"What the hell do you think you are doing, touching His Lordship like that?!" Sephtis demanded, a growl coming from his throat as he clutched me closer.
I was going to say something, but the way his chest pushed against my back made me decide otherwise. It may not have been as voluminous as a woman's, but his muscle made up for the lack of fat mass, making it big enough to fit the side of my hand between like a sandwich.
'Hmm, I think I'll just stay back and enjoy this. I get to feel Sephtis' chest for free and see two men potentially fight over me, I couldn't ask for more!'
I was trying so hard to suppress a laugh and smile from appearing that I was now unintentionally giving a deep frown, making Sephtis think even more that Oryn did something wrong, and in turn making Oryn think that Sephtis was displeasing me, when it was quite the opposite.
"I could ask the same. Who the fuck are you to grab the Viscount like that?" Oryn questioned, his formality returned as his obsession slowly started showing. He was now wearing a death glare, something I'd only ever seen him give Llyr, aka when he knew a romantic threat was near.
Oryn looked Sephtis up and down, likely noticing their similar builds and comparing them. Thinking about it now, their body types really were quite similar; Sephtis was just slightly taller with more chest. And his personality is also what gave him an edge over Oryn.
Oryn finally looked over at me before noticing my scowl. He gave me a look of 'are you fucking serious right now?' I just looked away with guilt, but was grabbed by Oryn, who pulled me towards him.
"I am his guard and student, now who are you?" Sephtis answered. It seemed that he could tell Oryn was nobility but wasn't sure of his exact identity, an unfortunate situation for him.
"Heh, I am Duke Oryn Casilda, and the one who is going to marry this lovely man," Oryn smiled, lying straight through his teeth. It was at that moment that I knew I fucked up by not interfering.
I had never seen Sephtis so angry, and I really couldn't blame him. He had just met one of the core reasons why the person he has feelings for cannot reciprocate them, who wouldn't be angry in this situation?
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Sephtis lashed out, his teeth grit and glare even deadlier. It seemed as if a sort of dark aura was surrounding him, "You bastard, how dare you show yourself here!"
'What in the cringe?! Can I just go back inside and let them fight over me on their lonesome? Winner gets a kiss or something?'
"Excuse you? What the hell do you know, you damn dog?!" Oryn shouted back, now circling mana around him. It was clear that the two were planning to fight, and I wanted no part in it.
'AH! Praxis, Victor, Arwan, just anybody! Help me! I regret saying it was nice to watch two men fight over you!' I thought, crying out for help and praying that a savior would mysteriously appear.
Luckily, my prayers were heard. A strange magenta color mist formed, seeming to come from the front doors. It caught Oryn and Sephtis off guard, and they couldn't react fast enough to counterattack.
Both of their grips slipped from my arms as they seemed to…fall asleep? Faint? I didn't know, but what I did was that the attacker wasn't aiming at me.
"Master, are you alright? Those two seemed to cause quite the stir," Praxis commented, opening the front door, Victor standing behind him and looking at the two sleeping men with disgust.
"Huh? Oh, yes, I am fine. Thank you both for your help," I exclaimed with confusion, stepping over the buffoon and the cute guard dog to go inside, "But what exactly was that ability?"
"It was nothing much," Victor answered, walking past me and picking Oryn and Sephtis up with ease, surprising me with his strength despite the smaller frame, "I used a concealment spell while Praxis used an ability of his to put them to sleep."
"Yes, they should be having pleasantly unpleasant dreams," Praxis added, smiling with a bit of sadistic pride.
'Yeah, I don't even want to try and guess what he means with that. Best to just ignore now and ask later if I am really so curious.'
"Huh, okay. Nice job. Victor, could you take Sephtis back to his room, and I'll take Oryn?" I asked, taking Oryn from him as he came in.
"No offense, M'lord, but are you sure? Knowing your history, it might not be the best option," He advised, a look of worry appearing on Victor's face.
"It's fine as long as Praxis is there. I am quite confident in his ability to subdue the Duke, if a need arises," I smiled, sending a shiver down Victor's spine as Praxis smiled and nodded.
"...Understood," Victor replied, giving in and handing me Oryn, whom I threw over my shoulders like a sack of potatoes, "Should you need anything, just call for me."
***
Moments later, I was sitting on the balcony of my room. Praxis was beside me, his tail wrapped around my leg as we enjoyed tea and snacks together. Though it was more than that for me as I lit a cigarette, taking a long drag.
"Haaaa, Praxis, I really appreciate you," I commented, my breath smoking as I spoke.
"Hm? Thank you, but why the sudden compliment?" He wondered, tilting his head as his cheeks turned pinker.
"Oh, nothing, I'm just thinking about how you haven't caused me any trouble yet. Please do me a favor and continue doing what you've been doing," I expressed, placing my cigarette back in my mouth.
Praxis hummed in response, messing with the fork in his hand, the piece of cake that was on his plate now gone. He then took a long sip of his tea before turning towards me. He grabbed the cigarette from my mouth and took a drag, taking the cigarette out, keeping his mouth closed.
"Hm? Oh," I hummed, poked by Praxis. Turning towards him, he grabbed the back of my head and planted a kiss right on my lips, feeding me the smoke of the cigarette. Leaning back, he licked his lips with a smile.
"You say that, Master, but I think you forget the recent nature of our relationship," He chuckled, putting the cigarette back in his mouth.
"Pfft- hehehe, haaa, this is exactly why I like you, Praxis. You aren't afraid to express yourself and push the boundaries just enough to make sure someone isn't uncomfortable," I laughed in response, not getting angry and knowing how he is. I took the cigarette back, kissing him with a little tongue, "Heh, if Oryn was awake and saw this, he'd flip…But maybe it would be a reaction that was worth the drama."
