"A Third Empress?" Catherine asked with a soft, emphatic voice. "The previous two wives of your Emperor died, my Lord?"

  "What?" He almost choked on some soup. "No!"

  "Then... He divorced them, Sir?" She tilted her head, completely lost in some thought.

  "Of course not!" Arthur chuckled. "He has many wives."

  "Polygamy is allowed in Arcadia?" She asked, a little bit shocked. "Just how many wives does your Emperor have, my Lord?"

  "Ten." Arthur shrugged. He wondered if he should tell her that one of them was an actual Goddess but then he decided Catherine didn't need to know right now.

  "How does that even work? Can nobles have as many wives as they want, Sir?" She asked with a slightly nervous voice.

  "It's not restricted to nobles and, before you ask, it's not restricted to gender either." Arthur shrugged and finished his soup. "Of course, marriages are regulated but as long as all parties involved agree on something, no one is going to check what they do in their bedrooms."

  "Mhm..." She looked at him in silence for a moment, then lowered her gaze in embarrassment. "In Saftia, only monogamy is allowed; however, I heard that some nobles have concubines. I also don't have to tell you that slaves don't count as people so..."

  "So, sex slaves are supposedly something normal." He finished with a disgusted expression.

  "Yes..." She nodded slowly.

  "I refuse to accept something like that as normal." He said and put down the empty plate. "Anyway... I will need some information, Catherine."

  "I live to serve you, my Lord." He could swear that she was teasing him.

  "Do you use, or have heard about, spatial storage items in Saftia?" He asked, ignoring her tone. "I'm pretty sure I've seen people using something similar during our ride here."

  "Yes... However, they are expensive. The large ones are incredibly precious and reserved only for nobles. However, there are smaller, widespread holding items that usually allow for storing items used by Hunters and Adventurers." She answered, looking at him awkwardly.

  "All right... That makes my life much easier." Arthur sighed in relief and snapped his fingers.

  His armour and cape disappeared and he smiled in relief as he fixed the flap of his uniform jacket. Catherine gasped in shock seeing his new attire. It was a summer uniform made from much lighter materials. An Inquisitorial tabard, a comfortable shirt, and pants were always the way to go in his opinion.

  "Much better..." He stretched his hands over his head.

  "Ummm... I shouldn't be so surprised, to be honest..." Catherine hummed to herself. "Not after the inside of your cloak offered nearly unlimited space to hold every item you needed, my Lord."

  "Ha, ha..." He ignored her and stood up. "I'll go take a bath. You can take one as well once you finish eating and drinking."

  The Nekomi looked at him for a moment in silence before she nodded. Arthur stood up and went to the bathroom where he stored his items in his storage space. Then, he flushed himself with warm water and soaked his body in the stone bathtub, which was large enough for him to comfortably wash. He hummed to himself, wondering if he could find a metal one for his purposes. The arid climate of Saftia made it quite uncomfortable to not clean himself for long periods. There was a limit to what convenience magic could do and he entered the empty tub with a smile. As the slightly cool water slowly covered his tired body, he thought about how to take down the crime lord.

  "Shadow? Can you find out where Griss Vul is hiding? I need to take care of him today."

  "Sure. But you do realise that we don't know the city?" The Shadow Fenrir's head emerged from the shadow of the bathtub. "Wouldn't it be suspicious if you navigate your way perfectly?"

  "I'm going to figure out some excuses and perhaps acquire a guide." Arthur decided the water was a bit too cold for him and used a little magic to make it warmer. "Thanks, Shade."

  "No problem." The Fenrir disappeared and Arthur brought out his bathing supplies with a sigh.

  He would have liked to take his time and soak a little longer but he was tired. The naps he had for the last three days weren't quite enough for him to rest completely so he hoped to catch a few hours of sleep before he dealt with Griss Vul. His mind was strangely sluggish, and hopefully, a good rest would fix it. He quickly finished washing himself and got out of the tepid water. Finally, he felt clean and refreshed after days inside his armour. He smiled to himself, put on some casual clothes, and replaced the water in the tub for Catherine. He left the bathroom and almost bumped into her as she was heading in the opposite direction.

  "The water is ready for you and I plan to catch a few moments to nap though I would prefer a few hours of deeper sleep. Take a nap, as well, if you want. We should have some safety for that long." He said and she nervously nodded upon hearing his last remark.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  She paused to speak but she looked slightly nervous and couldn't find a word, so she just nodded.

  "Oh! There was a bathrobe and a towel in the bathroom, so you can use them."

  "I will, Sir." She said with a strangely muffled voice.

  Arthur headed straight to the bedroom and dropped onto the sheets. Before he fell asleep, he brought out his warding stones and closed his eyes.

  ???

  Catherine watched Lord Ives disappear into the bedroom and sighed. She couldn't understand him at all, which was driving her mad. He was a mystery to her but she was sure that he was her ticket to a better life. Unfortunately for Catherine, he was dead set on fighting Griss Vul and she was afraid he would die. He was powerful but she seriously doubted that he could fight the entire crime organisation. She began to lose the hope she had regained over the past two days.

