AN: Be warned that this chapter includes mentions of child sexual abuse.

"...and an annual interest rate of five percent. Based on this, what would the final amount be?"

Errol's mind had been working hard since the very start of the question. It didn't take him long to finish the calculation.

"Yes, I've got it!" Errol said, thrusting his hand into the air. "The final amount of the investment would be three thousand, five hundred and twenty-six honors!"

Miklaz blinked. "That… is correct, Errol. Well done. Your skill at mathematics is two or three years ahead of what I'd expect from your age."

Errol was filled with a warm feeling of satisfaction. Even so, he reminded himself not to get complacent.

I need to keep working hard. I've missed so many years of my life, so I have to make up for them!

The former bed slave remained in the lesson for another forty minutes. After Miklaz was done with mathematics, he moved on to history, a subject that Errol had much more difficulty with. All those dates and names left his mind a confused mess. Still, he kept writing notes diligently.

Then the lesson ended. Errol picked up his quill—a magical one that could write hundreds of lines before needing to be refilled—and book, then began walking out of the improvised classroom.

"Still so good with numbers, Errol," Grembarro said. "This is embarrassing for me to say, but… would you mind helping me go over the day's questions again?"

"I don't mind. Going through them again would also help me remember what I learned today."

"When you're done with that, please come to the dining room," Alatto said. "I finished cooking some blackberry tarts just before the lesson started. These aren't the burnt messes of my previous attempts, so I'd appreciate if you tried them."

Osaren had perked up at the mention of the word "blackberry". "Really? Then I'll go there right away!"

Alatto laughed. "Errol, Grembarro, you should come soon if you want any, before Osaren devours them all."

"Hey, I don't eat that much!"

The former bed slaves split up, with Errol and Grembarro remaining in the classroom to study together.

"...and you must remember that the amount increases with each year," Errol said. "Or each half-year, or each quarter—the period isn't always a year."

Grembarro shook his head. "That's the part that always trips me up. I keep forgetting that it's compound interest, keep thinking I should calculate based on the starting amount…"

"There's this analogy—or is it a metaphor? There's this analogy I like to use. Imagine a plant growing bigger over time. As it grows, it gains more leaves and more roots, so it can take in more resources and grow faster and faster."

"Hmm, that does make more sense! Thanks, I'll try to think of it like that from now on…"

Once the study session was complete, they went to the dining room. Here, they saw Alatto and Osaren, as expected. They also saw Elise and her three new husbands, the latter competing over who could best feed a blackberry tart to the former.

Ah, right… where there are sweets, Lady Elise will almost always be present.

While trying not to look at their romantic antics, Errol approached the table and picked up a blueberry tart for himself. He took an experimental bite.

Hmm, it's sweet but not too sweet, and pretty… how to describe it? Pretty light on the tongue. Not bad at all. Alatto's getting better compared to before.

Errol shuddered at the memory of Alatto's early cooking. Some of it couldn't even be called edible.

Maybe I should try learning how to cook too? I've heard that Elt, the Royal Sorceress' husband, is quite adept at it. It might be a good way for me to—

To dispel that thought, Errol tried to focus on just eating the tart. When that wasn't enough, he pinched himself on the leg.

After he finished his tart, Errol decided to leave. Spending too much time around the lovebirds would give him ideas.

Errol began wandering the manse aimlessly. He was faced with a problem he'd had quite a lot lately: finding something to do.

I have so much free time… My mistresses don't want me to do any work, certainly not the work I was sent here for.

A while ago, Errol had been told by the Royal Sorceress that he should just try to enjoy himself, to have the childhood that had been cruelly denied to him. And she'd suggested various options for this.

I've already read many of the books in this manse, both fictional and non-fictional. I've tried playing games of dice and of cards with the others, they didn't catch my interest. I've tried watching birds and other wildlife from the windows… that was interesting at first, but there's only so many kinds of birds I can see from one place…

Not that Errol hated being in this manse. On the contrary, if he was somehow forced to spend the rest of his life here, he'd be content. In the outside world, he attracted lustful stares from many women and some men, and those who didn't desire him tended to look down on him as a weak boy with few useful skills. In here, he was only ever treated with respect and was never the target of any lustful stares…

...except, possibly, from one.

Mustn't think about that… Mustn't think about that…

I should…. think of something completely different…

Then Errol recalled that he'd only seen three of the incubi so far. The other three, those Elise had not married, would probably be training right now.

