The Selection: Bride Of The Dark Dragon

MIRA

After the girls have left, I sit at my desk for a while staring at the two boxes. I know very well who are they from. And that doesn’t promise anything good for me. First, I open the one that appeared in flames of dark magic, the one from Derrien. And the first thing I see is a note saying: “Wear this to the ball.” And that’s pretty much it. A simple order to a girl who is just a piece of property.

The dress inside is of a rich wine colour, I get it out and, surprisingly it is not over the top with all its openness. Strange… Or maybe I had a completely wrong idea about the gerdian fashion? I come to the mirror and press the dress against myself. The rich fabric flows in gentle waves to the floor, the sleeves with slits from the shoulder also go down to the very bottom of the dress with an even more delicate fabric, creating something like a cape and covering bare arms. The bust is strewn with small gems to match and embroidered with a gold thread. Fine workmanship, tasteful, expensive. The dark colour beautifully emphasizes my hair, making it look like strands of fire.

Signing, I put the dress away and go back to the second box. This one appeared in black smoke, signaling me that it’s from lord Dargen. Remembering our last encounter makes me shrug with disgust. Close, so close! If Derrien didn’t arrive on time… I am afraid to even think about it!

First thing first, the dress is black. I cringe a bit. At the Kingdom, we only wear black to funerals or when we are mourning. I know that gerdians, on the contrary, love this colour and it symbolizes their might and the power that dark magic gives them… But I am just not ready for something like that. However, remembering that Ryden is a psycho, I’d probably better wear his dress… I get it out and gasp – a huge slit at the front – from shoulders to bellybutton… How would my breasts even stay inside in a dress like that?! Maybe it’s the back? No, definitely not…

There is no way I can put on something like that! Signing, I sit down.

Think, Mira, think!

But no good ideas come to my mind. Tired, I am so tired! I’ll think about it tomorrow!

I put up a barrier on my door. I know it’s not nearly as good and strong as the one Derrien made me once, but he hasn’t put protection on my room yesterday, so it’ll have to do. At least it has a calming effect on me.

I go to the bathroom and fill the bath with warm water. Looking at the bottles provided for us, I find one filled with small golden balls saying foam on them. There is no instruction on what to do with them exactly, so I just throw one into the water and see it hissing and gurgling, expanding into a beautiful golden foam. Just enough for that huge beautiful marble bath.

I undress in the bathroom, remembering that my room might be watched, and quickly wrap myself in a soft and luxurious towel, pick up my dress from the floor and walk back into my room to put it on the bed. I’ll clean and take care of it later. Right now I am too tired and only want to relax.

Back at the bathroom, I put my hair up, drop the towel off, and lower myself into the warm water. Gods, it feels so good! Just what I needed after these last couple of crazy days that I had!

I put my hand onto the edge and close my eyes, smiling, letter the water soak my skin properly. The foam tickles my forehead and I giggle at the feeling. Sometimes these simple things are just the best!

It so warm and nice, the room definitely feels hotter for some reason… Suddenly, I feel a thick shade fall onto my face and open my eyes, screaming at the dark figure in front of me, “Aaaaaaa!”

I sit up in the bath, covering myself with my hands and looking at him with huge eyes.

“You know, for a battlemage, you are not that brave!”, he chuckles and sits at the edge of the bath.

“You know, for a lord you have very questionable manners!”, I retort when I get back to my senses. Anger is boiling inside of me. First, he intrudes and then insults me! How dares he!

“I am not doing anything that I am not supposed to be doing”, he says and his fingers brush lightly over my wet and naked back. Not intense, barely touching even, but enough to send shivers all over my body.

“This kind of thing, lord Derwood, should only be done with your wife!”, I snap at him.

“Is that a proposal lady Mira?”, he chuckles, standing up and walking back to the sink. He looks around in the little bottles and when he finds what he is looking for, he comes back to me and grabs a sponge.

“N-no,” I say slowly, watching his every move, “Men are supposed to propose, not women.”

“Oh really?”, he talks to me as if I am a clueless child again, taking a sponge next to me and pouring some of the liquid on it and squeezing it, creating even more foam. The floral scent hits my nostrils. “Do you want me to propose to you, lady Mira?”

“Do gerdians even do that?”, I roll my eyes.

“Is that what you want?”, he looks at me intensely.

“N-no”, I stutter and he smiles, lowering himself to his knee next to me, “W-what are you doing?!”

“Helping”, he says, rolling up his sleeve.

“I…I..I can do it myself, thanks!”, I say quickly, trying to grab the sponge away from him, but he catches my hand, pulling me closer to the edge. Magic sparkles in his eyes when I realize where he is looking… I am not covering my breast anymore due to the little struggle. Luckily, all the most important parts are still covered with foam, and yet you can see the forms, the way they bounce after he moved me… “Lord Derrien!”, I squeak, covering myself with the free hand again and the magic in his eyes fades. I pull up my knees and hug them with my arms. And then I feel the wet sponge on my back. One circle, another, then lower… I am afraid to breathe next to him, and I am afraid to look at him, to see those sparks in his eyes again… I don’t even notice how I start breathing heavily…

“So soft,” he comments, but it’s as if he is talking to himself… I feel his fingers brush over my skin every time the sponge touches me. My cheeks flush! I have never been touched like that! How embarrassing!

“Mira!”, his breathing is on my cheek and I feel the sponge trailing down my spine, all the way down to the very end of it.

His second hand brushes over my chin, making me turn my head towards him.

“I want you, Mira”, he says slowly, looking into my eyes, “Be mine tonight…”