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Ever since this fateful morning, Claire watched Rae like a hawk: specifically the nape that was almost always covered by her short hair, yet Claire was unable to remove the image of Rae's bare neck while she bashfully averted her gaze. Claire bit her lip, a pleasant picture she engraved into her mind. Right now, all she wanted to do was see those pleading and embarrassed eyes and flustered face; it was very rare for Rae to display such an emotion after all.
Class was already in session at this point and Claire - for the first time in quite some time - genuinely struggled to focus on the lecture at all. This unspoken desire was wrapped around her fingers and she felt herself becoming desperate by the second to satisfy it.
She wanted another look at Rae's vulnerable and insanely adorable side at any chance she had. Right now was a tad bit risky but it gave Claire all the more of a reason to go through with it as Rae wouldn't be able to squirm her way out of it without garnering unwanted attention.
Holding an unmoving pen in her right hand, Claire sneakily slid her left hand away from the desk and slowly made its way to hover just above Rae's back. Stealing a quick glance, Claire's heart raced.
Rae was completely unaware, taking notes, and for Claire to do something so out of character of her somewhat enticed her for inexplicable reasons. Perhaps it was because Rae was the one getting flustered instead of her for a change - that was something she enjoyed the thought of.
Not wasting another moment to possibly get caught by the girl she desired to tease, Claire swiftly slid her hand under Rae's hair and caressed her neck with her palm. Instantenously, Rae twitched on the spot. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands, her face practically shining red as bright as a tomato. Claire let her hand linger on her neck as Rae's delayed reaction to finally helplessly beam back at Claire satisfied the devilish blonde.
Barely able to regain her composure whatsoever, Rae shakily pulled herself away from Claire's grasp and shielded her neck with her own hands while she timidly stared at her scribbles on the notebook. Smirking, Claire stared at her Rae for an extra moment or two before helping herself to listen in on the lecture at last. While she was deeply thrilled, having evoking such a reaction out of Rae, a rather curious Misha and Ralaire locked their eyes on the pairing as well.
"Say, Pepi, Loretta, are either of you perhaps peckish for a treat?" offered the pleased Claire, as she licked her lips: not for the sugary treats she was talking about but Rae's delicious expressions. She just needed to find the right moment.
"Why yes, of course!" Loretta perked up.
"Is it chocolate by any chance? I'd love to have another bite!" Pepi chimed in excitedly.
"Absolutely!" Claire cackled into her hand. "It's on me!"
"Oh, you're too kind!" Pepi clasped her hands together with delight.
Claire smiled, her nose sticking up in the air pridefully. Thereafter, she turned her head to Rae, who'd just finished pouring tea into the nobles' teacups - this was the usual extroverted tea party that this trio adored to have whenever they could in a well-refined and fancy arbour that the academy provided the students.
Claire had self-debated before this very moment on if it was a safe idea to refer to Rae as her darling but initially opposed it mentally; Rae's guard must be low at all costs, yet on the other hand, calling her anything else but 'commoner' could render her shocked for an easy access to her weakness.
Bearing that in mind, Claire grinned. "Rae, my darling, go fetch us your finest chocolate cake you have in stock."
Pepi and Loretta were taken aback completely and frankly, so was Lene, who observed from the side-lines as ordered by Claire earlier. Similarly, Rae's heart skipped a beat. Did she hear that right? Rae was used to 'Rae', but she never expected a singular pet name to escape the love of her life's lips.
"You just called me your darling…!" Rae's eyes sparkled as she slid closer. If Rae were a dog, her tail would be wagging violently and Claire would've found that endearing.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, commoner!" Loretta retorted.
"Yeah! Miss Claire is purely mocking you!" Pepi huffed.
"What~?" Rae smugly gazed at the two who frowned at her. "You jealous~?"
Not wanting to miss this opportunity, Claire swiped her mischievous hand across Rae's nape and Rae promptly trembled and caught her breath, wiping the smirk off her face. Her ears and face were painted crimson.
Silence ensued for merely a second. Claire thoroughly enjoyed it.
"M-Miss Claire," Rae stepped out of Claire's range, "p-please be mindful of where you - uhm - touch."
"Whatever do you mean?" Tilting her head to the side, Claire smiled innocently. This girl was just too cute. Every reaction was intoxicating and Claire savoured every moment of it.
Unable to control her endlessly pounding heart, Rae awkwardly dismissed herself. "I'll get the chocolate you requested," she muttered, making a quick getaway, breathing heavily.
Pepi and Loretta looked at each other at the same time and back at Claire.
"What was that about?" murmured Loretta.
"I don't know what you did, Miss Claire, but that shut that commoner up at least!" Pepi celebrated.
Claire simply giggled. Pepi and Loretta had a feeling they'd witnessed something very intimate rather than a way of punishment and dropped their stances, unknowing of what to make of what they just saw.
Lene learned about the situation fast and wasn't entirely sure how to approach this subject later, but she did admit to herself that seeing Claire give Rae the taste of her own medicine was cute, fascinating and entertaining all at once.
