The tired Baron practically flopped onto his bed after entering his small residence. This modest two-story house in the Inner District had been bought for him by his father so that Leon could focus on his studies, but in those days, the young lad was far from interested in studying. Together with Richard and Adrian, he had brought quite a few girls from various walks of life to this house, spending more than one wonderful night with them. Only Arthur, of their company, couldn't afford to be so frivolous. But now, little remained of the old Leon's carefree lifestyle. In fact, during all the time he had been in the capital, not a single girl had visited his house, except perhaps the maid, and even her the lad had begun to eye hungrily.
Only a month of studying had passed, and Leon was already tired. He wanted to return to the days when he could skip classes, fool around with Richard and the rest of their company, court girls of noble blood, and fuck ordinary peasant girls who were more susceptible to his charm, dreaming of a sweet life and believing that Leon was the solution to all their problems, not suspecting that for the Leon of back then, it was merely a one-night stand. And here he was now, lying on his bed completely alone, something that had become quite habitual over the past few months.
Leon raised his gaze and it met the ceiling. Nowadays, he mainly just slept in this house, trying not to think about anything, as this place still reminded him of his deceased family. What had his father been thinking about? What plans did he have? Why did he even get involved in this railway venture? These questions, like many others, plagued the young Baron, for he found no answers to them, and as it seemed to Leon himself, he was unlikely ever to find them.
A quiet knock sounded at the front door. Leon was a little surprised but nonetheless got up from the bed and headed for the entrance of the residence. Before that, he glanced out of the second-floor window overlooking the door. Someone was standing there with a small bag on their back, and due to the not-so-good lighting—candles hadn't been lit everywhere yet—the lad couldn't make out who it was. He then continued on his way.
"Who's there?" the Baron asked the unknown person.
"A delivery, my lord, for Lord Leon, Baron Star," a young male voice replied.
When Leon opened the door, a messenger stood before him, who immediately bowed to the nobleman and then handed over a couple of letters. Taking them in his hands, the lad verified that the addressee was indeed himself, then showed the brooch with his family coat of arms—issued to titled members of the nobility to confirm their lineage—and signed the paper the messenger held out, confirming that the addressee had received his delivery. After that, the young lad bowed again to Leon and left. It was surprising how much the couriers working within the different walls of the city differed. The lad who had just come to Leon even understood heraldry, which certainly couldn't be said about those working outside the Outer Wall or beyond it. Although, the Baron had heard that Baronets often sent their children, who were not destined to inherit the title, to work as such messengers, so they could learn and memorize the heraldry of noble houses and later become assistants to nobles. Actually, it was a strange title—Baronet. Leon had known a few lads who had achieved this title themselves, besides Richard. But those few he knew, unlike his friend, were content with what they had. This title, as mentioned before, was not hereditary, and the children of Baronets were no longer considered nobles, although other noble families might look down on Baronets. Leon remembered how Richard was treated when Arthur wasn't around—children of other families despised him. But even that did not break his friend's spirit. Yet even after receiving the title of Baron, Richard would sometimes catch disdainful glances from other nobles. So the title of Baronet seemed strange to Leon; it supposedly granted you privileges, but in the eyes of the old nobility, you were still a nobody. Of course, Baronets also helped in governing the kingdom, and their children could later find employment related to the nobility, such as servants or messengers, like that lad who had just visited. Particularly gifted ones went on to work as assistants to Counts or Dukes, sometimes even achieving the title of Baronet themselves through their merits. Richard called it the "cycle of Baronets" among the aristocracy, whatever that meant, although Leon often didn't understand what his fashionable friend meant by it. He still had a dissonance from the phrase "my dear fellow"—it sounded strange, and it felt like Richard wanted something more from his friend than just friendship. But Leon still hoped that wasn't the case. Did Richard even understand what he was saying, using all these little expressions?
Snapping out of his thoughts, the Baron looked at his hands. The letters were still there. Shaking his head slightly to clear away extraneous thoughts, he turned his gaze to the letters to finally deal with them. These two envelopes were a surprise for the Baron; one of them certainly was. The first was from Viscount Lines, which didn't particularly surprise the Baron, as he expected something like that sooner or later. But the second letter was a complete surprise—it was from Lady Carolina, the second princess of the Royal Crow family.
Deciding that old Howard could wait, Leon opened the princess's letter. Maybe it was a love letter? In the past, the future Baron had visited the palace many times to see his friend Arthur, and of course, he had seen both princesses. He liked Vanessa much more; she was both more beautiful and sweeter, but unfortunately for everyone, she was simple-minded and probably even ill, and she had no claim to the throne. Perhaps for someone like Leon, this would have been an ideal option—marry a princess and become related to the royal family. But that was just a distant dream. On the other hand, Carolina was cold and a bit rude compared to her sister. But maybe that was all the influence of her mother from the Hart family, although the current Prince Regent Idivig was a very friendly person, even though he was Carolina's twin brother. Sometimes Leon thought that Idivig had taken the best from the Crow family, and Carolina the worst from the Hart family; that was his opinion of the two. Imagining that the second princess was writing a love letter to him, the Baron calmed down a bit, realizing that it was beyond the realm of possibility and that the princess most likely wanted something unusual from him. So Leon hastened to open the princess's envelope and read what she wanted. Maybe it was it after all—a secret message?
