The chapter ended up much longer than anticipated. This is gonna be a slow fairly actionless arc from the looks of my skeleton though. It's kind of like the calm before the upcoming civil war and invasion. I learned that I really suck at writing dialogue for children, so I did what I could.
WARNING: G/PG rated sex scene towards the end.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"That Freud is quite an unusual person," said Garnet.
"But that's why I employ her," said Duke Wellington. "As weird as she is, she is a great magician."
"Is that the only reason you keep her around?" teased Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington. "I'm hoping that one day, her skills will be of use to extract memories from others."
The Duke was after a form of torture. One that would forcibly remove memories from someone so they could be used.
"So were heading to your place now," said Garnet. "It's the first time."
"I was always afraid that buying you and bringing you home would be a bad decision, and I am sorry for that," said Duke Wellington.
"It's okay," said Garnet. "I know that you bought me for extra days just so that I would not have to work."
"How did you know that?" said Duke Wellington.
"I know a lot more than you think," said Garnet. "Nobles can be very gossipy."
"Would you like to hear about the rumors that are going around about you at the moment?" asked Garnet.
"No, I would not like to," said Duke Wellington. "I can already imagine what they're saying when they see me running around with you."
"It won't matter anyways," said Garnet. "Like I said, I'm going to fix your territory, then no one will be able to compete with you in terms of power."
"How is that even possible?" asked Duke Wellington. "I am only barely ahead of the others in terms of resources."
"Like I said, industrialize and modernize," said Garnet. "I will explain more after we arrive at your manor."
The two sat in the carriage for the remainder of the way. Garnet looked outside and saw what were mostly farm lands. They were patrolled by guards who passed by a few times during the day. In total, they spent two whole days on the road. It would have taken longer, but they rushed the entire first day, which shortened the travel time. As Garnet got off the carriage, she stepped to the side. "Where are you going?" asked Duke Wellington.
"One second," said Garnet. She looked at the manor owned by the Duke. It was comprised of several buildings. A main house, one adjacent, and what appeared to be apartment buildings. In the center was a small garden. "Teleportation Summoning Circle!" Garnet created another point from which she could instantly travel.
"What is that?" asked Duke Wellington.
"With this, I can instantly go to Antium and return here whenever I wish," said Garnet. "Just some benefits of being a mage and all."
The gates to the manor opened. Duke Wellington and Garnet walked in. That was when Garnet heard it. A high pitched squeak. "Daddy!" It was a young girl.
"Wait up!" shouted another voice behind her. It was a maid who was following the girl.
As Garnet stared at the young girl, she saw who it was. It matched her picture. It was Ruby. A brown and blue eye, heterochromia just like her.
Duke Wellington picked her up and held her in his arms before facing Garnet. "Who's that?" asked Ruby as she looked at Garnet.
"Are you going to introduce yourself?" asked Duke Wellington.
"I'm Garnet," said Garnet. "I'm a friend of your father." She could not say the words.
"She's your mother," said Duke Wellington. "I finally managed to get her to come."
"Bring me closer daddy," said Ruby. Duke Wellington carried Ruby over to Garnet and lifted her head. "Eyes like mine," said Ruby.
"Yes," said Garnet as she looked into her eyes.
Ruby grabbed on to Garnet. "Mommy!" she shouted. "Where were you?" She was crying.
"I'm sorry," said Garnet. "I should have been here earlier."
"Daddy says you were always busy, more busy than him," said Ruby. "That's why you couldn't see me."
"I was," said Garnet. "And I still have a lot to do, but I promise I will make time for you."
New Quest: Spend Time with Ruby
Your daughter has not seen you in a long time. Spend some time to get to know her.
Reward: +Charisma
Everyone headed inside the main house of the manor. It was huge inside as well, as big as two floors of a castle. The main entrance was highly decorated with red carpets and various antiques. "Go spend some time with Ruby," said Duke Wellington. "I'll come join you later."
"This way mommy!" shouted Ruby as she led Garnet by the hand. Garnet did not resist and let Ruby pull her. Ruby led Garnet to her room.
The room was also primarily red. It seemed to be the running color for everything that the Duke had. Red soldiers. Red carriage. Red manor. Red room. Ruby pulled out several small books. "I've been writing down everything I want to talk to you about," said Ruby.
