The two women didn't seem to notice my pse or just didn't feel the o ent. Instead, they waited patiently for the maids to fill the table with food. Two gsses of what must be wine were pced, followed by a gss of water to firm my suspension.

  "Wih lunch?" I ask. Are nobles really this zy that they get drunk at noon?

  "Yes, a low alcohol pertage, so a few gsses won't get you drunk," Shimmer says, pg a napkin in her p. Why her p, I don't know. Her tits push out so far they'll catch whatever spills. And holy, so do mine. Isda has the smallest bust of the three at the table. Her belly would be what catches any spills yet eves it in her p.

  While I'm staring at tits, Aurora puts a napkin in my p. She then pulls my shoulders back.

  "My Lady, you o sit up straight. Uncross ys, feet ft on the ground. And try to keep your eyes from wandering too far down. It is fio do to your wives, but looking that way at other's wives will cause some issues," Aurora scolds out.

  Shimmer gives a soft chuckle at the long list. Jiggling her nice mounds. She notices my tiares and actually presses them together to keep my attention.

  "Alzi, what did I say about your eyes? Please, I know your wives are fih your stares, but you o practice for your outings," Aurora says, her hand tilting my head up. "Your first party is already scheduled, and we only have a week to teach you everything and have it stick. Lady Shimmer, could you please ice her to misbehave for a while? She is not allowed to take you to bed yet anyway."

  "Oh, I don't think there will be a single woman there mad about getting this famous girl's attention, and if I wish to join her in bed, I will. Part of marriage with a man or herm is kids. No matter how much the Princess wishes to push them back, they will e," Shimmer says, giviits another shake. "But I will behave maid."

  "Thank you. I am sorry to ask things of you, but I want my Lady to be successful at the party," Aurora says.

  "Don't worry. Alzi will do just fi those snobby things," Shimmer says, returning her arms to normal and giving me o view of them shaking.

  Not willing to have the maid se I move my focus to the mountain of food they put oable. I don't think even the gra celebrations in my vilge ever had as much food per person as was currently set before us.

  ly cut sandwiches, a small soup, sad, and some pastries I've never seen before. The smell finally reaches my brain, making the tits a lot less important. My mouth watering, remembering all the meals Mommy would make for me. While his big, it looked and smelled just as good. All that is missing is someone I love to share the meal with.

  After taking iory of my food, I reay sandwich, ready for my first real meal in a decade.

  "Stop," Aurora calls out. "Do you have utensils?"

  "I don't ensils to eat any of this," I say back. My hands were frozen by the and. It would be a bit weird to eat the sad without a fork, but I could do it. Everything else my hands handle just fine.

  "You do, my Lady. And you were about to put your elbows oable. The table is for the food, drinks, and utensils. Your arms stay off," she informs me. The other two just wait hands in their ps.

  A maid finally es by with some forks and a spoon for each of us. Without a knife, I don't see how any of this will help me eat a sandwich. I should start with the sad, then, so I don't run into any more stupid rules.

  "Wait, my Lady. We are in Isda's room. She will take the first bite, and then you start on the sad. Use the smallest fork for that. After that, the soup with the spoon. Try to remember your elbows so I stay out of the way of your versation," she instructs.

  Isda gives me a small smile before taking a bite to let me eat.

  The sed the food passes her mouth, my hands move for the fork. Careful to grab the small oo keep Aurora quiet, I start to eat the grand lunch.

  "Try to not stab so hard; use just enough to get the food," she says.

  "Aurora, I uand Alzi o learn quickly. But I think you've given her enough rules for this lunch," Shimmer says. "Sorry about this, Alzi. If you were in a noble house instead of a royal house, you wouldn't o learn all this. Well, as long as you always went around in pants. Noble men do learn all of it; people would just five ynorance more. Princesses o be perfect, and that includes their houses."

  I just give her a small smile before I carefully stab the damn sad and finally get to taste my first meal in my new prison.

  A lot better than the brothel. Not like Mommy, but a step up with some actual fvor.

  I keep poking away at the sad, careful with how I stab the stupid leaves. Three maids sit over in the er with their own meals.

