"I want you to bite me."

Charlotte blinked in shock. Was she starting to hallucinate after hashing out all those boring details? She decided, almost subconsciously, that politeness was the way forward.

“Pardon me, Your Majesty, but I believe I must have misheard you. Could you repeat that, please?”

“I- I meant what I said. I want you to bite me.”

This must be a test, surely. Even if it wasn’t… “Your Majesty, you do realise what you are asking, no? You do know how intimate an act being fed upon is, how much power it would involve you handing over, how much trouble we would be in if anyone found out? I can’t agree; I’m sorry.”

“That- that’s fine. Um… don’t think about it, it was a dumb request anyway. I- I’ll see you at dinner, then, Lady Pinefold.” The princess got up to leave, dejection clear in her demeanour. There was something about her… something sincere and vulnerable there, which set Charlotte’s heart fluttering. Could her heart still flutter? She didn’t know, but the way Sophia looked in that moment made Charlotte take a deep breath, and do something she would probably regret.

“Wait.” Sophia turned around, confused. “Tell me - why do you want this?”

Sophia blushed in response, squirming slightly. She stammered, unable to properly answer the question. Taking an educated guess, Charlotte scented the air, her sense of smell vastly improved from her days as a human, and recognised a familiar odour.

“Pardon me for the blunt language, Your Majesty… but are you getting off on the idea?”

Sophia blushed even more furiously, nodding in embarrassment. “How could you tell?”

“I can smell it on you. You’re already wet just thinking about it - oh, pardon the bluntness, again.”

“Th- there’s no need to apologise, Charlotte. The blame lies on me. Shall I leave?”

“...I’ll probably regret this, but why don’t we discuss this further? In my sitting room, perhaps.” Charlotte rose from her seat and extended an arm to Sophia, who took it. She led her to her private quarters, where both collapsed into soft armchairs arranged next to the fire.

“So, Sophia… how much do you know about being bitten?”

“Not much, really. I know it’s said to feel really good, and that it involves being hypnotised by you, but beyond that, I’m clueless.”

“Well, that’s basically it, but therein lies the problem. Even if I didn’t tend to combine feeding with sex, it’s a very intimate act, and I’m way below your station. Then there’s the issue that you would be putting yourself entirely within my power. It would be a highly precarious situation for the both of us if word were to somehow escape.”

“If that’s the case, why are we having this discussion?”

“Because there are ways around it. We can swear ourselves to secrecy, for a start. We could also come up with a document that declares that you are entering this of your own free will - it would probably be tricky, but we can manage.”

“So… why are you willing to do this? You probably have more to lose here.”

“Honestly? I have a hard time saying no to a pretty face. And you are a very attractive prospect indeed.” Sophia blushed and squirmed once more, causing Charlotte to chuckle.

“So, I suppose we should work out how, exactly, this is going to work. First, how much do you want me to take from you? I could give you the full experience, but you probably wouldn’t be fit to travel tomorrow if I did.”

“What happens if you take less than normal?”

“I get less satisfaction, of course… but, from your perspective, so do you. The longer I feed, the more pleasure you’ll get; and besides, several of my servants tell me the feeling of weakness afterwards can be intoxicating itself.”

“I… can always plead fatigue, if accommodating us for another night is agreeable to you, of course.”

“Very well. Next question - where do you want me to feed from? The neck is traditional, of course,” and at this point she drew her hair away from where she had somehow been bitten by the throne itself, revealing a set of neat scars, “but it’s not exactly discreet. Even if it doesn’t leave a permanent mark, which it may well do, depending on your feelings about me, it’ll still stay around for weeks afterwards.”

“Well, uh… where are the alternatives? Also, what do you mean about it possibly leaving a permanent mark?”

