The next day, I took Llyr out shopping to get some nice clothes to wear to the banquet. As it turned out, he didn't think to bring more than three pairs of clothes with him, in addition to having run out of money, making me have to pay for all of it.
"You know, this reminds me of our first date!" Llyr exclaimed, walking beside me with a smile, "Though, minus the kidnapping part, heh."
As Llyr let out a nervous chuckle, it reminded me of that day. How angry I was that both Llyr and Oryn had been bothering me and being so desperate; while I do like men fighting over me, I don't like it in such an obsessive way.
'Thinking about it now, had those events transpired, I wouldn't meet the friends I have now, nor would I likely have learned about Oryn and Keiji.'
"Llyr, if I have to be honest with you, I am not mad about what happened that day," I admitted, glancing over at him, "I just wish you hadn't taken certain actions in the days that followed."
"...I truly am sorry about that. While I am glad to be by your side now and given another chance to redeem myself, I do truly wonder what would've been different had I not," Llyr looked down at his feet, guilt crossing his face.
"Haaa, it is fine. There is nothing we can do now, so it's best just to let the topic go," I groaned, walking past him.
"Very well."
***
"Hm~ Hm, hm~" Praxis hummed as we walked down the hallway back to his room, tea and snacks in hand.
It was rather quiet in the manor, as it was just him and Sephtis, wherever Sephtis was. Praxis set the tea set, tea, and snacks down on the table, grabbed a book, and sat down at the table.
The sun shone through, illuminating his golden hair and sharp features, making anyone who saw the sight fawn over him. Pouring himself a cup, he was about to take a sip before a crash came from across the hall, from his master's room.
Praxis paused. 'Hm, I'll just ignore it; I'm sure it's nothing, and I was just hearing things,' Is what he thought and hoped.
Just a few seconds later, a crash sounded from the same room. Sighing, Praxis got up, annoyed that he couldn't even enjoy a sip of his tea yet.
"There better be a good reason that you lot are interrupting my tea time like this!" He exclaimed, slamming the door open into Lev's room, revealing a guilty-looking werewolf next to a knocked-over nightstand.
"Oh, uh, hi Praxis, hehe. Don't mind me, just, uh…organizing!" Sephtis laughed with nervousness, picking up the nightstand and placing it back upright.
"Sephtis, what the hell are you doing?" Praxis asked, anger vanishing from his face at the sight of his friend looking through the room of the person he liked.
"Haaa, sorry for interrupting your tea time. I know personal time is important for you; I didn't mean to make so much noise," Sephtis apologized, sitting on the bed with a slump, "I'm just a bit worried, and I thought looking through Llyr's things would help it…"
"But you haven't found anything, have you?" Praxis commented. Sephtis' ears and tail drooped as he nodded in response. "I saw Master and Llyr on their way out; apparently, the only things Llyr brought with him are three changes of clothes, money, and his trident, so you won't find anything of use."
Sephtis gained a frown as tears started to form near his eyes. "Ugh, so I just made a mess in here for nothing!? If Lev finds out about this, he'll be so angry!"
"Haaa, if you tell me why you tried to look through Llyr's things, I'll help you clean up," Praxis offered, stepping more into the room.
"I am just worried about him being here, especially with everything that Lev told us about what happened between the two of them…And then Lev letting him share his room!" Sephtis expressed, lightly gritting his teeth in frustration, "I just don't get it."
"Master has his reasons; sometimes it is best to just not ask questions and let him do what he thinks is necessary. I trust his judgement and so should you; you've known him longer after all," Praxis reasoned, sitting beside Sephtis and crossing his legs.
"I know, I know. It's just hard because it's that man that we now have to accommodate as well," Sephtis exclaimed through gritted teeth.
"I understand what you mean, but there is nothing we can do about it. Just try your best to keep your patience thick, not thin," Praxis worded, cheering Sephtis on through the predicament.
"Haa, you're right. I guess that if anything I am overstepping, we need to trust Lev," Sephtis sighed, finally agreeing and letting the whole thing go…well, not all of it. He still didn't trust Llyr.
"Good. I am glad you get it. Now then, let's get to cleaning up this mess, alright?" Praxis smiled, patting Sephtis as he stood up.
***
Moments later, the two of them had finished cleaning up the mess that Sephtis had made of Lev's room, and were now sitting in Praxis' room, enjoying the tea that Praxis remade after it got cold.
"Say, Sephtis, what exactly were you aiming to find when you were trying to find Llyr's things?" Praxis asked, putting his teacup to his lips before taking a seat.
