Exalted Champion: CH 20 (rough draft) (Patreon)

Chapter 20: Capricious Prince

Professor Trianna was not an early riser, unlike Rachel and me. We stole away from her apartment in the early hours of the morning, covered in the sweet sweat of sex and immeasurable juices of our coupling. Rachel held fast to my arm as we, disheveled and mussed, made our way back to the royal apartments. The slave attendant of the elevator spoke no words to us as she ascended the elevator. I was dazed in the most pleasant of ways, warmth soaked through me as the memory of Trianna guiding us and Rachel drinking in each illicit lesson, a dutiful student’s dedication to the carnal instruction was a sublime nectar of memory.

The door to the royal apartments opened with a whisper, the guards recognizing me despite my disheveled state. Rachel's hand squeezed mine as we slipped inside, both of us trying not to laugh like guilty teenagers. The scent of fresh cossa wafted through the air. Someone was already up.

"There you are!" Ashley's voice cut through the hush. She stood in the dining room doorway, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on her face. "You two look like you've been studying hard… very hard."

Rachel's blush deepened. "Good morning to you, too, Ashley."

I ran a hand through my tangled hair. "Is there cossa? I need about a gallon."

Ashley's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I'll bet you do. Was Professor Trianna... thorough in her instruction?"

"Ashley!" Rachel hissed, but there was no heat in it as they both smiled widely at each other.

I moved toward the dining room, drawn by the promise of caffeine. "Let's just say we covered a lot of material."

As we entered, I froze. Tiffany and Adelia sat at the table, both perfectly composed in morning dresses, not a hair out of place. The contrast between their pristine appearance and our rumpled, sex-stained clothing couldn't have been starker.

Tiffany's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed as she took in our state. "Good morning, Exalted Prince husband. Exalted Lady Rachel.”

Adelia's smile was razor-thin. "Did you enjoy your... scholarly pursuits, Exalted Prince husband?"

I ignored the acid in her tone and pulled out a chair, dropping into it with the heavy satisfaction of someone who'd spent the night being thoroughly fucked. Rachel slipped into the seat beside me, her hand finding mine under the table.

"Allie," I called, not bothering to hide my exhaustion, "cossa, please. Strong enough to wake the dead."

The fox-kin appeared instantly, her tails swishing behind her. "Right away, Master!" Her eyes darted between Rachel and me, taking in our disheveled state, but her face remained carefully neutral as she poured two steaming mugs.

I took a deep gulp of the cossa, feeling the bitter heat scald down my throat. Perfect. Just what I needed to wash away the pleasant exhaustion clinging to my limbs.

Faith entered the dining room with quiet grace, her pink hair bouncing with each step. In her hands, she carried a neat stack of what looked like the morning editions of the Imperial Tribune.

"Good morning, Master Eric, Lady Rachel, Lady Ashley, Lady Tiffany, Lady Adelia." Her voice was bright and cheerful as she approached the table. "The morning papers have arrived. I thought you might want to see them right away."

She distributed the pamphlets with practiced efficiency, placing one in front of each of us. I caught her quick, concerned glance at my disheveled state, but her smile never faltered.

"Thank you, Faith," I said, reaching for my copy.

As Faith retreated with a small curtsy, I unfolded the newspaper and nearly choked on my cossa. The headline blazed across the top in bold, unmistakable print:

Imperial Tribune: October 26, 3212 T.E. Tamuss (Tuesday)

EXALTED PRINCE GRAYSON SIGHTED AT PROFESSOR TRIANNA'S QUARTERS: ACADEMIC MENTORSHIP OR ROYAL DALLIANCE?

"What the actual fuck?" I muttered, scanning the first paragraph, “How in the hells do they already know…” The article was careful not to make direct accusations, dancing around the truth with phrases like "extended private consultation" and "scholarly intimacy," but the implication was crystal clear.

Ashley gave a theatrical sigh, flipping the Tribune open like she was searching for a hidden punchline. “Ahh… Is this really the best they’ve got? ‘Prince and professor seen together?’ Please. I’ve seen fresher debauchery in the lobby after lunch break. Last week, two juniors got caught rutting on the marble stairs, and the only scandal was who was on top.”

Tiffany’s nose wrinkled, but she kept her mouth shut. Adelia’s lips thinned, and I could see her mentally composing a letter to the editor about how my “academic pursuits” were bringing shame to the institution. I ignored her and went back to mainlining cossa.

“Hmm. They’re fishing for scandal,” Rachel said, eyes narrowing as she flicked the page.

Ashley’s gaze slid to me speculatively. “We could announce the gala?” she ventured, voice pitched low.

I weighed the question. “Is the house ready?” I asked.

“Yes, the last of the preparations have been finalized; we can announce whenever you want, Lord husband,” Ashley said with a sly smile and a quick glance at Adelia.

“Good, good. How about this, Laznuss? Is that too soon?” I asked. Having never thrown a party, let alone a gala, I had no idea what would be appropriate.

“Humm,” Rachel said between sips of her cossa, “It would be soon. It would force…”

“Oh, it would, wouldn’t it…” Ashley cut in as they paused, looking at each other. “This Saturday would most certainly make a statement.”

