One morning, as Maria Campbell woke up from strange dreams about being filled with the blessing of an unstoppable crimson decay of a Great One, she discovered that in bed she was covered in stickiness, parts of her ached, and pressed up against her was the naked flesh of her fiancé.

The instinctive panic shot only briefly as she hastily confirmed that the flesh in question was warm and vital, and that the stickiness was not blood but rather phantasm slime and sweat. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs. While the room certainly needed to be aired—again—there was no stench of the scarlet sweetness.

Sighing, she let herself relax, her hand idly stroking her maid's hair as Sadako lay curled up next to her. Her other arm pulled Rafael up against her side, and while some would have found the excessive warmth uncomfortable, it was far preferable to cold flesh slowly growing bloated and putrid within. Warmth meant no one had died. Warmth meant she hadn't hurt anyone.

As she lay there, the remnants of her dream of dancing upon a flowery field clothed in a cloak of butterflies slowly fading away, memory and duty and memories of duty began to assert itself, and she sighed as she realized she'd need to get up soon. Today was the day of the gala Duchess Claes had invited her to, for the occasion of welcoming and presenting the Duke Adeth and his clan. She glanced outside, judging the time from the color of the sky beyond. Between her own morning sword practice, breakfast, the time needed to make herself presentable, and what little time she'd have to squeeze in a little household paperwork, there would barely be time for Rafael to ravish her if she didn't get up to begin her morning right then and there! And it wouldn't be a proper ravishing in the bedroom, but rather a hasty one as they bathed together, possibly even making them late as Rafael's lusts compelled her to remain to sate them…

Steeling herself and wiping a line of drool that for some reason had begun to drip from the corner of her mouth, Maria gently, quietly disentangled herself from her dear Rafael, turning to slip out the other side of the bed as her maid Sadako rose and made room for her. Her maid offered her a robe, but Maria waved it away. She was just going to the bathroom to throw water on herself to get rid of the bulk of the stickiness, there was no need for anything more. Her maid nodded and folded the robe again, putting it next to the training clothes Maria would be wearing for her drills before following her to the bathroom.

After a quick rinse and leading her wards who were learning the sword on their morning drills—basic light attacks, heavy attacks, charged heavy attacks, jumping attacks, running attacks of the light and heavy varieties, the backstepping attacks that were so easily forgotten—Maria returned inside, thought she'd begun walking back to the knights barracks before she remembered her squire wasn't about—how quickly such a thing had become normal for her. When she returned to her room, she found Rafael beginning to rouse, his maid Lasciel in the process of laying out the clothes he'd be wearing. The red-haired maid bowed to Maria and nodded to her Ashina counterpart, before leaving the room to see to breakfast. As Sadako took the water that had been heated in the kettle to the bath, Maria sat at Rafael's side so that she would be the first thing he saw.

Her dear Rafael gave her a sleepy smile as he awakened. "G'uh m'rnin', Maria," he said, before yawning.

"Good morning, dear Rafael," she greeted, smiling down at him.

He, of course, ravished her in the bath.

Breakfast was a pleasant and cheerful affair. With Miss She— with Anne to see to mother's needs, Maria had expected her to… well, she tried not to think about it too hard, because that way lay the Eldritch Truth that made her wish to gouge out her eyes with her breakfast spoon, but even a brief though would have her expecting that mother would be feeling perhaps a touch lonely. Though perhaps not being sated was a state of events she was used to given the last ten years? In any case, mother seemed to be taking it well enough, even if she sometimes glanced sideways at the empty spot where Mis— Anne usually sat. Still, the slightly melancholy didn't affect her interactions with the children, who kept approaching their end of the table for hugs and other gestures of affection.

After breakfast, she retired to her office to do some paperwork for the Nightflower Workshop, while Rafael had volunteered to take some of the house's finances to his own office to do for her. While there were expected accidents, sparks and small burns, the methods they used as well the care of their works had so far prevented any accidental explosions, either in storage or on the work floor. Maria didn't know how long this was likely to last, but when the inevitable finally occurred, she hoped there would be enough pieces left of those involved that she could heal them with Light Magic…

At late morning, she ceased her work and went up to her room to wash and powder her face before she put on the suit that Sadako had prepared. Dark trousers, shirt, vest, neck cloth, the broach that held the green cabochon that her squire had once given her—it did look like a watermelon, Maria conceded—boots, weapon belts, coat, gloves, short sword, saber, pistols, additional cylinders, throwing knives, hat…

It was a heavily armed Maria Campbell who climbed into the carriage with Rafael. Her fiancé was wearing his formal Ministry robes, as he had received his own invitation under the name of 'Vice-Director Walt' rather than attending as Maria's guest. Personally, Maria wasn't sure what to make of this concept of allowing guests with an invitation. So much safer to issue a summons that invites people by name. That way, certain people couldn't find their way where they are unwanted, as long as the summon didn't lack an addressee. But what sort of person would not remember to address an invitation?

When Maria had visited the Claes Manor before, it had been on some business with her grace the Duchess Claes. She had been the only guest, and she had walked halls that had been empty of naught but servants and a few functionaries. There had been no one ahead of her and behind her, and the manor had generally been peaceful.

