Chapter 42: Departures, Day (1)

My mouth was dry as I watched Iris return to her bedroom.

The back of her short white dress left little to the imagination. The bottom trimming of her negligee allowed the top of her thighs to be seen, practically one step short of revealing her underwear. I didn't know where she managed to purchase all clothes from. But I envied whichever shopkeeper was allowed to recommend her them. Even if she wasn't wearing wearing attire designed to catch the eyes of everyone who saw her, she still drew the eye as easily as when she was in the heat of battle.

Iris paused before her door. As she opened it, she gave her long hair the smallest brush behind her shoulders and a knowing smile. A small movement which somehow emphasised all her feminity. And all her teasing charm. She didn't need to glance at me to know how I was barely still standing.

And so I leaned against the doorway instead.

I couldn't believe what I'd seen.

Or what I'd heard.

Iris had woken Magnus before me.

This wasn't something she'd ever done before. Waking me up was one of her cute habits. And as much as I wished it was unnecessary, it was a fact of life that when the dawn came, so often was I simply content to miss it. The adventurer's lifestyle gave little room for sympathy to those who were late risers, but Iris was always there to ensure that when the sun rose, so too was her cute smile and unimpressed eyes when the waking world hit me.

Now she'd offered that treat to Magnus instead.

My heart was beating at a thousand paces a minute.

The envy I felt was almost more than I could cope with. A thing Iris would know well. Her teasing smile and casual nonchalance as she went straight to my door with all the evidence of her morning wake up session trailing behind her, seeping into the floor, was no coincidence.

But most of all was the teasing manner in which she said she'd forgotten to use a memory stone.

I could barely comprehend it. Until now, everything Iris had done had been etched into one of these precious stones, ensuring that every little moment she indulged in the arms of another man was a moment I could enjoy. That was the sole reason she'd agreed to allow herself to be embraced by someone other than me. To satisfy the desires which welled up in my heart.

But to forego the use of a memory stone was a new thing entirely.

It would mean that Iris, far from only indulging me, had done something only for Magnus's sake.

For herself.

The envy was overflowing. The extreme anxiousness. The feeling that another step had been taken.

It sparked something in me. Something which made the breath catch in my throat as I wondered whether another horizon had been passed which could never be crossed again in the other direction. And that brought a familiar reaction as I felt myself hardening against my night clothes.

And yet as I looked at the trail of Iris's morning deeds melting into her own floor, I also knew everything she did was for a purpose. Every little action designed to ensure my wish was granted.

I thought back to her words, spoken not long ago in that bathroom inn in Coral, said as sweetly as her smile would suggest.

"Good … because from now on, I'm going to be servicing a man other than you exclusively. I'm going to make love to him in a way I never did with you. I'm going to fill your heart with jealousy until it overflows. I want you to watch closely while I fulfil your deepest desires … so please, do enjoy yourself for me, won't you?"

Well, she'd succeeded.

But if this was the Iris I knew, then I knew even as a means to excite me, allowing the white evidence of what she did to remain on the floor to be discovered by her own parents was a step too far.

She would never allow such an outrageous scene to remain. To return to her room without even caring to do away with the stains of her own eroticness.

She wanted me to see everything dripping from her legs. And if I knew how her games were played, then it didn't simply end there.

Feeling the discomfort tenting against my night clothes, I followed my suspicions as well as the drips lying upon her floor. All the way to Magnus's room.

The door was slightly open. I pushed it open and looked inside.

The smell was overwhelming. The heat of Magnus's sweat and Iris's scent filled the air. And what I saw was a trail of Magnus's enjoyment leading all the way to his bed. It was a complete mess, matching everything he treated. A bed where the owner was an adventurer with no expectation of returning the next night.

Here was where Iris had been, only a short time ago.

A girl who knew every single way to excite me. To tease me. To bring my emotions to a boil.

And that also included leaving a memory stone lying on top of the crumpled heap of Magnus's own crumpled bedding.

I let out a wry smile.

She really was too perfect.