Marcus woke up in an unfamiliar room.

  In his half asleep state, he briefly wondered what happened and how he got there. But then this blissful moment of ignorance passed and the memories of the previous night hit him with the force of a sledgehammer.

  With calm, deliberate movements, the Vex Queen slowly grabbed his pillow and pressed it hard on his face. A few moments later, a muffled scream could be heard.

  “Fuck me sideways with giant dancing cactus!” He cursed. “What the hell is wrong with me!?! Why in all the hells did I think that it was a good idea to get drunk! Heck, why did I even go to a brothel in the first place!? Just to be stubborn or something!? Am I really that stupid!?”

  He kept mentally cursing for a solid minute, all while screaming into the pillow. Then, as he ran out of oxygen, he threw the pillow away and took a long, deep breath.

  “Alright, I'm better now.” He said to himself. “Now I have to think about what I'm going to do from now on. Hiding inside a hole and never coming out ever again sounds like a good plan.”

  However, just as he finished speaking, his stomach rumbled.

  “Alright, I’ll grab something to eat before I start digging a hole to crawl into.”

  He got up, taking a good look at the room. Now that he was paying attention to it he noticed that it was quite a nice room indeed, rivalling even the one he had at the palace. A detail that stood out was that everything, from the furniture to the bedsheets and the carpets was purple. There were even purple flowers that Marcus didn't recognize in purple pots over a large (purple) cabinet.

  “Nice décor.” He thought idly. “The color matches my chitin. Wonder if that's the reason they gave me this room.”

  After this inspection, he came to the conclusion that there wasn’t anything edible in the room —apart from maybe the flowers, but he craved something a bit more filling— so if he wanted to eat he had to go out. For a moment, he weighed the merits of such a course of action, since getting out meant risking meeting people, but another rumble from his belly convinced him that finding food was the priority.

  He headed for the door and cautiously opened it, peeking outside. If he had seen someone outside, he would have immediately gone back inside, but luckily, there was no one in sight. The door opened on a long, narrow corridor with red carpet and white walls, illuminated by several magical lights dangling from the ceiling, with many doors with brass plates with the room's name written on it, like “Crimson Room” or “Yellow Room”. Looking at the door to his room, Marcus saw that it said “Purple Room”.

  The Vex Queen then ventured outside, trying to find the kitchen or another place where he could get some food. However, five minutes later he was still wandering around, feeling completely lost in the silent, liminal corridors of the Serrai —if he still was there at all, that is.

  “This place is a damn maze!” He thought, rather annoyed. “Who even designed the building this way? There are almost no windows, the stairs do not go all the way from the ground to the upper floor, each floor has a completely different layout and there isn't even a sign to help find the exit! If there was a fire I'm pretty sure that most people would die in here like trapped rats!”

  However, after a while, he finally reached a large double door that had a plaque that read “Garden” on it.

  “Alright, maybe this will lead me outside. At least I'll be able to orient myself from there.”

  He opened the door a bit and slipped through it, finding himself in what looked like a walled garden shaped like an octagon. Luscious flowerbeds and emerald green lawns filled most of the space, interrupted by small artificial streams and crossed by lanes made of colorful tiles. Finally, at the centre of the garden, there was a huge, twisted tree similar to an oak, at least three stories tall and whose branches almost touched the wall, allowing only a small portion of sunlight to reach the ground.

  It was such a lovely place that for the briefest moment Marcus forgot about his problems and just basked in the view and warmth of it, while breathing in the sweet smell of flowers.

  “Isn't it winter right now? How can this garden be so green right now?” He thought, wondering how the place could be so warm and luscious in what was this world's equivalent of January. However his question was soon answered, as when he looked up again he noticed a glass dome partially hidden above the tree branches.

  “Ah, so that's how it is.” He nodded. “This place is more like a greenhouse. Still, kudos to the gardeners for keeping this place so verdant in the middle of winter.”

  Despite his hunger he decided to take a small pause, sitting on the grass and just chilling for a bit. After all, while he was hungry he wasn’t exactly in a hurry, and staying in this place was very relaxing —and he needed to relax almost as much as he needed to eat. So he chose a spot under the tree, laid down and watched the twisted branches and glass dome beyond.