As per usual, the way Rae's body reacts to Claire's advances always allowed her to crave for more. Claire could not wait for another sugary treat.
Just like any other evening, Claire soaked her muscles in the luxurious hot water while Rae gave her a very much rewarded head massage. Claire thoughtfully closed her eyes. How could she get Rae this time? Rae's guard must be fully up by now, especially given that her hair is tied up. How bold of her to do so after so many advances were put upon her.
Maybe Rae was, to put it simply, confident that Claire couldn't get her this time - Claire will not stand for this! Notably, Rae had been massaging the shampoo into Claire's head for a much longer period of time than the norm.
Undeniably, it was indeed the best feeling ever, but at the same time, there was a nagging feeling that Rae was simply buying time. That, or Rae was spacing out from today's events. Noticing this, Lene stood up from her seat next to Claire.
"Hey, Rae, want me to take over?" offered Lene. Claire was a little annoyed but could also consider this change to have potential.
"Huh?" Rae snapped out of her daze. "Ah, no, no, it's fine. Sorry." She then picked up the nearby bucket. "I'm going to rinse your hair now, Miss Claire."
"Took you long enough." Claire sat upright more as Lene sat herself back down.
If one could hear Rae's thoughts, it'd be full-on screams about how Claire was the reason she was acting this way, but Rae couldn't fight against a playful Claire - no. This wasn't the Claire she was familiar with and it was ultimately a lost cause no matter what.
Rae poured the warm water over Claire's head to rid of the shampoo. That felt refreshing.
"Rae, my dear, sit," Claire elegantly demanded.
Normally, Rae would've been over the moon. A personal invitation to sit next to the very Claire François that Rae sacrificed her heart for!? That's a dream come true… is what Rae would've thought, but she was instead left on edge. Rae may be a dense airhead, but she wasn't entirely stupid to know where this was going.
Attempting to play crafty, Rae put her foot down the step next to Lene.
"Ah-ah." Claire snapped her fingers and pointed to the empty spot to her right. "Here. Now."
Rae froze and exchanged looks with Lene, who just simpered. This was Rae's defeat.
"Right." Rae hopelessly plopped herself next to Claire. It's not that she hated Claire touching her, she was just very sensitive, finding it to be overstimulating to the peak of combustion. Gulping, she averted her gaze, turning away. History repeats itself.
Although Rae had fully expected it, the tingling sensation well and truly hit her senses as soon as Claire's wet hand made contact with her nape. Being touched this much exhausted Rae to the core. She could only flinch and blush with rapid heart beats to send her to orbit.
"M-Miss Claire, please." Rae forcefully slapped herself mentally to escape the frozen state she had been in.
"What is the matter, Rae?"
Rae held back a whimper.
Lene leaned in to whisper into Claire's ear, "Don't you think you're taking this too far?"
Claire hummed her wonders. "What do you mean?"
"Well…." Before Lene could state anything, Rae quietly pulled herself up and frantically dragged her feet away from the two. "Yeah, I think you overdid it."
"Well, it is a taste of her own medicine," Claire proclaimed. "After all, she always made a fool out of me and clings on to me no matter what I tell her. What makes me so different?"
"Well, you do have a point there." Lene chuckled.
Her Rae was just awfully charming this way. Claire wasn't done.
Due to recent events, Rae left Claire with Lene to tuck into bed for the night in spite of that being one of Rae's favoured activities to do every night to tease the usually defiant blonde but there was no chance this time round. This news was disappointing to Claire but she figured she could repeat her antics the next day anyway.
"Hey, Rae?" called out Misha on the top bunk while Rae listlessly stared into space on her own bed.
"Yeah?"
"Has Miss Claire been bothering you? I thought that was in the past by now."
"I-it's nothing like that." Rae sighed in defeat, poking Ralaire blankly.
"Oh? Then what is it?"
"It's nothing serious, she's just been touchy after this morning's incident. It's weird. I honestly don't get why she wants to tease me so much."
Misha slightly connected the dots but even she couldn't grasp a strand of understanding of Claire. To think that Claire would be the one to tease Rae instead of the usual other way round. What is this? Body swap? Personality switch?
"I see. Well, is it getting too much for you?" Misha rolled around.
"A little. I mean, I don't mind it or anything. I just lose myself for a bit and come back to reality." Rae couldn't help but jest but was equally serious. "I'm a delicate soul!"
Misha thrummed a ponder. "Well, I don't think I'd ever expect myself to suggest this but what if you avoid her for tomorrow and see what happens?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you've technically had your Claire fill for the day without effort, so I mean… you know?"
Rae blushed, thinking back to how Claire's palm and soft fingers touched her nape multiple times within the span of 24 hours. It really did feel sensational, but even Rae had her limits. Ralaire snuggled up to the deep-in-thought Rae.
"I-I guess."
"Besides, Lene is there to take over."
"That is true."
"Want to swap seats with me just for tomorrow?"
"If you want to."
What the fuck.
Somebody explain why Misha of all people is sat next to Claire in class - that's Rae's chair, no!? At a loss for words, Claire glared at Misha with a slacked jaw and speedily spun her head towards Misha's seat.
