Chapter 24: Chapter X1: A former princess’ visit to the local brothel. (R-18) ♥♥♥

Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter X1: A former princess' visit to the local brothel

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(Warning: This chapter contains graphical sex, which is something not suitable for minors. You have been warned. The chapter also includes Yuri, so if you don't like that stuff, feel free to skip this chapter. Those who dislike smut also feel free to skip this chapter. The main story will be resumed in the next chapter. Thank you!)

-----Eliana's POV-----

"T-T-This way, ma'am..." A pretty elven girl guided me to a room. She seemed to be a bit nervous.

The room she had brought me to was way smaller than what I was used to… It only had essential things like a bed, a table, a mirror, and what seemed to be a small bathroom. There weren't any windows in this room. The room was also poorly lit, with only a few candles to illuminate the room. This is obviously for the sake of creating an erotic atmosphere and in some cases, for the clients to not see how less gracious are the men or women they chose.

"Thank you very much." I immediately thanked her and showed her a warm smile.

The woman I had selected was this young elven girl that had recently come to the Empire. Because of her accent, I could deduce that she was from the Kingdom of Semdal to the northeast, beyond the Great Forest of Falgren and the Riltza Mountain Range.

Now, the woman seemed to be in her early fifties, which is pretty young for an elf. Her hair was short and blonde, she had a crown of flowers adorning her lovely hair. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green. 

Her name is Marie. 

Out of all the selection of company men and company women, Marie was the one who had really managed to catch my attention.

As for why I didn't choose any of the men… My options were quite bad… There was only a human, an elf, and a dwarf working when I arrived.

The human and the elf had quite the small tool, which was to be expected from the elven man, but I didn't expect the human man to have a smaller thing than the elf… So, because of that, I wasn't really interested in them. And as for the dwarf… Well, I discarded him almost immediately. Mainly because he had way too much body hair for my tastes… Ugh… I get shivers just remembering that...

As for the women, I was pretty tempted by a beastfolk girl, however, when I saw Marie, I immediately made up my mind.

It took me some convincing to do since Marie was actually a waitress and not part of their selection of prostitutes. After offering a few more coins to the woman in charge, I was able to get what I wanted.

I paid to have this lovely young woman for the next several hours and I'm planning to enjoy her.

I was also able to confirm that the Earl is the one running this operation. I was able to see him hastily leaving this place because two certain members of the royal family came to visit the town all of a sudden.

Luckily for me, he didn't recognize me due to my special disguise. I also heard the woman I paid calling him "Boss" on his way out...

"Umm… Miss…" Marie was having a lot of trouble conveying what she wanted to say.

How cute~.

"There's no need to be nervous. Let's take our time to slowly get to know each other, okay? We don't need to rush anything." I smiled at her while I was taking a good look at her body.

Her breasts were on the smaller side, but she had quite a large butt and some wide hips. Her thighs were also pretty lovely and thick enough for my tastes.

"Okay…" She nodded shyly. "Miss… How should I say this…?" She was blushing while trying to figure out how to tell me something important.

"This is your first time, isn't it?" I said with a grin from ear to ear.

I had already imagined that was the case. Just seeing how shy she’s being is proof enough.

"Yes… This is not only with a woman, but it is also my first time in general…” She averted her gaze after admitting something she considered embarrassing.

“Oh my, is that so? That’s pretty strange…” I said as I walked to get closer to the embarrassed elven girl

“Right… I know it is weird for someone my age to still be a virgin… It is just that the right person has not come to visit me yet…” She appeared to be extremely ashamed, yet she was still telling me everything I needed to know for our encounter.

“Oh? So you’re a romantic… I see~.” I stopped right in front of her and then smiled warmly at Marie. I didn’t allow myself to waste any time and wrapped my arms around her lower back, just a few centimeters away from her round butt. I was hugging her tightly. 

“Miss!?” She quickly panicked due to me suddenly hugging her.

It seems like I messed up a bit… Well, it doesn’t really matter that much. I just need to make her feel comfortable with me.