And how right he was when he thought Carolina wanted something from him.
In her letter, the second princess offered Leon support with the railway construction, and was even willing to allocate part of the royal budget to help with its construction, knowing the current financial difficulties of Baron Star and Viscount Lines. The princess also proposed meeting tomorrow evening to discuss the details of the deal tete-a-tete, and expressed her great desire to cooperate with the young Baron.
Leon's head began to ache from this letter. He sat down in a small armchair in the living room and tossed the letters onto the table opposite him. The lad rubbed his temples, trying to focus his thoughts, but he failed. Such problems were still new to him, and usually, his father would solve them for him, and now the old Viscount. He hadn't even properly started his studies, yet he already felt snakes coiling around his neck, clearly seeing the inexperienced Baron as merely their prey. Even at the Academy, some people had started sucking up to him, realizing that a Baron was studying among them, one who had a project that would change the entire kingdom. The younger sons and daughters of baronial families were particularly eager not to miss out on any advantage. The former tried to simply befriend him, the latter to marry him, and that too tired the newly made Baron. He wondered how Richard coped with all this attention. Leon had somewhat avoided his attention since last time, but they still needed to meet and discuss everything again. However, he wasn't yet ready to see his friend at the same table; the face of that frightened girl kept flashing before him. What had become of her? Had they really killed her? And all because of him?
Pushing thoughts of his friend aside, Leon focused on the letter from the princess. The offer was tempting, of course, but with some sixth sense, Leon knew he couldn't agree to it. And he trusted his sixth sense; it had saved him from death more than once, just like the time his entire family perished in the ancestral manor. That day, the lad knew something bad would happen, but didn't know what, and it was then that that unfamiliar girl had invited him to the lake. A lucky coincidence. Or was it? The lad's head was already splitting from his own thoughts, and he remembered an excellent remedy for headaches that he hadn't used in a long time.
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The Baron got up from the armchair and went to the kitchen, grabbing a jug along the way, then descended into the cellar to pour himself some wine—the best remedy for headaches and anxious thoughts, stored there almost since the lad's very first stay in this house. After that, he took several deep gulps straight from the jug. How long had it been since he'd drunk this wonderful grape juice that took away all the burdens and adversities, even if only for a while? Probably since arriving in the capital, the Baron hadn't even touched his supplies! The pain subsided a little, and Leon realized how much he had missed alcohol. Perhaps it was a mistake, and the Baron needed to drink more to cope with his problems. But the lad had promised old Howard that he would consume less alcohol so as not to disgrace his family's honor and get expelled from the Academy. But that didn't mean he wouldn't touch alcohol at all! Besides, Leon had successfully restrained himself for these past few months, not really getting drunk and declining Richard's offers for get-togethers. Shaking his head, the Baron took a few more deep gulps, driving away the anxious thoughts, then refilled his jug with wine. The lad went back up to the kitchen and kicked the hatch cover leading to the cellar, closing it behind him. He took one of the glasses and, slightly tipsy, headed to the living room.
How surprised he was when he encountered his maid there—Molly. A short girl with black hair neatly gathered in a ponytail, dressed in a gray, thick shirt and a matching gray, long skirt that reached almost to the floor, was dusting the table where the letters lay, although the Baron was almost certain there was no dust there.
"Molly?" Leon asked, carefully moving towards his armchair, still holding the jug of wine and the glass. What surprised him more was that he hadn't heard the front door open and the maid enter the house, because when he arrived, he was almost certain no one was in the residence, as he hadn't met anyone while going to his room on the second floor. Perhaps it was because he had been in the cellar at that moment? Although, who knows—Leon wanted to drive away anxious thoughts, but instead, they were creeping more and more under the surface of his consciousness. Had Viscount Lines made him this suspicious?
"Yes, my lord?" the girl asked, raising her emerald eyes towards the lad. She was still slightly bent forward, allowing the Baron to see how her breasts hung in the tight-fitting shirt.
The Baron swallowed slightly, then quickly came to his senses, dismissing lecherous thoughts about his own servant. He sat in the armchair and poured himself some wine into the glass, not answering Molly.
The girl merely followed the Baron with her gaze and shrugged, continuing with her cleaning. Leon began rereading the princess's letter. Again, he couldn't gather his thoughts to understand what to do next. His gaze fell on Molly, who at that moment had bent over rather temptingly, sticking out her bottom, showing Leon all her assets, even if they were hidden by the skirt. The lad swallowed again and realized he was looking at his maid somewhat too predatorily. Was it because he had restrained himself for too long and hadn't slept with a woman? Or because he hadn't drunk this much in a long time and the wine had gone to his head? The lad didn't know the answers to these questions at the moment, but decided he could escape them by simply drinking more.
