Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem

Was I truly this scary of a sight?

Maybe the fact that I bid nearly 100 gold for her was also making her nervous. She probably thought I fancied her greatly like Vivienne and wanted her to be my plaything, as no common maid was worth even a single percent of that price.

I decided to do my best to ease her worries, and to achieve that effect, I lowered myself by kneeling on one leg to be more at eye level with this frightened girl, after which I removed the apparel covering my face.

"Eira, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Quinlan."

She blinked multiple times due to her strong confusion, evidently not expecting this reaction from me. It took her brain a few seconds to process that I was asking for her name.

"Y-y-yes!" She jumped out from behind Sylvaris and did quite the elegant curtsy, showcasing that she was taught some maid skills despite her intended use. "My name is Eira, I'm honored to be in your presence, Lord Quinlan!"

I nodded with a friendly smile, "Tell me, do you have somewhere to return to?"

She saw too much for me to simply let her go, I would have to [Subjugate] her so that my secrets remained safe, but beyond that, I would happily return her to her family.

She adorably shook her head, "No, my lord. My parents left me at an orphanage, but I'm not welcome back there…"

I found this strange. "If I may ask, how did you go from being an orphaned child to a clauseless slave?"

Eira winced for a moment before gathering her strength and replying, "The orphanage was low on funds, they sold some of the girls who were over the age of ten."

… I see.

Truly, some people deserved only the very worst fates the universe had to offer.

"Anna, Beatrice, step forward." I knew that they were spying on us from a short distance, their presence was easily picked up by my potent senses.

The brunette twins flinched and gasped with disbelief that they were found, but then did as told. They rushed up to us and curtsied in my direction in greeting. I couldn't help but get the feeling that they were paying extra attention to their motions, most certainly because they witnessed Eira's graceful curtsy.

"These two are my maids, they're only a year older than you so maybe you could spend some time with them. You're welcome to stay, should you wish to, but you can also leave and try your luck in any city of your choosing."

Eira merely stared at me for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. She was flabbergasted, best evidenced by her looking in Sylvaris' direction, silently asking for help. It seems she developed a strong sense of trust in the serene matriarch during their short time spent together as slaves of the twins.

"Come, we'll show you around!" Anna cheerily grabbed onto her hand and pulled her away. Beatrice, who was much more of an introvert, silently followed after the two, but not before bowing to me once again. Our little secret journey which ended with my mercy killing her father due to him being too far gone probably made her feel an immense amount of gratitude.
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<Beatrice, please send Jasmine to us.> I asked.

It was time to hold 'the conversation' with my fifth lover, where the most graceful woman I'd ever seen would participate as well.

…

"You're back!" Jasmine shouted elatedly while rushing in for a hug. She told me she would wait for my return like a good wife should, which based on her extreme elation and red eyes, must've indeed been the case.

Truly, when it comes to women, no one has a better taste than me. All of my girls are extremely precious existences.

I let her cry her built-up anxiety out onto my chest while pulling her into my tight embrace, after which the four of us left the stronghold and walked a bit into the forest. I did so because I wanted privacy, but mostly because I knew the two elves would appreciate the gesture. Elves always seemed happy when they were surrounded by nature.

We comfortably seated ourselves under the comforting shade of a large tree, and I laid my back against its trunk. My two girls seated themselves on either of my sides, while Sylvaris gracefully got on her knees and rested her legs under herself with a pristinely straight spine.

I sighed inwardly. The implications of my actions were heavy. I kidnapped the daughters of a duke. In the Vraven Kingdom, there were five dukes, each lording over giant swathes of land. It was best to think of them as kings and the actual king to be an emperor. The Vraven Kingdom had hundreds of millions of citizens, after all.

While the implications might be a bit stressful, I didn't regret doing what I did at all. A man had to have a code to live by, and letting my lover's mother fall into the hands of such deranged lunatics simply didn't fit into my code.

"Let me start by saying that it's nice to meet you in a less chaotic setting, Sylvaris."

She nodded at my words. Seeing that I was not getting much out of this woman without asking for them, I decided to speak up again, but Sera beat me to it.

"Mom, don't act like a social recluse. I know you can behave properly."

Sylvaris raised an eyebrow at her daughter, "I am behaving properly."

"Agh, I can't do this right now. Instead, tell me what you're doing here, in the human lands, as a slave."

"My beloved daughter was captured, so I came to save her."

"That's nice of you and I dearly love you, but what the hell was your plan? To visit all households in the kingdom and knock on their doors, asking if they saw a blonde elf? Also, without guards? Where are your soldiers?" I couldn't help but realize that Sera was angry with her mother, despite the harsh journey this woman went through just for her sake.

Also, she was bringing up some good points, best evidenced by Sylvaris coughing into her palm. I could see a faint shade of pink on her cheeks, she was embarrassed by her daughter's words, but her amazing poker face almost concealed that fact from me.

"I lobbied the queen for weeks to initiate a negotiation for your release, but I couldn't get her to budge, saying the timing wasn't right. I had enough of waiting. I wrote a letter in which I abdicated the clan's leadership to my mother, and came here alone. Knowing that it was a near-impossible mission, I didn't ask my retainers to follow me."

So that's what it was. Can't say I blame her, I would've done the same, probably even attacking the queen. After all, Seraphiel was conscripted into the army.

"I never asked this, but I'm curious. How did you get conscripted in the first place?"

It was time to learn just what was going on in the Alliance of Elvardia, after which I had some revelations to make.