Chapter 4: Right of the first night

Ney Castle was founded in ancient and turbulent times. Its founder, the first Baron Ney, was an associate of Adalrik, the hero who brought here the faith in the Twin Dragons and defeated the demon Bertegisel. Adalric founded the kingdom of Zwillig, and the first Baron Ney built a frontier castle on the most restless border of the new state. For generations, Nei defended the kingdom until, during the reign of Queen Hilda the Conqueror, the borders were pushed far to the southeast. But the harsh simple customs of the borderlands remained for a long time in the castle of Ney. The clan flourished, its wealth and power grew. However, during the Crimson Troubles, most of the members of the family died in civil strife. The last baron was in no hurry to acquire offspring, preferring the society of dryads and fairies to women and even men. Castellian Grimbert often pointed this out to him. But the baron grinned in response and replied that the best age for marriage and procreation is 40 years. When the Baron turned 39, he was arrested and imprisoned for his participation in the Society of the Crystal Tear. This secret society conspired against the king, but fortunately, the evil plans were revealed by the dragonier knight Lyonza Luane. Since the castle now did not have an owner, the king granted Lyonza the baronial title. Formally, as a dragonier, she could not accept such a gift. But even the Chapter turned a blind eye to such things for a long time, especially since the current king was listed in the brotherhood as one of the magisters.

The peasants in the surrounding lands were frightened at first. Many even considered fleeing to the Frontier Marks. Not only will the owner of these lands now be a rootless upstart, and even a demoness with red skin. They say she loves to arrange orgies and bloody sacrifices or to take baths from the blood of virgins in order to maintain eternal youth. But everything turned out to be not so scary. Arriving at the castle, the stranger rode all the possessions on horseback. Then she divided the baronial fields into equal shares and gave them to the peasants. She replaced corvée on the landlord’s field with rent. In addition, she was allowed to freely walk into the forest, previously intended for the master’s hunting. She also did not offend the servants, and no one could complain that she was seducing them. But many young men secretly hoped for it. Perhaps they spread all sorts of dirty rumors about her. Be that as it may, the locals soon got used to the exotic stranger. Lionza liked it here, she was pleased that at least some place in this world she could consider home. These places did not look like the lush tropical Luania, but the beautiful pine forest, the river, the green hills, and on them windmills, all this had a calming effect on her. She rested here in body and soul, forgetting all her troubles. Moreover, after numerous adventures that has fallen to her lot over the past year. So today she rode through the woods, accompanied by the young Sir Bertrand. Lyonza sat on a lovely white mare like a lady, her legs dangling to one side, as if not a knight-maiden, but a well-behaved lady or a marriageable bride. Sir Bertrand rode a little behind him, waving his arms vigorously, talking about hunting, tournaments and other men’s nonsense. Lyonza smiled graciously, but nodded rather out of politeness, lost in thought. She had been thinking for a long time about trying the young knight, but everything was not up to that, she was constantly on the move. When she had a month of relative rest, she could relax a little. The main thing is not to overdo it. Sir Bertrand was tall and strong in body. He wore shoulder-length brown hair. Judging by his pampered appearance, he hardly ever fought in a real battle. The chin is small and limp, but the knight skillfully disguised it with a neat beard with a wedge. The eyes are shiny and blue. Everything would be fine, but there was not even a glimmer of mind in them. In his eyes there was only a burning desire to receive all kinds of benefits and pleasures.

Their horses turned into a small path, the bushes suddenly crackled. Sir Bertrand froze, his eyes burning with excitement.

“Hare!” he said in a hot passionate whisper to Lionza. “I swear by the Twins, this is a fat hare...”

Sir Bertrand drew an arrow. Lyonza hated hunting, she sincerely did not understand why the noble ones were obsessed with the idea of murder, and the creatures were obviously weaker than them. Therefore, she deliberately answered loudly to the knight:

“Dear Bertrand, is it worth wasting arrows? Maybe it’s a hedgehog or a chipmunk”

However, Bertrand only pulled the string tighter.

“I beg you, Milady, be quiet ... Let me present you with a wonderful trophy...”

The bushes stirred in fright and something covered with grass and branches jumped out. Bertrand’s horse whinnied in fright, drew back, Bertrand screamed and let go of the string. An arrow plunged into a tree, a creature from the bushes screeched in fright. It was a peasant girl. She trembled, looking at Lyons in dismay.

“What are you doing here?” Bertrand jumped to his senses. “How dare you follow the mistress?”

Lyonza looked at the girl with interest. If you clean it of grass and debris, it’s pretty cute. A rounded face, full lips, a potato nose, languid eyes with a plow, light brown hair tied in tight thick braids. And what breasts, uh, have not seen such big and juicy breasts for a long time. She pulled on her cotta dress straight.

“Forgive me, your honors...” the girl said, lowering her eyes. Lionza liked this type: the very embodiment of modesty and innocence. And this mole is near the lip. Lucky the one to whom she gives her hand and heart.

Bertrand blushed all over with anger.

“Get out of here!” he shouted.

Lyonza turned to the knight.

