From perhaps an unexpected source..

A/N: I have been playing a bit with Points of View, but I think I should delve in a bit more to help flesh out this cast. I really do want to branch out on perspectives and am thinking to do so more now. If you're worried about getting away from Goldy, don't. He's still the hub to this story. Just wanting to stretch out a little bit and see how it turns out. Feel free to let me know if you think it may be going askew.

4th Amansdae, the 30th day of the month of Semens (Sem), the 3672nd year of Salvation's Landing

The girl was anxious, that much was apparent. It had been some time since she had seen the petite Princess act like this. There were all kinds of irregularities well outside of the norm.

First thing that proved odd was this girl, who usually carried herself with such ease looked pensive. She had not gotten out of her night slip, the garment showing a good amount of the little royal’s flesh. And with that, she had spent a majority of the morning pacing about and stopping in front of her standing mirror, twisting in front of it with a critical eye.

When lunch arrived, Yelena barely ate much of anything. Looking thoroughly distracted, she nibbled on some fruit and drank what could have been seen as an improper amount of wine for the midday meal.

Even the girl’s veritable menagerie provided her little in the way of distraction from whatever was weighing on the Princess’s mind. Kittens played with bunnies in a way that couldn’t help but bring smiles, yet Yelena’s lips smiled only superficially.

The final straw was after lunch, she had a bath was drawn. That in and of itself was not terribly unusual. However, it was the amount of time that she spent in that bath and what accompanied her in it. The girl had asked for a shaving blade. Given the style of dress in the kingdom, Yelena had seldom worried about taking care of such things. Yet, here she was spending close to two Daybells in there and asking for privacy.

When she had come from the bathchambers, she wore a dressing gown and face colored red for some reason. The sweet thing was acting so far beyond what would be deemed normal that Oliyah could not refrain any longer.

“Girl, what is going on? You look very much like that time we found that lynx cub on one of our rides and brought it back to care for it. You looked as though around every corner someone would catch you with that little fluffball.” The plainspoken handmaiden threw out at the Princess.

Started at the words, given that Oliyah was prone to go extremely long bouts with uttering much at all, these particular words caused Yelena’s eyes to bug out of her skull as she tried her best to put on an innocent face. “Hmmm? W-What do you mean? I have just had some things on my mind. You know we do have a Counsel coming to the capital next week, do you not? I think it would be quite normal for a royal member to think on such things.”

Setting down her knitting needles, Oliyah gave an exasperated sigh. The girl was good to her bones, there was no doubt in the maiden’s mind. She could not lie for her life. The only person she could successfully dupe was herself. Of which, she did quite often Oliyah thought. “Oh? The Counsel comes, does it?” She came up to the diminutive woman and took a grip of the dressing gown and flipped it up.

Perhaps she was a bit more forceful than she had thought. For when the gown fluttered upward, Oliyah had expected to see freshly shaven legs. What she did not expected to see was a naked, hairless sex, pink with arousal. The squeak that came from the Princess instantly made Oliyah feel so sorry for her actions. The poor girl didn’t deserve to be made fun of. Yet, the way that she scrambled to make herself decent made the maiden smile in spite of herself.

“Oliyah! Why would you do such a thing?” the outrage that came from Yelena was genuine. The reason for it, however, was debatable, Oliyah thought to herself. The color that was in the girl’s cheeks had spread down the neck and to her chest.

Steeling her voice, Oliyah did not want to add anymore embarrassment to her charge if she could help it. But she had a reputation to uphold as well, “Because, you Highness, you spent near two bells in that bath with a shaving blade. I doubt the arrival of the Duchies in a half week would cause you to do such grooming this day. You don’t think me a fool, do you?”

The Princess looked at her with a slack jaw. Oliyah knew she was trying to come up with something to say to divert the conversation, but she really did need some work with that skill, “O-Of Course, I do not think you a fool. But so what if I shaved my legs. It had been a while and I just wanted to make it easier for myself come next week.”

Giving a thoughtful nod, as though giving the concept merit, “That could be… That sounds almost feasible, dear Yelena. But I saw more than just your legs were shaven. I have to wonder what compelled you to go with the bald clam look though.” She gave a sardonic smile to the Princess.

