Erik cocked a curious eyebrow. "Really? Who? You know Anne, Nora, and Leia are all pretty busy with other stuff, and I doubt Serap—"

"No, no, no," Emma interrupted once again, waving her hand dismissively. Erik was a little surprised by the fact that she was willing to interrupt him not only once but twice, as she was usually more reserved than that. He could only suspect she was very invested in or even excited about this plan.

"It can't be anyone who's under the Bond of Service," she continued sternly, clearly having thought hard about this, probably even before the past week. "More than that, it especially can't be anyone who's been affected by Nora."

Erik looked at her strangely. What problem could there possibly be with any of that? He wondered. The fact that she made it sound like these two maids shouldn't be affected by these things in the future, either, confused him. He and Elora were very deliberate in not allowing anyone into the inner circle without proof of love or the Bond of Service.

Emma pouted at the sight of his expression, but did explain herself. "A maid is not the same as a servant, Master… A servant serves because they get something out of it or because they have no other choice."

Her voice became uncharacteristically zealous, her eyes shining with conviction. She even raised her body up from his chest a little, exposing her modest breasts.

"But a maid serves because they want to!" she continued in a fiery tone. "Sure, most maids in history have also been servants, but that's not good enough for you, Master! Your maids should be your maids because there's nothing they enjoy more than serving and taking care of you! Being your maid should be their ultimate calling in life, with no bonds or anything similar affecting their minds or wills!"

Erik was only becoming more lost in Emma's plot. "What are you saying exactly?" he asked, cocking a bewildered eyebrow. "Do you expect these women—because I presume we're talking about women—to be exactly like you? Do you expect them to love me? Or me to marry them? Do you intend to ask your sisters?"

Calming down a little, Emma lay back down on his chest, hands folded under her chin, and smiled at him. "Respectively: kind of; possibly; no, and no. I don't expect them to be copies of me, but they should enjoy the life of a maid in the same way I do. Loving you would help, but I don't consider it a requirement; they can't be current or future wives! I'm your only maid-wife!"

Her last words resonated with pride and conviction, causing Erik to realise this was truly the identity she'd chosen within their family, and she wanted to be unique.

Finally, it dawned on Erik that Emma truly meant someone outside of their current inner circle when she mentioned having her eye on someone. A few names back in Enkare Nkai flashed through his mind, but… also one particularly new one right here in Maghreb.

He widened his eyes a little. Seeing he was finally starting to get it, Emma grinned victoriously. Yet, Erik only looked more uncertain.

"Hehe, don't worry, Master," she giggled with confident mischief and a surprising hint of callousness. "I can get her to where I want her!"

Sighing, Erik took one hand off the small of her back to rub his temples with some exasperation. "I… I guess you're free to try," he relented, unsure what her chances were. He'd noticed this person's peculiarities, but hadn't yet drawn any conclusions like Emma clearly had.

"Just remember," he then continued, frowning sternly, "even if you don't want these maids affected by Nora or the Bond of Service, they would at the very least need to accept a covenant."

Though less secure than the Bonds of Service and not linked to the implicit bond of trust between loved ones, covenants could still address many gaps and uncertainties. Making these theoretical maids swear a covenant not to betray or reveal any secrets would be the bare minimum Erik would require from someone who was not exactly a wife or a servant.

Emma sighed with a hint of regret, but still nodded in assent. It was like she already had implicit trust in these maids before she'd even procured them. "I understand, Master… So long as there's nothing in there about servitude or maid tasks, I can live with it."

Erik rolled his eyes. "You'd better! And I sure hope you won't trust these women too easily."

"Hmpf," Emma snorted proudly. "You underestimate me, Master! You know about my intuition with people, and you know I would never accept anything less than perfection from your maids! If I wasn't sure in their absolute, but also uncoerced loyalty to you, then I wouldn't present them to you yet!"

Erik could only nod and agree. Thinking about it a little longer, he realised she was right. Her nature affinity gave Emma an uncanny intuition into people's nature, and her personality would truly demand perfection.

"Alright, Emma," he finally assented, a grin playing on his lips. "I look forward to what you come up with. Do you need any help from me?"

Happy to have his permission, Emma grinned happily. "I don't think so, Master, but I'll let you know! I suspect she'll come to me soon, as long as she has the opportunity. After that, it's only a matter of time and patience!"

Erik nodded and shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised, true."

Then he cocked an eyebrow and grinned mischievously. "But enough about that. You said you enjoyed what we did last week?"

As soon as he began talking about that, Emma's excitement quickly dampened. She shrunk down into his chest a little further, but there was a playful smile on her lips and a heated blush on her cheeks.

"I did…" she muttered meekly, yet enticingly. "I— I wouldn't want it all the time, but it felt soooo good, Master!"

She snuggled a little deeper into his chest still, some obsession sneaking into her devoted gaze. "I don't think I've ever felt so safe, comfortable, and relaxed as last week. I— I don't know how that jells with the four years before I met you, but… it does. And— and then, when you wrapped me in your power and used it to ravage my body, I… I… Hah…"

She fell silent as her breathing sped up quickly. Her hands gripped the sheets on Erik's sides, and her thighs started moving faster. Erik felt and saw her excitement rise.

Grinning, he grabbed her hips to lift her up and position her over his cock rather than against it. In her eyes, he saw desire for sex, but also something else. Fortunately, he knew exactly what.

First, he inserted himself gently, causing Emma to moan and sag deeper into his chest. Then he positioned himself so that he could kiss her as their hips slowly slapped against each other.

They both wanted a more subdued, loving finish to their week of kinky debauchery.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before Elora interrupted them. "It's time, Erik. If we wait any longer, it might be too late," she said, using her connection to the structure to transport her voice into the room.