One week later...

"S-so what do you think?" Sally asks nervously as she wrings her hands together.

She's sitting in the little office of a well-to-do local merchant named Neska. She was a slight woman, in her late 20s, with black hair and glasses (glasses that weren't as thick as Sally's, at least when Sally had glasses).

The merchant casually paws through the pages of a now very familiar book as Sally awkwardly wipes her sweaty palms on the crude burlap sack she's wearing as a dress (it still says 'ONIONS' on the posterior).

Successfully sneaking it Hilda's naughty romance novel out of the despairing noble's clutches had proven extremely difficult, but Sally was ****, and could think of no other way to help her destitute mistress.

"Well..." says the regal-looking woman as she closes the book and dabs her brow with an embroidered handkerchief.

Sally gulps nervously as she leans forward. She's taking a huge risk coming here but this was the only way she could think of to help Hilda get back on her feet.

"It's..." The merchant woman presses her glasses back up onto her nose as a giddy smile spreads across her face. "It's a riveting, filthy tale, filled with plot twists and daring adventure. Plus lots of good old-fashioned, hot nasty sex!"

Sally blinks and grips her dress, trying to remain stoic-looking.

"All of its true?" The merchant woman asks as she leans in close to Sally.

"Y-yes..." The cross-eyed cutie lies as her cheeks blush.

"By the gods!" The merchant leans back and fans herself with her hand. "The things those nobles get up to... We could make a fortune off of this one!"

"S-so... y-you'll..." Sally stammers as her heart pounds in her chest.

"I'll publish it," the merchant says.

Sally leaps for joy, unintentionally flashing the merchant woman (who blushes when she see's Sally isn't wearing anything under her onion-sack dress.

"B-but you'll change the names, right?" The destitute servant asks nervously.

"Of course," Neska agrees. "And we'll split the profits 50/50."

"What about the advance I asked about?" Sally nervously asks.

"I can give you 300 gold now," Neska says.

"I... I wanted 10 times that," Sally weakly responds.

"That's the best I can do," Neska lies. "I'm taking an awful risk publishing this..."

"But, you just said it would make a fortune," Sally counters.

"Well, yeah..." Neska says as she blushes and kicks her self for blurting that out. "But, there's still plenty of overhead, you know?"

Sally's grin turns to a frown.

"Ok, fine, 1000, but that's the most I can do..." Neska says. "But I want to take this to the publisher tomorrow!"

"Deal," Sally says as she stands up to shake Neska's hand. "And you will change the names, right? My mistress's reputation would be ruined if this ever came out."

"Don't worry, I'll personally make sure it's changed," Neska says. "It'll say Rowena Sugarbuns, just like you requested."

"Good," Sally sighs in relief as Neska hands her the gold.

The cross-eyed cutie squeals in delight as she hugs the gold to her flat chest and skitters from the room.

Now she just needs to think of something to tell Hilda about where the money came from!