"What is the meaning of this?" Claire acted gentle but was clearly irritated, facing the unbothered Misha once more.
"Long story short, your touchy antics are overwhelming Rae, so she's doing a Claire-detox for today," Misha explained in a ridiculously serious tone that even Claire couldn't believe her ears. Firstly, Rae skipped out on her maid duties today. Secondly, now this!?
Seriously? Rae Taylor? Detoxing from Claire François? The one she endlessly announced her love for since day one? Surely, that's a joke, right?
"Preposterous!" Claire bit her thumb.
"But it is true. She told me all about it." Misha sighed.
"She won't get away with this."
Gobsmacked, Misha cracked into a grey statue. Wasn't Claire supposed to be happy that Rae was going to leave her alone? She had completely lost the plot now. Rae was not joking. Something about this entire ordeal told Misha that today was going to be eventful and not in the best way possible.
Right then and there did Misha decide that she was going to stick by Rae at all costs for today's sake. Someone had to fend off this furiously feisty woman and Rae definitely couldn't do that alone.
However, you will not escape Claire's determination, RAE TAYLOR!
Class came to an end and before Misha could even stand up, Claire shot herself towards the unexpecting Rae.
"Hold it right there, Rae!"
Rae shrieked in response, her face already dusted beet red, "G-get away from me, Miss Claire!" She covered her nape with her own hands again.
"I won't let you get away this time!"
All of their friends were in the same class and thus witnessed every single thing and began to question themselves.
"Is it opposite day or something?" Thane queried as Ralaire hopped on his head for a better view of the situation.
"Did Claire hit her head?" Rod was completely bewildered and couldn't believe his eyes.
"Oh dear." Yu nervously snickered.
"Miss Claire, I think that is quite enough. The day has barely even started." Misha intervened, stepping in front of Claire. "Now, with all due respect, please leave Rae be. She and I have plans elsewhere for today."
Misha snatched Rae's arm without thinking twice, almost as a way to assert respectful dominance over Claire for this particular situation. A nerve struck Claire. They were best friends, that's all, but that was her Rae being taken away from her. Albeit Claire was urged to steal her back, murdering Misha with her sight, she simply stood there as if taking defeat for this one time.
They had plans. Claire could handle the day without Rae this time, surely! Misha had already escorted Rae away from the irate Claire and took themselves somewhere peaceful. Despite the heavy loads of self-convincing, a menacing and horrifying aura emitted from Claire that nobody dared to approach her: not even Pepi and Loretta could bring themselves to do that.
Claire's face was just too terrifying. It was as if if someone dared walked up to her, she'd set them ablaze without a second thought.
"Wh-what do we do?" Pepi muttered among her and Loretta.
"I don't know!"
"Pepi! Loretta!" Both of the girls winced at their roll call being aggressively made by their childhood friend before them. "With me - now!" Claire stormed off.
"Y-yes, Miss Claire!" The duo followed, almost tripping up as they did.
As a noble, Claire was aware of self-restraint and how to control her emotions. It was only natural! If only that was the case when it involved Rae. That commoner girl really changed her mind. In fact, it's almost as if her behaviour rubbed off on Claire in a way, she just hadn't realised it as of yet.
"So uhm, I hate to ask, but is there any reason why Miss Claire is full of murderous intent today?" Lene anxiously asked, although knew the answer from off the top of her head but felt like she was suffocating under Claire's malicious aura within the arbour and had to break the barrier somehow.
"Misha took that commoner away for today," Loretta summarised bluntly.
"Ah, I expected as much." Lene scratched her head. Claire being so egregiously frustrated and jealous at once over Rae was not something she expected herself to deal with, so she had no choice but to back down, viewing this as a lose-lose situation. "I mean, what can we do? Isn't it best to respect Rae's wishes for today?"
"You say that, yet Rae was just as persistent with Miss Claire no matter what," Pepi pointed out.
"I figured you might say that."
What was this? Deja vu? Never mind, it's merely the same logic that Lene agreed with.
"Honestly." Loretta sighed. "With all due respect, Miss Claire, just what is it that you see in that commoner anyway?"
Claire tuned herself down, the aura extinguishing itself without fuss.
"Huh!? That calmed her down!?" Pepi could fall off her chair right now if she wanted to.
Speechless, Claire's cheeks heated up. To be honest, it really was a good question. All Claire was thinking about was Rae's flustered face and never borne in mind her surroundings. Embarrassment soon caught up to her: why did she work herself up in front of others? Rae, you are a bad influence to a well-behaved noble!
"I-I'm sorry, girls, I don't know what came over me." Claire sighed, having come to her senses at last. Her heart did ache without Rae around, though. "W-wait! Loretta, what did you just say!?"
"Huh?" Loretta blinked. "I asked what you saw in that commoner, if that's-"
Claire slammed the table with her fist. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I do not know what you are talking about!"
"R-right, my apologies!"
"But yesterday, you-" Pepi was punished with the glare of death in return. "…Gave us sweets! Yes!"