Garnet pulled Ruby close to her and Ruby sit on her lap while she told her stories. She had an entire row of books on a shelf, each one marked with different years. She grabbed the first one and showed Garnet. "That was the first time I ever saw daddy get hit in the face by a woman," said Ruby. "Anna said that daddy was touching things he was not supposed to and he had to be punished for it."
It turned out, that Charles Wellington used to be quite a womanizer, but the maid and servants turned on him when he obtained the title of Duke from his father. They became even stricter when he brought Ruby home for the first time. He was expected to be a father figure first, so the servants made sure of it. This was the first time Garnet had heard of such a thing. The Duke seemed like he was doing pretty much whatever he wanted.
"What do you like to do?" Garnet asked.
"I like to run around," said Ruby. "But I rarely get to go outside."
"I'll talk to daddy about it okay and see if you can go out," said Garnet.
"Thank you mommy," said Ruby. "This is one time that daddy yelled at me," Ruby continued. It was when she trying to play with the guard's sword. Ruby had a lot happen to her and she wanted to tell Garnet all about it.
Quest Complete: Spend Time With Ruby
Reward: +5 Charisma
"I'm coming in," said Duke Wellington. "It's time for dinner, so come down to the dining room."
"This way!" shouted Ruby. She seemed to be excited for everything.
"This is the first time she's been like that," said Duke Wellington. "Oh and be sure to call me Charles here."
"Okay Charles," said Garnet. She was asked to do this by the Duke before, but she could never do it. It felt too disrespectful, but after hearing Ruby's stories about what he did, the Duke was much more informal.
The dining room was just as big. It seated sixteen people. Charles sat at the head of the table. Next to him sat Ruby and Garnet. Anna sat across directly from Garnet and other servants filled the rest of the table.
Name: Anna
Level: ???
Class: Monk
Sub-Class: ???
Stats: ???
Garnet could not see Anna's stats. It was the first time such a thing happened. She could even see some of Zedd's stats, but many of Anna's were hidden from her somehow. "Was Anna even stronger than Zedd?" she thought to herself.
"I have an announcement before we begin," said Duke Wellington. "Starting tomorrow, she is my wife, so treat her as such."
Garnet immediately coughed out her soup. He had already jumped ahead of their agreement. Garnet was supposed to look around first and decide, but now, he had taken advantage of the situation with Ruby and all the servants, announcing her as his wife. "Congratulations," said Anna. "I was wondering when you would finally get married. I was worried you were going to become Christmas Cake like Duchess Kiko."
"I'm not that old," said Duke Wellington. His face suddenly changed as he looked at Garnet.
Garnet's eyebrow raised. The Duke knew what this meant. Garnet was clearly mad at what he just did. He had put her in a tight spot and she was going to be known as his wife from this point on. Duke Wellington immediately looked away.
"I'm going to need a word with you later Charles," said Garnet.
"I understand," said Duke Wellington.
At night, Garnet was set up in the Duke's room. After the servants had heard that Garnet was going to be his wife, Anna had arranged for them to be in the same room. "I can explain," said Duke Wellington.
"Then tell me Charles," said Garnet. "What was that about."
"It would be easier for them to accept it if I told them right away rather than announce it later," said Duke Wellington.
"Oh don't worry Charles, I'm going to have a lot for you to do tomorrow," said Garnet. She had arranged for some paper and pencil to be delivered.
"What are you doing with those?" asked Duke Wellington.
"Where the other me was from, there was someone who developed something called a five year plan," said Garnet. "In five years, they went from a agricultural community to an industrialized country. In ten years, they were able to compete with the most powerful nations in the world. That is what I am going to do."
"How is that possible?" asked Duke Wellington.
"Do you have access to coal and iron?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington. "We use coal mainly for heating and iron is combined with coal for making the steel weapons that most of my soldiers use."
"I'm going to show you how to make it work for farming, building, and making other things," said Garnet. "With this, becoming the most powerful Duke is possible."
"You're serious," said Duke Wellington. "I thought it was just a joke."
