The Magus Provectus
series
Vol. 3 -- Another unexciting Hearing
§1
"For those of you who do not know me, allow me to introduce myself before commencing my proposal," the corpulent noble started. I sighed inwardly as the speaker, the honored lord Ingelram, presented himself to the assembled mass of nobility gathered in the large auditorium. His jowls quivered and his mouth seemed to hesitate before bumbling its way through the next pre-rehearsed part of his no doubt lengthy speech.
Of course.... Why wouldn`t you waste a perfectly good afternoon with your inconsequential opinion?
I thought wearily. The mere notion that any of the assorted lords and ladies did not know who this self-important fool before them was seemed laughable.
Lord Ingelram had, for the better part of three years, spend each monthly council hearing discussing some seemingly trivial concern, obviously trying to raise his significance in the eyes of his lofty peers.
Fortunately, those same peers hardly seemed impressed by the overweight man`s presumed matters of import. I saw more than a few sighs of exasperation and rolling eyes as I scanned the crowd. Nonetheless, our esteemed king Conrad III graciously granted the asinine nobleman his place in the center of attention.
Being seated at my monarch`s left-hand side, it was hardly fitting I`d make a less than impeccable impression.
To that effect, I leaned forward, narrowed my eyes and stroked my stubbly, unshaven chin, attempting to emanate an air of sagely wisdom beyond my three decades of life. In the corner of my eye I saw the king glancing at me and for the briefest of moments he bared his teeth in a lopsided grin.
At least he appreciates my effort at looking interested,
I reflected wryly.
Good Gods, how is it possible to be bored within four sentences?!
My king trusted me for my astute assessments for the more pressing matters of statecraft, but also enjoyed vexing me by making me attend these tedious assemblies. His way of creating some amusing distraction for himself, I guessed.
Not that I can blame him, his sense of humor is one of the many reasons I vowed to serve him.
I internally marveled at the sudden weight of my eyelids, but I swore I could feel them conquering ground; threatening to cover my eyes in short order as they glazed over in sheer tedium. I stifled a yawn as lord Ingelram droned on about his domain`s grain production or something or other.
There has to be something interesting I could be doing right now?!
My gaze roamed over the throng of nobility, the vast sea of fine clothes, expensive ornaments and decorative baubles that filled the immense hall dedicated to these proceedings. Most were seated on long benches in the theater-like hall, the more wealthy among their ranks being seated on raised private balconies overlooking the auditorium. Everywhere I looked I saw richly clad dukes, daintily exquisite counts and numerous lesser barons. They seemed monotonous in their perplexing forgettability.
Their women on the other hand...
Now there`s something to feast your eyes on
.
The primary purpose of any given lady, be she wife, mistress or partner, was apparently to outdo their fellow patricians in a manner that seemed ludicrously centered on either opulence or desirability.
Most of the more mature noblewomen elected to display their wealth with intricately designed garments; gold threaded gowns, diadems inset with precious gems and splendid mink pelts adorned them, ranging from obscenely excessive to subtly elegant.
These, however beautifully dressed, were not who drew my interest today. I couldn`t care less about the boastful finery these women choose to wear. For you see, were the older ladies relied on their riches to relay a sense of superiority, the younger noblewomen had other assets they put their faith in.
Without shame they displayed the gifts that youth granted them. Silken robes fit snuggly around long bared legs, necklines plunged so deep it was barely proper and corsets emphasized breasts of all shapes and sizes. More than one stomach remained uncovered and I began to feel lightheaded as I imagined all the intriguing noises these scantily clad noblewomen would produce if I could have my way.
Mind you, this entire display was expected of them and they all seemed to relish the challenge of dancing dangerously close to the line between decent and scandalous.
While admiring the alluring masses of feminine glamour my curiosity suddenly locked on one particularly beauty...
The lady Ingelram.
§2
Slowly pronouncing her name and title sparked a multitude of sinful desires in the more primitive parts of my mind. And how could they not? Despite her progressing age,
41, if memory serves,
she remained one of the most stunning women among the court.
Her private balcony seating, with its high banisters, made her barely visible to the gathered lords and ladies below and beside her. Even the raised dais where I was seated next to my king and queen offered only a view of her head and tops of her shoulders.