“Save your voice, Bertrand. I’ll deal”

And then she turned to the girl, smiling encouragingly:

“Why were you hiding in the bushes, silly?”

“Milady ... I have a business ... in general ... to you”, answered the girl.

“What business can you have with the baroness herself?” Sir Bertrand shouted and, as if apologizing, turned to Lyonzа. “Excuse me, Milady, this is Swana, the shepherd’s daughter, a stupid worthless creature.”

From these words, the girl lowered her eyes even more and blushed. Her gorgeous plump lips quivered as if she were about to cry. “Bertrand!” metal notes sounded in Lyonza’s voice. “I wish to listen to this girl. Please refrain from comments in the future.”

Bertrand bit his tongue, looking at Swana with hatred.

“What’s your business, Svana?” Lyonza asked.

“Excuse me ... this is ... a personal ... a private matter...”

“What other private matter?” shouted Bertrand, but then stopped short, catching Lyonza’s cold gaze.

“Bertrand, please go to the castle. Tell Grimbert you’re staying here tonight; let him give you a decent room.”

Bertrand was about to say something, but looked down at the succubus’s gaze, nodded and drove off. However, slowly, and reluctantly, all the time looking at Lyonza and Swana standing in front of her. When, at last, he disappeared behind the trees, Swana raised her eyes to the mistress and said: “I am ... asking permission for marriage...”

Lyonza raised an eyebrow in surprise. From the very moment she appeared here, she established order that such issues were resolved through the village heads or, in extreme cases, through Grimbert. It was earlier that the barons of Nei gave such permits in person. Now Lyonza has started a more free order. But something in the girl’s voice made her hold her tongue.

“That’s your decision?” asked the baroness. “Are you free in it? Nobody is forcing you to do this?”

Swana shook her head and wiped her tears with her hand. Something she does not finish.

“Who do you want to marry, Swana?”

“For Bert the blacksmith”

“I know him, good guy, kind and honest. Well, congratulations...” Swana nodded, but continued to look at Lyonza with some fear and at the same time hope.

“Something else?”

“Milady ... will demand your right?”

“What right?”

“Well...” Svana flushed with paint to the very ends of her blond hair. “The right of the first night...”

Lyonza was genuinely surprised.

“And what is this?”

Swana was confused, she clearly did not expect that the baroness did not know anything about this.

“This right is ... the owners have always used it ... they used it. Well, except for the last one that was before you...”

“I don’t need anything from you, live happily and calmly,” Lyonza said, feeling for the second time in recent years that she was an incredibly generous person. However, her answer for some reason upset the girl. She was ready to burst into tears, even her shoulders sank in mute despair.

“And when is the wedding?” Lyonza asked, not understanding what was happening.

“So, tomorrow...” the girl answered quietly.

“Happiness to the young!” said Lyonza and started the mare along the path towards the castle. Until she disappeared behind the trees, she literally felt the girl’s gaze on her back, full of mute despair.

“Grimbert”, Lyonza asked, “what is the right of the first night?”

Grimbert blinked red-streaked tired eyes in surprise.

“This is such a custom, since the time of the eighth Baron Ney...”

“And what is its essence?”

Grimbert blushed suddenly, like Swana in a recent conversation on the subject.

“Any commoner who marries in the possession of the baron must pay him a certain tax...”

“What kind of tax?”

Grimbert blushed even more, his face almost the same color as Lyonza’s.

“It is necessary to spend the first wedding night with the lord...”

“That’s it...” Lyonza drawled thoughtfully. She imagined how she caressed Swana’s huge breasts, how she sighs tenderly. The succubus felt her own breasts fill up at the thought of this, her nipples harden, pulling her dress off.

“And often the barons used ... this right?”

“Not every time ... usually it was a symbolic ransom. But it happened and used. Especially ... hmm ... if the bride had certain ... hmm ... dignity. But your predecessor was indifferent to this”

“Yes, I know”, Lyonza chuckled, remembering how she released his huge harem of winged fairies. Still, something remained incomprehensible. Lyonza was a succubus, because, among other things, she could grow a member of any shape. But few people knew about this feature, and even more so Swana. For Swana, she is a woman. Didn’t she understand it?

“Have the baroness ever used the right?” Lyonza Grimbert asked. Castellian sat up, beads of sweat beading on his red forehead, and he began to wipe them off with a handkerchief.

“Yes, Lady Dagomera, 15th Baroness Ney ... often ... hmm ... exercised the right ... while ... hmm ... husband ... Honorable Herulf ... was on campaigns against ... black gnolls.”

Lyonza remembered the portrait of Lady Dagomera that hung in the banquet hall. She was a slender woman with a sharp look, a small narrow face. For a moment, Lyonza imagined Dagomera licking between the legs of another bride, and her lower abdomen ached sweetly.

“And she ... really ... robbed them of their innocence?” Lyonza asked, her voice deeper and raspy.

“Hmm ... well, she seemed to have such a thing made of wood ... covered with leather on top ... you know...”

“Do not continue”, said Lyonza, feeling the knocking in her temples.