The Contestants' Grand Tour of the Manor

“Now, there is one last rule that all of you should remember. If another contestant is added to Caelan’s harem, she will get a date with the master the night of her arrival. The winner of the most recent popularity poll will go after her, and after that, the date night order will be randomized,” said Ginelia.

The master and contestants nodded along. All of them were unsure if Ginelia even wanted them to respond.

“Of course, it will not be a concern for a while, if at all. I just wanted to announce it now, so that you and the audience understand the order of date nights.”

Hearing that, Sassafras’s lips pressed together slightly on all twenty of her bodies, though no one noticed. She needed to speak to Ginelia about this soon, preferably after the master and contestants were given their tour. Hopefully, this next meeting will be fruitful as well, she thought. Ginelia’s plan for this season is intriguing, and I am sure the Producers’ suggestions will only strengthen it.

Caelan, seeing an opportunity, ran to Glyka, and handed her cloak back. “Here, you should have this back. I…don’t want you to get cold.”

“Thanks…S--Caelan,” replied Glyka, wrapping the cloak around herself. She smiled. Caelan really did care about her, no matter what.

Caelan then turned to Adalheid. She’d been left topless by the transformation, and her crossed arms and the remains of her robe were not enough to shield her modesty. And all he had to help shield her was the shirt on his back. It was not a question, in his mind, whether he would give it up.

He yanked it over his head, revealing his strong, honed muscles to all around him. He could feel everyone staring, but it didn’t matter. Adalheid was one of his oldest and dearest friends…? Friends. And he could feel her eyes on him, wide as blue dinner plates, as she stared at him up and down, unsure whether to look at his pecs or his abs or his arms or the shirt in his hands as he held it out to her.

“Adalheid, I--” he began.

Adalheid took the shirt from his hands, and donned it with speed he did not know she possessed. While her new breasts still strained against the buttons, the shirt was fortunately opaque even in the sunlight. She looked at him, her blushing face clashing with her hair, pausing for a moment before finally saying “Thanks.”

Adalheid received a gift from the Master: +3 VP

Adalheid wore the master’s shirt: +2 VP

Ginelia smiled seeing Caelan protect Glyka and Adalheid, even if the audience would not be happy that they were no longer seeing Adalheid’s bare breasts and Glyka’s nude body. She hoped that the sight of Caelan shirtless might make up for it. It was almost a shame that she had to interrupt this.

---

“And now, it’s time for another Harem Hotel tradition! The tour of the set!” announced Ginelia. “Sassafras, I place the contestants in your care, while I give the Master a tour of his accommodations myself.”

“Of course, my lady,” said one of Sassafras’s bodies.

Then, the one that spoke remained behind in the courtyard, while the rest curtsied and disappeared. Unbeknownst to anyone else, one of the clones headed toward Ginelia’s office. At the same time, Caelan and Ginelia also appeared to teleport away.

“Whoa!” said Mahja. “Where’d they all go?”

Sassafras looked at Mahja with a neutral, polite expression. “ Lady Ginelia needed to give the Master a tour of his quarters, as well as an explanation of his privileges as the Master. As for myself, I do need to prepare dinner and check on any final preparations for your stay here. One of my bodies can give you a tour of the manor, and the rest can complete my chores.”

“Dinner?” said Galatea.

“But we were brought here this morning!” added Emilie. The shock was apparent in her voice.

“Time flows differently in this demiplane. In your home world, it was early morning, but here, you were summoned in the afternoon. Though considering the excitement that followed, checking the time was the least of your priorities.”

Everyone looked up at the sun at Sassafras’s words, and sure enough, it was high in the sky and headed toward the west.

“There are also clocks in every room. Now, let us head inside the manor. It would not do to keep you all unfamiliar with your home for the next several weeks.”

And so, the contestants’ tour began.

---

Sassafras opened one of the double doors in front of the manor, and held it open until the contestants filed into the entrance hall. It was large and immaculately maintained, as one would expect from such an estate. However, it was sparsely decorated, and Sassafras calmly led them through the sole door, until they stood in the much more opulent main hall.

The walls of the main hall were decorated with paintings of the party’s deeds, although there were several depictions of Caelan’s solo feats placed throughout. To compliment the art, the walls were a crisp white, the polished hardwood floors shone in the sun, and the lamps were crafted to look like vines bearing fruits. Ahead of them loomed a vast staircase.