Her heart-shaped face was framed by wavy raven hair, which I knew reached to her lower back if hung loose. Today she`d worn her glossy dark locks in an intricate weave that incorporated silver filaments and elaborate ringlets of hair to create the illusion of a messy bun behind her head.
Seemingly errand, but no doubt meticulously placed, strands of her silver-threaded locks hung across her shoulders and chest. Accentuating her lace covered bust.
That damn balustrade,
I grumbled mentally, cursing the architect that built the carved stone barrier that obscured the rest of Lady Ingelrams features.
I suppose it wouldn`t do for the king`s sorcerer to disintegrate that wretched balcony, just to marvel at his voluptuous subjects...
Luckily I had something in store for just such an occasion.
I pretended to appease an itch just below my left eye and activated the miniscule hidden rune there when my finger made contact.
The rune, in response to the trickle of will, initiated a link between my eye, my mind and the object in my pocket, that I gently removed and placed of the outside of my boot.
It took a few moments to adjust to the new stream of information its senses transmitted to my consciousness, but I managed to maintain my composure and look intensely focused on the still blathering lord Ingelram, who by now was swept away in the currents of his own monologue.
The enchanted construct I`d placed on my leg was a tiny crystal arachnid I`d modeled after jumping spiders. I`d used the tiny scout many times over the last few days, mostly to spy on Sara as she took her evening bath. I snorted quietly in sudden realization,
it's a 'spy-der!'
I reaffirmed the rune-based link and tested the neural connection by letting it move it`s eight legs in a tapping sequence, before letting it leap forwards onto the ground.
It`s eight eyes gave me a wide view of its surroundings, making it easy to navigate the steps down from the dais and across the marble floor to the wall. I knew that my diminutive creation was barely visible to anyone not looking for it, thanks to its sleek crystalline form, but decided to take the less discernible route anyway, in case an errand eye caught it`s translucent form skittering between the royal guards.
Something about receiving input from two sets of vision never failed to nauseate me, as the construct silently but quickly made its way up the wall towards lady Ingelrams balcony.
I really need to do something about the jerky motions before I deploy this again,
I thought groggily while keeping an outward appearance of the calm, thoughtful magus.
After mere minutes my little scout crested the stone balustrade and flattened itself onto the smooth surface in order to avoid detection. Lady Ingelram sat alone in her private box and now I had all the time in the world to admire her maturing splendor.
§3
The gorgeous woman sat like any proper lady should; straight-backed and slightly turned, with her hands in her lap. Her posture was perfectly visible underneath the closefitting silken dress she wore, the deep blue shimmer an elegant comparison to her dark hair. A long split in its hem displayed her toned legs to an almost scandalous degree. Through the eyes of my crystal spy I could clearly see where her stockings ended mere inches from where her thighs met her groin.
I stubbornly tried to ignore the bulge pressing against my belt while slowly moving my constructs vision upwards.
The noblewoman`s waist was incredibly slender, even without the aid of a corset, which in concert with her wide hips and broad chest give her a deliciously appealing hourglass figure only few women could match. Every breath she took pulled the fabric of her dress tight over her stomach, nonchalantly indicating the surprisingly well-toned muscles underneath.
Her full breasts seemed barely restrained by the skintight outfit, especially since her perfect posture pushed out her impressive chest, straining the garment`s questionable integrity.
The lace-adorned bodice was topped by two stretches of fabric that looped behind her neck and supported the meager weight of the halter dress, while simultaneously leaving very little to the imagination.
Full-length evening gloves covered lady Ingelram`s hands and arms to just below the shoulder, in a fashion similar to her stockings both in style and color.
The throbbing in my pants became more incessant as I beheld the gracefully composed masterpiece listening to the toneless soliloquy of her husband. Every single aspect of her appearance seemed tailored to show off her feminine form, even the way her silver jewelry accentuated her purposely bared skin.
How in the Gods names did such a woman end up with a ponce like Richard Ingelram?!
The more I thought about it, the more bits of information I pieced together about the married couple, the more I became certain she wasn`t bound to the man of her own will.
If I remember correctly her father owed lord Ingelram a large sum for the use of his lands...
I recollected,
the poor woman must have been betrothed to the old blabber-jaw to settle the debt.
Suddenly, it seemed horribly unfair; the injustice of this magnificent woman being espoused to the ancient fool blathering away in front of the amassed court.
