"What is Magisteria, my lady?" Cassian asked, his face a picture of confusion.
Katherine looked slightly surprised by his question, but quickly explained. "Magisteria is a sort of city, a really big one located to the north of our territory. It's a free city, meaning no kingdom has authority over it. It's one of the few independent cities in our world."
Seeing that Cassian still seemed puzzled, she elaborated further. "In our world, there are ten free cities, which aren't ruled by any king or single authority. Instead, they're governed by organizations. Magisteria, for instance, is ruled by a council of mages and warriors, who also manage the university there.
It's often called the 'City of Knowledge' because it's home to at least a hundred universities and many schools that train mages and magic warriors. With your sharp and quick mind, you could have a bright future there."
Cassian nodded, finally beginning to grasp the concept. He realized just how little he knew about the world, having only recently learned about sword techniques and other skills. However, he was quickly gaining more knowledge. As he subtly moved his hand towards his goal, keeping Katherine's mind occupied with his questions, he gently caressed her legs, slowly inching towards her knees.
"Have you been to any of these free cities, my lady?" he asked.
Katherine nodded, a hint of nostalgia in her expression. "I've been to Magisteria. It's where I became a mage, and I even taught at one of its universities. But I had to return for my marriage," she said, her voice tinged with frustration.
Katherine fell silent for a few seconds, leaving Cassian scrambling to think of another question to keep her occupied while his hands continued to massage her calves, trying to relax her muscles before moving higher. He couldn't come up with anything that didn't feel too informal, but before he could worry too much, Katherine spoke up on her own. "I might be going back in a few months.
Would you like to come with me? I could help you enroll in one of the warrior schools there."
"They're at least as good as our dukedom's academy, if not better in some ways," she added, noticing how intently Cassian was listening.
What started as casual conversation meant to distract her from his subtle touch suddenly took on a more serious tone. The way Katherine mentioned Magisteria being a free city made it clear that neither she nor the duchy would have any influence over him there. If he went with her, he wouldn't necessarily have to remain her servant. But that raised a question in his mind: Why would she take him there?
But he couldn't answer her without knowing more about the city. The only information he had was what she'd told him, and he realized he needed to do some research to fill in the gaps in his knowledge. There was one place he could do that, but he would need to find the time, which might only be possible if Katherine went to one of those noble parties.
"Can I give you an answer later?" Cassian asked, his tone uncertain. Katherine smiled, amused, and nodded. "Lucy and the other two might be coming with me too, so you won't be alone there," she said, trying to persuade him further.
But Cassian wasn't ready to commit until he had confirmed a few things, so he decided to change the topic. "That city must have lots of mages and magic warriors, right? So they probably have their own army too?" he asked, steering the conversation in a different direction.
Katherine was a bit surprised by his deduction, though it wasn't something too difficult to guess. "All ten free cities have their own armies; that's how they've managed to remain independent. There used to be more of them, but some were taken over by kingdoms for various reasons, like for strategic locations near ports and such.
However, now the citizens of those kingdoms aren't welcome in any free city, which has caused them to lose out on the significant advantages these cities offer to other kingdoms and territories."
"Our own kingdom, as well as our duchy, benefits greatly from having a free city like Magisteria nearby. Many people from our territory try their luck at one of its universities to become mages or magic warriors. Afterward, some join our forces, while others become mercenaries, handling smaller tasks like monster subjugation or other minor issues that our armies don't typically deal with.
Laureen, for example, is one of the mages trained in Magisteria. I brought her back as a maid when I returned. It also boosts trade, as the city has some truly unique products that can only be found or made there. "
The revelation about Laureen surprised Cassian, but it also confirmed his suspicion that she was a mage. She must have used teleportation magic to slip away from his bathroom that night. "I didn't know Laureen was a mage," he remarked.
"It's not exactly a secret, but she doesn't use her magic as much, so not many people are aware of it," Katherine replied just as Cassian reached her thighs. His arousal, which had already started earlier, intensified. He knew he was just using the excuse of "confirming" if he'd get aroused by touching another woman's thighs.
In reality, he believed he'd be aroused by any woman's thighs, unless she was the embodiment of a whale or a sickly old witch.
With his arousal now forming a noticeable tent in his pants, Cassian squeezed Lady Katherine's velvety thighs. They were as large as, if not larger than, Laureen's—supple, yet with a bit of muscle underneath. He could feel the tension in them easing as he continued to squeeze, and Katherine's face visibly relaxed.
Seeing that she didn't object to his touch, he considered going further but decided to keep her occupied with conversation. However, as he noticed the excited look on Katherine's face—a look he'd only seen once before when he first massaged her feet—she seemed almost like a hungry beast.
"You'll be coming to Magisteria with me," she said, her voice filled with anticipation. "So make sure to pack everything when I make the announcement."
Her tone was no longer a request—it was an order. Cassian knew he was in no position to refuse. With a frustrated expression, he looked down and nodded, "As my lady wishes."