“Let’s answer those in order. I, personally, would suggest your thigh as the next-best spot, but if you don’t want that, I could always go with your breasts, or a shoulder. You’re turning some lovely shades of red there, dear; do those excite you? As for leaving a mark… if you come to consider this something more permanent than just a one-night stand, come to think of me as someone with the right to feed on you at my request… the mark of my first bite will be permanent, as long as you think of me in that way. We call it a Claiming Mark. I should note, if that does happen, it’ll be very sensitive to pleasure, if you’re with someone who knows its true nature.” Sophia actually started fanning herself, prompting another chuckle. “Take your time, Sophia. If you want to pull out at any point, just say the word and I won’t think anything less of you.”

“I- uh- no, I want this. A-any of those sounds good, I-I’ll defer to your judgement.”

“Lovely. One final thing from me, then. I don’t bite anyone I haven’t hypnotised, and I don’t generally hypnotise anyone who hasn’t worked for me. So, for the rest of the afternoon, I want you working as a maid, of your own free will, without complaint. I’ll provide an illusion for you so that none of your staff notice, and the few of mine who aren’t ignored to overlook you will be bound to secrecy… but those are my terms.”

Sophia barely needed to think over it. “Yes- of course I’ll work for you. I’m not sure how good of a job I’ll do, but…”

“No need to worry about that, dear. I won’t get you doing anything too important. Other than your statement of consent, then, that’s everything I want from you. What do you want from me?”

Sophia took a moment to think. “Nothing much, really… but I do want your word that you won’t harm me - beyond the feeding that I’ve agreed to - or let me come to harm.”

“You have it,” replied Charlotte, meeting her gaze. After a second, Sophia nodded.

“That works. So, about this document, then.”

It almost took longer for them to hash out the details of this than any of the proper treaties they had signed, but they finally came to something which both agreed should be as iron-clad as possible. Not, they hoped, that it would be necessary. After signing it, Sophia also wrote up a note to the captain of her guard, claiming fatigue. Passing it to Charlotte, she cleared her throat nervously. “Right - I’m ready to begin when you are… ma’am?” This seemed to be the correct mode of address, as she was rewarded with another broad smile.

“So am I. The first step, I suppose, is fitting you for an outfit. Which that tiara definitely won’t work with, so I’ll relieve you of it for now. I’ll give it back, I promise.” The vampire closed her eyes, and seemed to mutter something under her breath. Sophia guessed she was telepathically summoning the relevant servants, which was confirmed by a light knock at the door soon after. Two figures appeared. One was Nala, who, in contrast to before, now wore a slightly dazed expression. Clearly, the order to ignore her identity had only just been sent out. She was accompanied by an equally dazed-looking felid, with shaggy brown hair and olive skin. Charlotte handed the note to Nala, with orders to deliver it and bring back a message, and then turned to the other girl.

“Dash, this is Sophie, our newest recruit. She needs a new uniform and to be assigned cleaning duties. Can you see to that, please?”

“Certainly, ma’am.” Taking her by the hand and lightly wrapping her tail around her, the felid led “Sophie” out of the room, downstairs, through a set of doors, and into a tailoring set-up. Sophia giggled to herself at the incongruity as the tailor politely, if somewhat mechanically, set about measuring her proportions (stripping her to her undergarments in the process) and adjusting a maid dress to fit her, given that half an hour ago, she had been eating biscuits and discussing farming yields on behalf of one of the most powerful kings in the world.

By the time the dress was ready, Dash seemed to have awoken from the light trance the new command had put her in. She beamed as she held it up to the elf’s body. “Go on, Sophie, put it on! It’ll look wonderful on you!” Sophia went to do just that instantly, but the felid stopped her. “Wait a second - you’ve still got that corset on. Won’t be needing that any more!”

Sophia blinked in confusion. “Pardon? Whyever not?”

“Oh, did Miss Charlotte not explain it to you? The clothing’s all designed - with some help from magic - to support your bust without a corset. Saves on laundry and faff in the mornings, and gives a better view.” She punctuated the last statement with a wink, as Sophia stammered incoherently. Regaining control of her tongue, she managed to ask, “Uh… could you possibly turn around, then?”