"It depends on whether you can convince people to do it," said Garnet. "That is going to be the hardest part. I recommend paying some farmers to start trying it, that is probably the best."
"Paying workers to try something new?" said Duke Wellington. "I've never heard of such a thing."
"Basically, you collect taxes right?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington.
"Instead of spending taxes to say make yourself a fancy new carriage, you spend it on your farmers to make sure that they have access to new equipment," said Garnet. "There are some things you can do with just your soldiers as well."
"How can soldiers help a country grow?" asked Duke Wellington. "They're just fighters."
"In times of war, they are fighters," said Garnet. "In times of peace, they are manual labor that can be used for things like construction. After all, they have to build and repair fortifications during war anyways."
"So you're making a five year plan for me?" asked Duke Wellington.
"Correct," said Garnet. "This is your list of goals with some ways that you can probably accomplish them."
"Don't forget I still need an heir," said Duke Wellington. "And I need you here for that."
"Don't forget that I still haven't agreed," said Garnet. "And I still need you to slap you in the face for earlier."
Duke Wellington stopped talking. "I'm sleeping then."
Garnet continued to work on scribbling down her plan. The first and foremost was to modernize the farming community. Smaller farms had to be reorganized into bigger ones owned by fewer people in order to make the most efficient use of tools and land. She drew down and wrote descriptions of some of these tools. Plows for horses and oxen. Seed drills for planting. Of course, things like crop rotation and selective breeding of plants would also help. Next was the use of water power through watermills in order to produce products until something like electricity could replace it. They were lucky that they were near a large river that could be used. The people also had to be incentivized to adopt these, so the leadership would pay them to do it. In the end, everything filled up three small books, and this was only the first step.
With this, the first step could begin. It now all depended on the Duke's ability to convince people to make these changes. But, Garnet also needed to convince the Duke, so she hopped into bed with him, just to make sure that he would owe her more.
"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" shouted a voice. It was Ruby. She was excited since Garnet came back and wanted to spend more time with her.
As she woke up she saw that Charles Wellington was still asleep. "How can he sleep through this?" thought Garnet.
Garnet opened the door and saw that it was Ruby. Anna was standing right behind her. "Put this on," said Anna as she handed Garnet a red dress.
"I guess he really likes red," said Garnet.
"It's officially our unofficial color," said Anna. "It just makes things easier for us and a lot of people to be easier to recognized."
"One second," said Garnet. She quickly got changed. It was a red chemise style gown. "At least it's not one of those tight corset ones," she thought.
"Alright let's go," said Garnet as she walked out.
"When do you usually wake up?" asked Ruby.
"I normally wake up when it is still dark out, but I had to work late last night," said Garnet.
"What were you doing?" asked Ruby.
"Making sure that daddy is doing the right thing," said Garnet.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Anna. "Has he been doing something naughty again?"
"No, I just told him he has a lot to fix," said Garnet. "And he has to start soon to reach his goal."
The three arrived outside in the courtyard of the manor. They entered the small garden. "This is where I spend most of my time," said Ruby.
"What do you do?" asked Garnet.
"Mostly run around and talk to people," said Ruby. "There's not much to do in here."
"Let's go outside then," said Garnet.
"Really?" said Ruby. "Daddy almost never lets me go outside."
"Why not?" asked Garnet.
"He said it's dangerous," said Ruby. "Bad people might come to take me."
"Don't worry," said Garnet. "I'll protect you if something does happen. I promise I will not let anyone take you away."
"This is not a good idea," said Anna. "We don't know who might be after her."
"Let's get some help then," said Garnet.
"Help from who?" asked Anna.
Garnet went to the building that resembled an apartment. There was a list of names. Second floor, first room, Leeroy. Garnet walked over to the second floor and the first room. It was marked with a 201. "Wake up Leeroy!" shouted Garnet.
"Are you crazy?!?" asked Anna. "You actually want to wake him up this early."
"What is it you want at this time of night?" asked Leeroy as he opened the door. His hair was still a mess and his eyes were half closed.
"You're coming with us!" said Ruby.
"You heard the boss, get dressed and come with us," said Garnet.
The door closed and sounds could be heard. "You're the first person to have actually done that in a while," said Anna. "He nearly killed the last person who tried that."
