An exotic dance at the banquet. She met someone on the way, though.

Alessandra smiled politely to the ones she knew as she followed the corridors which would eventually lead her to the dining hall. Some of the people she greeted pretended not to know her at all, but most smiled back with cheeks aflush or waved a hand, grinning wide. The smiles were lewd at times, but all of them expressed joy at seeing her again. The people were much friendlier than when she had met them first and the castle’s atmosphere was definitely less morbid. It felt good when one’s efforts to help were recognized and appreciated for once.

It was a pleasant surprise to see one of the prettier maids, Brigitte, running down the hall to meet her. It was an even nicer surprise when the girl fell into Alessandra’s arms, demanding her warm embrace. The dark-skinned woman laughed and complied with the unspoken wish.

“You grow bolder with each of our meetings, Brigitte. Everyone is watching us, you know.”

“I don’t care anymore” the maid answered with determination. “I just want to be with you again, mistress.”

“What is the matter, my dear?” asked the gypsy, knowing that the change in the girl’s attitude was all too sudden. Brigitte shook her head and cuddled to ‘mistress’ Alessandra. It took her a moment to finally begin explaining her unusual straightforwardness.

“It’s that man again” she whispered with barely hidden anger. Alessandra knew she meant bishop De Luca. “He kept pawing me again today and when I was about to leave he threatened to tell the castellan of my ‘misbehavior’.”

Alessandra let the girl rest her head on the two pillows of her bosom. Brigitte was an innocent looking girl – a façade she simply loved to play. She was shorter than the gypsy, but her body was proportionally slender and curvy. Her wavy dark hair was cut short. In fact, if it weren’t for her breasts (which were not too big either) she would easily pass for a boy; an extraordinarily pretty boy, that is. The maid closed her sky-blue eyes and pouted.

“He made me do it again. He knows I hate it, but he made me do it anyway” she complained.

“You know what he wants, my sweet. Why not give it to him?” The dark-skinned woman sighed.

“Because he will want more. They always do.”

“Oh? And since when you would not enjoy it?” Few people, apart from Alessandra herself, enjoyed 'it' like Brigitte did.

“No! The bishop is ugly and, and fat! I don’t want to do him! I bet he wouldn’t last longer than…” The maid fell silent when she realized that everyone in the corridor could hear her. She blushed deep red. “I felt I had to take a bath,” she whispered after a moment. “but I couldn’t get rid of his scent.”

Alessandra knew that beneath all this Brigitte was really excited to tease the older man. She may have even been adventurous enough to go to bed with him, but obviously she didn’t want her game to end for now… or maybe she felt that she would be cheating on her ‘mistress’.

“Madame, please,” the girl cooed, wriggling like a kitten. “I want to feel your scent instead.”