"You enjoyed catching Rae off-guard, huh?" Lene giggled.
"Wh- Lene!?" Claire's tomato-face didn't help her.
"No need to deny it. Everyone pretty much saw it."
Claire rummaged through her brain to find words to scold Lene and put her in her place but the cat resorted to catching her tongue. Lene wasn't wrong either. Claire was so sheltered in her thoughts that she didn't realise that even Pepi and Loretta easily read her feelings for Rae even if they still struggled to understand the appeal.
Pepi hummed until a light bulb popped out of her head. "Oh, I know! What if you catch that commoner by surprise. A real surprise?"
"Haven't I been doing that already?" Claire raised a brow.
"It's too frequent and now she's going to be on-guard, so you have to break her shield back down again!"
"Is this really necessary?" Lene sweat-dropped.
"Yes, it is very much so!" Claire howled. "If Rae can continue to pester me without anyone objecting, then I too shall return that favour of hers."
"I see. Well, there's no changing your mind, so good luck."
"Wait, are you suggesting we track her down right now and make her warm back up to Miss Claire?" Loretta interjected.
"Precisely." Pepi nodded at her intelligence. "And with our manpower, we can drag the defence away!"
"We're pulling Miss Misha away by force now!?" Lene's heart dropped. What was going through these nobles' minds!? Had they lost their mind? Are they even nobles anymore!?
"Well, what on earth are we waiting for?" Claire jumped up from her seat.
"I have a horrible feeling about this."
Dear nobles, listen to yourselves!
"Here, Misha, wanna try this?" Rae held her homemade sushi in her chopsticks.
"I don't see why not." Misha opened her mouth to long for a bite but was suddenly grabbed by her arms and was speedily dragged away by the legendary Pepi and Loretta.
"Misha!?"
"Rae…!" Misha echoed and faded away at once, quickly not being in Rae's sight for any longer.
Rae's heart sank. She was alone again. Oh no.
"So we meet again, Rae Taylor!" With arms crossed, Claire perked up; Misha's gone, so there was no longer no obstacle between them except for… "What the-!?" Rae had flipped around and sped away. "Take her left!"
"On it, Miss Claire!" Lene ran beside Claire, quickly overtaking her as the three of these lunatics entered and instantly zoomed past the hallways in their chosen sides.
"Stay away, Miss Claire!" Rae cried, turning her head ever so slightly to the right.
"I'm here too~" Lene appeared out of nowhere on her left.
Rae squealed. "Lene too!?"
Lene reached her hand out to grab Rae but incidentally slammed her entire body against an earth wall that Rae erected just now.
"Sorry, Lene!" Rae momentarily caught her feet as if she were ice skating, drifting into a turn and continued her sprint.
Claire lagged behind but refused to let up entirely.
"What could possibly be going on this time?" A tense and discombobulated atmosphere fell above the princes and the unfazed Ralaire.
Swiftly did Rae jump through a window, worked with her water magic to drown the hallway floor with - well - water, rolled on the grass outside and hopped back into a scurry. She hadn't even considered the damages but that was a thought for later.
"Oh deary me," said Yu, staring at the scattered shattered glass everywhere. "I suppose I should cover for that."
"Rae Taylor," Claire steered, "get back he-" She slipped up on the large puddle, sliding across the hallway against her own volition until she hit a wall. "AUGH!"
"Oh deary me."
After some passing moments, Rae ultimately landed herself in a small abandoned-looking hut and thought it was the best place to hide in for the time being. The instant she stepped foot inside it, she slammed the door tightly shut and caught her breath, restlessly panting. Rae was no athlete by any means but she did have enough stamina to outrun Claire and Lene at the very least.
Goddamn, that chase felt like a whole eternity to Rae.
"Uhh, Rae?"
Rae momentarily froze in a state of shock but instantly spun around.
"Misha!? What are you doing here!?"
"Did you forget already? I was kidnapped - it didn't even happen that long ago!"
Ah, that was right. Rae hadn't even noticed the rope tied around Misha's entire body like a cocoon. Funnily enough, she was elaborately upside down like a bat taking a nap.
"Oh yeah."
"Don't 'oh yeah' me, get me out of here!"
"Yeah, I got you, don't worry." Rae weakly chuckled. "Geez, did they seriously just leave you here?" Rae cut Misha down, caught her with Misha yelping in her arms before freeing her as soon as she could with the help of some nearby ominous blades that couldn't have possibly been used for anything in particular.
"It would appear that way." Misha face-palmed; this was all so dumb to her. "Let's get going in case they come back."
"Good call."
Exhausted, they both held hands as they carefully travelled back to their dormitory until class commenced for the afternoon. They'd both half-expected Pepi and Loretta to have followed them, if they had to be honest, but were grateful that they hadn't.
"Maybe this detox day just made things worse," Misha remarked, utterly defeated. "Would you like your seat back? I don't think Miss Claire will want me next to her after that."
"There's no escaping it, is there?"
"Nope."
"What happened to my tsun Miss Claire…?" Rae groaned. "If only I wore my maid outfit the right way round…!"