“I think I can play the part of your ‘right person’. So, if it makes you feel more comfortable, just think that the two of us are lovers.” I whispered with a seductive tone in her large pointy ears.

“The two of us… Lovers…?” She seemed confused.

“It will be just a little game. You don’t have a lover currently, right?” I asked with a grin.

“No…” She slowly shook her head with a little bit of shame.

“Well, that’s a real shame... I don’t get how the most beautiful elf I've ever seen does not have a partner.” I immediately started complimenting Marie.

“Miss… I-I-I wouldn’t call myself the most beautiful elf…” Marie seemed to have liked the compliment. I could see her lips curling up a bit. She even tried to make eye contact with me, but she ended up averting her gaze several times.

“Marie, please call me Layla. We are lovers, remember?” I said to the shy elven woman with a playful tone.

“Umm… Okay… Layla…” Her face went completely red the moment she muttered my fake name. “D-D-Do you really meant what you said about me being the most beautiful elf you have ever seen…?” Marie made eye contact with me while showing an expression full of happiness and embarrassment.

“I wouldn’t dare to lie about such a thing, my love~.” I couldn’t stop myself from fooling around with her.

Although I was telling the truth about what I thought of her. She was really one of the most beautiful elves I had ever seen. 

Most elven women are extremely beautiful. As a human woman, it is pretty difficult not to be a bit envious of them...

“Umm… Layla… I think you’re pretty beautiful too…” Marie blushed even more than ever before. I was able to quickly notice that she was trying to wrap her soft and tender arms around my back, but just when she was about to do it, she stopped herself.

“Marie, please hug me properly.” I pouted in a childish manner. I wanted her to take the initiative for a bit.

“Umm… Sorry, Layla…” She immediately apologized to me. Her arms were quickly wrapped around my upper back.

As she got more and more comfortable, she laid her head against my shoulder.

“That’s certainly much better, Marie.” I smiled with expectation. I was already reaching my limits due to Marie’s cuteness.  

However, I couldn’t allow myself to act rashly during such a critical part of the process. I needed to have the perfect mix of careful and bold.

Even though I said that I couldn’t help but lean closer to Marie’s neck… Her pleasant floral smell was already driving me a bit crazy…

"You smell so nicely… Not only do you look like a beautiful flower, but you also smell like one…" I said before giving her a kiss on the neck.

"I had taken a shower before I had to come into work… The owner provides high-quality soap and other necessities so we can attract more customers…" She became even more embarrassed due to my compliment.

"Is that so? The guy must be pretty rich to offer such things." I was unimpressed because I already knew the identity of the owner.

"He must be… H-H-He brings people from my home country and our neighbors to work here in the Empire as… Well… Prostitutes..." Marie suddenly started gripping tightly onto my tunic.

What Marie had just said was what I was waiting for… I could easily get some evidence from Marie to punish the Earl right now.

However...

"Marie, we are not here to talk about the owner or the other girls… I am here just for you." I moved my hands from her lower back towards her hips. I took my sweet time to appreciate her curves.

I want to have my fun first. There will be time for an investigation later.

"Ah… O-O-Of course… My love…" She suddenly looked at me straight into my eyes and smiled shyly.

"Good." I smiled back. "Why don't you go there to prepare yourself? We'll get to know each other better on the bed afterward." I beckoned her to go clean herself up in the bathroom.

Me? I already took a quick bath before coming here.

"I-I-I want to get to know you better, Layla…" She started hugging me even tighter than before.

Hmm… I might have overdone it? I think she's getting attached to me… That's not really a problem for me though.

"I feel the same about you, Marie." I smiled. "So please go and make your preparations and I'll do mine. How does that sound?" I whispered in her ear with excitement.

"..." Marie didn't respond. It seemed like she didn't want to let go of me.

"Oh my~... So you're telling me that you're already prepared? Then I guess you won't mind if we get started right now." I spoke to her with a teasing tone.

"Ehh!?" Marie looked at me and panicked. "No way! I-I-I'm not ready yet! I need to go to the bathroom first!" Marie stopped hugging me and made a quick retreat to the bathroom.

