Lilli took the seat Priss had indicated as graciously as she could while Yulla and Beelie and Bodi settled at their places as well.
“Well?” Priss swiveled her head around to look at her bodyslave—a male with a fierce ruff of tangor fur encircling his neck, just below the collar. “I’m thirsty! Why are you not pouring my wine, H’rare?”
Casually, she picked up the remote to his pain collar—which she wore dangling on a diamond chain around her neck—and pointed it at her bodyslave. She gave it a quick press and the hapless H’rare stiffened suddenly as though someone had shocked him.
The next moment his body relaxed and he quickly took an ewer of the expensive wine and poured it into his Mistress’s diamond goblet where it fizzed and popped as large bubbles rose from the bottom of the glass to the top.
“That’s better.” Priss picked up the goblet and brought it to her nose. She took a long sniff and then narrowed her eyes at her bodyslave.
“H’rare, is this wine alcoholic?”
“I…I’m sure I don’t know, my Lady,” H’rare said uncertainly. “I simply poured it because you said you were thirsty.”
“Actually, it does have alcohol in it,” Lilli volunteered. “It’s bubble wine from Zinzu Tertia. Mother says it’s the best.”
“Did you hear that, H’rare?” Priss asked, still speaking to her bodyslave and ignoring Lilli. “It is alcoholic. Come here.”
“Yes, Mistress?” H’rare bent down, a wince on his face as though he was anticipating another shock from his pain collar.
But instead of using her remote, Priss threw the full glass of dark purple wine right in his face. The bodyslave stiffened but didn’t move as the fizzing purple liquid ran down his cheeks.
“H’rare,” Priss said to him. “You know I’m expecting right now. What do you think drinking a big glass of bubble wine would do to my quick-grow?” She held the empty wine glass up in one hand and patted her swelling lower abdomen with the other.
“I…I don’t know, my Lady,” H’rare muttered miserably. “I’m not…I don’t know such things.”
“Which is the only reason I’m not having you sent to the Diluthian mines!” Priss snapped. She pressed the remote again and watched with a smile curving the corners of her thin lips as her bodyslave stiffened in pain. This time she did not let up immediately but watched with that same nasty smirk as H’rare writhed in front of her.
Karn felt sorry for the poor bastard—clearly his young Mistress was a burgeoning sadist. But when he looked at his own Mistress, he saw that Lilli was upset by the display.
“Oh, please—you’re hurting him!” she exclaimed, putting out a hand to Priss. “Please, don’t!”
The other girl shot her a disdainful look.
“You can’t be too easy on your bodyslaves, Lilliana, or they’ll walk all over you,” she snapped. “However, since we are at the dinner table…”
She let up on the remote and H’rare—who had been frozen in a rictus of pain—sank to his knees panting.
“Clean up this mess,” Priss barked at him. “And bring me something non-alcoholic to drink.”
“Yes, Mistress.” H’rare nodded quickly. “At once.”
“Wait.” Priss glared up at him. “Aren’t you forgetting something, H’rare?”
Her bodyslave swallowed and Karn saw a look of pure hatred flash in his eyes. But it was gone so quickly no one else noticed it.
“Thank you for correcting me, Mistress,” he said mechanically. “Truly, I am most grateful.”
“Of course you are.” Priss snapped her fingers at him. “Now go. And if you don’t know the way in this ridiculously huge barn of a house, I’m sure one of the other bodyslaves who works here can guide you.” She looked at Lilli. “Lilliana, have your bodyslave take my H’rare to the kitchens to get me something more appropriate to drink.”
“Oh, well actually, Karn hasn’t been with me very long,” Lilli said, glancing back at him. “So he doesn’t know where the kitchens are either.”
“That’s all right, little Mistress,” Karn told her. “I’m sure I can find my way. Come on.” He nodded at the other bodyslave, who nodded back, and the two of them set off for the far corner of the long banquet hall where there was a swinging double door. That seemed the most logical place to find the kitchens and even if it wasn’t, this was a golden opportunity for Karn to explore.
He only hoped Lilli would be all right with the awful Priss while he was gone.
Twelve
“So, that’s a nice new bodyslave you have, Lilliana—though he’s a bit too quick to speak to his betters if you ask me.” Priss remarked, toying with the food on her plate.
The servants had come and served everyone but the skinny girl had hardly touched a thing as far as Lilli could see. She wished Karn was back behind her chair. His solid presence made her feel grounded, but he and Priss’s bodyslave were still gone to the distant kitchens to clean up and get the picky Mistress something new to drink.