Author's Note: I couldn't resist the urge to post two chapters tonight. I started writing this story in April of 2010 and it just sat on my hard drive for nearly two years waiting to be posted. Oh well, I guess better late than never.
Chapter 2.
Saito sat on the edge of the bed thinking about his time with Louise. It seemed like every time he'd every been aggressive with the girl she'd been even angrier with him. Of course on the other hand the only other times he was really assertive with her had been when he had been trying to do something dangerous that she didn't want him to do. The young man was still lost in thought when his equally young maid appeared.
"Hello master." Siesta said sweetly as she came in carrying Louise's laundry. While technically his maid, she instead ended up doing Louise's laundry since Saito didn't own many clothes. Truth be known the young knight didn't really own anything aside from his sword and Siesta, though he disliked the idea of owning her. Still, it kept other nobles from taking advantage of her beauty so he tolerated it.
"Hello Siesta." Saito replied watching the girl go about the chores that used to be his. He simply had to figure out how to talk to Louise.
"Are you feeling well master?" Siesta said leaning over to put her forehead against his. Saito gulped as the girl's generous bosom brushed against his chest and he began to sweat. "It feels like you're getting warm."
"I... I..." The hapless boy stammered.
"Sai-to!" Louise growled from the door as she returned from class. "This morning I wake up to find this girl all over you, I chase you out into the commons to find you relaxing in Tabitha's lap kissing on her, and now I catch you flirting with the maid AGAIN?"
Saito didn't have time to think. Louise's wand was already rising as the boy jumped to his feet depositing Siesta on the bed and snatched Louise's wand from her hand. "Louise, that is enough."
His voice was a little harsher than he intended, and he really hoped he wasn't going to get killed for this. Agnes had trained him well. In close range a skilled fighter could disarm a mage before they could get off all but the simplest of spells. A good swordsman could stick a blade in so quickly that a mage couldn't hope to survive against them. While he didn't plan on sticking anything in Louise... wait, bad choice of words, he had to focus right now or he'd lose his train of thought.
"Who do you think you are addressing you lowly..."
"I said that's enough!" Saito shouted, and with a swift swipe of his hand swatted Louise across the rear.
Saito looked up to see anger, pain, emotional hurt, almost every expression one never wants to see on the face of the person you love crossing Louise's face simultaneously. It was tearing him up, but he had to keep his cool. Louise's voice trembled as she lowered her head. "I see, well then I hope you're happy together."
Saito barely grabbed her hand before she could dart from the room. "Will you please listen to me for a moment? The headmaster is getting tired of repairing the damage you do to the campus with your magic Louise. No more blasting things when you get angry."
Saito turned and placed the wand carefully down on the table before going to sit down on the bed next to Siesta. The young maid had love, hope, anticipation, almost every emotion you wanted to see running across the face of someone you cared for, racing across her features. Saito closed his eyes and tenderly took her hands before glancing up to see Louise still fuming.
"I'm sorry Siesta, but I love Louise." The boy said as gently as he could looking in her eyes sadly. "I know you love me, but I love Louise, and its upsetting to her when you come in and climb all over me."
Siesta lowered her eyes and Saito could see a few tears falling into her lap. He didn't dare look at Louise. Siesta calmly returned his hand to his lap and stood. Saito wasn't going to stop her. As much as he hated to admit it, running after her and embracing her to keep her from hating him would just keep the problem going.
Instead of running from the room though, Siesta merely walked over to Louise before dropping to her knees and prostrating her self in front of the astonished Louise. "I have lost. He belongs to you. Please... please accept me... mistress."
Louise seemed to get a strange look in her eyes as she stared at Saito. The boy didn't have a clue what was going on. Finally, Louise nodded. "Very well Siesta, your master and I skipped breakfast. Could you please bring us something to eat?"
"Yes mistress." Siesta said with a sniffle before getting up to go about her duties.
Saito got up and sat down at the table as his maid left. "I really hated having to do that." He said miserably.
"I know. I didn't want to see her hurt anymore that's why I accepted her." Louise said gently as she walked behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I promise I won't blow anything else up either."
"What was all that stuff about being accepted? I didn't understand any of it." Saito asked curiously.
"Siesta is acknowledging your feelings for me, and was asking if she could continue to serve you." Louise said simply. "In our culture, a nobleman might have any number of commoners working for him, but his wife has final say over any young women that serve him personally."
"So even though the queen gave Siesta to me as a maid, you could still send her away?" Saito asked.
"No, she is your property, and I cannot go against the queen's orders. I'm also not your wife, though being your master might still qualify. It's just that Siesta wouldn't be allowed to lay a hand on you or you her if I did not accept her as your personal servant." Louise explained. "I thought you would be angry if I went that far."
Louise released him and crossed the room to her side of the table. She sat down and looked reasonably happy when the door opened and Siesta entered pushing a small cart with brunch. The girl looked as if nothing had happened.
"This is making my head hurt. I really don't understand all the things about your culture." Saito said as Siesta served them some light pastries and tea.
"You'll get used to it." Siesta said kissing him on the cheek and winking at him.
Saito brought his hand to his cheek and quickly looked at Louise who was sipping her tea as if nothing had happened. "Uh, Louise I..."
"Yes?" The girl asked. She was looking at him as if he were an idiot.
"You aren't angry with me?" The skittish knight said looking at a smiling Siesta next to him.