Errol made his way to a large trapdoor in one corner of the manse's ground floor. This trapdoor was currently open, confirming his suspicions.

After walking down eighty-two stairs—he counted along the way—Errol reached the newly built training room. Even before reaching the actual room, he began hearing deafening clangs, so he covered his ears.

Fieron and Jassen were sparring with long poles—staves?—of solid iron. This had to be the source of the clangs. Beroq was staring intently at a pile of woodchips.

Errol watched the training from one side of the room. Even here, he could feel gusts of wind from the powerful movements of the incubi.

Even before, they were frightening… I was frightened by them, when I first came here… And now they're even better warriors… but they're on our side. We shouldn't have anything to fear from future attacks.

Errol recalled that experience from eight days ago. While his bed slave training had taught him how to handle pain, it hadn't taught him how to handle mortal danger or people he cared for being in mortal danger. Had he not been in company, he might well have lost control of his bowels.

Should I try learning to fight…? No, I'm being silly. I'd need years to even match the Unsullied that are still human. As much as it pains me, I'll have to keep relying on others to be safe.

The three incubi eventually finished their training. They wiped off their sweat and looked at Errol.

"I was wanting to ask if you had business with us," Jassen said. "But if you did, you would've tried signalling us earlier."

"It's nothing serious," Errol replied. "Just wanted to see how you train."

Fieron raised an eyebrow. "Thinking of becoming an incubus yourself, are you?"

"N-N-Not at all!" Errol said, frantically waving his hands. "It's just, since I'm a human, and have never seen incubi until recently, I'm curious, that's all!"

The incubi shared amused glances.

"Oh, that reminds me of the past…" Beroq said. "My father used to tell me stories about how he met my mother. If those stories were true, then those two were just as awkward…"

Errol just wanted to sink into the floor… or turn invisible, or teleport away, anything that would get him out of this situation.

I came here trying to get away from… reminders… but I can't escape them even here!

"If you'd like to become an incubus, you only have to ask," Fieron said. "But don't forget that it has costs as well as benefits. You're still young, you have time to think about your future."

"...You're only a few years older than me…"

Errol left the training room in a huff. He decided to go to his own room for some time alone.

When he lay down in his soft bed, Errol relaxed slightly.

It isn't the first time I've had a bed like this… But it's only after coming to this manse that I've been able to enjoy it…

Errol thought back to his old life in a village in northern Lhazar. It hadn't been a very luxurious life—Lhazareen had to give away a large proportion of the food and other goods they produced to the nearest Dothraki khalasar, for a guarantee of protection, leaving little for themselves. Even so, it had been a happy life. He could still remember his father showing him how to care for the family's sheep, his mother's songs about the Great Shepherd's creation of the world, his three siblings chasing him around with the boundless energy of all young children.

And then, when Errol had been nine, all that had been overturned. The Dothraki khalasar that protected their village had been defeated by another khalasar. The new khal decided he wanted some quick profits as opposed to the steady income from keeping the village around, thus he'd raided it and sold off its people to Slaver's Bay.

The forced march from his ruined village to Slaver's Bay had been the most painful experience in Errol's life until that point. Then it was surpassed by him being separated from his family and friends: some being sent to Meereen to be trained into domestic slaves, some to Astapor to be Unsullied, and some to Yunkai to be bed slaves.

Errol looked around his room. It was much more than someone like him deserved, with not just the bed but also a chest for his belongings, a table and chair where he could study in private, some shelves to store books and even a magical lamp.

Even so, when the monsters had first built this room and told him to use it… he'd felt nervous on the first few nights, tossing and turning restlessly in his bed.

All thanks to that training…

Many slaves were disciplined by striking them, forcing them to work out of fear of pain. For bed slaves, this was unacceptable due to the risk of leaving scars, diminishing their appearance and thus their value. So the Wise Masters of Yunkai had come up with alternative methods.

Humans were inherently social animals. That was true for Lhazareen, Dothraki, Yunkish and everyone else. So the bed slaves-in-training were simply locked up in separate rooms, unable to see, hear or otherwise perceive other people. It never took more than half a day of this before they broke down, becoming willing to do anything to never face that solitude again, even things they used to consider degrading.

When he'd been given a private room here, Errol had felt that fear again. Fortunately, the other three former bed slaves were sympathetic, and after several conversations with them, he'd learned to conquer this fear.

