"So here I am," I say, emptyi anss of wine, "blood and guts cover me, soaking me down to my panties. Some damn abomination steps out three eyes, triple my height, and thighs bigger than I am!"My hands waved around like they helped show the size of the beast. "No idea what the fuck the Goddesses were thinking when they made this thing. But, anyway, I had just leveled up from my earlier fights and got some new skills I didn't have time to read. I didn't give it a sed thought, seeing this thing bramble towards me, swinging some tree around like a stick. Used that skill and fttehe damn thing. No, no, no. I swear it. Nobody believed me. I had already run off, looking like I had just swam through a pool of blood, so the extra blood didn't eveer for them. Not a single person I talk to knows what has three eyes and is that tall. But I swear it! I killed some damn thing like that!"

  "Princess, there is no such thing. Not even the depths of the oldest forest have three-eyed giants running around. Some talk about one-eyed giants, but three is just stupid. You must have been drunk or halluating from all that monster blood," Geta says with a shake of her head.

  "Not you, too, Geta. I swear it! I saw that thing and smashed it with my new skill. I think it was oh a bonus the first time you used it or something. Never squashed anything like it again. But..."

  "Doesn't that a, yhness? It must've been something smaller casting an illusion spell."

  "No, no, there was no illusion magic!" I say smming the table. "Why does nobody believe me. I saw and killed it. I got my level much too fast to have killed something small there. I kept careful notes of what I killed back then."

  "Honey, I think this o be your st gss. We o get up early," Ioelena says. "Holy, the st three shouldn't have happened."

  "I'm just being a good guest and sharing their great wine! But that's fine. I'll listen to my beautiful wife if you join me in bed," I decre, standing up and stumbling over to the quiet girl.

  "Yes, Elora," she whispers back.

  "e on, you haven't had much to drink, so you o help me. I don't want to sleep on the beautiful Liuva's floor," my hands still wild to prove my point.

  "Ok, dear."

  She leads me down the spinning halls with a maid helping to direct us.

  "This is the room, yhness," the maid says with a bow.

  "Thank you," I say, pushing ahead and walking in. Inanos follows closely behind as I fall onto the bed. "Inanos, is something wrong?"

  "No."

  "There is. You're being too quiet. Like I said earlier, you did everything correctly back there. But I think I've been babying you too much. Sorry. So e here and fall asleep in my arms. Wait, no, I said I was babying you too much. e here and hug me to sleep. Oh, and you strip me? I don't know if I'll put it in the right ring."

  "Elora..."

  "No, dear. I love you and need you. I want you naked and rubbing that soft skin against me."

  "Ok, dear."

  "Good," I say, fading without knowing if she actually stripped me down or not.

  "Princess, the sun is up. Liuva is ready for you iudy," my maid says, shaking me awake.

  "Fuck. Why did nobody stop me st night," I grumble. I am naked and uhe sheets. Inanos is even hugging me gently, her warm breath crawling around the bay neck.

  "We tried, but you didn't care," Inanos whispers into my ear.

  "Now I've got some water off to the side. The Baroness will be fih you wearing just a robe, so please hurry. You are the ohat set this time and the and got drunk," the maid instructs.

  "I'll have to thank her for letting this be a casual meeting. Inanos, do you want to go? You go back to bed if you want, but I wouldn't mind you ing along."

  "I'll go," Inanos says.

  I grab the gss of water and chug it down before slipping out of bed aing the maid clothe me with magianos puts her own robe on, and we head out.

  "Did the maids give you all the dires around the castle?" I ask. We didn't have one of the Baroness' maids with us as we started walking.

  "Yes, just the important pces. Just one more turn here, and we'll be there," she says, turning down a new hallway. "Here we are. She should be waiting inside."

  She gives us a bow, and we walk in.

  It's a simple study. A small bookshelf, table, and a few chairs fill the stone room. A soft carpet covers the middle of the floor. Liuva sits behind the desk, a map sprawled out with a few figures on it.

  "Good, I was worried you wouldn't be able to get out of bed. The healer is ing in a few hours; she help you then. Are you good to go over everything now, yhness?"

  "Yes, just a small headache. Sorry for drinking a bit too much st night. Got a little too into the dinner."

  "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm happy you e. I should've cut off the wine a bit earlier or had it watered down," the Duchess says, pointing to chairs opposite her. "Please."

  "Thank you," I say, pulling the chair up to the desk. "So where are these griffins, and how many are there?"

  "Three have been spotted at once. I'm not sure if that is all or if they all look simir enough that the oners 't tell them apart. They're a few miles east here, taking over a few of our fields. They often fly off to the forest or roads in the m and e back a bit before sundown. So, depending on how many you want to fight, we ambush them at sundown at their or try to pick them off at the forest and roads over a few days."