  It was during that inspection that he noticed something else that he had missed before: a humanoid figure perched on one of the branches, directly above him. It was the lizard girl he had seen dancing the previous night, who was just staying completely immobile while she held onto the tree with both her hands and feet. Moreover, unlike the previous night, the flower on her head was completely open.

  “Oh... hi.” Marcus greeted her. “I didn't notice you up there.”

  There was no response, as the lizard girl didn't even seem to register that someone was talking to her.

  “Is everything alright?” The Vex Queen asked, a bit worried by the girl's absolute stillness.

  “She's fine, don't worry.” A new voice chimed in. “She’s just taking in the sun.”

  Taken by surprise, Marcus immediately sprinted back up and turned around, finding himself face to face with Sevre, who was looking at him with a polite smile on her face.

  “I didn’t even hear her approaching.” Marcus thought, but out loud he said: “Oh… uhm… Good morning, Madame Sevre.”

  “Good morning to you sir Marcus.” The half elf bowed slightly. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” He looked at the flower girl above them. “What were you saying about her? Are you sure she’s ok?”

  “I am. Eelaa's species need to spend a few hours each day taking in sunlight and they tend to be rather unresponsive while they do. It’s not really that different from other species’ sleep.”

  “I see.” Marcus nodded.

  A rather long silence followed as the two kept watching the flower girl on the tree. The Vex Queen waited for a few moments for the half elf to break it, but she seemed perfectly content with silence. Marcus, on the other hand, found the lack of noise more and more unbearably awkward, until he finally decided that he had enough.

  “Alright, leaving things as they are is only going to make it worse later. It’s better to rip off the band aid right now and face what’s happened quickly.”

  “Ehm... sorry for how I acted yesterday.” He forced himself to say, trying to ignore his own embarrassment. “I didn't think that the liqueur would make me drunk so fast.”

  “Don't worry.” Sevre smirked. “Making our clients inebriated is one of the purposes of this establishment after all. And besides, you didn't cause any problem, so you have nothing to apologize for.”

  “Thanks.” The Vex Queen nodded, feeling a bit relieved.

  “You're welcome. By the way, may I ask what you're doing here? Are you perhaps lost?”

  “Well... kinda.” Marcus admitted. “I was searching for the common room, or wherever you serve breakfast, but I ended up here instead.”

  “It's quite understandable.” Sevre replied. “The Serrai can be difficult to navigate for those who are not familiar with it.” She gave the Vex Queen a reassuring smile. “If you want I can guide you to the common room. Or you could have breakfast delivered to your room if you prefer.”

  “Honestly, I'd like the second option if possible.” The Vex Queen replied immediately. After the embarrassment of the previous night, he really wanted to stay alone for a while.

  “Very well.” The half elf nodded. “What would you like to eat then?”

  “Anything with raw meat and vegetables is fine. Raw food tastes better for me.”

  “Very well. And what would you like to drink? Some coffee?”

  “No!” Marcus said vehemently. “I mean... I think I've had enough yesterday. Just water is fine.”

  “Alright then.” Sevre nodded again. “I'll have the food brought to your room in a few minutes. Oh, and by the way, we are warming up our pools if you want to have a bath after breakfast.”

  “Your pools?” The Vex Queen asked.

  “Yes. We have some rather large pools here. Some of my girls in the past belonged to aquatic species and they needed that sort of space to do their work, and I decided to keep them because some clients are more than willing to pay extra for pool parties or other such activities. Besides, it’s also nice to have such a large space where we can take a bath and relax.”

  “Ehm... I don't know if I'd be comfortable bathing myself in a pool where other people have... well, had activities, as you put it.” Marcus said hesitantly.

  “Don't worry.” The half elf reassured him. “The pools are thoroughly cleaned everyday.”

  “Very well.” The Vex Queen said. “I guess I could pay a visit to those pools after breakfast, if I feel like it. Just... how do I get there? I wouldn't want to get lost again.”

  “Oh, in your room there should be a cord coming out of the wall near the bed.” Sevre replied. “Just pull it and a maid will come to see to your needs.” She smirked. “I would have told you about it yesterday, but you were a bit too inebriated.”

