Testing a Theory

Mac sat in his office, tapping a pencil on his head, eyes closed and face scrunched in thought. This is a lot harder than I thought. The paper currently said 'Names' at the top, but underneath he had not written a single one.

He currently had three children on the way, but had no idea what to name them. It'd be nice to give similar names as their mothers, if only to keep track. Pragmatically (and if Marie had her way), he would end up with a decent amount of children, barring his untimely death. Besides Marie not being able too, the one's I've actually talked to all about it want to have several, and Felicia...Mac shook his head. Felicia wanted to have a dozen children like her parents had. Not that Mac had any issue on his end, but he was a little worried about how Felicia's body would hold up...

Setting down his pen, he realized he was getting nowhere. Deciding he could make better use of his time elsewhere, he took out their family schedule. Hmm, the farthest one out is Daisy, so...

Making his way out the door, he slipped down to the yard. With eight different fiances and wives, he felt bad when he didn't spend time with one of them for a while, so he tried to maximize the time he could spend with each of them.

Approaching Daisy's forge, he heard the telltale sign of clanking metal and billowing fire. As he approached, Daisy put down her hammer. “Honey, what are you doing here?”

Honey? Actually, that has a nice ring... “I came to see you, obviously,” Mac said with a smile, walking over and giving her a kiss.

Ben, who was working the forge, gave them an awkward smile. “Should I...head off for a bit?”

Daisy nodded, “Yeah, go see your wife. And tell her what you saw here so she doesn't get jealous over you,” she chuckled, pulling Mac down for another kiss.

As they headed for her hut, Daisy suddenly stopped. “Wait, I wanted to ask something first.”

Mac raised an eyebrow, “What's wrong? Do you not want-?”

“Oh no, I do, but I wanna know...” she explained, pulling his arm. They didn't go far, as behind her forge was their destination, a dozen carts pulled together full of rusty arms and armor.

“What in the Stone am I supposed to do with all this!? You want me to reforge all of these?”

“Oh, no no no, I have an idea. Actually...” Mac grinned, figuring now was as good a time as any. “Here, let's try it out.”

Mac grabbed a rusted pauldron. “Do you have any baking soda?”

Daisy raised an eyebrow, “Uh...I probably got some in my hut...” Daisy said, and walked inside to get it.

Mac grabbed an old tub lying around the forge, and filled it with water, before dropping the pauldron in.

Daisy returned, “What are...nevermind, I'll just watch.”

Mac took the baking soda. He wasn't sure how much should go in, so he put in quite a bit before setting it down. Then, he stuck his index fingers in, and started channeling his magic through the water in the tub.

Daisy looked like she understood, “So you're special magic can remove rust? But why did you need the water and baking soda?”

Mac shrugged, keeping the magic going at a low level, “I don't fully understand it, but I'm pretty sure this causes some sort of reaction that removes rust.” Or at least, that's how I remember it working in the videos.

Daisy sat down next to him. “So, how long does it take?”

Mac's stomach dropped, “I...don't know actually.”

An hour later, Mac was still casting magic, and seeing basically no affect on the rust. Did I screw something up? Does it just take longer?

Daisy had fallen asleep, head in his lap. I want to stroke your cheek, but I need to keep this going...

Another hour later, and Mac was starting to get tired. Alright, I'm just going to turn this up.

Imagining more electricity flowing through, he tried to cycle more and more into the water. Finally, he noticed some of the rust was bubbling off. Buoyed by the success, he turned it up a little higher, until the water was almost boiling.

His excitement had woken up Daisy, who rubbed her eyes while sitting up. “Mac, what...” but stopped when she noticed the tub. “Did you get it!?” she asked excitedly.

Mac nodded, “I think so, just a bit more...”

After a couple minutes of this, a thick goopy film had risen to the top of the water, so much so that he couldn't even see the pauldron any more. Stopping, he grabbed the pauldron out, slaking off the film of rust. After wiping it away, it looked shiny, with not a hint of rust on it.

Daisy's eyes went wide in astonishment. “Mac, that's amazing! It looks like someone just pulled it out of the quench! You were right about the reaction.”

Mac nodded, giving Daisy a hug in thanks.

“But...that took a long time. How long is it gonna take to do all these?”

Mac's stomach dropped again. I could use more magic, but... he felt exhausted after using his magic, the normal Magic Fatigue hitting him hard. He wasn't about to feint, but he thought it would be dangerous to use much more magic that day. “Um...I'll figure something out I guess.”

“Well, I trust ya,” she said, inching up and giving him a kiss. “So, should we go back to my hut now?”

Mac was fairly tired, but seeing Daisy's go at a seductive smile, he nodded and followed her in.

Quickly taking off her sarashi and pants, Mac followed suit. Daisy pushed him onto the bed, climbing on top and pushing herself up and down. Mac was exhausted, and Daisy easily made him finish.

“Haha, I must be too hot for ya,” Daisy laughed, laying down on his chest.