  "Not sure the t? What is blog you from seeing their if they are doing it out in the open?" I ask.

  "Limited vision. The griffiheir up in some of the few hills in the area. My house isn't a fighting house, and my people areher. So we 't get in close enough to be certain of anything. It may be wise for you to do a bit of scouting first to get the true number, and then ick a pn from there. Or, if you want, we just attack. I've got a few girls that help you defend a camp or something. I don't think they'll be much against the griffins, but they work with Lady Inanos to help with the around the camp."

  "Yes, that would be good. Vanya aia do the scouting a a good t tonight. We'll leave around midday, set up camp, and then have them get the t aheir guard during the night. From there, we decide what we o do. If it is only three we should be able to just ambush them at their ," I say.

  "Ok, I've got the supplies ready on my side. We should be good to camp out for a week at least. I have some emergency supplies, but I prefer not to use them for the attack. I've already used half to keep the people fed. I'll go gather everyone, and the healer should be here shortly to che you, Inanos," the Baroness says.

  "Thank you," Inanos replies, surprising me a bit. Am I better at soling others when I'm drunk?

  "Do you have breakfast ready here?" I ask. Some food would help this splitting headache.

  "Yes, my Husband likes to eat a little sna the m. Won't be anything grand, only he eats this early, but it should help you out. And sorry about pushing so much wio you. The stories were great if a little exaggerated," the Baroness says.

  "I only have true stories. I'm sure whatever I shared st night happened," I insist. I don't remember most of the stories I tell. I only get in the mood to share after a bit too much wine.

  "Of course, Princess. Do I o wake your wives, or do you want your own maids to do that?" she says with a small smile.

  "My maids get them up. Most likely are already awake uheir bed was extra fortable."

  "Oh, I think they were very fortable going to bed. They all at least paired up; one group was three big."

  "I'll send a maid around," I say with a small smile, "This small breakfast sounds great, so I'll head out to it. Inanos, where would you like the healer to work?"

  "Our room should be fine unless you have a better pce, my Lady?" Inanos ask.

  "Your room would likely be the best. If you aren't getting breakfast, I'll have a maid seo your room once she is here."

  "Thank you."

  With the day's pns finished, I get up and head out. A new maid is waiting to show me to the kit for whatever this breakfast has in store for me.

  It's a short walk to the kit, likely to make te-night snacks easier for the w woman of the study. Inside is just a maid and the Husband, Vankas, eating some pancakes. He's one of the few around that have a writing affinity. Likely snagged up by the Baroness before he even knew his affinity.

  Temples and the royal family love to capture all of those with a writing affinity. Obviously there is nobody better if you need something written down. Perfect copies, writing as fast as you speak the words, perfect spelling, grammar. The scrolls they make are the easiest to read and interpret. ing up with better ways to say what you want, as long as they get to write it down. But, the Goddess is weak, making the number quite small.

  "Do you have some to share?" I call out.

  "It would take just a few moments to make some more Princess. I'll have them start immediately," the maid says with a deep bow.

  "Thank you. Wouldn't miting?"

  "No, please. It's an honor to eat breakfast with a Princess. So few eat it; magic making lund dioo filling or something. One of the great things about oners is getting to eat breakfast," Vankas says.

  "Bit noble in your thinking. They are more likely to go hungry due to needing the extra meals," I say back, taking my seat across from him.

  "Yes, yes. But, we are nobles. Everyone has something another wants as long as they don't get any of the downsides of that thing. Go to the stories you shared. How great it would be to have that power, yet to get it, you have to risk your life. Miss out some of the joys in your childhood. I'm always asked to write things dow I rarely get to write what I wish to write. I would love to share some of those tales you had st night," he says with a slight ugh in his voice.

  "You if you wish; just don't ge the details—except maybe who the characters are. I don't want anything traced bae. Some of those are a bit embarrassing," I say. I really o ask what I told everyo night if they get a writer ied in them.

  "Of course. That three-eyed beast seems iing. Spreading the story around may track down a few others that came across it or help show it truly does."

  "Oh, that story. Yes, I know what I saw, but I may overestimate how good I am at finding illusion magic. You share if you wish," I say. It would be o share it a bit wider. If I go to Mother and prove I may have truly killed a beast with three eyes. Oh, it would be fun.

  The maid is ing back with a short stack of pancakes and some water.

  "Here you go, Princess. Is there anything else we get you?"

  "No, this is perfect. Thank you." I say, digging i our breakfast in silence, hoping to end my headache.