A quick break before the next class

Anastasia moves first, stepping out from behind the desk, without her arm in yours you make sure to stay a step behind her. Unfortunately, moving behind Anastasia meant Lady Asune was behind you.

You made it out of the classroom before Lady Asune spoke, "Princess Anastasia." Lady Asune stepped past you without acknowledging you before walking side-by-side with Anastasia. "You should have mentioned you knew Christopher." She looked over her shoulder to smile at you. "He's quite the interesting man. Coming all the way from the Extier Plains at your request. You must be rather fond of him."

Hearing her talk like that about you was making all the skin crawl. "Yes we've known each other for some time." Anastasia sounded much happier to talk to Lady Asune than you are. "His family and mine have been distant for too long so I couldn't pass up the chance to have him attend the Royal Academy, and as you saw he is competent." Anastasia must be referring to the algebra, come to mention it you didn't look to see how many people had stayed behind.

"Yes he would make a fine match. Not for you of course your Highness even third in line shouldn't marry into a mere Duchy." Lady Asune's probing was making your skin try to depart you entirely. She was testing the waters for competition.

"Of course, he is just friend, though naturally I would need to approve of any suitor that sought to court him." Anastasia stopped walking. You'd been paying attention so stopped with her but Lady Asune took a step further. From the note of pleasure in Anastasia's aura this was a good thing. "Naturally any suitor would need to understand basic etiquette."

Lady Asune's aura flared for a moment before recovering its normal control. "Naturally your Highness, though I would hope your approval also accounts for Christopher's best interest."

It occurred to you that being talked about like this was more than a little demeaning. But at least Lady Asune wasn't focusing on you anymore. You looked around and saw Anastasia had taken the two of you outside, and that there was a large crowd of students observing this exchange. You hoped this wasn't going to be daily, this was an academy you were supposed to study not be the subject of gossip.

Anastasia and Lady Asune kept exchanging thinly veiled comments about your marriageability but you stopped paying attention. You were looking for Edin, you wanted to ask him about the class and if her thought they were going to get more difficult soon. You didn't see him but you did see Vatarie standing in the crowd watching the exchange. You smiled at her, despite whatever was going on between the two of you, seeing her made you happy.

You smile seemed to encourage her and she walked over. "Your Highness, Christopher, Asune." Vatarie greeting in turn, not attempting to hide her dislike of Asune. "I am sure Christopher would have his own opinions." She came to stand next to you making the other two turn to face her to join the conversation.

Anastasia's aura was flecked with amusement at Vatarie's appearance, Asune's flared once more with annoyance. "Lady Vatarie, so lovely to see you again." Anastasia smiled and offered her hand. Vatarie took it and bowed slightly. "And so lovely to see someone understand etiquette." She looked at Asune as she said it.

"I'm sure Vatarie was simply trying to touch you, your Highness. She does have certain, interests that wouldn't make her an appropriate suitor." Lady Asune said with a smile hinting at the cruelty she was aiming for.

"You–"

"Actually Lady Vatarie has been wonderful company." You interrupt Vatarie before she can speak because you could see the magic gathering around her clenched fist. "My homeland is rather far from the capital and she has been courteous enough to invite me to join her." You didn't mention where you were joining her because mentioning the bath incidents might undercut the whole etiquette thing.

"So glad at least one upper noble recognised Christopher rank." Anastasia said with a broad smile, she clearly didn't care all that much about Vatarie's interactions with you but the opportunity to fuck with Lady Asune was not one to be passed up. "Now if you will both excuse me Christopher and I should prepare for our next class." She stepped to you and locked her arm with yours, taking you away from the scene without a second glance at either Vatarie of Lady Asune as she went. The crowd parted without Anastasia needing to slow and the two of your were quickly inside the dorm room.

While the teaching building and the dorm were very close that little display outside had eaten up most of that time. Anastasia took you up the stairs and all the way to your room. You opened it and together you went inside. When the door closed Anastasia deeply exhaled and relaxed her shoulders. "Asune give me the creeps, why is she so fixated on you? She always preferred men pursue her not the other way around." She walked over and sat on your bed setting her book down close to her.

"Maybe she growing as a person." You joke staying near the door.

"Sit." Anastasia said gesturing next to her.

You walk over and sit but don't relax. "We don't have long before the next class." You point out.

"I know I just didn't expect you have gotten so much attention in two days." She complains, you aren't sure if the complaint is about your lack of subtly or that she wasn't the sole focus of all the attention. She sighs, "Has Vatarie told you why she is in the capital yet?"

"Not yet." You think you have a good idea but don't want to announce it because it seems to be the idea everyone else has, Vatarie had a lesbian relationship and got kicked out for it. You also don't want to mention the transformation she underwent yesterday.

"Keep trying, and if Asune keeps pursuing you she'll figure out you aren't the heir to a Duchy." She didn't need to point out that it was anyone guess how Lady Asune would react, you were already thinking of all the ways she might do so, most of them were with ****.

"I'm not sure what I can do to dissuade her."

"Well telling her she didn't have my blessing didn't work." Anastasia pointed out. "So have you fucked Edin on this bed or that one?"

You cough out of surprise and look at her to see a wide, but not overtly sultry grin on her face. "Both." You answer a little sheepishly.

Anastasia takes a deep breath through her nose. "You've done a good job cleaning up after." She sounded almost disappointed that the room didn't reek of sex.

You recall the cleaning up was probably done by Lady Asune's worker and shudder a little. "He doesn't let anything I put inside him leak out." You say instead getting a giggle from Anastasia. "You did an excellent job training him." You add making her grin turn into a smile.

"Glad you can appreciate all the work I put in." She lets out a breath and looks at the bed she was sitting on for a moment before saying, "We should go to the next class."

You stand up and offer her your hand. She looks at it and raises an eyebrow. "Should I sit back down so you can offer me your hand?" You ask feeling like this is a silly moment to consider propriety, she was just asking about how you'd fucked someone. She takes you hand and you pull her to her feet.

With books in hand you leave the dorms and head to the next lesson in the Furtire room.