I put the cigarette in my mouth, now having done both a regular kiss, a French kiss, and an indirect kiss with Praxis, all in the short span of two minutes. Praxis aughed beside me, likely at the thought of having to explain all of that to Oryn.
"Hmmm~Maybe that would be a worthwhile site, he does have a decently handsome face, though not up to terms with yours," Praxis concluded, putting his hand on my thigh with a seductive smile.
"Praxis, I am not into exhibitionism," I joked with a straight face, Praxis' own freezing in embarrassment before I burst into laughter, "Hahaha! Relax, I know that's not what you meant! I knew you wouldn't take chances with a Duke in the same room asleep."
"Ahem, well, as long as you are aware. Besides, I prefer more hidden muscle than buff, exaggerated muscle," Praxis reminded, acting as if he himself didn't have quite the muscle mass that he shoved off with his almost fully exposed chest.
I scoffed and looked away with an expression that said 'okay buddy,' Praxis shrugging with a smirk. I liked this; the weather was nice, someone dear to me was resting inside, and I was building a friendship with someone who would only benefit me in the future.
I felt at peace for a moment, able to forget about the threat of Llyr forcing me into a marriage, and bonding with Praxis as Oryn made efforts to redeem himself. But even I recognized that moments like this don't last forever, so I should revel in these moments as long as possible.
"You two look like you are having fun," Oryn chimed in, leaning against the balcony's doorway, "Mind if I join?"
"Pfft, morning princess, do make your royal assess at home," I smiled at him with pettiness, motioning for him to sit, though he just laughed, his bright smile distracting me from his messy hair.
"Haha, very funny. So, who's this? That sleeping spell of yours was pretty good; it actually managed to breach the barrier magic I keep on myself," Oryn pried, taking my cigarette from me as he sat down, then extinguishing it and pouring himself a cup of tea.
"This is Praxis, a demon I rescued from the slave market a month ago," I introduced, looking over at Praxis, who bowed slightly. His tail tightened around me, and I saw his hands twitch.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, your grace. My name is Praxis Heartborn, Brother of Zephyra Heartborn. I suppose mental magic is a sort of specialty of mine," He greeted, his hand sliding over to mine.
I wasn't sure why Praxis was acting this way, but I could tell by the air that something was going on. Holding his hand, Praxis started to rub his thumb along mine, sending a golt up my spine.
I was startled to see him doing this in front of Oryn; he usually only held my hand or really did any sort of physical action if we were alone. Though I suppose that would be a lie, considering what we did a few moments ago while Oryn was sleeping.
"Haha, I see! You seem to have great magical capacity. We should train together sometime! I'm interested to see what sort of abilities the younger brother of a Marchioness would have," Oryn suggested, the air shifting once more, Praxis letting go of my hand.
"Thank you for the compliment, but how do you know my sister?" Praxis questioned, raising his eyebrow with a suspicious look.
"Well, for one, you are the one who introduced yourself in such a way, so I figured she would be that Heartborn. And, exports from the marchiony come through my territory all the time. The Quare Kingdom is one of the few kingdoms that still trade with the demon realm despite being enemies," Oryn explained, crossing his legs and taking a sip of tea.
"Huh, not even I knew that. Good job, Oryn, you were useful for once!" I jested, shooting an unneeded dagger into Oryn's chest. He frowned, faking a tear.
"My! You are so mean to me, dearest! After I brought you a bouquet and proposed to you two?!" Oryn exaggerated, whipping the fake tear away and then laughing to himself, "Eh, whatever. I'd expect as much from you!"
"...You two seem a lot closer than I thought you were," Praxis commented, putting his tail back to his side, "From the debriefing I got from Victor, I thought that Master thought of the Duke as a mortal enemy."
"PFFT- HAHAHA! Mortal enemy? This guy? Nah! More like my punching bag for when I need to destress. Besides, he likes it anyway," I announced, causing Oryn to spit out his tea as he choked on it, embarrassment flooding his cheeks.
"Y-Your Lordship! You shouldn't throw such words around so easily!" Oryn stammered, banging his hands on the table, blush flooding his cheeks.
"Hmmm, so he isn't wrong?" Praxis reaffirmed, a puzzled look on his face.
"NO! He is!" Oryn shouted, his face now entirely red.
"It is okay, your Grace, we all have our own kinks, so shame here," Praxis nodded, putting his hands up with a look of understanding on his face.
"I do not have a degradation kink! Viscount, please tell him that it was a mere joke!" Oryn pleaded, looking at me with tears in his eyes, his lips quivering.
"Pfft- Hehehee! Sorry, Praxis, it was just a joke. No need to take it too seriously," I admitted, still laughing at the interaction between the two, "But I have to say, though, Duke Casilda's reaction was definitely worth it!"
For a while, there was nothing but the sound of my laughter and the wind, my two companions awe struck by my expresson. I was smiling with my teeth, my cheeks a bit flushed.
"..." Praxis stayed silent and looked over at Oryn, whos face betrayed him, "Well, I ought to take my leave now. I told Victor I'd go tend to Sephtis when he woke, and it seems the spell wore off. Master, thank you for the tea and snacks."
"Hm? Alright. I'm happy you joined me," I smiled, waving at Praxis as he bowed and left the room. I didn't have anything to say to Oryn, and he seemed to be at a loss for words, so I just went back to my tea.
Oryn and I sat there in silence for a moment, finishing our tea and topping off the snacks. Oryn seemed to finally make up his mind, though he hesitated as he opened and closed his mouth.
"Saito, do you like that demon and or the Werewolf?" Oryn asked, this time making me spit out my tea and choke on it a bit.