WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE ARE OTHER TRANSMIGRATORS IN MY HAREM FANTASY? 345-350

C345 They're Normal Villagers



I thought Delmare would immediately start singing the moment she saw them draw their weapons but surprisingly, she raised her hands as a sign of surrender first.

"Eh?! Wait, wait! What are you doing?! I'm just a passer-by!"

"Quickly! Freeze the water before she escapes! Mermaids would definitely sell for a lot here!!"

Well… If the drawing of weapons was not proof enough that they were up to no good, those words definitely confirmed it.

Delmare must have come to the same conclusion as well since she started singing without any warning right after that.

Taking a moment to listen to the song, I realised that it was supposed to be a love ballad about the two of us. She was basically professing her love for me and the promises of a love filled life we would have together.

The moment her melody reached the slavers, they quickly stopped whatever they were doing to stare at her. Even the ones that were running to her had slowed down to a stop to listen to her song.

Even I got lost in her song for a while before coming back to my senses.

No, the reason why I got distracted had nothing to do with her magic, her singing was just that good.

Like look at her! She had her eyes closed and was fully concentrating on her song, her hands clasped in front of her chest while her tail would dip in and out of the water from time to time. Her poise was firm and regal, as though she was a top class vocalist performing at a grand theatre.

How could anyone not have their breath taken away by such a sight?

After I came back to my senses, I went around to start subduing the slavers who were stuck in their trance of listening to Delmare's song.

Leaving the slaves alone, I made use of my [Shadow Glide] to move through the crowd of slavers quickly and knocked them out one after the other. I wasn't gentle with them since they were intent on hurting Delmare, so I didn't feel bad even if some of them fell face first onto the ground.

Soon enough, all the slavers were knocked out and properly tied up using one of their own ropes, leaving me free to enjoy the rest of Delmare's song in peace.

Her song reached its conclusion as she sang about the two of us swimming off to the horizon towards the rising sun, her voice fading away as it ended.

She breathed out before opening her eyes, only to see me seated in front of her and clapping enthusiastically.

The serious look she had quickly broke apart as she blushed and covered her face with her hands, "Tha… Thank you, Aster… I--"

She was interrupted by the cacophony of screams coming from the slaves.

"Ahhhh!! I must have her!!"

"Let me get to heeeerrr!!"

"The goddess is calling to me!! I must get to heeeerrr!!"

"Uooooo!! Seeeeggggsss!!"

Ah… I honestly forgot that the slaves would be affected by her singing as well… At least I didn't free them first so they weren't able to do anything except scream from where they were at the moment.

Ummm… This is clearly a spell that affects their mental functions so maybe a quick zap with an Electomancy spell might fix them up?

I went towards them and singled one of the stronger looking ones and used a quick [Static Shock] on them.

The Nekomata I zapped jumped and seemed to be a little confused about what was going on until he recovered.

"E… Eh? What was I? What? Who are you?! What… What did you do to my friends?!"

Oh~ Looks like it works, then I guess I just have to spam the spell and return the others to their senses.

I then repeated the spell and helped the other captured people come back to their senses, all of them a little disoriented but otherwise unharmed.

"Aster… Umm… Wouldn't hitting them on the head have been enough to wake them up?" Delmare asked after I was just feeling proud of my work.

Eh? Really? Oh… I think I vaguely remember that being a solution too… Whoops.

Oh well, at least it still works right?

I then went ahead to pick up Delmare in my arms and carried her over to the captured people, giving them enough time to recover their bearings.

"Hello everyone! Are you all awake yet?" I greeted them cheerfully.

One of them strained against her bindings to turn towards me, "Who are you?! Are you the bastard that is going to buy us?!"

Ah, it's that Aoi girl that I used to check the stats of in my attempt to figure out if these guys were bandits or not.

Since the others were keeping quiet and letting her speak, I assume she might be their de facto leader here or something?

I stepped to the side to reveal the slavers who were all tied up and unconscious, "If I was planning to buy you all, do you think I would have knocked these guys out?"

There were a few murmurs amongst them but the Inugami girl who spoke against me continued, "Ha! You think we're naive or something? Obviously you just double crossed them to avoid paying for us! You Mahun nobles are all the same!"

I tilted my head at her, "Ummm… I'm not a Mahun though?"

To show that I was telling the truth, I revealed my wings and tail for them to see.

Although it's also a fact that I'm part of the nobles in a Mahun Kingdom but I don't think that fact would help my case here…

The girl quickly changed her attitude, "Ah… I… I'm sorry. Then… You saved us?"

"Before I answer that question… I need to know why you were all captured in the first place?"

The girl lowered her head, "We were taken of course… From our village by those slavers…"

I frowned, "Eh? The slavers can just go into villages and capture people to take them as slaves?"

My question made everyone look at me weirdly, like I just asked them if the sky was blue or something.

"You're a Meslatar too… Have you been living under a rock all this while?" She asked me.

I puffed my cheeks at her, "If you want me to leave you here with the slavers all you need to do is ask, you know? Had the slavers not attacked us first, I would have just left all of you here on the assumption that you were all bandits that were captured to be sold as criminal slaves."

"Ah… Umm… I'm sorry, please don't leave us… Umm… Did you really take out all those slavers by yourself?"

I suppose they were so distracted by Delmare's song that they didn't notice me.

I nodded at Delmare who was still in my arms, "I had help of course, Now you might want to explain your circumstances quickly before I conclude that you're all really bandits."

