Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 75260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
“Yes, Guardian,” I replied quickly, remembering the burning lesson of my earlier defiance all too well.
“Rule number two,” Mrs. Quinst continued, pouring tea with an elegance that could only have come from long practice. “You will maintain perfect posture and feminine deportment at all times in our home. Shoulders back, spine straight, eyes downcast unless given permission to look up.”
I adjusted my position immediately, pulling my shoulders back despite the way it emphasized my breasts beneath the white blouse.
“Rule number three,” the colonel said, accepting a cup from his wife. “You will participate in all household activities as directed. Cooking, cleaning, serving—consider it part of your domestic education. I suppose that as the concubine of a Magisterian prince you may not be required to engage in such tasks, but the mental attitude fostered by compliance in such things will certainly please your master when you return to him.”
The basic idea of performing menial labor while wearing this humiliating uniform vied for attention in my mind with the more abstract notion of how Prince Hendren would benefit. Together they sent fresh heat rising into my cheeks, but I nodded obediently.
“And rule number four,” Mrs. Quinst added with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “you will submit completely to any instruction or correction we deem necessary. Your body belongs to Prince Hendren, but your training belongs to the Academy, and to us.”
This second, even more direct, reminder of my master’s ownership rights sent an involuntary shiver through me. I wondered if he was watching even now, monitoring my responses through the hateful governor, taking satisfaction in my mounting humiliation and submission to these strangers.
“Yes, Mistress,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
“Excellent,” Colonel Quinst said, setting down his teacup with a soft clink. “Now then, let’s discuss this evening’s schedule. Dinner will be at six o’clock sharp. You’ll help Betty prepare the meal, then serve us properly. After dinner, we’ll begin your first intimate lesson.”
My stomach clenched at his words. I felt terribly foolish at the next words that came out of my mouth, since the meaning of his words seemed dismayingly clear, but part of me simply refused to know it. “Intimate lesson, Guardian?”
“Don’t look so frightened, dear,” Mrs. Quinst said, though her smile held a predatory edge. “Tonight we’ll simply be assessing your current level of training. Prince Hendren has been quite thorough, I’m sure, but the intimacy prescribed by the Good Way is of a different kind.”
“You’ll undress completely,” Colonel Quinst added in a conversational tone that seemed all the more degrading for its neutrality. “Mrs. Quinst will examine you first, then I will. We need to understand exactly what we’re working with before we can begin your training for our bed.”
The casual way they discussed my body and their apparent freedom to do with it as they pleased made me feel faint. Much worse, though, I could feel that the treasonous heat had begun to build again. The lunatic thought—increasingly familiar despite its insanity—that I wished someone would turn on the governor’s suppressive function and dampen that arousal, or even take it away, flashed into my head.
As if reading my mind, my Mistress said, “We’re fascinated by the possibilities the little governor device between your legs opens up. It’s a new technology for us here on Euporia.”
I blinked at her. Naively, I had supposed that Mistress Orela would reserve the knowledge about my governor. But of course not. Colonel Quinst had fetched his handheld out of his inside jacket pocket.
“Mistress Orela, with your master’s permission, has given us control over the device. I’m still not sure how well it fits with our training methods, but the wealth of data about your body’s responses is fascinating.”
My cheeks flamed as he consulted the screen, his expression clinical yet satisfied. “Remarkable,” he murmured. “Your arousal has climbed steadily since we began this conversation. The prospect of being examined by your new Guardian and Mistress clearly excites you, despite the distress I can see in your face.”
“That’s not—” I started to protest, but Mrs. Quinst held up a gentle hand.
“Hush, dear. Your body’s responses are perfectly natural. There’s no shame in acknowledging what you need.” She rose gracefully from the sofa. “But we have time before dinner preparations begin. Why don’t you go to your room and rest? I’ll ring the bell when it’s time for you to join me in the kitchen.”
Colonel Quinst nodded his approval. “Use the time to reflect on what you’ve learned today, Viola. Consider how far you’ve come already, and how much further you have yet to go.”
I stood on trembling legs, my bottom still tender from the savage spanking my Guardian had given me in the classroom. “Yes, Guardian. Yes, Mistress.”
When I had closed the door of the little bedroom behind me, I sank onto the edge of the bed, my hands shaking as I tried to process everything that had happened.