  “Yeah, I was.” Marcus mumbled, not really willing to dig up that event, especially since all he really wanted was to forget about it. “Anyway, I'll get back to my room now, if it's not a problem.”

  “As you wish, sir Marcus.” The half elf bowed slightly. “Do you need me to guide you there?”

  “Nah, I'll manage on my own.” He replied. “I remember the way back.”

  “Very well. Have a nice day then, sir Marcus.”

  About an hour later, after an abundant breakfast, Marcus entered the Serrai's baths. He had been conflicted about whether or not to visit them but in the end his love for baths had won over his desire to stay hidden in his room and avoid any sort of social interaction until the end of time. Luckily the maid that had accompanied him there, a cat Thulian dressed in a very modest maid uniform, had been very business-like and hadn’t really talked more than the bare minimum required for her job. She had just wordlessly guided Marcus through the corridors of the Serrai and into a changing room, both mercifully deserted, and then she had immediately left, stopping only long enough to hand him a towel and tell him to ring a bell if he needed anything else. After that, the Vex Queen had undressed himself, remaining naked apart from the Crown on his head, and then wrapped the towel around his waist and walked through the doors that led to the pools.

  As soon as he entered the room the Vex Queen was hit by a wave of warm steam, forcing him to blink twice before he could see properly.

  The room itself was huge, almost as big as the common room he had been the previous night, and it was almost completely occupied by two pools, a larger one filled with steaming hot water and one smaller one that looked like it was only lukewarm. The floor was covered in immaculate white tiles, while the walls were filled with mosaics depicting naked people of several races celebrating some festivities. White marble statues of naked men and women were placed in niches in the walls.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Marcus smiled. All in all, this was the most gorgeous bathroom he had ever seen, even better than his own pool in Stonebarrow. The only downside was that there could be people coming anytime, so he had to hurry with his bath before other people could come in.

  Without further ado, he approached the larger pool and tested the water with one of his toes. It almost felt burning hot for a brief moment, but soon enough he got used to it, so he took away his towel, folded it on the floor and stepped in the water. The pool, while large, was also rather shallow, barely coming up to the Vex Queen's chest, and it had a large step along its borders where people could sit while staying submerged. However for now Marcus didn’t feel like sitting. For the first time in his new life he actually had a sizeable pool he could actually swim around in, and he decided to take advantage of that.

  He tried several different swimming styles, testing how they worked with his body. Though he was a bit slower at swimming freestyle, when he tried dolphin crawl he felt like he was actually faster than he was when he was human, mostly because of his tail which he could use to propel himself through the water.

  He kept swimming for a while, enjoying the physical exercise, and when he started feeling tired he sat on the edge of the pool, submerging his whole body except for his head and basking in the warmth of the pool. He stayed like that for quite a few minutes, his head emptied of all thoughts, focused only on the pleasure of feeling the hot water on his skin.

  It was then, when he was at the climax of relaxation, that he heard a familiar voice talking to him.

  “I see you are enjoying yourself, sir Marcus.”

  The Vex Queen jumped in surprise and quickly turned around to see Sevre standing right behind him, covered only by two towels, one around her body and one wrapped around her head.

  “Jesus!” He thought. “How is she so silent?”

  The half elf laughed, as if she had heard his thoughts.

  “Sorry to have startled you again.” She said. “I can be a bit stealthy when I move around. Part of my heritage, I’m afraid. Anyway, is it a problem if I join you? I'd love to chat a bit longer before you leave.”

  “Sure.” Marcus replied. He wasn't exactly dying to be in the company of others right now but he found the half elf tolerable for some reason. “Come on in if you want.”

  “Thank you.” Sevre said before removing the towel around her body, revealing a lithe and perfectly fit physique. She kept the towel around her head, even as she entered the water and sat near the Vex Queen.

  “Aaaah!” She sighed. “Nothing beats a nice, warm bath after breakfast. Wouldn’t you agree, sir Marcus?”

  “Yeah, they are really nice.” Marcus replied. “Besides, these pools are probably the best I've seen in this world so far.”

  “I'm sure there are better ones somewhere around Aos, but I can guarantee you that you can't find one in Medelan.” Sevre said with confidence. “I've paid a small fortune to have them built but they are worth every single coin.”

