142 -) The First Night
“Fwuh…” Sarya let out a long, weary sigh as she sank into the bed. “That was exhausting,” she muttered, propping herself up with her arms to keep from collapsing completely onto the mattress.
This was a royal room we rented in an inn. It was quite a spacious and fancy room. She let herself onto the bed after she dropped her baggage casually to the side of the room as soon as she entered. Seeing that, I also went inside but just stood in front of her, crossed my arms, and smiled with a bit of a fatigued face.
After we entered the city, the driver dropped us off when we were around the social district, where pubs, inns, etc. would be found. Since it was evening, we had to find an inn and a place to eat decent food.
We thought that it would be easy to find rooms for ourselves in a big city like Balgar, but for some reason, most of the places were already filled with customers. The frustration of the possibility of not being able to find any and the increasing hunger exhausted our already weary bodies. Well, thanks to my high Endurance stat, it was only just starting to tingle, but it was getting harder for Sarya.
Fortunately, we found a place toward the northern side of the social district where the southern gate of the inner city was quite close. It was all thanks to a wealthy merchant leaving the high-class rooms where they were staying. It seemed like they were waiting for a permit to enter the inner city, so they left as soon as it was provided. That led us to be able to find a room for ourselves.
Each room was 1 gold coin per day, and I wanted to rent 2 rooms, a room for myself and one for Sarya. However, all we could find was a single room. That was the only good thing price-wise. That was why, when she heard the price, she said that staying in the same room is not a problem at all, with half reluctant and half expectant eyes, as much as I could read. Even someone with a high income like her was reluctant to pay such an amount per day, it seems.
However, it was not much for me, and it was a royal suite after all. It was 10 silver coins for a royal room in Baymur, so this one is 10 times higher, but a town and capital can not be compared, not to mention the weirdly crowded environment today.
I initially thought it was just crowded today, but I learned that it was getting more crowded by the day because of an upcoming event. And in that event, the grand prince of the Hazarıth Union will also show up. It would be a good experience if I could manage to see that.
After getting our rooms, we forced ourselves to leave the inn and find a nice restaurant. Thanks to the innkeeper’s recommendation, we managed to find a decent restaurant with vacant seats. As soon as we started to eat, I could see the weary expression on Sarya's face soften. She must be starving and out of energy.
We ate visibly more than what we normally would as a late dinner. Even after we filled our bellies with food and sweets, we asked for some wine and kept sitting and collecting ourselves. It hit me that we even drank a bit too much when Sarya got obviously tipsy.
Seeing that it could be a problem, I decided that it would be better for us to leave for the inn. When we left, Sarya had to lean on me to walk a straight line. She got exhausted, hungry, and then the alcohol rushed into her veins even before the food had been digested to provide energy.
“You should rest,” I said while she was still refusing to lie down in bed, just sitting on it.
“...” She just pouted and sat still. “My feet are aching. I can’t sleep while they hurt,” She said as if expecting me to do something.
“Wouldn’t it be better to lie down, then?” I asked as I was puzzled. “It should get better over time. You might even fall asleep as time goes by.”
“... I don’t want to.” She refused like a child. What does she even want me to do? “I don’t want to sleep,” She added when I did not respond.
I looked at her pouting face and sighed internally. She was acting strangely. She said that she couldn't sleep because of her footache, but then claimed she didn't even want to sleep. Then it hit me: she was behaving like a spoiled child to hint at what she wanted. It was clear from her expectant eyes earlier that she wasn't completely opposed to the idea of sharing a room.
"Your feet are aching, huh?" I asked, walking over and sitting at the edge of the bed.
"Yes, they are," she confirmed, giving me a look that was half-pleading, half-daring.
I carefully lifted her feet onto my lap, which caused her to lie on her back. Her skin was soft, and the arch of her foot was delicate. I started to gently knead the ball of her foot with my thumb, working my way up to her heel. “Is this what you wanted?” I murmured.
Sarya let out a soft sound, a mix between a sigh and a frown, as she closed her eyes. “It’s... perfect- ugh!” she whispered, her tension melting away, but her delicate moan turned to a sharp groaning. “W-what do you think you are doing?” She asked with resentful eyes.
“Haha! My bad.” I said as I sweated cold. “Is it good now?” Then I decreased the pressure I was applying before asking.
“...Yeah, keep going.” She did not answer right away as she kept staring at me as if to ensure I didn’t get sloppy again, then approved with a domineering expression.
It seemed like some part of her feet was a bit cramped, so it hurt when I pressed. Her demands and tone may be a bit excessive, but I decided to let it go for tonight, attributing it to her being drunk. The silence of the room was filled only with the soft sounds of the massage and her contented breathing.
After a few minutes, I moved my hands up to her ankles, giving them a firm but comforting squeeze. I felt her shift, leaning back on the bed and getting completely relaxed until she was completely horizontal, still keeping her feet in my lap.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice husky and low, eyes half open. “You are better at it than I expected… Except for that small mishap at the beginning.” She then added as she commented on my performance.