“Sorry, I think that magic took it out of me,” Mac explained, apologizing.

“S'okay, you'll have to visit me a lot if you're gonna get all that rust off,” she said, giving him another kiss.

Is he just defiling his women all the time? thought Gabriella as she sat in her room.

At the same time Mac was with Daisy, she was staring out the window, taking stock of her situation. He really hasn't tried to touch me. He hasn't even visited me at all.

Gabriella had locked herself in the room she was given after arriving, not opening the door except when the maids brought her food. Some of the woman (he presumed the King's wives) had tried to talk to her occasionally, but she had ignored them.

This doesn't get me anywhere though... She needed to figure out what she wanted to do. She could accept her fate, and marry the King, but that wasn't an actual option in her mind. She could try and escape, but where to? If she went back to Provent, that would cause her family problems, and her uncle would probably just send her back anyway. She could escape to another country, and try to join a mercenary crew or noble's guard. With my skills, that's probably my best bet.

Of course, then the issue was how to escape. The guards would know she wasn't to be allowed out of the palace (at least not without permission) and even if she did get out, she'd surely be hunted down.

I need to earn their trust. She sighed, knowing she had already messed that part up. She figured she'd try and start, assuming...

On cue, there was a knock at the door. “Gabriella? It's Melissandra, I was hoping maybe you had changed your mind on speaking-” she stopped as Gabriella opened the door.

Doing her best to put on a smile, Gabriella motioned, “Sure, come on in.”

Melissandra nodded, and swiftly sat down at Gabriella's tea table.

“Would you like some water?” Gabriella offered.

“Sure, I do feel a bit thirsty.”

Gabriella poured some water in a glass, watching Melissandra as she took a sip. She had long dark blue hair, done up in twin tails, and was wearing a loose-fitting robe, as she looked to be one of the pregnant ones. “So, Melissandra, are you one of his dozen Queens?”

Melissandra nodded, “Yes, although only three of us are actually married so far. I'm technically the First Queen, although Mac tries to treat us all equally, so there isn't any rank in practice.”

Gabriella 'hmpf'd. “Really? He treats you all equally?”

Melissandra tapped her chin in thought, “In truth, I feel like sometimes he favors me. Although when I brought it up with the others, they all thought the same, except about themselves. So, he's at least doing a decent job,” she explained with a giggle.

Gabriella wasn't sure how to respond.

Melissandra took the silence and decided to ask, “So, Gabriella, what are your thoughts on Mac? He told me his side of your interactions, but I wanted to hear from you as well.”

Gabriella's face twitched a bit. “I had expected to have to defend myself from him trying to have his way with me, but instead he just stayed holed up with the red-haired one the whole way here.”

Melissandra smiled, “Marie? Yes, she's a...recent fiance,” she added, giggling.

Gabriella stared at her. “You're his First Queen, and you aren't upset at all?”

Melissandra shook her head, “No, especially not at someone like Marie. She's a wonderful addition to the family.”

Gabriella pressed further, “Really? Are you saying you don't want him for yourself?”

Melissandra frowned, “Of course. I mean...would I love to run away with Mac and spend the rest of our lives living on some island alone together? ...Actually,” she shook her head, “No, I can't even say that anymore. Marie, Kay, Felicia, Emma, and everyone else, I'd miss them too much.”

Gabriella was struck into silence again. What kind of lovey-dovey atmosphere does this family have? “Do you all really get along that well?”

“Yes,” Melissandra nodded. “I make sure of it,” she added, a hint of menace behind her smile.

Gabriella gulped. How am I supposed to earn their trust then? Just pretend to get along with all of them? I guess if the King isn't going to touch me, I should be safe, until I can get away eventually.

Since Gabriella seemed to be thinking in silence again, Melissandra decided to ask, “Are you going to just stay holed up? You are welcome to go around the palace as you like. Although I don't think you should go to the inner palace.”

Gabriella nodded. She knew going into the inner palace would amount to accepting an engagement with Mac, or at least committing to being a concubine, so she wouldn't be caught dead there. For that same reason she had avoided going into Mac's carriage on the way to the palace.

Melissandra nodded back. “Was there anything else you wanted to ask?”

Gabriella thought for a moment. “Are you trying to convince me to marry Mac as well by coming here?”

Melissandra shook her head. “Not at all. In truth I hope Mac continues to decline entering any sort of relationship with you.”

Gabriella was supporting her head with her hand, but it slipped off, almost hitting the table. “Wha...what? Really?”

“Yes. I don't think you'd be a good fit,” she explained, before getting up and heading out of the room.

Gabriella sat in silence as she left. What am I supposed to do now...

In another part of the palace, Fiona was standing in front of a mirror, white dress gleaming.

“You look wonderful Fio,” Felicia said, grabbing Fiona's shoulders and rubbing cheeks with her.

Fiona blushed a bit. “I don't know, I don't think I have as good a figure as you, sister.”