"Did they make up?" inquired Rod, noticing that Rae was back in her original seat. However, checking on Misha told a whole different story. "Oh, someone's wiped out!"
"I should check on Misha later." Yu inhaled and exhaled.
Unfortunately for Rae, she could barely focus at all. Her guard was completely up, a hand of her own covering for her and she'd keep an eye on Claire every nanosecond. You were not going to have your way, Claire François!
"How did Misha even escape?" Pepi and Loretta wondered amongst themselves but then came to the conclusion that Rae came to the rescue. Drats! They'd made her a prince charming for the wrong person! Not that it really concerned them in the slightest.
To Rae's surprise, Claire appeared disinterested, but she was convinced it was just a front to catch her off-guard, so she didn't let that fool her. On the other hand, Claire was screaming into hell on the inside as she worked so hard to refrain herself from teasing Rae right now. There was an opportunity but Claire did not take it in time.
The more the image of Rae's bare nape crept its way into Claire's mind, Claire bit her lip, then evolved to gritting and grinding her teeth: she learnt something new about herself. There really was more she wanted to do to Rae than simply tease by touch. Maybe that's why Claire has been unable to act like her usual self; Rae's reactions from her nape drove her insane.
No, stop it, Claire! Your thoughts are becoming just as vulgar as Rae's! Too perverted! Not noble-like at all! Rae's influence is taking a serious toll on the François name. Not that Claire complained about that in any way… She violently shook her head, her bright drills whacking Rae in the face, irritating her eyes that she had to rub them, facing the other way.
This was another opportunity. Claire debated with her inner demons that argued with the angels that perched on her shoulders. Instead, Claire just lost herself into ogling at the presented opportunity. Her face dripped of sweat, her heart pounding as her face and ears warmed up and her breathing stooped into a ragged state. Forget the noble pride, Claire seriously couldn't handle it anymore.
Aggressively shaking her head again, Claire tried to force her naughty thoughts out of her head to no avail, accidentally whacking Rae's face again, but missing the eyes this time. Honestly, Rae wasn't even sure if she should feel frustrated or remain on-guard or fully give in. This was because their eyes just met: Claire appeared shameful with a hint of want as she failed to cool herself off, and this was new to Rae, but she eventually didn't think much of it, looking away.
Disappointed, Claire let out a dejected sigh; she has not yet realised just how dense Rae could be when it came to her true feelings. So much so that Claire has no choice but to spell everything out for her. That said, she (quite literally) did just that and slid the note towards Rae.
'We have to talk in private.'
Rae had an itching feeling about this, but it appeared as if Claire's determined intent had been put on hold for now. Not to mention the fact that this was a demand from a villainess, which couldn't be shot down.
'Oki-doki!'
'Can we do it in my room?'
Usually, Rae's mind would've been full of adult dirt to have processed this as a serious conversation. Furthermore, this was Claire she was talking about, so there couldn't have been any way for Claire to invite her in that way. But then again, Claire's been unable to keep her hands to herself for the past couple days. Remembering Claire's touch, Rae's ears warmed up.
Rae scribbled in return, 'Sure!'
Claire twirled a strand of hair around her finger and blushed. Rae couldn't tell if Claire used such words intentionally or if it was all in her head. Claire fidgeted from how intently Rae stared at her. They were basically lost in one another's gaze for the first time in a while. Maybe it was-
"Rae Taylor! Claire François!" A chalk stick shot between their faces but grazed by to snap them out of their nerve-wracking daze. "Please pay attention! I believe I've heard enough trouble involving the both of you!" the teacher grumbled.
Right. They completely forgot about that and were going to pay the price had the princes not stood up for them to let them go scot-free as their chaos was harmless and easily repairable anyway.
"S-sorry, sir." The pairing bowed in unison, earning a handful of chuckles surrounding them.
Rae gulped as Claire closed the door behind her. After all of the havoc they'd wreaked lately, it felt like such a strange shift to have the intimate evening sunlight dim the room, almost as if it was reserved for just the two of them.
"So - uhm - what did you wanna talk about?" Rae twiddled her fingers, her fingertips clumsily tickling one another. It felt like a stupid question to ask but Rae had to lift the tension somehow.
"Well," Claire began, sitting down on her bed and patted the empty space next to her, which Rae took after, "I - er - just felt like it was necessary to apologise."
"Ah, if this is about Misha and I swapping seats this morning, I'm sorry about that."
What?
Rae added, "I get why you'd be angry and it's OK."
What? Just what? What was she talking about!?
The both of them just sat there. Claire anticipated for Rae to mention about her touch but there was nothing but expecting silence. Was Rae really that convinced that this was about Misha?
Facepalming, Claire growled, "How can you be so dense!? Even after all of the times you've begged me to do perverted… things to you!"
"Huh!?"
"I'm not talking about Misha!" Claire clarified. "I'm talking about how I've been treating you wrongly."
Sitting there, Rae thought what she could say next, but Claire couldn't handle this anymore.
