Chapter 80 - After All, You Need Three Trees (木) To Make A Wood (森)

"Ah, actually, I'm going to need forms DCC-034X and DWC-234 revised in triplicate."

Bridget sat hunched over the table with her tongue sticking out in deep concentration. Her delicate brows were scrunched together cutely as she filled in the small but densely-packed-with-text papers in front of her.

She felt a cold sweat come on at the other woman's words.

All she wanted was a date! What's with all this...all this bureaucratic bullshit? And the questions! Three sizes? Fetishes? preferred position?

….What did she even mean, preferred position? There were others?!

Stairway to heaven….lotus...butter churner….standing wheelbarrow, swiss snowball blitz, David Copperfield…!

Oh gods above….

She really didn't know so many existed! Her cheeks burned just reading about them.

"The Young Master is a genius, after all," Vera commented.

Bridget felt that her former husband must be a rather bland lover and that Damien must be quite a prodigious one. Such imagination!

She gulped.

What sort of wondrous things had she been missing out on all these years?

"I can't believe you're actually filling that out." Damien scoffed.

Bridget almost agreed with him. Any other time she may have thought it beneath her. And maybe it was. But he's....well, he's Damien Claybrook. The young man was part of the most influential and wealthy family in their kingdom. Him having a mistress or two wouldn't be especially odd.

Besides, she'd spent most of her teenage and a.d.u.l.t life with a man she couldn't stand. After such a long time in an unhappy marriage that she'd been forced into she didn't want to let a chance like this go just because of some notion that it somehow cheapened her.

She wasn't a young woman anymore. Instead of going out and go through all the effort of meeting someone and hope they were a good man she'd rather choose to be with someone who had already proven himself nice, caring and supportive.

Why bother searching aimlessly when such a good man was already right in front of her? Like she thought before, maybe meeting him again really was fate.

"Don't listen to him. You even get benefits. Dental, life and health insurance, baked goods on demand, three meals a day, 100 gold a month." Vera was selling the deal hard, a true saleswoman.

"Everything about this is just stupid." Damien stood. "Do what you want, but I don't have to follow it." He couldn't believe these two were actually pulling this kind of thing right in front of him.

This kid had some nerve doing this without even consulting him. Luckily he didn't have to go along with this idiot idea. As if he's the type to just meekly stay seated while his women discussed who gets him on what days.

Normally this is the point in an anime where he'd be hoping for the main character to say, "Yup, I'm done." And move to a new town and meet new girls who WOULDN'T be trying to decide things for him like he didn't exist.

But goddammit if he wasn't soft on his little tree nymph. So instead of leaving her, he was simply going to let her go through the motions and not contribute his end of her bargain.

He felt a bit sorry for Garter-belt Milf, but hey, he can't just accept what's happening. He's said it once and he'll say it again, harems are too much trouble!

So without further delay, he promptly left the three women to their own devices.

In complete and total opposition of his current decision, however, his last thoughts on the matter were: "I'm going to have to make a triple-XL-sized onesie this time, aren't I?...Ugandan Knuckles, maybe. Could be cute? Maybe I should start her on a diet. Heh. I shall show her Da Wae." Before he scolded himself and purged said thoughts from his mind.

Vera watched him leave with a profound look in her eyes. "Don't worry, he'll come around." She wasn't sure how she knew, but she could feel it.

"Is it alright if I finish this later?" Bridget knew he was upset and didn't want to end things on a sour note.

"I suppose. But I'll need you initials here, here, and here along with your signed written consent at being treated as an object for the Young Master's s.e.x.u.a.l gratification during nightly activities--don't worry, though the words are crude giving yourself entirely over to the Young Master's trained hand will ensure a much deeper, thorough and pleasurable experience. As I'm sure you understand due to past involvements as a client of his. However, in signing you will also be waiving away your rights at a chance for the position of Head Wife should you marry in. This, of course, is my title alone." She shan't budge on this small but important detail. "Furthermore according to Article IX subsection 3 paragraph 5...."

