[R18]
Ester was smiling as one of her maids brushed her hair. She seemed rather content as the maid visibly struggled to not roll her eyes or sigh.
Her maid was Marigold and she chose to stay behind and spy on this person for her true queen. She was not the only one chosen by the guards but she had quickly become the best one. She was often ignored and the woman and her sister often spoke in front of her.
All of the servants had taken to calling Ester "The Woman" in private so Marigold could not help but do the same in her private thoughts. A chill ran through her but she held back a shiver because she did not want to be sent away. She knew that chill came from a secret door being opened and someone entering.
Marigold quickly found out that these women were not the ladies that they seemed and they often had unsavory individuals reporting to them as if they were their servants or underlings.
"My Lady?"
Marigold felt eyes shift to her and knew that this woman was asking if she could speak. Marigold simply continued brushing hair as if she were deaf, dumb, and mute and completely unaware of her surroundings.
"Don't mind her. Speak!"
"Yes My Lady. The large ship that was seen near the northern castle was from Golden Sea. They have created a rather lucrative import export agreement with the castle."
"Lucrative? How lucrative?"
"My source has informed me that it is starting out at about ten thousand gold but will definitely increase as the different artisans receive more and more materials and begin to truly work on their craft."
Ester sat forward and Marigold allowed her hair to smoothly follow her. "Ten thousand gold?!?"
Marigold blinked as if she had just returned from a mental excursion. She placed the brush onto Ester's vanity. "I am sorry My Lady. I will leave at once."
"No you finish brushing my hair. I want at least a hundred more strokes." She pointed to the visitor. "You! Go to Vanessa and tell her everything you discovered. Tell her I want that gold for the McAllen family."
"Y.. Yes My Lady."
Marigold had already picked up the brush. It took everything in her not to beat this woman with it. Then she had to fight not to pull the woman's hair as she brushed it. She understood that this woman wanted her mistress to be miserable but why was exile not enough? Her mistress could not help that she was much smarter than this woman and the king put together.
Marigold had a lot to report in the morning. She continued brushing the woman's hair. Her face blank and seemingly void of all intelligence.
Vanessa listened to everything her operative said. She had several women working out of the city of Pillar. They were actually stationed on a large estate in a deep hidden valley within the mountain system that surrounded Pillar. For the most part the men went to them but sometimes the women would go to Pillar and two other smaller towns dispersed within the mountain range.
Vanessa looked at the woman before her with pursed lips. She was one of her best. The woman instinctively jumped and then bowed low. Vanessa sighed.
"Come." She stroked the woman's hair and then allowed her hand to lightly glide along her jawline. Vanessa felt the woman shiver as her fingertips slid down her neck and then over her collarbone. She reached into her top and began to lightly pinch and twirl her nipples. The woman licked her lips and swallowed hard.
"You know how my sister is doll. She is even worse now because of her jealousy." She put the tips of her thumb and pointer in her mouth and began to play with the woman's nipples with hot moist fingertips. She sighed. "I need you to think more. You are my favorite and you should know better."
The woman's breath caught as she tried to speak but a moan slipped from her lips instead. "I'm sorry My Mistress. If… you… are not… in the room… I will look for you… before speaking."
"See? You do understand. Come closer. Prepare yourself. You have not been stretched in a while. Since you can not remember things in the moment I will stretch you now."
[This part will be a bit harsh. You can definitely skip it]
The woman gasped slightly but bowed her head and began taking off her clothes. "Yes My Mistress."
Vanessa went and retrieved a large metal box. When she returned the woman was on the floor completely naked, her cheek on the floor, her eyes closed and her rump raised high in the air facing Vanessa's seat. Vanessa nodded in satisfaction.
She quietly placed the metal box next to the woman's face. The lid squeaked as she opened it and the woman flinched and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Vanessa smirked and looked to the contents of the box. There were different sized rods made of different materials and in different colors. They all had a long smooth handle at one end and a bulb at the other that ended that tapered into a small tip.
She did not choose the largest of these but she did not choose a small one either. She knew what each of her women could handle and she knew how to push each of them to the edge. She rubbed the bulbous end along the woman's inner thigh and her entire body shivered.
Vanessa knew that shiver was fear laced with a little bit of anticipation.
She had chosen a rod made of marble and it was cold to the skin, another sensation Vanessa wanted to take advantage of.
The bulb went between her legs and pressed against her lips. It slid inside and the woman let out a small gasping moan as her hips rotated ever so slightly. Vanessa smiled as her eyes narrowed slightly and she drove the rod in deeper. Only three deep strokes and woman's body trembled. Vanessa quickly pulled the rod out and the woman's water streamed onto the floor.
Vanessa cocked her head to the side. "Is this what you do? Come and dirty my floor? Clean it. Now!"
"Yes Mistress." As the woman spun around toward the puddle Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
"Yes who?"
"Yes My Mistress."
Vanessa nodded in satisfaction as she watched the woman take big links of the puddle as she tried to quickly clean it up. She moved a bit too far and Vanessa could no longer insert the rod easily.
"I did not tell you to turn your ass away from me." The girl quickly repositioned herself so that she both presented her rear properly and she could lick up her own water.
Vanessa shoved the rod into her deeply again and the woman quivered a bit and squirmed. Vanessa removed it and began to move it toward her second hole. She smiled as she felt the fear and anticipation run through this woman.
Vanessa knew she needed to quickly finish and go find her sister. She knew, but she didn't wholly care. Her sister's jealousies and selfish needs continually got the family into trouble. No, today Ester would have to wait.
[Okay if you skipped that you can start reading here. But I made it a bit tamer than I thought I would. So it may be okay for most people.]
Ester sat across from Gabriel at a long empty table. His mother and sisters and their families left almost at the same time that Grace had. Now it was just them and Vanessa but Ester insisted on the long table for all their meals together.
She was seething and Gabriel could tell something was wrong but he hadn't really cared. He found that Ester was never happy. He also found himself thinking about his children and wanting to see them.
He could not bring himself to think of his wife. All day long he had people asking about her, some wanted to know if she would be returning, some wanted to know if all was well.
He didn't feel he had a right t even think about her, let alone speak of her so he never said anything and allowed his advisors and counsels to speak.
"I need to speak to you Gabriel. I feel Grace should be moved to the western keep."
He froze, frowned, and then he slowly raised his head to look this woman in the eye. There was not even a castle in the west. The Keep was a military outpost that they no longer even used. Was this woman serious? He sighed. Of course she was. She smiled broadly.
"I just feel the northern territory is too much for her."
His frown deepened. Too much for her? It would seem Ester knew something that he did not.
"My children are with her. Even if the baby you carry is a boy Albert is first in line. Are you trying to put my heir in danger?
"Of course not my love."
He pursed his lips. She had answered quite quickly.
"I just feel that the west would be better for all of them."
He could not wait to hear this explanation.