Errol reached to the side and tapped the lamp with one finger. It immediately lit up with a soft yellow light, one that required no fuel and consumed no smoke. A simple object by monster standards, one that had taken not even a minute to enchant. But it was one of the many reminders in this room that he was not alone, that there were other people who cared for him.

Four years of training in Yunkai… Errol reminisced. I've lost count of how many women and men I was trained on. Then it was off to Meereen, where I served the House of Pahl for a few months… and then the Mother of Dragons came to Meereen…

Not only had all the Great Masters been forbidden from owning slaves—openly, at least—but several members of the House of Pahl were killed in the conquest. Errol had been able to escape his previous job… though his new life had been uncomfortable in a different way. He had no skills outside of pleasuring others and herding livestock, and the latter was quite useless in a city.

Errol had spent over eight months without a permanent home, doing whatever it took to survive: sometimes begging, sometimes stealing, sometimes whoring himself out. So when a representative of one of the Great Masters had appeared, looking for bed slaves for a very particular job, he'd jumped at the opportunity.

There's stories of demons who seduce men to feast on their flesh, or their blood, or their souls… After those monsters saved Meereen from siege, I thought there was a chance they'd be different…

But even if they turned out to be predatory demons… I might not have tried to escape… anything would have been better than staying out on the streets…

And now he was here, receiving an education comparable to that of masters, with casual access to magic even masters would envy. The only cost for this, if it could even be called that, was not being allowed to leave.

I wish the others could live like this as well… Father, Mother… Erri and Filio and Fann… Where are they now?

A couple of weeks ago, Errol had worked up the courage to ask the Royal Sorceress to look for his family. She'd done so but been unable to find any sign of them in Meereen. Most likely they'd already been shipped to somewhere else—most of the slaves produced by Slaver's Bay were intended for export. And one or more of them could be dead by now.

My best hope is that the Mother of Dragons finishes her conquests soon. It helps that… with the dragons monsterised… her conquests won't be as destructive as they would've been otherwise…

That part is out of my hands. All I can do is enjoy the life I've been given.

Errol left his room and resumed wandering around the manse for a while, at one point ducking into the dining room for a snack.

This routine was only interrupted by Wilmarina returning to the manse.

As Errol happened to be close to the front door at the time, he met with the succubus. "Welcome back, Royal Sorceress," Errol said. "Was there anything of note today?"

"Nothing much," Wilmarina said in a tired tone. "Fifty-three patients with impaired vision, thirty-seven with impaired hearing, eighty-one with dental issues, six paraplegics…"

And all this was from the afternoon. Wilmarina had gone out in the morning as well.

Errol continued to be amazed by her generosity. After the Fiery Hand's attack, nobody would have blamed her if she'd decided to stay in the manse permanently. Yet she continued to go out and provide miracles to the people of Meereen.

I've heard her say that she is no hero, just an old veteran now trying to live a quiet life with her family. But in my eyes, she is more heroic than any of the figures from the legends.

Errol followed Wilmarina to the dining room, where he poured out a glass of milk for her. Then he thought of something.

"Royal Sorceress, if I may… do you have time to answer a question?"

"Yes, what is it, Errol?"

Errol licked his lips nervously. "I was wondering… that is… I would like to know more about what life is like for incubi in Lescatie."

Wilmarina looked intently at Errol. She did not make any jokes, unlike certain other people.

"...I understand. What would you like to know, specifically?"

"To start with… what kinds of work do incubi do? What is it like compared to the work monsters do?"

"For the most part, they do the same work as monsters, with the same freedom to choose how they work," Wilmarina replied. "The exceptions would be any work that is risky. A society that has no male births cannot expose its males to danger, you see. Some occupations like soldier and explorer are rarely done by incubi. My Elt used to be a soldier—not that he ever truly enjoyed the work—and he's given up on that now. Nowadays, he mainly takes care of the family, though he sometimes dabbles in writing."

"Writing?"

"Yes, you might consider him a part-time author. He's written some books, mostly about adventures in fantastical locations… Oh! Have I ever told you about 'The Mysterious Arch'? It's about this stone archway in the depths of a forest, and whenever someone steps through it—"

Errol spent several minutes listening to Wilmarina describe her husband's books in detail… quite exhaustive detail. He got the impression that she'd read all of those books multiple times.

"...though, admittedly, his readership isn't that wide, outside of our family," Wilmarina said. "Oh, I've taken up too much of your time. Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"No, that was all. Thank you, Royal Sorceress."