The door of the bathroom was slammed shut by an embarrassed Marie.

(Sheesh… It seems like it will be a very entertaining afternoon~.) I was extremely satisfied with Marie so far.

She's like a cute and defenseless little animal. Seeing her embarrassed expression just makes me want to pamper her and give her some love.

Hmm… I think I'll take Marie with me back to the Capital. After all, when I'm done with the Earl she will need a new job and a place to live.

"I suppose it is time to get ready." I was already looking forward to the things I wanted to do to Marie.

As I stepped in front of the mirror, I immediately started looking at my own reflection... A young woman wearing a helmet and brown wig underneath. Below those two things, there was my natural white hair that was arranged into a bun to make it more comfortable to wear the wig and the helmet. And how to forget my second-most distinctive feature, a pair of golden eyes. I was wearing a red tunic with floral white colored patterns, a piece of leather armor on top of it, a black skirt, and my usual traveling leather boots.

"Sigh… To think that this youthful lass is already close to her forties…" I got a bit depressed after being reminded of the unforgiving nature of time.

Hopefully, I will have these looks until my seventies or eighties... My family is filled with individuals who have lived until way past the 120 years mark, so it wouldn't be a farfetched idea.

No… Let's just not think of that… Enjoy the prime of your youth, Eliana…

While I was trying to forget about my age and my future looks, I quickly undressed myself and even took off my wig. I was only wearing my underwear.

I don't want to sound like I'm boasting, since members of the Royal Family must be humble, but I can say with confidence that I am pretty attractive.

My breasts are pretty big and firm and my ass, while it is a bit small, it is round and cushioned. As for the rest of my body, I like to believe that I have the right amounts of fat and muscle in the right places.

I quickly stroked several poses in front of the mirror to see which one favored me the most. I want to surprise and tease Marie after seeing her reaction.

"Hmm… I wonder if I should let my hair loose as well…" I said to myself while trying yet another pose.

I really want to see how Marie will react to my natural hair or when I tell her my status as a royal and that I want to take her to work under me.

While I was lost in thought, I heard a loud crashing sound coming from the bathroom.

"Oooowieee!" I heard Marie yelping in pain.

"Marie, are you alright?" I asked with a slight bit of concern… Her yelp was pretty cute, though.

"Umm… Yes! Everything is okay! I just slipped!" A slightly panicked Marie spoke with embarrassment.

Jeez… This girl is just perfect for me. I will thoroughly enjoy what's about to happen.

With high expectations of this encounter, I walked towards the bed and lied down. I quickly moved to be in a very seductive pose that would surely make Marie dumbfounded.

While I was waiting, the noises of a man and a woman vigorously mating started resonating across the room.

"Sheesh… It looks like the walls are almost paper-thin… I won't be able to be the only one who enjoys Marie's moans." I muttered with disappointment. 

I won't lie, the noises made by that other couple were a bit arousing, though.

Despite my focus being on other things, I was able to notice the door of the bathroom, slowly being opened by the shy young elven woman inside.

As soon as the two of us made eye contact, I couldn't help but smile at her with delight, making Marie look at me with confusion because I didn't have my wig, but a few seconds later she averted her gaze due to her embarrassment.

She was completely naked, only covering the most important parts of her body with her hands.

The rest of her beautiful body was in full display for me to enjoy.

"Umm… T-T-This is more embarrassing than I thought…" Marie seemed a bit regretful of how she chose to come out of the bathroom.

"Nonsense! You look really gorgeous and sexy~." I kept smiling while complimenting her beauty.

"B-B-But it still feels embarrassing… Don't look at me so intently…" Marie kept averting her gaze.

"I'll consider it if you come to bed with me already~. I'm getting tired of waiting, love. I want to feel your warmth." I said to her with a playful tone.

"S-S-Sorry!" Marie apologized while coming to the bed as fast as she could.

"Kyaaa…!" Marie almost ended up tripping and falling…

(Sheesh…) I thought as I moved as fast as I could to save her.