Watching the Young Master taught her to be incredibly meticulous when it came to legal doc.u.ments.

Bridget frowned. S.e.x doll...that term really did seem rather degrading. However, somehow, it also didn't seem bad? She briefly tried to imagine what giving herself over to him would entail in regards to these "nightly activities." Was she the type to enjoy this...what was it? Humiliation play? The definition given from the fetish list a few pages ago popped into her head.

She blushed in spite of herself as a picture of chains, wh.i.p.s and dog collars came to life in her head. How vulgar...she should be ash--

"By the way, neither I nor the Young Master kink shame," Vera assured in a timely fashion. It seemed many of the girls who liked the Young Master were masochistic on some level or another. Accepting this as simply part of what turns them on was something she learned from her Mother's wisdom. It's much better than thinking it was somehow inherently s.e.xist or demeaning.

Actually the Young Master is normally the one being taken advantage of in this sense, now that she thought about it. The recent event with his clone being kidnapped and all but s.e.x.u.a.lly assaulted by various groups of young girls being the best example.

"I wasn't thinking anything worth being shamed for anyway." Bridget cleared her throat and straightened herself, summoning all the remaining shreds of dignity she could muster after having just agreed to being a mistress and signing the rights to her body over to a 15-year-old under the allure of an incredibly wild and satisfying s.e.x life.

"Of course not." Vera smoothly replied

The woman looked down at the doc.u.ments one last time. "But why do I feel this damn thing is even more detailed and legally binding than my last marriage registration?"

Vera waved off her concern."No, again don't worry. This is mainly an application, a formality. Rather, think of it as a trial run. If things between you and the Young Master don't work out over the course of the next few months you won't be bound by the terms listed in the contract--the last paper you just signed regarding the use of your body during s.e.x.u.a.l intercourse with the Young Master. You wouldn't qualify for the position of mistress and/or concubine in that case, why would we keep you? Only after you are fully accepted by the Young Master, in a s.e.x.u.a.l context, would your application be processed. Anyway, though I say this only now I didn't mind welcoming you to the team earlier because I had little doubt you would make the cut. You are, after all, well within the Young Master's strike zone. "

Bridget's head was swimming. She could barely keep up with what this woman was saying.

"This really is weird." She didn't even want to consider what her little Avery would think after finding out her mother was planning to date a man half her age, someone who went to the same school as herself no less!

In response, Vera just collected the doc.u.ments, placed them in a leather bag and gracefully rose from her seat. She once more extended an arm towards Bridget.

"Although it's again a tad bit early, welcome aboard... partner." She added after a moment. "Let's work hard together." The words themselves were kind, but her tone was cool and professional, the woman's demeanor far from being a warm reception.

Even so, Bridget found herself reaching out all the same. "Yes. Lets." She offered a small, though somewhat strained, smile.

Meanwhile, a certain lamp post was struggling with an inner turmoil. Her interest in those doc.u.ments was obviously not because they could somehow benefit her personally, she reasoned.

Of course not.

***

Mary roamed the streets in solitary, as was her habit in recent days.

Her and Muriel had barely spoken to each other the past few weeks and Mary couldn't for the life of her understand why the woman was being so passive-aggressive all of a sudden. Still, she knew better than to stick around and provoke an upset Muriel so she'd taken to go out on walks more and more lately. The less time she spent in the house the better. The woman would eventually calm down, Mary knew, it would just take a while.

Though somehow every time she went and came back, her Lady would give her an even colder glare and gnash her teeth in anger and say, "Enjoy yourself, did you?" with bone-chilling resentment. Why she did so Mary hadn't the faintest clue and at this point she was too scared to ask. Better to ignore the problem and let it die down on its own.

Trying to ask what was wrong and calmly hash it out with her simply wasn't an option. No matter what, such logic wouldn't work on someone like Muriel. The woman was just that unreasonable. Even if you were innocent, as long as she was angry you were still guilty in her eyes.

