I woke up with a problem.
A very specific, very inconvenient problem.
"Oh, come on," I groaned, staring down at the tent in my blanket. "Really? Now?"
My dick apparently didn't care that I was a slave in a deadly fantasy palace. It had opinions, and those opinions were LOUD.
This is what I get for dreaming about—no, don't think about it. That makes it worse.
But it was too late. My brain was already replaying that night with Elena. The way she looked. The way she moved.
The way she—
"STOP." I sat up too fast, immediately regretting it as blood rushed away from my brain to... other places.
The system flickered on, because of course it did.
-----
[GOOD MORNING, CORY]
MAIN QUEST: SURVIVE 30 DAYS
Time Remaining: 29 Days, 6 Hours
Current Status: Alive
Physical Status: Elevated arousal detected
Recommendation: Cold water
------
"Thanks for the advice, system. Real helpful." I glared at the floating text. "Can you NOT comment on my dick?"
------
[PHYSIOLOGICAL MONITORING IS PART OF CORE FUNCTIONS]
[CANNOT BE DISABLED]
------
"Of course it can't."
I needed to deal with this before someone saw me walking around the palace like I was smuggling a baguette in my pants.
Cold water. Right. The basin.
I stumbled over to the basin and splashed water on my face. Then my neck.
Then.....fuck it, I just dunked my whole head in.
The shock helped....
A little.
I dried off with the rough towel and tried to think about literally anything else.
Baseball.
That time I got food poisoning.
My drill sergeant's face when I showed up late to formation.
Dead puppies....no wait, that's too sad.
Just... dead things in general?
I'm thinking about death to get rid of a boner. My life is so weird now.
Five minutes later, the situation had calmed down enough that I could get dressed without embarrassing myself.
Dark grey pants.....thankfully loose enough to hide any... residual enthusiasm.
A white shirt and a vest with the bronze token pinned prominently.
I checked my reflection in the small mirror.
"Alright, Cory. Day two. You survived day one. Just gotta do that twenty-nine more times. Easy." I tried to sound confident.
My reflection looked unconvinced.
"Okay, not easy. But survivable. Probably.....Maybe."
God, I'm talking to myself. That's a great sign.
I left my room, making sure to lock it behind me.
The servants' corridor was just as busy as yesterday morning.
Elves rushing around with trays, linens, cleaning supplies. Nobody paid me much attention, which was good.
I was halfway to the servants' hall when I realized I had no idea where I was going.
Wait. Did I take a left or right at that intersection yesterday?
The corridors all looked the same.....the living wood walls, floating lights, the occasional window showing glimpses of gardens or courtyards.
I took a left.
Then another left.
Then... was that the same tapestry I passed five minutes ago?
Fuck. I'm lost. On day two. Great job, Cory.
"Lost, human?"
I spun around.
A female elf stood behind me.....young, maybe early twenties by human standards, with light brown hair in a braid and amber eyes that sparkled with amusement.
She wore a maid's uniform that... okay, focus, Cory.
"I, uh... might be slightly....lost," I admitted.
She giggled. "Slightly? You've passed that same corner three times. I've been watching."
My face heated up. "In my defense, everything looks the same."
"You're the Queen's new assistant, right?" She stepped closer, studying me with open curiosity. "The one who survived a whole day?"
Why does everyone keep saying it like that?
"That's me. Cory." I held out my hand automatically, then remembered this wasn't Earth and elves probably didn't shake hands.
But she took it anyway, her grip surprisingly firm. "I'm Sera. Not a head attendant or anything important. Just... a maid." She tilted her head. "You really don't know where you're going, do you?"
"The servants' hall? I think?"
"That's the Wrong direction." She laughed again, and damn, it was a nice laugh. "Come on, I'll show you. Can't have you starving to death before the Queen gets a chance to—" She stopped abruptly, her smile faltering.
"Before she gets a chance to what?"
"Nothing." Sera turned quickly, starting to walk. "Follow me. And try to remember this time."
We walked through the corridors, and she pointed out landmarks. "See that window with the red flowers? That's the east wing marker. The servants' hall is always west from there. And this statue....the elf with the bow....that's the north junction. You came from the south, so you turned the wrong way."
"There's a statue?" I looked back. "I didn't even notice."
"Most humans don't. You people are very..." She searched for the word. "Oblivious? No offense."
"None taken. I am pretty oblivious."
Especially when there are beautiful women everywhere distracting me.
We reached the servants' hall, and Sera gestured toward the entrance. "There you go. Try not to get lost on the way back."
"No promises." I grinned. "Thanks for the rescue."
"Just don't make me regret helping you." But she smiled when she said it, then disappeared into the crowd of servants.
I grabbed a tray and got in line.
Breakfast looked the same as yesterday....porridge, bread, that weird apple-citrus fruit.