Luckily for her, I was fast enough to be able to catch her before she reached the ground… I was now holding the naked Marie in my arms.

"Ah… Umm… I'm sorry, Layla…" She apologized as she tried to avert her gaze from mine, but I was having none of that.

Using one of my hands, I quickly moved her head so I could look straight into the pair of beautiful emeralds she has as eyes.

"Don't apologize, you're my lover after all. This kind of thing is natural." I smiled at her. I was really having a lot of fun with this lover act.

"I-I-I' guess you're right…" She furiously blushed the moment I smiled at her. "Ummmm… L-L-Layla, what happened to your hair…?" She stuttered a bit as she asked a really good question.

"Do you dislike it? I was wearing a wig before since some people seem to find my white hair a bit spooky." I tried to tease her a bit.

I'm not lying about people finding my hair spooky. Most people in the Empire are quite superstitious, so I often end up scaring children and elderly people.

It is not really something that bothers me, though I find it quite hilarious when it happens.

"I… I love it… It suits you way better than the wig..." Marie whispered while her cheeks started to become redder and redder.

"Well, thank you very much! That makes me really happy~!" I grinned from ear to ear before getting closer to Marie… I gave her a small peck on the cheek for her compliment.

That is just the beginning of the things I want to do with her.

"Ahh… L-L-Layla, don't do something like that all of a sudden…" Marie was already pretty embarrassed, but it seems she was not prepared for my small display of affection.

"What are you saying, Marie? We are going to do far more than that, silly. I'm sure that you're aware of that, right?" I said with a teasing tone.

I frankly don't mind being like this for a bit. After all, sex is only good when your partner is also into it.

"I-I-I know that… It is just that it is very embarrassing…" She tried to avert her gaze, but I stopped her.

"You'll stop caring about the embarrassment soon enough, Marie." I smiled at her. "Just relax, I'll guide you through this journey." I then caressed her tender and soft cheeks while trying to reassure her.

"Okay…" She leaned her head against me as if giving me permission to proceed.

I quickly carried her and placed her in the middle of the bed. She didn't offer any kind of resistance while I did that.

Marie was still covering her modest breasts and her most intimate place with her hands. I couldn't wait to kiss and play with every single part of her body...

(It seems like it will take a bit of effort to make her comfortable enough.) I thought while I was appreciating the sight of Marie's body.

"Umm… N-N-Now what do we have to do…? W-W-Will it hurt…?" She asked with a nervous expression on her face.

"Not at all. Trust me, I will make you feel like you're in heaven." I shook my head and then smiled to reassure her. "Let's begin, my love." I said to Marie as I started to take off my underwear.

"Ah…" Marie seemed to be in shock while looking at my now naked body.

"Do you like it? My body, I mean." I winked at Marie while striking a seductive pose.

I was proudly displaying myself the way the gods had made me and sent me into the world.

"I-I-I do… You're very beautiful, Layla…" Marie's embarrassment had gone through the roof. I noticed that her gaze was focused on my breasts.

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"Hehehe! I'm glad to hear that~." I giggled. "Don't hold yourself back, you can touch anywhere you want." I smiled as I got myself on top of her and then leaned closer, putting my chest right in front of her face.

"They are so big…" Marie seemed a bit surprised. She couldn't take her eyes off them.

I simply smiled due to how cute and innocent Marie was. I couldn't help but lick my lips due to the great expectations I had about this encounter...

"Go ahead. Touch them." I encouraged Marie.

With a red face, she nodded. Her hands slowly moved towards my chest. Marie grasped both of my breasts carefully as if they were precious fragile things.

"How do they feel?" I asked her with a teasing tone.

"They are so firm…" Marie said with shock. 

Slowly but surely, Marie started groping and playing with my breasts as she pleased. The touch of her soft and small hands was very pleasant for me.

"You do seem to like my breasts quite a lot, Marie~." I smiled while I observed Marie becoming even bolder with my breasts.

"It is just that touching them feels so good…" She admitted with a red face.