  “I have to agree with you.” The Vex Queen smirked. “I might want to build some pools in my territory as well, but until then I’d really like to keep visiting these ones.”

  “You're free to come whenever you want, sir Marcus. I’ll even offer you a discount.” The half elf said. “Of course, you could use them for free if you worked for me.”

  “Maybe in another life.” Marcus replied, jokingly. Though after he said it, he realized that perhaps this wasn’t such an impossibility. After all, he had already lived twice, so the odds of a third time weren’t that low. “Anyway, can I ask what you wanted to speak about? I assume it's not just about your baths.”

  “That's correct. I'm actually really curious about your species, and in particular your ability to absorb traits from other creatures. I'd like to ask you a few more questions about it if you don't mind.”

  “Ask away.”

  “Thank you. So, yesterday you said that you can absorb other creatures' traits and then you can choose to pass them down to new drones, is that correct?”

  “Well, essentially yes.”

  “Good.” Sevre nodded. “But I also noticed that you were a bit elusive about the exact mechanics of how this passage happens. Am I right to assume that the drones you pass those traits to are your direct offspring?”

  Despite literally being submerged in hot water, Marcus immediately felt like he was under a cold shower at that moment.

  “What!?!” He cried, visibly panicking. “Why... when... how do you know that!?!”

  “Oh, it was just an educated guess.” The half elf replied calmly. “Yesterday you explained that you absorb the traits of the creatures you consume, so logically in order to pass on those traits you have to be physically involved in the production of these drones somehow —unless the passage happens by magical means of course, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Besides, you literally call yourself the queen of your species, and in many insectoid eusocial species the queens are the ones who are in charge of reproduction.”

  Marcus remained silent, shocked by Sevre’s deduction. When she put it like that, he realized that guessing how he made his drones wasn’t actually that difficult.

  “Oh my god.” He thought. “If Sevre guessed it, then how many others did? Does that mean that there are a lot of people that know that I... produce drones myself?”

  His distress must have been evident, because all of a sudden Sevre looked concerned.

  “I'm sorry if my question has upset you.” She said gently, trying to calm him down. “We can pretend that I never asked that, if you want.”

  Marcus was indeed very upset, but since it wasn’t technically Sevre’s fault he tried to get a hold of himself.

  “It's alright.” Marcus forced himself to say. “This is just something I don't really like thinking about, that’s all.” He attempted to smile. “I guess that being a guy in my previous life made laying eggs feel especially weird to me.”

  “You were a man in your past life?” Sevre asked, her eyes widening a bit.

  The Vex Queen nodded.

  “Now that explains a lot.” She continued. “I had a feeling that there was something amiss about you, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it until now.”

  “Can I ask what was amiss?”

  "It’s kind of hard to explain, but essentially you didn’t give off a very feminine feeling, despite the way you look.” The half elf replied. “The way you talk, move and interact with others is indeed quite masculine.”

  “I see.” Marcus nodded. “Thank you.”

  “It wasn’t exactly a compliment, sir Marcus.”

  “It feels like one to me.” Marcus made a sad smirk, gesturing towards his body. “It’s refreshing to hear someone describe me as masculine, considering my current appearance and the fact that I do… ehm… produce the drones myself.” He grimaced. “By the way, can I ask you to keep this last bit for yourself please? I don't really like the idea of it becoming widespread knowledge.”

  “Don't worry, I won’t tell a soul. I highly value my customer's confidentiality.” She reassured him. “As far as I'm concerned, what we just talked about is covered under professional secrecy.”

  “Thank you.” The Vex Queen said, feeling a bit relieved.

  “Now, moving on to other matters...” The half elf continued, as her attitude turned from serious to playful. “I must say that it was quite rude of you to not say anything about having been a male before. I mean, I came here expecting to bathe with another girl, but instead I've been showing my naked body to a man.” She made a mischievous smile. “Or is that your way to sneak a peek of a maiden's body?”

  Marcus recognized this as an attempt to joke to lighten the mood and decided to play along.

  “Why? Would it have made a difference for you, Madame?” He asked with a sardonic smirk.

  “Hardly.” Sevre laughed. “But another woman of less ill repute might have taken offense.”