"No. She's your property, take her virginity if it pleases you. Jus Primae Noctis." Louise said dismissively.
"But this morning you nearly killed me when all she did was kiss me!" Saito shouted in alarm.
"This morning she was my rival. Now she's my servant." Louise said as if this explained everything.
"May I mistress?" Siesta asked Louise softly, indicating Saito.
"Go ahead, he'll probably understand it better if you explain it to him anyway. I have to finish up here and get to my next class." Louise responded.
Saito looked on in confusion and alarm as Siesta promptly took a seat in his lap. She then curled her arms around his neck and pressed him close. Through all this Louise didn't even give it a second glance as she quietly ate her breakfast.
"Master do you remember when you first arrived here how you told me that it shocked you that mistress would take her clothes off in front of you without any hesitation?" Siesta quizzed the boy.
"Uh, yes."
"That's because you were her servant. I know it is different for you, not being from this culture, but here servants do not matter. Nakedness in front of a servant is the same as being naked alone." Siesta explained.
"I figured that much out already, but I still think it's crazy." Saito complained.
"And just like it doesn't matter what a servant sees it also doesn't matter what happens to a servant." Siesta continued.
"And I like that part even less." The youthful knight replied. He didn't like where this was going. "Is that what this Jus Primae Noctis means?"
"It means 'law of the first night'. As her master you have the right to determine when and if she can marry, and you also have the right to claim her virginity for your own before doing so." Louise said simply.
"You mean you nobles treat common girls like they're all your whores? That's barbaric!" Saito roared. "I can't do that! I'd be no better than that stupid Count Mott that tried to take you away from the academy!"
More so than when he confessed his feelings for Louise in front of her, Siesta looked even more hurt. "Master how would you have handled my feelings for you in your world?"
"In my world, once two people are married that's supposed to be it. No other people are allowed to intrude on that relationship. I'm sorry Siesta, but after choosing Louise we could have remained friends but you would have had to find someone else to share your life with." Saito confessed.
"If it meant I would have never been given the chance to be with you, then I don't think I like your culture." Siesta whimpered.
"No wonder you were so hesitant to rebuke her." Louise whispered as realization dawned on her. "You were expecting to have to send her away forever."
"Well, we could have been friends, but that's all. She would have to find someone else to love." Saito pressed. He still wasn't getting all of this. "Could you really be happy, the person you love being with someone else?"
"Saito, I don't want anyone else to love. I chose to become your property, and I chose to offer myself to mistress Louise. I will always be with you by your side until you decide to send me away. That makes me happy. You aren't the same man the Count was. I know you would never force yourself on me, and I know you care about me, and I know you'll always care for and protect me. What more should I need?" Siesta reasoned.
"I think it's going to take a while for this to sink in for Saito." Louise admitted. "He wasn't raised in our culture so it's going to take a while for him to become accustomed to all the nuances."
"Yes mistress." Siesta said sadly. Saito couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had a girlfriend apparently willing within the course of one hour to go from killing him for kissing another girl to being completely comfortable with the idea of him having a mistress. Furthermore, said mistress was sounding exasperated with him for not jumping at the chance to turn her into his whore. This culture was whacked.
Louise was getting up to get ready for her next class when a knock came at the door. Siesta obediently got up and answered it to find Agnes on the other side.
"I've got a message for Louise and Saito." The captain of the queen's guard reported crisply.
"Lady Agnes to see you mistress." Siesta said with a proper curtsy even though everyone there was able to hear each other clearly.
Agnes came in and handed a letter to Louise. "What's his problem?" She asked jerking a thumb rudely in his direction.
"Culture shock I think." Louise replied dismissively reading the letter. Saito wasn't aware his expression had been that readable.
Agnes merely snorted and stalked out the door. The woman never seemed to be particularly happy, but ever since discovering the truth about Professor Colbert she seemed to be in an even worse mood when coming to the academy.
"Anything important?" Saito said finally allowing his hunger to drive him to eat some cake.
"Not really, it looks like Henrietta is inviting us to dinner at the palace this evening." Louise said folding up the letter and putting it away in her cloak.
"Will there be anything else mistress?" Siesta asked.
Louise looked at the girl and then studied Saito carefully. "Yes, there is. I'm tired of this dog embarrassing me in polite society. He's the queen's knight and a noble now so it's time he started acting like one. Bathe him, and see if you can find him some proper clothes to eat with her majesty in. Teach him how a noble is supposed to interact with his servant."
"Yes mistress." Siesta promised. Saito noticed a deep blush spreading across her cheeks and he began to feel uncomfortable.
Louise was also looking at him uneasily. "And Siesta, I intend to be Saito's first just as he will be mine. If you push him too far I fear he might not be able to control himself so... go easy on him."
Siesta was obviously crestfallen. "Yes mistress."
Saito gulped as Louise left for her next class with a satisfied smirk on her face. He had no idea what he had just gotten himself into. Correction, apparently he'd been into it since day one and was just NOW starting to figure out how deep.
Saito looked up at Siesta in trepidation as the cute little maid got a predatory gleam in her eye. "Now master, let's get you out of those clothes..."
A/N: Well, the story is off and running. I'll post the next chapter next week. I'll try to get one chapter a week for a while. My work schedule is pretty full but I'll do my best. Let me know how you're liking the newest episodes of the anime. I'm loving them.