"Hm? Oh, I was kind of hoping to find a diary or something. Y'know, for blackmail or whatever," He answered, putting a cube of sugar into his tea and swirling it around.
"Ah, I see," Praxis continued plainly, pausing to put his cup down before looking back up at Sephtis with a cheeky grin and leaning forward, "So, did you find anything like that? Be honest!"
"Unfortunately, no. I was hoping something would pop up as we cleaned, but no luck. If he does keep a journal or anything of the sort, he likely keeps it on person," Sephtis recounted, leaning back with restlessness.
"A shame, really. I was really hoping to get something juicy on him! It's really boring here, I mean, back in the brothel I could at least get some entertainment by spying on the other slaves or workers, but not here! It is tough being an Incubus," Praxis sighed, taking a bite of one of the cookies he brought for a snack.
"For a second I almost forgot that you were a slave; your manners are so good! If I didn't know any better, I would've mistaken you for a noble or something," Sephtis said jokingly, not knowing that he was right on the mark.
"Ahem! Well, manners were a part of the job; at the brothel we were strictly taught to act cordially, in case we ever got a high-ranking customer," Praxis countered, thinking up any lie he could make sound believable.
"Hmm, that makes sense!" Sephtis exclaimed, falling for the lie. He took a sip of his tea before putting it down and adding another thought, "You know, when Lev first brought you in, I was scared to interact with you. As I am sure you are well aware, I am rather shy, and you looked pretty intimidating! But once I got to know you, you were really nice!"
"Heh, I must say that I am both flattered and unflattered at the same time," Praxis laughed, shaking his head with a small smile, "When I first met you, I actually thought you were rather cute! When I saw you interact with master, that's when I thought that you and I ought to be friends."
"Huh? What do you mean by tha-" As Sephtis was about to ask, his ears suddenly perked up as he shot out of his seat with a giant smile, "Ah! Lev is home! Praxis, get up quick so we can go greet them!"
Sephtis then practically ran out the door, not even waiting for his friend to follow. Praxis didn't mind and merely chuckled as he shook his head, got up, and followed Sephtis out the door.
***
"Llyr, while I appreciate the gesture, it is rather inappropriate to offer another man a hand to get off the carriage," I lectured, simply glancing at Llyr's hand as I stepped down with ease.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was not aware. As I have never really left Terra Palace, and even when I did, we never used carriages," Llyr admitted, withdrawing his hand and following me behind the carriage to get the luggage.
"It is fine…though it seems there is much to educate you on," I muttered to myself before he handed all the luggage to Llyr. "Here, these are yours so you can carry them in."
"Ah, Okay. I suppose that is fair enough," Llyr replied, taking this as a trial to prove himself to Lev while thinking with a smile, 'So he won't take my hand when I offer it, but he will let me carry the luggage…Okay! I can do that!'
I was about to head in until I remembered that I actually did buy something for myself. Luckily it was right on top of the pile so I just took it from Llyr, a frown creeping on his face as I did.
Wondering if his face would change again, I placed it back on top of the luggage Llyr was carrying. His face immediately regained its smile, shooting handsome rays in all directions as if trying to blind me.
I frowned and sighed, looking away and hurrying inside before Llyr could see the blush creeping onto my face and make him give me that stupid silly grin he always gave when he felt he won over something from me.
Shaking my head, trying to remove the thoughts of his handsomely silly grin from my brain, I was caught off guard by who was waiting on the other side of the front doors. Sephtis and Praxis were there conversing a bit before Sephtis grew a huge grin on his face.
"Welcome back, teacher!" He beamed. Praxis simply bowed next to him as Sephtis' tail wagged furiously. "How was your shopping trip? I hope you had fun!"
"Ah, hello Sephtis. Thank you for the greeting. It was good, actually. There weren't many nuisances, so it was rather peaceful for once," I smiled warmly, looking over at Llyr and shooting him a few eye daggers.
Llyr laughed guiltily, looking away briefly before looking back at me with puppy dog eyes for forgiveness. I merely rolled my eyes and turned my attention towards Praxis, seeing if there was anything up with him.
"Master, shall I make some tea while you freshen up from your day out?" He offered, his doll-like face never changing.
'It is odd how his expression only changes when he is up to nothing good…Is he just constantly bored when not doing that or the like?'
"Ah, yes, please. And no need to help with the luggage; we've got it, since we were the ones going upstairs anyway. Just do as you'd usually do," I instructed, walking past two with Llyr in tow, who got a rather sharp glare from Sephtis.
