Chapter 33

If I considered the previous town as large… the capital city was absolutely ginormous. There was a large city wall that was wide enough for three men to walk abreast encasing a massive metropolis. The buildings were all stone, well planned out with absolutely magnificent architecture. As we approached, there was a line of carriages entering the city. Instead of waiting in line, the prince bypassed all the carriages and moved up to the front with his horse and the pair of us in tow.

As soon as he made it to the entrance, he announced in a loud voice. “I am the 4th prince, Devon Hyburn, here escorting the princess Cornelia Bartrum.”

Immediately, three guards ran from the post, two dropping down to a bow as soon as they got close enough. The third, who seemed to wear slightly better armor, took a few steps forward approaching Devon. He held out his armored hand, and Devon took it.

“Well received, my prince, the guards had been told you would arrive this week. Rumors going around imply the worst.”

“How are the rumors these days?” Devon asked.

“You mean the ones that aren’t about the first two princes?” He gave a wry smile.

“Yes, well, more related to my current predicament.”

“Nothing new. The princess was taken, murdered, or raped or murdered and raped. Some say it was bandits. Including some of the famous ones like Denova and Roxburry. Other say it was monsters. I’ve heard goblins, orcs, and even a giant. A few of the common rabble seem to take sadistic pleasure in imagining a princess being ripped in two by giant’s massive co- ah…” Suddenly, he noticed me and Min standing near Devon. “er… with his mighty arms, that would be…”

I gave him a concealed smile while thinking the story might have been a bit more graphic than that. So, a giant fucked me to pieces? Ha… and then I remembered that the real Princess Bartrum had in fact been raped to death by bandits. Suddenly, my mood turned sour, and I didn’t feel like gloating at all.

“Well, as it would be, this is Princess Bartrum.”

The man gave a nod and bowed. “I am a knight under the service of the king, Commander Emmanuel, it is my pleasure to greet the princess of an allied country. We… should have sent out soldiers to meet you at the border. Perhaps the reinforcements would have been enough to stop the…”

“It was Pigman,” Devon explained, but when the man started putting on a look of pity he added. “But, they didn’t harm her.”

Emmanuel gave a look of disbelief. However, putting on my full Deception, I took a step forward and gave a sniff. I put out my hand, and a moment later the man bent to kiss the back of it.

“Do I look like a woman who has been ravaged by pigs?” I asked.

Emmanuel stiffened. “As to that… I suppose not, but you must have been in their hands for days at best, would that be… a special skill? No, don’t tell me.”

This man jumped to his own conclusions, and I merely gave a gentle smile, neither confirming nor denying. Devon gave a suspicious look too, possibly realizing that that seemed to be the most likely candidate. It was true, obviously, but I could bet all the gold in the kingdom that they wouldn’t guess the skills used or what had happened during those days in the Pigman’s possession.

“And who would be this…” He was looking at Min, but suddenly leaned over and whispered to Devon. “She wouldn’t have been another girl in the monster’s… err.. clutches.”

“No… no… she’s just a slave the princess took a fancy to in the last town.”

Devon didn’t seem to want to explain that she was a servant that had been illegally enslaved, or at least he thought so, and I agreed that even that story was more than this knight needed to know. The fewer people who knew, in fact, the better off I felt.

“But, she’s a female elf?” The knight asked. “taking her into that viper’s nest could be dangerous, you know?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Commander!” Devon gave him a look.

“Oh, err… it’s nothing…”

“No, I want to hear it!” I insisted.

I was acting haughty and spoiled, but I was a princess, so my wants aligned well with my attitude.

“Eh… well, elves are… erm… sexual creatures, your ladyship…” The guy fumbled with the words.

“Those are just rumors…” The fourth prince huffed.

“No… no… it’s true. I actually visited an elf village recently. They hold these erotic rituals. Everyone in the village gets together and they decorate two elves, a male, and female. Then the two strip and… well… publicly put on a show.”

“Emmanuel…”

“Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t watch it, but it’s hard not to notice when everyone suddenly walks into a big dome and two people start fu- errr… enjoying each other’s company in front of the entire village.”

I looked back at Min, wondering if she could put some light on this. She looked somewhat irritated but didn’t say anything. I was starting to understand a bit about why Min had been willing to sleep with me. If elves were so… sexually unrepressed… as to have live sex shows… then maybe… except that the look in Min’s eyes seemed to say that we were getting something wrong.

“Min?” I asked.

“…”

It looked like I wasn’t getting anything out of her, so we bid farewell to the knight who manned the gate.

“If you ever need anything, miss,” The knight shouted as we walked away. “Just asked the city guard for me and I’ll try to help.”

“He says that like you’d need saving from nobles…” Devon muttered in annoyance.

“Aren’t knights lower nobility?” I asked.

