“What?”

“No know word.”

“What that mean?”

“You don’t know what a concubine is?” I asked.

“No know. Please tell.”

“What is your … how would you describe your relationships with Jens?”

All the demons looked at him with blank stares on their faces.

“Friend.”

“Yes frend.”

“Is he just a friend? Are you sure?”

“No boss if you mean,” Eric said, “He us hero. He us represent. But no boss. He no order us.”

“He more important than us but no us boss,” Ira added.

“So … you’re on the same level, I guess? Is that what you’re saying? Are all of you nobles of the same stature?”

“That would actually make sense and explain why Mun-Hee can talk over everyone else like that. Besides, I guess that being friends is far more … I guess there are fewer limitations for what the friends can and can’t do among the demons.”

“No nobles. No nobles here. Here all is same.”

“No nobles and no collar people.”

“Still no take it out? What wait for?” Ira grinned at Mun-Hee once again.

She spat something back in their tongue before finally removing the collar from my neck.

“No need this any more,” she said, putting the collar on the table.

“Why no you tell us of you’re self?” Booker said, “We want learn you also.”

“Oh, you want me to introduce myself to you? Ok but, there isn’t much to tell.”

---

I spent the rest of the night talking with these demons, mostly about ourselves. The difference in our tongues was a serious challenge, but the demons proved determined to overcome it. Not only that, they even demanded that I point out any flaws in their speech.

Not wanting to spend most of the conversation correcting them or spark their ire, I did it only occasionally.

The demons turned out to be way too eager to talk with me, for some reason. While I was glad that they were more interested in talking than in torturing me, they kept on talking and talking way into the night. Eventually, I struggled to stay awake, with my head constantly falling down on its own.

Jens was the first to notice it: “Snirba is tired. Late for she. Go to sleep.”

“Yes, late for timkik. Come, let us go,” Mun-Hee stood up, taking my hand gently.

“Where she sleep?” Ira asked.

“My room.”

Instead of his usual grin, I saw Ira raise an eyebrow this time.

“What? You have issue with it?”

“Sneaky, sneaky.”

“Come, let us go.”

As we left, I barely noticed the male demons waving at us.

“They is good people,” Mun-Hee said, “Some of they is mean, but good. Still, be care full. You never know.”

Noticing that I was fumbling my steps, she put my arm over her shoulder.

“Here, put you’re arm like this. Not want you fall and get hurt.”

“Thanks. It’s just that … it was a long day … and you demons are far more talkative than I’ve expected.”

That made Mun-Hee laugh in a low voice: “Yes. They love talking. But no demons. You understand soon.”

---

Opening my sleepy eyes, I saw someone right in front of me, in the same bed. Startled, I tried backing away, only to realize I couldn’t move at all.

“No scare. Good morning.”

Taking another look at the person in my bed, it started coming back to me. The last day, the long and tiresome conversation with the demons.

And the demonic female I was supposed to share my bed with.

The last night ended in a blur for me. I was too tired to remember anything after we left for our quarters. But I did remember Mun-Hee said we would share a room. And the same bed.

Still, I didn’t expect we’d be so close to each other. Sure, the bed was small, but while the bed itself was made to fit only one person, there was enough room for both of us, thanks to our stature. However, Mun-Hee decided to wrap her arms over me for some reason, getting so close our chest touched. She held me tight, as if she was worried I’d run away in the middle of the night.

“She leaves nothing to chance, doesn’t she?”

She had a big smile on her face, even wider than the one she was giving me the last night. She was dressed in a weird evening gown that was neither elegant nor erotic. It kept to her form but didn’t really stick to it to reveal her figure. Somehow, it looked more fitting for a child than an adult.

Looking down, I realized I was dressed the same way. But there was one noticeable difference. Unlike Mun-Hee, who was completely covered in the gown, my upper chest area was bursting out of it.

“You get too tired last night. I take you here and clothes you. Lucky! You fit in my … hmm … not sure for word.”

“Your nightgown?”

“Yes! We is same size. But not here,” Mun-Hee pointed at my chest, then at hers, “I envy.”

“And … why are we hugging?”

“You no like?”