"Understood, then shall I bring the tea to your room, or some place else?" Praxis replied, trying not to make it obvious where he was looking as I climbed the stairs.
"Hmm, bring it out to the gazebo in the back. There's nice weather out, and I'd like to enjoy the scenery," I replied, stopping to offer him a smile. Praxis eyes went back up to my face as he blushed before answering with a nod.
After receiving the nod, I continued my climb up the stairs, Llyr following closely behind, trying to avoid meeting Sephtis' gaze.
Once we were in the room, Llyr placed the luggage on the tea table, starting to take out the things he got and place them in the closet.
"You know, Llyr, you shouldn't let Sephtis look at you like that," I advised, not liking that I was saying that but knew it was necessary. "You are a King. Imagine one of your subjects or servants looked at you like that in front of another person of power. They'd start to get ideas, no?"
"Oh, you are right, yes. I suppose I was only letting it slide with Sephtis, as I know he is your student and I don't want you to reprimand me for saying something rude to him," Llyr excused, putting the clothes back on the table and coming over towards me as I motioned him over.
"It is fine if you talk back to him about it. Sephtis is tough and can take it. If anything, I want you to use this as an opportunity to practise how you'd act with other nobles and rulers. Simply imagine him as one and act how you think you should act when you come across such rudeness, then use that to help learn how to interact in high society."
Llyr sighed, kneeling at my legs and resting his head on one of my thighs as he hugged said leg. He seemed to be thinking about my offer and advice, his breath steadily rising and falling, sometimes reaching my crotch.
"Mmm, okay…I'd feel bad though if I just started doing that all of a sudden and without warning. I really don't want to get on the bad side of your friends! Do you think you could maybe let them know beforehand?" Llyr begged, looking me in the eyes with a look full of seductive intent.
'What a pain…at least this look is somewhat cute. Ugh, why does it have to have some effect on me?!'
"Fine, I'll let him know. But you really shouldn't let his thoughts bother you; it is a sign of weakness, and anyone who wants to harm you is willing to use it," I lectured, putting a hand on his chin and lifting it.
"Hm~ I don't think I really need to worry about that," Llyr commented, suddenly getting up, putting his leg in between my crotch and both hands on either side of me to pin me in place, "After all, once we consummate our marriage, I'll have one of the strongest people on the continent protecting me."
"Ugh, I am flattered you think of me that way," I moaned, Llyr's knee rubbing that area as he leaned in closer, his lips just barely touching mine.
To my own surprise, I didn't think about stopping Llyr as he leaned closer, and instead was more curious as to what he was trying to do and how far he'd take it. Though at the same time, my heart was pounding and my instincts were screaming at me to push him away.
My face and body got hot the closer Llyr was, and my heart beat rapidly from fear. I didn't even notice the glow coming from the mark on my ring finger and through my glove.
As Llyr closed the distance and placed his lips on mine, my beating heart stopped for a minute before beating more rapidly. My face filled with blush and the heat got worse, eventually forcing me to give in as Llyr got me to put my back on the mattress.
He kissed me, and kissed me, and kissed me, slurping and biting my lips at his own leisure. I was sure why I was being so complacent, and my mind told me not to think about anything else in the matter, though my heart was screaming at me the opposite.
Llyr licked my lips, trying to pry them open with his tongue. "Open your mouth," He instructed, slipping his tongue in as I did. I went to place my hands on his shoulders, his knee still massaging my crotch as our tongues intertwined.
Both of us out of breath, Llyr broke the kiss, trailing down my neck as he undid my collar. He would have left marks if he sucked harder, but he simply left my skin tingling from the small trail of kisses.
Llyr's other hand made its way to my pants, attempting to place itself where his knee was resting comfortably. Before he could actually touch me in any way, a knock was heard from the door, bringing me from my senses and reminding me to push Llyr away with all my might, sending him tumbling onto the floor.
"Teacher, Praxis said the tea is ready for when you need it; he is just getting the snacks now," Sephtis announced from the hall. "Is everything alright though? I heard a loud bang just now."
"E-Everything is fine!" I yelled through an unsteady breath as I held my shirt closed and shot Llyr a nasty glare, "I will be down in a brief moment, just give me a sec!"
Llyr gulped and looked away with guilt. Looking down at his crotch, he was hard with a side of strawberry colored cheeks.
"You asshole, you better get to finishing putting those clothes away before I kick your ass! And try that again, and I'll kill you!" I silently threatened before taking a change of clothes and going to the bathroom to change.