The most important meal of the day

As it turned out, most of the family was absent for breakfast today. Vel and his two sisters arrived in the side room where the family took most of their meals to find only Chielynn and a few servants. Good thing Lynn would actually answer him now. “Good morning, Lynn. Where is everyone?” Not only did she answer him, she actually looked at him and tried giving him a slight smile. Vel could tell that Adi was shocked, he hadn’t had time to fill her in about last night’s developments. Ella for her part was adorably oblivious to the significance of the interaction. “Good morning, Velas. And Adeline and Viella.” Ah, so prim and proper. He would enjoy making her debase herself. “Mother had to accompany Father and Amordina into town, apparently some kind of emergency needs handling. She told me only a few minutes ago and then rushed out.” So, breakfast with only the two sisters that were eating out of his hand, the one he was establishing control over, and no supervision? This was going to be fun!

As Adi helped Vel sit down, he reached out for Lynn’s mind. Her ever-present fear was there, but less strong than he had ever seen it. Was this because neither of their parents nor Dina were present? It seemed likely. Lynn seemingly felt the need to take up their mother’s role and start conversation now that she was the eldest at the table. Which, considering she usually barely spoke, if at all, was funny. “So, Viella, you have tutor appointments today, yes?” Ella rolled her eyes. “Yes, mostly imperial history. Ugh.” That had always been one of Vel’s favorite subjects, he wondered who was teaching his little sister about it. “Who’s your history tutor, Sweetie?” Ella looked a bit surprised. “Tutor Vaccam handles imperial history as well as imperial politics. Did he not tutor you as well?” Vel and Adi shared a look then burst out laughing. “No, no he did not. Vel and I were taught imperial history by Tutor Olshin, but that ended thanks to Vel.” Both Ella and Lynn were curious about why and what was so funny about it, so Vel took it upon himself to tell the story.

He and Adi had been taught most subjects together, being twins and all. Vel had loved imperial history, but it had mostly bored Adi. Being a good brother, he had taken it upon himself to entertain her during those sessions. Her favorite joke had been about the founder of the Toranian Empire. King Toran had been king of a middling kingdom surrounded by other kingdoms and self-ruled duchies and so on. His first conquest had been the Duchy of Duvliel, and after that he styled himself as emperor. He had gone on to achieve many other conquests, managing to put under his rule about half of what today made up the empire. A terribly impressive feat, no doubt about it. He was an incredibly revered figure in the empire, to the point that no other emperor ever again took the name Toran. So, he was not known as Toran the first, but as Toran the Only. Vel had taken to referring to him as Toran the Lonely. Not a terribly clever joke, but 11-year-old Adi found it hilarious. Tutor Olshin, however, did not. He eventually snapped when Vel refused to stop referring to the revered figure by the wrong title and slapped him. Which, of course, led to Adi biting the offending hand. In the aftermath, Olshin had been let go in disgrace. An unwanted son he might be, but to lay hands on a child of a noble family like that was unforgivable. His father might not have cared if his son got slapped, but the disrespect to his house could not be ignored.

By the time Vel finished the retelling, Ella was laughing too. Lynn looked exasperated, but Vel picked up on some amusement in her mind. “Oh gods, I wonder how Vaccam would react if I called him Toran the Lonely.” Ella seemed excited by the prospect. “That’s Tutor Vaccam, Ella. Its important to show the proper respect.” Ella rolled her eyes at Lynn again, who dropped it. Vel decided this was a good time to use fracture and reinforce last night’s suggestions on Lynn. He did so with practiced ease, and noticed it barely drained his reserves. Was that because he was only reinforcing? Or was it because Lynn had grown more susceptible to him? Was he just getting better at it? A combination of all of them? He had no way of knowing, but his reserves barely being touched left him free to add new suggestions.

Adi, who had understood that Vel approved of conversing with Lynn, was talking to her about plans for the day. Perfect, while they chatted away, he tried the first new suggestion. Because I treated my brother so terribly for so long, I don’t get to complain about how he treats me now. It sank right in, easily accepted. He got the sense that there would be limits to that, but those could be pushed eventually. It also didn’t mean she wouldn’t put a stop to any behavior she didn’t like. It drained him more than the reinforcing had, but still far less than the use of suggestion had at first. Good, that meant it was time for another one. I have to put up with and endure whatever my brother wants to do to me. That was rejected, and the rejection drained his reserves more than the accepted one had done. Interesting. He hadn’t tried to add any reasoning to this one, perhaps that would help. It may also have been too ambitious with the use of the word whatever. I mistreated my brother so terribly for so long, the least I can do is to put up with or overlook some inappropriate behavior from him now. That one was accepted. Where would she draw the line about some inappropriate behavior, though? Vel didn’t want to push it, but decided one last attempt was safe. Being yelled at, slapped, groped, or similarly mistreated by Velas is nothing compared to what I put him through and is the kind of inappropriate behavior I need to put up with. Vel was glad he had made this suggestion. It was barely accepted and took a lot of power to push through. If he hadn’t, he doubted Lynn would have accepted those behaviors as the kind she had to overlook. It had worked though, and he had an idea of when he would put it to the test.