"We are not bandits! These slavers came to our village and took us from our homes to be sold to the sick and twisted nobles of Lehcarouc Kingdom! We did nothing wrong!"

"Hmm… But why? I thought that slavers don't do that since the two kingdoms are at peace?"

"Proper slavers wouldn't do it perhaps… But these guys aren't the proper ones… They are akin to bandits themselves! They raid villages across the border to take us away from our homes to be sold to the nobles!"

I took a look at them, only just realising that not all of them were young and there were some people in the group that were clearly in their middle ages.

I cleared my throat, "Umm… No offence… But why would the nobles buy you? Wouldn't they prefer to have trained slaves or even more skilled slaves instead?" I asked.

"It seems like you really don't know about this… We won't be used as regular slaves but more of entertainment for those nobles…"

"What kind of entertainment?"

She shuddered, "The kind where they see how long it would take for them to break you through torture or even how long you can survive in a small arena with some monster that they managed to catch…"

Ah… So it's that kind of deal… I guess that explains why these slavers are hiding in a cavern like this instead of above ground… I guess they also only move during the night where it's dark and harder to be spotted and sleep in the morning to avoid anyone from catching them too.

I then nodded at their ropes, "Just to check… If I were to free all of you right now, you're not going to attack us right?"

The Aoi girl narrowed her eyes at me, "What do you want in return?"

"Eh? In return? Err… Why do you assume I want something in return?"

"Not to sound ungrateful but… Normally people don't go around freeing slaves without expecting a reward of some kind. So what do you want?"

Err… I could name one Off-Worlder who sort of did that, though I guess the return he got was forming a bandit group so let's not mention that.

I gestured to them, "I don't mean to point this out but… I don't think there's anything you can offer me in return for freeing you, can you?"

Unexpectedly, the girl blushed and the others started whispering amongst themselves.

I was about to ask what they were discussing about when the girl suddenly looked me in the eye with a determined look.

"Fine! Free us! In return… I'll… I'll be your slave!"

Eh?

346 Such Rewards Are The Norm (*R)

C346 Such Rewards Are The Norm (*R)



Errr… What?

Hold up…

I raised my hand, "I'm sorry but… Could you repeat that?"

"Release us and I'll be your slave in return!"

Ok, so I didn't hear it incorrectly… She really did offer to become my slave to let the others avoid being slaves themselves.

I mean… I get the reasoning behind it… But isn't there some other way you can repay me without resorting to that?

Not that I'm looking for any payment in the first place but I guess the common sense of this World dictates that this be the norm I suppose? So if I were to insist on not receiving a reward, I would be seen as the weird one?

This was the case with Linette as well when I saved her from those Goblins. She had immediately offered Katsuki in return for me saving her life too.

Or maybe… Doing things this way would settle any sense of debt the people that were saved would have? Since they had already fulfilled their obligations, their saviour can't come back to give an unreasonable demand in the future if they meet again?

I can kind of see that happening… Like if some random guy saves me and asks for nothing in return, I might feel obligated to help him with some things if they were to come back and bring this up in the future.

Of course, the option of being an ungrateful asshole is there too but I wasn't raised to be one so I can't do that with a good conscience.

I guess I should make a note to owe no one any favours in the future…

But that is to say… I don't particularly want another slave though… No offence but she's just going to be a burden…

I looked at Delmare who was still in my arms to see that she was looking at me with a complicated expression.

"What do you think we should do? You also helped save them as well," I asked.

She poked her fingers together, "Ummm… I'm not sure what's the best choice for this… What does Aster think?"

I don't know, that's why I'm asking you… Then again… She's not really someone who knows the common sense of this World that well either…

I turned back to address the Aoi girl.

"Umm… I'm going to be honest with you… I don't actually want a slave so… Is there anything else you can offer?"

That prompted all of them to look at each other before starting another round of discussions amongst themselves.

In the meantime, I put Delmare down on the ground while I went ahead to spread a sheet on the floor for her to sit on.

It took them a minute before Aoi turned back to me, "Umm… This might be a little late but… I am Aoi, the… Umm… The village chief of the village where we come from."

Oh, so she's not just the de facto leader but the actual leader. Though I'm surprised to hear that there's a village where Inugamis, Nekomatas and Trasifs were staying together, I thought they would live separately from each other since they were two kingdoms.

Then I realised that didn't really make sense since I've already seen other races present in the Mahun cities so the races probably already reached a point where we are intermingling with one another.

Then again, in this group, I only see two Trasifs and both of them were females.

I gestured to myself and Delmare, "Hello there, you can call me Aster and you have already met Delmare."

The Siren gave them a friendly wave.

"Benefactors Aster and Delmare, we thank you once again for saving us in this time of need," Aoi bowed from where she was sitting before nodding towards a young Inugami male. "We do not have much to offer but I suppose you might be interested in a strong young man to show you a good time? Ochin here is quite experienced and he would definitely be able to satisfy you."

I raised my hand, "Sorry but… We're not interested in males."

"Ah… Then that makes it simpler. Could I be allowed to service you to show our gratitude?"

Truth be told, if I was alone I might have accepted it. But since I'm on a date with Delmare, it would be improper to--

"Oh, I have no problems with that, Aster!" Delmare answered before I could reject it.

Eh?

I turned to Delmare, "Really?"

"Yes! Isn't it more exciting that way?"

Oh… I forgot… She would usually have lesbian orgies with her sisters in the past… Something like this was normal to her…

Since she already accepted it, then I guess it's fine?

