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Chapter four: Bed and breakfast

After agreeing to stay Diana went inside with James and Howard followed them. Kira had just set the plates and stew on the dining table for the four of them. Diana paused seeing her and her grandfather pushed her forward. James took the seat beside Kira's left and Howard went to the right. Leaving the free chair between those two. Diana sat down and Kira scooted her seat closer to James. " Everything all right Kira?"

Kira's ears go flat as her hand goes to Jame's knee under the table. " Who is she?"

James put a gentle hand on hers. " It is Howard's granddaughter. I met her when paying my taxes. She is going to stay here a few days."

Kira let go and Diana waited politely for the conversation to end. " So you own a herla girl. I thought you had more dignity than that."

James looks at Kira amused. " Well it is a long story." Diana sipped the soup to try it and found it rather good. " I got all night."

James sigh to himself and takes a deep breath. " To begin with this is not my homeland. There was an incident. An amateur magician portal experiment synced to a damaged portal device I was working on and me and my home was brought here on this hill. It took me months to refine my trade for this land and during that time I found Kira chained to the general stores counter for sale. She looked so sad and out of life. So I made the shop owner a deal. Ever sense then she cooks and cleans for me and keeps track of my finances and meetings."

Diana looked at Kira surprised she had that capability to do those kind of things. James continued. " Honestly I need her and she is free to go any time she wishes if you think I keep her against her will."

Diana became aggravated as she raised her voice after swallowing some stew. " So why does she not go then if she is free?"

Kira raised up insulted and slams her hands against the table. " Where am I to go?"

Diana paused seeing and hearing her. " My master is a good master. He never lays a harmful hand on me and he spent many days teaching me how to read and do numbers. If I leave I will be found and be treated badly. That is what happened to my brothers and sisters. My mom and dad."

James put a hand on her shoulder and she jumped slightly surprised as tears came down her face. " Yes, we have been together but I never force myself onto her."

James noticed Diana's face go bright red again and James sighs out loud and grabs his bowl and plate of food. " I'll eat in the workshop. I am sorry I do not get pleasant company that often."

James goes and leaves. They could hear a whoosh sound followed another after shortly after. Kira quickly gulped hers down and left as well.

When it became apparent Howard and Diana were alone again she puts her spoon down things turned tense. " Grandfather, you must come home. We wish to see you with the others after you die."

Howard looks at his stew almost gone. " Diana, I wrote that letter to tell you and the others I found a place to spend my last days. It is what, four months to get back to Bandrisen? An old man like me barely made it this far in ten years. You do not expect me to go back do you?"

Diana paused to look away. It took her almost six months to get there by tagging along to a political caravan most of the way. " Why do you want to stay grandfather? What shall I tell father when I go back?"

Howard leaned back and loosened his belt. " I would not be alive today if it was not for master James and many others. Many times I borrowed money for food or lodging. Being here I have a task in life. Master James is a good man. He keeps to himself and appreciates his neighbors. Something I have forgotten many times. I think he deserves better than growing old alone like I did."

Diana blushed hearing that. " So he and. They are not."

Howard smiled amused noticing it now. " He is her master. But he does not see her like that."

Diana blushes even more. " Do tell me you have not fallen for master James so easily?"

Diana shook her head rapidly. " No, no, I mean no, it is not like that. I am on my period and all day I been seeing hentai everywhere. It driving me crazy that an innocent girl like me see that."

Diana pauses a moment to see her grandfather turn white a moment. " How old are you granddaughter? Of the months and day."

She became a little puzzled to that. " I turn fifteen in thirty one days." Howard was afraid of that. " Tell me honestly. What are your plans for your future?"

Diana stuck out her chest proud. " I want to be a proud knight like my father and grandfather."

Howard felt a little disappointed in the expected answer. He quickly stood but stopped after a moment almost out of breath and Diana raised to catch him quickly. " I am quite tired now. Let us talk further of this tomorrow."

After seeing her grandfather to bed she went upstairs to the only room with a door open to find the bedroom surprisingly sparse. Unlike the rest of the house, which seemed most of it had machinery of some form or another or tools for them. This room was lacking anything like that except a few machine lights. The only one on was beside the larger of two beds. " Want help going to bed?

" Diana jumped as she turned to face Kira in a tank top and underwear. She grabs an armor stand that was beside her that was not there when Diana entered. After calming down Diana relaxed and loosened the straps on her armor before setting it on the stand. Diana could not help be stare as Kira was so indifferent to her as she too became stripped to underwear. Before she knew it Kira was in the small bed and Diana was just standing not sure what to do next. In the end she decided to go to sleep in the other bed and did so.

