Verena was staring at Marianne, waiting to see what she would do next. She had been through enough with her maid to know she wouldn't be angry, but there was still a fear about how she would react. More importantly, she was afraid it would somehow harm Marianne.
Marianne spoke softly, looking into Verena's eyes. "How long has it been like that?"
Verena took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Always."
Marianne put a hand on her cheek, her voice full of worry for her mistress. "Why wouldn't you say anything?"
"I couldn't." Verena shook her head, slowly letting go of her legs as Marianne's touch calmed her. "Do you have any idea what kind of madness this could cause? Think how people would react if they knew the system could fail."
Marianne grimaced. Verena was right. Even in a best-case-scenario, this kind of thing would cause massive unrest across Orellia. She took Verena's hands into her own. "I understand your fear, but there's more going on than that. That's not the kind of fear that causes the reaction I just saw. Be honest with me, Verena, why are you so worried?"
Verena grimaced. Marianne knew her too well. She wouldn't be able to lie to her, even if she wanted. "I'm terrified of what could happen to you." Marianne's eyes immediately softened as Verena continued, "My system is broken, and you just connected yourself to it. What if it spreads to you?"
Marianne reached out, pulling the trembling vampire into a hug. "It would be worth it." Verena stiffened in her arms. "You gave me a home, Verena. You gave my life happiness and meaning that I never thought was possible. I'd give up everything to stand by your side."
Verena started to softly cry. She held on tightly to Marianne as her emotions flooded out. They stayed like that for a long time, Marianne just holding Verena and letting her cry. Eventually, Verena pulled away, looking at Marianne with gratitude. "I don't deserve you, Marianne. You're too good to me."
Marianne scoffed, gently smacking Verena on the head. "Nonsense. You've been through so much pain, my lady. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you." Verena smiled softly, leaning into Marianne's shoulder. Catching the look of exhaustion in her eyes, Marianne gently picked her up and moved towards the bed. "You're exhausted, my lady. Too much excitement, and too much emotion, will wear you out. You need to sleep."
Verena nodded, groggily, as Marianne set her down on the bed. Fortunately, Verena was already in her nightgown, since she had been in bed when the assassin attacked. Once her mistress was settled, Marianne went to change, herself. By the time she got back, Verena was out cold. The maid smiled softly, climbing into bed next to her liege. "Rest well, my lady. You deserve it."
*****
When she woke up in the morning, Verena felt something odd. She started to shift, but one of her arms seemed stuck. She turned her head to look, and immediately let out a quiet squeak. Her face turned bright red as she looked at what was restricting her arm.
It seemed that, at some point in the night, Verena had shifted in bed, and her arm had ended up either on, or near, Marianne. Marianne had, apparently, unconsciously grabbed her arm, pulling it in close. Verena was sure it had been in her sleep, because she knew that Marianne would be just as embarrassed by this as she was.
However, whether or not it was intentional mattered little now. What mattered was that her arm was squished between Marianne's large, incredibly soft breasts, and it felt far too good, for Verena.
Verena panicked as she felt something stirring between her legs, and she desperately tried to free her arm. Unfortunately, Marianne's grip was firm, and her Strength was almost double Verena's. This meant that, try as she might, Verena was unable to escape, and the movement was simply exacerbating the situation by rubbing her arm against Marianne's chest, even more.
When she heard a soft groan from the maid, Verena froze. Her heart was racing, and her face was even more red than she thought possible. Marianne slowly opened her eyes, initially with a look of confusion. As she looked around and realized what was happening, she stiffened, her face turning just as red as her liege's. The two stared at each other for a long moment, completely silent.
Then, Marianne pulled back, releasing Verena's arm as she buried her face in her hands. "Oh, my heavens! My lady, I'm so sorry! I swear, I didn't mean to do that!"
Verena pulled her arm back to herself, desperately trying to calm the beast between her legs. "No. No. It's fine, Marianne. I promise. I don't blame you." Verena quickly scrambled out of bed, and onto her feet, something that would quickly prove to be a mistake.
As Marianne pulled her hands away, she looked at Verena. "Please, my lady, can we just pretend this never... Oh." Marianne trailed off as she noticed the extremely obvious tent in Verena's nightgown. "I... see."
Verena was mortified. She was afraid to look at Marianne's face, dreading what she might see there. However, she couldn't stop herself. She needed to know, even if it hurt. The good news? There was no discomfort or disgust in Marianne's expression. The far more confusing news? Verena could have sworn she saw a flicker of desire in her maid's eyes. "I... I..." Verena bolted for the door, moving even faster than when she'd been fleeing the assassin.
"My lady, wait!" By the time Marianne got the words out, she was already out the door. Rushing after her, Marianne made it out into the hall just in time to see the door to Verena's room slamming shut. Marianne sighed. "Why does everything have to be so complicated...?"
Returning to her own room, Marianne started getting ready for the day. However, despite her best efforts, there was one thought she couldn't get out of her head. Is it really that big, when it's hard?
*****
Over in Verena's room, she was frantically running over what had just happened, in her head. She saw it. Oh, why did she have to see it? But she wasn't repulsed. She was... No, I must have imagined that. I'm just seeing what I want to. At least she doesn't think I'm some kind of pervert.
Verena took several deep breaths, speaking to herself as she tried to calm herself down. "It's fine. Marianne's a professional. And a friend. She's always been understanding." Verena went to start getting dressed. "It was just a natural reaction. She knows that."
Marianne was one of the few people Verena really trusted. As such, she was one of the few people who knew that she was lesbian. "Anyone who's attracted to women would get aroused if they were in that situation." Her mind started to drift back to how it had felt. "Squished up against those big... soft... Gah! Stop that!" Verena slapped herself. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Verena!"
She shook her head to try and clear those thoughts from her mind. "Marianne is amazing, but you can't ruin what you have, like that. Emotions like that make everything so... complicated, and father's right. As wonderful as she is, she'll be gone within a century. While you'll live for almost two millennia, at least."
As much as she tried to tell herself that, she felt her heart clench at the thought of losing Marianne so soon. "I mean... there IS that skill. If she killed enough people with Vitality as their highest stat..." She frowned. "But could I really justify that? She'd need hundreds of Vitality to live that long. If so many people had to die for it, would either of us really be happy?" She shook her head. "No. Marianne left that life for a reason. She hates having to kill so much. Even if she was the one to propose the idea, I know she would regret it, deep down."
Verena pulled on her dress as she kept talking to herself. "You just have to stop thinking about that. Besides, Marianne's a professional. She'd never fall in love with me. It wouldn't be proper." Verena was trying very hard to convince herself, and she was doing a very poor job of it. She kept seeing the look she swore she saw on Marianne's face. That flash of desire. But it felt like there was something more, behind it. Something that seemed much deeper.
She shook her head again, reaching for a hairbrush. "Stop it! You're just seeing things! It's your imagination."
The rest of her time getting ready was spent in much the same manner, trying, unsuccessfully, to get Marianne, and her breasts, out of her head.
When she came out of her room, Marianne was waiting in the hall. When their eyes met, they both blushed again. "Marianne, I..."
Marianne cut her off, shaking her head. "No need to apologize, my lady. It was at least as much my fault, if not more. It's fine."
Verena took a deep breath, nodding. "Yes, of course. Thank you, Marianne."
Marianne smiled, having calmed down. "Of course, my lady. Let's be off. Your father wanted to speak with us as soon as we were ready. It's likely about last night's events."
Verena sighed, "Oh, boy... This is going to be a long conversation."