Errol bowed and walked away. Once he was out of Wilmarina's sight, he couldn't help but smile at what he'd just heard.

When I first met her, I found her to be so intimidating… well, even the younger monsters were intimidating at first, but she was like… like coming face to face with a dragon the size of a pyramid.

Now… I can actually relax around her. More than that, I feel like I could have laughed at her story just now, and she wouldn't have taken offence…

Not that Errol planned to laugh at her anytime soon. He still felt too much gratitude towards her for letting him stay here.

Errol resumed wandering yet again. In the dining room, he overheard Alatto, Rego and Miklaz discussing the queen's recent conquest of Yunkai, and wondering if she'd return before week's end or not. In the entrance hall, he overheard Merrabor and Osaren reminiscing about their mutual homeland of Naath. He did not try to join in either conversation, instead just moving on.

One conversation that did make him linger was the one between Fieron and Amelia in a corridor on the first floor.

"They genuinely don't want to marry or have children?" Fieron said. "It's a little hard for me to imagine."

"Yeah, and it's hard to imagine for the traditionalists back home too," Amelia said. "But there are people like that, like my friends Ama and Rillis."

"Those were… the maneater twins, if I remember correctly? The type of alraune?"

Amelia giggled. "That's right. I'm sure it's juuust coincidence that you happen to remember them…"

"Well, I have just gained interest in sexual matters. It's only natural that I remember those who I might lay with in future."

Errol shook his head. Fieron was as bold in social situations as he was on the battlefield. Not at all like a certain boy currently skulking around the corner, trying not to be seen.

"Anyway, a lot of younger people live like that now, in Lescatie and in some other places I've been too," Amelia said. "They say that having kids would get in the way of having fun."

"I see… I suppose it makes sense when your kind can live for centuries, even remain fertile for centuries, and are unlikely to suffer early deaths. There's just no need to rush into having children… very different from all the human societies I know. Hmm. Anyway, I have another question. When I come to your society, how long would it take for me to have my first sexual experience?"

Errol almost fell out of his hiding spot. He knew that monster society was very open about sexual matters but he still wasn't completely used to it.

Amelia giggled again. "You really know just what you want… To answer your question, if you were just teleported into Lescatie right now… you'd have unmarried monsters aiming for you right away. Literally as soon as they see you, or maybe smell you. All you'd have to do is say yes, and then you could go with them to the nearest alley. It could take less than a minute."

"That's good to know. And…" Fieron sounded nervous for the first time, "if I may ask one more question… what should I do in order to… please… my first partner, or partners?"

"Hey, it's fine to ask that question! Anyway, it'll depend on the kind of monster, but for some general tips…"

Errol blushed as he heard an increasingly explicit series of words. He was tempted to walk away as quickly and quietly as he could manage. Yet one part of him forced him to linger, to hear and remember everything.

The conversation soon came to an end. Fieron thanked Amelia for her advice and walked away. Amelia walked away in the opposite direction, which happened to lead her to where Errol was hiding.

"Hey, did you find that useful too?" Amelia asked. For today's appearance, she'd given herself red eyes and raven-black hair, and she wore a silver dress with a similar texture to the actual metal.

Errol blushed even more deeply. He should have left as soon as the conversation ended, but he'd been too absorbed in the subject matter to even think about moving.

"You could say that," Errol admitted. "Lady Amelia… I've been thinking. For quite a few days now, actually, and…"

A memory flitted across Errol's mind: a green-skinned, silver-haired girl laughing at a joke he'd told, then asking if he knew any more.

He'd been trying to suppress such memories today: for one thing, it would've been impossible to concentrate on the day's lesson if he was distracted.

But after one memory entered his mind, others came flooding in: the girl asking him how he felt about living in this manse, the girl working on an experiment and telling him what she was doing, the girl nervously suggesting that he eat more in order to grow bigger. All these memories made him feel incredibly warm.

"...and now… I, too, want to take the next step."

Errol felt a pat on his head.

"That's brave of you," Amelia said softly. "And, just as one last reminder, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I do. I mean, I do want it. I feel that I'm ready for this."

Amelia nodded. "Okay… then when did you want to take the next step? You could wait until nighttime, like Elise did—"

"I'd like to progress… as soon as possible."

That caused Amelia's mouth to gape in surprise. However, Errol had made up his mind. He wanted to bring an end to this awkward dance between him and the girl.