Felicia, also trying on her wedding dress, looked down at herself. “Mmm, I dunno. I mean, Mac obviously likes mine, but doesn't La Hire like yours?”

Fiona blushed a bit more, but nodded, “That's true.”

Felicia leaned in close, whispering “Did you two do anything yet?”

Fiona shook her head, “No...I tried some of the things you told me, but he just seemed to get embarrassed.”

Felicia looked up, thinking, “Hmmm, and he definitely hasn't been with anyone else? What did Kelly say?”

“Kelly is rather upset, she keeps telling me to do something so she can take her turn,” Fiona said, giving a weak smile.

“Maybe he wants to wait until you're married. That is rather common,” Felicia suggested.

Fiona nodded, “I hope it is just that. Of course, we still haven't decided on a date, with how busy he is...”

Felicia was silent for a bit, but then smiled, “I think I have an idea.”

In her office, Marie was going about her normal paperwork, looking over reports relating to the Kingdom. Ever since she had successfully developed a more...intimate...relationship with Mac, she had felt refreshed, and tackled her work with a renewed vigor. Her marriage probably wouldn't be occurring for a while, though. Which is fine, Marie thought. I just wanted to be lovers anyways.

Of course, Mac hadn't been content with that, and had wanted to make her one of his brides anyway, despite her protests (which she eventually realized would be futile). This caused her to give a bit of a smile as her thoughts distracted her.

“Hehe, what are you smiling about? Thinking about your husband-to-be?” came a voice from in front of her.

Marie looked down over her glasses to see Rhea, who was sitting on the desk, playing with one of the royal stamps. Giving a slight cough, she nodded, “Yes. I just got a bit distracted.” Looking at Rhea, she asked, “Not that I mind the company, but I am feeling better now, after all the help you gave.”

Rhea smiled, zipping up to the air in front of her, “Of course! I'm always happy to see children happy.”

Marie nodded, “Yes I really appreciate it. You can stay if you want, but are you sure the others are fine?”

“Probably. I mean, yes, I think they're all fine,” Rhea explained, a melancholic look on her face.

Marie raised an eyebrow. What is this? I've never seen her make that expression. “Rhea, are you sure?”

Rhea looked like she was about to say something, but then stopped herself. After some deliberation, she continued, “Well, there is something...”

Later that night, Mac was laying in bed, naked, with Kay.

“Nyahaha, you're as gung-ho as always,” Kay said, breathing heavily.

Mac was slowly petting her ears.

“Hey, I know you like my cat-parts, but pay attention to the rest of me!”

Mac stopped, and decided to start licking her nipples.

“Nyahaha, that tickles!” she said, pulling his head close. Going red in the face, she added “Okay, I get it, you like my chest too. Now stick it in again, already!”

Mac nodded, getting on top of her and quickly inserting himself again.

Kay pulled herself up, hanging off Mac's neck with her torso suspended, shaking every time Mac pounded into her.

“Oh, keep going, keep going,” she added, almost shouting.

Mac pulled her tightly against him as he released inside her, causing her to shake in pleasure.

Laying down again, Kay kept covering him in kisses.

“You're the one who seems gung-ho tonight,” Mac chuckled between kisses.

“Of course, this is the last time I get you before our wedding! I gotta make the most of it.”

Mac winced a bit, wishing he could spend more time with each of them. “Well, we'll go as long as you want.”

Kay climbed on top of him, furiously rubbing his member to get it erect again. “Nyahaha, I'm holding you to that!”

Fantasy Sweat Shop

The next day, Mac was spending the afternoon with Eleanor. She seemed excited about something, and half-dragged him down from the palace into the city. “What's wrong?”

Eleanor smiled, “I just want to show you something!”

Mac wrapped his arm behind Eleanor, which finally got her to slow down. Eleanor was starting to show her pregnancy, but more noticeably she had regained some of the....bubbly aspects to her figure ever since she got pregnant. Despite the striking figure she had temporarily had, Mac thought he preferred this version of Eleanor most.

Just inside the gate, there was a nondescript building, although it had the royal insignia of Ositania on a sign in front of it.

“What is this? I don't remember-” Mac stopped as Eleanor swung open the door. Inside, there was a dozen woman sitting around a table, hurriedly sewing. Is this the fantasy version of a sweat shop!? Mac shook his head. As they entered, the women all hurriedly stood up and curtsied. Except one, who stood up and came to welcome them.

“Your majesties, how are you doing? Checking in on our progress?” Bella asked.

The other women seemed surprised at Bella's familiarity, and nervously sat down and started sewing again.

Eleanor smiled, and gave Bella a hug. “Yes, I wanted to show Mac the workshop.”

“Of course! Come in, come in...” she bade them follow her. To one side, they went through a door into a small room with another door to the outside, which looked like a simple store-front. “This is the main entrance.”

Eleanor added, “Sometimes we get people coming in for custom orders, and sometimes we get bulk orders from the clothing stores.”

Mac nodded, “Seems like a good business model.”

