The Duchess had no words to explain what she had just experienced and even as she said it, she knew the word 'incredible' had not been enough to express her satisfaction.
What had she felt?
Well, she had felt a myriad of emotions that all seemed to lack a cause or any form of external stimuli and yet simultaneously had it all in spades.
What she had felt was a simulation of what perfect arousal and climax would feel like to her... Except for the torture of course.
Hal had mostly bypassed all of her physical sensory nerves and focused on her mind... Specifically, the section of her mind in charge of arousal and pleasure.
What she had felt was all mental and not really physical but considering how real it had felt to the Duchess, then its' reality could not be debated.
Now, Hal had a lot of work left to do and he knew that which was why he was not exactly concerned when he realized that the Duchess still held the pleasure she received from torture over what she received from his alternative.
"Your alternative... It surely delivered... Massively in fact. But it has not proven itself to be a worthy replacement. I still feel torturing you would feel much better" the Duchess said as she stood up from the massage table after which Alina garbed her in a robe.
Hal did not bat an eye at her words as he said,
"Really? Do you know that for sure? What you have felt is merely the first part of a long-drawn-out process that I have prepared... Surely, one session can not be enough to change a conviction you have had for centuries.
In this first instance, my alternative has already provided you with massive benefits regarding pleasure.
It clearly has potential.
I think that more than justifies you seeing this through.
For every second you spend at the mercy of this hands of mine, the more you will see it as much better than your already predetermined conventions" Hal said.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt'Also, the more you leave yourself at the mercy of my hands, the more abducted yourself at the mercy of my touch and presence' he added in his mind.
All through his words, the Duchess had a light smile on her face and then she chuckled,
"Well, you certainly have a point. I might as well see this program of yours through... I'm still quite skeptical that you can improve on what you have already delivered." she said.
"I can, and I will," Ha said with a bow.
As he did, the Duchess saw another form once again imposed on what she could already see and the illusionary form was of an immensely handsome blue-eyed youngster that she had seen before.
The blue-eyed youngster was not bowing as Allan was and was upright and smiling at her with a devilishly handsome smile just before horns began to sprout from his forehead.
He went from simply being an unbelievably handsome young man to an unbelievably handsome looking devil who she began to fantasize would devour her right on the spot.
'Allan' the Eunuch then stood upright a bare second after and the image vanished never to be seen again.
"If that is all, my lady, I will be leaving now as I have expended a lot of energy and require rest to recharge," he said.
The Duchess blinked and for a second, she seemed speechless, and then she shook out of her thoughts with a natural smile that did not reveal or tease all that was running through her mind at that moment.
"You may go. I expect you back here tomorrow,"
Hal was smiling to himself and ignoring the looks of suspicion that Alina was throwing at him.
-
The day, the Duchess contacted Myrtle and had the schedule changed so that Hal was taken off the room of horror duty and replaced with another poor sap.
While Hal's meetings with the Duchess from then on were not to be scheduled and mostly just flowed according to the time that the Duchess had ordered him to come, it was sort of scheduled regardless.
Mostly just to take Hal off the normal chore duties.
This was put even more into effect after the next day and the next massage session where the Duchess was absolutely mystified as to how Hal had been able to do what she had considered impossible... he improved on what he had delivered the day before.
Somehow making her feel even better than she had felt the first time.
From that moment on, it became official that the only thing Hal needed to do from then on was to be available to deliver the Duchess with her regular dosage of massage sessions.
While other Eunuchs slaved away, Hal was in his quarters (personal quarters that was still small but definitely apart from the other Eunuchs he had previously shared a room with), resting his hands and recharging his energy for that next massage session.
On the fourth day after the fourth massage session, things had changed dramatically and its effects were even more distinctive.
No longer did Hal only come to give her a massage and leave as he was now almost constantly in her residence, touching her in some way or form... With his sweet-smelling pheromones spread all about the room and affecting even Alina.
The Duchess's right-hand maid was no longer as hostile to Hal as she previously was and usually just sat quietly as Hal worked his hand all over her mistress' body while said mistress swore to the pleasure she was feeling and wished it never stopped.
That night, the Duchess's attacks on the Eunuchs that were scheduled for her room of horrors were nowhere near as wicked and impactful as before...
She tried to be as wicked...
She tried to strike as hard...
She was just not able to...
It just... Didn't feel as good as it previously did.
Now it felt bland.
This was not just because Hal's alternative, in the form of massages, had proven to deliver her even more pleasure than her torturing antics ever could but because the more Hal stimulated her mind the way he did, the more he manipulated her... Slowly changing her.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSlowly turning her main erotic interests away from the screams of young men and to the sight of his face (the real face that she had so far only seen through the brief illusionary images), the feel of his hands and general feel of his body.
He also shifted it towards a submissive mindset that was more suited to his plans than her already dominant and sadistic mindset.
All in all, Hal was settling up for his grand finale and there was nothing the Duchess could do anymore to escape it.
Also, she had taken away all of those she had previously had watching Hal (not that they were actually any good in the first place) so Hal never needed or used the glamour runes while he was in his personal quarters which helped them last longer.
Hal had used her lowered inhibitions and lowered self-control in his presence to have her spilling 'intimate details' to him.
He learned and began calling her by her name, Raelyn while also learning that she truly cared for her husband but her inability to feel pleasure from their conventional intercourse and usual urge to hurt him, and hear him scream had created a bit of a rift in their relationship.
Her husband, however, was adamant about mending said rift and 'making it work' which was the real reason he had given her the necklace while he had an identical one...
It was a sign to forever try to mend their broken marriage they was never whole in the first place.
Raelyn (The Duchess) admitted that whenever she was with him, she always felt sorry for him because not only was he always trying his best, but he also refused to welcome another woman into his bed.
Raelyn had tried to convince him to take a concubine who would at least give him the connection and reaction he sorely lacked with her and desperately wished for but the Duke would not budge.
He believed it was the highest level of betrayal to the woman he had given his heart to and so he continued to suffer in silence while focusing on other things... Mainly the running of his Duchy.
Anyway, if there had ever been a chance that the Duchess would one day feel for the Duke what he felt for her (although as it had not happened in centuries and Raelyn's sadistic urges only grew, it seems quite unlikely), the chance was now gone with the introduction of Hal to their fucked up union.
Once Hal succeeded with his planned finale, the door would be officially shut for the Duke's dreams.ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ (f)ire
On the fifth day...
After a brief massaging of the Duchess' feet, while she talked a lot about details of her life that he did not already know, Hal ordered (not asked) her to lay on the massage table but with her front facing up so that she could witness all that was about to happen next.
As she did, Hal deactivated the glamour rune on his chest so that he was back to his normal form and he activated runes that swarm all about the room and stamped against the floor and walls.
... It was time.