  Thirsty, I reach for the gss of wine. I've never had a drink before. Ever siureen, I've been pregnant and in the brothel. The vilge, or maybe just my mom, was very strict about drinking before eighteen.

  Evetle feast they threw for the few with an affinity didn't have any wine. I think. Some of the girls got a little rowdy so maybe Mommy just made sure I never saw it?

  Was she worried we would have sex if I got drunk? We probably would've. She always caves to what I ask for and I've always loved her.

  I taste the drink, and I find it a bit bitter. It goes down with a slight sting that water doesn't have.

  "First drink?" Shimmer asks. She's already finished her sad and is w on the soup with her spoon.

  How do they eat that fast?

  "Yes," I say, returning to my sad.

  "You've been pregnant for a long time, haven't you?" Isda asks, more like states, but I have to answer.

  "Yes. Basically a decade," I let out. Wishing tet about all the kids I've lost over the years.

  "Well, we are more than willing to carry the kids for a while. I'm sure you'll want to carry some of your owually, but you do that when you're ready," Isda forts. "The Princess does want most of the wives to wait on kids as well. But I keep carrying for you. I'm not much of a fighter."

  "Ok."

  "Alzi, dear. We have a simple goal for you. To make you happy here. Several of us aren't happy about your colr and we are w to get it removed. I just hope whe it off, you'll still give this family a ce. I think you'll find a lot of happiness here," Shimmer says. "We like you. I know that may souy ing from strangers. But we have all heard the stories about you and not just the pregnancy stories. But how you helped the other woman at the brothel. That is a person I want to marry and have kids with. Give us a ce to get the throne and I think you'll find you get those girls you love. They'll be es, but in some ways, that's better. They'll be all yours to do with as you please."

  "I've promised to give this family a ce," I say pinly. I guess es would be ok, but I've always wao be married to Mommy, then Yuki and Mai.

  Plus, how long till this Princess gets the throne? I have kids to raise and give out.

  "Now, I know you haven't had much of a ce to explore the grounds. You only just got here. So, let me give you an overview of what is here. All of it is open to you; just ask Aurora to take you there, and she will. Almost all of them be a , but I would advise you to pick a pce or two that won't have any lessons so you truly rex ihe west garden is a favorite of mine," Shimmer tinues, at least moving the versation away from what they took from me.

  She rambled along for a while, going over the various pces both inside and outside the building. I don't know why a single family needs all these things—a full room just for fixing clothing. I get that there are a lot more people here than a normal family, but a full room just for that work.

  Drawing room after drawing room. I have no idea why they need so many of those. Do these girls only ever draw? Shimmer talks about fighting and adventuring out, so they have to do things other than drawing. Maybe I should ask Aurora about that; I've never had much of an i in art. Yuki was so much better than I could ever be.

  But there did seem like some nice spots. The different gardens should be iing to walk around. They have a giant field I use to relearn how to fly, a small library full of books I 't read, and a different field to practice sword fighting, which I'll never use. Shimmer seemed to uand that, as those were mentioned and fotten about quite quickly.

  I did take a peek at Aurora when I started on the soup, and it seems I did something wro again. Her face clearly shows her wish to instruct me about something. What could I possibly d about using a spoon to eat soup? I'll probably find out tomorrow or at dinner if that also has soup.

  The soup was nice, once again having a lot of fvor pared to the brothel's meals. But I still miss the meals bae. The amount of meat in the sandwich was also a pleasant surprise. Mommy did have trouble getti bae since we didn't have a fighter in the house. Having Ilka around should help her get more meat now.

  I hope everything is alright with her. Could I get Aurora to send her a letter? Or send it to Yuki to give to Mommy may be better. I doubt Aurora make a letter that read itself.

  Shimmer and I were pushed out of Isda's room once lunch was finished, her maid wishing for her Lady to rest some more. Then Shimmer had to train, so she gave me a warm hug a me aloh Aurora to walk up to the fourth floor.

  I did find out that there is a fifth floor from Shimmer, so it could be worse—not much worse, but worse.

  "My Lady, we should tinue w on your letters. Tomorrow, we tihe etiquette training and mana work. I want you to be able to use the library soon. I think you will find a lot of stories there you would enjoy and others that will help teaore about being a he maid says, tinuing the torture.