“Err… yeah, but he’s a bit new. Was only knighted last year. He still has some trust issues. Most knighted men practically toss their daughters at nobility hoping to solidify their status. He’s convinced that half of the nobility are sexual deviants. You don’t have to worry, he’s just being an overprotective father.”

“Is that so…” I said nonchalantly, secretly hoping that maybe there would be a lot more sexual deviance than I suspected.

“Ah… speaking of marriage…” Devon’s eyes brightened up.

“I thought we were talking about sexual deviance…”

Devon ignored that and grabbed my shoulder. “I know it’s sudden, but your betrothed is coming towards us now.”

“Eh?”  I looked past Devon and there was a man riding a horse down the street.

However, there was also a woman sitting double saddle with him, and when his horse slowed to a stop, the two of them got off together, with him giving her a helping hand. The man looked a bit like Richard, except that he was far scrawnier. If I didn’t know him to be the older brother, I would have assumed he was younger. He had tawny brown hair, blue eyes, a softer skin than his brother, who had a bit of a rugged look to him.

Meanwhile, the woman had long curly brown hair, sharp brown eyes, and upturned nose that seemed to look in disdain at everyone around her. She was about my height, although she had a smaller butt and a larger rack, giving her as top-heavy look like she might tip over if you pushed hard enough. When her eyes turned towards the man, there seemed to be a hint of admiration that gave away her desire for him without question.

“Richard, big brother, I successfully managed to protect your princess and brought her here safely.”

Richard, who was still holding the hand of the girl he had helped off the horse gave his brother a nod. His eyes didn’t flicker to me at all, not even to give a look of curiosity. On the other hand, the girl whose hand he held was giving me a very severe look. It was like she was trying to measure me up in one go before I even opened my mouth.

“The Knights sent a messenger. I came upon father’s request. He is eager to meet his new daughter-in-law to be.”

When he said the word daughter-in-law, the woman next to him tensed, and her look turned darker. She still hadn’t stopped looking at me. After everyone stood in awkward silence for a brief moment, I took the initiative and took a step forward. Using all of my abilities, I summoned up the attitude of the haughty, superior princess.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Richard,” I gave the best curtsy I could. “I am Princess Bartrum of Drophe.”

“Of course, you are,” the man sneered, turning his eyes behind me. “What, did you think I’d confuse you for that elf creature over there.”

“Eh?” I made a stupid sound, not expecting such a negative response.

Devon seemed shocked too. “Brother!”

“What do you want creature, begone!” He snapped at Min.

I took a step back and grabbed Min’s hand. “No… Min is mine… um… my servant.”

Richard’s lips twisted in disgust. “A commoner elf? No…, not even that. A slave, is it? Less than a commoner even. And a demi-human too… Well… father says we must be hospitable to our foreign neighbors, so I suppose we can find a place for it… somewhere in the castle. Perhaps the stables.”

“What?” My Conceal broke for a second with a bit of anger. “No… she’s my servant, she stays with me!”

“Honey, you can do better. We have plenty of human servants in the castle, all trained far more than some stupid elf.” That was the woman who spoke up, her voice full of condensation like she was talking to a child.

I nearly popped her in the face right there. How about turn her into my sex slave, make her lick my feet? No, make her lick Min’s feet. No, that was too good for her, how about fucking her with Denova’s Pain dildo until she dies. However, a hand touched my arm, and I looked back. I had been holding onto Min’s hand, and my anger was being transmitted through the tension in my hand. She gave me a look of comfort, attempting to soothe me. After a moment, I took a deep breath and regained my Deception.

“And might I ask, who are you?” I gave her an icy gaze that held no warmth.

“Oh, of course,” She curtsied to me, grudgingly a bit better than I could and leaning forward to the point I thought her tits would fall out of her dress. “I am your future husband’s close friend, and the daughter of Duke Marionette, Sylvia.”

Devon leaned over and whispered for my ears alone. “If father hadn’t made a promise to your father, she’d be in line to marry him. They’ve been together their whole lives, I’m sorry, I didn’t think even he would still act that way after you got he-”

I put up a hand, stopping him and then made a curtsy to the Duke’s daughter, although it was less than the one she gave me. In etiquette, this was saying that I was superior to her. In her haste to ridicule me, she had made the mistake. This was one of the things Denova had taught me. The first person to bow or curtsy has put themselves at the whim of the other person. This is why a king would never bow first. They could be disrespected by being shown a lesser bow in return.

“Well received, Sylvia Marionette, daughter of a duke,” I emphasized duke as if to point out that it was just a duke, as opposed to a king.

Her mouth twitched, but then she gave a fake smile. “Your dress is lovely, it’s so simple. I suppose your slave girl sewed it for you, I can tell. “

I gave a sniff. “You can get away with simple clothing when what’s underneath is exemplary, I see your need for extra frills. But no matter the decoration, what’s underneath is still…” I let the words go unsaid

The hostility was now open on her face. “Of course, it’s not like your country could even afford-”

“That’s enough,” Richard unexpectedly spoke up.

