Princess Hannah of the Jade Harem CH 43

The tension in the harem chambers was oppressive, and Rajeen demanded to know how harem girls could be missing. The woman explained that some girls hadn't returned from their tasks in the cities. Arachnia, the woman appointed to oversee intelligence gathering, sent others to discover why they were delayed. These secondary women returned to report there was no trace of the first group. They had evidence the groups had been there and, by all accounts, returned but had not come to the harem. Somehow, they had vanished in Paradise City, and thus far, all efforts to locate them had failed.

“I fear something terrible has happened to them,” the woman insisted.

“Nonsense,” Rajeen countered and willed her interface open. “I can feel the presence of all my girls. I would know if they were in danger or being harmed.”

Hannah and Frank leaned over to see the display as Rajeen brought up the list of her harem girls. It was an extensive list showing details, including location, distance, and current status.

“So what are you looking for?” Hannah asked as the woman tapped a few buttons.

“Where my girls have wandered off to,” Rajeen replied, then froze in utter shock.

Hannah looked to the screen to see a dozen names were red with the words deceased written beside them.

“How can they be dead?” Frank asked. “Shouldn’t you have noticed that?”

“I felt nothing,” Rajeen stammered. “They died, and I didn't even notice their passing. Was I too distracted by our recent turn of events?”

“I didn't mean to cause you so much distress,” Hannah said, then felt a cold sensation sweep through her heart. Breanne, Quinny, Umtha, and even Frank sat up as if something had touched them, too.

“What was that?” Quinny asked. “It felt like my soul froze.”

“You felt that?” Rajeen demanded as she glared through her interface. “Just now?”

“Yes, it was like a cold sensation clutching my heart,” Hannah replied.

“Then somebody linked to you has died,” Rajeen said. “That is the very sensation I should have felt as these girls passed.”

“But we are all here?” Breanne countered as she reached out to touch Umtha and Quinny. “We aren’t dead.”

“Zillix!” Hannah gasped as she looked at her interface. “He was just killed.”

“That's probably because they went into my dungeon,” Frank said. “Roric said they were going to try it again, and I set it all to be hostile to them.”

“That may be so, but something is wrong,” Rajeen said as she stood and addressed the harem chambers. She demanded that Aracnia be brought to her and the girls dress for battle. In short order, the purple spider woman presented herself and repeated the reports that some girls could not be located. Rajeen informed her that they were already dead and that, somehow, their passing had been hidden from her. She ordered that Aracnia form strike teams composed of mixed girls and harem guards to locate any women still outside the harem and bring them back.

“We should put the palace and city on full alert,” Frank said to Hannah. “Have the patrols search for harem girls and tell them they are to return to the harem as once.”

“Good idea,” Hannah agreed as Rajeen demanded that Santos be brought to her. She wanted every eye and ear she could press into service looking for her slain harem girls. Their last known locations were to be searched, and the girls tracked to discover what had happened to them.

“Maybe we should warn Roric and his girls about what is happening,” Breanne suggested. “They will want to know there is a danger to the harem.”

“They are in the dungeon,” Frank said as he looked through his interface. “Them and six others.”

“I was hoping your family could investigate the last known location of some of the girls,” Aracnia interjected, causing Rajeen to pause.

“They were nearby?” Hannah asked.

“In Gwen’s city, doing research in the library,” the spider woman said. “I sent girls to locate them at the library, but they were not found, and the few NPCs they questioned had no answers.”

“I would appreciate it if you did that,” Rajeen added. “Your popularity will encourage players to approach you and share more openly. Maybe somebody saw something they would be willing to share with the prince and his princesses.”

“I suppose we could do that,” Frank agreed as he looked at Hannah. “Roric isn't in any danger.”

“Tell that to Zillix,” Hannah countered.

“That’s the second time he’s died down there,” Quinny laughed. “Idris said he’s too reckless.”

