Chapter 33
Saber woke long after the sun had risen above the horizon. Unlike every other day she didn't return to consciousness immediately, but she actively fought to remain asleep a little bit further, clinging to the coattails of the dream she was having.
Alas, reality would not have that, and she slowly drifted back to the real world.
"Hmm," she moaned in complaint. She wasn't tired. In fact, she was anything but. She was brimming with energy and she felt perfectly rested, her Mana was at its maximum and her body was well rested. In short, she was in peak condition.
However, the dream she was having was particularly pleasant, a recollection of the previous night's events, and she would have liked to keep dreaming a little while longer if she could. Unfortunately, once she woke up there was no falling back to sleep anytime soon. It was a pity, because she didn't even have to work that morning, and she could have slept in as much as she would have liked.
Since that wasn't an option anymore, she pulled herself up to a sitting position and stretched her arms up, letting out a silent yawn, feeling more at ease than she did in a long while.
There was always a weight to her thoughts, a weariness to which she had grown so accustomed to that she didn't even realize it was there until it had been lifted. She thought it was because of the burden of kinghood, and while that was certainly the case, now she also knew it wasn't just that. It wasn't the duty she had taken upon herself that wore her down, but the one that she had been unknowingly avoiding.
She threw off her covers and got up from the bed, naked as she was when she retired for the night. She stepped in front of the full-size mirror and looked at her own reflection.
Her hair was undone and fell on her shoulders like a golden mantle. She had never stopped to ponder how people rated her look, but she now knew it was a fundamental part of her being.
"You are a slut," she told her reflection. "I am a slut."
There was none of the harsh emotional stab that she used to feel when facing this undeniable truth. No, rather, she found comfort in it. All her life she knew that she missed something to be complete, and she had lingered in this world after the Holy Grail War specifically to find an answer to what she had been lacking.
And now she found it. She was a King and she was a Slut.
The two aspects of her being weren't mutually exclusive as she had erroneously believed. Hiding her gender so that she could have the throne hadn't been a necessity, but a shortcut.
Rather than fighting to sit upon the throne as a female King, she took the easy way out and denied her femininity, with all that encompassed. In doing so, she had failed herself, but more importantly she had failed all of her subjects.
She had been failing so badly in her duties that she didn't even realize she was failing in the first place. But now she knew, and while it was too late for her as a King, it wasn't too late for her as a Slut.
However, she was still inexperienced. Just a novice, no better than a newly minted squire. Perhaps not even that much. She had much to learn and fortunately for her she did not lack teaching material nor mentors willing to help.
Veronica seemed keen on helping her in this endeavor. Perhaps she'd be willing to enlighten her on some obscure aspects of the task. Maybe even sharing some... training methods.
A drop of arousal rolled down her thighs at the prospect, and she watched it slide down her skin with an unflinching gaze. She then turned around and went to get ready for the day. Just because she didn't have to work didn't mean she could laze about.
There was much to be done.
[br]
Veronica had been awake for a while now. Even though she had the day off, she was still a wife and a mother, therefore there were a lot of things that required her attention.
Although her stay-at-home husband took care of most of the chores, some things simply required her touch. She wanted them done so that they wouldn't get in the way of her family time, as well as her late night activities.
She was happily taking care of some minor things when her phone buzzed in her pocket. Like any cheating wife worth her salt, her phone was always on silent mode and where her husband wouldn't stumble upon it.
A necessary precaution to keep her life running smoothly.
She pulled it out, and much to her surprise it was none other than Saber.
"Hello?" she asked into the phone.
"Good morning Veronica," said Saber in her perpetually serious voice. "I hope I am not bothering you."
"No, not at all. What is it? A change in shifts? Do I have to cover for someone?"
"No, nothing like that. I was just wondering if… if you were up to talk a little. There are things I'd want to know about…. you know."
On her end of the line, Veronica beamed. "Of course, of course. Tell you what, I was planning on going shopping with my family this afternoon. Would you like to join us?"
"With… your family? Are you certain that's wise?"
"Oh, absolutely. I'm not new at this, you know? You don't have to worry about a thing."
"Well… if you are sure…"
"Of course I am. Let's meet in town after lunch, okay?"
"Yes, that is fine. I'll see you later then. Thank you."
"Oh, Saber. It's my pleasure, I assure you."
She closed the conversation and continued with her chores, but her husband popped his head in the room.
"Who was it honey?"
