This chapter contains smut
I will separate the smut scenes with "xxx" if you wish to skip
~~~
Lucy swallowed thickly, uncomfortable with all the attention she was currently getting. She and Happy had ventured to the library, Natsu had agreed to let her roam the castle as long as either he or Happy were with her. She loved spending time with Natsu, but she preferred to be with Happy since she didn't have to put on as much of a "servant" act when it was just them.
She'd been skimming through the endless halls of the library when she noticed she had an audience. This was the first time in the 3 months she had been here that she'd gone this far from the chambers without Natsu, in fact, Natsu wasn't at the castle at all today, for he was overseeing some legal business in the town next over.
At first a couple of servants had been observing her, and then the next thing she knew, half of the royal staff was there, peering through the large double doors and not being discrete at all.
Happy didn't seem to mind, but Lucy was starting to get irritated, overhearing some of them whisper things such as, "look at her, I bet she's pregnant," "what is she doing out here? She should be preparing for when the king returns," and "why did he pick her? I would've been a much better concubine!"
To relax, she headed into a room that seemed to be a seating area. There were tables and chaises and some fruits, but she had no appetite. She sat at the grand piano that was in the corner of the room and idly began to play.
Lucy always had musical talent, it was one of the few hobbies she could indulge in back home. She played a jazzy tune and began humming old lyrics, tensing when she realized all the people watching had entered the seating room to hear her properly.
Soon enough, they were asking her what other songs she could play or sing, requests being repeatedly thrown at her. She was glad the tension was gone, but she'd really just wanted to read and be alone with Happy, not put on a concert.
Lucy cracked her knuckles, her poor fingers exhausted from the constant playing. There was a loud commotion in the room, everyone arguing on which song she should play next, but two claps sounded, and the entire room fell silent.
Lucy raised a brow in confusion, wondering why everyone became so still. She turned to Happy, but his attention was elsewhere…
"Back to your posts. And servants, back to work. Now."
Everyone scurried out of the room at Mard Geer's command. Lucy's hands began shaking, all of the Demon Gates were here. She assumed they noticed the missing servants and guards and began investigating where they went, leading them here.
"Who gave you permission to be here?" The blonde shrunk back at Mard Geer's voice, suddenly feeling out of place.
"I did." Her eyes flitted over to Happy, impressed to see him standing so bravely. This is the first time she'd ever witnessed him speaking to the Demon Gates.
"What business do you have here."
"She wanted to pick out some new books to read."
Tempester narrowed his eyes at the exceed, and then at Lucy.
"You can read? What kind of concubine-"
His sentence was cut short when Mard Geer raised a hand, silencing him.
"What business do you have touching the instruments, concubine?"
Lucy looked down at the piano, balling her hands into fists to try and stop them from shaking. She hadn't realized how long she'd been sitting there, looking down, until she flinched upon feeling something touch her side.
Kyouka had reached out to grab her wrist, surprised by Lucy's violent flinch. The women had a stare down, and Kyouka grabbed Lucy's leash, yanking her to stand up.
"Answer the question, concubine." She demanded, and Lucy tried to turn to Happy for help, but was smacked across the face.
"Answer."
"Hey! Don't hit her like that!" Lucy heard Happy's outcry, but stood still in complete and utter disbelief. Is this how servants are usually treated?
Kyouka became irritated with Lucy's silence, raising her hand to deliver another smack, but found her wrist had been caught.
Happy gasped loudly when he saw that Lucy had caught Kyouka's arm, stopping her from striking. No servant had ever done something like that. Kyouka stood in shock for a moment before her face broke out into a deep scowl.
"You… how dare you… do you know your place here?"
"Do you know yours?"
The Gates were all taken aback by Lucy's comment. This was not something they'd ever seen before. No one dared to talk back to one of them, especially not Kyouka, the woman who ran the torture dungeon.
Kyouka snatched her hand out of Lucy's grasp, glaring at her. Before she could say anything, though, the sound of the large doors opening alerted everyone in the room.
