"—and that's why mythic architecture is a deliberate ploy to murder as many people as possible," Maria said darkly.
The other four ladies mused about this.
"And now I'm wondering if my Aunt Siuane's death was an accident," Lady Wraithcroft said.
"Was she a Marchioness?" Lady Idris said.
Lady Wraithcroft sighed. "She was murdered, wasn't she?"
Everyone nodded with varying levels of condolence.
"Hex it. Now I'm going to need to find out who killed her," Lady Wraithcroft sighed.
"No, this is exactly the sort of adventurous nonsense that gets you chosen over your brother and you end up a Marchioness with a resentful relative," Lady Marcone said. "Wait until AFTER he gets the title, and THEN look for who did it. Then there's no way they can make you take the job."
"Unless your brother did it," Lady Cisarovna said.
Another thoughtful pause from the group.
"I never like Aunt Siuane anyway," Lady Wraithcroft said tiredly. "I'm pretty sure she was taking advantage of the stableboys. They stopped allegedly running away and disappearing when she died."
Maria sometimes wished she'd managed to stay a commoner, instead of being knighted on some strange whim of the king's (she was fairly certain it was all the Third Prince's fault). Hadn't she run away from Cainhurst a lifetime ago to get away from things like this?
Still, the ladies themselves seemed mostly inoffensive. No flirting, no attempting to seduce her, no moving as a group to isolate her from everyone else and then have their way with her body, that sort of thing. At most, they complimented her on her suit, and while they examined it—and by extension, her body—closely, it was well within the bounds of examining the stats of the suit itself so they could decide if they wanted to integrate it into their build.
Maria, of course, had the good taste to not start immediately asking if they wanted to place a commission with the Nightflower Workshop. That wouldn't do, after all. She was here in her capacity as a knight and, while not exactly equal, fellow noble, not some sort of… wandering merchant. No, they first had to exhaust all conversational possibilities, then one of them would be able to offer the other a quest to kill someone or bring them some item, and only then could Maria ask them if they were interested in placing a commission.
Speaking to them naturally led to speaking to other, as their acquaintances came near and had to be introduced. At which point Maria had to have her clothes admired all over again, especially the fit and cut of her trousers, and had to give another woman Master Hebert's details. Maria would probably need to warn her subject of the possibility of impending business when she go home, so he could drive up his prices.
Alas, most of the ladies she met were quite young, and were likely not holding the family purse strings when it came to planning parties, so none of them ventured to inquire as to placing a commission on the Nightflower Workshop.
(Later, she would hold her head in embarrassment as Sophia asked if she'd remembered to tell them about the Nightflower Workshop.)
She wasn't the center of all attention, of course. While they were curious of her, since this was her debut, there were other people who were socially more interesting. Lady Viridian was asked to show her engagement ring, having only recently become engaged to Lord Fangor, who was apparently a childhood friend. Someone's sister was about to begin attending the Academy the following year, and those who'd gone to the academy offered their advice or waxed on nostalgically of their own days. Maria had offered the advice to let grades slip for the first few months, lest they be drafted into the student council to do endless paperwork, something that someone else who'd also been on a student council had fervently agreed with.
Maria and the woman, Lady Upland, had exchanged looks of shared commiseration.
All in all, it had been a surprisingly… nice… experience. When the nightflowers had gone off at dust and the party had started to ended, Maria had left with several correspondences written in a notebook that Sophia had subtly slipped her before the shorter woman had wandered off to make appointments with nobles wishing for nightflower commissions to their own parties.
It was, all thing considered, a fruitful party.
"Keep it," Sophia had said with a smirk as Maria had tried to return the notebook to her after memorizing all the contents. "Consider it a debut gift. You can use it for any other people you meet. You too, Matthew."
Behind Maria's carriage, the Claes, Ascart and Hunt carriages rolled along, their drivers long resigned to their young ladies eccentricities.
"Oh… well, thank you," Maria said.
"Yes, thank you very much, Lady Sophia," Matthew said enthusiastically over the sounds of Katarina eating.
Speaking of which…
"My squire, why do you have a crate of warm food?" Maria asked as she tucked away the notebook for safe keeping.
"The party is over!" Katarina said staunchly as Mary helpfully used her ice magic to keep a bottle of what Maria hoped was juice instead of warm chilled. "There's no etiquette about eating in the carriage on the way back home! Besides, Selena-chan gave me this crate. Said she had it prepared when she saw how little I was eating." Maria sniffed. "She's such a good person!"
"I'd have readied a crate of warm food for you to eat on the way home too, Lady Katarina!" Mary unsurprisingly declared.
"There's a whole ham in here," Matthew commented peering down into the crate.
"That should Last Lady Katarina about halfway through the trip," Sophia commented as Maria sighed.