As soon as she said that, I knew it was time to move forward with our encounter.

"Well, why don't you try to use your mouth this time?" I said as I leaned even closer to her, making my nipples being directly in front of her mouth.

"Okay…" Marie nodded shyly.

Marie took a few moments to prepare herself… When she felt confident enough, she started sucking quite vigorously on one of my nipples.

It was really adorable the way she sucked my nipple. That single action was enough to turn me on even more.

"That's very good, Marie~. Keep going~." I pushed my chest forward, burying Marie's face beneath my breasts.

Marie, while surprised by my sudden action, she didn't stop sucking my nipple. She was clearly enjoying what she was doing.

While Marie was having her way with my nipples, I started to feel a certain familiar tingling sensation on my vagina and my butt…

I was already very aroused despite the fact that our lovemaking had just begun...

"Marie, now it is my turn to make you feel good." I whispered to Marie while she was having her fun.

Much to her disappointment, I quickly backed off, making Marie unable to play with my chest.

"Are you feeling more comfortable now?" I smiled at her.

"That was a bit mean, Layla… I really wanted to keep going…" Marie pouted while looking at my breasts.

"You'll have enough time for that." I smiled. "But don't you want to feel good? It's my turn to play with you." I grinned from ear to ear.

By now, Marie was no longer covering her most intimate places. Her modest breasts, her pink nipples, and her wet vagina were in full display for me.

Before she even had the chance to answer, I leaned closer to her again. This time, I ended up stealing her lips.

"...!" Marie looked at me wide-eyed as I started to give her a gentle kiss on the lips.

As soon as I noticed that, I separated myself from her just for a moment to show her a smile. I immediately started kissing her back afterward, only this time even more vigorously.

Marie closed her eyes as she seemed to accept my kiss… She even started reciprocating and kissing me back, but it was clear that she was very inexperienced.

I took the lead and tried to show her how to give a proper kiss. It didn't take long for our tongues to intertwine, making our kiss very erotic and sensual.

Marie's soft moans made my arousal even greater than before… I couldn't help but start touching myself down there.

She wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist… She didn't want this kiss to end.

Naturally, I indulged her. Taking a few moments to breathe every now and then, the two of us continued to vigorously kiss each other. As time passed, Marie just became better and better at kissing, even trying to take the lead at some point.

But after a few minutes of just kissing, I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I wanted to taste every single corner of her body.

I had to forcefully separate us… A string of saliva was hanging between our lips, indicating how intense our kiss had been.

"Layla… That was incredible…" Marie spoke to me with delight as she touched her lips with her fingers. "I want more…" Marie's shy demeanor was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, you'll have more kisses. Hehehe~. I giggled. "Just not in your mouth~." I said to her with a seductive smile as I made my way down to her special place.

"What do you mean by… Oh…" Marie looked at me with confusion before realizing what I meant.

Her neck, her clavicle, her modest breasts, her pink nipples, and her stomach… I kissed and played with every single one of those places before going to my real objective.

"Oh my, you're pretty wet already~." I smiled as I saw that the special place of Marie was drenched with her love juices.

"S-S-Sorry…" Marie suddenly apologized and averted her gaze due to her embarrassment. She even tried to close her legs to prevent me from seeing her wet vagina.

Her beautiful thighs were pressed against my cheeks as she tried to close her legs.

Marie had just made a fatal mistake.

"There's no need to be embarrassed about that~." I gave her a kiss on one of her thighs. "It makes me feel glad to see that you're enjoying this." I smiled before I gave her other thigh a kiss.

"It's embarrassing to have you so close to that place…" She admitted while trying to make eye contact with me.

"Jeez… What happened to the girl who was greedily kissing me as if her life depended on it?" I let out a fake complaint before I continued kissing her thighs.

I was slowly making my way towards her special place while teasing her with little kisses here and there.

"Just relax, okay? I promise you will feel so good that you will forget that you were embarrassed in the first place." I smiled and winked.

