelly says, giving up due to the cat in the way.

  " I go to my room?"

  "Umm, sure, I guess," she says, turning away from me quickly.

  "Is there a reason I shouldn't? I'm fiaying if that is better," I say, lookiween the women, hoping for a hint of what I'm missing.

  "No, no. You head up," Kelly assures me, messing around in her little kit area. This time, Mai scoots off me.

  "I'll let you rest in bed. I'll be taking tonight off as well and visit you. I love you, Alzi," the bck kitty says, getting up ooes to end her message with a soft kiss.

  "Thanks, I'll see you then," I say, rolling out of the bed. Naked like usual, I slowly make my way out of the room. Sore, in paiy and tired is what I felt. I do my best to ighe emptiness. Missing the bastards that kicked me all day, that should be in my arms screaming for my endless supply of milk.

  "Oh, finally, you're out. I've been waiting for way too long. Aurora and Shy help get her things. Annoris, get her dressed," es a strong voice as I step outside. Some girls in bd white start walking towards me; a warrior in the background seems to have given the orders.

  Looking right at me with her fierce eyes, her red dress fuses me. Why would royalty be here looking at a brothel whore? Why does she have so much makeup on? What is with the jewelry refleg my light around the room?

  Staring at the royal, I don't notice the pair of arms that around miil they start pullio the back stairs.

  "Wha what iiis is going on?" I stutter out. "Am I halluating?"

  "No, dear. We are here to help you pack up," the older woman on my arm says.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You must have some possessions you wish to take with yht?"

  "Take where? I live and work here for another, um, it should be eight months. Or seven. Until the colr falls," I say, my voice dropping as the sentence escapes my mouth.

  "No, you were bought by the Princess," the dryad in front of me says.

  "No. I 't be bought. Mistress agreed to that when the deal happened. I'm not for sale. I ii i I'm hers for ten years. That was the deal. No, I 't be bought. You must have the wrong brothel girl," I stammer out. My feet stop w grinding us to a halt oairs.

  "You're a sve; you be bought and sold as your owner wishes," the younger human says.

  "No, we had a deal. I had it written down. They say those are binding. Yes, we had a deal. She 't ge that. I'm going to keep w here. I 't be sold to to to. I 't."

  "Sves 't have tracts," the young girl insists.

  "THEY !" I scream out. My vision was just a small blur, the two girls holding my entire weight.

  "Dear, e o's get to your room alright. Just oep at a time," the older woman says in a soothing voice. It doesn't work, but the and does get the sniveling dragon moving again.

  "You'll be married to Princess Elora. One of the princesses aiming for the throne. A very important woman. A strong woman and a kind one. She treats all with kindness," the older woman tinues. "Her other wives are just as kind and strong. You'll be happy with them, I promise. A ge, yes, but ohat is giving you much..."

  "I'm to marry my Mommy and her wives. We promised. Promised. I'm engaged, yes. I've promised several women I'll marry them already. I don't have room for the Princess," I mumble out, thinking, "Duchess. Duchess is pregnant, so I have to marry her. I o stay here. I 't leave."

  "You're a sve. You 't be engaged without your reeing. The Mistress didn't say anything, so they do. The Princess now owns you. Be happy you're marrying her. A brothel whore doesn't deserve that," the young one spits out.

  "Honey, watch your tongue. She is going to be our Lady. Respect, I taught you that."

  "Sorry, Mother."

  The older woman hums the rest of the way to my room, trying to cover up my sobs. All I hear are the strikes of each heel cutting into me. The colr shog me into each step.

  "The first one, right?" the dryad calls back as we reach my door. She doesn't wait for an answer, just trying to fill the air with a kinder sound.

  "On the bed, honey."

  They gently set me down, not that my body cares. I fall over the sed they let go, my core refusing to keep me up, and the world shakes around me.

  "I had a tra the wardrobe. I wasn't a plete foht? I had at least got the promise in writing, right?" I dare to ask. "I 't read it. But it had words on it. I sig with some mana. She said it was binding." A blurry figure moves to the wardrobe and reaches. They pull the paper out and look it over, I think, but silently put it away. Not daring to look at me.

  "This should be the drawer with your items, right?" the Mother asks instead.

  "Yes," my colr shocks out of me.

  "Ok, I'll clear this out then. Annoris, she should have some formal clothing in that closet, right?" she says, her daughter standing in the middle of the room.

  "No, just some pin robes and shoddy knitting. Nothing worth keeping," Annoris says.

  "THE KNITTING IS MINE! FOR MY KIDS!" I burst out. Finding the energy to stand, I move to the wardrobe and take my kids' little socks. I made pairs for my Mommy's sed kid and even Mai's. Mai never gave me a real t, and Kelly wouldn't share, so I just made as many as possible for her. She asked me not to peek.

  "We take them with us," the Mother says, rubbing my back.

  "No, they're for my kids. I had more time to make them. I have to make more for Mai. I'm not do," I stammer out.

  "Then we leave them here. Mai is a worker here, right? We hand them to her so she get them to your Mom, and she take hers," she says, carefully taking the little socks from me. "Please stand up a Annoris here put a robe on you. We'll have to use what we have here. Thank you, Alzi. I'm sorry for this. We didn't know about all your pns; we thought the Mistress had shared this with you already. We don't mean to be so cruel right after your bor."

  My colr helps me up. I put on the robe, and my biggest heels are pced in front of me. I step in without a thought and go sit on the side of my bed. The three women look around the room for something. I'm not sure what. Everything I own is in the drawer they cleared out, and my wardrobe is y.

  "Annoris. Really?" the Mother says.

  "She picked them," the dryad returns with.

  "Fine. e on, Alzi. Let's go downstairs, drop off the socks, a going. The Princess is looking to marry today, so we o get going."

  The two girls end up at my sides again and direct me out and dowairs again.

  Everything is empty on the way back, everance.

  "Shy and Annoris take her to the carriage. I'll get the st item and drop off the kid's socks. Be. Nice." she says, leaving my arm and stepping behind me.

  The st two take me outside for the first time in months to a pair of eborate carriages. They are red, decorative, and surrounded by guards on horseback. They move to let us pass. One carriage has its doors open for us, and they deposit me on the bench. They sit down opposite of me in silence as I find the floor with my eyes.

  *** Aurora ***

  That pirl. I didn't think she wouldn't know and have so much to look forward to already. The Princess always acted like they were together already, that she was looking to join our family, ht. I guess there's a reason for the colr to stay on. trol and shave away the bad blood she just earoday.

  "Mistress!" I call out. "The dildo?"

  "Here," she says, holding out a small ring. "Anything else?"

  "Yes, why didn't the sve know about this before today?" I ask her.

  "I didn't want to cause stress and hurt the kids. I didn't want this sale Maid. Remember that. I tried multiple ways to stop it. But a brothel owner 't exactly say no to a Princess aiming for the throne. Now, anything else?" she says.

  "Get these socks to Mai or Alzi's Mother. If I find out you didn't, and I will be cheg, I will make sure you end up as a sex sve yourself. I know of some very depraved ses of the world," I say, holding out the small pairs of socks.

  "I'll make sure they get them. Now, are we dohe elf says with a rude stare.

  "Yes," I say, turning around and heading bay Lady. She isn't yet a dy, but a few hours won't make a difference when I say it in my head. The more I learn about my Lady, the harder I find my job will be. The Princess hid a few too many things from me.

  And my daughter getting bratty all of a sudden. She's known she's going to be a maid for years with her affinity. Why does she have to piss off the Lady the sed we meet.