Chapter 27. Lurking Lust
Caruso had ensured that his exit from the room was quiet and soft enough so as not to disrupt his mother, Lady Cassandra the Peacock Queen's, beauty sleep – just as she had begun to drift off.
As it was supposed to be, a late breakfast was delayed to a late lunch. All due to Princess Sephora, who had never bothered to even show up in the end. This was a sentiment mutually shared by all those who had arrived.
Already the younger princess had earned a flakey reputation, but it wasn't unfixable at this point. As it was pushed back to a late lunch, it had disgruntled Lady Cassandra, in the being so close to her evening beauty rest.
No matter the reason, if there was any further disturbance now, she would be furious at whoever awoke her.
Young Prince Caruso knew that Owl, Eagle, and Hawk Harpy Clans' all had what he perceived as outlandishly proud and honorable principles by which they had to act if they were being courted by… any young male. With a simmering glee, he hoped that Raven's were similar to Peacocks' in that they didn't have such highbrow customs and expectations. As a young Master, Caruso had never heard of such about Raven Harpy. As he leisurely strolled the hallway, Prince Caruso assured himself that he was correct in presuming anything otherwise.
In his quest to secure a mate who was NOT of that dull brown of the peacock Clan, he would go for something more exotic and the Raven Clan with their jet black wings, reminiscent of the night sky, 'A raven, or a dove,' he mused to himself, 'Since I am already here, lets see if I cannot get one of my own accords.'
As such, beauty standards due to the different cultures, Raven Harpy, had been a fantasy of his for a long time now. Since he had hit adolescence... despite never having actually met any or being aware of any of their customs, until today.
He had been so quiet, to his mother's somewhat joyful and delighted surprise, most of the late lunch, where only one of the princesses had actually shown up. While it had left the Peacock Queen wondering about the other, younger princess... 'Sephora, I think her name was?' Initially, it had made her believe that perhaps, Caruso's interest in depressing and mono-coloured, one-toned mates was not a mission of impossible tenure, if the queen had less favour towards that one...
He, the Peacock Prince, had hit out with profanities regarding the Raven Queen during her brief leave after yelling had come from a room somewhere below them. Any ounce of hope was swiftly shattered with that, and Lady Cassandra, too, knew well that it would serve no one, and indeed NOT their Clan, to offend the Raven Queen. It would be a headache for his father once they returned if he caused any political incident.
The truth of the matter was, Master Caruso had been fanaticising lewd and vulgar thoughts about the Raven Queen while he sat at dinner, and her eldest daughter was her double but younger, while raking his eyes over them. 'You can't get caught by your thoughts.' He considered.
If Lady Nox had even the slightest inclination of the thoughts this young harpy had… he would undoubtedly be in grave danger. Not the political danger Lady Cassandra was conderned about. Mortal danger to his young life. Even with him being a Royal of another Clan.
Yet, it was to the Peacock King and Queen's utter dismay that their youngest son was chasing after a mate with feathers of no colour at all, really why would anyone want a raven harpy as a mate? The type of match or mate. Whom would never fit or be accepted within Peacock aesthetic standards and society, and more shunned or the people would become skeptical of this prince's taste and standards...
Caruso's older brother, Enrico, whose father was now undertaking the necessary negotiations for him, was to marry an eldest female from the Flamingo Clan of the Eastern Marshlands. Prince Caruso had turned down a similar offer, extended to attend a meeting between the Clans. He thus rejected the opportunity, to his parents' dismay, for a bold, regal, and striking Flamingo who would be a 'monotone-mate' - as he so often recanted. Despite also begrudging that his brother had a non-peacock mate. Since both of the brothers had a similar understanding that "brown was boring." However, Enrico liked his colours.
Unbeknownst to Master Enrico, the younger Prince had, by all accounts, dragged his mother to this early Raven reception for courting potential eligible males; the Peacock Queen had sent word to the Royals of the two Clans' known in the remote Forests of Eternal Rain.