Bella showed them do a different, larger room. In this one, dozens of dresses were hanging everywhere. “We're trying to stay ahead of orders, but we don't always know when they're going to come in.”

Mac asked, “Have you tried doing any predictive analysis? Oh...” Mac quickly continued, seeing they were confused. “It's when you look at order trends and see if you can find any reasoning, and plan ahead to guess when you'll need more.”

Bella scratched her head, “Well, we got a lot before and after your wedding with Emma.”

Eleanor nodded in agreement, “Which makes sense. A lot of people would want new dresses for the wedding, and a lot would probably like, or might be jealous of, other dresses they see at the wedding, and put in similar orders.”

Bella nodded, “We can try and make sure we're stocked up before each one. Keep getting married and the Kingdom will be rich!”

“Well, I've got a few more coming...” Mac said sheepishly, scratching his cheek.

Bella looked as if she remembered something. “Oh, since you're here, I wanted you to try something...” Bella said, walking behind the dresses. Returning after a couple moments, she handed something to Mac. “Here ya go. I have no idea what 'pole-lye-ster' is, but I replicated as close as I could with the materials I had.”

Mac's eyes widened in shock. It's a tracksuit! he thought, unfurling it in front of him. While the material wasn't the same, it was about as close as you could expect to get in a fantasy world. Mac was moved to tears, “Thanks Bella, this is amazing!”

Bella laughed, “Haha, don't thank me, thank your wife here, it was her idea!”

Mac pulled Eleanor close and gave her a kiss, which Eleanor turned into a make out.

Bella, thankfully, just laughed some more. “Haha, you two lovebirds, you're first one isn't even out yet! Well...not that I should say anything with my third coming...” she added, rubbing her own protruding stomach.

Eleanor let Mac go. “Try it on!”

“Right here!?” Mac asked, confused.

Bella shook her head, “We have a changing room in the front for customers, let's go back.”

Following her back to the front of the store, Mac entered the changing room, and put on the new tracksuit. It fit pretty well. They must have used my other one to base it off of.

Going out, Eleanor made a huge smile, while Bella looked him over. “Hmm, seems like it fits right. Comfortable on your end?”

Mac nodded, “Yes, honestly it's better than I could have hoped.”

Bella smiled, “Good. I'll have a couple more made for you, then we're gonna start production on them.”

Mac scrunched his head. Production? They could use a sewing machine, but I have no idea how those work, unfortunately. Maybe there's a design in my engineering book?

“Well, if there's nothing else, I'm gonna get back to work,” Bella said.

Eleanor shook her head, “No, thank you as always Bella.”

As she walked into the back of the shop again, Mac went back into the changing room. As he went to close the door, a hand reached around to stop him.

“Wha-...” he started, before being shoved inside. Eleanor had gone in with him, locking the door behind him. “Elly?”

Eleanor turned around, blushing red. “We won't have time once we're back, and it's been a bit...” she said, slowly lifting her skirt.

Mac, getting excited by the situation, gulped but nodded.

Eleanor smiled, and took off her panties, while Mac slid his pants down. Gently shoving her against the wall, Mac bent her over and inserted his already erect member into her from behind. Pulling down her dress, he grasped her hanging breasts as he started thrusting into her.

“Oh...” Eleanor moaned, covering her mouth as she cried out. Mac went quicker and quicker, clutching her voluptuous breasts tight as he slapped against her. After going for just a minute, he started emptying inside her.

Turning around, Eleanor grasped onto Mac tightly, kissing him slowly before they caught their breath.

“We better get going before someone finds us...” Mac suggested.

Eleanor nodded, pulling her panties back up as Mac got back into his normal outfit.

Walking back up the path to the palace, arm in arm, Mac was thinking about the shop still. “Are we...paying them well?” Mac asked.

Eleanor nodded. “Yes, they had to sign a contract of secrecy, but they're getting paid one and a half times the normal seamstress rate.”

Mac nodded. I guess it's not really a sweat shop then...

Later that day, Mac was heading to dinner, having finished looking through one of his books. Dam, I was hoping there would be a sewing machine diagram, but nothing...

As he entered the royal family dining hall, he was pleasantly surprised to see all of his partners there, for what he thought was the first time. While he was usually not alone (and Melissandra was there almost every day) it wasn't uncommon for some to miss or eat in their rooms or office, and Charlotte and Daisy often just skipped altogether, busy with working on other things.

As he walked over, however, he realized an issue. The table there sat eight, and Mac was the ninth person to enter. Uh...this is awkward.

Marie, who saw Mac enter and seemed to realize the issue first, stood up. “I'll just be-” before Mac cut her off.

“It's fine, I'll grab an extra chair,” Mac said. Grabbing one from the side of the room, he carried it over and sat at the end of the table.

Marie nodded, “Sorry, I'll have an extra table brought in tomorrow.”