I loaded up my tray and found a seat at the same table as yesterday.
The whispers started immediately.
"Day two."
"Still walking."
"Maybe he's stronger than he looks."
"Or the Queen's taking it easy on him."
"She never takes it easy."
I focused on eating. The porridge was still bland. The bread was still good. Everything was fine.
"Mind if I sit?"
I looked up to find a guy standing across from me.....elf, obviously, probably mid-twenties, with dark hair and a friendly smile. He wore servant clothes like mine.
"Go ahead." I gestured to the empty seat.
He sat down with his own tray. "Name's Dain. I work in the kitchens."
"Cory."
"I know." He grinned. "Everyone knows. You're the talk of the servants' quarters."
Of course I am.....but how did they get my name so fast though...?
"Great. Love being famous." I said, not letting my thoughts show.
"Could be worse." Dain took a bite of bread. "You could be dead."
"That's... encouraging?"
"Hey, you made it past day one. That's more than most." He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "Wanna know a secret?"
Do I? Probably not. But I'm curious.
"Sure?"
"The last assistant? He was an arrogant prick. Thought being chosen by the Queen made him special. Talked back to her on day two." Dain made a throat-cutting gesture. "His collar got activated. It was level five torture.....They say his screams echoed through the whole wing."
My hand unconsciously went to my own collar.
Level five. Mira said level three felt like being set on fire. What the fuck is level five?
"The one before that," Dain continued, "tried to run. Made it to the gardens before the guards caught him. The Queen... well. Let's just say she wasn't happy."
"And the one before that?"
"Died on his first day. They say he couldn't handle the intensity of her chores"
Yeah, I'm aware. The system is literally the only reason I didn't die.
"So why are you telling me this?" I asked.
Dain shrugged. "Because you seem different. Scared, but not stupid scared." He finished his bread. "Also, you haven't tried hitting on any of the female servants yet, which is refreshing. The last two couldn't keep it in their pants."
"Trust me, I'm keeping everything firmly in my pants." Even if it's hard sometimes. Literally....I didn't say the last part out of course.
"Good plan." Dain stood, picking up his tray. "Advice? Do your job, keep your head down, and don't give anyone a reason to notice you. Boring is safe."
"That's what Mira said."
"Mira's smart. Listen to her." He walked away, leaving me with my half-eaten breakfast.
Sighhhh, another lecture about surviving ...what did Mira say again....'Be Boring'. Right. I can do boring....
I finished eating quickly and left before anyone else decided to share terrifying stories about dead assistants.
---
The library was exactly as I'd left it yesterday...., clean.
Good. At least something stays the same.
I spent the morning doing... honestly, not much.
There weren't that many books to organize since I'd done most of it yesterday.
So I just... dusted things that were already clean. Rearranged books that were already arranged. Basically looked busy while doing nothing.
This is my life now. Pretending to work in a library while trying not to think about the murder queen who could summon me at any moment.
Around midday, I heard footsteps outside.
Please don't be Elena.
Please don't be Elena.
I'm not ready for round two. My body is still sore.
The door opened.
It was Mira.
"Oh, thank god." The words slipped out before I could stop them.
Her eyebrow arched. "Disappointed?"
"No! I mean....yes? I mean—" I was making this worse. "I'm just glad you're not here to tell me I'm about to die."
"The day is young." But her expression softened slightly. "The library looks good. Keep it maintained. Her Majesty occasionally visits to read, and she prefers it pristine."
Elena reads? I mean, of course she does.... Probably read every book in here twice.
"Will do, ma'am."
Mira studied me for a moment. "You're doing better than I expected."
"Thanks?"
"That wasn't a compliment. My expectations were very low." She turned to leave, then paused. "The Queen will likely summon you tonight or tomorrow. Be prepared."
My stomach dropped. "Prepared how?"
"Bath, Rest. Don't smell like dust and old books." She glanced back at me. "And Cory? Whatever happens in that room... remember that you're dealing with someone who's been broken for a very long time. She may own you, but that doesn't mean she's invincible."
Before I could ask what that meant, she was gone.
Great. More cryptic warnings. That's exactly what I needed.
---
I spent the afternoon in the garden.
It didn't really need tending....everything was already maintained by... magic?
Elf gardeners?
I had no idea. But I watered some plants, pulled a few weeds that didn't need pulling, and generally pretended to be useful.
The fountain burbled softly. Birds....or elf birds? Were birds different here?....chirped in the trees. It was actually... peaceful.
I could get used to this. Just hanging out in a garden, not worrying about dying.*
"Enjoying yourself?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
Captain Lyra stood at the garden entrance, arms crossed, that same judgy expression on her face.
"Captain." I straightened up automatically. My military habits were kicking in again. "I was jus—"
"Wasting time?"
Wow.
