"My Lady, do n the maids into this. They will bring the food when you remember your manners," Aurora calls out.

  "Sorry. I'm a sve who worked at a brothel. They always had the food ready for me so I could have plenty of time to please the greedy hat wished to rape me," I say. "And, of course, before that, I helped my Mother make the food, so there was o wait. I was looking forward to spending some time with my Mother i again, but you all decided to take me away from her. So, please try telling me how this is better?"

  Shimmer stands up after my little outburst, her dress hiding her figure from me.

  "Shimmer, what are you doing?" Isda calls out in a tired tone.

  "The etiquette was killed from the start of this dinner," Shimmer responds. "o worry about it now. Maids, I'm sorry yetting caught up in the wive's struggle. Alzi is just frustrated, and rightly so, and is trying to show us this any way she . I know she meant you no disrespect. The house is grateful for your hard work." She gives them a small nod before walking up the table towards me. All eyes watg her walk up.

  "What?" I ask as she nears me.

  "I'm sorry, Alzi, for the pain we have caused you," Shimmer says, bending down to give me a hug. "We do care about you, and we wish to make you happy. Could you please greet the amazing people at this table for me? I would appreciate it. Then I think we have dinner served ahe maids leave so we wives work out the details of this strange marriage. How does that sound, Alzi? Will that work?" Her breath was warm against my neck as her hushed voice offered up the pn.

  "I don't care," I say back. Fighting my instinct to piupid woman to the table and ruiupid figure for the nine months.

  "I work with that, I suppose," she says with a kiss. "Dear, does that work for you?" Shimmer stands up, a hand calmly petting and bing my hair.

  "Yes, I guess that should happen," the Princess says with a sigh.

  "Thank you, I know this isn't how the dinner was meant to go. But it sounds like that is a on theme for Alzi," Shimmer says on her way back to her seat. "So I think we all suffer through one night of it."

  "Maids, if you could just bring the entire meal out," Isda says with a forced smile. "I'm sorry for ruining the dinner pns, but it is for the best."

  An older-looking maid steps away from the edge of the room befiving the table a short bow. "It is no issue, my Lady. We all uand the issue and are happy to help," she says. The maids all react to her words, moving towards the door on the far side.

  The table is silent while the maids do their thing. Dishes start to crowd the table, and silverware, ptes, and bowls are handed out. They work quickly t out everything. Witles are pced throughout the table just before cuts of some wild beast are put down, signaling the end of the maids' duty. The maids all give a bow and leave us with the mountain of food and silence.

  The Princess doesn't break the silence, but she does grab some soup and takes a sip. The rest join her shortly after. I just go to the meat looking to piss them off a bit more.

  "Alzi," Isda starts, but Shimmer quickly cuts her off.

  "Let her eat. I already said the etiquette has ended. o worry about it between us. I know she'll behave tomorrow," Shimmer says. "Now, back to those rules you were setting, Elora. I think we o set out the pn first. What this family wants and how to reach it. This o include what Alzi wants and true pns to reach them. We forced her to be here without a ce to iate. The rest of us knew what we were getting into and had a choice."

  "Alzi. I am aiming to bee the Queen. Until that moment happens, all our pns revolve around that. After I am the Queen we work towards what you wish for," the Princess says.

  "How long will that take?" I ask.

  "A few years. It could be ten with how active my Mother still is. She had a kid retly; the little thing just turned ohe Princess says.

  "I'll be a sve for ten years?"

  "No, you'll lose the colr once I see that you won't run off the sed it es off," she says.

  "So, ten years," I say. "I won't wait ten years to have a pn to marry my Mother. I had a pn to marry her ihan a year. Then, Yuki, Mai, and Kelly. The Duchess that fucked me also said she would marry me, and she seemed nice."

  "The Duchess was Fluvis, and she was ied in joining the harem, but some of the phrough, so she won't be joining us," Isda says. "I know it won't take ten years for you to like us enough to stick with us. I think we get Yuki into the harem soon. She is strong and would be a good ally with the Kitsu's rare to get that, and it would be a wele addition."

  "I think we also o talk about the kids thing. We aren't waiting that long to just watch Isda have kids," Geta says. "Maids he reward, and so do we."

  "I fully pn oing the maids get pregnant, just in a trolled manner. I 't have the entire house cyg through pregnancies," the Princess says. "Alzi get us pregnant whenever she wishes. So we don't have to worry about long pns for the pregnancies. n ours out to almost the minute. We wo years of hard work from us all to make up the lost ground then we work nancies for us. I don't want to wait a decade any more than any of you. Alzi also carry kids if she wishes for any of us. I don't want any of us to ask her to do so, just if she wants to do it."

  "I won't be getting pregnant for any of you," I say firmly. I tio enjoy the tender meat while everyone else works on the silly soup. All of them have started drinking the wine, which is definitely not watered down like they give out at lunch—except Shimmer, whose gss remains full.

  "That is your choice. Maids get pregnant tonight if Alzi is willing. I just o limit the number so we don't get overrun with kids, and we need enough maids in w dition to let this house run. I don't want Alzi to put too much strain on us during our pregnancies while we look to gain power. That is all those rules were," the Princess demands.

