Part 3 – Gilded Cage {Ithelyn}

“Miss Ithelyn!”

‘Ugh, why can’t these people just leave me alone? All I want is to not be constantly surrounded by dozens of people, is that so much to ask?’

“Miss Ithelyn!” The door to my bedroom was thrown open and I quickly did my best to still look like I was sleeping. “By the gods! Child, this is the third wake-up call! Your mother wishes for you to join the family at breakfast today, so get out of bed already!”

Instead of responding I simply turned around and ignored the maid. I hadn’t even bothered learning her name, I would be rid of her soon enough anyway. Like all with any personal assigned to me she too would have to realize that her attempts were futile. I hadn’t asked to be born into this family and so they could just as well forget me ever acting like a proper noble! Honestly, my only desire was to be left alone with my books and toys, how was this so hard to understand?

“Oh my! I was told that you were lacking in decorum but this? Why is the nightgown I laid out for you yesterday on the ground! What are you even wearing under those blankets, young lady?”

‘Ah, it seems this one is a particularly nasty specimen, the matron archetype. Shall I make her quit already? No, I should at the very least give her a chance.’ Not even bothering to rise from my fortress of fluff I crawled out just enough that my head was visible.

“Leave. Now.”

“In the name of the gods! I was sent specifically by Mistress Dawnstar and it was made very clear that you were not to refuse her instructions. Now get out of the bed already and let me dress you, child!”

Before I could even warn the elderly woman she had already approached the bed and was pulling away the blankets from me. For the first few seconds, I was so shocked by her insensitive behaviour that I just stared at her unbelieving. She, in turn, did the same, only she wasn’t staring at my face like I was. No, she was instead staring at the bondage gear I was dressed in and the pink buzzing vibrator buried in my snatch. ‘Ah, wow. This one caught me pretty quickly. Oh well, guess I will have to put on the bitch act again.’

Seizing the initiative I pulled the vibrator out from me, turned it off, and still under the confused and shocked gaze of the maid I stood up to my full height. The woman instinctively looked up to be able to meet my gaze. But there she found no explanation but simply cold hard – and completely faked – fury. I made one of my eyelids twitch to really sell the angry angle and addressed the crone in the haughtiest tone I could possibly muster.

“I told you to leave and you failed to follow that simple instruction. And now I not only have to wake up to you exposing me to your gaze but you have the deviant disposition to stare at an almost naked woman less than half your age without immediately apologizing. Am I to take this as a sign for you not being able to do your job and you leaving now so that I can dress properly? Of course, if you fail to comply again I might just have to set Hugin upon you.”

Like I had practiced with Hugin, upon hearing his name he cawed menacingly and flapped his wings a few times as if he was about to lift off. Just as I had hoped her only reaction to this was becoming as red as a ripe tomato and running out of my room. I waited a few seconds to make sure she had truly left before walking over to close the door again. Well, the walk was a bit much considering that the ballet boots and chain connecting my ankles left me little more choice than to hobble over. Once it was closed though I let out a long sigh and slump down against it. Just why did I have to be born into a family that was so... small-minded?

If I remembered correctly it had been around my eighteenth birthday when I had discovered my more deviant interests. I had already known that I was attracted to women but on a whim, I had looked through the adult section of a local store. To say that some specific books and magazines had caught my attention would be an understatement. Almost my entire allowance that month had gone to buying all kinds of reference materials. Thanks to my even then impressive collection of books and tomes, the few more hadn’t even raised suspicion. Sadly my luck had only lasted for a few months as one of the maids thought it important to dust my private reading room without actually getting my permission to do so.

The following outrage had been impressive, to say the least. While I had been tending to my needs in the only way that still got my rocks off, my mother had blown out the lock on my door, charged in and started screaming like a woman possessed. Her first action after that had been properly beating my ass red, which actually had made me come in the confusion of the moment. Seeing her daughter as nothing more than a deviant pervert she had taken to burning all books, magazines, and material I had bought in the last few months. Well, my reaction to this had been to burn her witch's garden to the ground.

Since then the relationship between my mother and I had been rather... frosty. My talent as a witch and the fact that I had been born with magic sight made me too valuable to throw on the streets, but my interests were also too deviant to allow me around ‘proper’ society. To be fair, this had suited me just fine. I never had liked the balls and other high society meetings one had to go through after being born in this family. Being left alone had also given me the freedom to further explore the world of BDSM and after about a year I had come to a decision. Selfbondage was fun but honestly not what I ultimately strived for. No, I wanted my own sub!

Of course, being both from a noble family and having properly pissed off my mother had severely limited the amount of my actual human contact. I had tried online dating, but that had stopped pretty soon when I realized that my face was just a bit too prominent. After the third date had turned out to be a paparazzi, I had quickly deleted all proof of me ever visiting those sites. Obviously, my mother had found out anyway and completely cut off my allowance.

I, in turn, had gotten a new haircut and started working in a local bookshop under a fake name. Thankfully the older woman running the shop had been very kind and done her best to keep my identity hidden. Additionally, the undercut, flannel shirts, and ripped jeans had done their part to stop me from looking like a pretty little lady. To be honest, those months had been the most comfortable of my entire life. Nobody acted like I was special and the flirting attempts from both male and female customers had made me feel a lot more normal than ever before.