“Like I said, it's fine, I didn't think about it either. Although, yeah we should get the extra table.” Looking at the three (known) pregnant partners, he added “Maybe two just to be safe.”

Marie smiled and nodded.

Emma giggled, “Look at you two being all lovey-dovey already.”

Mac looked confused, “Was it really? That just seemed like a normal conversation...”

Felicia smirked, “True, although it sounds like they were already plenty 'lovey-dovey' while they were away...” causing Kay and Emma to giggle.

Marie blushed heavily, focusing intently on her stew.

Mac put up his hands, “Hey now, don't tease Marie too much.”

Marie shook her head, “It's fine. They're not wrong...” she added, looking at Mac and blushing again.

They all ate while chatting amicably for a while. Mac noticed Rhea was absent, but assumed she was maybe relaxing or chatting up a tree somewhere.

When they were finishing up dinner, Melissandra turned and whispered to Mac. “I think you should visit Gabriella tonight.”

Mac spat out his fruit-water, causing everyone to look at him.

Melissandra sighed, “I guess there's no point in not letting everyone else know. I'm not saying spend the night with her, but I think you should at least try to communicate with her, since you have the night off from us.”

Emma asked “Are you talking about that one girl you brought? You didn't seem like you were too interested in her, so...”

Mac shook his head, “I'm not.”

Marie gave a pained smile, “I know you don't like her, but...”

Mac shook his head again, “I get the potential upsides, but she doesn't seem interested in me, and after the way she acted, I just don't think our personalities mesh. And you all know me well enough to know I wouldn't force anything. She's just not my type.”

“Nyahaha, what is your type?” Kay asked while giggling.

“Umm...well....all of you, I guess?” Mac stuttered out.

This earned him several giggles and smiles.

“Um....even me?” Charlotte asked from the other end of the table. She had been mostly silent until now. “I thought you just wanted me to get the deal with the elves...and for my inventions.”

Mac walked over and gave Charlotte a kiss on the cheek, “Yes, including you.”

Charlotte blushed heavily, causing Eleanor to lean over and hug her close, as Mac sat back down.

“So, yeah, I really don't think it will work out, it would do more harm to our family than good,” Mac concluded.

Melissandra nodded, “I agree.”

Mac was incredulous, “Wait, why did you suggest I talk to her then?”

Melissandra shrugged. “People can change. She's incompatible now, but maybe it will be different in the future.”

Mac held his forehead, waiting a few moments. “Okay, okay, I'll give a shot. But I'm not promising anything.”

Melissandra smiled, leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, before heading out.

Mac stayed and continued slowly eating as the others left, putting off leaving as long as possible. Eventually, only Daisy was left, eating her seventh or eighth bowl based on how many were sitting in front of her.

Mac watched as she methodically devoured another.

Daisy, noticing Mac was watching, blushed a bit. “What? I'm hungry! I need to get up here more often honestly, eating it right out of the kitchen is much better.”

Mac shook his head, “I'd eat that much too if I was hammering all day,” he explained, remembering his short stint of blacksmithing he had done to make her dagger, before getting up and kissing her cheek as he went to leave. Daisy smiled at him, before motioning to the maid for another bowl.

Making his way out of the inner palace, he walked over to where Gabriella's room was. Knocking on the door, he heard a shuffling inside, before it opened a crack. Mac could see Gabriella's eye squint through the opening.

“You've finally come. What do you want?” she asked.

Mac took a deep breathe. Try not to be hostile... “I was hoping maybe we could talk a bit.”

“Ha, really? How do I know you didn't get tired of your women and want me now?” she asked.

“What do you mean? They were the ones who sent me over!”

Gabriella seemed taken aback by this, before responding, “Well, I don't want to talk anyway.”

Mac shook his head. “Please, I'm not going to do anything...” he tried reasoning with her, knowing his partners might get mad if he gave up so easily. “You have your sword, right? Just keep it on you if you're that worried.”

Gabriella thought for a moment, before opening the door slowly with a “Fine.”

Mac walked in and followed her over to her tea table. He noticed she had barely unpacked her chests at all, but decided not to mention anything.

Pouring himself some water, Mac took a sip.

Gabriella was staring at him, one hand on her sword hilt. “How long do you intend on keeping me here?”

Mac winced. Right into it, I guess. “As long as I need too in order to guarantee peace with Provent. Isn't that why your uncle sent you?”

Gabriella bit her lip, knowing that was true. “You won't force me to be one of your women?”

Mac laughed, causing Gabriella to lose her grip in surprise. “Haha, are you kidding me? Besides the fact that I wouldn't do that anyway, I've already got enough. Not that I don't care about all of them...but it's not like I need any more. Or if I did, it'd have to be really important,” he pragmatically added, knowing a situation might arise in the future.

“So, you're just going to keep me locked in my room forever?” she asked, giving him an angry look.

“It'd be an issue if you left, but you can walk around the palace if you want,” Mac looked at her grip on her sword. “Actually, why don't you train with the guards? I'm sure you don't want your sword skills to get rusty.”