  "No..." She whispered and clenched her fists. "He will be fine. He must be."

  She clapped her cheeks and took a deep breath as she entered the bathroom. The water in the large tub was still steaming and clean. Of course, he must have prepared it for her. He was so... Confusing. She couldn't tell if he was teasing her but his behaviour was usually reserved for people who were much closer in relationships. Was he just trying to be friendly? If not, then what? She acknowledged that he was from a completely different nation and his norms were different from hers. She probably should explain to him the cultural norms of Saftia for his own good. It certainly wasn't the master-servant relationship she expected. She had started trusting him even before he took off her slave collar the first time. He was an honourable and honest man and never once looked at her as if she were less than him. Even the fact that he was a noble, a proper noble, no matter what he said, didn't stop him from treating her as his equal. It was good to be treated that way...

  Maybe she could wait to explain to him the differences?

  "I don't know what you're thinking, Sir Ives..." Catherine sighed heavily.

  She started undressing and noticed that her clothes were slightly dirty... She lifted the black dress to take a better look at it and scrunched up her nose at the smell that hit her nose.. She looked at the still steaming water, considering, and then dumped everything in. Normally, her collar would restrict her from doing anything her master didn't allow. However, she was pretty sure that he never considered restricting anything. If anything, he managed to find a way around giving her orders and it seemed he was happy about it. Like with today's meal...

  "Please... Let's just leave the city. You don't have to endanger yourself." She said as she carefully washed her outfit and felt the tears rolling down her cheeks.

  He was too kind to just die while dealing with some bandits... Why was he even doing that? Catherine froze when an impossible thought crossed her mind. Could he...

  "Is he doing it for me?" She asked herself quietly and quickly shook her head to chase away that ridiculous thought. "No... That's impossible..."

  When her clothes were clean, she rinsed them before she hung them to dry. However, when she tried to enter the tub to wash herself, she couldn't. She realised that it was her collar that prevented her from using dirty water to bathe and she had mixed feelings about it. With a sigh at the waste, she drained the tub completely and only when she started pouring fresh water did her collar allow her to proceed. The water was pleasantly cool and refreshing, so she decided she could enjoy herself for a moment.

  "I will ask if he could consider just leaving this city." She leaned back in the water and looked at the ceiling.

  ???

  When Arthur woke up, it was already evening. That was still according to his plans. Catherine, sleeping on the floor next to the bed he was in, wasn't according to any plans. She was wearing the bathrobe but, except for that, she wore nothing else.

  "I'm so stupid. Gods..." He whispered quietly, stood up from the bed, and lifted her as gently as he could.

  He felt guilty that she slept on the ground. He put her in bed and covered her with the duvet. She purred and smiled as she kicked away the fabric covering her legs with a single jerk. He quietly left the room and closed the door. As he made the first step toward the apartment's door, the darkness below his feet distorted. He smiled, already wearing his combat gear and worked his fists to make sure the gloves fit snugly.

  "Griss Vul is preparing his men to catch the girl as soon as she leaves the custody of Baron Howthorns. They are meeting in the building that previously belonged to Catherine's family. There are eighty of them and no one there is worth your time."

  "That man is driven by some obsession..." Arthur shook his head. "Keep her safe. If anyone tries to take her away, capture them. I will interrogate them later."

  "Do you know the way?" The Fenrir asked with an amused tone.

  "No. But he knows." Arthur waved his hand at the doors and, after making a few more steps, he opened them. "Good evening, Captain Amos. I ordered my Maid to take a well-deserved rest and I hope that she won't be interrupted."

  "Good evening, Lord Ives. I will inform the servants of your wish. However, Lord Howthorns..."

  "Do you know where to find the shop that previously belonged to the Clark's family?" Arthur asked as he closed the doors, locking them with a key he placed in his pocket.

  "Yes, Lord Ives!" The man awkwardly followed him. "As I said, my Lord wishes to..."

  "I have things to deal with before I can speak with Lord Howthorns again. The completion of which is demanded by my honour as a Noble of Arcadia. I cannot repay the goodwill of your Lord with simple words." Arthur decided to bullshit his way out of another meeting with the local noble by playing a righteous card. "This is why I need your help to be my guide."

  The Captain had to put in extra effort to match Arthur's fast pace. They reached the exit of the manor quickly but fortunately Amos wasn't particularly conflicted. He rushed forward and extended his hand to the guards. They exchanged a few words before the younger man saluted and opened the doors.

  "If you really believe that you can remove that criminal, I was ordered to help you as much as possible, Lord Ives," Amos said with a determined voice. "My Lord doubted that you would actually make a move against Griss Vul so soon..."

  "What's the point in waiting for something that has to be done?" Arthur shrugged. "I interrogated the bandits who attacked me and I learned everything I wanted to know. With each moment, the knowledge I gathered becomes more and more outdated."

  "Oh... But we haven't time to prepare the soldiers to help you, Lord Ives." Captain Amos said to the back of the towering man.

  "Help me?" He chuckled, low and dark. "I need someone to show me the way, Captain Amos. That would be more than helpful enough..."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to and who edited the chapter!