"I heard about his relationship with Ruby," said Garnet. "If she orders it, he must follow, so as long as she is with us, he should be okay."
"I'll have to remember that next time," said Anna.
"Where are we going?" asked Leeroy as he opened the door.
"Out," said Garnet.
The four of them went outside of the manor to the nearby village as the sun was rising. What drew Ruby's attention the most was the smell of fresh bread. The village consisted of a few dozen houses. The manor overlooked the village. There were a few guards that patrolled the village, operating sort of as a police force.
"Aren't you the Duke's new wife?" asked one of the guards.
"Yes," said Garnet. "But please don't tell anyone I was here."
"Yes sir!" said the guard.
It was too late though, the gossip had already started and it was her second day here. She could already picture the rumor spreading. The Duke's new wife was caught sneaking around in the middle of the night.
The group of four headed to the bakery. It was just opening and only a few pieces of bread were made. "Wow!" shouted Ruby. It smells good.
Anna took out a few silver and bought one for everyone. It was about one silver a piece. "Food seems expensive here still," said Garnet.
"It has been for a while," said Anna. "The villages rarely grow larger than this because of it. We're very lucky to be able to live with the Duke since he covers most of our food and living expenses."
"I see," said Garnet. She wondered if Duke Wellington would follow through with her plan. The success of it largely depended on food becoming cheaper and affordable. But, there was still one thing she needed to know, how the Duke treated other people. It was something that she could not directly ask, but there were other ways around it. "How high are the taxes here?" Garnet asked Anna.
"Not too bad actually," said Anna. "It's about 50% overall once you factor in the local taxes by other lower ranking nobility."
"That's low?!?" said Garnet in a surprised tone.
"The other Dukes are much closer to 80%," said Anna.
The taxes were extremely high. The Duke's was low by comparison, but still too high. Her plan must work now in order for them to succeed. She would have to convince the Duke to take action. "We should head back," said Garnet.
"But I want to walk around some more," said Ruby.
"We cannot let dad know," said Garnet. "So we have to get back before he is awake."
"Okay," said Ruby disappointed.
As the four headed back, they saw a figure by the gate. The guards were pointing something at the figure. "Wait here," said Leeroy as he approached the gate.
Garnet, Ruby, and Anna watched as Leeroy spoke with the guards and looked at the person at the gate. Leeroy waved them over. As the three approached, Garnet recognized him. It was Zedd. He had used Teleport to get there.
"Go inside," said Garnet.
"Okay," said Ruby. She had a scared look on her face as Anna took her in.
"What are you doing here?" asked Garnet. She felt an intense hatred toward Zedd, but with that anger was a mixture of respect. One that had been passed on from Riley. Zedd had taken away Riley's old life in his world and destroyed his chance for a new life in this world as well. Even though Riley's personality was no longer here, the thoughts and feelings towards Zedd were still there. To Garnet, this was proof that Riley was still alive in there somewhere and that Zedd could only be trusted if the goal was to save Antium. But information wise, he was probably still withholding something.
"I came here to apologize," said Zedd.
"It's too late, Riley is already gone until I can find a way to save him," said Garnet.
"That's impossible," said Zedd. "Once the process starts, it is impossible to stop."
"That's what you think Wizard," said Garnet. "The Hero System has found a way. All I need to do is create a suitable vessel and learn how to transmutate a spirit."
"That's impossible," said Zedd. "That would be like bringing someone back from the dead."
"Nothing is impossible with the Hero System," said Garnet. "After all, it is what breaks the rules of reality and makes the impossible possible isn't it?" Garnet echoed the words that Zedd and spoken to her.
"What do I need to do?" asked Zedd.
"Why do you even care?" asked Garnet.
"Because I came to apologize," said Zedd.
"It's too late to apologize," said Garnet. "If you really want to apologize, leave us until I can find something for you to do."
"Alright," said Zedd. "But if you need help, please come see me, I will not come here to bother you again." He activated Teleportation and left.
"I guess he really wants to try," said Garnet. However, it was not something Garnet could easily forgive. After all, Zedd said he wanted to help, but was lying so that Garnet's mind would be broken and reassembled. But luckily for her, Freud found a way to preserve the old Garnet the way she was for now.