Hannah nodded as she recalled how poor Zillix had gotten himself killed before. The tiny dragon was brave beyond his ability to back it up, and his recklessness had gotten him a quick death. She assumed he had repeated his mistake and made a mental note to spend some time with him later. For now, she and her family would check out this library and see if they could find out what happened to the girls.

Frank led the procession, heading to a balcony of the palace. Hannah smiled as she produced a slave collar and stood on her toes to snap it around his neck.

“You love doing this too much,” Frank said as it clicked closed.

“You are absolutely right,” Hannah laughed. “Now obey your master, slave.”

“Would you really like a male slave?” Frank asked.

Hannah tossed her head as a smile crossed her face. What would she do with a poor man locked in one of her collars? She smiled wider as decadent thoughts crawled through her mind, causing Quinny to laugh at her expression.

“I think she loves the idea,” Breanne said with a shake of her head.

“Oh, the dark things I would do,” Hannah laughed, then cleared her throat. “I mean, I have all I need in Frank.”

“Sure,” Frank replied as he folded his arms. “Can you just kiss me so we can get going?”

Hannah leaned in, wrapping her hands around his face as she pressed her lips to his. She made him flinch when she drew a little bit of his stamina, feeding on the man she loved. Then she relented and gave him the succubus kiss, transforming him into a creature known as an Incubus. She stepped back to regard the new hyper-sexy man with devil horns and leathery wings that he had become. Breanne sighed at the lovely sight, showing her desire to play with the newfound toy.

“We can play with him later,” Hannah said as Umtha moved closer, her tail lashing excitedly.

“What is wrong with all girls?” Frank asked as he folded his arms. “You all swoon over an attractive man and would willingly throw yourself at his feet.”

“So?” Hannah asked with a smile. “We're women. We enjoy a good-looking man like you do a woman.”

“Yeah, but if I was the ghoul and showed a woman any attention, she would be angry at me and tell me to go away,” Frank insisted.

“Oh, Frank,” Hannah giggled. “It's the rules. We can't help what we are attracted to and can't be forced to contain our desires. We are programmed to seek out the most desirable man.”

“Which happens to be you,” Breanne said as she touched his shoulder. “Your looks as the ghoul only made it harder for us to recognize it. But over time, we all realized what a wonderful man you were, and those looks faded away.”

“But now he's that man, and he's anime bad boy attractive,” Quinny added. “It's like the best of all worlds.”

Frank looked at Hannah, who shrugged and said Quinny was right. Frank had it all: a proven history that he was brave, noble, and willing to fight for their honor, as well as insanely dark bad boy handsomeness. He was irresistible, and just seeing him like this made Hannah want to abandon their task and go straight to bed.

Frank swatted her rear and told her to get going, or he would deny her for a week. Hannah made the others laugh when she stuck her long tongue out at him and headed for the railing. She intentionally swayed her hips while her tail swung in curling waves, enticing him to look at what he could have. Then she spread her wings and took to the sky, flying over the city as the others followed.

“You are a bad girl,” Breanne laughed as she flew beside her.

“Why, whatever do you mean?” Hannah asked with a smile.

“I saw that sexy little prance you did,” Breanne replied. “You have really changed.”

“I don't see any reason to keep fighting this world or what I am in it,” Hannah replied as she looked at the woman who was her wife. “Besides, I embraced this relationship with you and the others. I want us to be happy, and I want to be free to play and flirt with you to my heart's content.” She reached for Breanne, and the two held hands as they soared over the city and headed for the gate that linked their land to Gwen's capitol.

Frank sailed up above them, with Umtha holding on to his back. The goblin woman hugged him tightly and smiled as Hannah shot her a frown. Why did Umtha always find a way to get extra close to Frank? She laughed it off when Quinny flew in on the other side and took her free hand, turning the three women into a single flight.