Well… she supposed there was no etiquette about carriage ride eating…
"Fine," Maria said. "But if anything gets spilled, it will be your duty to clean the inside of the carriage thoroughly before you may go to bed."
"Hai, Maria-sensei!" Katarina said cheerfully. She reached down and held up a wooden container. "Appetizers?"
They were, in fact, good appetizers.
The other ladies all got off Maria's carriage partway through the trip and into their own, heading home to their various lands, leaving Maria and Katarina alone. There had been talk of a sleepover, but Maria had firmly put her foot down on that.
Katarina, at least, had been working on her 'sleep-anywhere' training, for she was asleep, sitting straight, head level, almost as soon as the other three left. Fortunately for her squire—though in hindsight and given Katarina's enthusiasm when it came to eating, not very surprising—no food had been spilled. All the dishes in the crate had even been neatly stacked.
Her squire had strange competencies in the weirdest things.
The carriage took a detour on the way back to her manor. As Katarina continued to sleep on, Maria stepped down, took a moment to orient herself, and entered the tavern. The 8 Metals was the biggest—and only—tavern in the town of Raven's Nest, run by its mayor. While she knew of it, this was the first time she had ever entered it this late. The tavern was lively with the sounds of conversation, the clinking of cutlery and containers of drinks, and some men singing a local song as she stepped inside and glanced about.
The mayor saw her first of course, his eyes widening in surprise. Deciding it would be faster than looking, Maria nodded to him, heading towards the bar where he was serving drinks.
As she walked inside, the sound slowly seemed to subside, and by the time she was at the bar proper, the tavern had dropped to relative silence.
"Mayor Alvere," Maria said, nodding in greeting. "Is Tailor Hebert about?"
One of the mean who'd been previously singing raised a hand. "Here, my lady?"
Maria nodded. "Tailor Hebert, there is a good chance you will have some business in the days to come. Do you still remember how you made my suit?"
The man nodded, confused. "Er, yes, my lady?"
"Good. Keep that in mind, and you should be fine," Maria said, nodding. She looked around. Some men at the bar studiously averted their gaze. Maria caught sight of richer materials, boots of a higher quality, and bulging belt pouches. "Also, a minor note. I do not wished to be disturbed tonight. Anyone trying to trespass into my property over the coming week will be killed and hung on the walls as a warning. Please make the required changes in plans to avoid a gruesome death. Normal detainment will resume next week." She nodded at everyone. Then paused. Well, she always wanted to say this. "Also, the next round is on me. Mayor Alvere, send the tab to the manor tomorrow."
"Yes, my lady," the man said as the room cheered.
Maria nodded at them, and went back out to her carriage.
"So, how was the party?" Rafael asked, as they got ready for bed. Maria had moved that night's nightmare rota, as she felt she needed rest, and had told Chiharu that they would continue the following night. Though she also told Chiharu to inform her immediately if this seemed to be adversely affecting the women who were being made to wait.
"It was… enjoyable," Maria said hesitantly as she sat down on the bed, clad in her preferred sleepwear. "I met some people who did not seem objectionable. Oh, and I also encountered someone who knew you. Marsha Catley." Behind her, Sadako silently put away Maria's discarded clothes.
"Huh, so that's why she asked for a day off," Rafael mused as he settled himself, the headboard at his back, pulling the blanket over his lap. "I didn't know she swung that way. Politically, I mean."
"I think she will become a close supporter of Lady Selena in future," Maria noted. "They share a mutual dislike of Larna Smith."
Rafael sighed. "Yes, well, Larna is… Larna."
"She is," Maria agreed.
The door opened, and Chiharu stepped in, clad in her own light, robe-like sleeping attire. She bowed to Maria, then gave a second, shallowed bow to Rafael, almost a perfunctory acknowledgment, before exchanging nods with Sadako. "Lady Maria-dono. All is well. Aisha and Renge are being cared for by the children, who have volunteered to read them a story until they fall asleep."
Maria nodded. "Thank you, Chiharu-chan, That will be all for now. I hope you have a good night."
Chiharu bowed. "Until next time, my lady. Homura is looking forward to sleeping by your side again."
Rafael was staring at the ceiling as the door closed. "Why am I getting the feeling this is becoming a regular thing instead of a treatment thing?"
"It needs to be regular treatment," Maria said. "Many of these women have suffered for years. A few weeks alone will not be enough to let them rule their dreams once more."
Rafael sighed. "I feel like I shouldn't be here for it, though," he said. "Especially for the ones like Renge."
"Rafael-dono help," Sadako said as she came back from locking the door and putting a jug of water and some cups on the bedside table next to him where it would be in reach. "Renge-chan learn Rafael-dono good. Not bad. Saw Renge-chan talking Stolfo."