She shot the prince an angry look completely unbecoming a lady, but she then turned her head away with a look of embarrassment. “Fine, Richard… have it your way.”

She turned around and left without saying another word, marching in a very inelegant way. This would be considered another breach in etiquette, but that usually occurred in meeting rooms and throne rooms. Since we were just standing in the middle of a cobblestone street reenacting a soap opera, I didn’t really know what etiquette applied.

Devon seemed pleased that Richard had finally stepped up. It had been looking like Devon might have intervened if it continued on for much longer.

“Thank you, Richard…” I bowed.

“You must call me Prince Richard Hyburn or my lord.” Richard sniffed.

Devon tensed, but didn’t intervene. I was taken aback. For a second I thought I might have won a bit of his concern, but perhaps I had overestimated. I gave him the same chilled look I gave the girl and curtsied again.

“Very well, my lord.” I would have been fine with it if he didn’t nod like he was complimenting me on a good job before turning away with disinterest.

“Well…” Devon spoke up to break the icy silence. “Should we meet the king now?”

Richard began to lead us back to the castle while looking like he had virtually no involvement with us at all. I decided to use Examine on him. He was my husband to be, in theory, at the very least I should know who I’m marrying, right?

Name: Richard Hyburn

Title: Third Prince of Nidia

Sex: M

Age: 22

Total Level: 60

Class: Noble

Class Level 30

Relationship Status: Complicated

Sexual Partners: 1

Sexual Preferences: Long Legs

Sexual Kink: Roleplay

Dick Size: 6.0’’ long, 1.9’’ thick

First Time: Sylvia Marionette

Status Effect: None

I was not pleased to find out my husband to be was, in fact, fucking this childhood friend. The anger even started to break through my Deception until I remembered that I’m not actually going to marry him. I’m not engaged to him. I’m not a princess. I’m a thief. Not even that. I’m a thieves’ harlot, looking to manipulate and rob the kingdom… even betraying Devon, who has shown me nothing but kindness. I had only managed to replace my anger with a certain level of sadness.

Devon, who had been watching my face change, looked at me questioningly, and I just gave a shake of my head. He gave an apologetic smile, but it only made things worse that he was misunderstanding why I was sad. After a moment, I decided to speak up.

“Is there anything I need to be prepared for with the other princes or the king?”

Devon seemed to freeze on the spot. “Why, what have you heard?”

I gave him a frown. “What are you hiding?”

Devon shook his hands in defense. “No… nothing, that is… my brothers… other than Richard, are a bit… um… well, you’ll know it when you meet them?”

I gave a frown, but he didn’t seem to come forward with any new information, so I asked for a follow-up. “And the king?”

“Ah… dad? He’s alright, I guess. Kind of lonely since mom died a few years ago. He… um… I suppose I should warn you. He’s a bit of boozer. And he’s very touchy. You might end up seeing him fondling the serving women. Um… most of the women in the castle are used to it. A few are hoping he knocks them up and they get a free ticket as a mistress… so it’s not like the women aren’t willing. I figured you’d hear or see something sooner or later.”

“Half the nobles are sexual deviants…” I whispered, but Devon heard me.

“Ah… that’s an exaggeration. There is a certain group of those, but most nobles are just trying to rule properly. As far as my family, well… you know… family is complicated, right?”

“Before you go in to see the king, you’ll need to leave that thing out here.” Richard had stopped near some side gates with two posted guards that seemed to lead into the castle.

He was talking about Min, of course. I gave Devon a look.

“In this case, I have to say that he’s right. Slaves and demihumans cannot enter the throne room. Um… I’ll let the guards know, they’ll escort her to your room with the new dresses. All the stuff from your carriage should already be there, so she can prepare it the way you like it.”

I gave a nod and a guard came to escort Min away, I first gave her a squeeze on the shoulder. She didn’t react as usual and continued to follow the guard. After she left my sight, the princess started moving through the castle with the familiarity of someone who lived there. We didn’t enter through the main front doors, which were made to look large and intimidating. Instead, we had slipped to the side and were now navigating some corridors that already quickly became a mindless maze to me.

A moment later, we came up to two large double doors. I was starting to feel anxious, so I equipped Solo Player for the Mental Fortitude, and immediately felt the soothing effects. The boys didn’t wait for any announcements or the like. They simply opened the doors, and I followed behind as they entered. The throne room wasn’t quite as large as I would have imagined an audience chamber. It was perhaps 200 meters long, a hallway leading up to a fancy throne. However, the throne was modest enough that it didn’t feel like overkill.