Which is why her walks kept becoming longer and longer.

This left her with a lot of time to get lost in thought. Some people thought this calming, a chance to be alone and relax a bit. For Mary, this just meant recalling a certain event she'd rather not contemplate if she could help it.

Obviously the event she was talking about was that strange encounter with the Young Master not long ago.

Mary seemed simply incapable of getting the memory of the Young Master's kiss out of her mind. It haunted her with increasing frequency as time went on and she could swear she was still able to feel his lips on hers. They were rough and demanding, full of a scalding passion as if they'd wanted to sear an imprint on every inch of her flesh.

How his tongue intruded upon her so forcefully and tried to lay claim to her mouth was equally unforgettable. Even now his taste lingered, making her head go dizzy, causing her body to grow hot and moist. As shameful as it was, she sometimes couldn't resist the urge to touch herself at night either.

It was a purely s.e.x.u.a.l reaction. A response to someone who's very core was designed for pleasure. She understood this point, logically. The Young Master was someone who by his very nature drove women to sin. It was in his blood, after all. Not to mention that his abundant vitality was by itself alone already fatally attractive to her kind.

Yet even more than her physical yearning what left her more devastated was how much emotion that kiss was packed with.

Mary had loved Elias for years now. He was the only one in her life, man or woman, who had been truly good to her without any expectation from her end. Even so, he'd never kissed her.

And the other people she'd kissed over her long life? They couldn't come close to as passionate and soul-stirring as the Young Master's.

She'd just never quite...experienced something like that before. Genuine affection like that, she'd thought that would never come her way.

It was strange. And confusing. She still loved Elias, but the difference was clear: Elias would never reciprocate her feelings, much less kiss her with such fervor.

Even if he did care for her the same way back in those days, which she doubted he did, he at the very least had never shown it. He was young then, so maybe he just didn't dare. Mary knew how unapproachable she was. But if nothing else, the Young Master didn't mind her unwelcoming face and obviously had no trouble being clear about what he wanted.

Well. Again, it was odd. Why had he done that? Kiss her. Did he...like her? But that was ridiculous. She'd been with him since he was a baby. If anything he should think of her as a second mother figure, nothing more.

But then why had he kissed her? It didn't make sense.

Mary felt the whole situation was entirely unfair. Who just walks up and kisses someone like that? No, wait...his words from that time…

Maybe he mistook her for someone else? It seemed like he thought she was supposed to be somewhere else when he ran into her. Perhaps she had a lookalike he was in some sort of relationship with? Or was he and some woman playing around with illusion magic?

But no one else she knew looked anything like her and the Young Master would see through illusions. Now, Vera undoubtedly would look like Mary when she grew older, but--

"Vee!" Damien's keen eyes found a wandering Mary even through the crowded and bustling city streets. And he immediately thought to have a bit of mischief. "There you are. I thought I lost you for a second." He then slipped an arm around her waist as if it were the natural thing to do. "There. Now you can't get away from me."

Mary felt herself being pulled closer and found she fit perfectly by his side like she'd been made for him.

The thought had popped into her mind insidiously and was deeply concerning. She shook her head and violently tossed it out.

More importantly, he had clearly called her "Vee" just then. So, this confirmed it. Something happened. And their relationship was surely anything but normal. Had they….? No, she shouldn't jump to conclusions.

Mary couldn't be certain they'd already taken such a large step. She needed more information.

She nodded to herself. Very well. She'll play along for now until she learned exactly what was going on between them.

This decision was, of course, not at all influenced by a small, nagging desire to for once experience the feeling of actually being loved and wanted. Even if the feelings weren't meant for her.

"You changed your clothes." He stated, looking down at her. "I like it." Mary wore a cream-colored dress that clung deliciously to her fine, curvaceous figure. The thin cloth was soft and smooth to the touch, transmitting a pleasant warmth to his hand. He wondered how long it'd be before she told him she wasn't Vera.