In the morning Diana woke up to the sound of water running. The sun was barely up yet and it took her a moment for the haze to fade to find the steam coming from over the glass box in the corner. She paused wondering who would put the effort of hauling water to the third floor and heating it for such an unusual bath. Almost as soon as she realized where the water was coming from it stopped and the towel on the edge vanishes and soon finds it's way to the side again as part of the glass wall opens letting the steam out revealing a naked Kira. Seeing Diana awake she smiled happy. " Master took the liberty of paying your fees for your horse and belongings. I am sorry but I have not cleaned a room out yet for you to have for yourself."

Diana could not help but look at Kira's chest and unconsciously grabbed her own to almost compare. They were probably almost twice as big on Kira Diana thought and Kira noticed. " If you like we can measure you for new armor."

Diana blushed and shook her head. " No, no that is not what I was."

Diana pauses and looks away sad. " Why are you so nice to me?"

Kira gives it a moment of thought. " Well, I guess because you are not like other knights. You are not stuck up on pedestals with a stick up their ass, and you have not asked my master to make you anything. He does not mind making things. It is just the way people ask for it I guess."

Kira turns to a table beside the bath. " If you decide to wash up. There is an egg with a dial and several black marks in a circle. Turn the dial to the right one quarter of the circle. That will set a timer. When it goes off finish up your bath. That will save enough hot water for master's bath."

After her bath and drying off Diana dressed in the summer dress laid out for her. It was not as showing as many female dresses except of the high skirt. She hoped James did not look at her at a bad moment as she left the room and went downstairs to Kira and her grandfather sitting at the table in the same spots as last night. This time there was a variety of plates set out with flapjacks, eggs scrambled, toast, fruit and black drink that smelled heavily of coffee. Kira was already done and getting up as Howard was not more than half a jack done. Diana said a quick prayer before she got her own food. " Purity or righteousness. Being a knight means you have to pick one. I hope your father told you that."

Diana shook her head as she put some cream on the jack. " I always thought I had to live by the knight's code."

Howard took the cup of coffee and sipped it. " One day you will come to a decision the knight's code is a hindrance to righteousness. You will be forced to compromise. On that day you will have to chose purity or righteousness."

Diana did not know what to say. " Most girls your age have been with a man by now."

Diana paused before taking her first bite and looked at her grandfather looking at her serious. " I shall make you a deal granddaughter. I will go back with you, but only if master James comes back with us. You shall marry him and return here with him and take my place here after."

Diana lowered her fork unsure what to say to that. She was not sure if this was his way of paying back James for saving his life or what. " And if master James does not want to go?"

She almost jumps and goes for her sword realizing she did not have it on as someone speaks behind her. " Where would I not want to go?"

Diana's face goes bright red as Howard responds. " Great morning master James. We were discussing going back to my sons. I am an old man and she is only a lass. In addition we do not have the means to make such a long journey. I know you been wanting to know more of the lands."

Howard moved around the table to sit down and his bare chest had oil smears on it. Diana let that distract her a little as she realized something. " How long were you listening?"

James puts a pair of jacks on his plate and smothered them in syrup. " Heard the whole thing."

Diana shook her head embarrassed as James laughed loudly. " I am sorry. I joke. I just walked in from checking on Jeffry. He played a little too hard yesterday with the ladies it seemed."

Diana sat down with a thud and looked to her grandfather. " Who is Jeffry?"

Howard took a moment to finish his plate and smiled as he got up and headed for the door without responding. Diana realized he was alone again with James and she was dressed in more revealing wears than before. Not only that he was already half undressed. " So."

James took a moment from his looking at a paper that way laying to the side to look at her. " Apologies, I was reading over some requests. Our day to day normally does not change that much. So I assume you still trying to take him back with you?"

Diana nods and feels a little better as she finally bites some food after responding. " Well yes, he is correct. I do not mean to impose. I mean my father can compensate you for your troubles."

Howard looks at her and sighs. " He said I should marry you didn't he?"

Diana opened her mouth surprised and he puts a hand to his head. " I swear that man needs a new hobby. Last week he tried to get me to go out with a ghoul. Seriously, figuratively speaking, how are we to make a life together."

Diana somehow felt both relieved and jealous at the same time. " So he was thinking of you getting with a woman than finding me a good man when he suggested we get married."

James paused hearing her say that. " Honestly, I am not opposed to the idea of finding me a woman. Kira is nice, but I want to have a kid one day."

Diana blushed a little and looked away. " And your opinion of me?"

James stops his eating to look at Diana. " I know nothing about you. We just met yesterday."

Diana was somewhat surprised by the response. She almost expected an unconditional confession of his feelings. " Do you even know anything about me?"

Diana thought about that a moment. " Well, you are a kind man. Well liked as well."

James this time paused surprised by the response and goes back to his meal. The rest of the time together went quietly as they both had a lot to think about before James finished and went upstairs. " Son of a bitch! Who used all the hot water?"

Diana blushed as she finished getting ready and rushed out the front door.