Like so many times before Zane was woken by a loud knocking on his door. At first, he was confused, someone was rapidly knocking on his door and he could feel pressure on his chest along with something warm and soft pressed against him. When he opened his eyes and saw the orange hair on his chest he remembered.

Well . . . that explains the knocking.

"Are you in there!?" Xavier's voice called from outside. "If you do not answer me soon I will open this door, you have three seconds!"

Zane, still too tired to do anything but stare at the city from his window just leaned back and tightened his grip around Ivana a bit, so he could feel more of her warmth.

That was one night to remember.

"Three . . . two . . . one," Zane heard from outside the door before it was pushed open.

Xavier first looked at him, then at Ivana, who had woken up from the sound of the door opening, in his arms.

"Morning," Zane said calmly.

"W-What are you doing!?" Xavier yelled.

"I believe they are embracing each other, my dear future husband," Mira said with a grin on her face.

"I can see what they are doing, I mean why they allowed to let their . . . personal relations get in the way of there jobs!" Xavier said loudly.

Oh shut it, the least you could do to repay me for saving your life is get off my damn back.

Zane slowly sat up in his bed, looking at Ivana who was still sleepy.

"Good morning," he said as he smiled at her.

"M-Morning," she said before yawning.

"Are you ignoring me!?" Xavier asked with an annoyed undertone.

Zane got out of bed, ignoring Xavier and making sure that Ivana had enough of the blanket to cover her body. He now stood in his room, completely naked and with both Mira and Xavier looking directly at all of him. Zane saw Xavier immediately avoid Zane and Mira turning red before turning to Xavier with a grin.

"Will you at least cover yourself before getting out of bed!?" Xavier said loudly.

Hasn't he seen me naked already?

"Give me a moment, gotta find a clean pair of underpants," Zane said, still tired.

"In one of the wardrobes should be a few," Ivana said, looking around the room with her still tired eyes. "We servants were charged with bringing a few clothes to the room for you."

How thoughtful of whoever did that . . . I wish Xavier would be a fraction as thoughtful.

"Uho, would you look at that," someone said from behind Mira and Xavier.

Zane turned his head only to see both Lovana and Veral looking at him, next to them Igarem who had turned around.

"What do you three want here!?" Xavier asked angrily.

"Well we had nothing to do so we wanted to ask Zane if he wanted to come to the training grounds, master Vermillion," Veral said as politely as he could.

Zane opened up one of his wardrobes and found a neat pile of underpants and took a pair and put it on, then he went over to the table and grabbed the rest of his clothing along with his coat and went back to his bed. He looked to the door where Xavier and the others still stood.

"I apologize for missing both breakfast and lunch," Zane said.

"Oh it's fine," Mira said. "You can still get some food in the kitchen," she looked up and down his still sweaty body, "first you should go take a bath."

She then turned to Xavier and grabbed him by the arm.

"Come on, let's go," she said.

Xavier reluctantly came with her.

"I'll come to the training grounds once I've eaten, don't wait for me," Zane said to Igarem, Veral and Lovana.

"Don't make us wait too long," Veral said with a grin on his face.

"Yeah, yeah," Zane replied.

He waited for the three to leave before he turned to Ivana.

"Come, let's go," Zane said to her.

"W-What?" she asked.

"Bathing," Zane said.

"Oh . . . I don't know if I should. I can't just use the bath of the Vermillion family," she said.

"What are they going to do? Throw you out when you're with me?" Zane asked rhetorically.

Ivana smiled at him as she got out of bed, leaving the blanket behind. Completely naked, her hips swaying, she walked over to the couch and picked up her clothing and put on her undergarments before following Zane out of his room and towards the corridor leading to the bathing area, hiding behind Zane, who was walking through the mansion in only underpants as if it was the most normal thing one could do. As they were turning into the corridor another servant approached them.

"W-What are you doing Ivana? Where were you and why aren't you wearing clothes," the wolf demi-human servant asked.

"I-I wa-" Ivana began, unable to speak from embarrassment.

"She was with me," Zane said, glaring down at the small demi-human woman. "If you would kindly wash her clothes as well," Zane smiled, "I'd be very happy."

"Oh . . . right, I understand, I shall wash her clothes as well, master Larcadia," the servant said.

Ivana smiled up at him as they walked down the corridor. They put their clothes into one of the baskets, grabbed a towel each and went through the dark red curtains into the bathing area. No one besides them was there.

"Good, we've got it for ourselves," Zane said a bit more quietly than he wanted.

Both of them sat down in the warm water, next to each other. Ivana leaned against him, resting her head against the side of his body. He put one arm around her in response.

"I should have probably told you that it was my first," Ivana said after a while of silence.

"It's fine . . . I just wondered, why me? I mean we just met," Zane said.

Is that even okay to ask? Oh, I have no clue how to talk to people. Becoming the old me again is going to be a challenge. Or maybe I just never knew how to talk to people.

"Well, a woman my age would usually be married already . . . especially here in Kalwa. But since I was born as a member of the Kalwaris family people usually stay away from me . . . you know, no one wants their children to just grow up being servants forever. But I wanted to at least do it with someone . . . and you seemed like a good person so . . . I'm sorry I used you," Ivana said.

Zane pulled her a bit closer, wanting to feel her warmth, which was different from the warmth of the water.

"Don't worry," Zane said.

I'm really no better, I mean I kind of used you as a sort of ending to the old me if I'm being honest.