"Oh, a friend from work. She'll be joining us this afternoon. You don't mind it, do you?"
"No, of course not. The more the merrier, right?"
"Oh, yes. The more people there are, the better," she told him, although she certainly didn't mean the same thing as him. It looked like the afternoon was going to be a lot more interesting than she first thought.
[br]
Saber was waiting at the corner of a street for Veronica and her family to arrive. She would be lying if she said she wasn't a tad worried. Saber intended to ask Veronica tips as to how to become a better slut, something that the other woman did behind her husband's back.
It seemed unnecessarily dangerous to Saber. Perhaps Veronica had misunderstood her intentions? She couldn't exclude it outright. However, it seemed strange. The only things she and Veronica ever talked about were work and sex.
Maybe there was something Saber herself didn't understand about it all. That was a bit more realistic. In that case, she would take it as a challenge and act accordingly.
"Oii, Saber. Over here," Veronica called from the other side of the street, waving her hand at her. Saber waved back more modestly and waited for them to come on her side, where the mall was.
As they approached, she examined her family. The man next to Veronica, her husband, was in his mid-thirties. He was an unremarkable looking fellow, neither ugly nor good-looking. However he had a gentle smile that reminded Saber of Shirou a little bit.
She quickly shelved that comparison before it could hurt, and moved her eyes to their daughters. Two young women in their mid-teens that looked a lot like their mother.
Whereas Veronica and her husband were dressed in a reasonably conservative manner, the two girls were exposing a bit more skin, with jeans shorts that were a bit too short and t-shirts that showed a bit more cleavage that was proper.
Saber wondered if that was their natural preference, or the result of Veronica's grooming. Considering what she saw walking the streets sometimes, it really could be either way.
"Hi, Saber. I'm glad that you could join us. This is my husband Nate, and my two daughters Kyle and Sheila."
"Pleased to meet you all," said Saber, shaking hands with Nate and the girls.
"So, are you ready for a day of shopping?" Veronica asked.
"Of course," Saber nodded. She wasn't much in the way of deception, but she could tell when she was supposed to play along.
The group moved into the mall and since it was a Saturday, it was quite crowded. Saber simply tagged along, waiting for the opportunity to talk in private with Veronica.
They explored several shops and browsed a lot of clothes. Particularly, the two girls bought several items in different places, before going their separate ways. Apparently being around adults was uncool or something, according to them. The result was that Nate had to carry all of their bags for them.
"Do you need any help with those?" Saber inquired.
"Oh? Not at all, but thank you for asking. I'm quite used to these kinds of situations," he replied.
"Do you shop for clothes very often?"
"With three women in the family? It's a regular occurence, I'm afraid," he laughed.
He truly had a sunny and helpful disposition, which reminded her of Shirou even further. Did a man like this deserve to be cheated upon by his wife?
Did Shirou?
"Is something the matter?" he asked, seeing her troubled expression.
"Hm. Oh? It's nothing. I was just lost in thought, that's all."
"Saber;" Veronica called, "what are you doing over there? Come see some clothes for yourself too."
"My presence is required," she said, taking the chance to slip away from the awkward situation.
"Don't let me keep you," he said, not realizing that the mood had changed.
"Veronica, what is this all about?" Saber asked upon joining her at the clothes rack.
"You wanted to learn more about the way I do things, right?" the other woman replied.
"Yes, though I don't see how this has anything to do with it."
"You don't need to worry about that, but I need you to promise to back me up no matter what happens. Just go with the flow."
"Alright…," Saber agreed, though a bit uncertain.
"Good. I'm going to try a few of these," Veronica said. "Why don't you try some as well?"
"I'm not particularly interested in clothes," Saber replied, then blinked. "Oh, I'm not going with the flow."
"Precisely. Now get a handful of something and come with me."
Saber did as instructed and picked a few clothes at random, following Veronica to the changing rooms located behind a wall next to the counter. Before going inside, Veronica turned to her husband and waved at him. Her husband smiled back and, seeing the piles of clothes in both Veronica and Saber's hands, he decided to sit on a bench outside the store.
He didn't notice the clerks exchanging glances, nor did he see them having a bout of rock-paper-scissors under the counter, before the winner went into the changing room area as well, smiling broadly.
[br]
Following Veronica's example, Saber went into a stall and started trying on clothes.
Most of the stuff she grabbed didn't even fit her, but she tried to go with the flow as required and tried some of them on.