"Listen, Rae, the truth is," Claire hesitated, being true to her feelings was not the norm, but with her in a literal heat of the moment, she couldn't fully function as a noble she was brought up to be, especially now that she was alone with Rae, "when I first learned about your weakness, I… I haven't been able to think as myself properly. My head spins when I think about how you reacted and I just… you know, couldn't stop thinking about it. I can't look at you without feeling funny."
"I-I see, so that's why." Rae was flattered and rather embarrassed that Claire thought about her so much from that.
There was a delay, but Claire eventually nodded.
"Even now, I fear it doesn't feel like by touch is enough." She shyly looked down at her lap. This was too embarrassing but she'd gotten this far already. Disregarding that, she'd hoped that Rae would've picked up on the implication.
"So…?"
Shaking out of frustration, Claire roared, "I want to do more to you!"
"Eh? Wait, what!?"
Even that was far too straight-forward for Rae's suddenly racing heart. Was she dreaming? Was this the real Claire?
"Y-you don't have to force yourself if you don't want to. I'd just have to learn how to-"
"N-no, it's OK." Rae's eyes faded away from Claire. "You can have your way with me, no problem."
Claire's eyes glimmered with anticipation. Rae's stomach churned.
"Uhm…" Rae's anxiety hurriedly caught up to her. "Would you prefer me to lie down for this?"
Claire stuttered, "Th-that would be most certainly more comfortable, yes."
They slipped their shoes off. Rae anxiously crawled towards a pillow, rested her chin on it and held it within her arms' embrace. Her heart was about to explode! To think that today's events would turn out like this.
"I-is this OK?" Rae faced away from Claire as she lay down on her belly, loosening her blazer.
"Yes." Claire was so entranced by the sight of Rae's nape at this point that she mindlessly straddled her and danced her fingers from Rae's lower back up to Claire's destination.
Rae twitched. Usually, she would've run away and reminded Claire not to touch a place where she was so sensitive, but as of present moment, that was the last course of action on Rae's mind. Rae really did want this as much as Claire did.
Under the spell, Claire lightly breathed over the tingling Rae who eagerly waited for Claire to make a further advancement.
"M-Miss Claire?" Rae shivered. "Whatever you do, don't hold back, OK?"
That was all Claire had to hear. She pressed her lips up against Rae's nape so suddenly that Rae jerked up with a yelp. That was the type of noise Rae would normally suppress but there was no need for that now. Not here anyway. More importantly, Claire craved for more out of Rae's mouth this instant.
Embarrassed out of her mind and also overwhelmed with sensations, Rae buried her face into the pillow as Claire continued to tease her with pecks all over, gently squeezing her Rae's arms. Rae could only let out muffled whimpers, which was music to Claire's ears as well as the tense muscles Rae had from even the faintest touch.
Despite Claire beginning with a delicate standpoint, her pecks rapidly evolved into more heated and longer kisses. Kisses that would drive Rae insane as she remained powerless. Every involuntary movement from Rae's body enouraged Claire into doing more. For her Rae. Rae was hers.
Now having planted the stance that she owned Rae into her brain on her own accord, Claire grew bolder by the minute, running her tongue up Rae's nape. Rae felt as if she was electrocuted in the best way possible while she was nibbled on in a uniform formation from up to down. Rae moaned into the pillow, the tips of her ears getting hotter as much as Claire's breath did.
Rae - as the sweet servant herself - and the noises she stifled overall were too intoxicating for Claire to pass up at this rate. Claire sucked on her skin in a more messy order. She had marked the Rae who began to lose her mind completely. Claire didn't stop there, of course. As a matter of fact, she had another ace up her sleeve to mark her territory more seriously.
Claire took a moment to catch her breath before going in for a firm bite. This lioness was hungry. Tears formed in the corners of Rae's eyes, yet she hitched with a very much audible cry that was covered up by a moan. Sweat dripped down Rae's cheek as Claire grabbed a fist-load of Rae's hair, carefully tugging it a little to lower her head a bit. The firmness progressed to a tighter and more painful mark.
Rae choked on her groans. Detaching herself from her tasty sweet treat, Claire took note of Rae's masochistic tendencies, sucking the love bite and kissing it goodbye. Losing more control of her senses, Rae wiggled under Claire as she panted into her ear and nibbled the tips of them.
Devilishly snickering, Claire forced Rae's head down on the pillow in order to fully admire the art piece she painted upon Rae's skin. Rae was just too adorable for her own good and Claire had complete control over her. However, she was left dissatisfied as her canvas still felt incomplete. Therefore, Claire lifted Rae up by her hair and went for another bite on top of another hickey she'd left. This time, extremely much harsher than before. Rae's cries were rendered incoherent: Claire was overjoyed.
"Miss Claire, are you in here!?" The door slammed wide open without warning. "There you are, we- Ah!" Pepi and Loretta both transformed into a statue as if they'd crossed paths with Medusa, jaws dropped, their faces blue with shock of what they've just interrupted.
Now out of the spell, Claire unhooked her fangs from her Rae, who'd turned her head to see who was at the door, wheezing for air with obviously dishevelled hair still in Claire's firm grip. Both of them were splashed in rosy red, drunk on arousal and reasonably embarrassment.