After a while, Ivana turned to Zane, put both of her arms around his neck and pulled her naked body up. He felt her wet breasts glide over his body. When he looked down at her it almost seemed like her wet skin was glowing. She pulled him even closer and gave him a kiss before getting out of the water and taking her towel. Zane followed after her. Their clothes had been cleaned and laid back in the baskets.

Both of them dressed themselves and then went down to the dining hall. Ivana led him to the door on the other end and they entered together.

The kitchen walls were made of clean stone, as well as the ground and the ceiling. When they entered the heads of all the servants inside immediately turned to Zane, who towered more than half a meter over all of them, including Ivana.

"W-What can we do for you, master Larcadia?" one of the servants asked.

There's that master Larcadia thing again . . .

"I'm here for some food . . . also, you can all call me Zane. I don't like that, master Larcadia stuff," Zane said.

"Alright, please take a seat over there, we will bring you some food, mast- Zane," the servant said, pointing towards a table in the back.

"Some for her as well," Zane said, pointing at Ivana.

"Of course," another servant said.

Zane took Ivana by the hand and led her to the table where both of them sat down. The servants quickly brought them food and the two began eating. Despite just being re-heated food it tasted delicious. Once they were done the two of them got up and left the kitchen. They walked up the stairs to the entrance hall where Ivana stopped.

"Well, I really have to get to doing my duties now," she said.

Zane smiled and nodded at her.

"And you know . . . if you don't mind . . . we could . . . maybe, repeat that . . . sometime?" Ivana asked more than said.

Zane smiled and said, "Sure."

Ivana smiled back at him and then left, going into one of the rooms on the ground floor. Zane went up the stairs and into his room where he took his weapons and then left for the training grounds. As he walked along the walkway embedded into the mountainside he looked up to the sun, that had passed the zenith some time ago.

How come they're always so pissed about missing a meal? Is this a cultural thing I didn't know about or is it just because they're noble pricks? But didn't most of them miss breakfast the other day? Maybe it's just Xavier . . . but those three mentioned that their masters would get angry if they missed all three meals . . . Ah who cares, what are they going to do? Fire me? Yeah right.

He quickly reached the training grounds where Igarem, Veral and Lovana were waiting for him. Igarem was piercing the straw body of some dummies with his spear, Lovana was replacing the string of her bow and Veral lay on the bench, his sword leaned against the mountainside next to the bench.

"Yo, Zane," Lovana said when she noticed him.

"Yo," Zane replied.

"You must have had a pretty good night if you missed both breakfast and lunch," Veral said, still laying on the bench with his eyes closed.

"You could say that," Zane said.

Lovana chuckled.

"Where did you get yourself such a cute servant? And that only a few days into the job makes me kinda jealous," Veral said.

"Luck," Zane replied.

"Oh, don't hide it, we all have a partner in at least one of these five mansions," Lovana said.

"Do we?" Veral asked.

"Indeed, do we?" Igarem asked as he stopped his attacks.

"Are you telling me you two don't?" Lovana asked with a grin on her face.

"I guess we are?" Veral, who had sat up, said with a confused look on his face.

"Well I'm sorry, didn't mean to stab you in a wound," Lovana replied.

"So who's your's then?" Veral asked.

"Yes that would interest me as well," Igarem said.

Both of them had approached Lovana.

"Well, I get invited to bed by Merana every other night," Lovana said.

"Wait what!? You're telling me that you get to bed one of the foxes?" Veral said loudly.

"Shhh! Not so loud," Lovana said. "What if I am?"

So she swings that way . . . maybe that's why she's so obsessed with her sister?

"So, does she tell you the dirty little secrets of the family when you're doing her?" Veral asked.

"She may have told me a thing or two," Lovana said.

That would also explain why your pay is higher than ours," Igarem stated.

"Oh, I don't think so . . . although I think I once mentioned that my pay is a bit low . . . and I got a raise shortly after . . . you know what, I think you might be right," Lovana said.

"Of. Fucking. Course. That's discrimination on the basis of . . . luck or something I guess. How come you get to fuck around with one of them when I have to spend my money on the whores down in the city?" Veral said loudly.

"Well I'm sorry, maybe we can find you a servant. Zane could give you some tips," Lovana said.

"Yeah, how the hell did you get her into your bed after just a few days? It's because you're famous, isn't it? It's that damn mercenary fame," Veral said.

Zane shrugged and chuckled.

"Veral, is that why you always ask me for money halfway through the month? Because you spend all of it on working girls?" Igarem asked with a serious look on his face.

"Well I like to have my fun with the good ones, and they ain't exactly cheap you know. And only two hundred gold coins per month isn't a lot if you consider that the good ones ask for five, sometimes ten gold coins per night," Veral said.

"Well it is your problem if you have the need to bed one every night," Igarem said with his arms crossed.

Five to ten gold coins, for one night? Back in Ulva and Alva, you could get a whore to marry you for that much money.

Zane looked a bit shocked when he heard how much Veral made and how much he spent.

"Why are you looking so shocked?" Veral asked.

"Probably because he makes like twice as much as you do," Lovana said.

Zane, with a grin on his face, pointed upwards with one finger.

"More than twice? How much do you make?" Lovana asked.

"Seven fifty," Zane answered with a smug look on his face.

"Seven fifty! Are you fucking kidding me!?" Veral yelled. "Did you threaten Holvin or something like that? No . . . it's that mercenary fame again."

Igarem, Lovana and Zane began laughing while Veral just looked at all of them with an angry look.

"This is not a joke, you hear me, not a joke," Veral said.

But he couldn't hold in his laughter for much longer and after a short while he joined in with their laughing.