“Oh- right, of course. You’ll get used to how free we are eventually, but best not to rush things. I’ll preserve your modesty, but let me know as soon as you’re done!” The felid turned away, and, still blushing, Sophia removed her corset, then hastily got into the dress. To her relief, while it was rather exposing, it was no more so than some of the more daring outfits in her own wardrobe.

“Okay, you can look now.” Dash turned around and cooed with delight at her own handiwork, ears pricking up and tail twitching. “You look great, Sophie! Come see!” She led the elf over to a mirror, and Sophia jumped as she saw her reflection. She hadn’t sensed the illusion being placed around her, and it preserved her own perception of herself, but clearly Charlotte had created it at some point. She now had the appearance of a farm-girl, with bobbed, black hair and tanned skin. It was a shock, seeing her expressions on this stranger’s face, but not an unpleasant one. Turning her attention to the dress, she gave an experimental twirl, and smiled. She could make this work. Making eye contact with Dash through the mirror, she could see the felid practically vibrating in anticipation of her reaction.

“You were right - I do look great.”

“Told ya so! Now, let me get your shoes and stockings, and you’ll be good to go! I’ve put you on bannister duty to start with - they’re about the last part of the main passages we haven’t gotten around to yet, but they shouldn’t be too complicated for a newbie. That sound good?”

“Uh- yeah, sure. By the way, do I get to keep my old clothes?” She assumed that Charlotte would make sure she would anyway, but she wanted to reassure herself.

“Of course you do! I’ll ask Nala to bring them to your new room when she’s got a moment. You’ll be able to wear them on your days off.” By this point, Dash had brought over the footwear, which Sophia was wrangling with. Finally figuring out the laces, she straightened up, looking to the felid for guidance.

“Right, I think that’s everything. I’ll bring you to the supply office, and then you go show those bannisters who’s boss.”

Sophia soon found herself hard at work in the entrance hall, scrubbing the century’s worth of dust and tarnish off the bannisters of the grand staircase - it was a miracle they’d survived at all, she mused. While she was far from the most adept at it, having naturally had little practice in any endeavour of this sort, she soon found a rhythm, beginning to make the railings sparkle.

The rhythm was interrupted by Lady Charlotte sweeping through. Pausing next to Sophia, she took the time to check her handiwork.

“You’re doing well, my dear - we’ll make a fine maid out of you yet,” she commented.

“Th-thank-you, ma’am,” Sophia replied. How was she so aroused by such a simple thing?

“Now,” continued the vampire, “ordinarily, I’d save what I’m about to do until I’ve come to know my servants better. But given the mitigating circumstances, I believe it is fair if I do… this.” Sophia squeaked as she felt hands groping her butt through the maid’s uniform, briefly forgetting that she had been given a job. Lady Charlotte soon reminded her.

“What are you just standing around for? Back to work, Sophie. Unless you’re chickening out already?”

“N-no, ma’am. Of course not, ma’am. My apologies, ma’am.” Sophia returned to scrubbing, too busy concentrating on the vampire’s hands that she didn’t realise her gaze was on her large chest, as it jiggled slightly from the repetitive movement. Allowing herself one last squeeze, Lady Charlotte stepped back. “I’ll have you keep doing this until dinner - you’ll be dining with your fellow maids, of course - and then you’ll report to my chambers. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good girl.” And with that, the vampire swept away, leaving Sophia in an even hornier state than she was before.

Upstairs, Charlotte was marvelling at herself. How had she become so domineering, so soon after dismissing the very idea of this tryst as insane? That damn princess was doing something to her - probably not magically, just by being nigh-irresistible. No wonder she’d been selected as a diplomat. Still, they were as protected as they could be, so no room to reflect now. Princess Sophia Strongshield wanted to be hypnotised, fucked, and bitten? She would make sure it was the best gods-damned night of her life.