They all got up and went out the dining room and while the Viscount, his wife, and his daughters went to the stairs that led to the upper level, Anika asked:
“Can we go see your room first? I am rather curious to see if it’s as empty as the Viscount said.”
Pearl made a slight frown:
“Unless he invites one of us to a little foreplay on his bed, I don’t see the point. I would rather take a look at the room with Magical Orbs, and I bet you would like to play again with gold coins.”
Anika curled up her right eyebrow:
“I wouldn’t say no to a crate full of gold coins to dig my hands in…”
She then opened her eyes wide:
“Oh, I wonder how it would feel to be inside a bathtub full of gold coins! The best I did was to play with a crate of precious gems in my father’s house when I was little!”
Alex slowly nodded, thinking that Anika probably came from a very rich family, if her parents even let her play in a crate with precious gems, and he then guided them to a side corridor. In front of a group of stairs that led to the basement, two guards greeted them with a slight bow and stood aside, to let them pass.
At the end of the stairs, there was a huge cellar with bottles upon bottles of wine, beer, whiskey, and some that had strange liquids that made Wenammy point at a shelf, and Alex explained while continuing his walk in the direction of a big wooden door:
“Those are other alcoholic beverages that not many people appreciate because they are extremely strong, and there are crates in that corner with the liquid that is inside the vases that provide light.”
Wenammy glanced to where he was pointing, and when Alex opened the door and lit the vases on the wall of that immense room, Pearl gasped. On that large room, there were shelves upon shelves with Magical Orbs depleted of their Magic. She approached one of the shelves and touched one big Orb. Alex explained when he noticed her puzzled look:
“That is my stash of Magical Orbs that were depleted of Magic in some of my facilities, and also several that I bought for a very cheap price, waiting for a new use or to be refiled with Magic. Most people don’t bother on looking for another use to Orbs that lost their Magic because they prefer to pay a high price to a Mage to refill the Orb, but I know a bunch of artisans and sculptors that make some pretty things that the Nobles are so crazy about, and I sell them for a huge profit, and I give a big share to those artisans and sculptors.”
Pearl nodded while looking around at the dozens of Magical Orbs of several sizes.
“So many… I wonder how many people died because of the Monsters that had them…”
Alex made a bitter smile while going to the door that led to another room:
“That’s why I don’t like to come here, it always makes me sad.”
As soon as he lit the vases on the next room, Anika smiled at the crates:
“Oh, so many! Where are the gold ones?”
Alex opened the cover of a long crate that was on the floor in the middle of the room, and pointed at the inside:
“Here is your bathtub. Want to go for a swim?”
Anika carefully lifted her dress and crossed one leg over the left edge of the crate. She sat on top of the pile of gold coins and caught a handful, making them fall on her lap. She leaned her head on the edge of the crate and kept on playing with the coins, with her eyes closed. Alex tilted his head and asked while looking at Anika’s feet:
“Wasn’t you supposed to have a Mermaid’s tail? Or it only appears underwater?”
With a slight smile, Anika raised her dress until her thighs, and she quickly removed her sandals with precious gems that came with the dress. Alex saw her legs joining together, and turning into a long tail, reflecting the light around in a myriad of colors. She looked at Alex and spoke with such a seductive voice, that he suddenly felt an urge to hug and kiss her:
“I can make my cute tail appear anytime I want, but while I am laying down, it’s easier. You would never imagine the sensations I can give you with my tail caressing your body.”
Alex was having a hard time focusing with Anika’s voice dragging him closer to her, and Shinatobe whispering into his ear, telling him to concentrate on her voice and to not let that magic voice dominate him. Suddenly, Wenammy punched Anika’s head, hard:
“Stop that, you cheater! We agreed to let him be today! Your time to seduce him will be tomorrow, but you can’t use your Magic voice to convince him, or else I will use the wind of my wings, and you won’t stand a chance!”
Anika rubbed her head and she quickly turned her tail into legs again. She put on her sandals while Alex was blinking. He looked at Wenammy and made an awkward smile:
“Thanks, I almost fell for it, even with Shinatobe telling me not to hear her! What was that? I felt like my body was not obeying me, and my mind was getting lost in her words!”
Anika had an awkward smile while Wenammy was staring at her with an angry face, and she pounded Anika’s head again and explained:
“That was ‘Mermaid’s Voice’. Her kind can use it to lure a man to their bed if they fail to make him fall for them, properly. It’s a very dirty move, and most Mermaids don’t use it because as soon as the man notices what they did, most of the time he attacks them or hates them forever.”
Alex nodded while remembering how he felt his mind drifting away from him:
“Yeah, a dangerous Spell indeed. But you said something about using the wind of your wings, what did you mean by that?”
Wenammy became bright red and stuttered while fiddling with her fingers:
“I-it’s like her voice… b-but more powerful… It can even make a man forget he doesn’t want to be with a High Fairy, at least for a few days, but when he remembers, normally things turn bad very quickly. It’s… a shameful trick and my kind stopped using it centuries ago, but we are still able to do it. We save it for emergencies and such.”
Alex rubbed the back of his neck with a frown:
“I hope neither of you uses this kind of thing on me, I don’t like to be forced to do anything. What about you, Pearl, any hidden power like this that I should know about?”
