Cursed Heroine - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Finding my princess

I wake to the sound of somebody knocking on my door. It felt like I had just been talking with the Goddess, but I woke feeling quite refreshed, seeming to have used my maid as a hug pillow throughout the night. I sit up and stretch, excessively arching my back like a cat and moved to stand up from the bed. As I begin the motion to stand up, my nighty disappeared and my maid uniform has appeared by the time I’m fully standing. Cracking open the door, I can see a young maid. She asks me where Sarah is and I open the door just enough to show her my maid laying in the bed smiling, her clothes scattered on the floor. The maid blushes a deep red, informing me that permission to visit the library has been arranged and that breakfast will be delivered shortly. I simply nod my head in acknowledgement and close the door. Minutes later, the maid returns with a tray of food, which I recognize this time. Seems that breakfast dishes are universal, just changed a little due to the difference in local ingredients.

I finish eating quickly and am escorted by my new maid to the library. The other heroes have already been gathered and started reading the various books. Surprisingly, they have paper. Although it mostly resembles that patchy recycled stuff you make when you’re a grade schooler. I simple grab a few books and start memorizing. When lunch time comes around, I’m surprised to find that it’s Sarah who brings it to me. While blushing, she informs me that the earlier maid had returned to my room with a healer and that such situations are not uncommon for the maids here. I take occasional bites while continuing to read and sipping tea. A few hours later, we are informed that the king would like to continue discussing the contract in his conference room. The heroes are situated on one side with the king’s advisors on the other and the king at the head of the table. They debate for hours and I take that time to inventory my gains from last night.

My soul devourer skill works at all times, but the new skills and soul potential won’t fully integrate with me until I’ve rested. Probably a safety feature to prevent pain like what happened when I used the ‘update soul’ button. I only seem to have gained eight sp and a bunch of skills, five in all: [contract](activate: 19sp), [sense mana](activate: 9sp), [mana control](activate: 9sp), [sense presence](activate: 9sp), [shadowmeld](activate: 49sp). Looking at them, I can guess that the king probably executed whichever adviser made the original contract and a would-be spy was killed. I spent the rest of the time the others used to debate to cultivate my divine energy. Last night’s pray had gotten me one divine energy and I now had a new sub-skill, {blessing: lessor invigorate}, which simply gives a person a little more stamina making them feel refreshed. My divine energy has increased to two by the time I’m finished. Due to my feeding last night, my qi and mana are bloated at twice what their max capacity should be. I alternate my cultivation between those two and manage to decrease them to five by the time the debate session has ended for the day. We will resume tomorrow at the same time. My updated stats are as follows:

<Status> +[disguised stats], -[hidden stats]

Name: Lilia | Age: 20 | Sex: Female

+Race: {Vampire(50%)}{Blood demon(25%)}{Dragon(20%)}{Dryad(5%)}

Cultivation Stages: {Body: 0(15%)}{Mind: 0(15%)}{Spirit: 0}{Divine: 0}{Law: 0}

Energy Reserves: {Qi: 10/10}{Mana: 10/10}{Spirit: 10/10}{Divine: 0/0}

Attributes: Str: 10(10%) | Vit: 10(10%) | Agi: 10(10%) | Int: 10(10%)

Soul Potential: 3

<Skills>

{passive}

-[Soul Devourer 1], [Sense Mana(activate: 9sp)], [Sense Presence(activate: 9sp)]

{active}

-[Contract(activate: 19sp)], [Mana Control(activate: 9sp)], [Shadowmeld(activate: 49sp)]

<Traits>

-[Vampiric Bite], [Agility Boost(activate: 25sp)], [Regeneration(activate: 50)]

-[Body Manipulation(activate: 100)], [Dragon’s Perception(activate: 150)], [Adaptive Blood(activate: 200)]

<Blessings>

[Eidetic Memory], [Don’t Mind Me]

[Priestess(Goddess Katherian)]

{Prayer}{Bless}

-[Status Manager]

<Curses>

[Glass Cannon], [Slow Learner], [Mute]

-[Destined to serve(Master: tbd)]  (Attribute control is locked at 1 until master is decided)

{Orders}{Attire}{Punishments}{Empathic Link}

Today’s events repeat for the next few days, including my night activities, except that I have taken some time out of the library to request tea with the various princesses. They are basically all brain-dead idiots waiting for their prince(political pawns for daddy). There’s only one that fits my criteria that isn’t too young. Princess Sophia is twenty-three and is an emerald eyed, green haired half wood-elf whose mother was captured in a raid by human slavers from her home near the border of the Magic Forest. She has intelligence and hate for her father in her eyes. It is also nice that she only stands at five and a half feet. Although, that is only because of her not quite mature body due to her long lived mother’s bloodline. She has the elven facial features of a cold beauty and the curvy figure of humans including a nice size rack. Slender waist, white skin, and a concealed athletic body that the other lazy princesses lack. It takes another week to finalize the new contracts, by which time I’ve finished with the library and am simply indulging in pleasures when I’m not cultivating. The contract means absolutely nothing to me since I can’t sign it anyways. My [Destined to serve] curse prevents it so that nothing restricts my dedication to the master.

Signing day arrives and we are once again brought to the throne room to commemorate the event in front of the nobility. The other five sign their contracts one at a time with the king on the podium set up near the throne. When it gets to my turn, I simply hand a note over to the attendant to read for me.