"What… what's going on here?"
The Nine Gates all stood at attention at the sight of their king, Kyouka releasing Lucy to follow.
Natsu didn't need to ask any other questions to pick up on what had been happening. His eyes widened when he saw the angry red mark on Lucy's cheek, choosing not to meet her eyes because he knew if he saw her expression he'd lose it.
"Natsu! We were trying to pick out books, and then the staff came in, and then Lucy started playing, and then-"
Natsu silenced his blue exceed, giving each Demon Gate a look, all of them understanding his silent order to meet him in the discussion room.
Once each demon had left the room, Lucy dropped her head in her hands, taking in large gulps of breath to steady herself.
She relaxed when Natsu removed her hands, examining the mark on the left side of her face.
"I was… I wasn't trying to, but I almost hit her back… what would've happened had I done that?"
Natsu stared down at her, and his eyes looked darker than Lucy had ever seen them. He shook his head, not wanting to even think of the answer to that question.
He grabbed her leash, silently ordering her to follow him as he went to the discussion room, Happy trailing behind.
The doors slammed open, and each Gate kept their gaze down at the table in front of them.
"What drove you to strike my concubine?"
Kyouka flinched when she noticed her king's close proximity, not even realizing he'd walked over to her.
"Insubordination, my lord." She answered in the strongest voice she could.
"Proceed."
"She was using the piano without permission. She ended up distracting more than half of the castle staff. The library was filled with guards and servants before we arrived."
"And so you smacked her?"
"No, my lord, once the staff were ordered to go back to work, we questioned her reasoning behind being in the music room. She refused to answer any questions."
Natsu glanced around the room, and one by one, each Gate confirmed Kyouka was telling the truth. When he got to Silver, the man hesitated a bit.
"That is what happened, but to be fair, I think the girl was just afraid. She was shaking, and honestly, if I were a servant and 9 of the castle's royal court were surrounding me, I'd be pretty scared too."
The room fell silent, each demon looking at each other, until Torafuzar spoke up.
"She didn't seem all that 'afraid' when she started talking back. And she even grabbed Kyouka's arm…"
The Gates proceeded to agree, describing in exaggerated detail about what Lucy had done.
"She seemed pretty violent, if you ask me. A servant should know better than to do something like that."
Natsu huffed, narrowing his eyes at every Gate at the table. They all got the hint, silencing their voices, and awaited Natsu's next words.
"Did my concubine do this before or after she was hit?"
"...after."
Natsu's eyes lingered on Kyouka, the woman shivering in fear. Suddenly, Mard Geer stood up from his seat and cleared his throat.
"Kyouka was simply following protocol. Servants are to speak when spoken to, the concubine did not, regardless of why. She struck her as a form of a warning, and the concubine snapped back, something servants are not to do. Had you not have returned when you did, the concubine would've been sent to the dungeon, as any other servant would."
"My concubine isn't 'any other servant.' She is mine, and no one touches what's mine without my permission." Natsu turned swiftly, grasping Kyouka's throat and crushing it in one swift motion. Her limp body fell to the ground, and Natsu simply wiped her black-coloured blood off of his hand with the handkerchief that was in the pocket of his suit jacket.
"Let this be a warning. Anyone who touches what's mine will not receive as much mercy. If my concubine acts out, you are to report to me and I will carry out her punishment myself. You are dismissed."
The Demon Gates filed out of the room, none of them daring enough to say anything else. A servant scurried in, quickly getting started on cleaning up the mess that had been made.
Lucy was frozen in place, her eyes not believing what she'd just witnessed. She didn't have time to think before Natsu grasped her leash and guided her to his chambers.
Once he shut the door, Natsu immediately fled to the washroom, leaving Lucy and Happy standing in the middle of the room by themselves. Happy detached the leash from Lucy's neck and sighed.