“Welcome to the main hall of the manor,” said Sassafras. “From here, we can reach the dining room, the sitting room, and the library. Ahead of you, you will see the grand staircase, which will take you upstairs to your rooms. We will head there first so that you can take the opportunity to dress, before I guide you through the rest of the manor. Is that agreeable to all of you?”

She waited for a few moments, until she heard the chorus of agreement and saw nods. Then, she led them up the stairs and down the plushly carpeted hallway to the left of the staircase, until they reached three rooms that were next to each other. Each door had two brass nameplates on it.

“Each of you will share a room with one other contestant, during your stay here. Please go to the door with your name on it,” said Sassafras. “I will give you twenty minutes to change clothes if needed, and explore your rooms. I am available in the hallway if any of you have any questions.”

With that, the contestants looked around for their rooms, and entered. The roommate assignments were:

Mahja and Adalheid

Glyka and Galatea

Ionanthe and Emilie

The rooms were clean, comfortable and well appointed, but definitely a downgrade compared to what Emilie was used to and what Ionanthe had experienced in her long life, Sassafras supposed. Ginelia and Sassafras had designed these rooms to be comparable to the royal guest apartments, albeit slightly less grand.

After the allotted twenty minutes, all the contestants re-emerged from their rooms, fully dressed. Sassafras noticed that Glyka looked uncomfortable in her new body, even though her clothes were very similar to what she had arrived in. Adalheid, meanwhile, had kept Caelan’s shirt on, even over a new set of druidic robes. Ionanthe, as expected, was comfortable and confident in her new cocktail dress, but Galatea’s relatively relaxed stride out, still wearing the catsuit, was certainly new. Mahja had been the first to step out of the room, not needing to do much besides inspect the room. Emilie was the last to arrive, wearing a long-sleeved plum dress with a pleated full skirt.

“There’s only one bed!” she said to the group, shock clear on her face.

“Same for us,” added Mahja and Galatea, although Mahja’s voice drowned out the wizard’s.

“That is common in many Harem Hotel seasons. You are expected to share the bed with your roommate, to give the audience what they wish to see. That is also why there is one bathroom per room--you are encouraged to share showers. It is a good way to earn VP and BP, as well as the audience’s appreciation.”

At that, all of the contestants, even Ionanthe, blushed. Emilie and Adalheid were the most visibly embarrassed.

“What about our weapons? Did they come with us?” asked Mahja worriedly.

“Do not fret,” replied Sassafras. “Replicas of your armor, weapons and staves are downstairs in the armory. If needed, I will provide them to you. Outside, in the training arena, there are also blunted weapons, if you wish to hone your skills while you are here. Now, let us be off.”

Before they could descend the stairs, Sassafras pointed out the hallway to the right of the staircase. “Down this hall is the Master’s suite. Contestants can only enter when it is time for their date, and if the Master has specifically allowed them.”

Not stopping to let the contestants test her words, she led the group down the stairs, back into the main hall. She walked through one of the open doors, down a short hallway that led into a massive, well-organized library. Galatea gasped upon seeing it.

“This is the manor library. You can find any reference material you may need here, be it about history, fighting, or magic,” said Sassafras. “We even have prior seasons of Harem Hotel here, bound as books, as well as a variety of entertainment from across the multiverse should you wish. If you need assistance finding anything, please speak to me at this desk.”

Another of Sassafras’s bodies sat at a desk, and regarded the group with a nod. “Of course, if you wish to learn about the Master, other contestants, or our particular season, you may buy the information with BP here as well. Prices are provided upon request.”

Sassafras let the group explore the library for ten minutes, before gathering them all back together. “Now, let us continue the tour.”

There was a slight note of compulsion in her voice, but Sassafras wondered if it was indeed needed. Galatea looked a bit disappointed that the tour hadn’t stopped for longer, and Adalheid stared at her when she spoke, calculation apparent on the dwarf’s face. Sassafras made a note of it.

She led the contestants out of the library, and back into the main hall. Now they were in the sitting room, a still grand but relatively cozy space, with plenty of natural light. “Through the sitting room, we have the den, and the east meadow entrance. I will take you to the meadow entrance, and then back to the den.”