Taken aback again, Gabriella looked at her sword. “You're fine with that?”

Mac shrugged, “Yeah, why not. I doubt the guards will be upset at having another sparring partner, especially if you're good.”

Gabriella gave a wicked grin, “Alright, I'll take you up on that then.”

Mac sighed. At least we can talk now. I should probably just end it here for tonight.

Getting up and leaving with a 'good night', he left the room, hearing Gabriella click the lock right after he exited.

Well, I wasn't expecting a change that quickly.

What a Spirit Wants

After the short conversation with Gabriella, Mac went to the royal bath to calm down. Quickly taking off his clothes, he walked over and slipped into the bath, relaxing as he soaked his body in the steaming hot water. Not that he didn't enjoy the company of his wives and fiances, but it was nice to relax by himself once in a while.

So of course, as he closed his eyes, he heard a soft 'Hehehe' from behind him. Who is- he started to think, before he felt something on his head.

“You enjoying yourself?” asked the figure sitting there, leaning over and looking in his face.

“Rhea...what are you doing here?” Mac asked, blowing up a thin stream of air at her.

Rhea pretended to be blown away before recovering. “I wanted to come talk to you! You're always busy with your women, and have no time for poor little Rhea,” she explained, pretending to pout.

“I'm sorry, I'll try and make some time for you, too,” Mac pondered, rubbing a finger on her head. “Although I did miss you at dinner.”

“Yeah, I was doing some thinking. But I also wanted to talk...alone,” Rhea said, going into an uncharacteristically serious tone.

Mac stopped rubbing her head and sat cross-legged in the bath, allowing Rhea to sit on his knee cross-legged as well. “Alright, what did you want to discuss.” If she's this serious, I'm guessing it must be fairly important. Is there some serious issue with one of the girls? Maybe she needs to leave? Hopefully we can figure it out.

Rhea, keeping her serious tone, asked, “Do you consider me part of your family?”

Mac raised an eyebrow, “I mean, at this point it feels like you just belong, right? And you're even technically related to Eleanor as well, if distantly. So yes, I would say so.”

Rhea continued, “And do you like having me around?”

Mac nodded, “Of course. I know the others do, too. I, um...” Mac paused a bit, before continuing, “...I would definitely be sad if you left.”

Rhea nodded back and gave him a smile, “Since all that's the case, how about we make it more official then?”

Mac was confused, “What do you mean? You...oh...” he trailed off, realizing what she was getting at by the way she was fluttering her eyelashes. “You...are you saying you want to get married? To me?”

Rhea vigorously nodded her head. “I got a bit a jealous of you and your wives, and realized I should just join you all! Assuming you'll have me, of course,” she asked demurely.

Mac didn't know how to respond. “Um...how...can a spirit even get married? That seems a bit...”

Rhea shrugged, “No one said we couldn't. I even asked Marie if there would be any issue and she said no. Actually, she seemed pretty excited when I told her I wanted too.”

“You talked to Marie about it already!?”

“Yeah I talked to everyone. I know the rule...you got to get everyone's permission first, right? They acted kind of how you did, although everyone said they approved,” Rhea explained.

Mac held his head, trying to think through this situation. Well, I can tell this isn't some spur of the moment decision, at least. “Look, I...” Mac still wasn't sure how to respond. A primordial spirit was basically an angel, or maybe even a god, of this world. How exactly was he supposed to be married to one?

Am I...am I just overthinking this? I mean, I care about Rhea, and she obviously cares about all of us. Should I just go for it?

Sighing, Mac looked at Rhea, still sitting on his knee, as she pretended to whistle and twirled her hair in her fingers. “Alright, I can't think of a good reason to refuse. And I can think of a lot of reasons to say yes. I do care about you. And honestly, we're so close already it feels like we're married anyway.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Mac thought Rhea might have blushed at that, but it was hard to tell on her small purple cheeks. She flew up and hugged his face, “Yay! I thought you would probably accept, but it's nice to know for sure.”

“So, how exactly are we going to do this? By what you said, I'm assuming you want to be treated like everyone else?” Mac asked, patting her head again.

“Of course! We can go on dates! And we'll have a big wedding! And...and I want to have a least 4 kids, preferably two boys and two girls, but I won't be upset if we have more, so-”

Mac cut her off, “Um...it might be a bit hard to have kids...”

Rhea also looked confused, “What? Did you forget!? I'm pretty sure I told you!” she said, before flying up. Suddenly, she started glowing bright (well, brighter than normal), and then began to enlarge.

Mac's jaw dropped as Rhea grew in front of him. After a few seconds, the light dimmed, and Mac could see a human-sized Rhea in front of him, still purple, and now completely naked, the leaf she had been wearing having fallen into the bath.

“Wow...” was all Mac said.

