Chapter 431 (1/2)
The throne room was spacious and warm, windows open to let in a warm summer breeze that smelled of green growing things. The stone was clean, scrubbed, and aesthetically appealing to Nakteti's eyes. The stained glass windows, showing the victories of Her Grace Khoonkeenadee over her foes. A formerly clear window had been removed and a frame was being put up for another stained glass window.
Nakteti had seen it. It was of Nakteti herself standing next to an ornate sarcophogus with a nimbus of light around her, to show how Nakteti had brought Major Devon Carnight's injured mortal coil to the 'love and light' of his elder sister.
At first, Nakteti had not understood the reasoning behind making a stained glass window so large, so ornate, showing a stylized representation of what had happened. Now, sitting in the smaller throne next to Duchess Khoonkeenadee and looking at the other windows, the tapestries, the tattered banners of defeated enemies or celebrated legions, she understood.
History was in those windows.
Duchess Khoonkeenadee was wearing a leather skirt, reinforced with softly glowing bronze, leather boots topped with fur, a tiara of some type of metal Nakteti wasn't familiar with, and little else. She had just passed her two infants to a servant to carry the sleeping babies to a nursery and had not bothered covering herself.
Nakteti found it odd, after being on Terra and then Pubvia, that Duchess Khoonkeenadee (Call me Keena) almost aggressively displayed her mammary glands as if she was daring someone to take offense or try to correct her.
The whipcord thin male Terran by the door suddenly banged his staff on the floor.
”His Grace, the Duke Tangerran, armored fist of Wrath of King Aragantoo,” the Terran said.
The doors swung open to reveal a tall, heavily muscled Terran male in fine clothing, with three armored men on either side.
”TROLLOP!” the unarmored man shouted, pointing at Lady Keena. ”VILE SEDUCTOR!” he stomped toward the throne, his armed and armored men hanging back at the doorway, moving over to one side where court functionaries had cleared out.
”Duke Tangerran, how lovely to see you,” Lady Keena said, her voice a soft warm purr. ”You seem discontent.”
”You dare spurn my generous offer to make you a concubine of my stable?” the man roared.
Nakteti frowned. Despite the ferocity of his tone and words, there seemed to be something else at play that she wasn't privy too.
”And be one among many?” Lady Keena chuckled. ”Not hardly.”
”But there you sit, your loins ungirded, your breasts exposed for all to see,” the Duke said, pointing first at Lady Keena's crotch and then at her breasts.
In response Lady Keena slowly uncrossed her legs then crossed them again, making sure to spread them wide in between, all the while smiling.
”Flaunting your body like a common trollop!” the Duke said.
Nakteti expected him to start foaming at the mouth.
”We both know there is nothing common about me,” Lady Keena laughed.
”SLUT!” Duke Tangerran shouted, his face red and almost shaking with rage. ”WANTON HARLOT!”
”You seem discontent,” Lady Keena said.
”You flaunt your womanhood before Lady Nakteti of the Tnvaru Clans, expose thyself lewdly and without shame! STRUMPET!” the Duke shouted.
Nakteti stared with fascination at the bulging veins on the Terran male's forehead.
”You give all of us a bad appearance with your common trollop behavior! What shall the Tnvaru Clans think of us, as if we are primitives, because you can't cover yourself properly and instead parade lewdness and degeneracy about with wanton sluttish pride,” he shouted.
”You do seem quite discontent,” Lady Keena said, slowly uncrossing and recrossing her legs.
Nakteti watched the man's face turn even deeper red, almost purple.
”HARLOT!” he shouted.
”Perhaps we should speak more privately, give you a chance to calm down,” Lady Keena said. She stood up, waving her hand negligently. ”The Duke and I shall be having a private discussion.”
”Since this involved my people, perhaps I should come with you,” Nakteti suggested, standing up. She was worried that the Duke would do something violent, crazed, if left alone with Lady Keena.
The tall Terran woman looked down. ”Are you sure? These private deliberations and discussions can get quite physical and strenuous,” she said.
”Slut,” Duke Tangerran growled.
”I am sure. I represent the Tnvaru people,” Nakteti said.
”You seek to contaminate her with your wanton filthy ways?” Duke Tangerran snarled.
”Are you sure you wish to accompany us to private negotiations?” Lady Keena asked, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. ”They can get quite... in depth, often probing things you might not expect.”
”Of course,” Nakteti said.
”Hussy,” the Duke growled.
”There may be depths to explore and the negotiations might become quite excited,” Lady Keena said, her eyes sparkling. ”You might find yourself overwhelmed by intensity.”
”I represent the Tnvaru people. I will not shirk or shy away from difficult and challenging things,” Nakteti said somewhat stuffily.
”Very well, follow, if you dare,” Lady Keena said. ”Thrice warned and my duty is done.”
Nakteti followed the enraged Terran male and the smirking Lady Keena out of the room. As they walked up the stairs Nakteti noticed that Lady Keena was wearing no underclothing, no modesty clothing, under her skirt, and her loins were visible from the stairs below.
”HARLOT! Not even modesty clothing to cover your shame!” the Duke yelled.
Upstairs led to a hallway, which led to an ornate door.
”After you, Duke, Matron,” Lady Keena smirked.
Nakteti lifted her chin to show her confidence and went into the room.
Lady Keena chuckled and shut the door behind her as she entered.
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Nakteti darted out the door, slamming it shut as the Duke yelled out ”VILE TROLLOP!” and Lady Keena cried out ”EMASCULATED WORM!”, cutting off their words and the sound of sweaty flesh slapping against sweaty flesh.
She put her back against the door, her breath heaving and her eyes wide at what she had just witnessed.
She fled down the hall to the stairwell, hurrying down it despite the fact that stairs were much higher than she was used to. When she reached the bottom she ran down the hallway, going around a couple of corners before stopping.
She realized she was lost.
Nakteti's mind was whirling as she wandered the dimly lit halls. It made no sense to her, what she had witnessed. Their words were entirely at odds with their actions.
The door had barely closed before the Duke had attacked Lady Keena, lunging at her, grabbing her and lifting her feet off the floor to deny her leverage, his arms around her. Nakteti had seen his fingers sinking into Lady Keena's flesh even as the duke had accused Lady Keena of being a vile strumpet.
It had taken Nakteti a few moments to realize what she was seeing.
And she had fled.
Her ears were flush with blood, heated from embarrassment.
A servant came around the corner and stopped, bowing slightly.
”Lady Nakteti, can I be of service?” the male Terran asked.
”Yes. Alcohol. Alcohol and a snack,” she said. ”Away from others.”
The Terran bowed again. ”A servant's area is only a few paces away, if that is acceptable,” he said.
”Please,” Nakteti said.
She still remembered the way that the Duke's fingers had sunk deeply into the flesh of Lady Keena's mammary as he twisted it, his other hand grabbing her short hair to pull her head back to let him bite her neck even as she had ripped his shirt off in one convulsive yank that Nakteti had thought was an attempt at defending herself.
The servant poured her a stiff drink and set a plate of cheese and sliced and diced meats in front of her, then bowed his way out, leaving Nakteti sitting on a high stool and staring at the wall.
It took a few drinks from the harsh alcohol and a few bites of cheese and meat for the shakes to leave. She sat in the dim light of the servant's area, using one of the short pointed pieces of wood to stab at the cheese and meat and nibble on it.
She was on her third drink when she heard the sound of boots rather than the soft shoes and slippers of the servants.
Lady Keena walked in and paused, one hand on her hip as she stared.