Choosing clothing was another thing she had little experience with. In her time, what clothes one wore were determined by one's needs and station. Only a few court dames and noble fops worried about apparel.
Personal preference played a secondary role in her life until now.
After she was summoned, it was Rin who composed her wardrobe. She had yet to develop her own preference in that regard. Perhaps this was a good chance to do that.
Maybe that was Veronica's intention. Was she supposed to show her own style or something like that? After trying a few things with none catching her eye, she decided to ask veronia herself in the other booth.
"Veronica?I wanted to ask something…. Veronica?"
She received no answer despite knocking on the door. However, it was locked so she had to be inside.
Saber returned to her stall, and climbed upon the chair inside, to look beyond the plywood wall that separated the two changing booths.
Veronica was still inside, as expected. What Saber did not expect was for some for a man to be in there with her, or for the two of them to be fucking like animals.
Veronica was completely naked, with her arms and legs wrapped around the torso of the man that was holding her up against the wall.
His back was turned to Saber, so he hadn't seen her head poking from behind the wall, and she suspected that he wouldn't have noticed anyway, from the vigor which he was putting into fucking the woman.
They were doing a remarkably good job in keeping it quiet, aided in no small part by the music being streamed through the shop and the loud chattering of the people outside.
Nonetheless, Saber was flabbergasted.
This was a public place, with hundreds of people in the vicinity, some not more distant from them than Saber was. Veronica's own husband was waiting for her, right outside the shop. How could she be having sex in circumstances like these?
Was she not afraid of being found out? Exposed?
Saber could not wrap her mind around what she was seeing, so she just kept staring until Veronica noticed her. She whispered something in her lover's ear, who momentarily faltered in his pistoning, but quickly resumed, as if nothing had happened.
Eventually, the rutting came to an end when the man reached his climax with a grunt and shot his semen right inside her. As soon as he was done ejaculating, he pulled out and zipped up. He then turned around and looked at Saber, giving her a wink before leaving the stall after checking that the coast was clear.
Saber couldn't say anything, shocked as she was from the circumstances she had witnessed and utterly embarrassed by being caught peeping like a pervert.
"Hey Saber;" purred Veronica, as she scooped the cum leaking from her thoroughly fucked pussy with her fingers, and licking them clean. "Enjoyed the show?"
That snapped Saber out of her funk.
"Veronica, are you mad?" She hissed "What were you thinking?"
"It doesn't matter now. Do me a favor and go to my husband. Tell him it's going to take a little more, or he might come check upon me himself. I still have one more guy to fuck and Nate might start to worry if I take too long."
"You want me to lie to your husband?" she asked, outraged.
"No. I just want you to make him not worry. I'll leave it up to you how to do it."
As soon as she said that, the door opened again and another man came in, locking the door behind himself.
He looked back and forth from Veronica to Saber.
"Hey babe, wanna join us?" he asked cheekily, causing Saber to become even more flustered.
"I… ," she hesitated, licking her lips. Despite being shocked, her body had reacted with increased arousal to the scene before her. However, she didn't think she could act that way. There was a time and a place for everything and this was not it. "No, thank you," she eventually replied, before jumping down and quickly vacating her booth.
She stormed outside with conflicting emotions fighting in her chest. Her sense of propriety warred against the pull of sex. She had to actively restrain herself from joining Veronica and her friend. One of the clerks of the shop, no less.
If that wasn't proof that she was a slut at her core, Saber didn't know what was.
She almost walked out of the store entirely, before realizing that Nate was right there. What was she supposed to tell him? What excuse could she make for such a hasty escape? If he thought something was wrong, he might really go and investigate himself.
Saber had no wish for the man to be hurt over Veronica's reckless behavior, so she forced herself to slow down and willed the embarrassment out of her face and body language, assuming the detached personality proper of the King.
The embarrassment, which was purely mental, receded. However, her arousal did not care about that, and the wetness in her crotch kept bothering her. Nonetheless, she appeared to be perfectly calm and composed on the outside, and it was with that face that she approached Nate.
"Welcome back. Where's Veronica?"
There it was, the moment she was dreading. She wasn't fond of lying, especially not to an honest person like him. However, speaking the truth would only cause harm. That just meant she had to speak both and neither.
"She's still in the changing room. She… wanted to make sure how well some things fit her," she replied.
She hadn't lied, had she? She just avoided specifying what Veronica was trying. Not clothes on her, but rather cocks inside her.
