Theorad Dreams (3)

Silence settled over us.

The woman and the elf were staring at one another with such open hostility that I couldn't find a way to interrupt.

“Hey.”

The woman slowly released her hold on me and rose to her feet. She looked down at the elf with undisguised contempt. She was tall enough that the elf had to tilt her head up to meet her eyes.

“You're wearing a maid's uniform. And you called him ‘Master,’ didn't you?”

“That's right.”

“Then you're a servant of this household?”

“No. I'm Master's slave.”

“A slave?”

The woman's eye narrowed.

“And you, a mere slave, think you have the right to tell your master what he may do?”

“Not at all.”

The elf smiled.

“I only spoke because I was worried about Master. Wouldn't it be troublesome to bring a woman of unknown identity into the mansion?”

“I told you. Slave hunters drugged me, and I lost my memory. I can't help that.”

“How convenient. You've forgotten where you live, yet you know your own name, recognized a maid's uniform at a glance, and understand the difference between a servant and a slave. Slave hunters must have developed a remarkably selective drug.”

The woman's eyebrows twitched. She said nothing.

The elf's smile grew more gracious.

“In any case, I think you've come to the wrong place for help. Perhaps you should try a brothel instead. I don't know the particulars of your circumstances, but you were just offering your body to Master as payment. It seems you have very little sense of chastity.”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, I'm sorry if I've offended you. But isn't someone who offers her body in exchange for favors behaving like a prostitute? You needn't work as one to have that sort of attitude. I thought a brothel might be a more appropriate place for you to seek employment.”

The woman clenched her hands until her knuckles strained. She was grinding her teeth now. The elf's insults had plainly struck home.

I brushed my knees and stood. This had gone far enough; I needed to stop them.

But the woman spoke before I could.

“You're going to lecture me about chastity? You, a slave? We should start with you, then. With that pretty face, I'd wager you were sold as a sex slave. How many times have you already been raped?”

“Pardon me,” the elf replied. “I'm a virgin. I've never had intercourse with Master.”

The woman covered her mouth with exaggerated astonishment.

“Oh, my. That's even worse. Imagine being sold as a sex slave and having so little appeal that your owner never touches you. How pitiful.”

The elf's smile vanished.

She gave me a look so cold that I felt it across the space between us, then faced the woman again.

“You're mistaken. Master treasures me. That's why he hasn't touched me yet. He told me he wanted to have sex with me in three days. He wouldn't have proposed that if he found me unattractive.”

“Did he? That's peculiar. People usually spend time courting before they have that sort of relationship. And if you're his slave, he could simply take what he wanted. Why would he bother making an appointment?”

“That's…”

The woman laughed before the elf could find an answer.

“Oh, I understand. He must have taken pity on you. He bought a sex slave, discovered she wasn't appealing enough to desire, and neglected her. Then he felt sorry for you and offered to sleep with you out of kindness.”

“You—”

“Sorry if I've misunderstood. But isn't it true? Most men would want to have their way with a woman they found attractive. If he hasn't laid a hand on the sex slave he owns, perhaps the answer is simply that he doesn't want her.”

The elf's face grew rigid. Even from where I stood, I could see her breathing turning rough.

At this rate, I'm going to get caught in the middle of it!

“Ahem!”

I cleared my throat loudly enough to interrupt them, went around behind the elf, and touched her shoulder as gently as I could.

“That's not true. If my slave had no feminine charm, why would I have asked her to have sex with me?”

I'd hoped she might be pleased, or at least stop glaring. Instead, she kept her eyes fixed on the woman.

“Remove your hand.”

She's furious.

I lowered it immediately.

“In any case,” the elf continued, “it sounds as though you've met only men of that sort.”

The woman looked wary. “What do you mean?”

“You speak as though any man who sees a woman immediately wants to assault her. Either you've encountered nothing but such men, or your own life has been unusually promiscuous.”

“What did you just—”

“Don't force the image of men you've built from your vulgar experiences onto my master. He isn't one of the low men you imagine.”

“Are you finished?”

“No. I've merely been restraining myself because Master is here.”

The woman could only gasp in outrage.

The air between them seemed to have grown colder. I desperately searched for something to say that might calm them both.

Then Havid marched up to the elf and struck her on the head.

I flinched at the sound.

“You wretched girl!” the old chamberlain barked. “What do you think you're doing, picking a fight in front of the head of the household? He has offered this woman help. That makes her a guest of this mansion!”

“Chief Chamberlain.”

“And stop making that dreadful face! How many times must I tell you? Your conduct deserves punishment. I'll overlook it today, but you will take our guest inside, show her to the bath, and bring her a change of clothes. Understood?”

Havid clicked his tongue.

Then he turned to the woman.