  "You said she was our wife, then id out rule after rule that a wife should never have," Shimmer says. "The man of the house has almost free reign of any bed he wishes for, and Alzi is our man."

  "Most men take a few months to get a regnant with one child. Alzi knock up the entire house with several children in one day if given free rein," the Princess says back. I don't know if I could do the entire house, but I could definitely get half in a day. Not that I want to get that many women pregnant here. "I went too far with the parties. I will take that back. But I still only let her get them pregnant with two kids. Our allies 't be burdened with too many kids. Fluvis has her entire house helping with her kids. Many houses don't have the resources to do that."

  "Fine. No hints, no suggestions, nothing. Alzi will get full choi who she gets pregnant and with zero, one, or two kids," Shimmer ys out. "That includes the maids. She may get two maids pregnant every month. Is that ok?"

  "No, two every other month. I would prefer just one a month and no building them up. Each month, she may get one maid pregnant. If she misses a month, then we will just have eleven maids getting pregnant that year. Two would be too many kids and too many maids heavily pregnant at once."

  "Alzi, how does that sound?" Geta asks me.

  I have to finish my st bite before answering her. I follow some of the silly rules: "I don't care about getting you all pregnant, maids or not. I will take the choice for the other women. But I have no pns on giving you all any more kids."

  "I hope we make you ge your mind about that," Isda says. Her golden hair flicked my light around the grand room. I never really looked at it before. The annoying women took all my attention. But the room is just stupid. Red paint on the walls peek through the many paintings of different dead beasts with the Princess standio them. Two deliers like the one irao the brothel. Aire wall filled with witles.

  I'll o be careful drinking tonight. I've seen what it make people do when they've had too much to drink. ts have shared too much while they raped me after having a lot to drink in the lounge. I don't wish to spill my secrets to these nobles.

  Not that I have many as a sve.

  "With my freedom another decade after what I romised, don't pn on it," I say. "I sold myself to save my Mother. Yet here I am, forced to leave her for who knows how long. I romised ten years. Think I will be pleasant to those who make it twenty?"

  One of the other women offers, "You will be able to see her soohan that. Maybe as a e?"

  "I romised to marry her. She's pregnant right now with my children. I want to raise them. No matter how you spin this, you took my Mother and my deal away from me," I say back. "Promise me I marry the women I love when this colr is meant to e off, or just shut the fuck up."

  "That is for Elora to decide," Shimmer says. "She won't say either way tonight. We've made some progress tonight and we tio work together to make everyone happy for this marriage. So, let's go down the line again for introdus. I think everyone is clear on Alzi, so it will just be us."

  "That would be best," the Princess forces out. P herself yet anss. "I am Elora, a direct Princess aiming for the throne. I'm a warrior with a fire affinity as well. I am the head of this family."

  I don't respond to my owner. I just tio work through the oversized feast, careful to limit how much wine I drink. Mommy hid it from me for a reason.

  "Elyne, Syro, Isda, Geta, and I are basically already introduced, so Ioelena, please go ," Shimmer instructs, gesturing towards a cute wood elf with colorful hair. Nobles just have to be pretty.

  "Hi Alzi. I'm sorry for how this is, but I hope we bee friends. I'm a time mage with a bit of pixie blood if the hair didn't let you know that. So, my magi get a bit wild sometimes. It won't hurt you, just surprise you," the elf says with a small nod.

  "Hmm," I give her before taking another bite.

  "Inanos, death elemental," the dark and gloomy figure says.

  Is it strahat I like her the best now? It seems she knows I will never like her, so why try? At least, I hope that is why I seem to like her.

  "Seems I'm st here," the high elf says. "Vanya a warrior like Geta and Elora. It will be nice having a healer around. I know you haven't gotten much of a ce to learn how to heal, but I think you'll learn quickly, and I'll likely give you plenty of practice."

  Shimmer gives me a pleading look. Her eyes soften as she shows me her cleavage, and her smile begs me to say something.

  "Fine," I mutter. "I'm Alzi, sex sve, prostitute, breeder, and high breeder. Not sure why you bought a breeder when you don't want kids, but here I am."

  "Thank you, Alzi," Shimmer says. "I knht now is fusing, but as I said. I think we learn more about each other and grow into a strong family. Ohat is willing and able to grer through a few means."

  "Alzi will have us all growing rger eventually!" the Princess shouts out. "Alzi, this family has a good duty of helping everyone in the Queendom. To improve their lives to make them safer. My duty was drilled into me from the time I could talk till the war was over. This is what I need you for. I need you and want you to help this family soar to the throne and turn this try into something eveer."

  "Good for you," I say, standing up aing ready to walk out.

  "Alzi..."

  "Let her go," Geta says, cutting Isda off. "She has plenty to think through, and tomorrow is her first party. She should get some sleep and it's not like this dinner is following any rules."

  "Ok," Isda says. "I'm happy to have you here, Alzi. I'm hoping we have you fall in love with us."

  "Please hold your breath," I mumble back. Through the door an angry Aurora is waiting for me. Her eyes staring daggers at me. But she grabs my arm and guides me bay room.

  My other maids waiting naked in my bed already.