Pearl approached him and placed both arms on his shoulders. She stopped with her lips at a few millimeters of his, and after two seconds to let him realize what was about to happen and to focus her Magic, she kissed him. Alex opened slightly his lips, trying to get free, but felt her tongue gently rubbing his lower lip while going in, and she caressed the tip of his tongue, making circles. She kept on kissing him for a few seconds without closing her eyes, watching his reaction, and Alex froze, lost in all the green in her eyes. It was like a forest, bathed in the morning sun. He could swear he heard birds chirping. Then, Pearl suddenly was pulled back, and Alex saw himself again in the room with Anika and Wenammy pulling Pearl Pearson away from him. Alex blinked a few times and touched his lips. After getting out of the initial shock, he muttered:
“That was… I don’t know what that was… Your eyes… so much green… I saw a forest, and I could even hear the birds… what…”
Pearl explained with a kinky smile:
“That was ‘Elfian’s Kiss’. I can use it together with a little bit of Magic in my eyes to show you a memory that I have. The one you saw was one of my prettiest memories from when I was young and I was seated on the branch of a tree, feeling the forest. I bet you are now dying for another kiss and more of my memories, right? An ‘Elfian’s Kiss’ is not a cheap trick like ‘Mermaid’s Voice’ or ‘Fairies Wind’, because it doesn’t control you in any way whatsoever, it only shows you a little bit more of me.”
Alex made a slight smile, remembering the forest he saw on Pearl’s eyes:
“Thank you for this, it was indeed a nice memory. You are right, I am having a hard time not grabbing you right now and kissing you again, hoping to see more. I always had problems with Elfians, and after this, it became even worse. Better if we get out from here before I jump on you and that bad-tempered Rabbit-kind gets annoyed from waiting.”
Anika stuttered while grabbing Alex’s right arm and walking with him:
“Y-you mean t-that you fell in love with Pearl? Just like that? What about me and Wenammy?”
Alex made an awkward smile and touched her forehead with his:
“I didn’t fell for her just like that, because I always had a thing for Mermaids and Fairies as well. I used to dream about women like you three when I was very little, and I couldn’t even imagine that one day I would be walking with any of you at my side. This is just too new for me, I may need some time to adjust myself to this situation before I decide about any of you. Can you be a little more patient with me, you beautiful Mermaid?”
Anika turned bright red, making quite a pair with Wenammy that was holding Alex’s left arm. She slowly nodded and Pearl grunted from behind them:
“Stupid Mermaid, getting all worried when she is always holding his arm while I am always left alone, looking at his back…”
Anika quickly pulled her and held her left arm. They walked across the big room and had a lot of trouble going up the stairs, laughing and holding arms with each other. In the main corridor, Viscount Tom West was waiting for them, with an annoyed look.
“It was about time for you to show up! I was about to raise the alarm to make the guards look for you! Where have you been?”
Alex answered with an awkward smile that made the Viscount look at him, curious:
“I was showing them the rooms in the lower level and learning a bit more about their kind. Shall we get going? I am in dire need of warm and relaxing water, right now!”
The Viscount grinned and tapped Alex’s back. They all followed him along the corridor and joined his family that was already near the entrance. Outside, two carriages waited for them, and Anika noticed that the Viscount’s carriage was a bit larger than the one that brought her, but she then realized it was because of the need for more seats, for the Viscount’s family.
As the carriages drove along the paved road, Anika was looking through the window to the carriage in front, and she then jumped on her seat a few times. She frowned and looked at the road, thinking. Alex was looking at her, wondering what that crazy Mermaid was up to. She then sat in her place again, with a weird frown. Alex rolled up his eyes and asked:
“What’s now, Anika? You have a strange look on your face.”
“Yeah… I just noticed that this carriage doesn’t bump as much as most carriages. I thought it was because of the road, but I am not sure. Normal carriages on paved roads in a City shake a lot more than this one did when we went to the Chamber of Lords. And all your roads are paved? Because the work to make a paved road, and the number of people needed…”
“I was wondering when any of you was going to notice. My carriages have a different type of construction, with a twisted axle and independent springs on each wheel. I have one facility that changes carriages, and there is always a line of carriages from Nobles and Merchants, waiting to be modified. As for the roads, I am lucky enough to have a bunch of Earth Mages working for me, and they take care of the roads. It’s easier to travel if the road is paved.”
Anika eased the frown on her forehead and nodded:
“I see, one more way for you to gain money. I heard the King saying that there is an inconspicuous carriage for the Princess near your manor, it has the same modifications as this one?”
“I don’t know, but after meeting the Princess, I think it’s better if she travels in one of mine that has seats which can turn into a bed for her and her lady’s maid. I am not seeing that spoiled Princess camping outside near a fire, do you?”
Anika looked at her bench, and Alex explained how to change the configuration of the seats where he and she were, and how to join them with the seats of Wenammy and Pearl. When Anika was about to say to Wenammy to get up to test it, the carriage stopped, and the page opened the door.
Alex was the first to get out as usual, and held the hand of each woman, helping them to step down while they grabbed the tip of their dress so that they didn’t trip.
In front of them, there was a group of servants and maids, bowing at Alex and the Viscount, and on their left, the carriages of the Nobles and the horses of the Royal Guards with the Guards near them, in absolute silence.
Wenammy looked past behind them, to the building. It looked like a cottage, completely made of wood and stained-glass windows, depicting animals. It completely blended in with the forest around, and the noise from the wind brushing on the leaves and the birds chirping made her smile. Pearl noticed and whispered:
“It looks magical, right? It’s so peaceful that there are even animals near the trees, looking at us. Let’s follow them, I want to see that hot spring.”