As Garnet entered the main house, Ruby and Anna were waiting. "Everything will be fine," said Garnet. "I told the man not to bother us."
"Okay," said Ruby. She was still afraid.
"I have things to do as well," said Garnet. "But I will spend more time with you later okay?"
"Okay!" said Ruby. Her face changed into that of a smile.
Garnet put her hand on Ruby's head and rubbed it a little before heading to Duke Wellington's room. "Wake up sleepyhead!" she shouted. The Duke was still asleep. She poked him with her finger, but he just tossed and turned in bed.
"If you want to have any hope of having kids, you need to get to work already!" shouted Garnet. Duke Wellington still did not wake up. He was still asleep in bed. "One last chance."
"Air Bullet!" Garnet activated a spell. WOOSH. The power of the spell knocked Duke Wellington right out of bed. THUNK. He landed hard. "Are you awake yet Charles?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington. "I didn't expect my wife to wake me up like that."
"I'm not your wife yet," said Garnet. "You still have things to do. Here is the first step," said Garnet as she pointed to the three books she left on the table. "Read it, apply it."
"Yes," said Duke Wellington.
"Are you even awake?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington.
"Can I zap you with a Lightning Bolt?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington.
"You're not paying attention," said Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington.
"Lightning Bolt!" Garnet used a very weak Lightning Bolt on Duke Wellington to get him up. His hair was messed up. HAHAHA. Garnet could not help but laugh at his appearance now that he finally got up.
As Duke Wellington headed downstairs for the official breakfast with everyone. Although he was able to get dressed, the electricity from the Lightning Bolt messed up his hair and it was stuck like that. "What happened to your hair daddy?!?" shouted Ruby.
"I made mommy mad," said Duke Wellington. "I promise I will not do it again."
Everyone at the table started gossiping. There was not a moment of silence. Soon, the rumors spread. One that the Duke's wife walked the village at night and one that the Duke was attacked by a ghost.
After breakfast, the Duke started going over Garnet's books. "Incredible," said Duke Wellington. "I never thought of this before."
"It's called agricultural science," said Garnet. "It's the idea that you can apply science and knowledge to improve farming. But like I said, it depends on you."
"But we have to show this to people before they will accept it," said Duke Wellington.
"That's why you use your soldiers," said Garnet. "Take a handful, have them build a watermill and an irrigation system for a farm who wants it."
"Let's go find someone then," said Duke Wellington. He sent a few guards out.
Duke Wellington and Garnet got into the carriage. They were being escorted by Leeroy again. He seemed to be the personal guard of Duke Wellington at this point. They headed out to a farm near the river.
Garnet looked around the farm. It was very poor in condition. The plants were very spotted and poorly distributed. Some of it was dry indicating that it was being poorly managed. As great as the Duke was, he was too nice. Herion should have been punished for not producing enough and his land should have been seized and given to someone else. However, without the Duke's decisions, they probably would not have someone desperate enough to try out their farming experiment.
"What bring you here lord?" asked the man.
"I want to know if you are willing to take on a farming experiment," said Duke Wellington. "We will change a few things on your farm, give you all the equipment you need to do it, and even pay you as long as you follow through with the changes."
"Yes!" said the man. "I will gladly do it if you are paying for it."
"What's your name?" asked Duke Wellington.
"My name is Herion," said the man.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
"Well Herion, you have been chosen," said Duke Wellington. "Go report back," Duke Wellington ordered one of the men. He immediately ran back towards the manor.
"May I ask what this is about?" asked Herion.
"I have come up with a few ideas to improve food production," said Duke Wellington. "But I know people will not do it unless it can be shown to work, so I want you to do it."
"How?" asked Herion.
"First, do you have a horse?" asked Duke Wellington.
"I have an ox," said Herion.
"That is fine," said Duke Wellington. "We will give you a large plow for your ox. Just move your ox along while it is tied to the ox and it will help loosen the soil. You immediatley follow it up with a seed drill that will spread the seeds of the crop to make it grow better."
"Yours will be for potatoes," said Garnet. "It is a little different but works the same way."
"Thank you for this sir," said Herion.