Nate snorted. "That girl. Always fussing over the details. She should know by now that everything looks good on her."
'And in her,' Saber didn't say, elated that she had managed to curb his suspicions. She felt bad about the necessary deception, but she was satisfied with having successfully defused the situation. 'It wasn't so bad, after all,' she concluded.
Not that she wanted to repeat the experience anytime soon, but it wasn't as tragic as she had feared. Indeed, if it was so easy to keep one's indiscretions under wrap, it wasn't surprising if Veronica had managed to do so for years. That gave Saber a bit of hope for the future.
She certainly didn't want her own indiscretion to be discovered either, though she wouldn't be taking that many risks to begin with.
That was an interesting learning experience, which she was glad for, however that left her with a problem. An uncomfortable aching down within her womanhood.
Although just the previous days she had been dicked into bliss by Howard and later she gorged on cocks until late night at the gloryhole, Saber's hunger was nigh insatiable, and even when it was satisfied it quickly returned.
Alas, she would have to hold out until the evening, at the very least, when she would go out for places where a brave man could pick her up. She was not about to engage in public promiscuity in broad daylight like Veronica, thank you very much.
She wasn't that shameless brave.
Some fifteen minutes later, Veronica walked out of the shop with a new bag and without a single hair out of place. Saber had no idea how that was possible, but it was quite clear that Veronica had much experience running circles around her oblivious husband.
"All done," the cheating wife said as she gave her husband yet another bag to carry. "What do you think of finding the girls and then getting something to eat?"
"You read my mind, honey," replied Nate, completely unaware that two men had their way with his wife just now. Saber stole a glance at the two clerks, now both back behind the counter. They weren't even looking in their direction, almost as if fucking a woman in the back of the store was an ordinary occurrence for them.
Thinking about it, it probably was.
'All women are sluts. Veronica is probably not the only one who they fucked during their shift.'
Saber couldn't say that she approved, and not just because of the necessary exposure. Slinking away during working hours to have sex was dereliction of duty, and that was something she couldn't condone. That was why at Howard's mansion there was a schedule for that sort of thing.
Nevertheless, she wasn't responsible for those two guys' shortcomings, but she didn't think highly of them either. She liked them even less because they caused her to be hot and bothered, but that fault lied on Veronica as well.
Saber really wanted to hear what her excuse was.
[br]
They sat at a cafè and ordered a light snack. Veronica's daugthers wouldn't be joining them, as they had run into friends and were having fun on their own. Saber wondered if it was the same kind of fun their mother enjoyed, but she quickly dismissed that thought.
It wasn't important anyway.
'They are female, and therefore they are sluts,' she concluded. 'The only difference is whether they already know it or not, and considering who's their mother, I know which way to bet.'
Veronica approached the concept of slutdom with almost religious fervor. Someone like her wouldn't condone her daughters not sharing in her beliefs.
That was none of Saber's business, but it was interesting seeing how being a compulsive cheater played into Veronica's life. So far, everything seemed to go just fine, although it was a dance on a razor's edge. One small slip and someone would get hurt.
"So, you work with my wife. How is she on the clock? Just as much as a klutz as she's at home?" Nate asked, good-naturedly.
"Nate!" Veronica protested indignantly.
"Veronica is quite skilled at her task," Saber replied. "Even though I'm technically her superior, she has much more experience than I have. She can handle some of the… biggest tasks better than I currently do," she explained, realizing that she had slipped a double meaning only after it had left her mouth.
Veronica grinned and winked at her.
"See? You are worrying over nothing," she told her husband. "I'm doing just fine."
"Well, you can't blame me for asking," he replied, unrepentantly.
"I can and I do," Veronica shot back, good naturedly.
Although it was mired in deception, Saber could tell that Veronica's love for her husband was genuine. It gave her more comfort than she thought it would. She still didn't know where her romantic relationships fit with the knowledge of her true nature, and seeing that both could work out fine put her at ease.
'Being a cheater isn't so bad, after all. Just an unpleasant part of life that I have to put up with.'
Indeed life was far from perfect, and compromises on some minor things were necessary to go by. Cheating was only one in a long list of much worse things. She couldn't quite name one at the top of her head, but…
'T͜h͘e̸re are ͠cer̨t́a̡iņl͡y far ͡w͏orse̷ ̨t̴hi͝ngs ̸tha͞n̨ ̴b̀ei̴ng ͜a̵ ̴c̢h̢e̛at͢i̷n̕g͠ sl҉ut.'̢
It was still morally ambiguous, but it was the kind of thing that wouldn't bother her if she didn't think too much about it.
