Page 124 of Somber Prince

“I’ll bathe alone,” I said firmly.

“As you wish.” She pursed her lips, leaving the room.

I hastily inspected the small but functional room. It held a bed platform with cushy bedding. There was a vanity and a toilet in a niche in a wall, and a small trunk for personal belongings. Overall, this room was meant to be a bedroom but nothing more. There wasn’t even a place to sit down other than on the bed. Any socializing, it appeared, was supposed to happen either outside or on the balcony off the room.

In other words, the Joy Vessels were encouraged to be in the open as much as possible, where they could be watched.

After a quick bath to scrub the dust off my skin and wash the sand out of my hair, I used the towel to dry off, then took the clean garment left for me by Sefri.

It was a single-layer skirt. Just a long piece of material attached to a leather belt with a metal buckle shaped like a rosette of gilded, semi-transparent insect wings. And that was it. No shirt, no underwear. Not a stitch of any other clothing.

I rummaged through the pile of my discarded clothes, looking for the least dusty piece I could wear as a top. I even briefly considered just wrapping the towel around myself. But my old clothes were too filthy and full of sand, and the towel was too wet and cold now.

After a brief consideration, I settled on my necklace to provide some coverage for my chest. Its beads were positioned close to each other, and the front panel stretched from my neck just past my breasts. With it on, I had a more modest outfit than most people around here, anyway.

I’d told Sefri I wanted to rest. But despite feeling tired, I wasn’t sleepy. I couldn’t quiet my worries long enough to rest.

Instead, I circled the room one more time, like a caged animal looking for an exit. Then, ventured out onto the balcony. With it being on the highest floor, I could observe the courtyard while staying undetected by most.

The activities below remained the same, though the players had changed. The woman who’d had her breasts fondled was now napping in the cushions on her balcony. A Keeper was tidying up the cushions and blankets around her.

The woman on the rug below was still attached to the same shadow fae who had fed her figs earlier. Only now, he lay on the rug, too, his arms spread wide. He groaned in pleasure as two Keepers had their hands up the human woman’s skirt.

Everywhere I looked, humans were fondled, caressed, or fed. The Keepers hurried around, carrying heavy wine carafes on their shoulders, ready to refill the goblets of anyone who had one in their hands.

The naked man who’d been jerked off or sucked off earlier was now standing on his balcony, smoking a cigarette. He appeared to be in his fifties, with his dark curls generously sprinkled with silver and his belly protruding slightly over his flaccid dick.

As if sensing me staring, he glanced up and smiled, waving at me. Unsure how to react so as not to give him any wrong signals, I smiled tightly but didn’t wave back.

Suddenly, a familiar redhead caught my eye. Lucia was promptly crossing the yard toward a fountain, holding a goblet in her hand.

“Lucia?” I screamed, afraid to believe my eyes.

Chapter Thirty-Two

DAWN

A Keeper rushed to Lucia, holding out the wine carafe, but she stopped him by holding up her hand.

“I just want some water, thank you very much.”

“Lucia!” I leaned over the railing and waved both arms so hard, I risked falling over.

“Dawn?” She glanced up, shielding her eyes against the bright glow of the ceiling beams over the courtyard. “Is that really you? Holy fuck! Stay right there!” She ran toward the stairs. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right up.”

But I couldn’t stay still. I ran out of the room to the stairs’ landing as Lucia climbed up, breathless. She’d lost her goblet on the way somewhere and now grabbed me into a tight hug.

“I can’t believe you fucking survived, girl!” She half-yelled in my ear.

I returned her hug with all my heart. “You didn’t leave, after all.”

She let me go, then followed me into my room. “Nah. I never was keen on leaving, as you might’ve noticed. I just came along so as not to spoil it for everyone else.”

Like everyone else in here, Lucia was topless. It didn’t seem to bother her, though. She gave a quick glance around the room, then followed me to the balcony.

We sat on the floor in the doorway. From this position, I could see the entrance to the courtyard through the balusters of the railing, while both of us remained unseen from the ground.

“So, you didn’t even try to run for the portal?” I asked.

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