Okay. Rude but she's kinda accurate.
"Maintaining the garden, ma'am."
"The garden maintains itself." She walked closer, and I noticed she moved silently, ready to strike at any moment. "You've been here all afternoon doing nothing."
"I'm doing my job, ma'am."
"Your job is to serve Her Majesty." Lyra stopped a few feet away. "And right now, you're not serving anyone. You're hiding."
Am I? Maybe. Can you blame me?
"I'm not hiding. I'm...."
"Waiting for her to summon you again." Lyra's silver eyes bored into mine. "You're scared, huh.... But don't think for a second that hiding in this garden will protect you."
"I'm not trying to hide."
"Then what are you trying to do?"
Survive.
"I'm trying to do my job without causing problems," I said carefully.
Lyra studied me for a long moment. "You're smarter than the last few. I'll give you that. But smart only gets you so far in this palace."
"What else do I need?"
"You will luck.... Timing. And the ability to know when to keep your mouth shut." She turned to leave. "Her Majesty will summon you soon. Don't keep her waiting."
"How do you know—"
"Because I know her." Lyra glanced back. "Better than you ever will."
Is she jealous? No, that's insane. Why would she be jealous of a slave?
She left before I could ask anything else.
---
By the time evening rolled around, I was exhausted despite doing basically nothing all day.
Turns out pretending to work is more tiring than actual work.
I was heading back to my room when I heard it.
"Cory?"
I froze.
A younger male servant....maybe sixteen?....stood in the corridor holding a sealed letter. "Her Majesty requests your presence. Immediately."
Fuck.
"Uh... now?"
The servant gave me a look that said, Are you stupid? "Immediately means now, yes."
Okay.
Deep breath. You survived last time. You can survive this time..... Maybe.
"Right. Of course. Lead the way."
We walked through the corridors, and with every step, my heart beat faster.
Don't panic. Panicking makes it worse. Just... be calm. Confident. Don't stutter. Don't stare at her chest. Don—
We stopped outside Elena's chambers.
The servant knocked three times, then left without a word.
"Enter."
Here we go.
I opened the door.
Elena sat on her chaise lounge, wine glass in hand, wearing that same black dress that made my brain short-circuit.
Her crimson eyes locked onto mine.
"You took your time."
"I came immediately, Your Majesty."
"Hmm." She took a slow sip of wine. "Close the door."
I did.
The lock clicked way too loudly in the silence.
"Come here."
My legs moved before my brain caught up, still hypnotized by her bewitching eyes.
I stopped a few feet from her, trying to keep my breathing steady.
Don't look at her chest. Don't look at her thighs. Eyes on her face. Just her face.
"You've been busy today," she said conversationally. "Organizing my library. Tending my garden."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Mira says you're doing adequate work."
Great. That's exactly what every guy wants to hear.
"I try my best, Your Majesty."
"Do you?" She set down her wine glass and stood. "Because from what I hear, you spent most of the afternoon hiding in the garden."
That Fucking Lyra had to open her mouth.
"I wasn't hiding, Your Majesty. I wa-"
"I don't care what you were doing." Elena stepped closer. "What I care about is whether you're worth keeping around."
Oh shit.
"Your Majesty, I..."
"The last assistant disappointed me on day two. Do you know what happened to him?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"I killed him." She said it so casually. Like she was discussing the weather. "He thought being chosen made him special. Thought he could speak to me as an equal. I proved him wrong."
My mouth was dry. "I understand, Your Majesty."
"Do you?" She reached out, fingers trailing along my jaw. "Because you seem nervous, Cory. Are you afraid of me?"
Terrified.
Absolutely fucking terrified.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Good." Her thumb brushed across my lower lip. "You being afraid means....you're not stupid."
Her hand moved to my chest, feeling my racing heartbeat.
"You're heart's racing."
Yeah, no shit. You just casually mentioned murdering your last 'assistant'.
"I apologize, Your Majesty."
"Don't apologize for being alive." She stepped even closer, so close I could feel the heat radiating from her body. "It's... refreshing, actually. The last few tried to pretend they weren't scared. It was tedious."
Her fingers moved to the buttons of my shirt.
Oh. Oh no. We're doing this again....I haven't recovered yet.
"Your Majest—"
"Did I ask you to speak?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"Then be quiet."
She unbuttoned my shirt slowly, deliberately, her eyes never leaving mine.
Deep breaths. You survived last time. The system protected you. It'll protect you again...I hope so.
My shirt fell open. Her hands slid across my chest, and despite the fear.....or maybe because of it....my body responded exactly the way it had last time.
"Still eager, I see." That dangerous smile again. "Let's see if you can last longer than a few minutes this time."
Wait, what? A few minutes? I lasted WAY longer tha—
She pushed me backwards, and I stumbled onto the chaise.
Sigh, Here we go again.