Not a single one of them expected to find themselves in this unfortunately compromising and uncomfortable situation. Rae hid herself into the pillow again. Claire almost felt ashamed that she found herself so deep into ravishing Rae that she had no sense of self-restraint to halt herself if things ever got a little too heated - the other sole issue being that Rae has no real limit for this kind of activity to have warned her beforehand either. In other words, they were both perfect for each other and also too much for one another.
Formulating a solution to de-escalate what was going on was a no-go for Claire and Rae in this case scenario and they were already in a vulnerable state in the first place. No excuses could be made to turn the tables. This was no misunderstanding and the four of them knew that.
"S-sorry for interrupting!" Pepi and Loretta screamed in unison, shutting the doors in the same manner they did when they barged in, fleeing the scene as partners in crime.
Their burning hearts had slowly relaxed despite their anxiety of being caught in the act. In a way, it was both petrifying and relieving combined to know that it was people Claire was familiar with who'd stumbled across them because on one hand, they weren't going to go around spreading 'rumours' even though it's given that there is indeed something going on behind the scenes between a commoner and a noble: such news was strictly forbidden, especially if both are of the same sex.
On the other hand, however, just how were they going to face Pepi and Loretta after this…?
"I'm so sorry, Rae." Claire's throat croaked as she reluctantly freed Rae from her legs' grip. "I don't know what came over me."
Uneasy, Claire weakly fixed her eyes on the mess she'd made out of Rae, guilty that she may have gone too far. She really was just a selfish girl at heart: teasing Rae into oblivion to now physically leaving marks on her.
"D-don't worry, Miss Claire!" Rae pounced up and tenderly held Claire's shoulders for reassurance on impulse, but softened up a split second thereafter. "I… I really liked it - no - I loved it! You were amazing."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, really! Seriously, I want you to do it again. How does tonight sound, aye?" Rae was half-joking and was being genuine at once, hoping to lift Claire's spirits. "You missed me in so many places, see?" Not giving much thought into what she was doing, Rae raised her head up and pulled her shirt collar down. "I'll be all yours," Rae quipped.
Little did Rae know how much she making Claire go crazy with her words and displayed bare skin: she wanted Rae right now. All of her coherent and rational thoughts were thrown out the window by this point, clouded by desire.
"M-Miss Claire…?" Rae hesitantly called out after a brief period of silence, buried in what she initially thought was dejection. "Are you- Whoa, whoa, whoa, where did this come from!?" Rae's spirit seeped out of her body and back; Claire had pinned her down.
"Why not get back to where we left off?" Claire licked her lips, seductively looking up at the bemused Rae. Her Rae.
"I-I mean, yeah, sure! Wait, you mean right now!?" Rae blurted out, clearly mutually wanting Claire.
"I don't think I can control myself anymore, Rae."
"B-but what if we get seen again!?"
Was Rae really dreaming or what!? What was going on!? Claire, is this the right Claire!?
"That's the least of my concerns," confidently, Claire replied while waiting for Rae's full consent to enrapture her and her entire neck to her collarbone right now.
Had Claire not fallen under this spell, her anxiety as a known noble would've gotten the best of her, but currently, she paid no mind to it. Factually speaking, Pepi and Loretta's outburst slipped her mind entirely.
"A-aren't we going too fast?" Rae forced a laugh. Why was she like this?
"It's just your neck, isn't it?"
Returning the heart eyes after some recovering, registering and mental preparation, Rae unfastened her necktie with ease and undid a couple of buttons lethargically, testing Claire's patience. Their gaze stayed on one another's eyes and nothing else. Even then, Claire's excitement strived: she might have a heart attack before morning could even arrive.
"Do your worst."
Regardless of their time together the night before of romance and passion intertwined, Claire and Rae glowed in red that if touched, one may burn themselves. They had absolutely no way of focusing on today's lecture whatsoever.
"Do your worst."!? Why did she say that!? Now it's going to haunt her when her brain takes her back into an embarassing memory for no reason at all; Claire really didn't hold back that time. God, this was so shameful of them. But Rae certainly did enjoy every sensual move Claire made on her.
On Claire's end, she had no way of erasing all of the noises she'd forced out of Rae then and it turned her brain's cogwheels into the wrong direction. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want to snack on Rae again later tonight. That was a lie. She wanted her NOW. They were hopeless as class came to a close and no notes were taken by either of them. Who could blame them?
"S-so - uhm - shall w-we get going to the tea party?" Claire wonkily stood up from her seat.
"Y-yes, we shall." Rae sluggishly followed behind, keeping her head down.
"Hold it, Rae," Misha sternly snapped, grasping Rae's shoulder. "We have to talk." Rae gulped in response, twisting herself around in a robotic way.
"My apologies, Misha," Claire protectively held Rae by the waist with a singular hand, "but my maid here has a duty to attend to, so if you'll please excuse us."
"I just want to know where she was last night." Ralaire sprung on to Misha's head as Misha folded her arms, locking her eyes on her best friend. "You had me worry sick, you know?" Ralaire mimicked Misha's annoyed expression but had a taste of smugness in there somewhere. That little rascal knew something.