I nodded at Aoi, "Very well, we shall accept that."

Taking out my sword, I slashed down on the rope that was holding them in place, allowing them to free themselves.

The freed slaves then quickly helped each other up before moving to the tied up slavers and relieving them of their weapons.

"We'll need them to travel back to our village," Aoi explained helpfully.

They're also leaving the slavers for me to deal with since they were considered criminals and would most likely have a bounty on them.

I'll leave the deciding of their fates later since I'm already busy marvelling at Aoi stripping herself without any hint of shame.

"I am ready," She stated easily.

Oh wow, we're getting straight into it? Alright then.

I decided to take the lead and went behind Delmare to lift up the hem of her dress, revealing her bare pussy that was nestled in the spot that her human half would transition to her fish half.

"Why don't you start off with my lover, Aoi?" I suggested.

She obeyed without question, the Inugami getting down on her knees to crawl towards Delmare.

Delmare watched her crawl towards us, her hands reaching above her head to hold onto my arm for support.

The freed slaves barely spared us a glance and simply gathered their things before moving to the tunnels, presumably to wait there and give us privacy.

Aoi lowered her head to attach herself to Delmare's snatch, her mouth latching onto her clit as she sucked on it audibly.

The Siren let out a moan of pleasure as her grip tightened on my arm.

I took the opportunity to reach forward and cup her boobs, giving both her tits a squeeze which only made her moan louder.

I dug my fingers into her flesh before moving up to pinch her nipples, squeezing the little nubs in between my thumbs and index fingers.

Her hips raised slightly from the pleasure, prompting Aoi to attack her cunt directly with her tongue.

Seeing the sight of Delmare being orally pleasured by the Inugami slowly got me hard as well so I stood up to pull up my dress to reveal my semi-erect cock.

I stood closer to the Siren and she reached up to pull off my penis sheath before wrapping her mouth around my member, opting to suck on my cock directly instead of through the fabric.

The action was so unexpected that I moaned out loud before I could stop myself.

Ah.

The effect was almost instantaneous as Delmare reached up her hand to grab onto my waist, pulling me forward so that she could start deepthroating me.

My cock went all the way inside her mouth and I could feel her throat tighten around my cock before she pulled back and then swallowed it back up again.

I managed to hold my second moan but it was proving to be a titanic task as the Siren continuously sucked on my shaft from the tip to the base as though her life depended on it.

I looked down and she was looking back up at me, her irises practically turned into heart shapes as she sucked on my cock.

Biting onto my bottom lip to try and keep myself from moaning, I grabbed her by the head and started moving my hips back and forth in tune with her to fuck her mouth.

An unexpected pressure came from in between my legs which made me let out a gasp of surprise, right before Delmare inserted her fingers into my pussy.

My moan echoed throughout the cavern, there was no way I could hold back from that after all.

Almost immediately, I found myself falling backwards as something pushed me onto the ground.

I was dimly aware of a yelp of surprise coming from Aoi before I found myself looking up into the eyes of Delmare, the Siren looking back at me with a clearly lustful gaze while drool was rolling down the side of her mouth.

"Aster~ Aster~ I love you, I love you, I love you!" She moaned, her hand reaching down between my legs to line up my cock against her snatch.

She sat down and her pussy swallowed up my cock, burying it all the way inside her.

She didn't even waste any time getting used to my size as her hips started slamming up and down on top of me, her pussy squeezing my cock in an attempt to wring out my cum. Her tail was also slapping against the ground with her hip movements, serving to increase the speed of her hips.

Since she had already been sucking me off earlier, it didn't take long before I felt the familiar feeling of my climax approaching.

I barely managed to pull Delmare off of me as I came, my cum shooting out of my cock to splatter against her waist which seemed to set the Siren off as well as she came with me.

Unbidden, Aoi came forward to latch her mouth on my cock, sucking up the rest of my cum and cleaning it up.

When she said she was going to service us, she really meant it I see…

Of course, one round wasn't enough and I ended up fucking both girls for a good hour or so before we were finally satisfied.

347 Just Flying With The Siren

C347 Just Flying With The Siren



We saw the villagers off at the entrance of the tunnel, which led all the way above ground and connected to an abandoned mineshaft.

I also found out that Aoi isn't really the actual village chief but only playing the role of a stand-in chief. The real one was her father who had been away with the other hunters of their village on a hunt, which was also the reason why the slavers managed to capture them easily.

She most likely told me she was the village chief to make me think she was more important than she actually was and to take her more seriously I guess? Not sure if that was a good move on her part to be honest.

She did make me promise to visit their village in the future though. Since I planned to go through the forest on my journeys, I accepted it.

I asked if they could really return to their village on their own but they assured me that they would manage, stating that it would be rude of them to depend on me any further than this.

That left Delmare and I alone once again.

I turned to the Siren, "So… That happened… I didn't think our date would end up like this."

"Kukuku~ Neither did I. Being with Aster really is interesting~"

"Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Oh! Not at all! Before I met Aster, my days were just spent together with my sisters. Sometimes there would be those sailors washing up on our shore and chancing upon us but those events were few and far between. And even after they showed up, we would be forced to run away because of my singing. I was so sure that my life would not change for the rest of time until Aster showed up~"

I scratched my cheek, "I didn't really plan for that though… And it was pure luck that I even found you there…"

"Ehehe~ Rather than luck, I'd like to believe that it's fate instead~"

I suppose we can just leave it at that.