Rhea paid him no heed as she was looking herself over. Stopping at her breasts, she seemed unhappy with the size, and made them grow a bit extra, now probably as large as Felicia's. Looking at her hair, she grew it out a few extra inches so it was down to her waist. Nodding in approval at her changes, she floated down and lightly splashed into the tub, leaning in front of Mac. “What do you think?” she said, giving him a big grin. “I told you I could control my own body when we first met!”

“Oh, you did, I remember now...”

“Hehehe, well...”

“You're, um, very beautiful.”

Rhea looked down at his crotch, “Yeah, I can tell you're excited. I did wonder if me being purple would affect anything...”

“Nope, definitely not,” Mac replied, trying in vain to cover his erect shaft.

Rhea crawled over and grabbed Mac's chin, kissing him passionately. “I've seen you do this enough to know how it goes,” she said, giving a seductive smile.

Mac grabbed her breasts, which felt more silken then a person's skin. He began squeezing and massaging as they continued making out. Rhea grabbed his shaft and started furiously rubbing. Mac moaned in between kisses, causing Rhea to giggle.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked.

“You...for sure want to?” Mac asked back.

Rhea nodded, “Ever since I met Elly, and thought about Celestina...I wanted to try this out for myself. And after spending so much time together, I realized I wanted it to be with you.”

Mac was overcome with emotion, not sure how he felt about being the desired first partner for a spirit. Of course, this was barely a step up from some of the craziness he had been through already. Grabbing Rhea's sides, he gently slid her onto his quivering shaft.

Rhea winced a bit in pain.

Mac, despite the situation, asked, “Couldn't you have made that...easier on yourself?”

Rhea shook her head, “No, it means nothing if it's not the authentic experience.”

Well, I guess I can't argue with that. Slowly moving in and out, Mac's shaft moved back and forth, with Rhea giggling.

“Why are you laughing?” Mac asked, breathing heavily.

“It feels so good! No wonder your wives want to do this all the time!” she said, before leaning forward and kissing him again. Mac pulled her close, shoving himself deeper and pressing her breasts against his chest.

“This...is...amazing!” she said between kisses, grabbing his back as Mac started to thrust faster.

“Rhea, I'm about to...”

Rhea simply nodded and kept kissing him.

Mac started to release inside her, thrusting deeply, body shaking as he did.

Rhea moaned loudly in pleasure, breathing heavily as well, and resting her head on Mac's shoulder. “Mhhh, can we just stay like this for a bit? Feeling connected is so nice...”

Mac nodded, keeping still and holding her closely. He could see the sweat dripping down her back and around her wings. I guess even spirits get exhausted from sex.

Rhea eventually let go and leaned back on her hands. “Is this good for you? I can modify myself if you want.”

Mac shook his head, “No, it's great. Like I said, you're beautiful.”

Rhea smiled, “That's nice to hear, this is how I imagined myself looking. Well, I may have made my breasts a little larger than I originally intended, although that seemed to end up being a good decision....” she explained, giving a seductive smile again as she lightly bounced her chest.

Mac, watching her do this, got hard again.

“Haha, I'm glad I can turn you on so easily. I really was worried I might have trouble, but you're already ready to-”

Mac interrupted her by picking her up, and gently laying her on a towel behind him (careful not to bend her wings, although they seemed to be pretty sturdy).

“Ohhh, this is nice too, go ahead and take the lead...” Rhea said with a smile.

Mac grabbed and inserted himself again as she lay there, leaning over and kissing her as she moaned in response. He started thrusting faster and faster, their kissing becoming sloppier as it got hard to focus due to the intense pleasure.

After a bit, he felt himself coming again, and wrapped his arms around her as he forced himself deep into her.

Moaning some more, Rhea arched her back in pleasure as Mac released inside her again.

Collapsing on the ground next to her, Mac wiped the sweat off her brow. She smiled and gave him another kiss for good measure.

After they had both caught their breath, they got back into the bath, washing each other of sweat, although while Mac was soaping up Rhea he got hard again, causing them to have another go in the bath and needing to spend longer washing up.

After they finally finished, they got out and dried themselves off.

“Well, should we go tell the others the good news?” she asked, hugging him tightly.

Mac, trying to not get too excited again, nodded.

Rhea started to glow again and transform, but Mac grabbed her hand.

“No..I mean...do you want to stay like that?” Mac asked.

“But I...oh...” she said, blushing again as she saw Mac scratching his cheek. “Do you like this form that much?”

“I mean, your small form is cute, and I'm sure it will be useful sometimes. But...yeah, I do...” he said, leaning in and giving her a kiss as reinforcement.

“Hehe, well, after what we just did, I think I prefer this form too...”

However, they hadn't realized how much time they had spent in the bath, and most everyone was already asleep. Since the night had been scheduled as a rest day for Mac (that didn't happen...), no one was waiting on him. Except, there was one person still awake at that hour.

“Well, judging by the fact your walking hand in hand wearing bathrobes, I'm going to assume everything went well?” Marie asked, walking up behind them.

They both nodded.

Realizing something, Mac asked “Wait, you're not surprised by Rhea's form?”

