Maid of honour

Valentina had only just started to wake up slightly before sunrise. A faint glow on the horizon could be seen, but otherwise everything remained dark. She tried to move as softly as she could manage so as to not disturb the girl sleeping beside her, but just as she was about to gently remove the hand holding her waist it suddenly clenched and pulled her close and a pair of lips came to greet her.

"Planning to leave so early without even waking me up? How cruel!"

Dahlia's playful voice rang out in the otherwise silent room and she began kissing the Archduchess all over relentlessly. Finally managing to hold the needy girl back, Valentina chuckled as she gave a gentle kiss on Dahlia's forehead before pulling away.

"Sorry love, but I need to get going. I'd typically be awake well before now, but I really do need to prepare for the day. After being dragged away for over a week, I'm probably going to be absolutely swamped in paperwork for the next week or so to make up for it. I was trying to move softly so you could properly rest, but I see that wasn't a problem… were you uncomfortable sleeping with me?"

There was genuine concern in her voice, but it wasn't exclusively reserved for Dahlia. The idea that she would decide to sleep separately would likely mean Valentina's days of insomnia would return. After having tasted what a good rest was like, she had no desire to return to how things used to be. Luckily, she wouldn't have to.

"No, no. You're shockingly comfortable to sleep with! The only reason that I woke up early is because I think I'm getting a little stir crazy. I haven't even really moved for a week now so I think I'll need to keep myself busy. While you work, I'll be productive as well, sounds good?"

Valentina got out of the bed and tossed on a dressing gown, gently pulling Dahlia along to follow her. There was something in the girl's demeanour that seemed to have changed. It wasn't anything that would stand out if it weren't for the fact she had been paying attention to her non stop.

As she got dragged along to some unknown destination, Dahlia tilted her head when the Archduchess asked her, "What's going on? You seem… peppier than yesterday."

She wasn't too sure at first what she was even talking about. Had anything even changed? She had only woken up about an hour before her partner. But no, there was a change and when she recalled it, she smiled.

"Hehe, well, since I woke up I may have gathered a bit of resolve. I've started to figure out how I'm going to approach my schema and I also finally accepted my fate with the combat training. I… may try to find ways around it if possible, but I've decided that I want to do all I can to make you proud of me"

The vampiress looked back at her, and her eyes shone with love.

"Sweetheart, I'm already proud of you. However, I truly can't wait to see how you grow from here on. I don't really care if you become genuinely skilled at combat, or how you use your magic. Just seeing you become your ideal self is what I can't wait to see."

Dahlia couldn't help but blush at that. It was just far too upfront and honest for her and it made her absurdly self conscious all of a sudden. She tried to hide her face but the Archduchess wasn't having any of it. She put a hand beneath her chin and made Dahlia face her and the girl began to squirm.

A wide sadistic smile broke out on the vampiress' face as she looked down. Dahlia's blush was so strong that she was practically glowing and it was so adorable that she was tempted to see just how red she could go. She leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

"See? Just seeing you like this makes me want to devour you~ I just want to see you becoming more and more honest and true to yourself until you stop blushing and just melt for me instead."

Dahlia almost abided her request and melted for her right there. Her legs felt like jelly and other than Valentina's words, all she could hear was her heartbeat raging in her ears.

"Y-y-yeah? I-I'll do my b-best for you…"

She was stuttering so hard that it sounded like a record skipping and Dahlia only got more embarrassed and flustered as time went on. The vampiress was simply sitting back and enjoying the show, but after a moment she planted a kiss on her and then began to drag her away to the original destination.

It didn't take long until they arrived and Dahlia was only just recovering when she noticed the change in atmosphere.

'Oh. Oh no. The humidity in the air. The warmth. The scent. She's going to chuck me in the bath isn't she?'

That fear was quickly confirmed when a vampire who was enjoying herself far too much suddenly stripped Dahlia and chucked her in a massive bath with a size closer to a swimming pool. Dahlia was prepared to be upset, but the moment her skin touched the water she couldn't bring herself to be angry. Seeing a sudden wave of happiness come across her love's face, Valentina just smiled down and questioned the girl as she too joined her in the water.

"Hahaha, looks like you're satisfied. The spa here already existed but Rorik had some professionals rush in and modify it yesterday. The water is magically heated and treats injuries and we also added a bunch of oils and herbs that will help you relax and recover faster. So, what do you think?"

Dahlia was currently revelling in luxury and was struggling to even listen. The sensation that the water gave off felt like it was massaging her soul and she felt engulfed in liquid bliss. She could hear Valentina wading through the water towards her and she finally answered.

"Mmmm, this is too good! It's not even fair; I feel guilty for getting to feel like this."

A pair of hands slipped over her shoulders as she was then given a massage and her eyes nearly rolled back from the pleasure. Valentina held back laughter as the girl moaned in her hands.

