Chapter 29 - 27-What is Seduction?

The Grand Duke had said this wasn’t a punishment.

He had promised that if she behaved during this trip and caused no trouble, Fiona would be allowed back at her side. The whole thing was a clear opportunity, not only to get Fiona back but perhaps to earn a little more of his trust in the process.

It was like killing two fishes with one stone.

Neria didn’t know what Darian was looking for, and she wasn’t sure she cared enough to ask. Whatever business had brought him and Ryver here had nothing to do with her. For now, she only needed to behave and make sure she didn’t give him another reason to separate her from Fiona.

What bothered her was the place itself.

There was something heavy about the air here, something that seemed to settle against her skin and make every breath feel warmer than it should. The halls smelled of dying flowers, alcohol and sweat, with the last one lingering far more strongly than she cared for.

Neria wrinkled her nose slightly.

She glanced at the girl walking beside her, noticing her pointed ears. They were similar to Ryver’s, though unlike his, both of hers were perfectly intact.

She remembered him mentioning that he’d lost part of his ear during some fierce battle. Neria still wasn’t entirely convinced she believed him. But then the man was powerful, he kept pulling things from behind her ear.

She still didn’t understand how he did that.

The girl pushed open another door, and Neria followed her inside.

The first thing she was met with was chaos.

The room was painted a bright, almost eye-catching shade of pink, with women gathered in nearly every corner. Some were dressed in beautiful gowns while others sat before tall mirrors, carefully applying white powder to their faces. The room was filled with chatter, laughter and the faint clinking of bottles being moved across tables.

The moment the pointed-eared girl stepped inside, several conversations died down.

Almost every head turned and their pairs of eyes landed on Neria.

"A new girl?" A woman with long black hair stepped forward, one brow lifting as she looked Neria over.

"Emelie brought in a new one?" another asked, tilting her head. "She’s pretty, though."

Neria instinctively stepped back.

There were too many eyes on her. Whenever people looked at her like this it usually didn’t end well.

A woman noticed her discomfort and stepped forward. "Enough gawking. Y’all are upsetting the poor thing." There was a distinct unfamiliar accent to her voice yet it was so warm.

She stopped in front of Neria and gave her a gentle smile. "Hi there. I’m Eunice."

Neria looked at her carefully.

The woman was thickly built, with a fuller chest and dark hair that fell around her shoulders. A long cat-like tail curled lazily behind her, moving every now and then as though it had a mind of its own.

"Hello," Neria replied quietly.

Eunice smiled. "There now. She does have manners."

"What is she?" another girl asked, stepping closer.

The question made Neria’s shoulders stiffen.

She looked toward the girl who had escorted her here. The woman was now on the other side of the room, drinking from a glass as though she had completely forgotten about her.

When she noticed everyone looking at her, she simply shrugged.

"I dunno." She took another sip. "Some person with amber eyes brought her in."

The room went quiet for a moment.

"Amber eyes?" someone repeated.

"The Emperor?"

Neria froze.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of the cloak.

The mention of the Emperor brought back the feeling of his hand around her throat, the weight of his fingers against her skin and that horrible smile as he’d called her stubborn.

She swallowed.

Eunice noticed immediately.

Her expression changed, the curiosity in her eyes replaced by something softer. ℯℯ𝑙.

"Did the Emperor bring you here?" Eunice asked.

Neria shook her head. "No..." Her fingers curled slightly at her sides. "Also, I am not being sold... Never again," she whispered the last part more to herself than anyone else.

She wasn’t sure if they had heard her, but the room suddenly went quiet.

Neria’s hand found her shell necklace again, her fingers wrapping around it as she looked from one curious face to another.

"Well!" Eunice said, breaking the silence. She reached for Neria’s hand and gently pulled her farther into the room. "What are you here for, then? Visiting us ladies?"

Neria allowed herself to be dragged along, her hand eventually falling away from the necklace.

"I was here with someone..." she answered, her eyes roaming around the room again. Everyone was still watching her.

