The Princess hooks my arm and leads us across the giant ballroom. It is about five tis the size of the brothel's lounge, yet the hundred or so people fill it out well.
A number of heads turn to look at us. The Princess's bright red dress with a low cut and all those rubies reflecting my light around probably catches a lot of eyes. The n also seem to get a number of eyes just by existing. The won take in their form and calculate sothing before returning to their conversations.
As we near the waiting family, the beautiful dark elf steps forward. Her belly showing, but no where as pronounced as Neka's.
"Welco, Your Highness," Velga says with a deep bow despite her pregnancy. "It is a joy to et you and see the father of our children on your arm. I am Lady Velga Whitearrow."
"I'm happy for your family," the Princess says with a big smile. "I'm still getting surprised by just how many girls seem to carry my husband's children. Lady Ko ntioned a very pregnant dryad as well."
"Yes, yes," Velga says. "Lord Alzi got six of us pregnant that night and a number of my guests. Obviously, I was one along with Ko and Diphylla. But also Llorva, my high elf wife, and two more. Lord Alzi had a busy night."
"Sounds like it. Two-thirds of the birthday family and so of the guests is more than a busy night," the Princess says. "That is a lot of kids at once."
"Yes, it is, and we are happy to see our trade increasing a bit with your extra activity, Your Highness," Velga says. "We love and are excited for the kids. But resources are important, and you are showing us how to get more. This dragon of yours seems to be a bit lucky for us all."
Velga makes so motions that the Princess agrees to. Her head bobbed just a tad before a wide smile cracked on the dark elf's face.
My arm falls, and the elf wraps up in a gentle hug.
"I'm sad to see your collar is still on," Velga whispers. "But thank you, and I am sorry for whatever Diphylla did to anger you."
She doesn't hold on long like Ko did. I guess she just wanted to apologize for that stupid mind thing. That Dryad better not try it again. I don't have any way to punish her again.
I could give her another child and make her stay pregnant for longer. But they all have long dresses on, so I don't think she'll give the chance.
"I would love to discuss so more things with you, Princess Elora," Velga says. "I doubt Lord Alzi is interested in the details of our alliance, and one of my wives owes him an apology. Maybe they can dance while we work out a few details, Your Highness?"
"Is that ok with you, Alzi?" the Princess asks .
"Oh, um, I guess?" I say back, caught off guard by the ask.
The little dried steps up to cautiously, biting her lip as she offers her hand out to . "I would love to dance with you," she says with a small bow, her bulging stomach limiting her motion.
I don't say anything back to show my displeasure with her. I just gently place my hand in hers and let her take across the room to the dance floor.
Not many are dancing yet. I guess most wait till after dinner to start, preferring to talk politics before they get too drunk.
The band is playing sothing much slower than the brothel would ever dare play. The brothel wanted the girls to shake whatever they had and get the nobles and rchants moving—to get them to act before thinking.
Instead this music almost forces you to think before every action.
True to Aurora's words, the Dryad leads. Her belly forces us apart. With each step, we move just a tad, with a small sway of our hips.
The music protected us from the silence but hardly fixed the strange atmosphere. Her eyes dug into my chest as I waited for her to say sothing.
"I am sorry for entering your mind," Diphylla finally says. "I did not think you would take offense to it. Nobles are used to having small conversations with their mind if one is a mind mage. I see how that can feel like a final invasion for you. The one place no one can reach, and I broke that. I'm sorry. Thank you for still giving children despite that. I'll gladly carry the burden you've given and raise them well."
"You better treat them right," I say. "Do you know how many?"
"No, I'm too scared to find out," she says. "My wives are demanding I get a count so they can plan and so the midwife knows how many I will have to push out."
I check for her, ready to terrify her a bit more. She seems a bit too happy to be carrying my children when it was ant to be a punishnt. The dark elf had triplets in her womb, and Ko had ten kids on the way. The small Dryad is bigger than Ko, so I don't bla her for being scared.
"Do you wish to tell , Lord Alzi?" Diphylla says, finally looking in the eyes.
"Yes," I say.
"Do as you wish," she says.
"Eleven. One less than I just had," I tell her.
"Ko calls hers a litter and talks about how catkin used to have large pregnancies in ancient tis. Dryads do not have a story like that. Even dragons had so stories about the Queen having large pregnancies. Drayds have stories about a single child at a ti," Diphylla says. "I know I will make it. I'm just scared of the pain. I'm sure you understand that well."