“How so? I’m not trying to piss more people off?” I asked.

“Oh, no. Well, only kind of. See, there are always parties being thrown, from balls to grand dinners. Every noble is continuously trying to curry favor and show each other up. By announcing your gala with only a hand full of days' warning, it places the burden of choice on them. It would undoubtedly conflict with numerous gatherings already being planned, but as you are a prince of the empire, your gala, especially a new home acquisition gala, would be of the utmost importance and any we invite that did not attend would be seen as giving great offense to you…they would have to cancel their other plans, move their schedules and such. Quite the power move.” Ashley said her eyes glinted in wicked glee at the thought of forcing the nobles to pay tribute to me.

I liked it. I really, really liked it. There was no point in playing small. If the nobles wanted a show, I’d give them one. Better to stake my territory now, force the imperial gossip mill to grind on my terms.

“Do it,” I said, rolling my mug between my hands. “Send out the invitations. I want every noble in the city to know the House of Stars is open for business this Saturday. Make it clear: attendance is expected.”

Ashley grinned, her blue eyes bright with the kind of anticipation she usually reserved for high-level social warfare. “Perfect. I’ll get on it right away, and I’ll make sure the guest list is… comprehensive. By noon, everyone who matters will have their summons.”

Adelia’s mouth snapped shut, whatever complaint she’d been brewing dying instantly. Tiffany glanced down at her cossa, probably already recalculating her own standing based on the guest list. Rachel squeezed my thigh under the table, approval in the gesture.

I finished my cossa, the last bitter dregs cutting through the fugue from last night. “Rachel, we should get ready for enchanting class, everyone dungeon run with the Titans Shield after class,” I said, pushing back from the table. “It’s Professor Trianna’s morning lecture, and I want to be early.”

Rachel was already on her feet, braid swinging as she collected her notes from beside her plate. “I’ll meet you by the front door in fifteen minutes, husband.”

Ashley was already scribbling names on a scrap of parchment, her focus total. “I’ll handle everything here and have us all ready for the dungeon. Go show the college what real power looks like.”

We left the table and went to shower and change into the black and gold of our imperial mage college uniforms.

The black and gold of our imperial mage college uniforms fit snug as armor, crisp against the skin, every line tailored to impress and intimidate. Rachel met me at the door, her hair braided tight and pinned high, not a strand out of place, but her eyes still molten blue from the night before.

Rachel’s hand brushed mine. She leaned in, her voice pitched for my ear alone. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never make it to class.” Her lips curled, a private secret lurking there, and I almost laughed.

“Discipline, Lady Albillac,” I murmured back, trying for dignity and failing. “We have a reputation to maintain,” the elevator decided to the first level of the tower where the enchanting lecture would be held.

We stepped into the corridor, Rachel and I. The halls leading to Professor Trianna’s classroom were already alive with the hush and shuffle of students, but Rachel’s presence on my arm turned every glance into a minor spectacle. Her braid was pinned high, her lips still flushed from the night’s excess, and when she caught me looking, her eyes flicked up, a knowing glimmer chasing away any pretense of innocence.

Rachel nudged me as we stopped outside the classroom, her lips curving into a smile that promised mischief. “You’re distracted, husband,” she whispered, keeping her voice low. “Are you thinking about what Professor Trianna taught us last night?”

A ripple of laughter threatened to break my composure. “You make it sound like I stood a chance.” My thoughts flickered through memory. I managed a laugh, the sound softer than I intended. “If I say yes, will you promise not to tease me until after class?”

Rachel’s blue eyes flashed, her lashes lowering. “No promises. Especially not after the way you fucked us both last night.”

All I could think about was Trianna’s mouth, the memory of it stretched wide, her lips sealing around my cock as she took me down to the root and then back up, tongue swirling and teasing, her moans vibrating up the shaft. The image crashed through any pretense of academic calm. Or the way Rachel’s thighs trembled as Trianna devoured her, tongue deep, fingers driving her wild, until Rachel’s cries echoed off the velvet cushions and Trianna licked every drop from her glistening cunt.

Rachel’s hand curled tighter around my arm. “It’s distracting, isn’t it?” She drew me closer, her body pressing into my side, her voice just above a purr. “The way she used both hands…”

Gods, the taste of Rachel’s pussy on Trianna’s lips when she kissed me. The way the two of them tangled beside me, legs and tongues desperate for more, until dawn threatened and still none of us were spent. The memory pulsed in my cock, a low, insistent ache as we walked into the classroom to take our seats.

As soon as we sat, Professor Trianna came out from her office and took to the podium on the lecture stage. My mind melted at the sight of her. The green dress she wore under the black rode did nothing to hide her nakedness from my imagination. Her eyes landed on Rachel and me, and flush crept up her cheeks, and my cock hardened as she bit her lower lip.

When the imperial devotion was done, Rachel pulled my cock out in full view of Trianna, from where she started her lecture, making as much eye contact with me as she did Trianna as she engulfed my cock, sliding her mouth up and down it.

There was no way I was going to learn anything in this class today.