“Dear king, I am unable to sign a magical contract due to a hidden curse. It seems the curse is hidden from others until fully activated. I will prove that this is the case, please do not be alarmed by what happens.”~attendant

With the note read and a nod from the king, I take the quill provided and move to sign the contract. It immediately burst into flames when the quill touch it. I proceed with my plan as I handed another prepared note to the attendant.

“Although a contract cannot be sign, I have a different method that can be enacted with a female of the royal family. If you would allow it, I would have Princess Sophia accept me as her servant in a way that would be binding, more so than that contract would have been.”~attendant

The king having seen the contract turn to ash with not a single mana fluctuation reluctantly agrees and has Sophia join us at the podium. I position myself in front of her and begin the submission ritual dictated by my curse, something the Goddess must have added. I kneel on the ground in front of her with my feet under me and place my hands with fingertips together on the ground just before her feet, then placing my forehead on the ground as well. I’m prompted if Sophia should be designated as master, to which I accept. Sophia’s eyes widen in surprise and she proceeds to read the prompt she received to our audience.

“Royal father, I’ve received a message from the world that reads: ‘Lilia has designated you as her master, do you accept?’”~Sophia

“Go ahead.”~king

There is a blinding light that envelops the two of us cementing our relationship in place. I take the opportunity to unhide my curse, to make my earlier words about it seem true. When the light died down, I get up from the ground and curtsy to my new mistress in the same manner as I’ve seen the other maids perform in the last few days. I can feel Sophia’s perplexity at the sudden string of events and information overload due to the link. I decide to jolt her out of it by using the link to speak to her.

“Greetings, Mistress.”~me

This causes her to jump slightly with a small squeak. Cute!

“What is it, Sophia?”~king

“She talked or I think I heard her talk.”~Sophia

“Mistress, only you can hear my voice like this. My binding as your servant has been completed, which includes an {Empathic Link} between us. Please inform your father that I have been successfully bound as your servant and the signing ceremony may be concluded. It will take time for you to completely understand and you will inform him of your findings.”~me

“She’s somehow speaking directly to my mind. I can feel that she is bound to me, but it will take a little time to understand it. Father please conclude the ceremony. I will inform you of my findings soon.”~Sophia

“Very well. This signing ceremony is hereby concluded. Dismissed.”~king

I follow my dear confused Sophia back to her rooms where she promptly loses her good daughter attitude, turns to me and demands, “Explain!”

“Mistress, please investigate your status. You should have received a new blessing as well as the ability to view my own. This will perhaps be the fastest method for you to understand. I will answer any questions that you may bring up.”~me

She studies it for a while and seems content to not ask any questions. We then head towards the king’s study. Along the way, I ask her to only tell the king about the curse vaguely and to specifically tell him that even my clothing is cursed. One specific item which will drain the life force of any man I come into contact. As expected, we are both required to use a status orb and I get my first look at Sophia’s status.

<Status>

Name: Sophia | Age: 23 | Sex: Female

Race: {Wood Elf(50%)}{Human(50%)}

Cultivation Stages: {Body: 1}{Mind: 2}{Spirit: 0}{Divine: 0}{Law: 0}

Energy Reserves: {Qi: 75/75}{Mana: 200/200}{Spirit: 10/10}{Divine: 0/0}

Attributes: Str: 50 | Vit: 75 | Agi: 100 | Int: 200

Soul Potential: 120

<Skills>

{passive}

[Sense Mana 3], [Sense Presence 2], [Sense Danger 1]

{active}

[Mana Control 2], [Mana Shaping 1]

<Traits>

[Longevity], [Mana Affinity]

<Blessings>

[Child of the Forest]

[Destined to Serve(Servant: Lilia)]

{Orders}{Attire}{Punishments}{Empathic Link}

<Curses>

-none-

<Status> +[disguised stats], -[hidden stats]

Name: Lilia | Age: 20 | Sex: Female

+Race: {Vampire(50%)}{Blood demon(25%)}{Dragon(20%)}{Dryad(5%)}

Cultivation Stages: {Body: 1(5%)}{Mind: 1(5%)}{Spirit: 0}{Divine: 0}{Law: 0}

Energy Reserves: {Qi: 5/10}{Mana: 5/10}{Spirit: 10/10}{Divine: 0/10}

Attributes: Str: 10(50%) | Vit: 10(50%) | Agi: 10(50%) | Int: 10(50%)

Soul Potential: 25

<Skills>

{passive}

-[Soul Devourer 1], [Sense Mana 1], [Sense Presence(activate: 9sp)]

{active}

-[Contract(activate: 19sp)], [Mana Control(activate: 9sp)], [Shadowmeld(activate: 49sp)]

<Traits>

-[Vampiric Bite], [Agility Boost(activate: 25sp)], [Regeneration(activate: 50)]

-[Body Manipulation(activate: 100)], [Dragon’s Perception(activate: 150)], [Adaptive Blood(activate: 200)]

<Blessings>

[Eidetic Memory], [Don’t Mind Me]

[Priestess(Goddess Katherian)]

{Prayer}{Bless}

-[Status Manager]

<Curses>

[Glass Cannon], [Slow Learner], [Mute]

[Destined to serve(Master: Sophia)]  (Attribute control is locked at 1 until master is decided)

{Orders}{Attire}{Punishments}{Empathic Link}

After the king had been appeased with a short Q&A session, he dismissed us. I took great satisfaction when he seemed especially peeved by my underwear’s effect on males. Sophia seemed to enjoy his misery as well, if the feeling of accomplishment I felt from our link is any indication. We then head back to Sophia’s rooms for the night.