"I'm sorry I couldn't defend you, Lushi… the Gates don't really respect me, even though my rank is like, wayyy higher than theirs."
Lucy smiled, petting his head softly. "Don't worry about it. Thanks for sticking up for me when you did, though."
Happy's eyes drifted to the washroom door, and he sighed loudly.
"Natsu's really mad. I usually leave him alone after he has to deal with something like this, but maybe you can help him?"
Lucy looked back at the door, and then to Happy, smiling softly as she nodded her head. The exceed left the room, leaving Lucy to approach the washroom door herself.
"Natsu?"
She shrieked when the door swung open, Natsu storming past her and onto the bed. She followed him, sitting next to him on the mattress.
"I just had to deal with a bunch of smugglers importing illegal goods from outside the kingdom, which took all fucking day, and I come back to this." He grumbled, and the blonde lowered her head in defeat.
"I'm sorry. I had no idea I wasn't allowed to touch the instruments, and I only did it because the staff kept watching me while I was trying to read. And like I said, I wasn't trying to act that way towards Kyouka, it was just a reflex. Where I'm from, people know better than to put their hands on me."
She glanced over at Natsu, weary of the dark expression he still wore. Her arms folded around her middle, and she looked away as she continued.
"I… I didn't think you would… um… kill her like that."
"Demons are completely expendable. She'll regenerate in a day, maybe two at most."
Lucy nodded, still a bit nervous. She squealed when Natsu wrapped his hand around her neck, yanking her to lay back on the bed.
"Natsu?"
He ignored her, walking over to retrieve her leash and then to one of his dressers to pull out a riding crop. Lucy's eyes widened, anticipating what he was planning to do.
xxx-
"You were insubordinate, pet. You are to be punished." Lucy gulped as he attached the leash onto her and sat down, yanking her until she laid across his lap. He flipped up the skirt of her short dress, revealing her black lacy thong.
"M-master! Please forgive me...I didn't know- Ahhhn~" She wasted no time getting into character, crying out when Natsu whipped her ass.
He removed his scarf and used it to tie her wrists behind her back. As he looked down at her, the blonde a whimpering and flushed mess, his anger turned into something else.
Lucy yelped as Natsu continued to whip her, not showing and mercy. She attempted to rub her thighs together to ease the ache in her core, but it was difficult in her current position.
"Yellow."
Natsu stopped his movements upon hearing Lucy use their safe word, "yellow" meaning to slow down or take a time out. He looked down at her redded ass, golden blood dripping from where he broke skin.
He remained silent as he gently rubbed at her abused skin, allowing her to catch her bearings. He set her down on the bed before standing to return the riding crop to the dresser and retrieve something else.
The king glanced over at his pet, choosing to lay against the headboard of the bed when she seemed ready.
"Come."
Lucy struggled to scoot over to him, using only her knees as her hands were tied behind her back. Once she was close enough, Natsu yanked her leash, pulling her on top of him.
He unzipped the back of her dress and pulled it down and off of her. He admired her bare breasts for a moment as he slipped her panties to the side, strapping a device onto them.
The blonde's eyes widened when she felt the vibrator against her clit, looking over to see her master holding its remote in his hand. He reached beneath her to unbuckle his belt and lower his pants and boxers until his cock sprung up.
"Suck, pet."
Lucy eagerly scooted down so she was face to face with his member, flicking her tongue out to lightly stroke the base. She sucked on the tip before engulfing as much of him as she could into her mouth. She'd gagged herself several times as it was hard for her to keep her balance with her hands tied up.
She massaged the underside of his cock with her tongue, sucking and swirling on the tip before taking him all the way in again.
"Good girl. You deserve a treat…"
Lucy sucked hard, raising long enough to moan "please, Master!" before taking him in again.
Natsu turned the vibrator on to the highest setting, groaning when Lucy moaned around his cock. He threaded one hand through her hair, brushing the strands softly before gripping it and roughly forcing her down on him.
"Swallow every last drop." He whispered as he came down her throat, growling when she met his eyes with her own.