“Do you have an orangery?” asked Glyka. It was the first time during the entire tour that she had spoken.

“We do,” said Sassafras. “It is part of the greenhouse outside the manor. Unfortunately, we cannot explore it today.”

Glyka nodded in response. She would explore it later…but could she, now that she had these massive tits and this large ass? It was odd and scary to suddenly have curves where she once was sleek. Instead, she mutely followed Sassafras as she guided them to the mudroom, to a door that then led out of the manor

“If you head left from here, you will reach the training arena. If you head right, you will reach the greenhouse. And if you proceed straight ahead, you will reach the meadow, and then the forest,” explained Sassafras.

The group could see the structures, meadow and forest for themselves. The greenhouse gleamed, the training arena looked quite normal, and the meadow looked like something out of a painting. The forest loomed in the distance, but appeared majestic rather than menacing in the daylight.

“Does sparring count towards the rule against fighting?” asked Mahja.

“No. Sparring is performed to teach and learn, not to hurt. Of course, if you use the pretense of a spar to attack your fellow contestants, you will be punished.”

“Are we permitted to explore the meadow and forest?” asked Adalheid.

“The meadow is safe at all times. If you wish to enter the forest, you will need to be prepared for danger. That should be no issue for,” Sassafras’s black eyes lingered on Emilie, “most of you.”

Emilie cringed, knowing how unladylike such an expression was. She hated the reminder of how weak she was. But maybe…now she could learn to fight?

After ten minutes, Sassafras led them back inside, and through the sitting room through the den. The room was cozy and well lit with a window, but very crowded with seven new people in it.

One of Sassafras’s bodies sat on a chair. A small wooden box was on the coffee table in front of her. Like her library counterpart, she nodded to the group but said nothing and did not rise. “In the den, you may speak to me to purchase objects that may aid you. These may be tools, clothes, or even transformations. Prices are provided upon request, as in the library.”

The last stop on Sassafras’s tour was the dining room, which the group returned to via the main hall. As befit a grand estate, the dining room was dominated by a long, solid oak table, with matching chairs. Five place settings had already been laid upon it--for the contestants that weren’t on the date.

Emilie smiled nervously, looking around at the paintings on the wall--some of Caelan and his party like in the main hall, but others of calm scenery in Ocowyth-- the large crystal chandelier that dominated the ceiling, and the massive open windows that let in natural light. The familiarity of the room was oddly comforting.

“Contestants are expected to eat their meals together, in the dining room and at the table, unless they are on a date with the Master or have otherwise obtained permission to eat elsewhere,” said Sassafras severely. “Dinner will be announced with the dinner gong. The dressing gong will sound one hour before. For the contestant who will spend the night with the Master, the dressing gong is her cue to head to the Master’s suite.”

“All of you have likely noticed that there are several rooms left unexplored on this tour. That is because they will either become accessible after a certain point on the show, at the master’s request, or for a challenge. I shall direct you there as needed,” said Sassafras.

“Now, you are dismissed back to your rooms. The dressing gong will sound in two hours, Ionanthe, and your date will begin then. For everyone else, please reconvene in the dining room when the dinner gong rings.”

With that, the contestants left the way they came. Only Ionanthe remained behind, a question clear on the ryumimi’s face.

“Do you need something?” asked Sassafras neutrally.

“Could you make a picnic basket, please?” asked Ionanthe. Feeling the need to clarify, she added “I thought a picnic under the stars would be fun for Caelan.”

Sassafras gave Ionanthe a small, but genuine smile. “I’m glad you’re playing the game from the beginning, Ionanthe. Know that Lady Ginelia and I approve of your initiative. So, of course, I can make a picnic basket fit for a knight and a dragon. I shall bring it to you when the dressing gong sounds.”

“Thank you!” said Ionanthe, and then she left for her own room, her dragon claws clicking on the floor until she reached the carpet. She was glad that Sassafras and apparently Ginelia approved of her actions. However, a small voice in the back of her mind worried that there was a trap waiting for her and the others.

When Ionanthe left, Sassafras returned to her normal duties. One of her bodies was attending the Master’s needs, another awaited Ginelia for their meeting, and the rest were at their various duties of cooking dinner, cleaning the manor, minding the BP shops, among other things. She headed to the kitchens. She had a picnic basket fit for a master to prepare.