However, it had taken its time, and by the time the response party had even reached the remote Peacock Harpy Clans, they were already at the Raven Kingdom.
Now that Master Caruso had been sitting at the same table as two Royal Harpy raven princesses, with their wings and style reminiscent of a Harpy dyed by the night sky… to him, it verified his unusual attraction for a Peacock.
Being served by two Raven servants who had slight hints and tones of dark colours in their wings, nails, and eyes – only if one looked right – added to his certainty that he wanted a Raven Harpy mate.
He would secure one… one way or another.
Now, Master Caruso, with his bold blue to green, blue-to-green ombre natural hairstyle, and his colour-coordinated outfit, wandered around the grey and dark hallways for a little while, seeming so out of place. He had been looking for one of the servants… a sly and sleazy smirk, of assured entitlement entrenched only by babying from his mother, stretched onto his lips as he replayed the Ravens Queen's words:
"You are my guests, and as such, I have delegated the task of catering to all of your differing needs and whims to the staff. Please... use their services at your discretion, as they are here to serve you. Feel free to relax and do as you please while you are here."
Continuing to hang around, wandering the different hallways and familiarising himself with the layout of the castle and the rooms.
As the Raven Kingdom was further north than the Peacock Valley, the sun had already set. He pondered briefly how one couldn't even really call it the sun – it was cloudy and grey. To many Raven's they instead found the cloud cover quite calming and blissful.
'The darker it is, the less likely I will be interrupted.' The Peacock Prince calculated, quickly returned his thoughts to his main objective. Licking his lips.
His member began to rise somewhat in his trousers as his thoughts returned to unspeakable thoughts, towards the servants who were to cater… "to his whims and need," according to the Raven Queen's exact words.
Really, Master Caruso was looking for one of the servant girls he had seen earlier. Especially the one that had a navy blue hue to her feathers when the light had hit it correctly. His mouth watered, thinking about what it might feel like with a Raven Harpy… 'would it be different than one of those boring brown b*tches?' Finally, after all this time, he had wanted one, and now it was akin to having a buffet in choice. He would get one.
The younger Prince had been abusive to the female Harpy of his own Clan even back in the Peacock's Valley. The King and Queen had turned a blind eye to his doings, covering up his messes behind him, but once he was old enough for a mate, he rejected all of the finest females his Clan, by their cultural standards, had to offer.
Finally, just as he was about to give up, he found a the servant after some time. She was carrying towels towards the direction his hands had just come, back towards the wing with all the living quarters.
It was the pretty one with dark blue hues. Not the other, the one from earlier with a ruddy, dark, and murky red, the servant girl named Auro.
Auro smiled at him curtly and then briskly continued by attempting to pass him. Clearly, in a hurry to attend to whoever the freshly folded towels were for.
Prince Caruso knew it would be no good to engage back in that direction, so instead, he rudely asked, "Oi, pretty blackbird," whiles reaching out to grab her arm.
Auro gasped and dropped the towels, "Oh, no!!"
Internally, she cursed at the young Peacock Prince. As the towels were freshly washed, she had been explicitly asked by Lord Easton to bring fresh ones. Some now fell to the floor.
While being new, having been in the room while Lady Nox encouraged the servants to cater to "whims and needs," she now had a horrible feeling in her stomach. When meeting Lyla's eyes in the guest dining room, they reaffirmed that this would not end well - and they had both heard the Peacock Prince's daring and crude remark regarding the Raven Queen. Those uttered boldly, after she had left and not a moment sooner.
She eyed the gaudy-coloured harpy with disdain and was struggling against Caruso's grip on her shoulder, trying to pick up the just-fresh towels that could no longer be used, "Those were just freshly washed and cleaned! Young master, what do you need that is so urgent?"
His sleazy and sly crooked smile returned as he let go of the servant girl's arm and assisted her with picking up the smallest towel out of many.
Lowering his voice as low as it could go and mustering his favourite menacing tone, he bent down and menacingly uttered into the servant's ear, "You WILL show me to spare quarters, right now. Otherwise, I shall tell Lady Nox that you denied my most… basic needs."