"Yes, yes I do," I say.
The conversation sits there for a while. I'm just following her along the dance floor with a few other couples. One man and woman are getting quite close to each other.
Nothing is really happening, but I think the noblewoman wishes for it to progress.
"I hope you are happy with the Princess," she says. "It's a common dream of nobles to end up in a princess's harem. I know it may not seem amazing to you, but they get a lot of perks and a lot of power. The collar likely makes it feel a lot worse, and it is sad to see it still on after your marriage. But try to make it to another noble's house and compare it to what you are living in. You will see the privilege. And soon you will see the work they have to put in for that privilege. It's a different world that royalty live in."
"The house is nice," I say. "But I don't like the people."
"Talk with the n tonight," she says. "Dinner should be starting soon. I think they would love to share their stories with you."
The song ends with a long, soft note. Diphylla gives another bow. This ti, she forces her body to dip down into a full bow.
"Thank you for the dance and children. I will cherish them forever."
With that final statent, she walks away. Leaving alone on the dance floor.
Should I leave or ask soone to dance? I could also go looking for Isda. Shimr said she would be my chaperone for the night. I'm not sure how I ended up with the Princess instead.
"Need a partner?" Geta says, hugging from behind.
"I suppose," I say, trying to free myself from her grip.
She lets go and spins around a few tis. I don't know how she dodges my tail, but it never collides with anything.
When I stop, I'm in Geta's grasp. Her hand is on my waist, and the other holding my own hand.
I don't know if she just knows the timing or if the band took it as a cue. But the music starts back up, and I return to the gentle sway of the simple dance.
The strong woman just smiles at , looking over in the suit. The simple dance is ant to let us talk, but I guess she knows I would prefer to just get the night over with rather than talk.
"You looked stunning with that pregnant dryad," Geta says, ruining my dream. "She even forced herself to give you a proper bow at the end. If I didn't co by, I'm sure a noble would be aiming to get in your pants right now. It would be a failure for the family to let you get a woman pregnant before we even had dinner."
"I'm not that easy to seduce," I mumble. The collar shocks as the words leave my lips.
"There is nothing wrong with being seduced easily," Geta says. "We know you will be, and it isn't your fault. Any girl that was in a brothel that long will be an easy target. Add in your classes, and you don't stand a chance. That isn't your fault. I know it probably hurts, but know there is nothing you can do about it. You can try praying to the Goddess of Sex, but she doesn't have many temples and is almost as elusive as the Goddess of Fertility."
"I'll think about it," I say. My anger surges over the life I missed as I rock back and forth in Geta's arms. Her muscles tempt through her black dress.
They said I could feel up the won, so why not my 'wives.'
I drop my free hand to her ass and wait. Geta raises an eyebrow but lets continue. I slip my other hand from her grasp and trace it down her strong forearms and past her bulging biceps, down her cleavage to her chiseled abs.
Geta's own free hand lands on my shoulder as her smile tells to keep going.
I know it will stop if I get under her clothing. But I can tease her plenty without crossing that line, like setting my erotic touch on just a tad. Just enough to get her thinking about the bedroom. To make her body desire sex just as much as I normally do.
I trace out her muscles, morizing every detail like I used to do to all the beautiful warriors. I need to give her a massage. The last one ended up with us just having sex, then on the table.
"Alzi, can you please stop teasing ?" Geta calls out. "The song is almost over, and I really want to tie you up in a bed and ride you all night."
Happy with my work, I cut off my mana and look at the warrior's face.
She's blushed and squirming, and her smile is fighting to stay friendly. I can see it slipping into the face of a woman who wants to breed.
"I deserve this, I guess, for talking about that in public," she says. "But, please don't do this with our wives. They won't control themselves as well as I do, and I don't wish to see the pain you go through when they try to conceive with you. Elora's commands still stand."
"Ok," I say. I rember that priestess who must've snuck into my bed. The collar was not happy I gave her a child.
The host cos out to the stage, ringing a soft bell to grab everyone's attention.
"Dinner is prepared to be served. I have a few servers here who will show the n to their seats. The long tables will be brought out shortly for us," the horny Dryad says. Her eyes locked onto mine for her short speech.
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