"..." Without saying anything, Marie's legs soon relaxed, allowing me to continue my advances without her offering any more resistance.

I kept making eye contact with her while I slowly made my way up to her vagina, kissing her thigh in multiple places.

"Aaah…" Marie moaned softly after receiving dozens of kisses. She was clearly more than ready for me to play with her honey pot.

However, when I finally reached that special place, I backed down. Leaving Marie to look at me with a dumbfounded expression.

I just smiled as I grabbed her other leg and started kissing it.

"We can't leave the other leg without some love, don't you think?" I winked at Marie as I started another journey towards her special place for the second time.

"Ugh… This feels so mean for some reason…" Marie let out a fake complaint. In reality, she seemed to be looking forward to me making her feel even better.

Through her leg, I could feel how her body was trembling slightly and I could hear how her breathing was getting rougher and rougher.

This is why I love inexperienced people. They are just so cute~.

Slowly but surely, I made my way towards her vagina again, kissing her leg and thigh multiple times. This made Marie moan more frequently as she started playing with her nipples and breasts.

When I finally reached Marie's honey pot, I smiled at her. I couldn't help it… I wanted to keep teasing the cutie in front of me...

She had a small bush of blonde hair above her honey pot. I immediately started to kiss every single spot around that cute bush.

"Layla… Why haven't you kissed me down there yet…? Aah… This tingly sensation is getting so unbearable…" Marie complained as her breathing got rougher and she started to moan even more.

"I'm getting there." I said with a teasing tone as I kissed her around the lovely small bush above her special place.

Foreplay is very important, after all~.

"Please! Kiss me there! I beg of you! I can't take it anymore!" This time, Marie looked at me with a pleading expression as she placed her hands on my head. She was trying to push me down there.

"Since you are asking so nicely…-" I kissed her again, this time right beside her honey pot. "I don't have any other choice, don't I?" I smiled at her.

Fufufu~ I really love the pleading expression Marie has on her face.

With both of my hands firmly holding her legs, I brought her special place closer to me.

I took my sweet time to take a good look at that place before I started. I unconsciously ended up licking my lips due to the expectation.

I decided to not make the two of us wait any longer, so I gave her just what she wanted. I started by spreading her lips with my finger and giving her a kiss on her clit.

"Aaah! Layla! That's…!" Marie immediately moaned as she grabbed my head to keep me in place.

Her sweet moans and love juices made me feel pretty excited, so I decided to go all out for Marie instead of taking things slowly.

I then started sucking on her clit while I slowly introduced one of my fingers into her warm honey pot.

"W-W-What is this!?" Marie suddenly shouted with both shock and ecstasy.

My finger went in without any kind of trouble. I started fingering Marie, steadily increasing my speed to match the rhythm of my tongue.

After a few moments, I was able to find the most important spot inside of her. I immediately started focusing on it.

"Aaaaah...! Layla...! I don't know what you're doing to me, but don't stop...!" Marie moaned and then pleaded for me to continue.

Marie's legs and lower body started to tremble slightly, and her breathing was getting very rough. It was clear that she was close to an orgasm, although a bit sooner than I had expected… But as soon as I noticed her imminent orgasm, I introduced another finger inside of her and started fingering her more vigorously than before.

"S-S-Something is coming!" Marie's ecstatic expression was just enough for me to want to finish her off.

With my tongue going in circles and my fingers focusing on her most vulnerable spot inside, Marie was no match against my onslaught. I kept pleasuring her to the very end.

Marie quickly succumbed to the pleasure… Her whole body started to tremble repeatedly, her sweet nectar was shot from her honey pot right into my face… Something which I really enjoyed. 

"Uuuuu…. Hehe… He… That was… What was that…?" Marie asked with a feeble tone. She had a very relaxed expression.

I expected her to be inexperienced, but I didn't expect that she didn't even know what an orgasm is… Hasn't she touched herself before? 

"So? How did your first time feel?" I asked Marie while keeping the question I had in mind to myself since I didn't want to ruin the moment by embarrassing her.