Sitting on the throne was a man in his middle years. He sat with an authority that immediately screamed king. He had a deep dark brown beard, and his baby blue eyes matched the eyes of both of the princes in front of me. He was a tall man although it was hard to tell how tall while he was sitting. He looked imposing, and I couldn’t help but scouting him out.

Examine has increased to level 7.

Name: Ruphus Hyburn

Title: King of Nidia

Sex: M

Age: 48

Total Level: 89

Class: King, City Lord

Level: 29

Relationship Status: Widowed

Sexual Partners: 73

Sexual Preferences: Virgins

Sexual Kink: Incest

Dick Size: 6.8’’ long, 2.1’’ thick

First Time: Dina Trophe

Last Time He had Sex: 18 hours

Favorite Sexual Position: Lap Dance

Status Effect: Aura of the King, Spirit Protection

I had been examining a lot of random things since we had entered the town, and it looked like it had finally paid off! Examining the king, I found myself a bit surprised. Wow, that is a large number of sexual partners. The king has been busy. Good penis size, some… questionable sexual kinks, but I wouldn’t deprive a man of their kinks. His level was the largest I’ve seen so far, truly worthy of being a king. The new information was also a lot of fun, knowing a man’s favorite sex position certainly had its benefits.

“Ah, you just analyzed me, girl, how daring.”

I froze at that in mid-curtsy, realizing I had been completely found out.

“Mm... yes, the girl analyzed me as well earlier,” Richard spoke up.

“When we first met, I thought she might of, but I still don’t have a good feel for it… so she has Analyze, huh?”

I dropped down in an even lower curtsy. “Oh, I’m so sorry… it’s just a nervous habit of mine. I didn’t mean anything by…”

The king waved his hand while laughing. “Don’t worry girl. It’s considered a little rude, but when a girl as cute as you does it, I can only feel flattered.”

“Ah… thank you.” I nodded, blushing at his compliment.

Since I didn’t interpret the comment as sexual, my mental protection didn’t kick in, thus, in these certain situations, I did feel embarrassed genuinely.

“But since you took a peek at me, I think I should be allowed to take a peek as well!” The king was moving his hands as if he was going to leap off the chair and rip my clothing off.

My seductress self might have let him, but the princess persona I was wearing reacted by covering her body. A moment later, there was a little tingle in my gut.

“Ah… I felt that!”

Magic Sense has increased to level 1.

Magic Resistance has increased to level 1.

“Ah, you have magic sense. It’s good to see my future daughter-in-law is so skilled. Now, let’s look and see your stats.”

For a second, I freaked out. First, I feared that the king would see that I’m Aria, not Cornelia. I was wearing the ring, of course, but was it good enough? Second, I was afraid he was going to see all my sexual stats and realize I couldn’t possibly be a princess. However, I suspected Denova has already done something, he probably sees something different. It still scared me that Examine would catch something. I could end up being beheaded in the first moment I entered the castle.

“Hmmm… impressive. You’re only level 14 but you have 16 special skills… and dozens of normal skills.”

“R-really?” Devon seemed completely shocked and then he turned to me. “Did you really use that many orbs of Raimer?”

“Ah… well.. my dad really wanted me to be safe…” I said.

It was a tough thing to explain away, and even Richard seemed surprised by this development. Since an average person only gained a special skill every 15 levels and with the gaining of a job, at most I should have two special skills. I had reasoned that these orbs of Raimer were some kind of one-time use item that allowed you to gain a special skill. They were probably pricey and used mostly by nobles, which means nobles likely had more special skills than their level suggested. However, as I was contemplating this, the king was already moving on.

“Hm… so you can play a musical instrument as well.”

“She can?” Devon seemed to be continuously surprised.

“Apparently, and good enough to earn a title as well.”

“Eh?” I made a stupid noise again.

“But I’ve never heard of an instrument called a Solo.

“Huh? A Solo, you say?” Devon scrunches his face up in thought.

“Yes, it’s Cornelia the Solo Player.”

Ah! He could see what my titles were. I started to panic but realized that this was probably the best title to equip. If I was a Lesbian Lover, a Gang Banger, or a Rough Rider, I imagined it’d be far more difficult to explain. Not only did Solo Player obscure my sexual deviance, it helped me keep a cool mind, even in the room with royalty. But… that is…

“Err… it’s an instrument from my home country. It’s a bit of a rare one.”

Basically, I explained a violin, hoping that this country didn’t know about such an instrument. It seemed to do the trick although he was fascinated by the idea of a using a bow made of horsetail to slide over waxed strings stretched across a box with a hole in it. The king and Devon were both enthusiastic about learning about it while Richard simply had a disinterested face.

After talking for a bit longer, the king suddenly clapped his hands. “Well, let’s liven this up a bit. It’s about time you met the rest of your future brothers-in-law. Let’s get some lunch.”