Hannah enjoyed the love that her family shared but set her mind to the task ahead. Harem girls were missing and dead, warranting a full investigation. They flew down to a massive stone archway in the walls of her city that acted as the magical gate between her city and Gwen's. Her bare feet touched down with Breanne and Quinny beside her as Frank and Umtha landed behind. Before them was a towering doorway that, from the street level, appeared to be nothing more than a gate in the wall. Most players would see it and think it was the entrance to another part of the city, but that was far from the truth. It was a magical portal that linked Paradise City with Gwen's city far to the south. With a single step, a player could pass through and never realize they had gone miles away.

“Look,” a woman said, drawing Hannah’s attention to the side. “He’s so handsome.”

Hannah saw that people had reacted to their appearance, gathering to see why a cluster of devils had descended from the sky. Most were women, now gazing on Frank longingly as his bare upper chest rippled with lean muscle and tattoos.

“Ha, Frank went from ignored to irresistible,” Quinny laughed.

“Are we really this shallow?” Hannah asked as she looked around to see a dozen women dreaming about what might happen if they could get Frank alone. By looks alone, he had turned the tables and become an object of desire that few women bothered to conceal.

“You’re all insane,” Frank said as he took Umtha’s hand and walked through the archway. “Are you coming?”

Hannah and Breanne laughed as they followed him through the arch and entered the city of their mother, Queen Gwen. It was a bustling place, full of life and activity, as Gwen's once-abandoned city experienced a rebirth. The princesses were immediately recognized by admirers on the street, with a few men giving them winks and suggestive smiles.

“At least we are getting some attention now,” Quinny said.

“Of course we are,” Breanne replied. “We are still wearing our slave silks.” She highlighted the point by flaring her hips, causing the bare slip of silk that hung between her legs to sway enough to make men gasp.

“Haha!” Hannah laughed as she realized that they were practically naked. She had grown so accustomed to being bare that she hadn’t even considered dressing.

“I like being dressed like this,” Quinny said as she walked beside Hannah and Breanne. “Or even better is the lingerie with the sexy stockings.”

“That does tend to get more attention,” Hannah agreed as she considered what she was wearing. It was little more than a golden chain around her hips and a slip of yellow silk that hung in front and back. It was barely four inches across and maybe a foot long, weighted down with golden beads at the end to hold it in place. Her breasts were encased in the same yellow silk, but the strip was so small and tight that the tops and bottoms were clearly exposed. A golden chain ran around her back, and two small straps went to the metal ring of her collar. It left little to the imagination, and a slight breeze would be enough to expose everything at her waist. She supposed she would be more clothed in the lingerie as at least it had stockings.

She mused over that thought as they walked down the street and noticed a slight brush at her rear. She looked back to see Quinny's tail had skillfully hooked the slip of yellow, lifting it out of the way for all to see.

“Hey!” Hannah yelled as she slapped the tail out of the way and covered her rear with her hands.

“What?” Quinny laughed. “It’s not like they haven’t seen it already.”

“I don’t go prancing around the city naked,” Hannah countered.

“You call this clothed?” Breanne asked. “We may as well go naked.”

“I don’t mind,” Umtha said as she reached back to take off her bra.

“Stop it!” Hannah shouted then used her tail to swat her husband. “Tell your wives to behave.”

“Like you're going to listen to me,” Frank grumbled and looked her way. “Besides, Quinny is right; they have all seen it already.”

“They have not,” Hannah protested.

“Maybe you should tell her about the statue?” Umtha asked.

Hannah felt her heart race at those words and looked about to see her family snickering.

“Alright, what has my mother done?” Hannah demanded.

“It’s just a change to your statue,” Frank said.

“I demand to see it right now!” Hannah said and stamped a foot.

“We have to figure out what happened to the harem girls,” Frank replied.

“Now, or I am going to bite you,” Hannah threatened.

“It’s practically on the way anyway,” Breanne said with a toss of her hand. “You may as well show her.”