For her part, the color deepened on all the poor girl’s visible skin from the top of the gown, upward. “I-I… I…” She was at a loss of what to say to her trustworthy handmaiden. At least, Oliyah thought she had proven herself to be trustworthy by sharing in some of the antics the Princess had gotten up to in the past years.

Something clicked in Oliyah’s mind then as she looked at the petite brown-blonde woman. She was acting very peculiar. And what had changed? That… That man. Was he the impetus for this behavior? “Princess, you know that I care for you and would do anything for your well-being.” These were words that Oliyah had seldom shared, though she thought Yelena knew them to be true enough. “Have you been distracted all day because of… because of… him?” As straightforward as she was known to be, Oliyah still was a bit unsteady in herself when it came to men in general, let alone that man.

Yelena looked at Oliyah sideways, keeping her face away from her directly, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Him?” she said with obvious hesitation. She shifted on her feet uneasily.

Giving an eyeroll and an exasperated sigh, it seemed Oliyah was going to have to pull this out of her, “Yes, Yelena… you know quite well who I mean. Gods, girl, you’ve only had any real interaction with one man. So, stop playing coy. For one thing, you’re not good at it.” The handmaiden’s words were stronger than her tone though. She knew that the Princess was used to her sharp delivery.

The Princess turned to look at Oliyah, a strength rising in her spine, “Does he have something to do with how distracted I am? Somewhat… But only a bit.” Her chin rose slightly, giving off a good representation of royal indignation.

Reading the girl’s aura came without any effort, given the handmaiden’s innate ability, or curse if you asked her. And though that it wasn’t fool-proof, Oliyah could usually gauge when someone was being deceitful. And surprisingly, Yelena was being truthful. The girl was only partly caught up in the mana storm that was that guardsman. “Okay… But he is a part of it.” She paused to collect her thoughts. She herself had absolutely NO experience with men, so it rung hollow in her mind, however she felt the need to say something regardless, “I-I am worried, Yelena. He’s a good man, I can know as much from just your testament, even without my readings of him. But that doesn’t mean that only good happens around a good person.” Another pause, “Just… try to be careful with whatever is going on.”

The defensiveness faded from Yelena then as a small, soft smile turned her lips upward. “Oliyah, I trust you more than just about anyone… It’s just that…” Her words died in her throat and a look of turmoil came to her expression. “I want to tell you. I do. But even though there were no words forbidding anything, I feel as though I should at least broach the idea with the parties involved first.”

Parties? The Princess was being quite obtuse in her words. There must be some reason for it. And as Oliyah thought, the girl was on the naïve side, but she was seldom a fool. “So, there is more than just two of you involved in whatever foolishness you are about?”

And just like that, Oliyah had raised the defenses once more. She really had no knack for these kinds of conversations. Yelena looked at her through squinted eyes but took a calming breath. “Li…” She brought out the pet name. Yelena must really want to get in good with her. “Li, what if I told you that the Magistricia is involved? Would that put your mind at ease, at least some?”

That bit on information was reassuring, and the girl once again looked to be truthful in her words. “You know how I feel about Tabitha…” Oliyah had nothing but the highest regard for the arcanist advisor. Tabitha had no real reason to do what she did for Oliyah through her adolescence. It could be out of curiosity, but that seemed far-fetched to that amount of care the Magistricia had provided for her. And Yelena knew just how deep Oliyah’s respect for the woman went.

Softening further, Yelena carried on in an explanatory tone, “The Magistricia is involved. I’m not sure just how much, since I am not involved as of yet. I am really speaking too much for my own comfort. Suffice to say, Tabitha trusts and cares for Reglin immensely. I would think that would provide you with some relief.” She stepped closer to her handmaiden then. “Does it?”

Reluctantly, Oliyah nodded her head. She really hated the fact that she could recognize the stubborn streak in her but couldn’t manage to settle it down. “Princess, it is hard though… For a few years now it has been the two of us spending our days together… Away from most people. But now… Now you have the noble ladies calling on you instead of… Katya.” The handmaiden had a difficult time not injecting as much venom into the older Princess’s name as she could. “And it all coincides with his emergence here at the palace. Or reemergence for some of you, I guess… It just seems that maybe he is the cause of it all. Looking at the streams around him, I can believe it.”