“I’m… I’m not complaining, it’s just … you don’t have to worry I’ll run away. I won’t be a nuisance, I swear.”

She started ruffling my hair: “You no no-siance. You is good girl. I take care of you.”

“But, why?”

“Why not? It is good thing to do. You lost now, only good to help.”

“Then … I guess you know what awaits me here. What’s going to become of me?”

“We see you’re health, learn you some things, you learn us you’re tongue, and then you think of what you want to do.”

“I was sent here to serve Jens.”

“That is not important. You think of with what you want to do.”

“I want to serve master Jens.”

Those words made the smile disappear from Mun-Hee’s lips.

“You come up with some thing when you is ready. Take time. Some years. You learn first and then decide.”

“You’re not Jens’ concubine, aren’t you?”

“He is not I boss.”

“I know, but … are you attracted to him? In a sexual way?”

It took a few moments for Mun-Hee to process those words, after which she recoiled in disgust.

“No! No! I is not attract to him. He is good but I is not attract!”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother and come between you two.”

“No! Wait. Is you attract to he?”

“He’s my master. It’s my duty to serve him.”

“He is not master! You not have master! You you’re own! But I know is hard. I know is weird to you. But you understand later. Must learn first. Learn the difference in society.”

“And what if I want to be with him because I do find him attractive?”

She started staring at me intently. I couldn’t say for sure since she didn’t have proper ears to tell, but I think what I said troubled her a bit. I think that was the kind of stare she was giving to me.

“You is confused. Not know how things is. Listen. Not get close to males. Not yet. Must learn first of us society. No male can ask any thing from you. Not have to listen males. You you’re own. Get away from males. Be close to me. You is safe that way.”

“Are you saying they will hurt me if I approach them?”

“Some can. Us males is good, but stupid. Can no … hmm … act stupid some time. Not understand female. Think she want some thing she not want. They think do good but do bad because they is stupid. And you is pretty. Interesting. They get stupid ideas. You too scare to say no. So get no close to they! Stay with I and I make sure you is safe.”

“They do look intimidating. But I’d prefer to hear what Jens has to say about it before I make my mind.”

“Not be a lone with male! Or more! All ways have female near you!”

“Including Jens?”

“Yes!”

“Ok, she clearly doesn’t want me talking to Jens for some reason. And she said that their males will find me interesting. She isn’t stupid, all right. As a scholar, she understands that mingling with their males would give me some leverage. And she certainly doesn’t want that to happen. She wants to control me, so much so she’s willing to hug me tight while we’re sleeping, just so I wouldn’t sneak away.”

“Is she just overly controlling, or actually mad?”

“But I guess I should do as she asks. I need to make some friends here before I can do anything, and she clearly doesn’t want me acting freely. It appears she’s territorial to the extreme. She doesn’t want me ruining her plans.”

“Yes, she probably has plans of her own. If she’s of a different race than Jens, then she was probably sent here by her people. So she likely has her own mission to fulfill. And now that she made such strides, to the point she can talk over the males here, she doesn’t want some outsider outplaying her and ruining it all.”

“I guess I could sympathize with her. In fact, maybe we can help each other achieve our goals?”

“But that would require me to get to know her first.”

“I’m curious, Mun-Hee … are you and Jens of a different race?”

“Race? Yes. Us race is different. Booker also is different race.”

“I see. I didn’t see many females here. Why are there so few females in this castle?”

“Males think females is not good enough. They think they is gooder.”

“So … they’re looking down on the females?”

“Yes.”

“Is that why you want me to stay away from them?”

“One reason. Little female here so they can act stupid. Think you is easy.”

“I see. How many females are here?”

“Too little. So need to stay together.”

“But … I mean … what do the males do if there are no females around? I mean … how do they …”

“We no serve they. They do they own thing. Not thing to do with us.”

“Well, I guess that explains the male concubines and lack of females.”

A loud, high-pitched noise startled me, making my canine ears go straight up. Seeing that, Mun-Hee tightened her hug and started caressing my hair.

“No scare, no scare. I end it now. No scare.”

She got up from the bed and went towards the cluttered table. The loud noise stopped as soon as she had touched it.

And then, the table started talking.