She then reached up her hand to entwine her fingers with mine, "I don't think I've said this before but… I am infinitely grateful to have met Aster. Every day that we are together is like a dream."

"Eh? What does that mean?"

"Ah! I mean that every day has been really happy for me to the point that I find it hard to believe that it's real!"

I squeezed her hand in reassurance, "Well, it's definitely real so you don't need to worry about waking up and everything disappearing~"

She squeezed my hand back, "Ehehe~ I know, but sometimes I'm just so happy that it feels impossible that it's not a dream~"

"I suppose you'll just have to get used to such bliss~ Speaking of which, what should we do now?"

Delmare turned back to the cave, "Umm… Honestly… I had planned to spend the entire day serenading Aster inside there… But I don't think we should go back since those slavers are still there. Speaking of which, what should we do about them?"

"Mmm… There's no way we can bring them back on our own, so I was thinking that we could go back to the city and inform the guards about them. I guess they'll probably then send someone over to get them later. Sorry that your performance was cut short though…"

She shook her head, "It's not Aster's fault~ After all… We can always just go back home to do it again… Oh, I suppose I should apologise again for losing myself…"

"Hmm? Oh, you mean when you got turned on by my moan and started riding me without a care in the world? I'm already used to it~"

The Siren covered her face with her hands while her face went red with embarrassment, "Ahhhh! Don't say it like that! I can't help but get turned on when I hear your moans! I always try to control myself but I can never do it! I'm so sorry!"

I giggled, "It's fine, Delmare. I don't mind~ It is part of who you are after all so I'm not going to hate you just because of something like that."

"Uuuu… I really love you, Aster… Not only do you listen to my songs… You also don't mind my weirdness…"

"Well… I do enjoy listening to your songs, so that's more like a reward for me~"

"As I thought… Aster really spoils me a lot…"

Hmm? Isn't it the other way around though? She's always serenading me with the songs that she comes up with without asking anything in return. Sometimes I even feel a little lacking as her lover because of that so I always made sure to properly pleasure her every time we have sex.

Oh well, as long as she's happy I suppose.

"I suppose we should go back home now?" I asked.

"Umm… If it's not too much trouble… Could we fly around for a while before we go back?"

"Ehehe~ You really like to fly I see~ You can actually use your Somatomancy to give yourself my wings to fly though."

She poked her fingers together, "Umm… That… That is true… But… I'm scared to fly on my own…"

Mmm… I suppose flying is a skill on its own and I doubt she would be able to fly properly on her first try either… Worst case scenario, she might be distracted and unintentionally release the spell which would cause her to fall out of the sky.

That has already happened multiple times with her legs before so I won't be surprised if that would happen while she was flying too and that's a risk I wasn't willing to take.

"I guess next time I'll teach you how to fly on your own?" I offered.

Surprisingly, she seemed unreceptive to the idea and shook her head quickly, "I… I don't want to bother Aster over something like this! Umm… Could I just let Aster carry me with you? Or is that a bother too?"

I denied that immediately, "Definitely not! I enjoy flying with you, Delmare!"

"Ehehe~ Then could I trouble Aster with this?"

Well, as I had said, I feel that I don't really do enough for her in return for her singing so something like this was easy for me.

I carried her in my arms once again while she hugged my neck, her face pressing up against mine.

"Kukuku~ This is still the best after all~" She giggled.

I wasn't sure what she was referring to but decided not to ask. Instead, I leapt into the air with the Siren and proceeded to fly around in the sky.

We didn't have a destination in mind so I was simply just gliding in the air with Delmare and enjoying the sights below us.

Judging by how she was also making excited noises while hugging me, I think I can safely say that she was also enjoying herself as well.

"Aster! We're so high up! Look! Even the people look so small below! Ah! Those are the villagers we saved just now!"

"Fufu~ Yes they are~ Be careful not to move too much or you might fall."

"Kukuku~ Even if I do, Aster would catch me won't you? Then I have nothing to worry about~" She giggled while cuddling her face with mine.

I'm happy that you have that much faith in me but do be careful ok?

Flying through the countryside, the two of us went past the farmlands outside of the capital, even flying past the manor that we had used back then.

I was expecting that place to be empty but it seemed like there were still a number of workers tending to the fields around the manor. I suppose it makes sense since this place technically belongs to Mother and the produce from the manor is also part of Mother's business.

Flying past the main road leading to the capital, Delmare took the chance to wave at the people travelling on the roads below.

I decided to fly further out towards the edge of the territory since I've yet to explore the entire area despite being here for so long.

"Oh! Aster look!"

I shifted my gaze to where Delmare was pointing at to see a camp of some sort located inside the forest.

At first I thought it was just some kind of Mahun hunting camp until I realised that the inhabitants of the camp were monsters.

A monster camp this close to the capital? That can't be good can it? Perhaps I should go and subjugate them since I'm already here?

Just as I thought of that, I felt Delmare tugging on my arm, "Aster! There's Mahuns there!"

Sure enough, there were indeed a few Mahuns inside the camp but they weren't prisoners. In fact, they were walking around the camp amongst the monsters like they owned the place.

Eh? Are they conspiring with the monsters to attack the capital or something? But looking at the monsters… I see a few Hell Wolves and even a few Goblins… The strength of these monsters aren't even remotely enough to breach the city gates let alone pose a threat to the city.

Unless they were aiming at one of the nearby villages?