They kept the amicable chatter going throughout breakfast. Ella was the first to leave the table, having a tutor appointment to get to. Adi and Vel both finished their food before Lynn, probably due to Lynn eating like a prim and proper lady. Adi got up and clearly intended to help Vel get up too, but he told her not to. “Thanks Adi, but I think I’ll stay and keep our sister company while she finishes her meal. I’ll see you later.” He pulled her down to him to give her a kiss on the cheek. Lynn had reacted with fear and trepidation to his intention to stay with her. The kiss on Adi’s cheek elicited a bit of surprise and shock, but no adverse reaction beyond that. In the second accepted suggestion he had not specified that the inappropriate behavior had to be directed at her, he took her lack of reaction to mean that it was working.

After Adi left, Vel used his cane to get up and move towards Lynn. She didn’t show much outward reaction beyond looking at him slightly wide-eyed, but in her mind, he felt fear and this strange sense of anticipation. It wasn’t like she was looking forward to whatever she thought was coming, quite the opposite, but he got the sense she wanted to get it done, nonetheless. Like there was an unpleasant task ahead that one needed and wanted to get done, and although the task itself would not be pleasant, getting it done would be.

Vel stopped just behind her chair, looking down at her. She didn’t look up or around, just kind of stared down at her food, but had stopped eating. She was nervous and scared, but still there was that anticipation. Something about the situation made Vel rock hard in his trousers. They stood in silence for a moment, tension mounting.

He reached out with his free hand and laid it on her fabric-clad shoulder. She slightly jumped at his touch, it had startled her, but showed no reaction beyond that. “I wanted to say, Lynn, that I really did appreciate your apology last night.” Lynn, still without looking at him, nodded. “I’m glad you appreciated it. I meant every word. I know it isn’t enough, but I needed to say it.” He squeezed her shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “I also wanted to make sure that you meant the other things you said last night and that you were still committed to earning forgiveness, that it wasn’t just an evening promise that vanished with the dawn.” He saw that steely resolve in her mind again, and it was beautiful to behold. “I meant it and I still mean it.” She reached out with her own hand and put it on top of Vel’s on her shoulder. “I am grateful you are considering forgiveness at all, Velas. I will do anything to earn it.” Well, he knew she didn’t actually mean anything, that suggestion had been rejected, but it was no doubt pretty close to anything by now.

She had taken her hand back away from his after finishing her sentence, and Vel now slowly slid his own hand forward from her shoulder onto the exposed skin above her chest. There was a brief intake of breath from Lynn as his fingertips first touched bare skin, but no reaction beyond that. In her mind the fear and anticipation, which had retreated a bit during their conversation, made a comeback. She still wasn’t looking at him, just at her food. He moved the flat of his hand fully onto the exposed skin of her cleavage but remained just above her breasts. “Whatever else you may be, Lynn, you are beautiful. Gorgeous, even.” She actually took some pleasure in the compliment, despite the situation. She was also extremely nervous. He could tell both from her mind and the frantic heartbeat he was feeling in his palm. “Thank you, Velas.” That was it. Huh. Time to test the limits.

He took his hand off her skin and instead took hold off some of her shiny and flawless hair, just above her ear. “Looking at you, I don’t think anyone would expect that a cruel bitch hid under that angelic exterior.” Sadness, guilt, regret. He heard a little sniff, but she endured it. No protest, no anger. She deserved this and she knew it. He leaned forward, took a hold of more of her hair and moved it out of the way to expose the side of her neck. “It’s good that you’re so committed to earning my forgiveness, because it won’t be an easy road.” He whispered those words directly into her ear. Gooseflesh sprang up on her neck, but to his surprise there was no increase in fear or anticipation, only that steely resolve. “I know. I’ll do whatever it takes.” Time to push further. He kissed the side of her neck that he had exposed. She shivered, but it wasn’t the pleasurable kind of shiver. Again, no protest or attempt to pull away. Further. He let her hair drop back down and move his hand back to the skin above her breasts. “There will need to be consequences for how you acted. Punishment.” This finally elicited more fear and more of that strange anticipation. It also awakened some strange sense of excitement. She knew she needed punishing, and to hear him acknowledge it for the first time felt like progress. Emboldened, Vel slid his hand down onto her left breast, staying on the outside of the dress though, and lightly squeezed.

She didn’t resist, though she did tense up. He could tell that she didn’t like it, didn’t want his hand there. But she accepted it. This wasn’t like with Adi, who would let him do whatever he wanted and enjoyed letting him do so. Lynn wasn’t enjoying it, but let him do so despite that, because she thought she deserved it and owed it to him. Vel found this incredibly arousing. He was so hard it was beginning to grow uncomfortable. Did he dare push even further?