"There's a lot more," said Duke Wellington. "In addition to that, we will be building irrigation ditches to make it easier to water your crops and most importantly, a mill to help process what you make and silos to store them for a long time."
"This is a lot to learn," said Herion. "I don't think I can do it."
"Can you read?" asked Garnet.
"Only a few words," said Herion.
"Gimme a piece of paper," said Garnet.
Duke Wellington ripped out a blank page of paper and Garnet began to draw everything. She drew the steps and diagrams.
"Follow this," said Garnet as she handed the piece of paper to Herion.
"Thank you milady," said Herion.
"Is tha better?" asked Duke Wellington.
"Yes," said Herion. "I can understand pictures better than words."
"If we spread this information, we should do it with pictures," said Garnet.
"I agree," said Duke Wellington. "If any problems arise, contact one of the guards and give them your name and request to see either one of us."
"Thank you for this opportunity, I promise I will not disappoint you," said Herion.
"I'm surprised he agreed that easily," said Duke Wellington as they walked away.
"One of the problems with trying out new things is that it is expensive for people," said Garnet. "But, if you offer to do most of it for them, they are likely to agree, especially if you pay them to try it out first."
"I see," said Duke Wellington. "But there's one thing I need to know."
"What's that?" asked Garnet.
"Will you bear me a child?" asked Duke Wellington.
"When is the next invasion?" asked Garnet.
"How do you know about that?" asked Duke Wellington.
"Zedd told me it is predictable," said Garnet. "But I cannot have a child with you if it is too soon because I need to fight as well."
"When you fight, you will fight alongside me then," said Duke Wellington. "But it is not for about another four and a half years."
"You've done everything I've asked of you," said Garnet. "So I have to keep up my end of the bargain."
"Actually, it doesn't work like that" said Duke Wellington as he held Garnet. "As a former slave, there's no way you can have a legitimate claim to the throne in any shape way or form. I'm sorry for misleading you."
"I actually expected that," said Garnet. "But I want one thing from you in exchange."
"What's that?" asked Duke Wellington.
"Please make sure that Ruby is recognized," said Garnet. "I don't want her to be your bastard child."
"But I'm not sure if the others are willing to accept that," said Duke Wellington.
"So she can be recognized in some way?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Duke Wellington. "If the laws are changed and even bastard children have legitimate claim, then it can be different."
"I'll make sure it happens," said Garnet.
"But I refuse," said Duke Wellington.
"Why would you refuse?" asked Garnet.
"Because I want you to be my Queen," said Duke Wellington. "That's what I will settle for."
"Queen," thought Garnet. From slave to queen. It would be an insane accomplishment, but if Duke Wellington became King Charles, it would be possible to change the existing rules and system.
That afternoon, Garnet returned to Herion's farm to oversee the construction. There were about two dozen soldiers that were moving things into place. Garnet was going to have to teach all of them how to do it. But what bothered her the most was what Duke Wellington had said. He wanted to make her Queen, but she would have to give him a legitimate child. However, it would also have to mean that Ruby would be recognized as a legitimate heir as well.
"We're done sir!" said one of the guards.
Garnet looked at the guard. He was a little stronger than most of the others in Antium. However, Duke Wellington's guards were a little higher quality than the ones from Antium because they were not simply just relatives of other nobles.
Name: Louis
Level: 14
Class: Warrior
Sub-Class: None
Stats: ???
"Thank you," said Garnet. "I want everyone to listen because you may need to teach others to do this as well."
Herion and the guards are stood in front of Garnet, waiting for her to start speaking. She had to explain to them the purpose of a plow, a seed drill, and irrigation. It took a long time, but she handed out drawings of some of them in order to help them understand it.
"I see," said Herion. "This would ensure that every seed will grow and that all plants are watered with ease. I could easily maintain a much larger farm by myself."
"That is the purpose," said Garnet. "But it takes time for it to work, and then we need to convince others to do it, which is why you must succeed," said Garnet as she pointed to Herion.
"I understand, I will not let you or the Duke down," said Herion. "But what is that?" he asked pointing near the river.
"It's not done yet," said Garnet. "But that is a watermill. It uses water to move machines. For yours, it will help you turn something like wheat or corn into flour easily."