“And I must ask our guest not to insult members of this household without cause. A person is still a person, whether a slave or a servant. Our master treats us with respect, so it is inappropriate for a stranger to treat us otherwise.”

“…I'm sorry.”

“Thank you for understanding. Please follow the elf inside and wash. We shall have fresh clothing ready and prepare a meal once you've finished bathing.”

The old man smiled. The woman nodded.

The elf looked as though she had a great deal more to say, but eventually let out a reluctant sigh.

“Follow me.”

She started toward the mansion. The woman followed, every step as unwilling as the elf's.

Watching them go, I turned to Havid with something very close to awe.

So this is the wisdom of age…

He had settled an argument that I couldn't even find a way to enter. Without him, they might still be standing there trading suffocating insults over me.

“Thank you, Chamberlain.”

Havid stared at me for an instant, then laughed.

“Ha ha! There's no need to thank me. I was only doing my job.”

---

Some time later, in the guest bathroom of the Deharem mansion.

“How irritating.”

Seredi had finished bathing. In the adjoining dressing room, she snatched up a towel and rubbed her damp hair with more force than necessary.

She could still hear that silver-haired, red-eyed elf calling her a prostitute.

A prostitute? Me?

Seredi was a succubus, one of the demons also called dream mares. Enchanting men and absorbing their energy was part of how her kind survived and grew stronger. That didn't mean she did it because she wanted to.

It's the fate of my race.

Yet some slave she had barely met had called her a whore. The elf didn't even know what Seredi was, which somehow made the insult all the more infuriating.

She wanted to tear the arrogant creature apart and storm out of the mansion.

For now, however, she would endure it.

She had come here on another's orders.

Find out which demon has entered into a pact with the human called Theorad. Succeed, and I'll share my power with you.

The request had come directly from Lerazie, Grand Duchess of the Hell of Sexual Love and Queen of Dreams.

Seredi had taken the risk of coming here to carry it out. Personal anger would have to wait.

I won't be staying long anyway.

Perhaps she could answer Lerazie's question tonight.

Her plan was to enter Theorad's dreams and search for the secret there. A person might guard his words and actions while awake, but sleep left gaps in even the strongest defenses.

She remembered a marquis from the Kingdom of Gela, a man famous for keeping his mouth shut. In his dreams, he'd revealed every secret he possessed.

Theorad shouldn't be any different.

And while she was searching for the identity of the demon he'd contracted with, perhaps she would learn something else worth taking back.

With Lerazie behind her, she had little reason to be afraid.

Knock, knock.

Seredi was seated at a bench before the mirror, drying her hair, when someone knocked on the door.

One of the servants, I suppose.

She tucked a loose strand behind her ear.

“Come in.”

The door opened. A maid entered carrying fresh clothes, a towel, and an old-fashioned comb.

Unfortunately, it was the elf.

Seredi's face tightened at once.

“You again?”

To her surprise, the elf bowed politely.

“I'm sorry about earlier. I spoke thoughtlessly and said things I shouldn't have.”

“Huh?”

That was unexpected, but not inexplicable. Havid must have spoken to the elf while Seredi was bathing.

Seredi had no intention of forgiving her. Still, an apology was better than more insults.

She let a thin smile curl her lips and beckoned.

“If you're sorry, come and brush my hair. Isn't that what you came for?”

“Ah. Yes…”

The elf went quietly behind the bench and began drawing the comb through Seredi's hair. Her movements were gentle, almost astonishingly skillful.

“By the way, is there anything you particularly dislike, my lady?” the elf asked.

Seredi wondered why she wanted to know, then remembered that dinner would be served soon.

She's asking about food, of course.

“Garlic,” she replied. “I can eat it, but I'd rather not. It tastes all right, but it leaves a dreadful smell in your mouth. Leave it out of my meal if possible.”

“I see. What you hate is quite different from what I hate.”

“Oh? And what do you hate?”

She asked without giving it a thought.

The elf answered with unnerving seriousness.

“People who secretly eat the pudding I went to such trouble to obtain. Noble young ladies who deceive me so cleverly that I can't tell whether they're foxes or bears. Those people can be terribly difficult to endure.”

“Ah… I see?”

“And I dislike people who repay sincerity with betrayal. Guests are no exception. No one enjoys having goodwill answered with malice.”

The atmosphere changed.

Seredi felt a tremor pass through her. Something was wrong.

She tried to rise, but a slender hand came down on her shoulder and held her in place.

“And…”

In the mirror, the elf no longer looked like a meek household slave.

She was a predator watching prey that had nowhere to run. Mischief and terrible arrogance shone together in her red eyes.

“Demons who pretend to be human…”

The elf bent down slowly, as though warning Seredi to sit still and listen. Her voice slipped into Seredi's ear like a snake.

“I hate them most of all.”