"I don't think that counts," Rafael said. "Stolfo looks more like a girl than some of the actual girls."
Sadako and Maria had to concede that point.
Rafael and Maria slipped under the covers as Sadako turned down the lights. She then carefully climbed onto the bed and curled up next to Maria. In the dark, Maria could hear the subtle sounds of her manner settling into the cold of night, wind in the night outside, the breathing of the two next to her. Lately, Sadako had been draping one arm over Maria's stomach, as Maria had noticed her maid's arm was sometimes stiff in the morning from being curled up. Rafael had initially seemed uncomfortable with having Sadako's hand reaching across onto his stomach, but now he just ignored it as something he was used to,
Sighing, Maria took the edge of the blanket and gently covered Sadako with it so she couldn't catch cold. While she had on her sleep robe—her yukata—there was no reason to be stingy with the covering, In fact, Sadako quickly adjusted the blanket to her preference.
"Good night, Maria," Rafael said.
Maria sighed, resigning herself to another night unravished as she lay back, one hand resting on her chest in lieu of it being squashed in betwee her and Rafael. "Good night, Rafael."
"Gud naito, Lady Maria-dono," Sadako murmured. "Oyasumi…"
"Good night, Sadako," Maria said, absently caressing her maid's hair. Under her hand, she felt Sadako lean into it.
"Good night, Sadako," Rafael said. "We're here if you have nightmares."
Over her stomach, she felt Sadako's arm move, imagined her hand lightly grazing his side before drawing back. "Arigatou, Rafael-dono… Thank you for kindness."
She felt movement as he patted Sadako's hand, curled up on Maria side. "We've all been there."
Impulsive, Maria reached down, catching their hands in hers. "And never again," she said.
She felt Sadako's hand turn, felt Rafael's slip over her own as both held hers in turn.
They lay there in the dark and quiet.
"Rafael?" Maria said quietly.
"Yeah?"
"I was thinking of having your maid join Sadako in attending us here in my room," Maria said. "You haven't slept in your room in months, and she could just as easily take care of your clothes here as there." She'd been thinking of this for a while now. "Besides, there is something neglectful about having her attend an empty room at night when you are already absent most of the day."
"Are you worried she's not working hard enough?" Rafael said. "Because Lasciel does a lot for me."
"I'm worried she thinks she's not working hard enough," Maria said. Or at least had too much free time on her hands. "The alternative is I start sleeping in your room with you every other day so she can attend to us instead of Sadako." She took a deep breath. "Or we can just make this our bedroom and move all your things here?"
There was silence mildly broken as Sadako's head shifted slightly under her hand.
"I'm pretty sure that's not proper until we're married," Rafael said, his voice sounding strained. "You'd be setting a bad example for your squire."
"No one will tell her," Maria said. "Besides, I doubt she'd even realize what it meant."
"What does it mean?" Rafael said quietly.
Maria considered that. "What we want it to mean," she said.
"Are you sure your mother will be fine with this?"
"I think she of all people will have no right to object, given her circumstances," Maria said, trying to rein in the twitching as she—
Rafael's arms suddenly wrapped around her in a warm embrace, and she suddenly found her head on his chest. Sadako's arm moved, and she felt a hand started stroking circles on her stomach. It was oddly soothing. "Ssshhhh, don't think about it, don't think about it, think of something else," Rafael murmured.
Wha…? What was she… oh, right. "Yes, thank you," she said weakly. She leaned forward and took a deep breath, filling her nostrils with the scent of her fiancé. "Besides, it's perfectly acceptable for engaged people to sleep together as long as it is for the purposes of pleasure. In fact, one could almost say this chaste circumstance is most improper. "
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then she felt Rafael shift, felt soft lips on her brow. "I am willing," he said softly, "to discuss a compromise."
"Oh?" she said. She was starting to breath heavily.
She felt a hand on her cheek, tilting her head back slightly, felt warmth on her lips…
It was a small compromise, negotiated entirely in oral argument. Maria still felt entirely unsatisfied, and she spitefully hoped Rafael was as well. Mutual dissatisfaction with the result was supposed to be the mark of a good compromise.
So, she supposed this compromise was very, very good. And she supposed it wasn't unfulfilling… just not as filling as she wanted, ha ha, oh…
And if her dreams were filled with further negotiations that were not limited to mere discourse, but spirited argument that dealt with the thrust of the matter… well, it would be good practice for the real thing.
The next day, Maria had Lasciel start moving things Rafael's things into her room.
"Wait, I don't remember agreeing to this," he said.
"You had your say in the compromise, now I'm having mine," Maria said.
"…okay, fair enough."
A/N: For the Lemon Outtake, check out the AO3 version.