Trusting solely my memory seemed like a bad idea, the more I thought about it. After asking one of the girls of the harem where to get some thread, she fetched me a few spools of it, and after thanking her, I tied the tail end of one of the spools of thread to the door and started heading down into the tunnels.

After a little while I ran into an arrow trap, which while they were easy enough to swat out of the air, let me know I had, in fact, gone the wrong way-- and I was increasingly unsure if a few spools of thread were going to cut it, despite the childhood myth I had heard about getting back out of a labyrinth with a single spool of thread. Must've been a relatively small labyrinth? Maybe the hero needed to get out before people figured out what was up... wait, did they flee or get congratulated for killing the minotaur in the labyrinth?

The point was, I had failed, but at least not in a way anyone else would know about.

Or so I assumed.

Coming back up, winding up the now somewhat dirty thread as I went, I saw Princess Asperia coming the other way, her eyes narrowed and a staff in one hand. "Very bold of you to not only seek out the method of my immortality, but leave a path for others to follow."

"...immortality? No, I just... I felt lonely and seperate from everyone, and I wanted to get a drink."

Princess Asperia narrowed her eyes. "If that's the case, why didn't you just walk out the front door? No one outside the harem knows what you look like now."

"...okay, yeah, that would've been smarter."

She stared at me doubtfully. "You're foolish, but that foolish?"

"I didn't kill you when I thought I easily could. Several times. I had no idea you were immortal, but if I had already known, I wouldn't have waited until just after you told me to seek out the source of your immortality, which I also assumed was somewhere else, since it's likely pretty large and immobile to create an entire body and you wouldn't want to move it very far, and it'd be a pretty convenient coincidence if it was right next to where you lived."

Princess Asperia blinked, and then smiled slowly. "Okay. I believe you."

"Also you were fucking lying when you said you found pointing blades at each other's throats to be romantic."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but then she nodded. "...fair. I do, in the abstract, but I guess the implication was the blade pointed at my throat was meaningful. But I have let you in on my weakness, now, even if you don't know the specifics... it's that I thought you were specifically looking for it that put me on edge. This would be a terribly inconvenient time to die."

"...yes, that's fair." I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I'm doing and saying stupid stuff, I'm just feeling really alone and desperately want some sort of connection." I held out my hand for a handshake. "Fiancées?"

She walked over and took my hand, kissing the back of it as she looked up at me with a smile. "Fiancées." She continued to hold my hand as she stared up at me. "If you were feeling so lonely, why didn't you come talk to me?"

"You're a busy woman, and you had just comforted me. And like... I shouldn't fall apart emotionally just from a change in status and losing all the friends I had made in the harem and having power that I was terrified to use now that I thought about it. I should be stronger than that." Fuck, admitting it was making me tear up.

She let go of my hand and wrapped an arm around my waist. "...are you sure you're cut out for this?"

I sighed and leaned against her just slightly. "Not remotely."

"Then why not hand the reins back to Sasha?"

"I... Sasha is not someone who's good to be under the direct power of. She's not as impulsive as you, but she... enjoys making clear the differential in power, I guess? Which makes sense given her history, but like... I'm a little worried what it'd be like if I was back under her total control."

"She's immeasurably better at using your body than you are, though."

...Wait, did they fuck like that? Well, I'd used her body a lot, but... did I feel less jealous about it if it was my ex-body? Or Sasha is somehow an extension of myself? Or they're both terrifying enough that them fucking somehow doesn't trigger my jealousy? But then why be jealous of Sasha at all?

"Between mind magic, transmutation, and acting, she can pass practically anywhere. I know she didn't really want to kill me, because that was an option as far as she knows-- probably she knew you wouldn't want to kill me, being the softhearted girl you are, so she thought it was a safe thing to offer. Your opinion of her seems to matter to her more than my opinion of her, which I must say is wildly foolish of her."

"...yeah. Although if she didn't think I'd be upset learned she had trained another slave while she was out doing crimes, I don't know that she knew me that well."

"Oh, really? Seems out of character..."

"Well, the other slave was a noble of sorts, so apparently their human rights don't count in her mind."

"...human rights?"

"Uh... I don't think she thinks of nobles as real people?"

"I'm a noble, though. Possibly the most noble." Fuck.

"...probably not you? Like... you're her only realistic path to the future of the ending of slavery she sees, I'm fairly sure."

