A servant girl

A beautiful girl of roughly Eirene's age stood by the door, caught in the act of watching you, "S-sorry to disturb you milady, I was just...wondering if you were cold?" Though the night was bitingly cold, her wide eyes and terrified expression didn't lend her story much credence. Was she staring at you? Hm...it would be easy enough to find out...

"Who is it? I'm sorry, my eyes are bleary..." The girl hesitantly stepped out into the moonlight, "Dahlia, milady." She rocks nervously as you look her up and down, "Were you watching me, Dahlia?" Her eyes widen in horror, "N-no milady! I...It's cold out here to wear only a nightgown ma'am, would you like me to bring you a blanket?" She's frightened you'll berate her for spying, that much is obvious...but there's something else about the way she averts her eyes from you...

"That's alright. Dahlia, would you mind coming here for a moment? I won't be long." The girl swallows hard and takes a few steps forward. You beckon her closer, "The mountain air is dreadfully cold, would you hold me for a moment?" She freezes a moment before her gaze flies up, sure she's misheard, but you turn away to look out over the balcony. You wait patiently, allowing the persistent shivers to manifest. After a few long moments of trembling in the moonlight, you feel Dahlia's warm hands slide around your stomach. You pull her arms up to your chest, worried she'll feel the real you under the garment.

At first there is nothing but tension in the presence behind you but as the seconds tick by you feel Dahlia's warmth relax into the embrace. Her arms tighten and she pulls you close, after a minute she even rests her chin on your shoulder. You gently lean your head against hers, and her breath catches. You enjoy the closeness for a moment...humans have such an amazing capacity to feel...

You aren't sure but you think the close proximity is allowing you to eavesdrop on Dahlia's thoughts: This has to be a dream...she'd never ask me to be so close...why do I dream about something that can never be...I'll just wake up alone in a minute... The sadness of the thought almost has you in tears again and you pull her arms tighter around you, "It's not a dream Dahlia."

Your words are barely a whisper but she stiffens and pulls back. You don't let her run away, turning and catching her arm you draw her into a kiss. It's short but it radiates heat through your body better than any fire, particularly as you feel the warmth reflected in Dahlia's body. As you withdraw from your dazed companion a flicker of movement catches your eye and you take a step backwards to the railing.

"Eirene? What are you doing out in the cold?" Lady Drakes..."Mother" you suppose...walks out onto the balcony, drawing a frightened squeak from Dahlia who hastily bows herself out. You watch her go expressionlessly, not quite sure how to feel about what had just happened. You enjoyed it and so did Dahlia, that much was certain, but were you risking too much? It was your first night living in civilization, the only reason you weren't completely lost was a high intelligence score and some basic knowledge about the world preprogrammed into your brain. Come to think of it, that was probably a bug. Regardless, you would probably be best off if you stopped taking risks and played the role of a spoiled noble.

An impatient sound brings your attention back to Mother.