It was much more important that she'd earnestly focus on her duty. If she strived with all her heart to be the best slut she could, everything would surely fall in place. She had no doubt about it.
'Doing one's duty is always the right choice.'
"Oh, by the way, Nate, weren't you supposed to check out a store yourself?
"Eh? Oh, right. I almost forgot. It's not important, anyway."
"No, no," objected Veronica. "We can wait for you here. Go and take all the time you need."
"If you are sure. I'll find you both here when I get back? Don't you go around disappearing as you always do," he warned.
"Hmm. I can't promise you that. You know how I get when something catches my attention."
"Yeah, well. I'll come back here and wait for you to return then. Alright?"
"That's the man I love," purred Veronica affectionately.
Nate stood up and went his own way as well, leaving Saber and Veronica alone at the table.
"Do you do that very often?" the Servant asked.
"Do what exactly?"
"Have sex with other men with your husband just around the corner?"
"Oh, yes. Absolutely," Veronica replied, straight-faced. "At least twice a week."
"W-Why would you do something like that? Don't you realize that you might be found out at any moment?"
"Of course I do." Veronica frowned. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Then why?"
"Because the worship of cock comes before everything else, Saber. I thought I'd made it clear by now."
"But the risks..."
"I know what the risks are, Saber. I know what I stand to lose. You don't need to remind me, thank you very much. Even so, I know what my purpose in life is and I intend to fulfill it, no matter what sacrifice might be done. Let me make something perfectly clear. If a man approaches me for sex, and I can't make an excuse to get away from my husband, I will fuck that man right in front of Nate's eyes."
Saber was taken aback by Veronica's vehemence. She couldn't agree with her daredevil attitude, but she couldn't help but to admire her dedication.
Saber couldn't do something like that. A slut she might be, but she had decorum. Moreover, hurting Rin or Shirou wasn't something she could ever agree with. That was her bottom line.
... but was it really correct?
No. It didn't matter, because she wouldn't fail in her duties, either towards her family or towards cock.
After all, she had embarked into a quest to create a world without sorrow once already. This was nothing more than a continuation of that. She had to realize the world in which she could perpetually gorge on dicks and still make her loved ones happy.
No one ever said it would be easy, but this time she would succeed. She was no longer incomplete like in the past.
'I am both a King and a Slut.'
Both were crucial and none was more important than the other. Failing at either one meant failing at both.
"It seems you are not convinced," said Veronica, seeing her shifting emotions play on her face.
"It's not that I'm not convinced. It's just that our priorities are different," she replied.
Veronica sighed good naturedly. "Well, there's no rush. One day you'll understand for real. I can't expect you to make progress in just a few days' time."
Saber nodded, if simply to drop the argument. She didn't come here to engage in a philosophical argument with her colleague.
"That being said, I was wondering if you could suggest some other experience. I know that I am a slut, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing, besides the obvious."
"Which is?" Veronica asked.
"Which is, what?"
"The obvious. You said that you know the obvious part of being a slut. So, tell me what it is."
"I.. hum," Saber hesitated, red faced. "You know."
"Of course I do, Saber. And you know as well, but if you can't even put it into words, how do you expect me to believe that you can put it into action?"
"That's... yesterday night I had several partners," she admitted, looking around to check if she was being overheard."
"And I commend you for that, but despite what you seem to think, being a slut isn't about the number of partners you have."
".. it isn't?"
"No, of course not. It's about the heart. Does a woman alone in the desert stop being a slut just because there are no guys around to fuck?"
"No... all women are sluts, regardless of opportunity."
"Exactly. So what is the difference between a random slut and a good slut?"
"I... don't know.
"An ordinary slut would just accept any cock that comes knocking at her legs, but a True Slut doesn't just wait around. She must actively seek the opportunity to give away her holes, and if the opportunity doesn't exist, she has to create it."
"How... how do I do that."
"Well, for starters, you need to dress the part. Don't worry. I'm going to teach you all about how a good slut dresses in no time."
That... was something Saber wasn't really looking forward to. However, she was in no position to refuse. The King was not allowed to falter. She could only advance upon this twisted but certainly righteous path.
[XXX]
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