Olivia guided me to a bathtub a trifle too large for just two people. I had not expected such luxurious bathing facilities in the frontier. Aah… Hot water soothes me so.
A bath let you lean back and relax, so our family would bathe whenever we were tired. I always thought it wonderful how one’s breasts floated in the bath despite their weight. Of course, cleanliness came first and foremost in female etiquette. The soap I’d brought with me lathered well, so at this point, we were in a bath full of bubbles.
“What do you think of this soap my family has specially made for our usage? If it doesn’t please your skin, Olivia, I can prepare something else.”
Our house didn’t limit ourselves to presiding over brothels; we had long since diversified into adjacent businesses. We were the top producer of soap and other sanitary goods, along with a wide range of cosmetics. One could say we even had a monopoly over them. The soap Olivia was currently using was entirely unknown to the common folk, and was limited in availability to just my family, the very top of the top-class prostitutes, and an exclusive handful of discreet customers.
“It’s absolutely incredible! I never imagined my skin could be so clean.”
But of course. The Queen herself favored our soap. Admittedly, it didn’t particularly please me that the harlot Angelique used it as well, but one could hardly fault the soap.
“Call it a wedding gift. Teehee, I look forward to your continued patronage.”
“Oh, umm, sure. I guess the Meitia family knows best when it comes to this stuff, huh?”
She’d hesitated. Perhaps she wanted to please her husband but was concerned about incurring the expense?
“So, Olivia, you said something earlier about wanting my help. Can you explain?”
“Um, well. I could only ask this of you. You see, when my husband and I lie together, no matter how hard I try to pleasure him, he remains erect. When we make love, I fall asleep from exhaustion long before he’s satisfied.”
Hahah! She saved me the effort of bringing it up. I could sympathize, of course, with how it must feel to try and try yet be unfit for a task on your own. It wasn’t uncommon for some men to be insatiable, or perhaps simply unmatched in stamina.
“Olivia, I can be honest with you, because you’re my friend. My father ordered me to come here. I trust you know what it means when a man sends his daughter to a hero’s mansion.”
“Yes.”
She likely had some idea of why I had come in such a hurry. However, as they were yet in the honeymoon phase, it would naturally be difficult for her to accept another woman.
Had I only wanted the curse lifted, I would have only needed to make a contribution to the temple and have them remove it. My taking the trouble to come all the way to the hero’s home could only mean that I intended to beat the other nobles in the race to become his concubine.
“Still, I have no wish to fight over your husband’s affection. I could never be so boorish. If you’re against the idea of a concubine, then I will gladly offer a hand-picked courtesan as thanks for lifting my curse. And should he grow tired of lying with her, we have many more to choose from.
Moreover, if your husband wished to buy her and make her his mistress, we would have no objections.”
“But, no, I…”
That said, I couldn’t imagine Lord Chris being the sort to throw a girl aside and demand a new one. I was certain that, rather than a mistress, he would have wanted a woman whose freedom he could buy so he could make her a concubine.
“I don’t want that. Unless my husband chooses her himself, I’d be too afraid to become sister to a stranger. As his wife, I would have to meet with a new family I’d never even seen before.”
Hmm. So it seemed Olivia had no concerns about taking a concubine—
the concubine would be a woman, so her fear of men would be no issue there
—but was concerned about handling the concubine’s family. In my case, I would gladly be the one to receive my own family whenever they visited.
They knew of Olivia’s fear of men, so they would be accommodating.
“I’m sorry for being so selfish, but without my husband there to decide, I’d be too afraid. Please, Diane, won’t you be my sister? In fact, if you want, I’ll be the concubine—”
“Calm yourself. What’s the point in saying something like that when you’re the one whom he loves most?”
I hugged my teary-eyed friend. On the surface, she seemed only to have a
minor case of misandry, but the roots of her fear of men extended much deeper. That was what truly gnawed at the depths of her heart.
Goodness. Olivia had been my friend since childhood, and now we were to become sisters. How could I sleep at night if I could not help her husband to protect her?
“There’s no better salve for dark thoughts than the attentions of the man you love. This is a good opportunity for me to guide you, as well. I will teach you how to truly please a man, unlike the paltry education offered to you when you were a sheltered girl.”