Leon downed everything in his glass in one gulp, then refilled it and repeated the procedure. He began to read the princess's letter again, for the third time, to distract himself from the obscene thoughts creeping into his head, and once again realized that Carolina's whole idea of helping him was a lost cause, and something was clearly wrong here. Old Howard would manage, and Leon didn't need any handouts, especially from a woman! Even if she were thrice of royal blood, the real man there was Arthur! And Idivig! If one of them had come to him with this proposal, Leon would have definitely agreed. But it was just a princess! And he was not a toy for her to boss around!
"I'm not her toy!" Leon shouted, jumping up from the armchair, tearing the princess's letter to shreds in a fit of sudden anger. Had he gotten so drunk that he was letting his emotions run wild? That usually didn't happen to him; maybe it was because he hadn't drunk in so long?
"Master?" Molly asked, distracted from her work. Damn it, why did this green-eyed beauty look so tempting today of all days?
"Nothing," Leon waved his hand, falling back into the armchair, then reached for the jug again and, lacking coordination, spilled it, dropping it on the table. Wine flowed across the wooden surface, soaking the Viscount's letter and spilling onto the Baron's own trousers.
"Fuck," was all the Baron said, not moving, watching the remains of the wine continue their rampage across the table. He didn't even know what he was more annoyed about now: spilling the wine? spilling the wine on the Viscount's letter? or spilling the wine on his trousers? His thoughts were no longer obedient, and Leon simply leaned back in the armchair, not wanting to do anything about the situation.
How tired he was.
"Master?" the girl repeated, looking at Leon with some anxiety in her eyes. "Are you alright?"
Leon remained silent, not wanting to answer anything. He clearly didn't understand how he could have gotten drunk so quickly; that had definitely never happened to him before. And now this Molly was hovering in front of him with her tempting figure, arousing the Baron.
"Master, you need to change your clothes, and I need to clean up after you, otherwise the chair's fabric will need to be reupholstered," the maid said again, looking directly at the Baron with her beautiful eyes.
Leon gripped the arms of the chair to keep himself in check. Something unknown was happening in his head; the young lad could barely control the desire to take this hot girl right here, but with each of her words, his control weakened. Lust and desire were overpowering him, but the Baron still tried to hold onto the last remnants of his sanity, understanding what problems this could lead to. Did wine always affect him like this?
"Are you alright, Master?" Molly asked and touched the Baron's cheek with her hand.
*What the fuck are you doing, you stupid bitch!* the Baron thought to himself, feeling the warmth of female skin on his cheek. The last remaining strength to resist this wild, unknown desire immediately left him, and the lad grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her towards him, immediately pressing his lips to hers. And with each kiss, which went unanswered, the Baron felt the desire within him grow stronger. He pushed the girl away—she offered no resistance—allowing himself to stand up from the armchair. Nothing mattered now; he was burning only with the urge to possess this delightful body and fully enjoy female warmth. The Baron began to take off his shirt, then looked with slightly crazed eyes at the girl's face—it showed no emotion. She wasn't scared, upset, or surprised. There were no emotions at all, not even a hint of tears in her eyes—Molly seemed to simply accept her fate and go with the flow. This sight doused the Baron like a bucket of cold water, slightly sobering his mind.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" the Baron said, falling back into the armchair, clutching his head as if sanity were beginning to return to him, but the raging arousal hadn't gone anywhere. "What the hell is wrong with me..."
The girl looked at the Baron with a calm gaze, then knelt down and began to remove Leon's trousers. The lad looked at her with his drunken and aroused eyes in surprise, then asked:
"What are you doing?"
Molly didn't answer until she had removed the lad's trousers. Leon was slightly embarrassed, although that was completely out of character for him, and realized that everything happening here seemed absurd. The girl hadn't even screamed after the Baron forcibly kissed her and was about to rape her; moreover, she hadn't run away but had started taking off his trousers. What was going on here? What the hell was happening to his life after his family's death?
"If you want this, Master, I will help you," the girl said, lifting her skirt and climbing on top of the Baron. "After all, it's my job to help you."
The Baron merely gasped, feeling her warmth on him. He tried to look into this girl's eyes to understand what was happening, but instead of the familiar green eyes, he was met with two black spots. Blinking, Leon saw those two tempting green circles again. Had he imagined it? Was the wine making him see some kind of devilry now? He wanted to say something to Molly, but a wave of pleasure washed over the Baron's body again, and he let out a moan of satisfaction, leaning back in the armchair. Then he felt the girl press her whole body against him. The thick and slightly damp fabric of her clothing clung slightly to Leon's bare body, arousing him even more with these hitherto unknown sensations. The girl leaned towards his ear and spoke the following in her calm, but now slightly trembling voice:
"Enjoy yourself, Master. You've had a hard day today. Let go of all your thoughts, and rest your soul and body."
And Leon, following her instructions, let go of all the thoughts that had been troubling him lately and simply plunged into the abyss of pleasure that Molly bestowed upon him.