Today, the road to the manor was crowded with carriages, even though Maria and Rafael had left early and were in fact still early for the gathering in question. It took some time before it was their turn to disembark, finally stepping down from their carriage in front of the manor's entrance. The two of them walked arm and arm to the entrance, where they were guided to the manor's ballroom.

The Duchess Claes receiving guests was perfectly expected. What was unexpected was finding Katarina with her at the receiving line. Maria's squire wore her formal armor—blue-painted plates of metal, mantle, waist cape, fauld-skirt, snack pockets and all—her sword at her waist. Wait, had Duchess Claes really put her squire somewhere this public? Wasn't that a very large risk? What if Katarina actually opened her mouth to talk to people?

"Dame Maria," Duchess Claes said with a small, serene smile that was more a suggestion than an actual expression. Makeup had been applied around her eyes to make them appear less sharp. "How wonderful to see you again. We must speak later, when you have time."

"Of course, your grace," Maria said as they clasped hands in greeting. "I am at your service. I believe you've met my fiancé, Rafael Walt?"

"I am well aware," her grace said. "Welcome, Vice Director Walt."

"Duchess Claes. Thank you for the invitation," Rafael said with a smile.

Maria moved on to Katarina, resigned to some vaguely embarrassing enthusiasm as her squire clasped her hands in greeting accompanied with a wide, almost painful looking smile.

"Lady Maria! So glad you could make it. I hope you enjoy the party."

Maria stared. Then she turned back towards Duchess Claes. "I congratulate you, your grace. You were finally able to find a convincing impersonator for Lady Katarina."

"Eh?"

"Ah, you are mistaken, Dame Campbell," the Duchess said, her smile becoming sharper, utterly ruining all the hard work of her makeup as it gave her face an aura of cunning sharpness. "So far, my search has been unsuccessful."

Maria blinked, then turned to stare at her confused-looking squire. "Ah. I see. I shall have to give Shana more dessert. She has done an exceptional job." She nodded. "Excellent conduct, my squire."

"Uh, thank you?"

Maria stepped aside to allow Rafael to be greeted. "Ah, Vice-Director Walt! It's so nice to see you again! How's work?"

"Tiring. Everything is tiring," Rafael sighed. "Hello, Lady Katarina. It's so nice to see you again. You're greatly missed at home." He leaned forward a little. "Please come back soon. I don't think I can last much longer… "

Maria blinked, tilting her head in confusion. "Eh?"

"Oh, don't worry Rafael, I'm coming back the day after tomorrow," Katarina said cheerfully. "Say hi to everyone for me, all right?" Ah, now THAT did seem like her squire. Well, it had been a hope. It was seeming more and more likely Katarina actually WOULD have to attend the International Assembly in some capacity.

The two moved on, and we immediately offered drinks by a waiting servant. Rafael took a glass, but Maria demurred. She did not drink… wine.

Without missing a beat, another servant offered her chilled juice, which Maria gladly accepted.

They were met by Lady Hunt, Lord Ascart and Sophia. Maria had almost forgotten how much the quiet lord loomed as he followed his sister like Prince Lorian attending to Prince Lothric.

"Did you see that?" Lady Hunt said, her tone just short of a squeal and practically gushing. "She's attending to the receiving line perfectly! Ah, Lady Katarina… And it's all thanks to my cute little student's teachings!"

Maria nodded in agreement. "Yes, Shana has certainly worked wonders." The two exchanged a look of shared pride.

"Rafael, your fiancée is weird," Sophia said.

"That's a very strange way of pronouncing 'perfect'," Rafael said. He nodded at Lord Ascart. "Hello Nicol. How's work?"

Lord Ascart tilted his head, then shrugged.

"Yeah, it's terrible," Rafael sighed. "Still, look on the bright side."

Lord Ascart tilted his head the other way.

"All of the people you work with probably know how to fill out the paperwork properly."

The short, sharp bark of laughter was the first Maria had ever heard from the older man.

"Wow, you too?" Rafael said, sounding disbelieving. Lord Ascart nodded. "Wow, recruiting standards are low everywhere."

The two men sighed, though one was quieter than the other.

"Still not coming to work at the castle with you big brother," Sophia said flatly.

Lord Ascart sighed again.

"You could quit and join me in the Ministry?" Rafael suggested.

Lord Ascart gave him a blank stare.

"I case you can't tell," Sophia said helpfully, "That's his 'I wasn't born yesterday, you're planning to foist your paperwork on me', look."

Rafael shrugged with absolutely no guilt. "Had to give it a shot."

Sophia raised her hand. "Since my big brother is too mature to do it, I will be giving you the rude gesture on his behalf." She pointed at Rafael, then at the ground.

Lord Ascart nodded and gave his sister a small smile.

Everyone behind her immediately fainted.

Lord Ascart's expression didn't change, but there was a slightly exasperated air about him.

"Casuls," Sophia snorted. "Come on, let's move to somewhere else."

Everyone nodded and moved on as the servants, with the air of people who'd had to do this before, began rousing the insensate guests.