I've been spending so much time around monsters… picked up some of their ideas about relationships…

"Well, if you literally want to do it as soon as possible," Amelia said, "I saw Colette go into the bath a little while back. She always takes a long time in the bath, so she should still be in there… want to join her?"

Errol flinched. It was something deeply, unfathomably improper. His parents would yell at him if they knew he was tempted by the prospect.

But after some hesitation, he nodded slightly.

"Alright. Then do you want me to go with you there, just up to the door, and ask my sis if she's interested?"

"N-No! I mean, no. This is something I must do myself."

"Got it. Good luck!"

Errol slowly walked downstairs. He stopped in front of the door to the bath. Here, he could faintly hear the sound of splashing water.

In contrast to his earlier confidence, he was now filled with overwhelming anxiety. He wanted to turn away, return to his room and forget this whole idea.

No. I've kept her waiting for far too long.

Errol reached one hand towards the door, only to hesitate again.

But what if I'm wrong? What if she doesn't… actually like me in that way?

It was an irrational concern. All of his bed slave training indicated that the girl did reciprocate his feelings. And her family members certainly thought this was the case.

The idea I might be… loved… is hard to accept. But accept it I must.

Errol knocked on the door and said, "Lady Colette?"

There was a loud splash from the other side. "E-E-Errol!? D-Did you need something from m-me!?"

"I-If you're alright with it… may I join you in there?"

There was no immediate response from Colette. However, Errol knew she would understand the implication of these words.

"If this is presumptuous of me, then I apologise. I just wanted to ask—"

"It's… alright. You can… come in…"

These words were so quiet that they were almost inaudible.

Errol swallowed, turned the doorknob and entered the bathroom.

The inside of the bathroom was steamy and illuminated by magical lamps. Errol had been here many times before, usually with others, sometimes by himself—a luxury his old self could never have imagined.

Sitting in one of the bathtubs was Colette's human body, while her flower was resting on the floor next to the bathtub. Colette had sunken herself in the water so deeply that only her head was visible, and her eyes were fixed on the floor.

Errol averted his eyes. It was stupid, considering the purpose of this visit, but he couldn't help himself.

"Lady Colette… um… is the bathwater to your l-liking…?

Errol immediately wanted to kick himself. He'd been trained specifically to pleasure a woman, including using words. He should have had an incredible advantage over the several Unsullied who'd gone through this last week. Yet now that he was face to face with the girl he loved, he became tongue-tied?

"I-It's fine…" Colette said. "Um, Errol, what made you come here…?"

Errol slapped himself on the cheeks. He needed to pull himself together.

"Lady… no. Co… Colette. Ever since your half-sister, and those three Unsullied… w-wed each other, I've been thinking…"

Colette murmured something that vaguely sounded like "It can't be… this is like a dream…" Errol almost stopped out of excitement, but he forced himself to keep going.

"I've been thinking… You see, I am very grateful to your whole family, for taking in someone like me, showing me happiness that I had never known before. I don't have any fighting skill, but I will still—" he decided against using the word "serve", which the monsters disliked, "help your family to the best of my ability. However… my feelings for you, in particular, are more than that."

"I… Errol, I…"

Errol noticed a sweet fragrance in the air—a common thing when around the alraune. It was better than any common flowers he'd smelled. Even so, he forced himself to keep going.

"Colette… you are the most wonderful woman I have ever met."

There was the sound of water sloshing around. "No, that's not true! I'm nothing compared to my sisters, or Auntie Mary, or my own mother… Also, I'm not really a woman yet!"

"Colette, I also live with the first two of those," Errol said resolutely. "And I still… I still want you, more than any of them! And I am just a year younger than you are…"

"But… But… But what about you? I mean, I wouldn't want to… take advantage…"

Errol couldn't help but smile. During his previous work, he'd had to service people of all kinds, united only in being wealthy and in having zero regard for his feelings. It was a reminder of how blessed he was now.

"I've overcome my past," Errol said. "Perhaps it was easier for me than the other three… I didn't spend as much time doing that work. Anyway, I don't want to—I refuse to let my past hold me back. I refuse to let those masters prevent me from being happy."

Errol looked in Colette's direction. He discovered that she was looking at him, her eyes filled with longing.

"I… want to be happy," Errol finished.

As soon as he said it, Errol cursed himself for the pathetic conclusion to his speech. He really should have practised before coming here—

And then Colette rose out of the tub, causing Errol's thoughts to grind to a halt.