Hannah glared at Frank the whole way while a knot of dread twisted in her stomach. Her mother had placed a statue of her before that barely had as much clothing as her slave silks. Now that she was a full-fledged harem girl and her mother was playing, it only stood to reason she tried something even more risky.

Hannah wasn't disappointed as they entered a garden plaza and stood before a massive edifice of white marble. Frank sat on a throne in his ghoul form, looking like a giant of undead might. Arrayed around his feet were a bevy of naked women, looking up as if in adoration. Breanne, Quinny, Umtha, and even Blackbast were present, clinging to his legs as if he were their sole reason for existing. Directly before him was Hannah in her devilish form, her perfect naked body chiseled in white stone. There wasn't a shred of her concealed except her back, where her hair rolled down. She gawked at the lewd display, unable to grasp that it was in a public garden for all to see.

“How long has this been here?” Hannah demanded.

“A few weeks,” Breanne said as she stepped forward, studying the image like an art critic. “Honestly, it captures the dynamic of our marriage.”

“This has been here for weeks!” Hannah cried. “Why do I even bother to wear clothes at all?”

“It would improve your naked defense skill if you didn’t,” Quinny suggested.

Hannah rolled her eyes and hid her face with her hands. She felt absolutely embarrassed that she was here, presented to the whole city with not a shred of modesty.

“I wonder what the bowl is for,” Umtha said as she leaned over a silver dish brimming with coins and small gems.

“It's a donation for luck,” Breanne replied. “The rumor is that if you donate some coins and rub Hannah's tail, she might reward you with a visit in your dreams.”

“Oh, I am so embarrassed,” Hannah said through her fingers.

“Didn’t you just say you were tired of fighting against what you were?” Breanne asked.

“There's fighting against it, and then there's inviting people to fantasize about me,” Hannah protested.

“I am sure plenty of that is already happening,” Breanne quipped. “You are a celebrity, and you play a class everyone associates with carnal desires and sex. Of course, people are fantasizing about you.”

“I like how I am depicted,” Quinny said as she pointed to her image, kneeling beside the throne with hare hands over Frank's arm as she looked up with absolute love. Hannah was about to comment when there was a clatter of coins as Frank deposited some and then began to rub the statue of Hannah's tail.

“What are you doing?” Hannah protested.

“Hoping for luck tonight,” Frank replied as the others laughed.

“I am your slave; you don't need luck; you just need to say do it,” Hannah growled.

Frank shrugged and walked up to take her in his arms. She stiffened in protest but relented as he pulled her to his chest and began to rub her back.

“I love you,” Frank said softly. “You have changed my whole life and made me stop regretting coming here. I don't mean to upset you, but I can't help it when there is a chance to play with you and make you crazy.”

“Aren’t I crazy enough for you?” Hannah asked.

“Well, you haven't changed your mind in the last twenty-four hours, so I thought you needed prodding,” Frank teased.

“Oh, haha,” Hannah protested and leaned back. “You have grown into such a bold man.”

“You helped me do that,” Frank said, stroking her hair. “You make me want to be better.”

“Aww, Mom, and Dad are so silly romantic,” Quinny laughed and got a swat with Breanne's tail. “Hey, I was saying something nice,” Quinny protested.

“Stop calling them our parents,” Breanne argued. “I don’t need that image rattling around in my head.”

Hannah heard them and had to smile before leaning in to give Frank a kiss. She took a final look at the statues of her family and let out a tired sigh. “Let’s go find out what happened to the harem girls,” she relented and headed away.

“Not going to make your mother change the statue?” Breanne asked as they headed for a nearby street.

“Will it matter?” Hannah asked. “I bet if I scour the city, there are more things to be found.”

“Yeah, there are the paintings,” Quinny said.

“Don't even tell me,” Hannah protested, covering her ears before Quinny could elaborate.

“It’s a little late for modesty,” Breanne laughed. “And we did try to tell you how this world operated. Even Gwen told you that people were very open about intimacy.”