"Well, don't go feeling guilty. You'd deserve this much regardless, but I happen to be rather greedy and expect you to pay me back quite a bit in the future~ For now though, just relax and let me pamper you. Tell me about what you were thinking about earlier while I continue though, I'm curious what you have in mind."

Dahlia's mind was nearly empty at that moment, but she managed to get some thoughts together. She explained her issues with schema specifier creation and how she wasn't sure how to even begin. She also mentioned how she planned to focus on applying magic to combat to make up for her weakness.

The Archduchess agreed with the latter point, saying it was a good idea, but she still seemed to have some reservations.

"Hmm, while being a combat caster may make up for your weaknesses, it's also a crutch. Magic can occasionally lose its efficacy due to matters outside of your control. Not only that, but if you're not careful you'll basically be a glass cannon. You might have power but if your body isn't trained to match, there's a high risk of you putting yourself in danger that would otherwise be avoidable or mitigated."

They both were soaking in silence for a while after that. If Dahlia was truly physically inept then there weren't many good options they could pursue. However Valentina was still holding onto some hope. Although Dahlia said she showed no promise for anything, it sounded like that conclusion had been made quite early on.

"Alright, here's what we'll do. I'll agree with you using magic primarily for combat. If you can prove you can protect yourself with it, then my main concerns are removed. However I want you to still practise with physical training as well. It'll improve your overall health and stamina, both of which can be remarkably important."

Dahlia was nodding along. It seemed that although she was adverse to the training, she had come to accept it as a necessary evil.

"I'll be talking to your trainer Lilli this morning so I'll let her know about your magic combat plans as well as your poor physique. She's very reliable and by the time you two start in a couple days I imagine she'll have a thoroughly detailed training regime as well as combat lessons better suited to your needs. I also have someone in mind who should be able to help you with developing your schema and teaching you the intricacies of your aspect."

Again, Dahlia did a couple little nods. She was bobbing her head around while half submerged and it was hard to tell if she was even really listening. Taking a closer look, it seemed like she was responsive but just barely. Half asleep in the water, Valentina just shook her head before gently pulling Dahlia out and princess carrying her back to their bed after drying her off.

There was something incredibly satisfying with taking care of her and Valentina found herself finding great pleasure in the simple task. As she was pampered, the girl in her arms would regularly mumble out something or make little whimpers. Cute little mannerisms constantly tried to grab the Archduchess' attention, but finally she tucked her back in the bed and sighed. It was time to go to work.

When she woke up again, Dahlia realised that she must have dozed off and at least a couple hours had passed. Before, there had been nearly no ambient light but now looking around she could tell that beams of daylight were softly streaming through the windows of the room. The bed she lay in was soft and absurdly comfortable, but now that she was awake and without the comfortable warmth of Valentina beside her, Dahlia decided now was the time to get up.

Being mostly blind was still a major issue for her. She spent a little time the previous day just getting accustomed to the room's layout but that didn't help too much. She simply decided that instead of wandering too far, she would go into the chaise lounge off near one of the larger bay windows where she could feel the warmth of the sun. Her cute little plants had been left on an end table there as well so until she could finally see, this spot was likely where she would remain.

Slowly walking across the room she was about two thirds of the way to her destination when the door of the room could be heard to open and a surprised squeak came from whoever had entered. Quickly after that little sound, a soft and mature woman's voice that she didn't recognize suddenly sounded out.

"Oh no! I'm sorry mistress! I thought you were still sleeping and left for a moment, I'll be right there to help you."

The voice was a little frantic and Dahlia could hear her scurrying about. Something could be heard being placed down before a pair of gentle hands eventually took Dahlia's arm and began to lead her to the chair. Currently though, her thoughts were a little preoccupied.

'Wait, uhhh, who is this? Also, did she call me mistress? Isn't that kind of weird?'

She hesitated a moment, but as she sat down Dahlia decided to bring up a few of her concerns.

"So, uhm, hi I guess. I'm sorry, I don't think I know who you are…?"

It was a statement but ended in a question. A question which the mystery woman took to answering with quite a bit of enthusiasm.

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry for not introducing myself sooner! My name is Bessie mistress, and I'll be happy to be of service to you. I was assigned as your maid and assistant until I die or you deem it fit otherwise"

Dahlia had to check her hearing for a moment.

'Hold up. Wait. Didn't that get far to macabre all of a sudden? Also, she said it all with so much enthusiasm that it makes me want to question what's going through that brain of hers. I'm worried she might be a bit of an airhead.'

"So… Bessie… I don't think you need to call me 'mistress'. After all, I only just arrived here and if you're a maid, then your actual employer would be the Archduchess. Besides that title… it makes me feel a little uncomfortable."