  “Thought so.” The Vex Queen shrugged. “But seriously though, I didn't have any ulterior motive at all, I just forgot to tell you. Besides, I'm not really interested in you in that way.”

  “Now that is something I might take offense to!” The half elf said, making a point of pouting.

  “Oh, don't take it personally. It's just that just seeing a naked woman doesn't really do much for me anymore, probably because I've seen myself naked a lot of times.”

  “That would be quite understandable.” Sevre conceded. Then, with a mischievous expression on her face, she asked teasingly: “I wonder how you would react if Alya was bathing here with us though.”

  That thought immediately made Marcus's cheek blush.

  “Ehm, well, that's complicated.” He said. “I must admit that she does have a certain effect on me that other women don't, though I don't know why.”

  “Maybe you just find strong people attractive.” The half elf suggested. “That would explain why you flirted with captain Yasen as much as you did with her, if not more.”

  Marcus had to resort to all of his self control to not immediately scream out his denial. Or drown himself in the water. Or possibly both options at the same time. However, just as he was about to come out with an excuse to change the topic, he caught a glimpse of Sevre's face. The half elf's expression and body language almost literally radiated understanding and some sort of polite, subtle empathy that somehow felt extremely calming to the Vex Queen, and he got the strong impression that he could talk with her without being judged, no matter what he said.

  “That's... even more complicated.” He said in the end, trying —and probably failing— to sound as calm as possible.

  “Oh, is that because you were a man too in your past life?” Sevre asked.

  “Yeah.” The Vex Queen whispered. “It's just... well, I still see myself as the man I once was for the most part. Which doesn't really fit with what I... what I feel when I'm around the captain.”

  This last admission came out of his lips before he even realized it, much to his surprise. It was even more unexpected that he was able to talk about it with Sevre, who was almost a complete stranger, but for some reason there was something about the woman that put him at ease.

  “Guess that I might feel a bit less personally involved when talking with a stranger.” Marcus thought. “Also, given her job, she is probably used to listening to embarrassing confessions like this one.”

  Whatever the reason, he felt a bit relieved, as if a burden had been lifted from his chest. Keeping all of his thoughts and fears bottled inside of him was starting to get tiring, and actually talking about it with someone else felt really liberating.

  “I see.” The half elf nodded. “Well, that’s quite understandable. You weren’t interested in other men in your previous life as a human, but now you find captain Yasen attractive. Am I right?”

  “Pretty much.” Marcus admitted, looking away in embarrassment.

  “Hm.” Sevre’s expression became pensive. “Have you given any thought to the fact that maybe this shift in your sexual interests might have something to do with your current body? Different species often have different mating instincts, after all.”

  “Yes, I think so too.” The Vex Queen nodded. “But that doesn’t make it any less weird for me.”

  “Try giving it some time. Maybe you’ll find a way to control your instincts, or at least get used to them.” The half elf replied encouragingly.

  “I hope so.” Marcus replied in a dejected tone. “But it’s been almost a year already, and it still feels weird.”

  “Some things take longer than others to get used to.” Sevre commented. “Just try not to worry too much about it.” She paused and added in a lighter tone: “A word of warning though: should you decide to pursue a romantic relationship with either Yasen or Alya, or both, be warned neither of them is really a suitable choice if you want a serious relationship. Aura Masters like them are often too absorbed with their own duties to make for good long term partners.”

  “Eh, you don't have to worry about that. I never had any intention of starting anything serious any time soon.” The Vex Queen replied. “As you said, I need more time to get used to this body of mine before I start thinking about relationships anyway.” He paused for a moment, and since he was feeling quite mentally exhausted, he asked: “Anyway, do you mind if we change the topic? I’m getting a bit tired of talking about this sort of stuff.”

  “Understandable.” The half elf nodded. “In that case, I’d like to ask a couple more questions about your abilities. Would this be acceptable for you?”

  “Sure. Ask away.” Marcus replied.

  “You said that you can absorb traits from other creatures by eating their body parts, and I was curious about which parts in particular you need for that. Does it have to be their flesh or could it be just any part, including hair, nails and bodily fluids?”

  “Well, usually I prefer to eat meat because it tastes better, but stuff like hair or blood is fine if I just want to acquire their traits.”