Lucy struggled to catch her breath when Natsu finally released her, rocking her hips as the vibrator was still on. Natsu undid her restraints and began taking off his suit jacket and dress shirt, and once his top was bare, Lucy couldn't hold it anymore.
The blonde pounced, sitting on his torso. She shifted so her soaking core was nearly on his face, wiggling in desperation.
"M-master… please...fuck me…"
Natsu looked at her with wide eyes, surprised with her boldness. He chuckled darkly as he lowered the vibrator setting and shifted to stand, leaving his pet a whimpering heap of horny on the bed.
He wrapped her in his suit jacket and grabbed the leash, yanking her so she stood. Her legs wobbled, but she powered through as she followed him out of the room. Her face was incredibly flushed, they'd never done anything like this outside of the chambers. She clung to the jacket around her tightly, not feeling comfortable with exposing herself to the castle staff.
Natsu led her to the library, through the endless shelves and into the room she'd been in when he came home this evening. She looked around curiously, wondering if this room had as good of sound proofing as Natsu's.
"Play for me."
Lucy raised a brow in confusion, realization hitting her once she saw he was gazing at the piano. She sat down on the stool, and gasped loudly when Natsu turned the vibrator on to the highest setting.
"That's...so mean… Matser…"
"Play."
She straightened in her seat and steadied her hands, deciding to play an obscure, lively tune that wouldn't be obvious if she were to mess up. She grinded against the seat as she tried to focus on the ivory keys, making a mental note to get back at him for this.
Natsu took mercy on her and lowered the setting as far as he could, surprised with her ability to still play very well. The tune she was playing was oddly familiar, and he found himself humming lyrics, though he couldn't remember any words.
He jerked up when he realized her playing had stopped, and he growled at her for stopping without permission. The look on her face stopped him from voicing his disapproval, though, and he found himself flushing red once he realized why she stopped.
"D-do you know... the song I- mmh- was just playing?"
"Uh… kinda? It's familiar but I'm not sure why. I probably heard it when I was younger."
"My a-aunt taught me that song… I could t-teach you the lyrics…if you stop torturing me…"
Natsu turned off the vibrator and helped Lucy to stand so he could remove it as well. He stuffed it in his pocket, and then flopped down on the piano stool, bringing Lucy down with him. She shimmied around in his lap, gasping when he reached into her soaked thong.
He rubbed along her core for a moment before inserting two fingers, loving the way she writhed in his hold. She rocked into his hand and moaned when he began sucking on her pulse. It didn't take long for her to come undone, and once she had recovered from her orgasm, she relaxed in the comforting feeling of being in Natsu's arms.
-xxx
"Go to the entrance room, I left you something there. Just ask one of the servants there, they'll know what you're talkin about. Meet me in my room when ya got it, but don't open the package yet."
Lucy raised a brow, groaning when Natsu released her and stood them up. He grinned at her when she mumbled "what about the song?" saying they'd get to that another time. She didn't have a chance to complain about her state of dress before he was already out of the library.
She huffed, being sure to button the jacket all the way up since it was the only thing covering her. She tiptoed out of the library, overwhelmed by the size of the halls before her. This was her first time walking around on her own, and she just hoped she didn't get lost.
As Lucy made her way to the entrance room, the staff were all glancing at her and making comments, choosing not to hide or sugarcoat anything since she was alone.
"Look at that bimbo… I bet she thinks she owns the place just because she's gotten into Lord END'S pants."
"Yeah, she's trying to sleep her way to fame, such a whore."
"With a stutty look like that, I bet she sleeps around with the guards behind the king's back!"
"I hope she knows that Lord END sees her as another worthless soul like the rest of us. She isn't special."
Lucy only snickered, choosing not to let their childish jealousy get to her. When she'd finally reached her destination, she looked around for Natsu's surprise package on her own, sighing in defeat when she couldn't find it.
