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The outdoors suits me better. I feel less trapped out here, and I can almost pretend I’m not a slave. Almost.
A few minutes into my break, I spot a rare sight. Princess Aurora walks arm in arm with Lorelai, another human woman who has mated with a naga. The two of them spot me and begin heading towards me.
“Fuck,” I mutter to myself while they’re still out of earshot.
I’ve never been this close to the Princess, and I have no idea how to act or what to say to her. I know she’s a human, butwho knows how much she’s changed since mating with a naga or becoming royalty by marriage.
“Good afternoon. May we sit with you?” Lorelai asks once they get closer to me.
“Of course. These are your grounds. I can leave if you’d like, I was just taking a break from my duties for a moment.”
“No, no, please stay. We’d like to sit with you. It’s not easy for humans around here, and who would I be if I asked you to give up your break for me?” Aurora says, taking a seat next to me along with Lorelai.
“Well, you are the Princess. I wouldn’t blame you.”
“I am still human, just like you. We have a lot more in common than you think.”
Before I can stop myself, I say the first thing that comes to mind.
“I did hear that you were one of the human women taken as slaves as part of Vippera’s dowry. Is that true?”
If it is, that would mean she came here at the same time as me, though I can’t honestly say I remember her from the village. When I was home, I was quite shy, however. I suppose I still am in a different way.
“It sure is. Aren’t you Krista, the human working in the forge?”
“Yes. How did you know my name, Princess?”Maybe she does remember me from back then. Maybe I should be able to remember her, too.
Sometimes my old life feels like a dream I had a long time ago. The parts I can still recall slip through my fingers, little by little, every day longer that I’m away.
“Well, judging by the way you smell like smoke, anyone could assume you work in the forge. But as for your name, I made it my business to know every human’s name around here. Especially those who were also a part of Vippera’s dowry.”
“That is very kind of you, Princess.”
I look at her then, shocked that someone who can consider herself royalty is being this kind to a servant like me.
“What are you two doing out here? It’s freezing,” I question.
“It is, but you can’t deny that too much time in the castle isn’t good for anyone. Sometimes we just need some fresh air.”
“Especially with all the babies we have to take care of,” Lorelai jokes.
“Exactly. I’m lucky that Prince Zalith is such a wonderful father and puts in the effort to maintain an adequate staff of nannies, but sometimes I just need a moment to clear my head regardless.”
“Is he really a good man? I hear rumors but, forgive me for asking, are they true?” I ask. People gossip about the couple, but by all accounts, they seem to be wildly in love with each other. Not, like I would guess, that she’s simply a servant he claimed as his own who agreed to avoid a worse fate.
“He’s amazing.” Aurora smiles, and it tells me everything I need to know. She really and genuinely does love him. It’s written all over her face.
“Well, I don’t know if I would say he’samazing, but yes, the rumors are true,” Lorelai says. “Slyth, my mate? I’d argue that he’s the amazing one.”
“Wow, two humans mated to naga,” I ponder. “And you both seem… content with it.”
If anyone could give me advice on my current situation, it would be these girls.
“May I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” Aurora answers.
“Was it hard, adjusting your views of naga once being in a relationship with one?”