  “That's good to know.” Sevre said with a wry smile on her lips. “Because in this case, I might have a business proposition for you. Would you be interested in acquiring samples from the girls of the Serrai?”

  “Well, if I'm being honest, yes, I am.” Marcus said honestly. “Would they be alright with giving me these samples though?”

  “Oh, of course.” The half elf confirmed with a smile. “After all, selling our bodies is quite literally our job, so I see no problem with selling pieces of it.”

  “In this case, I'll be more than happy to buy these samples from you... if the price is reasonable, that is.”

  “Don't worry, I'm going to apply the standard fare for Serrai services.” Sevre replied. “Ten Royals in total, with the price of today's breakfast and bath included.”

  “Very good.” Marcus accepted immediately. He had no idea if the price was high or not for those samples, but he could easily afford it. “Just one question: am I going to get some samples from you as well?”

  “Ah, so you want a piece of me too?” Sevre smirked. “You wouldn't be the first. Anyway, it's perfectly fine. Do you have any preference about what kind of sample you’d like?”

  “Well, a strand of hair would be perfectly fine.” The Vex Queen said.

  The half elf stared at him for a moment, and then laughed.

  “Now that would be quite difficult!” She laughed.

  “Why so?”

  “Well...” She smirked, and then removed the towel wrapped around her head.

  Underneath, she was completely hairless. Not only she was bald, but she also lacked eyebrows and —Marcus noticed after taking a better look— even eyelashes. Moreover, he could now see that the shape of her head was quite distinctly nonhuman as well, with her frontal lobe being very pronounced and her ears looking like they came out directly from her skull.

  “What?” Marcus mumbled, taken by surprise.

  “Elves and half elves do not naturally grow body hair.” Sevre explained. “I use a wig when I am in public, but prefer to take it out when I bathe.”

  “Oh, I see... sorry for asking you that then.” The Vex Queen apologized.

  “Nothing to be sorry about. You didn't know, after all.” She smiled. “Besides, it has never really been a problem for me. I've always found body hair to be rather unhygienic. Besides, changing wigs is much more convenient than changing hairstyles. In any case, since you can't have a hair sample, is there anything else that would suit your needs?”

  “Well... blood would work, but saliva would be fine as well I think.”

  “Then, since I'm not a fan of bloodletting, I guess that my saliva is what you’ll get.” Sevre said. Then she made a mischievous smile and asked: “By the way, how should I give it to you? Do you want to have some of it in a bottle or would you prefer to get it through a kiss?”

  She licked her lips seductively to underline the last point, but Marcus shook his head in response.

  “Sorry, but as I told you I need some more time to clear my head before engaging in that sort of activity, so I'd rather have it in a bottle if it's the same.”

  “Eh, you're no fun.” Sevre scoffed. “But you're the customer, so I'll do as you wish. I'm going to give you my saliva together with the samples from the other girls. Is that acceptable?”

  “It's perfect, thank you.”

  “Very well. Then I'd better get started.” The half elf stood up, getting out of the pool. “I'll collect the samples while you finish washing yourself. They should be ready in about an hour. Alternatively, if you don't want to wait that long, I could have them delivered to you at the palace later today or tomorrow.”

  “Don't worry, I can wait one hour.” Marcus said. “I think I'll just enjoy the baths a bit more.”

  “Suit yourself.” Sevre replied. “I'll call you when the samples are ready.”

  She then wrapped a towel around her body and walked out of the baths, leaving the Vex Queen alone.

  As he had said, Marcus remained in the pool. Instead of swimming though, he instead let himself float freely in the water, immersing himself in his thoughts.

  After talking with Sevre he felt considerably better, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulder, but at the same time it had been quite tiring and he felt the need to take a pause now. Moreover, he still had another trial looming on the horizon, one he dreaded with every fiber of his being: getting on a carriage together with Yasen to get back to the palace.

  “What Sevre said is right. It's useless to worry about it.” He told himself. “But that's easier said than done. I can't really control how I feel... and I'm definitely going to feel incredibly awkward being with Yasen after last night's shenanigans.” He sighed. “Well, for now let's try to enjoy this bath. Hopefully it'll calm me down enough to endure what’s to come.”