"Ah, sorry for worrying you. I…" Rae sheepishly glanced over at Claire, who was just as beet red, "was busy doing stuff."
Misha blinked.
Oh…
Oh.
OH!
"I see, you were in Miss Claire's room."
Rae choked on air and Claire jerked up, holding in a panicked squeal.
"Honestly, you should've just said so." Smirking, Misha spun around and walked away as if she hadn't just reopened what an experience these two lovebirds shared not even long ago in their brains. Seriously, Misha!? Had Ralaire been there without their knowledge and told her all about it?
"Hey, Rae, I've been meaning to ask, but what's that around your neck?" Lene curiously stepped towards Rae, who stepped back.
"I-it's a polo neck!" explained Rae as she jogged around the table under the arbour where the extroverted nobles sat to work on irrelevant tasks in order to keep her mind occupied and physically away from Lene.
"Why are you wearing it?" Lene innocently tilted her head in the same fashion Claire had a few days ago.
"Fashion!"
"Is that so!"
"Y-yeah! Looks pretty cool, huh?" Rae scrubbed a pillar with a sponge.
"Does the academy even allow it? I've never seen it before."
"Uh, I think so?"
"I hope you don't get in trouble. By the way, what are you doing?"
Pepi and Loretta couldn't help but gaze at one another, at the fidgety Rae and back at the Claire who'd been calmly and cautiously sipping on her steamy tea. Everything that literally just happened was both a fog but also crystal clear in Claire's mind. Her best friends were convinced that she was going to kill them but she hadn't done nor said anything yet to warrant it yet. Maybe as long as they don't bring it up?
Hesitant, Claire considered cancelling today's tea party that morning but Lene had encouraged her otherwise, facing awkwardness head-on instead of avoiding them forever. Was Lene perhaps in on it?
"Oh, that's right!" Pepi began out of nowhere. "The chocolate was delicious by the way!"
"Oh, yes, it was absolutely marvelous!" added Loretta. "Thank you so much for treating us, Miss Claire!"
Was that seriously the only topic they could talk about each time they met up or something?
"Oh, it's nothing." Claire put the now empty teacup down. "I order a tea refill!"
Lene did not move a muscle.
"Coming, Miss Claire!" Teapot now in hand, Rae went ahead and poured her master another cup of tea. That exact master eyeballed her the whole time, conjuring up ideas in her mind what to do to her servant next in bed later that night. "There you go." Rae gleefully smiled, meeting eyes with the blonde.
"Thank you very much," Her tone softened into a more loving one, "my dear Rae."
"Eh? Are they flirting?" Pepi whispered.
"Right in front of us? The nerve!" Loretta spat.
"Do we have a problem with something over there?" Claire glared at them, subconsciously yanking on Rae's ruffled necktie as if it were a stress ball.
"We didn't say anything!"
"Must've been the wind."
"U-uhm, Miss Claire?" Rae wriggled around to be free of Claire's grip.
"Whatever is the matter?" Claire naturally leered.
"A-aren't you going to let go?"
"My, do you not appreciate a closer look of my face?"
"Well, I do but-"
"Oh my, you both were really going at it last night, weren't you?" Lene broke the teasing atmosphere, replacing it with trepidation as she was taking a quick peek into the off-guard Rae's polo neck.
Pepi and Loretta spat out their tea as Claire and Rae were drowned in blood… no, that's just their tomato-faces.
"L-Lene, what on earth could you possibly be referring to!?" barked Claire as Rae fell backwards on to the floor.
"Th-this kind of conversation is not acceptable to be spoken of from a lowly maid!" Pepi intervened, instantly earning herself a stare back at her by Lene, her eyes reading 'but you were there, weren't you?'.
The noble duo quivered. Did she see it too!?
"Y-you are spewing nonsense! You commoners are all the same!" Claire huffed, crossing her arms.
Humming a playful tune, Lene added, "But I could hear Rae-"
Bouncing up from the floor, Rae slapped her hands on Lene's mouth. "I-I was having an amazing dream of Miss Claire and I. Yes, that's it!" Lene muffled a question under Rae's truth censorship. "Miss Claire had amazing fingers and her boobs were-"
"We did nothing of the sort!" Claire retorted but regretted the implications it opened doors to everyone's imaginations.
"That's your main concern!?" Loretta frowned.
"What kind of sick fantasies do you have in that corrupted head of yours?" Pepi pointed at Rae with disgust written all over her. "What did you do to Miss Claire after we left!?"
"I didn't do anything! Miss Claire was the one who-"
"Not another word!" Claire messed up her own hair, groaning. "I should've known this would happen…!"
"Can't you just heal those?" Lene queried, holding folded pyjamas for Claire after the bath.
"I could but Miss Claire won't let me." Rae scratched her head, bashful.
"Really? I thought she would've wanted them off you immediately. Especially after today's incident."
"Yeah. Well, not like I'm complaining."
Well, at least a small handful knew who Rae belonged to.