Aside from Hugin, I guess the store lady had been my first ever real friend. Then these days had become even better when I had spotted her. The girl in question had been what I could only describe as my first crush. The first reason I had noticed her hadn’t even been her looks but the fact, that she too was a witch. What had surprised me was how chaotic the mana flowed through her channels, it was almost like it didn’t know where to go and there was just too much for her to logically hold. I had been so lost in staring at the odd display before me that I hadn’t even noticed her approaching the counter. Only when she had spoken up I had realized that she was right in front of me. And to make it worse once I had looked up and seen how scantily clad she was all I could do was blush like the virgin I was!

“Oh, Hugin! I didn’t even get her name and I have no idea if I will ever see her again... and even if I do, won’t I just look like a massive dork?”

Like so often Hugin only looked at me and cawed. Honestly, I was beginning to doubt his knowledge in the acts of love and courtship. But who else but I would rely on a spirit to pour their heart out. It wasn’t like I could go to my mother with this! She would probably burst a blood vessel if she ever found out that I was not only a ‘deviant pervert’ but also a ‘lesbian whore’, her words not mine by the way.

Sighing in frustration I started to strip out of my gear and make myself somewhat presentable. If my mother was expecting me downstairs it was better not to let her wait. Though I was actually a bit surprised that she was even requesting my presence at breakfast, that hadn’t happened since she had found out about my interests. It was more than a little suspicion but hiding in my room wouldn’t make the problem go away. And if she was indeed trying something nasty, well... she had just rebuild her garden, hehehe~.

On my way over to the bath, my gaze fell upon the hideous nightgown the maid had thought I should wear. Feeling a little nasty this morning, I picked it up and focused on the piece of cloth. In less than a second, the ugly thing caught fire and under the excited cawing of Hugin, it burned to ash. Seriously I think that damned bird was a bigger pyromaniac than myself! I shook my head at his little happy dance and just motioned at the ashes. Hugin immediately jumped down from his porch and began rolling around in them while I went on my way.

In the bath, I couldn’t help but give myself a look over. Not to be vain but I was honestly very proud of my body, it was the one thing my mother hadn’t fucked up. Not only was I tall but well proportioned too! With almost 1,80 meters, long legs, and a generous D-Cup I had basically top model measurements. It made finding clothes a bitch but I couldn’t deny that I was rather striking! The model image was only reinforced by my stern face with its clear green eyes and the shoulder-length silver hair. The current undercut I had going gave me a bit of a wild side making me look rather fierce. Overall I was pretty happy with my looks.

Adding a bit of moisturizer and mascara I was ready for this day. If necessary I would kick both it and my mother in the ass! ‘Okay, who am I actually kidding? I never had the spine to stand up to my mother like a proper adult. Even burning down her garden I did in secret. What has to happen that I finally take the same step my father did and leave this gilded prison?’

I felt bile rising up in my throat as I thought about my father. The day his video messages had stopped coming my mother had stopped talking about him. I had been eight years old when I had last seen him. I still didn’t know if they had ever loved each other. My mother was a celestial witch and my father had been one of the rather despised warlocks, someone who had bound themself to a powerful demon to gain their magic. They were like polar opposites and all my childhood there hadn’t been a single day where they had shown any kind of affection for each other.

Not even a month after my father’s disappearance a new man had taken the place beside my mother and with him had come two children. By now my mother had birthed him another two, one twelve and the other eleven. Though to me their age mattered as little as their existence, I had no love for my step-brother and sister or for my half-siblings. For all I cared they could go to the hells if that meant I could see my father again.

I put on some clothes and stashed my bondage gear in a securely locked compartment before going downstairs to see what my mother wanted. On the way to the dining room made a detour to the kitchen where one of the guards was currently eating a sandwich. The man’s name was Geralt and he was the only one of the staff that was actually nice to be around. When he saw me come down in a baggy hoodie and hot pants he immediately started grinning.

“Well, look who obviously wasn’t dressed by her new maid! So already got rid of another one?”

“I sure hope so. Move to the side I want the OJ.”

“Nah, first you tell me how you did it.”

“Ass. Fine, she caught me masturbating. Now move!”

“Ah, the classic. Fully geared up too?”

“Yup. Talk to you later, the dread witch mother wants something.”

I took a swig of the juice carton and walked towards where I could hear the rest of the household. I refrained from calling them family because a family was supposed to be caring and supporting not toxic and vile. And true to their nature, I found my mother and the rest of my stepfather’s brood sitting around the table. ‘Ah, Karen and Finus are trying to hide a nasty smile. So the older siblings already know what is going on. Can’t be anything pleasant if they are so happy.’ Before I even addressed them I made a show of my lack of decorum by emptying the entire orange juice in one go, right in front of them. Not acting like a noble always got them so wonderfully cross.

“So? Mother, what is it that you wished to tell me?”

“Hmph, I see my eldest is as lacking in manners as always. No real surprise there. Anyway, I called you down to let you know that from today on you will be attending the Royal Academy of Witchcraft. I had enough of your behaviour and so I hope that the professors there can teach you some manners. That is all you are dismissed, Ithelyn.”

“Huh, I had expected something worse. But a free ticket to get away from this place? Hells, yes!”

Basking in the spiteful glares of everyone in the room, I walked out with a happy skip in my step. It was time for me to pack up!