After spending some time feeling defeated, I finished my duty for the day before returning to my home. Unfortunately, just as I started taking off my clothes to shower, I heard Mavis's voice within my mind. 'My room.' Sighing once more, I buttoned my jacket and did my tie as I walked down the hall.
"Will I break my neck if I land headfirst?" Muttering under my breath, I glanced out the passing windows; though, even if I were a hundred stories high, a simple fall wouldn't break my neck… Unfortunately.
Ridding myself of suicidal thoughts, I slicked my hair back and straightened my appearance before entering Mavis's room, though she was nowhere to be found. "Bring a towel." Glancing at the bathroom door, where her voice came from, I grabbed a towel and entered with closed eyes.
Using [Heroes Gaze], I stopped just beside her and bowed. "Mistress." Mavis was sitting in a small, pool-sized bath, steam rising from the hot water, faintly obscuring her figure, yet I could see her perfectly. "Towel." Slowly, Mavis stood up, letting me see her modest-to-large breasts, her flat, toned stomach, her shaved crotch, and her perfectly rounded butt.
I kept my eyes closed as I handed her the towel, which she wrapped around her torso before exiting, prompting me to follow. While she sat in her seat, I approached the nightstand, having gotten used to this routine. "Any preference, Mistress?" "Black." "Either black or red, why not exit out of your comfort zone? You'd look good in anything." Grabbing black nail polish, I kneeled before Mavis and began painting her toes.
"Fufu, because I love black." She spoke softly, her voice of fond amusement as she glanced my way before leaning back and closing her eyes. Finishing with one foot, I moved onto the second one before she spoke again. "Next month, there will be a congress between those who vie for the heir position; it's held every 5 years… Of course, it'll partake at my estate."
I nodded, listening to her; this congress was merely a formality, she'd already turned everyone into her pieces. "Ensure everything is properly handled." "I understand, Mistress." After that, Mavis remained silent for the rest of the night.
After finishing her fingers, I excused myself, returning to my room, feeling a bit of excitement as I closed the door.
"This is it." After months of humiliation and torture, I finally saw a chance of freedom; however, beside that was a very large vision of death. Powerful enemies'd surround me, ones I wouldn't have a chance against one-on-one.
"Fortune and danger go hand-in-hand." Steadying my mind, I stripped and entered my bathroom, using the wash-basin before sitting on my bed, meditating, as I did every night.
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A Month Later
The following month was busier than usual; I had to handle the logistics of everything, leaving me with little time for myself. Thankfully, during the final week, Marston returned from whatever Mavis had him doing and took my place, increasing the efficiency of everything.
However, I wasn't given a break; Mavis put me to work immediately afterwards. The only time I had some peace was during the night, though even that was only for a few hours.
Eventually, the day of the congress arrived, and I was currently inside the kitchen, whipping together a banquet on Mavis's orders.
"Hey, fucker! You don't like me, cool, but you mess this up, you're not only affecting me, but Mistress's reputation, can you handle that!?" Slapping a chef's head, I glared intensely at her; she bit her lip, eyeing the cake layer she'd purposely sabotaged before gritting her teeth. "I hope you head rolls, pathetic human." "It already has. Now do it again!"
Snorting, I tossed the cake layer into the trash while she started working again. I went around, checking the other chefs, making sure no one tried to sabotage; this was mainly my pride as a chef speaking.
Seeing no one do anything stupid, I start cooking several other dishes, using nearly three full stones and five ovens at once. Two hours passed by, and everything was finished; the servants were getting prepared to transfer everything to the dining room to serve the Master's and Mistress's.
"Go!" The lead servant yelled behind before exiting the kitchen, prompting a long line of servants either carrying trays or pushing a cart to follow. Once the last one left, I followed, carrying Mavis's dish.