Right at that moment, one of the Mahuns led a horse cart out into the centre of the camp and I was quite surprised to see that the monsters seemed to be loading something onto the cart.

On closer inspection, I quickly realised that they were loading what appears to be the carcasses of dead animals.

Oh… It's actually a Mahun hunting camp after all. Those guys are Kalomancers.

So that's how the people of this World might use Kalomancy normally. The only examples I've seen so far were all related to binding slaves.

How interesting~

That kind of makes me want to learn it now… I wonder if I can learn it from someone in the city?

I'd also like to have some pets of my own~

348 It's A Royal Ball

C348 It's A Royal Ball



"Ufufufu~ As I thought, my little one is the most beautiful~"

"Mo… Mommy… Stoooop… You're embarrassing me…" I groaned, making sure the mask I was wearing stayed on my face.

When Mother said that she had plans for our 'date' I thought it would be an alone time with her but no… Her idea of a date was bringing me to some ball with her.

And not just any ball either, but a Royal Ball at the palace.

Apparently one of the princes was celebrating something or other, I wasn't really listening when I was told since I was quite distracted by Delmare and Odeta gushing over my dress and makeup.

I swear Delmare almost wanted to drag me off somewhere with her and I'm just glad that Lisa wasn't here or she might have really pushed me down right there.

I was wondering how we could attend it considering who we were but apparently Mother had these featureless masks that hid the upper half of our faces.

Of course, under normal circumstances, that would not be enough, but I was told that these were artefacts that inhibited others from recognising who we were.

[Mask of Impossible Identity - Prevents others from recognising the wearer's identity while allowing them to still be perceived.]

The design of the mask looked like those Victorian masquerade masks back in my old World where it only covered the upper half of your face.

Apparently with this mask, people would be able to know that I am there and talk to me normally but if you were to ask them about how I looked later, they would not be able to answer you. They would not even be able to remember what my hair colour was or even the intonation of my voice, but they would be able to recall the contents of our conversation at least.

But apparently Mother had made it such that I could at least still see her and she could also see me despite wearing the mask.

As expected of Mother to have something like this I suppose… She's probably using this artefact to participate in events like this so people would know that she was the matriarch of the Nilm family but not actually know what she looked like.

Right now I'm currently dressed in a black ball gown that was similar in design to Mother's that had a slit to show off one of my legs that were clad with white stockings for this occasion, which contrasted with Mother's own black stockings.

We're also headed to the palace in Mother's carriage with Mary and Katsuki accompanying us as each participant was allowed a companion to join them.

Mother giggled, "But it's true that my little one is beautiful though~ Ufufufu~ Oh just look at how well your hair has been done! Katsuki has really learned how to do it really well!"

I have to agree with Mother on that though, Katsuki actually helped me do up my hair in a very intricate princess braid that I didn't even know she could do and it really looked beautiful even if I do say so myself.

Katsuki bowed from her seat beside me, "It is an honour to receive your praise, Madam."

"Ufufufu~ Such is expected of the one that my dearest child has chosen as her personal maid after all~"

"Nay, it is all because Head Maid Mary has taught me well. And also because Mistress is already beautiful to begin with."

Mary nodded, "I respectfully agree with the latter as well, Mistress."

I groaned, feeling my own cheeks flush from the attention I was getting from everyone in the carriage. I'm almost certain they're all doing this on purpose to tease me…

Soon enough, the carriage came to a stop and I knew we had arrived.

The door was opened by Sebastian who was also our coachman for the night, the butler giving a bow in our direction.

"We have arrived, Mistress, Young Mistress."

Mother turned to me with a smile, "Shall we, my little one?"

I nodded, prompting our two maids to alight first before they turned to assist us.

I was expecting to alight next but Mother went before me and I realised why when she turned back to the carriage to hold her hand out to me.

Instinctively, I took her hand and let Mother help me off the carriage.

That was when I realised that we were in the middle of the palace courtyard in front of a fountain where various nobles seem to have gathered.

I also realised that for some reason, there were only a few carriages that have been driven all the way inside the palace's outer walls while most of the other nobles were made to alight outside and walk the rest of the way on foot.

I'm going to assume that they are only allowing this to certain high ranking nobles and the lower ranked ones would be the ones on foot.

Any hope I had that no one knew who we were were quickly dashed when one of the Mahuns nearby spoke to their partner, "That's the Nilm family…"

"How do you know?"

"You see that Trasif and the Wrunch? They serve the Nilm family and if those two are here, that means the Matriarch is here too."

"What about that Inugami? And the last person there too?"

"I don't know, I've never seen them before…"

I didn't manage to hear the rest of the conversation as Mother pulled me along so that I had my arm wrapped around hers.

"Ufufufu~ It seems everyone is attracted to your beauty, my little one~"

That's definitely not the case, Mother… Especially when this mask was blocking their perception of my features.. Which also made me question why they would bother dolling me up like this when no one else can see it but Mother anyway?

Then I realised that that's most likely the exact reason why.

Sebastian then went ahead to drive off the carriage while Katsuki and Mary fell in step behind us as we made our way towards the palace.

The other nobles quickly stepped aside, allowing us to walk down the middle of the path unfettered with Mother not even sparing them a glance.

I overheard some of the nobles whispering amongst themselves and most of them were wondering who I was.

It was clear that pretty much everyone knew who Mother was though, but I don't understand why almost all of them thought I was her lover instead of her child or something.

