*** Alzi ***

  "My Lady," Aurora calls out from inside my room. I guess I missed her knocks. "Dinner is about to be served. Are you cold out here? I have not shown you how to turn on the heat runes."

  "It is a bit chilly," I say. I still 't unlock the front door, and now there are even runes out here that I use? "Why do you ell me about the things I use around the house?"

  "Sorry, my Lady. Elora wishes you to learn a lot of the fual ideas, and I want you to be able to use your mana to heal. It seems I let too much slip past aiming for that. Tomorrow after your lesson, we run around the house and use all the runes and doors," Aurora says with a silly bow. Her top is so loose I see down her shirt.

  "Is the block of wood you handed me important to you?" I ask.

  "Not really. Just a block my old wife gave me when I gnant. She hoped I could take out some of the stress with it. I think I mainly ran my ring over it," Aurora says.

  "Why would you hand me something you cared about over?" I ask.

  "You asked for a piece of wood, and that was all I had, my Lady. You point out a lot of ways I am failing you and the family is failing you. I had no wish to make you wait on a block of wood in your limited free time," she expins.

  "So you wouldn't be mad if I shredded it down to dust?" I ask, holding the bloder the table.

  "I would be a little sad to know it was gone. But I gave it to you to use as you wish, my Lady," Aurora says, dang around the topic.

  "You shouldn't give me your things to ruin. I was expeg to wait a bit for a block of wood. Why would you carry around a block of wood?" I say. "Don't let me ruin things that are important to you. I don't wish to bee like the rest of this family."

  That gets the stupid maid to pause. W if she should defend the family or respond to my ask. Or maybe I've got her to finally admit how much she liked that silly block of wood.

  "Sorry, my Lady. It is surprisingly difficult to be your maid. You have so much to learn and you react to things differently pared to nobles. Do you still have the block of wood?" Aurora eventually asks.

  "Kind of," I say. "I didn't feel like asking you, so I had to ge my pns a bit, but here is what is left of the wood." I bring it up from uhe table. My mana trol seems to let me shape the wood a little better than I used to. Or maybe the old wood was easier than whatever Mai was able te up on her few shopping trips the Mistress let her have.

  It isn't my best work. I never gave the young maid a massage, which is when I normally learn about the body. But the dress should cover most of the detail I'm missing. Not that I'm great at making clothiher.

  "You made this in a few hours, my Lady?" Aurora asks, carefully taking the statue from my hands. "My daughter. This is beautiful work. A good painter could make this life-like. My Lady, I..."

  "It isn't my best work I know. I'm used to making them naked, but I don't know your daughter's body well enough for that. You keep it. I just wao make something, I don't care much about keeping it," I say.

  "Thank you, my Lady," Aurora chokes out. She really did lie about how important that stupid wood was to her. Or maybe she just really likes it? "I always had a thought of doing this to the block. Are you sure I keep your work?"

  "Yes, it is clearly something important to you," I say, getting out of the chair. The maid surprises me with a hug, and the statue moves bato her ring.

  "I am sorry, my Lady. I did not notiuch I cared for that little blod then to get it ba the form of my daughter. I am sorry for everything this family is putting you through. We are w to make it right, my Lady," Aurora says before letting me go. "Now, I o set your table. Lady Isda said that si is a new week, you have your four days back. I am guessing you wish to eat up here. Geta will be absent at dinner, and Shimmer has already left."

  "Yes," I say. Aurives me a short bow and walks bato my room. Tired of the cold, I follow her inside and watch her set my little table.

  I guess she won't be joining me for dinner like she did lunch.

  Aurora finishes setting the table quickly just before her daughter brings in the cart. Aurora pulls out the seat for me. I take the seat ahem move the food over to the table.

  ...

  It was weird eating alone. Shimmer aa made sure I never did that here. Even at the brothel, there would be others around talking during lunch. But I just had Shy sitting behind me. I think to let her Mother eat. Once I was done, Aurora came bad helped Shy the table.

  One of the few moments that make me few like a noble. But soon Aurora will find some way to ruin it I'm sure. Just o be patient with her. Probably going to force me to look over my letters again. I did mao remember all the basic sounds for them. Now Aurora is making me write them out from memory.

  Luckily, that is not taking as long. I guess staring at them for a week has done something besides making me depressed.

  "My Lady, I am guessing you know what I am going to ask from you based on the pain in your eyes. But we o work on your letters," Aurora says. "Only a little bit. I know it is painful to do, but learning how to read and write will only help you, my Lady. It will let you write to Yuki and read her reply without me or another wife needing to see what you are talking about. You even have a seal that not even the Queen break without breaking the w. Another perk of the house you joined."

  "Fine," I mutter, standing up from the table and moving to the desk of pain. Sheets of paper appear before me.

  "Now let us go down the alphabet, my Lady," Aurora says.

  ...

  "You did well today, my Lady," Aurora says, signaling the end of the torture. "Only a few more letters you o work on, and you are pig up the roots well. I think soon we get to reading some basitences. You should have a good grasp of the meaning of the words. Then, with the sounds and roots known, you should be able to pick up the words quickly."

  "Will you teach my Mommy?" I ask Aurora. Mommy would probably learn faster than me. She alicked things up fast and normally tried to teach me, but work kept her busy.

  "If you wish for me to, my Lady, I know this is still too early for me to ask; I am just a week pregnant, but about being a e with my daughter?" Aurora asks. "I would still be a maid, just more attached to you and ranking over the other maids in the house."