"Hello. Lord END sent me here to retrieve a package. Do you know where it is?"
The servant turned to look at Lucy, her face contorting in disgust once she caught sight of her.
"What business do you have here, concubine?"
"Um… I'm here to retrieve a package for the king…"
"The king's mail is delivered to him privately."
"No, he sent me specifically to pick something up. He said you'd know what I was referring to once I got here."
The servant sighed dramatically, crossing her arms over her chest.
"And how do I know you're not here to snoop around? You could be trying to steal something valuable, just like I'm sure you took the king's suit jacket now."
"My Master lent me this jacket to wear. I did not steal anything, nor do I intend to. I'm just here fulfilling his request, I can go get him to confirm, if that's what you'd like."
Lucy had a stare down with the servant. She was beyond annoyed, all she wanted was to get the stupid package and go, why was this lady making things so difficult?
"Listen blondie, you are not special. We cook the king's meals, tailor his suits, and keep things in top shape here at the castle. You're just a sex toy for him and nothing more. Don't think you're above us just because you let him use you like that. And I bet you're not even pregnant yet, some 'concubine' you are."
Lucy's eyebrow twitched and she took in a deep breath to control herself. Where did this lady get all of this animosity from? Sure, it'd be annoying to witness a servant getting special treatment, but Lucy had never even spoken to her before!
"I know my place in this castle. All I want is to do as my king has asked me to."
"And another thing, once the king gets another concubine, you'll be thrown to the side, trust me. You won't be lounging around in his room all day, and your main role will be caring for Lord END's children, that is if you ever manage to conceive."
"I understand that, now please, could you-"
"And you're not even that pretty! I bet the king will get tired of you soon enough, and-"
"JUST GIVE ME THE FUCKING PACKAGE!"
the room went silent, the servants and guards observing their conversation from afar all taken aback.
The servant stared at Lucy's irritated expression in shock, huffing once before turning over, reaching into a booth, and pulling out a box. She handed it to Lucy, not uttering another word as she walked away.
Lucy exhaled loudly, embarrassed that she'd lost her cool for a moment but glad she could finally go back to the room. She power-walked down the halls and kept her head down in hopes of avoiding any more altercations.
The door slammed loudly behind her, Lucy blindly tossing the box to where Natsu laid on the bed before running a hand through her hair.
"What's wrong?"
"Why are your servants so damn bitchy?"
Natsu stared at her for a moment before motioning her to join him on the bed. Once she sat, he wrapped an arm around her and laid them down, Lucy immediately snuggling into his side.
"What'd they do?"
"Well, on my way to get to the entrance, they kept talking about me, as if I'm some stuck up whore… and then the servant at the entrance decided to degrade me for like 5 minutes instead of just giving me the stupid box… I may have accidentally yelled at her, but I don't regret it."
Natsu chuckled as he inhaled her scent. "Yea, they can be pretty hard to like. I'm not sure why, but they've always been like that, Zeref must've done something. Or maybe they're just mad that you're my favorite after just 3 months, while they've been here for centuries. I'd get along with them if they had interesting personalities, though, so it's not like I'm tryin' to be mean ."
He raised a brow at Lucy's giggles, the blonde idly running her hand along his bare chest.
"I'm your favorite~"
Natsu rolled his eyes, mumbling an "obviously," as he began opening the box. Lucy laid on her stomach and rested her head on her arms, content with just laying here for the rest of the evening.
"Here. I got you a phone."
"A phone!?"
She perked up and nearly snatched the device out of his hands, examining and recognizing it as the newest model.
"Yay, now I can message cute boys on social media!"
Lucy laughed loudly at Natsu's growl, poking his cheek teasingly.
"I'm kidding, I know concubines aren't allowed to do that sort of thing, but thank you, really! Now I can call you when you're away!"
Natsu grinned at the thought of being able to talk to Lucy whenever he was out dealing with boring business work. He'd have to keep a low profile, since servants aren't meant to have such devices or communications with their king, but it'd make some days so much more bearable.