Then I remembered that Mother was supposed to be barren or something and I guess her condition was quite well known amongst the noble community so they would think a child was impossible.

But why have they not considered the possibility of adoption though? Maybe Mother also doesn't like the idea of adoption? Or is it some rule regarding nobility? I dunno.

We soon reached the doors of the palace where a group of maids were stationed to receive guests. What was interesting was the fact that half of them were not Mahuns.

They seem to be checking the invitations for each noble and welcoming them with a business-like smile.

When it was our turn however, they immediately stopped what they were doing and gave a perfect ninety degree bow.

"Welcome Madam, Young Mistress."

Mother nodded at them, "Ufufufu~ Keep up the good work~"

"We thank you for the praise."

Oh… I guess they were maids trained by us and sent to work at the palace.

Hearing the words of the maids, the nobles behind us immediately started whispering amongst themselves again.

"Did they say 'Young Mistress'?"

"So it's her lover then?"

"I didn't know the Matriarch of the Nilm House was even interested in a partner."

"Where did she even come from?"

Mother guided me through the entrance before I could hear anymore.

Just past the entrance was the main entrance hall and it was splendidly decorated with various paintings, antiques and even exotic flowers that seem to have been prepared for this occasion.

There were even more servants that were lined up in the entrance hall that were guiding us towards the venue of the ball, all of them immaculately dressed and perfectly courteous.

"Are they also trained by our house, Mommy?" I asked, nodding at the servants that were greeting us.

"Ufufufu~ Not at all, my little one. The ones inside here are the servants trained by the palace themselves. Our maids outside serve as both a display of the Royal Family's status and as guards to any troublemakers trying to enter the palace without an invitation."

Ugh… Sounds like politics… I'll just forget about it in that case…

To a normal person, I would think that they would be in awe at how everything looked and how beautifully decorated the hall was. Some of the younger nobles and also the children of the nobles were making 'ooh' and 'ahh' sounds at the sight.

But to me… I didn't really feel anything from it.

Don't get me wrong, it was certainly a beautiful sight but…

Well… It's hard to be impressed when I'm already pretty much seeing almost the same thing at home everyday I walk through the main doors… To the point that I've already gotten used to it…

Soon enough, we walked past the entrance hall to enter the ballroom which was the venue of tonight's ball.

And… Well… I would really like to say that I was impressed by the decor, the food or even the musicians that were performing at the side but…

All of this I've seen back at home before…

Oh no… I've become too spoiled haven't I?

349 I'm Just Here For The Royal Sweets

C349 I'm Just Here For The Royal Sweets



While I was coming to terms with the fact that I had been living a life comparable to the Royal Family, Mother continued to guide me deeper into the ballroom where it was filled to the brim with various nobles and their families.

There was a small commotion when we entered and I realised we were already the centre of attention from how the nobles were reacting to us. Which I guess I shouldn't be surprised about considering how the others have reacted to us outside so far.

But what surprised me was that while the other nobles outside had avoided us completely, there was one of them who actually approached us.

"Good evening, Madam Nilm, I didn't think you would be joining us tonight," A middle aged man greeted us with a friendly smile.

He was a little shorter than Mother and had a full head of hair that was beginning to grey at the sides, matching the colour of his beard that he had trimmed into mutton chops. He was not exceptionally muscular but he had definitely trained his body before to have that lean build of his.

Mother gave him a smile in return, "Good evening Duke Arlta, I see you have also chosen to attend as well."

"Oh how can I not? The third prince is the one that has organised this ball himself, there's no way I would miss out on something like this!"

"Ufufufu~ That is very true. I understand your sentiments very well."

"That's right! Oh wait! Don't tell me you're also here for him?!"

"Ara, ara? Do you think someone like me would be interested in him? Ufufufu~ That is not possible, Duke Arlta. I am merely here to have fun with my dearest, cutest child~"

Eh? Did Mother really just…

The Duke's eyes widened and he shifted his gaze to me, though it looked like his line of sight was a little off centre which I assume it's because of the mask's effects preventing him from seeing my features.

I don't know what I should do so I just waved at him a little lamely.

"Your… Child?!" He repeated, completely shocked.

"Ufufufu~ That's right~"

He moved a little closer and lowered his voice to a whisper, "I apologise for being so forward but… How is that possible?"

"Fufufu~ It's a miracle granted by the Gods of course~"

He blinked at her for a few seconds before slowly nodding, "I see, I see. That would explain it. And how is your child?"

I noted that he deliberately kept the question vague.

"Ufufufu~ She is beautiful. So beautiful that I fear if the mask is taken off, the prince might want her for himself~"

Motheeeeeerrr!!

"Ahahaha! Now you're just making me more curious! Is this why she's participating, Madam Nilm?"

"Ufufufu~ Of course not~ We are merely here to enjoy ourselves~ My little one already has a harem of her own so there is no way she would join the prince's harem~"

Motheeeeeerrr!! Staaaahp!

"Oh? I assume that the maid behind her is one?"

"Ufufufu~ Duke Arlta knows your stuff indeed~"

"Ahaha! You give me too much credit Madam Nilm! In that case, I shall not disturb your time with your little one! Please enjoy the party, ladies!"

"Ara, ara~ How courteous of you. Shall we, my dear?"

I nodded, not willing to look at Mother since my face must be really red right now and she's the only one who could see my face clearly.

The only good thing was that no one seemed to have heard our conversation, which I found a little weird considering how loud the Duke was. Then I figured it must have been some kind of magic item being used to prevent others from eavesdropping.