"So I can grow and make it myself as well?" asked Herion.
"Yes," said Garnet. "This is mostly for display, but it works. Normally, you want other people to do it to save time and energy."
"Thank you," said Herion. "With this I think I will do great this year."
"The guards here will stay to help until they finish with the watermill and the silos," said Garnet.
"How was this made so fast though?" asked Herion.
"The Duke mobilized a lot of resources," said Garnet. "He wants this to succeed, so he called in people and favors to get this done."
"Thank you for the opportunity," said Herion.
Garnet looked at the guards. "You're in charge," said Garnet as she pointed to Louis.
"Me?" said Louis.
"Every operation needs a leader," said Garnet. "And I choose you."
"Yes sir!" said Louis.
"I'll leave everything to you then," said Garnet. "Call: Lilim!" Garnet called forth her Bicorn and rode it away.
"Did she just summon a horse?!?" shouted Louis. "Our lord's wife is a mage!?!"
Garnet headed back to the Duke Wellington's manor. The sun was going to set soon. She had spent all day helping them setup on the farm. She spent more time listening to Ruby's stories before dinner.
"And that was when Anna hit daddy for the third time," said Ruby.
"Is daddy always like this?" asked Garnet.
"Whenever he does something not okay, either Leeroy tells him to stop or Anna hits him," said Ruby. "It happens a lot."
Garnet was learning a lot about Duke Wellington. Even though he maintained an image of seriousness in public, he was a very different person in private. He ate every meal he could with his house servants. He spent a lot of free time with Ruby. And, he had a habit of touching Anna inappropriately, usually by accident because he does not look at where he is going. Ruby had seen it every time and had started counting how many times Duke Wellington got hit by Anna.
"What does daddy say about mommy?" asked Garnet.
"He said that you will give me a brother or sister soon," said Ruby.
"He really told you that?" asked Garnet.
"Yes," said Ruby.
"Then I have to talk with him later," said Garnet.
At the dinner table, Garnet made sure everyone heard it. "I need to speak with you later Charles," said Garnet.
The entire table suddenly turned to look at Duke Wellington. The chatter started again. "What is it that I did this time?" whispered Duke Wellington.
"The question is what haven't you done yet," said Garnet.
Ruby looked at Garnet and Duke Wellington. "Don't interrupt them," said Anna. "It's best to leave them be."
"Okay," said Ruby.
That night, Duke Wellington pulled a piece of paper out to show Garnet. "Look!" he said.
"What is it?" asked Garnet. She looked at the piece of paper. The top of the paper said Certificate of Marriage. She looked down. The paper read: "This certifies that Charles Wellington and Garnet were united in marriage. This ceremony was witnessed and celebrated by Anna and Leeroy. Solemnized by Duke Wellington of Antium." It was a marriage license, issued and ceritified by himself.
"We're officially married!" said Duke Wellington. "What do you think?!?"
"Why do you keep doing this?!?" shouted Garnet. "Is this is what you were doing in the afternoon while I was at Herion's Farm?"
"Umm... yes?" said Duke Wellington.
Garnet raised her palm to her forehead.
"Are you okay?" asked Duke Wellington. "Is it another headache?"
"No," said Garnet. "I just wondered how stupid you were being."
"So are we going to fulfill the rites of a married couple their first night together?" asked Duke Wellington.
"Isn't that something like four years late?" asked Garnet.
"I just want a second child," said Duke Wellington.
"Alright," said Garnet. "I promised after all if you listened."
Duke Wellington was surprised. "Really?!?" said Duke Wellington. "I did not think you would agree."
"I've thought about all the things you've done for me," said Garnet. "You never questioned me and you believed my words no matter how ridiculous they sounded. You took my advice and did something completely new. You never once forced yourself onto me. And as long as you continue to do so, I will be your wife."
"For a moment there I was afraid you would stay mad," said Duke Wellington. "But I'm glad. It took many years for me to get to this point and to convince the others."
"What do you mean convince others?" asked Garnet.
"I actually had to convince a lot of my servants that it would be okay for me to marry you," said Duke Wellington. "Nearly all of them were against it at first, but I managed to get the law changed because after all, I am the Duke."
