“No, and I hate those things. It’s not like I really need them.”
Jaki suppressed a sigh and took the note. It said Lumi was worn out from the job and being shared by so many people. It had been fun at first, but the same thing day in and day out had grown tiresome. He was leaving and knew he was forfeiting future wages and the end bonus as stated in the contract.
Elswere’s face darkened, and he said nothing for a moment. Of course, a pleasure slave could go whenever they wanted. They weren’t actual sex slaves because that was illegal, and the only punishment for leaving was losing future pay. No work, no money.
“I thought he was fine,” Father mumbled. “He never complained or said a word to me. He seemed to love this job.”
Jaki crumpled the note. “I’m sure he did at first. I can see someone growing tired with this type of work. It wasn’t just you fucking him. I doubt sex is so fun after a while when you might have to engage in it several times a day.”
“If he’d asked to renegotiate the terms of the contract, we could have worked things out if he was tired of everyone having him. I’ll say he had a sick family member, and that’s why he left so suddenly.”
“Very well.”
“I wish he had spoken to me instead of running off. I liked him. For Elira's sake, not even a goodbye or anything…”
Jaki cringed inside as he imagined Father’s reaction if he knew that was his nephew he’d been fucking.
People had certainly noticed the lack of a certain person with a buoyant personality and a ready smile or joke. They’d start asking and gossiping. The fake story would get around, and they say it was sad that he had an ill family member.
Jaki knew they didn’t truly care. In a few weeks, Lumi would be old news, and the courtiers would find something else to gossip about while Iceland fell to pieces around them.
***
Jaki went up to Lumi’s room later to look around again. Elswere had forgotten to ask the servants to clean it out, so everything was the same. One would likely think of it later. Lumi hadn’t thought to take his clothes and things, and he must not have cared if it appeared odd.
Jaki was ready to be thorough since he wasn’t so worn out from blood loss. Last night had been more of a cursory look just in case anything obvious had been left out, but really, he knew Lumi was too smart to hide things in his drawers. It wouldn’t have mattered if a servant cleared everything away.
He tested the floorboards first. None creaked or felt loose. If Lumi had anything to hide, he might not have even used his room. Still, Jaki checked the stones in the fireplace. None were loose.
Lumi didn’t have many trinkets, and the mantelpiece was rather bare except for a heavy wooden door stopper shaped like a dog. The paint was peeling from one side, and it must have already been there when Lumi took the room. Jaki placed it on the floor and tested the long, heavy strip of wood for the mantle.
It stuck a bit and lifted. In the gap underneath were several vials. Jaki held one toward the lantern to see multiple tiny packets. After removing the vials, he sat on the floor with them and pulled out a packet to unwrap it. The cluster of pressed herbs stuck together with a bit of honey or syrup was dark brown and about the size of his thumbnail.
They were the newer form of herbs to prevent pregnancy, and they were supposedly better than teas.
The user simply chewed it, tried to ignore the supposedly nasty taste, and swallowed it. It was said the ones for abundant males worked better than the ones for females, not that Jaki had any experience with them. If a man ate one and had intercourse, it wouldn’t do anything to his sperm.
Lumi had said he was barren from the grey fever. If he'd used herbs, he’d been lying and ensuring he didn’t have a random courtier’s baby, or worse, his Uncle’s child. He’d been playing a dangerous game there.
Then again, he surely hadn’t been given a choice.
Tivar had seemed content to stay on his side. If he united Iceland, it would still die because he wasn’t a Cleel. He could crown Lumi and rule for him, but he’d have to make sure the Mages never said a word about the supposedly dead Prince being mysteriously alive again. Holding a Prince hostage for years might not be something they’d be willing to stay quiet about.
Edur had to stay dead.
It’d be easier to get a child off of Lumi. Tivar could say he’d had a secret Mistress who had given birth to his baby and died during the birth to explain her absence. With a child with genuine Cleel blood, he’d start a war, unite Iceland, and have a High Mage crown the child.
That was a bit risky, but Tivar could say he was doing it in case of his death or use another excuse. If the child were alreadycrowned, the people of Iceland wouldn’t have to worry as long as the heir remained safe.
With nothing apparently harmful taking place, the Mages would likely accept it. Tivar would own everything if he won the war.
It was a horrible prospect. Lumi’s reaction in the tower to sex seemed like the sort of thing one would have if they’d been sexually abused. Jaki had no direct experience with anyone like that, but he was sure that was it if Lumi couldn't do the act without his heat.
Tivar had been trying to impregnate his fake brother. Since no baby existed, it meant one of them was likely infertile, and Lumi, afraid it might not be him, had gotten the herbs.
If Tivar forced him to return, would he now kill or keep Lumi if he thought the true heir was useless? Or would he capture someone else and make them both fuck? As a prisoner with no access to prevention methods, Lumi could possibly make another conceive if there wasn’t anything wrong with his seed.
Tivar didn’t seem like the sort who would admit he was likely infertile. He hadn’t been able to give up the throne and the Kingdom for the good of the people.
