LOC(LORD OF CAULDRONS)

Samuel was standing before an amused Zephyr, now fully clothed and cleaned. He would have taken a lot more time trying to admire his attire and squeaky clean visage if not for the atmosphere that hung in the air between the four of them.

Immy and Stannie, the names of the black and gingered girls, respectively, were standing by him side by side. They were being scolded horribly by Zephyr, but Samuel felt much of the blame fell on him. It was he who initiated the whole thing, so he should be the one scolded. But simultaneously, the thought of being scolded sent him in a cold sweat. So the best he could do was stand there like a statue while the girls who had cared for him were heavily scolded.

He was only thankful that it was so tame. Mother would have beaten them to an inch of their life by now. So lost was he in his traumatic worry that he did not catch much of what was being said; only when she finally turned to address him did he finally come out of that mental hole.

“Are you cultivating?” She asked him, her tone no longer stern nor aloof but warm and kind, which gave Samuel a fuzzy feeling, bringing him out of his stupor.

But the question gave him pause; he had no clue how to cultivate or anything like that; he had only gotten acquainted with the term today. So he shook his head in reply.

“Hmm… Do you realize how big of a crime you two committed to take advantage of a new master on his first day? I could have both of you killed for the insult to his face.”

Both girls’ eyes widened in shock and horror, but before they could say anything, it was Samuel who intervened.

“NO!” He shouted, speaking before he could adequately think.

A massive voice in his head was terrified at his actions, but an even bigger one did not want the two girls to die.

“It was my fault! I pushed! They were just playing along!” He rapid-fired before the building terror in his gut completely overwhelmed his speaking ability.

“Oh, really? I was under the impression you had never had sex before. Was I wrong?” She asked, her tone playful and accommodating. Both her words and her demeanor confused Samuel.

None of her reactions matched his expectations, and the fact was gratifying and astounding to the young lad.

A little hope and happiness sprouted in his mind at the receptive conversation. But he did not understand what she was talking about. Feeling a tiny glimmer of confidence that he would not be scolded or beaten, he asked.

“Umm… What is sex?”

Her eyes widened, and somehow, Samuel could feel the eyes of his two companions widen as well.

Zephyr’s eyes turned sharp at his question, making him immediately regret his actions. Of course, it was stupid of him to ask something like that; if it had been back in the orphanage, he would have tried to piece the information from bits and pieces from the other orphans.

He cowered, trying to make himself a smaller target for the inevitable beating, but to his surprise, nothing happened.

“You two.” She said, her tone very grave.

“Take him to this room and make him comfortable by any means necessary. There seems to be something I need to take care of.”

A key had magically appeared in her hands, which Stannie quickly took, a visible tremble in her hands.

She turned her head and was about to leave, but not before some parting words.

“Remember, girls, your lives are in his hands; if you ever become a hindrance, unnecessary, or even if our new master decides he does not like you anymore, your lives are forfeit.”

With that petrifying final statement, she left.

Samuel was scared to absolute stillness, unable to move a muscle. He knew something about severe punishments, and Zephyr’s statement was earnest. Immy was likewise shivering, an audible gulp escaping her throat when the woman was no longer in view.

It was Immy who broke the silence by saying.

“Well… I guess our futures have been decided for us. Young master, will you please follow us to this room.”

Her voice was reverent and steady with no hint of fear. And her steady voice helped anchor Samuel’s thoughts and emotions. He gave her a timid nod, and the three of them went to his room.

While this was going on, Zephyr was feeling conflicted. Some oddities about her new golden goose had become more apparent to her. This was both an excellent and terrible thing. She was sure the gullible young cultivator would eat whatever bullshit she was going to feed him that, too, without question. Her mouth salivated at the thought, and her inner greed was at an all-time high.

But, outside Heaven's blessed prodigy, people like the boy tended not to get far in the cultivation world. While Zephyr did not need him to burn for long(but it would be a bonus if he did), she did him to burn bright. That left her with the tedious task of building him up while still trying to keep him as gullible as possible. It was more accurate to say that it would be her partner who devised the plan and found clever ways to execute it.

The fact that she would be pushing even more onto his plate when he had sacrificed so much for her made her irrationally sad and angry. Sad at how far he was being pushed and angry at how useless she was in all this.

So this had to work; if she could break through to the next stage of cultivation, it would all have been worth it; she would push him to new heights. To the throne, she knew he deserved. But for that, both of them needed to ensure their procured golden goose laid some eggs.