When I stepped into the dining room, I headed straight to Mavis, who was sitting at the head of the table, but I also observed the others. Yostella, Pontimon, and Vivian were present, sitting beside each other. Quvan was also nearby; there was also Nox, an older man, Stella, a middle-aged woman, Astala, a younger man, and finally, Julio, a middle-aged man, and they were all stronger than Mavis.
Basically, Mavis was in the middle of the pack in terms of strength compared to her competitors, though now, it mattered not; they were all fully loyal to Mavis, well, so long as the supply of my blood was constant.
While they casually chatted, I arrived before Mavis, serving her favorite, ratatouille, before standing behind her, beside Marston. Clearing her throat, grabbing everyone's attention, Mavis stood up. "Thank you all for coming. Today, we celebrate our alliance and the future of our Clan… A gift, to my people."
Smiling, Mavis gave a toast, earning claps before waving her hand, causing blood-tendrils carrying a vial of my blood to head to each person. "Haha, to your future rule, Mistress!" "Yes, Mistresses shall be the greatest Clan head!" "Haha, just don't forget about me!" There was no shame or embarrassment as they praised Mavis, willingly giving her the position they all wanted while they gulped down my blood with ecstatic expressions.
'Oh, and I'm the inferior species.' Rolling my eyes, I stood silently behind Mavis, watching as they ate and drank, enjoying themselves; even Mavis seemed to be genuinely smiling, a rarity. However, I was about to end this festive atmosphere.
'Master, are you sure?' 'It's the best chance I got; the longer I stay, the harder it'll get for me to escape.' As I spoke to Zartha, I stealthily summoned her from my body, using [Shrink] to keep her small, the size of a dagger, as I stabbed my forearm, drawing a long gash while flexing, forcing my blood out.
The effect was almost instant. Mavis, the first one to notice that scent, went stiff before snapping her head at me, her eyes widening as she glared at me in shock and fury. The eight others were next; their smiles and chuckles stopped as they all froze, their eyes narrowing as the scent filled the room.
When they turned and looked at me, they stared at my bloody arm, then the puddle of blood beside my feet. As I stared back, I could see their intelligent eyes get glossed with hints of madness. "NO!"
Just as Mavis shouted, the eight of them lunged at me, arriving atop me faster than I could blink; just when I thought I was about to die, the scenery changed. I was no longer in a dining room but at the edge of a random forest. "Where—Argh!"
A hand gripped my throat, and I was slammed into the wall, only for a blood-tendril to pierce my chest, right through my heart, causing me to gasp in pain as I grabbed the attacker's wrist. "YOU FUCKING STUPID HUMAN!" I looked down at Mavis; her expression was of pure, unbridled wrath. I couldn't help but smirk in joy; seeing her like this was the first time I'd felt happiness in months.
"H-Hehe, C-Check Mate." Oh, she didn't like that as she suddenly decapitated me with a blood-scythe.
However, after a few moments, [Rebirth] activated, and I was brought back to life, my head growing from my body. "F-Fuck, that's terrifying." Glancing at my decapitated head, I was about to hit it with several [Fire Blast]'s, but Mavis smashed it with her foot, causing me to gulp as I looked up at her.
"CHECKMATE!? YOU THINK YOU DID SOMETHING SMART!? WE'RE BOTH DEAD! IS MY DEATH WORTH SACRIFICING YOURSELF!? DID I NOT TREAT YOU WELL!?"
I scoffed at her question; her sense of superiority was so ingrained in her that she thought treating another living being as a pet/slave was 'nice treatment'. "Treat me well? Not even close. I've been thinking of ways to escape since you captured me."
Her energy slowly faded away as she looked at me, only for her to stumble to a tree and slide down it, sitting in a fetal position as she mumbled under her breath, a very satisfying sight to see her so defeated.
However, I couldn't bask in her sight for long; we had eight very strong enemies after us, mainly me. They wouldn't stop until they found me, but that was also somewhat part of the plan; after all, I intended to bargain Mavis's life for my freedom.