I stopped massaging and watched her for a moment, a sudden rush of heat running through me. She looked vulnerable, exhausted, and utterly attractive, the effects of the wine still coloring her cheeks. I gently set her feet down, but before I could pull away, her hand reached out, grasping my wrist.
Her eyes fluttered open, dark and heavy. “Come a bit closer,” she requested, pulling me closer.
I didn't resist. I leaned down, and her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling my face closer as I let her. My face stood close enough for our noses to touch each other as we each felt the other’s breathing clearly. I weirdly enjoyed just staying like that, so I did not make any attempt.
Sarya looked excited at first, then could not wait and raised her head a bit and kissed me deeply. I did not press down, get aggressive, increase the intensity, or reject her, pull back, or act reluctant. I just let her do what she wanted and kept up with her as if rewarding her.
We lay there, tasting each other’s lips and tongues, the last vestiges of weariness fading into something warm and new. When I started to think about how long it should last, she finally dropped her head back and looked me in the eyes with a dazed expression.
"Just rest," I whispered to her with a light smile, but I could not immediately rise.
“Y-you!...” Her expression turned sour when I said that. She looked offended for some reason and said, as her voice rose, “You should have been the one who was initiating things like that as a man. And now, you are trying to get away.” Then wrapped her arms more tightly around my neck before adding, “Do you find me not attractive enough? Or is it about my age? I always thought that we were just a step away from getting a bit closer to being something more than… a friend… a business partner?”
She was right. We were constantly in a flirt phase or even somehow closer than that every time we met. I already find it comfortable around her. So getting closer would not be a problem for me at all. So what is the problem? Why would I let her engage in something like this, but I did not do it myself, even though I was sure that I would not be turned down?
“It is not that,” I said with an emotionless face.
“It isn’t?” She looked a bit bewildered. “Then what is it?” She started to question me as if she were adamant about finding the reason. “If it is not just about me, then what? Are you thinking that I may not want this? Are you the type that fears getting rejected? Is that why you bought those cute slaves, just so they can’t refuse you?” She still looked a bit off at first because of alcohol, but as she continued to express her feelings, both her face and words started to be sharper. She even started to get a bit ahead of herself, but then her expression turned sad as she said, “Is it because you're so satisfied and content with them that you don't even consider accepting me?”
I listened without interrupting her until she finished saying what she wanted to say. Maybe she was right about some of them or all of them. I did not think this over seriously. I just decided the general direction I want to move toward, then build everything according to that.
I bought the girls for that reason. I bought them to help me at home with everything. I used them for cleaning, cooking, organizing stuff, and even to satisfy my urges. Since using another intelligent being like that was hard on my conscience, I tried to show as much affection as possible and treat them better than any other master would do.
I offered Elaris to join us because it was logical too. She was well-behaved and still a child in my eyes, so it was also a reason to help her. However, the main reason was that she was talented, kind, experienced, and we needed a new party member. Since I was looking for every possible person to join the Questers Guild, it was only natural to take her in.
As for Sarya, she was only a good business partner at first. As time passed, we started to get along better, and we felt at ease in each other’s presence. Our topics and jokes started to become more personal, and it was clear we were into each other.
The problem was me. I already had two good enough girls taking care of my sexual urges and masculine satisfaction. I had a mid-term goal to establish and expand my guild. So, rationally, there was no need to engage with her unless it was business, as she is very good at her job.
That was why I did not try to make a move. I did not push her away because it felt wrong. However, I did not neglect her or make her feel unwanted either. That hadn't been an immediate problem, but it was now. She demanded an answer right here, right now.
“Yeah, they are taking good care of me. Therefore, I don't need something like that right now, at least not immediately.” As soon as I said that, her arms around me loosened without her saying anything. She must be about to give up, as she got it as a rejection. So I added, to avoid a misunderstanding, “But that does not mean that I don’t want to.” Then looked right into her eyes.
“...” Her expression turned complex, and she could not say anything for a while. “Why are you making it so complicated, then?” She said and took my lips again, more forcefully this time.
I did not back down this time. I also wrapped my arms around her. We made love like that for minutes until I felt her breathing getting ragged. Her expression was dazed as she could not focus. I took this as she was enjoying this. So I started to take off my clothes.
I lost sight of her for a few seconds while undressing, but when I was done, she was not there. I tried to look around, but she suddenly hugged me from behind.
“When did you get there?” I asked with a smirk. “I thought you were also undressing,” I said, since I could feel her clothes on my skin, and I certainly heard she was moving, so I thought that she was also taking her clothes off.
“There was something I got from the bag, you see.” She said and shook a strange object in front of my face before adding, “I still love doing my job, so we should use this.”
It took a few seconds for me to understand what it was. I felt a strange familiarity wash over me.
‘So there are condoms and women who prioritize their careers in this world, too.’ I thought.