Hannah remembered the conversations that used to make her cringe. Of course, it made sense that in a world where people could look like hyper-sexualized fantasy creatures would be rampant with sex. There were no diseases, injuries, or children to worry about, so it was basically a free-for-all with no consequences. Still, despite it all, she felt the very human desire for some measure of modesty, but even that was slowly fading away. She had Frank and others now and saw no reason to show restraint. She was happier than she ever imagined she could be, and if the entire city knew about her escapades, then so be it.

“Where is this library?” Quinny asked, drawing Hannah from her contemplations.

“Near the castle, inside the wall,” Frank replied.

“I don't recall my mother ever mentioning a library,” Hannah commented as she considered her previous interactions.

“I think it's new,” Frank said. “She added it, then paid other cities for copies of their books. She mentioned it to me once and said she assumed you might need it one day.”

“How forward-thinking of her,” Hannah commented as they rounded a corner, turning heads as the people noticed the strange procession. She heard their names spoken as people pointed and couldn't help but smile. She had grown to love being a celebrity, even if it was the equivalent of an adult movie star.

“So, whatever happened to the idea of wearing veils?” Hannah asked as they approached the walls of the inner city.

“We agreed to go ahead with that,” Frank replied. “But Rajeen wanted more time to sort some things out. She’s trying to create a rank system among the girls and wants the veils to reflect that.”

“It sounds like she is overcomplicating it,” Breanne commented.

“I like the idea,” Umtha said. “We are queens and princesses. We should hold a special rank.”

“She already had one for girls who could take slaves,” Breanne said. “Wasn’t that enough?”

Hannah smiled and leaned into Frank as the girls debated the wisdom of a ranking system. She really didn't care what her rank was so long as she was at Frank's side. They passed into the upper city, where buildings were frequently five stories tall, creating streets flanked by miniature castles and shops that sold exceptional goods. Like anywhere else, she saw shops catering to the sexy outfits women wore. She wanted to laugh to see suits of armor that offered no protection where it counted. It was more proof that the visitors created the world based on human video games. The sexual nature of female characters was put front and center, and it was reflected in their outfits.

Frank took them around several streets until they arrived at the stone monolith of a building that was four stories tall with a broad staircase flanked by marble unicorns. Hannah instantly knew this was the library by the stained glass window depicting books. They went up the steps to a dozen arched doorways that took them into a place Hannah wished she had known about sooner.

Inside was a vast open central chamber soaring up to a glass ceiling that let the light in. The center of the space was a raised planter in which was a miniature garden of magical plants and giant mushrooms growing under invisible lights. Marble floors ringed the planter before reaching towering rows of endless books. She looked up to see rings of balconies from higher floors, each a mysterious maze of book stacks. Books floated in the air, flying by magic to be sorted into the stacks while players used glass elevator-like shafts to reach higher floors. Artwork was everywhere, from statues to paintings to odd artifacts from other kingdoms. There was something to see wherever the eye landed, and Hannah was eager to explore every inch of the place.

“This place is amazing,” Quinny said as they took it all in.

“I agree,” Hannah said and swatted Frank’s arm.

“What was that for?” he asked while rubbing his arm.

“For not telling me about this sooner,” Hannah grumbled. “I love this place.”

“Ha, she swats him for not telling her about the library but doesn’t swat him over the statue,” Quinny teased.

“I have my priorities,” Hannah said as she fought the urge to smile.

“Are we sure the harem girls are missing?” Breanne asked as they walked into the massive structure. “Maybe they died in an avalanche of books.”

“Let's ask the librarians if they have seen them,” Frank said while directing them to a nearby rectangle of marble and softwood. It was ringed with golden lattice and decorated with unicorn emblems. Inside were a dozen beautiful elf maidens wearing fine royal gowns, each decorated with a golden book and unicorn emblem.

“Excuse me,” Frank began as he approached the counter.