"Why did you do it?" asked Garnet.
"Because I want to marry someone who makes me a better person," said Duke Wellington. "Far too many nobles forget that status is not the only thing that is important. But when I spoke to you that first night, you told me something important."
"I can't remember," said Garnet. "That was something that I did not consider as important at the time." Garnet could remember many of their encounters, but not all of them.
"What you said was, 'We cannot make a moral sacrifice for any cause whatsoever,'" said Duke Wellington.
"Why is that important?" asked Garnet.
"When the invasion ended, I saw things," said Duke Wellington. "Many people died and it was the nobles who used the commoners as shields. The actual soldiers were not even mobilized until most of the drafted soldiers were already dead. The only reason that things are okay now is because people rely on the city walls and the invasion ended not too long ago. If things don't change, there will be a revolution before the next invasion. That will not only divide us, it may guarantee that the city will be doomed."
"I understand," said Garnet. "That is why before the next invasion, we must make sure you are King."
"But that's still a long way to go," said Duke Wellington. "It would take a miracle to become that strong."
"I have the power to grant miracles now," said Garnet. "So it is not impossible anymore." Garnet laid next to Duke Wellington. "Charles, close your eyes," she said. "I will give you your second child. Just promise me that this is the type of person you will continue to be. Don't stray from your current path."
"I promise," said Duke Wellington.
Charles closed his eyes and Garnet kissed him. This would be the first night of many that they would spend together. But despite this, Garnet knew the truth. If in order for Duke Wellington to become King Charles, their relationship would have to be broken. The only way for Duke Wellington to secure his position would be to ally with the Duchess of the East, Kiko, and that meant at best, Garnet would only be a concubine. However, for this brief period of time, she could at least experience the noble life and perhaps live a somewhat happy like with Ruby and the Duke.
Spoiler :
Name: Garnet
Level: 8
Class: Dark Mage
Sub-class: Temptress
Stats:
HP: 710/710
MP: 1740/1740
Fame: 20
Strength: 20 (+5)
Dexterity: 11 (+7)
Intelligence: 40 (+22)
Vitality: 21 (+5)
Agility: 19 (+7)
Charisma: 24 (+10)
PROFICIENCY: Weapon:
- One Handed Sword - 6
Magic:
- Fire – 4
- Lightning – 5
- Wind – 1
- Summoning – 7
- Blood – 3
- Spatial - 0
SKILLS: Weapon (One Handed Sword):
- Horizontal Slash (Level 3)
- Double Slash (Level 2)
- Crescent Slash
Weapon (Hand to Hand):
- Palm Strike
- Wind Palm
- Explosive Palm
- Lightning Palm
Class (Dark Mage):
- Fire Bolt (Level 5)
- Lightning Bolt (Level 6)
- Chain Lightning (Level 1)
- Light (Level 1)
- Air Bullet (Level 2)
- Mana Strike (Level 2)
- Mana Shield (Level 2)
- Call: Skeletal Hounds (Level 3)
- Call: Lilith (Level 1)
- Recall
- Dismiss
- Enhanced Mana Regeneration (Level 1)
- Blood Absorption (Level 4)
- Teleportation (Level 1)
- Teleportation Summoning Circle (Level 1)
*
Sub-class (Temptress):
- Enhanced Body (Level 2)
- Captivation: (Level 2)
- Mind Read: (Level 1)
- Drain Will (Level 3) -> Pleasure Inducement (Level 1)
- Sexy Walk (Level 1)
- Stealth (Level 1)
- Shadow Walk (Level 1)
Tradeskills:
- Hunting (Level 3) - Hunter
- Cooking (Level 4) - Cook
- Inspection (Level 1)
- Inventory Expansion (Level 2) Passives:
- Hand to Hand (Level 1)
- One Handed Sword (Level 1)
- Reflex (Level 3)
- Speed (Level 10)
- Physical Resistance (Level 3) Unique:
- Hero System (Passive)
- Otherworldly Knowledge (Passive)
- Golden Tongue (Passive)
- Mana Compatibility (Passive)
- Quick Learner (Passive)
- Channeling (Passive)
- Charging (Passive)