The Princess gave a small shrug, “Perhaps he is? Who is to say? All I can say is that he has an incredible gift for making people comfortable around him. For making you interested in what he has to say and do. And he seems oblivious to fact as well, making it all the more endearing… He is… magnetic? I guess?” the girl’s eyes were focused inward, not seeing what was directly in front of her.

Magnetic was an apt description for the man. The walls that Oliyah had raised around herself were thick and high. Few had managed to scale them. Really only Tabitha and Yelena had done so. Yet this man had already managed to find some fissures in them in such an incredibly short period of time. He just seemed… nice. It was Oliyah’s turn to search inside her thoughts.

“And you can call him by his name… Itis Reglin.” Yelena had come out of her revery and was now teasing her handmaiden. “It will not hurt you to be civil to him. I would go so far as to say it could be quite beneficial… for both of us perhaps.”

Giving another nod in understanding, that request was all well and good. However, it was not so easy for Oliyah to just submit. The man was chiseling at her wall and the most pressing thing in her head was telling her to get out there and mortar up whose cracks as fast as he made them. “Can I ask something though? Can I attend in the library tonight? I know that you probably would like some time to yourselves, but if I could come for at least a short while, I would appreciate it…” She sounded like she was begging in her own ears, and she didn’t like it. But if it allowed her to stay along side her charge, she would.

Her face softened further at the question and Yelena nodded. “Of course, dearest! Though I may ask you to leave without me, if that is not a problem? I would rather not have to try at deceit again…” she reached out and took Oliyah’s hands in hers, something that the pair did seldom. Oliyah just was not an overly affectionate woman. “Now, it is getting near dinner and I am not keen on leaving my apartments just yet. Would you be so kind as to go to the kitchens and have our dinners brought here? While you do so, I will get dressed. After we eat, perhaps we can get you into something a little more… intriguing?”

Oliyah wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, but she nodded to the Princess. “We’ll see… I will go and get our dinners. If you need any assistance with your wardrobe, just wait and let me help…”

And with that, the two women parts ways. The Princess to gaze about in her closets for what to wear and the handmaiden off to the kitchens to order dinners.

~This is knowledge for the Reader~

The Affection Multiplier

~Mana: 486 (+10) 496~

~Mana Channels: ~Labiae Passionii (Lips of Passion) free, ~ Corpu Vigorii (Vigorous Body) 100, ~ Uirtau Proelium (Martial Prowess) 100, ~Mensu Lucidae (Bright Mind) 100, ~ Tactu Beatae (Blissful Touch) 100, ~Plurem Amatrixae Normalii (The Normalcy of Many Loves) 500, ~Corpu Libidaem (Lustful Body) 100, ~Corpu Spectabilum (Intimidating Body) 100, ~Mentulae Potencii (Potent Cock) 150, ~Limbu Infinitum (Endless Loins) 100, ~Voluptae Gustatum (Delightful Flavor, Gratify the Appetite), ~Figurae Cultura (Shaping Culture), ~Vulgum Venerae (The Love of the Masses), ~Corpu Vigorii Magii (A More Vigorous Body) 400

~Lovers~ A: 200 E: 200 L: 200

~Royal Polivander House~ A: 74 E: 42 (+1) 43 L: 77 (+3) 80
~Princess Katya~ A: -52
~Princess Yelena~ A: 100 E: 42 (+1) 43 L: 77 (+3) 80
~Princess Cirsha~ A: 18

~Nobles~ A: 104 E: 8 L: 64

~Royal and Noble maidens~ A: 183 (+3) 187 E: 7 L: 116 (+3) 119
~Maiden Caterina~ A: 18 E: 1 L: 2
~Maiden Gwynfuir~ A: 15
~Maiden Erynna~ A: 5
~Maiden Oliyah~ A: 28 (+3) 29 L: 16 (+3) 19
~Maiden Iridia~ A: 4
~Maiden Freighla~ A: 71 E: 6 L: 64
~Maiden Deela~ A: 12
~Maid Camilla~ A: 30 L: 34

~Day watch~ A: 238 E: 3

~Evening watch~ A: 22

~Night watch~ A: 6

~Palace Staff~ A: 55 L: 6