4. The Maid
Olivier, who had spent the entire afternoon bent over her embroidery, clung to her hoop even after dinner. Several bolts of silk that hadn't met her approval were piled up on the side table beside her. Irritation and tension knotted her shoulders into stiff peaks.
Emily cleaned the room as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing her, neatly folded the laundry she'd brought from downstairs, and stowed it in the dressing room. In the time left over, she opened the book she'd been reading and sat down beside Olivier.
As the night deepened and her eyes grew dry from staring down at the pages, Olivier roughly set her hoop down on the side table. She sprang to her feet and stumbled to the bed, collapsing face-first onto the plush mattress.
"I'm going to sleep. I'm exhausted. No matter how I try, it's not perfect like it used to be. Tomorrow again... yawwwn."
Emily approached the yawning Olivier, her eyes half-lidded, and coaxed her into changing into nightclothes. She wiped her face with a damp cloth, completing the bedtime preparations. Olivier, now in her white nightgown and burrowed between the thin summer sheets, suddenly called out to Emily as if remembering something.
"Oh, right—I still haven't returned Mom's earrings. On your way, give them back to her and grab the Ashton Noble Directory from her room. Put it on my desk tomorrow morning. It's probably the thick one with the red cover. The one in my bookshelf here is Templeton's, so it's useless for the party at the Loren estate."
She yawned repeatedly, exhaustion weighing her down, then murmured with her eyes closed.
"...To avoid getting caught out, I need to memorize it diligently."
Emily went to the dressing room, took out the two blue sapphire earrings, held them in her hand, and left the room. It was already late, past the young lady's usual bedtime, so the wide corridor carpeted in red was deserted. The faint light from the antique magical lanterns on the walls cast a quiet, eerie glow over the hallway.
After leaving the young lady's room and passing several doors, she turned the corner at the end. Far ahead, two large doors stood side by side. The baron's door on the left was firmly shut, signaling his absence, while a sliver of light leaked from the slightly ajar door on the right.
Good, she's still awake, Emily thought, quickening her steps. As she drew closer, voices drifted through the gap in the door.
To avoid interrupting the conversation inside, Emily lightened her footsteps and approached the baroness's door. The voices grew clearer— unmistakably the baroness and Lotte.
Emily stood waiting, planning to knock once their talk ended so as not to disturb them.
"....that's how it is."
".....I hope he stays away in Eliyum as long as possible."
The baroness, hand pressed to her forehead, lounged on the sofa and murmured languidly. Her fingers, kneading her temples, soon moved to her pressure points. After massaging her head for a while, she switched hands as her fingers grew tired.
"Another headache?"
Lotte, who had been tidying the bed, approached and asked.
"Yeah... Will it get better after some sleep?"
"I've made the bed ready for you to sleep right away."
"Mm, alright..."
The baroness's response trailed off with a strange, lingering note. Then, in a subtle whisper directed at Lotte, she continued.
"It's been so long since he's been away... Lotte..."
Emily noticed the insinuating tone, odd enough to stand out. But recalling the conversation she'd overheard between the baron and Lotte the night before, she hesitated. If she knocked now, she could hand over the earrings and return straight to her room.
Should she knock or not? As she wavered, the two women's actions and words pressed on inside.
Eleanor slowly extended her hand and pulled Lotte, standing nearby, closer. As Lotte drew in, their lips met lightly, then parted.
"Of all places, our rooms have to be right next to each other... I really hate it."
Lotte gazed at Eleanor's face and spoke in a slightly husky voice.
"....Let me put you to sleep."
A faint smile played on Eleanor's lips as she met Lotte's eyes. Lotte knelt on the floor before the long sofa where Eleanor sat. She reached down and placed her hand on the ankle right in front of her. Eleanor, watching with a sultry smile, leaned back against the sofa and tilted her neck backward.
"Ahh, if only our rooms were at least a little farther apart..."
Lotte's soft touch traveled up from the ankle along her leg. Past the calf, to the thigh, kneading the skin lightly until her hand reached the inner thigh, making Eleanor tremble slightly. Lotte slipped her hand between the thighs beneath the skirt, stroking the inner flesh slowly. Eleanor savored the sensation with a languid moan.
As the subtle caresses continued, Eleanor lifted her head and spoke to Lotte in a moist voice.
"Gentler... Make me melt."
Lotte smiled faintly and nodded. Amid Eleanor's drowsy gaze, Lotte swiftly removed her outer dress. Now in simple undergarments, Eleanor leaned back on the sofa, eyeing Lotte with seductive intent. Lotte knelt again.
As if attending to her usual duties, Lotte placed her hand on Eleanor's chest. Her fingers encircled the full breasts spilling from the silk undergarment, stroking them in slow circles. At the touch, Eleanor let out a low moan of satisfaction and tilted her head back against the sofa.
With the continuing ministrations, her red nipples stiffened and protruded. Lotte pulled the undergarment aside. Crimson nipples stood erect atop the ample breasts. She grasped one slowly with her fingers and twisted, drawing out a moan.
"Ahng..."
Lotte paused her teasing of the nipple, spread her fingers, and pulled it sideways. The taut areola stretched, the nipple swelling between her fingers. Lotte parted her lips and licked the rigid peak lewdly with her saliva-coated tongue.
"Ah... ahmm..."
Eleanor writhed. After prolonged licking and twisting, the nipple swelled, slick with saliva. Lotte sucked the engorged red bud hard, and Eleanor swallowed hard. As Lotte swirled her tongue, Eleanor's hand gripped the sofa arm tightly.
Lotte moved her lips to the other breast, rolling her tongue around the areola before slowly sucking the central nipple. Her lips enveloped it as her tongue lapped and suckled with wet, sticky sounds that filled the room.
"...Bite it hard, Lotte."
The moist voice echoed in the quiet room. Lotte nodded and nipped the nipple lightly with her teeth. Eleanor moaned, pulling Lotte's head closer, pressing it against the stimulated nipple on her breast. With Lotte's ongoing tongue play, Eleanor's breaths came in gasps. Lewd moans poured endlessly from her parted lips.
"Haang, ha, eung... lower..."
Eleanor whispered through her moans, eyes burning with desire.