The woman made a little 'hmmm' of discontentment at that. At first Dahlia thought that maybe she was annoyed that she had to take care of her, but was immediately caught off guard by what came next.

"But I am yours now? I entered a life long contract with Her Grace, and just this morning she officially redirected my bond to you. By all intents and purposes, you now take more precedence than even Her Grace. I will act as an aid in every way I can and also help act as your guard. With my contracted bond, I am now bound to your life and will do everything in my power to help you."

'Now she's talking about a life contract? This woman sure does say incredibly serious things as if they were nothing! Also…'

"Bessie, you said in addition to being a maid, you also planned to be my aid and a guard. How capable are you really? It seems like your job description is asking for quite a lot from you. I understand you are here to help at Valentina's request so I don't plan to turn you away, but if this is too much for you I can find more people to help."

Dahlia felt a little bad for the air headed woman. She felt like she was in the wrong and taking advantage of her kindness. However if she could see, she would have seen Bessie puff out her chest in pride.

"Heh heh, I'll have you know that I'm the third most skilled servant within the entire castle, and also the longest one to serve! I knew Her Grace back when she was still a child and took care of her at the Lukresh estate in the capital. I may not look it, but I guarantee my skill in both academics and combat, though… now that I think about it, you might not be judging me based on looks."

Dahlia shook her head in disbelief at the woman but she couldn't help but smile. Something in her demeanour seemed both frivolous and slightly motherly and the strange combination made the maid become incredibly likeable to her. It felt as though she had just met a quirky lovable mom for the first time that would finally replace the nonsense that was Sabrina.

She was still struggling to imagine this lighthearted woman was actually a skilled guard, but Dahlia decided to let it slide. Valentina would certainly not give her someone incometent and, if Bessie was to be believed, Dahlia now had a remarkable maid to help and support her going forward.

Thinking how best to make use of the maid though was a little tricky. Growing up, she had always made her own food but she could smell the scent of a delicious breakfast Bessie had just brought in wafting from a nearby table. Presumably, she could clean as well which was a job Dahlia used to do but… it felt like a waste.

If she was truly as skilled as she made herself out to be, treating her as a typical maid just didn't sit right. She settled on just asking for recommendations. After all, if anyone knew best what she could do, it was the woman herself.

"So Bessie, beyond typical maid duties and acting as my guard, is there anything your skill set is particularly well suited for? I'd prefer to make use of your abilities if you're so proficient."

Bessie smiled at the Girl in front of her. The Archduchess had given her a briefing of what her new mistress was like, and in both terms of personality and abilities, so far Dahlia was checking all the right boxes. She was humble and kind, took servants seriously, treated her with respect, and also had the insight to want to use her to her full capacity.

"I believe that there were a few reasons I was assigned to you specifically as opposed to a few other options. From what I understand, you only just developed your aspect and it's quite rare and special. While I certainly plan to fulfil all possible duties, I believe I may have been selected as a mentor for you. You see, our aspects are shockingly compatible."

Dahlia raised an eyebrow at that. The idea that there was someone else in the castle with an aspect similar to hers was insane; especially considering they were a maid. Almost anyone with particularly rare aspects became renown and powerful individuals in their own right. They rarely had to answer to others, and yet this woman served here, presumably in relative anonymity.

"Sorry, I just… find it a little hard to believe that you're all that similar to me. I've never studied or heard of a schema comparable to my own. Nothing against you but… it's just hard to imagine I suppose."

Once again she smiled at Dahlia. She didn't blame her in the slightest. Bessie had been an orphan before she ever became bonded to the Archduchess. She had awakened her aspect while living as a street urchin and even once she was hired by the Lukresh family she never revealed her actual capabilities. She knew it would paint a target on her back.

It wasn't until the massacre had occurred three years ago that Bessie had finally come clean and offered her undying support to Valentina. She was already well known to be a fantastic maid and, considering all the servants in the castle back then had died, Bessie had quickly become a key feature of Valentina's new staff. A secret weapon that was skilled and powerful.

The fact that she was to make her aspect known to Dahlia in addition to being handed over as her personal maid told her just how important Dahlia was viewed. Rather than feeling betrayed by the Archduchess, she had taken to this new duty with incredible zeal. If Dahlia was as valuable as Valentina made her out to be, then Bessie would serve her new charge with an unyielding fervour.

"Well then mistress… no wait, you don't like that do you? In that case My Lady? Ms. Lionysus? Dahlia? Ah, we'll figure it out later! For now, let me introduce myself again. I am Bessie, a minotaur-kin, an honoured maid of the Lukresh Grand Duchy, your faithful lifebound servant, and master of an aspect with water, earth, nature, darkness, and gravity attributes. I sincerely hope that I and my aspect of the 'Abyssal Coral Reef' will serve you well.