"A lover?" one of the women suggested.

Eunice snorted. "Who brings their lover to a brothel?"

A few of the women laughed as Eunice guided Neria toward a cushioned seat. She sat down, and the others quickly gathered around them, their earlier hesitation replaced by open curiosity.

"So, are you human?" one of them asked.

Another woman looked Neria over before answering for her. "No. She’s too pretty."

Neria wasn’t sure whether that was supposed to be a compliment. She shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting with her fingers in her lap.

"I am a Calypso," she said quietly.

The women stared at her.

One of them blinked. "With legs?"

"Don’t they have tails or something?" another asked.

Neria frowned slightly. "I had a tail."

"You had one?"

"Before..." She hesitated, her fingers tightening together. "Before I was brought here."

The women exchanged glances. Eunice’s expression softened as she studied her. "I guess that makes you a very special Calypso," Eunice said.

The other women gathered around her hummed in agreement, some nodding as they continued looking at Neria with a mixture of fascination and curiosity.

Neria looked around the room again. A few of the women had already returned to their stations, sitting in front of the tall mirrors as they carefully applied different powders and creams to their faces.

Her curiosity got the better of her.

"What are they putting on their faces?"

"Makeup sweetie" Eunice answered simply. "It’s to make themselves prettier,"

Neria’s brows lifted. "Why? Is there a ball?"

The question made a few of the women glance at each other. Fiona had told her that people only went through all that trouble when there was some important event, like a ball or a banquet.

Perhaps there was going to be a party here.

She looked around the room again, waiting for someone to confirm it.

Instead, one of the women leaned closer and gave her a slightly uncertain look. "Sweetie..." she began carefully. "Do you know what a brothel is?"

Neria nodded confidently. "Yes. It’s a place for companionship."

For a second, nobody said anything.

Then someone snickered.

Another woman tried to cover her mouth, but the laughter had already started spreading through the room. Within moments, several of them were laughing openly.

"Companionship, she says."

Even Eunice was laughing now, one hand covering half her face as her eyes crinkled with amusement.

"Oh, sweetie..." she managed between laughs. "Who told you that?"

Neria’s fingers immediately went back to fidgeting in her lap.

"The Grand Duke," she answered quietly.

The laughter stopped.

It was so sudden that Neria looked up. Every woman in the room had gone still. Eunice slowly lowered her hand from her face, her expression changing as she stared at Neria.

"The Grand Duke?" she repeated.

Neria nodded. Did she say something wrong again?

A woman who had been completely unbothered by Neria’s arrival suddenly crossed the room and stopped beside her.

"The Grand Duke?" Her blue eyes sparkled with sudden interest. "Lord Darian?"

"Yes."

The entire room let out a dreamy sigh.

Neria looked between them, already confused by the strange expressions that had settled over their faces. It was almost as if she had mentioned someone famous.

One of the women leaned back with a smile. "The other pigs hate him... and that’s how I know he’s a good man."

"The other pigs?"

She seemed to be referring to the nobles Neria got that bit. But then...

The Grand Duke? Good?

They had to be joking.

She looked around again as the conversation quickly shifted toward Darian. One woman talked about his appearance, another about how cold he supposedly was, while someone else insisted that was exactly what made him attractive.

The woman who had first rushed over to Neria eventually sighed and wandered back toward her own part of the room.

"If I lived with the Grand Duke, I’d have seduced him by now. I wouldn’t let a man like that stay single for long."

A few women hummed in agreement, their laughter mixing with the soft chatter around the room.

Neria raised a brow slightly.

She looked back toward Eunice, who seemed to be enjoying the conversation far too much.

"Seduction?"

Eunice turned toward her.

For a second, she simply stared at Neria before a slow smile spread across her face.

"Oh, sweetie..."

Neria’s brows furrowed. "What?"

Eunice glanced toward the other women, then back at her. "Did the Grand Duke explain that one too?"

Neria shook her head. "No."

Eunice pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.

"Mm... Do you want to learn?"