"Mommy… Is it really alright to let that Duke know about us?"

"Ufufufu~ He is a trustworthy friend so my little one need not worry~ If you are in need of help and for whatever reason you cannot rely on Mama, you can seek his family for help too."

"Unn… Ok, Mommy… But what is this about me joining the prince's harem?"

Before she could answer, the music in the hall suddenly stopped and a herald appeared at the other end.

"Announcing the arrival of the Third Prince of Lehcarouc Kingdom! His Highness Lucius Lehcarouc!"

The double doors at the end of the hall opened and a young man who looked to be in his early twenties entered the ballroom.

His hair was blonde in colour and his striking blue eyes were easy to see even from this distance. He was also sporting an extended goatee moustache which complimented his high cheekbones.

There was no question he was the prince with the pure white uniform and the golden sword that was also strapped to his waist.

"Are the king and queen not coming, Mommy?" I asked.

"Ufufufu~ Not for this one~ The prince is the one who organised this so it's a private event~"

"It's to celebrate an achievement of his or something, right?"

"Ufufufu~ In a sense, that is correct~"

I waited for Mother to elaborate but she did not seem to be willing to say any more than that.

The prince picked up a glass of wine from a server nearby and raised his glass towards the attendees, "Good evening everyone, I thank you all for attending my ball today! Please enjoy the food and entertainment I have prepared for everyone! A toast to the prosperity of the Kingdom! Cheers!"

There was a soft cheer from the people gathered as they raised their own glasses of wine in response to the prince.

I wonder if it was fine that neither Mother nor myself had any?

Mother then released my arm, "Ufufufu~ Does my little one wish to go and play for a bit?"

"Eh? What do you mean, Mommy?"

She then gestured to the side and I turned to see an entire row of tables that was piled high with rows upon rows of… SWEETS!!

I turned back to Mother, "Ca… Can I, Mommy?!"

"Ufufufu~ This is why Mama brought you here after all~"

I quickly gave Mother a hug, "I love you Mommy!!"

She giggled and hugged me back before letting me run towards the table full of sweets where I busied myself with piling up my plate full of the various sweets they had prepared.

Ahhhh! There's so many different kinds of sweets! I can't help but want to taste every single one of them!

The cakes are so good! And the fruit tarts too!! Ahhh! The chocolate and the flavoured dips!! Ahhhhh!! They're all so good!!

"Mistress, please excuse me."

I was vaguely aware of Katsuki saying something to me before she started wiping my mouth with a handkerchief.

She then presented me with another plate piled high with sweets, presumably something she had helped me gather since I was finishing my current plate.

Ahhhh~ I love you, Katsukiiiiii!!

I took the plate from her and immediately continued stuffing my face once again, utterly lost in the sweetness~

Mmmmm!! This lemon cream tart is absolutely delicious! And these macarons are also so full of flavour!! They're all so good!

As expected of sweets prepared by the Royal chefs!

"Umm… Excuse me?"

I paused in the act of licking my fingers clean of the chocolate when I heard a voice calling out nearby.

Turning around, I saw a young girl who can't be older than sixteen standing in front of me and wearing a very classy red dress that hugged her body.

"Mmm? Can I help you?" I asked.

"Umm… Yes… I was wondering what you are doing here?"

I looked down at my plate that still had a few cakes on them, "Eh? Eating sweets I suppose? I'm sorry, do you want one?"

"Huh? Oh! Umm… No, thank you. I was just curious why you aren't talking to the prince?" She gestured behind her.

I looked at where she was pointing to see the third prince currently being surrounded by an entire bunch of girls who were all trying to chat with him. All of the girls were also around this girl's age where the youngest was probably around thirteen and the oldest probably in their early twenties as well.

To the side, several of the adults who I assume to be the girls' parents watched over them secretly while trying to act like they were busy talking to each other.

I turned back to the girl, "Umm… Not really? I don't personally know the prince anyway so I'm not interested in him?"

The girl looked shocked by my answer, "Eh? Wait… Are you really just here to eat sweets and not talk to the prince?"

Why is this girl so surprised by this? Is it some kind of courtesy where I need to go talk to the host of the party before I start eating their sweets or something?

Eh… Actually if you were to put it like that… That would be a given of course…

Taking my silence as an affirmation, she clasped her hands together, "I see! Thank you for letting me know! You're definitely not compatible with him after all!"

She then ran off towards the prince with glee.

Ah… I get it now… This ball is for the prince to find wives…

So that's what the previous conversation with the Duke was about…

350 A Royal Dance

C350 A Royal Dance



"Did you know about this, Katsuki?" I asked, referring to the fact that this was a ball for the prince to find a wife.

"Of course, Mistress. I was the one who told you about it."

Oh… Right… I think I vaguely recall Katsuki being there telling me about it while Delmare and Odeta were all over me in my ball gown…

My bad.

As though reading my mind, Katsuki shook her head, "You do not need to feel bad about it Mistress, you were quite occupied with Odeta and Miss Delmare at that time. In addition, knowing this fact would not change any plans either."

I suppose that's true too… Especially since this is a 'date' with Mother and she's the one who chose this place.

And just like what she had said to the Duke just now, I doubt she was expecting me to be trying to get the prince's attention to be part of his harem.

The fact that she did not say 'wife' told me that the prince already had several other partners even before this ball.

I was also in no position to say anything about that since I also have multiple partners of my own.