Actually, it was curious. Why wasn't she speaking up? He didn't expect this silent, willing behavior. Last time they met she was probably too stunned to react, but now was different. She had to know he had "mistaken" her for Vera and yet she didn't seem too eager to fix the misunderstanding.

Did she want this?

Or...another possibility took root in his mind. It couldn't be she didn't know about him and Vera, could it? Damien chewed on the thought and chuckled to himself. If so, that explained it.

But how? Everything Mother knew she should know as well. Unless Mother herself didn't know….

Thinking about it now, Mother can't have been watching him 24/7. Did she miss out on Vera coming to his room that night? The more he thought about it the more likely it seemed. And if she did, she'd have been pretty surprised if she later saw him and Vera locking lips.

Which would mean, given Mother's lack of attention to detail, she would think Vera was Mary. Oh, if that really is what was going on, it was too rich. It made so much sense. He could just picture his mother taking whatever means she'd used to spy on him and breaking it up in a rage at the thought of her long-time friend supposedly getting into a relationship with her son.

She warned heavily against him being with Vera because of how "dangerous" it was, now suddenly Mary was herself doing what she feared Vera would try to do.

At least that's how she'd think of it. The woman must be fuming! If his guesses were right, which he felt more sure they were with each passing second, he almost couldn't stop the laugh he felt coming on.

Mother's coldness back at the Christmas party hadn't been for Vera, it must've been for Mary! And Mary has to be confused as hell herself. He bet Mother's been not speaking to Mary for some time, even. And if so then it's no surprise Mary hadn't attended the party, allowing the whole misunderstanding to continue. Though its unlikely, its not impossible for something like this to have kept on this long. Its just that a lot of things had to happen, and not happen, for it to have persisted up to this point.

He glanced at Mary's beautiful, undisturbed face. She must've figured out a little bit too. At least she must've realized that for some reason Damien was confusing her for Vera, though she wouldn't know why that was. She has to be staying quiet because she's trying to figure out the full extent of what was happening with him and Vera.

Of course, the possibility that she really did just want him to spoil her a little also existed, but he doubted it.

Heh….hehehehe…..Oh. Oh, yeah, he's totally going to have fun with this.

Was this in poor taste? Was it maybe a bit of a betrayal towards his little tree, playing with her mother like this? Certainly. But f.u.c.k it, this kind of opportunity was just begging to be taken!

And that dang Vee was busy trying to sign him up for a mistress he didn't even agree to take on. He wouldn't be surprised if they were discussing benefits right about now!

So yeah

He felt no guilt whatsoever.

And just like that, with a clear conscience, he bowed his head and planted a kiss on Mary's earlobe, which he knew to be a popular erogenous zone, before lightly continuing down her neck. Vera's weak spots were her ears and belly. He's sure Mary's couldn't be much different.

"You little…" Mary's breath hitched. She felt her skin grow taut.

Though she was loathe to admit it, her n.i.p.p.l.es became painfully erect almost instantly. This was it. It was exactly these despicable lips that now made her knees go weak at night.

This is simply intolerable, she thought. He's clearly trying to mark her! What an arrogant, hateful, no-good….Her mood turned dark as her body responded to his touch. She resisted the urge to pull away in fear, not wanting to lose herself in the sensation. She couldn't help feeling shameless and guilty.

Damien noticed everything. She really is very much similar to Vera, he thought. So dishonest. Like mother like daughter, indeed.

He knew she was feeling good and just didn't want to admit it. That pounding heart was unmistakable.

Unlike Vera, however, was her even shyer reactions. His eyes captured every detail. He caught all her tiny trembles, saw how she closed her eyes as if to deny what was happening.

She looked so distraught, so innocent and attractive, that he nearly couldn't stop himself. He wrenched himself away only after a great struggle.

This woman is dangerous.

"Come on," He started walking.

Let's see how far she was willing to go, shall we?

Hell, as much as he's against real-life harems, he had to admit: With Baz being a girl himself now maybe he really should be looking to acquire the whole damn set.