  "If I marry Mommy, then maybe," I say.

  "Thank you, my Lady," Aurora says. "Would you like a bath before bed?"

  "No, I want to get to bed," I say. I should have gotten a bath before ing up here. But the thought of having trol over my time made me skip it.

  "As you wish, my Lady. Let me get you out of that dress and into yhtwear," Aurora says. Still trying to get me to sleep with clothing on. "I know you do not like it, but if you are to bee a healer, you will start taking emergency ts at night. You will not be able to waste time getting dressed, and w naked would not be proper for the wife of a Princess."

  "We work on that when I'm a healer," I grumble. I stand up from the desk a her take the dress off me. The sed she does the ing magic, I move into the bed. She gives me a small sigh but turns the lights off as me sleep.

  With the room finally dark, I fall asleep naturally uhe soft, warm covers. Finally, fully fortable.

  ...

  "My Lady," Aurora says, shaking me. "I am sorry to wake you at this hour, but Lady Isda's maid has e asking for help. She is worried about the children."

  "I haven't heard of my children ever having any problems," I grumble. I'm so close to having my first full sleep.

  "Could you please make sure, my Lady?" Aurora begs. "I just need you to get a robe on and che her. If Lady Isda is fine, I am sure she will let you sleep with her so you do not have to walk back up here."

  "Fine," I mutter. I'm sure that woman is fine. Probably faking something, so I e down there and fuck the kinky bitch.

  "Thank you, my Lady. I have the robe and slippers already," Aurora says. She turns the lights on as well. Not fully, just enough for us to work in. The robe she picked out was big enough to aodate my wings and split near my tail.

  Once I'm dressed, Aurora quickly turns and shows me to the side stairs to the first floor, where I enter Isda's room. The hallways are quiet, and even the first floor cks the normal maids hurrying about.

  Inside, I find Isda sitting on the side of her bed naked, fighting with her maid. "I told you I am fihere is no reason for you to have Alzi e down here. This was a on problem I had before I met Alzi. I just, fuck sorry, Alzi, I didn't need you to e down here. I'm fine, really," Isda says. "My maid just got worried, but I think I have told you about this type of dream."

  "Same dream as before?" I ask. The bed looks dry, so I guess they ed that up. Maybe she will pull out some rope for me to 'fix' her problem for a while.

  "Kind of," Isda admits. "It took in my current state, so some things did ge. But the oute was the same."

  "So what do you want?" I ask. "I 't really tell if you are ok but I forana into you to see if I heal anything."

  "You came all the way here, why don't you just join me in bed. I think having you hold me while sleeping will heal anything that may be wrong," Isda offers. "Is that ok with you? If not you just use some mana and leave, I uand if you don't wish to stay."

  "I'll join you," I say. It would be fun to hold the little woman and my unborn kids. Maybe I will stick around and actually get to raise them. A little bonding wouldn't hurt.

  "Thank you, Alzi. I'm sorry for making you wake up over nothing," Isda says. The maid clearly disagrees but keeps her mouth shut. "Maids, you may leave us. Alzi will take care of me and the children."

  "Yes, my Lady," Her maid says and leaves with Aurora.

  "The bed was ed, so we don't have to sleep in my... you know," Isda says, refusing to look me in the eye. "Thank you for sleeping with me."

  "Why are you down here?" I ask. "You said you would join me on the fourth floor."

  "I was, but that was the day I got sick. Elora has forced me to stay on the first floor after that," Isda says. Her eyes finally meet mine. "I'm sorry for that, Alzi. I would ask ao join you, but they will all be leaving soon anyway, so there isn't really a reason to have them move. Only Elora, you, and I will be staying here soon. I'm sorry for failing to join you. I did try, but I messed that up. If I had just waited a day."

  "Just get in the bed," I say. I want to hate her, but there is something telling me she is telling the truth. The heavily pregnant woman nning on walking up those stairs every day.

  I strip off the robe and slip in behind her. Isda turns off the lights as I my arms around her. One under her breasts, the other over her belly. She uses mana to pull the covers up.

  "I'm sorry for not joining you on the fourth floor. When I'm nnant I'll join you there and maybe even for the pregnancy. In the castle, you'll be on the first floor," Isda says.

  "You could've made the trip to tell me. Join me for dinner or the night," I say back. "You know, spend time with your wife and try to prove you love me."

  She takes her time responding, her hand c mine over her stomach. I feel the occasional kiing from the little ones. I bet the little golden girl has a few dragons in there.

  "I wish I could say what I want to. I'm sorry, Alzi, you deserve me to tell you what is going on, but I just 't. When the colr es off, you beat it out of me. Tie me up in your bed and force me to say why I'm making you e to me. But until then, I'm sorry, Alzi. I'm sorry," Isda finally says. "I'm sorry."

  I just ignore her rambling. I'm tired of hearing them say sorry. Why 't they just do the right thing? Why do they never just do stuff in a way that will make me happy?

  No, I should respond. "I'm tired of everyone in this house telling me sorry," I say. "Sorry about everything, yet I'm still a sve taken away from everyone I love. You all love to fuck me over and then say sorry and promise to make it right sometime iure. I had a time when it would be made right. A set date for all to be ok."

  "I know, Alzi, but people make mistakes, and we are w on fixing it all," Isda says. Just more promises.