Auro was frozen in place. Primarily with shock, she could only struggle to process what was happening to her. The skin on the back of Auro's neck prickled at his words; all the color had quickly drained from her face.
Her only thought was that she needed this job at the castle. Her family was not of nobility, but of a reasonable class. Her family struggled, and it was only due to her beauty, with the Queen's notice and approval of that, that she was allowed to work in the castle.
As Caruso had said this, he moved to stand right behind the servant girl, nicknamed Auro. As he reached his hands around to her front from her waistline to her stomach.
He moved both of them to the wall beside a nearby door.
Auro's face was right up against a wall, and one of Caruso's hands now remained at her small breast.
On the other hand, decorated like all harpy with turquoise nails, talons which he could make grow to use as weapons, just as all harpy could, which matched his lusting eyes, turned to open the large wooden door beside them. Keeping the Harpy servant pinned to the wall, her wings folded and immovable, he peeped in – it looked like an old music room with instruments, a grand piano placed perfectly in the center, and a few sofas… "perfect," thought Prince Caruso. He hadn't thought this but purred it out loud to Auro's horror.
It was dusty on top of the piano, showing this room had long since it was last used.
Slamming his hips into the small of this girl's back as she walked in. His member from earlier was now fully awake and eager to indulge in any Raven harpy. It was solid and pressed intimidatingly against her. There was one raven, right here in front of him, and he would happily indulge.
"Shall we use this room?" The Peacock Prince purred sleazily again. While it was a question, the Raven Servant wasn't ever given an option or opening where her wishes would be accepted and approved.
Auro wanted to scream and run away, but her body wouldn't do anything. It was frozen solid with fear. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't move with the weight of Prince Caruso pinning her to the wall.
Tears welled in her eyes. She didn't want this.
With glee, Caruso began to pull her to the side. Just about throwing her forward into the room, and followed her through quickly.
With a quiet thud, accompanied by squeaks, he shut the door behind them.
Looking meek and helpless, the Raven Harpy servant girl Aurora, being her full name coward in the prince's presence. He was notably taller than any raven and larger in stature too, looking back between the dimming light and cowering stance with her subtle blue hues. She knew her odds of winning a fight against him her poor.
This fear he lapped from her gaze, somewhat enticed Caruso more, spurring him on. His turquoise eyes glinted gleefully with a dark and menacing desire, and so made his approach.
Removing his solid member from his bright blue trousers, which worked with his bold aesthetic but would be garish by just about any Raven style standards, especially nobles, cupping his erect blue, large and intimidating member in one hand as it went far beyond his hands grasp, "Let's see how well you can take care of my' whims and needs' servant."
The servant girl slowly backed away from him, afraid to take her eyes off him and worried about what he might do if she screamed. She didn't want to be harmed...
'What if it was Lady Nox who answered my call for help? What would he tell her? Would she kill me for not... fulfilling such awful desires from a lurid harpy? Even if he was a Royal... would the Raven Queen honestly dismiss behaviour like this, even a Royal from another Clan, from such conduct?'
From all of these thoughts swirling in servant girl Auro's mind, she dared not call for help - in the case that she would have to fulfill such... needs, anyway, or be put through worse by the Queen herself. Though she had never seen it herself, she noticed how the other members of staff, who had worked here longer, acted around the Queen.
"You're butt felt f*cking fantastic walking in… how about your mouth this time? Eh, do you know how to use that to satisfy your mate...if you even have one? You can show me." Caruso started to trail forward to her slowly. Satisfying himself with his hand as he walked toward her. He was like a lion that was stalking prey with a limb of another already in its mouth. A gluttonous level of lust emanating from him... it felt wrong and chilled the servant girl to the bones.
With a literal Prince blocking her exit, she couldn't precisely knock him out and make a break for it without causing a substantial political incident.
As a tear broke from one of her eyes, Caruso finally reached her…