"Yes, well, plenty of people don't think of animalfolk as real people, and that doesn't stop them from using them as tools."

"...I guess? I don't know, honestly she's kind of a hypocrite when it comes to slavery."

Princess Asperia sighed softly. "But she's such a useful tool... well, when armed with your body."

I blinked. "I thought you liked her?"

She laughed. "Oh, I do-- but everyone's a tool when you're royalty, puppy." I flushed at that sudden diminutive, but Princess Asperia continued, "I'm a tool, you're a tool, every single one of my girls is a tool-- you can't think of people as solely people... although I do tend to think of them as that too, if I get to know them."

"Well, is her seeing you as a useful tool that she kind of likes so bad, then?"

Princess Asperia considered this as she started guiding me back out with her arm around my waist, although with my winding thread, I knew the path-- I kept on winding it, though, so someone else didn't have to go pick it up.

"...I suppose I can allow it," Princess Asperia said finally. "But if she tries to dig up my weakness, I will end her-- and you can tell her I said that, if you like."

I sighed. "Is it so hard for everyone to just get along?"

Princess Asperia smiled and reached up to ruffle my hair with her free hand. "Oh, yes, absolutely. This is going really well, as far as getting along goes... I do think you make a better puppy than you do a fiancée, though-- that's not a dig, you're just so cute and earnest, and emotional, and that's better served as a cute little pet that gives and recieves pleasure rather than my fiancée, who has to, minimally, deal with all the political bullshit that comes with being the heir's future wife." She slid her arm back, and looped it around the closer one to her, snuggling against my arm so I was very aware of her breasts against it.

I was already getting wet just from the idea of being her pet again.

"And you -- who has never asked for me once for something before -- asked to be my good girl. Really, that made me very happy, that your fondest desire is to be my obedient pet... I treasure girls like that." Fuck my face was heating up.

"Yeah, well, we need to finish the diplomatic mission before we think about stuff like that-- Sasha's idea of dipolomacy is a blade at someone's throat, so..." Which was true, but also I was just stalling for time, just as I had with Sasha. If it was just being Princess Asperia's pet, I'd be tempted... being an honorary member of her harem was in some ways the best part of my life in this world, and despite her callous words, she did seem to be doing her genuine best to be taking care of all of her people, even if it was kind of cultish... huh, emotionally vulnerable people far away from home with no real outside support except maybe someone abusive were a pretty popular target of cults, now that I thought about it. This cult metaphor kept on fitting uncomfortably well.

She stroked my arm. "Certainly. We have plenty of time to talk when you two get back... I just want you to think of how much you enjoy being my obedient pet now and then, and ponder if that's the life for you."

"...okay, I'll think about it."

"I do have some work to do, but do you want me to get someone to dominate you? I do have several girls who are quite good at it... ah, I heard you spent some time with Ava... should I call for her?"

"She likes Sasha, not me. Or... the me who was Sasha was who she liked, rather."

"Mmm. Is this going to become a problem? I can sell her off if neccessary-- to someone very nice, of course."

"No! It's fine, I just... I fucked up, is the thing. I'm pretty sure she's not going to cause drama, just also pretty sure she doesn't want to be intimate with me. Which is fine. I'd feel bad if you got rid of her."

"Always so protective... but I do like Ava. Maybe I'll talk her around to see you in a more positive light sometime when I get the chance. What about Zince? Not so much your type?"

"No, very much my type, just... having sex slaves is weird to me, I guess. If someone sleeps with me, I want it to be because they want to do it, not because they feel obliged to."

She laughed at that. "You really are such an obedient good girl, aren't you... just wanting to pleasure others... it really would be such a waste if you didn't go back to being a sex slave... but for the moment, how about you come with me to my office, and sit under my desk and gently lick my pussy and edge yourself while I look over some paperwork? That's not even an offer for your sake, having an obedient little pet who's genuinely so eager to serve under my desk is always so enjoyable, and I think you're particularly cute."

...fuck. Despite the way she said it being a little demeaning, or perhaps because of it... that sounded tempting as hell. "That, um, wouldn't be too distracting for you?"

"Don't worry, puppy... you've seen how I hold court-- if you get overly enthusiastic, I'll let you know."

Someone genuinely wanted me around, even if it was only as her cute little pet and sex toy. "...okay. Thank you."

Princess laughed softly. "Thanking me for getting to serve me... such a cute little puppy. It's entirely my pleasure, my dear fiancée-- and I do truly mean that."