The women looked up, and the reaction was instant. Hungry eyes turned his way as women flocked to get closer, each asking if there was anything they could do to be of service. Frank looked taken aback as he stepped away so their reaching hands couldn't get hold of him.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Hannah grumbled and stepped between him and the gaggle of women. “Down, girls!” Hannah shouted and snapped her finger before them. “Get control of yourselves. Sheesh, I had no idea we were this bad.” She waited for the women to back down, but they only smiled at her and pressed in.

“Get back!” Hannah shouted as a halo of fire burst over her head, circling her horns. “You don’t want to play with this fire.”

“I want to play with her,” one of the women said, causing Hannah to shake her head.

“Enjoying your celebrity?” Breanne called as Hannah slammed a fist on the counter.

“We are here on official business, now act like librarians and answer our questions,” Hannah demanded.

“Oh, um, excuse us,” a golden-haired woman said as the group finally stepped back. “How can we help you?”

“You can turn it off just like that?” Hannah asked as she glared at the woman.

“Turn it off?” the woman repeated in confusion.

Hannah forgot she was talking to an NPC and decided it wasn’t worth trying to explain. She moved on to the harem girls, explaining that they had been here on a research project but were now missing. She asked the women if they knew anything about where the women could be found.

“Umm,” the blond woman began and looked to the others. “We remember the harem girls. They were looking for maps and books on magic symbols.”

“I helped them find Tolivar's atlas of the Far East,” one of the girls added.

“Great,” Hannah replied as she folded her arms. “Where are they now?”

“Umm,” the woman began again as she looked confused. “They left hours ago.”

“They just left?” Hannah pressed to nodding heads.

“Where did they go?” Frank asked as he joined Hannah's, causing the women to smile.

“You are Prince Frank,” the lead woman cooed and leaned over the counter. “I am so pleased that you came to our library.”

“My god, I feel ashamed to be a woman,” Hannah grumbled as she shook her head. “No wonder Frank thinks we are all crazy.”

“It makes you wonder why we even needed seduction skills,” Breanne added. “People see the succubus look and jump to obey.”

Hannah could only agree as the librarians told Frank everything they knew. The harem girls had been coming here for a few hours every day. They arrived early in the morning and left right around noon. The last time they saw the girls had been earlier that day, and oddly they left early, hurrying out without saying a word. They weren't sure where the girls went but knew they liked to frequent a local tavern called the Lead Duck.

“It has the most amazing sandwiches,” one girl added.

“The Lead Duck?” Hannah repeated. “Who picks these names?”

“Please, there are far worse names in the real world,” Breanne commented.

“So, now that we answered your questions, is there a reward for service?” the librarian asked.

Hannah frowned and wished she had a can of pepper spray. Frank floundered as the women gawked at him, and for a brief moment, Hannah considered making him take his ghoul form. She let the idea drop because she didn't want confirmation of her own shallow heart. She had ignored Frank when he wasn't a hottie and didn't need to be reminded she was just like them.

With true remorse, she hooked Franks's arm and leaned in to sigh.

“I am sorry I was so mean to you,” Hannah said as they headed away.

“What are you talking about?” Frank asked.

“I am talking about what I said in the street about being attracted to looks and how those girls behaved,” Hannah replied. “It all proves that we are driven by looks and don't take the person inside into account.”

“We don’t need to talk about this anymore,” Frank said, taking her hand. “You are right; people are attracted to good looks. We both know I was super ugly, and that was intentionally done to keep girls away. But we both know the truth. You started to show affection even before I had the figurine to take human form. You were holding my hand and leaning into me for support just as you are now.”

“It just took time,” Breanne said with a hand on Hannah’s shoulder as they headed down the steps. “It was the same for all of us. Our attraction to physical beauty isn’t something to be ashamed of. It only becomes a flaw when you can’t see anything beyond that.”

Hannah smiled as her family supported and encouraged her, dispelling her grief. She looked into the eyes of their husband and smiled before she realized none of them had bothered to ask where this tavern was.