He looked into the box, pulling out a second item.
"I also got ya this…"
"...A necklace? It's beautiful, Natsu! Thank you!"
She picked up the ruby necklace from his hands, examining it in the light. It was short, Lucy noted it'd probably sit above her collar bone, and the gem was cut in a teardrop style. She beamed at Natsu, raising a brow when she noticed he was nervous.
"Um, well, I was hoping you'd wear it along with your dress at this ball in a few weeks…"
"A ball?"
"Yea, my dragon brother's birthday. It'll be my first time going in decades, and… I'd like you to come with me."
"Am I even allowed to do that sort of thing?"
"Of course, I could bring anyone I wanted for any reason… you won't even need to wear a leash. Happy'll be there too."
Lucy smiled at him, finding his eagerness and slightly nervous demeanor adorable. She rested a hand above his, stroking it gently to ease his tension.
"Of course, I'd be crazy to say no to that. I never really liked balls, but it'd rather be with you than stuck in this castle on my own."
"You've never liked balls?"
"Nope. Every ball I ever had was set up by my father in hopes of finding me a suitor. It was miserable, and he'd watch my every move. I'm excited to go to a ball as just a guest and not the center of attention for once!"
Natsu grinned widely, flashing Lucy her favorite expression to see on him. He pulled her into his side in a hug.
"I'm fired up now! I can't wait for you to meet my folks!"
"Eh? Taking me to meet your family already? You haven't even taken me out to dinner yet!"
"Oi, at least I'm taking ya. With an ego like that, I couldn't take you anywhere."
The two stared at each other before bursting into laughter, and Natsu laid down on his stomach as Lucy placed her new phone and necklace on the nightstand.
"Very funny, Etherious."
The blonde snickered at the sound of Natsu's growl, grinning cheekily when she saw his disgusted expression.
"Never call me that. Ew."
"Wait, so it is your name? I saw it on the label of the mural of you in the entrance room, and I assumed it was your name since 'END' sounded like an acronym."
"It's the name Zeref gave me, that bastard. No one's called me that in ages, I hate it."
"Well, I guess I'll be the only one then!"
"Call me that and I'll body slam you, on sight."
"You wouldn't dare, Etherious."
Natsu sat up abruptly, eyeing Lucy dangerously before giving up and laying back down. The blonde crawled over to him and ran her hand down his back, only just now noticing that he was in just his dragon-pattern boxers.
"Aw, are you tired already?"
"Yea, actually. I had a long day."
She clicked her tongue in disapproval, adding more force to the hand that was on his back. She shifted so that she straddled his back, now using both hands.
"Relax…" she whispered as she massaged him, smiling at the satisfied groans he let out.
"You're...surprisingly good at that…"
"Mmhm… I was very close with the staff of my castle. I liked to give them massages after a rough day, it was the least I could do. My head maiden, Virgo, taught me how."
Natsu hummed in response, his eyes falling closed and his entire body relaxing. Lucy paused to remove his jacket from around her body, and then leaned down into him as she continued her work.
"If you fall asleep now, you'll wake up before sunrise. Your whole sleep schedule will be off…"
"S'fine. You should sleep too, we'll have messed up schedules together…"
She gave an airy giggle, liking the idea of getting some rest, even though it was only 19:25. Natsu turned his head to the side to look at her, and she couldn't help but find his relaxed expression irresistible. Without realizing it, she lowered her face to his, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss.
Natsu returned the kiss with equal softness, both of them adding their tongues but the kiss never rising in intensity. This was… different. They'd never kissed outside of intimacy, and usually any soft kiss lead to rough, passionate ones, so when this one ended with Lucy sliding off of Natsu's back and into his arms, the two felt themselves crossing a line they hadn't planned to.
They both felt a warm, content feeling swell in their chests, and although they had the lingering feeling that it was wrong, the moment felt like the most perfect one they'd had together yet.