I won't call it a harem yet since technically you need at least three people to call it one, right? At least that's what I think the rule was?

Oh who cares, I know I'm more interested in the sweets in front of me right now! Those other girls can go and try and woo him all they want because I'm definitely not interested in him~

I took up my fork to cut a small bit of the chocolate cake I was planning to eat. Just as I was about to stab my fork into the little treat, a voice spoke up from behind me.

"Please excuse the rudeness, milady. Might I know your name?"

Uggghhhh… Why am I not surprised…

I turned around to see the prince himself standing behind me with the kind of smile you might expect to see on those pretty boys. I could have sworn there were sparkles around him while he was flashing that smile at me too.

Most of the girls that had been trying to get his attention were also gathered behind him, a few of them clearly miffed that he had come to talk to me instead of them.

At first I thought it would be fine for me to just give him my name but before I could, I felt a soft tug on the back of my dress, prompting me to shift my gaze behind me.

Katsuki had her head down but I noticed that she was slowly shaking her head.

I interpreted it as a sign that I should not be giving the prince my name and I also realised that if I did, they would probably make the connection that the normal me was the actual child of the Nilm family.

But… There's people out there who already knew about Katsuki, right? They also know that she's my personal maid so seeing her here would clue them in about my identity wouldn't they?

Oh what do I know? Maybe she also has some kind of artefact on her that is stopping people from realising who she was. I just need to be careful about myself.

I turned back to the prince and smiled, belatedly realising that he probably can't perceive the smile because of the mask I was wearing anyway.

I curtsied, "Pardon me, Prince Lucius, thank you for inviting me to your party today. However, I must insist that I not be allowed to reveal my name."

A few of the girls gaped at my discourtesy but the prince did not seem to bothered by it and maintained his smiling visage.

"Even if it was the third prince asking for it?"

I nodded, "My apologies, it's a no even if it's the third prince asking for it."

"Ahaha! That just makes me all the more curious, Milady! No matter, I am well aware that it would be rude for me to pry a lady's secrets~ But if I were to ask for a dance, surely you would not begrudge me of something as simple as that?"

Ugh… Now I'm put in a spot…

I believe I can still reject him but that would make him lose face especially after he had chosen to skip over so many other girls to talk to me instead. If he's the type to bear grudges, he might come back and cause trouble for me…

Oh well… It's just a dance right? It shouldn't be too hard to just waltz with him for a little while and then come back here to enjoy my sweets again.

I stretched out my hand to him, palm facing down, "I would be honoured, Prince Lucius."

His smile widened slightly and he reached forward to take my hand, "It is my pleasure, Milady."

The other girls made barely audible groans of disappointment with a few of them even outright glaring at me like I just kicked their dog or something.

Come on… It's not like I intentionally took him away from all of you… It's obvious the prince also likes sweets and he was only interested in me because I was here eating sweets. Maybe if you girls also go and start enjoying those delicious treats, he might notice you as well!

I'm kidding of course. I just want them to go eat some sweets instead of glaring at me like that.

He brought me to the centre of the hall before turning back to put his other hand on my back while stretching out the other hand that was holding onto mine towards the side.

I recognised it as the standard pose of a waltz so I placed my free hand on his shoulder and assumed a ready position as well.

The orchestra that was in charge of the music then started to play a slow melody, prompting the prince to begin our dance as he set the pace of our waltz.

Since I had some practice with it during my birthday, I was able to avoid embarrassing myself and keep up with the prince, despite the fact that I was mostly dancing as the leader instead of the follower back then.

It was also only then did I realise that we were the only ones on the dance floor and it took me a moment more to realise why. This was the first dance of the ball, which means the prince has chosen me as his first dance partner and everyone's eyes were on me.

While spinning around, I saw Mother looking at me with an amused smile on her face, clearly enjoying the sight of me being roped into this by the prince.

Duke Arlta was also nearby and was looking at me with a wry smile, though I wasn't sure why.

"You are a really good dancer, Milady," The prince noted, probably just to have polite conversation while we danced.

"Thank you, Prince Lucius. You are also exceptional yourself."

"I don't suppose Milady would be willing to tell me your name now that we are out of earshot from the other ladies?"

Hmm? Did he think that I was only unwilling to give my name because I was afraid the other girls would come and find me?

"Fufu~ I apologise Prince Lucius, but I truly cannot tell you my name."

"That's a shame… You seem like an interesting person so I would not mind getting to know you better."

"Is this so that you can add me to your harem, my prince?"

"I will not deny that the thought was there, but I can assure you that I will not force you if you do not wish to. I was merely thinking that I truly would not mind knowing someone as interesting as you are, Milady. I think it would be mutually beneficial for us to get along."

At least he's straight forward in admitting what he really wanted…

I'm not sure how much he knew but he most likely realised I was related to the Nilm family in some way so if he was able to have friendly relations with me, that would also equate to having friendly relations with Mother as well.

And if he could somehow charm me into his harem, he would even be able to get his hands on the Nilm Family too, which might arguably be a better choice than fighting his siblings for the throne.

I let him spin us around to waltz back to the centre of the hall again before I chuckled, "I am merely just a normal citizen of the kingdom my prince. I am not worthy of your attention like that. If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion, the high class ladies over there might be more suitable than someone like me."

He smiled wryly at me, "You certainly have a way with words Milady. I shall keep your suggestion in mind."

Good, he didn't get offended by that.

Now I just need to finish this dance before I can get back to my sweets…