"It felt really good… You weren't lying… For a moment I thought I was dying and going to paradise…" Marie looked at me with a shy expression.

Due to how lovely her shy expression was, I couldn't resist giving her thigh a small kiss, before crawling towards Marie.

In just a few moments, I was lying on top of her, hugging her as tightly as I could. My face was right in front of hers.

"And we are just getting started. You better prepare yourself, my love~." I licked my lips seductively. I was really looking forward to spending the rest of the afternoon with Marie.

"Ah… You mean I can get to feel that again?" She asked shyly.

Hmmm… Now that she had an orgasm, I think it might be a good time to ask if she would like to come with me.

"As many times as you want. Of course, I also want you to give me pleasure." I whispered in her ear before I started to playfully nibble it.

"As many times… As I want…?" Marie sounded overjoyed and a bit intimidated.

"But I have a better deal for you, Marie." I smiled at her from ear to ear. "Wouldn't you like to come and work for me? You wouldn't have to serve tables and we could do things like this almost all day long." I hugged her tightly… I didn't want to let go of her.

"Ehh? You're offering me a job? Umm… Layla… Are you serious about this?" Marie looked at me with confusion and even a little bit of distrust.

"Marie, after what we just did, it hurts me a bit having you look at me like that…" I complained. "But yes, I am offering you a job. The pay will be nice, you'll have a comfortable bed and a meal." I looked at her with a serious expression.

The meal will be me and the bed will be my bed, of course~.

"Umm… And what would I need to do…? Would it be difficult?" Marie asked with a reluctant expression. She didn't seem against taking the job.

"Nothing difficult, really." I shook my head. "You just have to be as cute as you are, and that will be good enough for me." I gave her yet another peck on the cheek. 

"That's a bit embarrassing, Layla…" She pouted. "I only need to do that…?" Marie asked.

"It would be good if you knew how to cook and clean, but I'm fine if you don't know how to do it." I smiled at her.

It is not really important for me whether she can do that or not since I already have dozens of servants who can do those tasks. I just don't want her to get bored if I'm away from her.

"I'm not really a good cook, but I clean just fine. I think…" Marie started sulking.

"Oh? So is that a yes?" I showed her a cheeky smile.

Marie then silently nodded… She wrapped her arms and legs around me as a way to prevent me from leaving.

"Layla… Can I really leave this horrible place...?" Marie asked me. Her voice was filled with both happiness and sadness.

Understandably, she obviously hasn't had the best of times here. The Earl is to blame for that.

"Of course. I won't leave this place without you." I reassured her.

"Layla…" Marie's hug got even tighter than before. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

"Marie, I have a few things that I want to ask you about this place. You must absolutely answer everything truthfully. That is my only condition for you to get the job, okay?" I said to her as I cleared her tears.

"Okay…" Marie nodded in understanding.

"First question… Have you ever heard the name of Gregor Casca?" The moment I asked that question, the image of the old fat man that ran away earlier came to my mind.

"I know that man… He is the owner…" Marie trembled as soon as she admitted that she knew the man.

It seems like this investigation will be way easier than I thought. The Earl had been just as stupid as I had expected him to be… He actually used his real name here…

"Second question… Are there any slaves in this brothel?" I asked Marie the most important question I had.

Marie showed hesitation for a moment, but she ended up nodding silently.

"Most people in this place are slaves… Even I could be considered a slave…" Marie tried to put a strong front, but it was clear that she didn't want to talk about this.

"I see… Thank you, Marie. That is all that I need to know." I started patting her head to calm her down. "As I promised, the job is yours." I whispered in her ear.

"Layla… Thank you…" Marie kept hugging me while her tears kept flowing down her cheeks.

Now… I wonder what kind of face will the Earl make when I tell him that I know about his little business and its secrets?

I do want to see the face he will make when I tell him that he will be executed. However, I'm not looking forward to all of the troublesome matters that I will have to deal with afterward.

I need to de-stress… I think I will console Marie and play with her a bit more before handling the Earl.

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Chapter X1: A former princess' visit to the local brothel

END

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