Marie shook her head, “She was talking about having children, so I assumed she could do something like this. I mean, she is a spirit.”

Rhea asked, “What did you think of me wanting to have a wedding? I know it might surprise some people, but...”

Marie nodded, “Yes, you want a normal wedding right? I think we should just treat is as such.”

“So...we're gonna tell them it's the primordial spirit Arborhea?” Mac asked, somewhat incredulous.

“Yes. We don't have to make a big deal out of it, but we also don't need to hide it. It's possible some think we're joking, actually...a lot of people might think we're joking, but it's not like they will be able to say anything when they get a glimpse of her,” she said, pointing to her purple skin and green wings.

“Uh, good point,” Mac conceded.

“Rhea, do you...want to invite any other spirits? I don't even know how I would, but if there's something I can do...” Marie asked.

Rhea shook her head, “Once news starts spreading around, any that are interested will hear, and come if they want. I doubt many would, but I guess we'll see.”

Marie nodded, “Okay.”

“Do we need to be worried about other countries? Could they get upset?” Mac asked.

“No, if anything it will just raise the countries prestige, having a Spirit Queen.”

Rhea put her hands to her sides and puffed out her chest proudly.

“Besides, what would they even do?” Marie added.

“I don't know, but spirits are basically legends, right?” Mac asked, face scrunching up.

Marie shrugged, “You had gods of legend in your world right? What would you have done if one came down to marry your King?”

Mac tried to imagine the scenario playing out in his world, “I guess...there would probably be some uproar, but mostly things would keep going on as they were, and it would die down once people got accustomed to it.”

“Exactly. It's a big deal, but it's not world-shattering or anything.”

I still feel like that's simplifying it a bit much, but at this point I guess we're going with it. He looked over at Rhea, who was holding her face in her hands and making a giddy smile. Seeing her this happy is worth it, too.

Marie nodded, “If you'll excuse me, I'll let you two turn in for the night,” she said, giving them a knowing smile.

Rhea wrapped herself tightly around him, pressing her breasts against him, before dragging him to his room.

As they entered, Mac said, “You know, once we announce it, you can have your own room, too, right? You don't need to sleep in random people's rooms?”

Rhea looked up thoughtfully, “Hmm, that sounds nice, although I might slip into people's room sometimes anyways...”

“Well, I'm sure they don't mind...” Mac replied, before grabbing some pajamas.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Rhea said, before untying her bathrobe.

“Oh...” Mac said, dropping his pajamas as the naked Rhea leaped at him.

In the morning, Mac woke up, his body being held tightly. As this was not unusual for him anymore, he opened his eyes, to see the very unusual sight of purple hair in his face.

Remembering the previous night, he ruffled Rhea's hair. “Hey, wake up, or we're gonna miss breakfast.”

Rhea, still half asleep, started flapping her wings, and in doing so lifted herself, and the Mac she was holding, off the bed.

Mac, struggling in her grip, tried to wake her up. “Hey, we're gonna hit the ceiling!” he half-shouted. Since she wasn't waking up, he grabbed her head and gave her a deep kiss.

Eyes shooting open, Rhea's wings abruptly stopped flapping and they dropped back onto the bed.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I forgot I was big!” she said, frantically apologizing.

Mac wrapped his hand around her cheek, “It's okay, I'm not mad, just a bit afraid of bonking my head.”

Giving him a big hug, she flapped her wings in delight.

“Come on, let's get to breakfast and let everyone know,” Mac said, getting dressed.

“Err....” Rhea said, kneeling on the bed naked, pushing her fingers together.

“Oh...you don't have any clothes that size...well, if you wanna go back to normal-”

Rhea put up her fist, “No, this is my new normal! I'll just wear the bathrobe again!”

Mac shook his head, before rummaging around in his drawers. “I think...ah, here...” he pulled out a white dress. Unsurprisingly, sometimes women's clothes ended up in his room, and his wives often left extra clothes in his cupboard, just in case they were needed. While this probably wasn't what they had in mind by 'just in case', it still would help out here.

“Here, I think this is one of Mel's extra's,” he said, handing it to her.

Rhea looked at it, “You don't think she'll be mad?”

“No, I don't think so. Although we should get you your own clothes when...” he stopped as she pulled the dress over herself, and he realized an issue: she had no undergarments. While the bottom half was probably fine, since this was a longer dress, her nipples were poking through as her breasts barely fit inside.

Rhea looked down, “Oh...hold on,” she said, before her nipples stopped poking through.

“You can get rid of them? I feel like you have too much control of your own body.”

Rhea giggled, “No, silly, I just inverted them for now. I'll pop them back out once we're naked again,” she added with a smile.

Mac didn't even know how to react to that, as Rhea kept giggling at the face he was making.

Walking down the hall, hand in hand, Rhea kept giggling more.

Mac smiled, “Why are you still giggling? I mean, it's cute, but...”

Rhea gave him another kiss, “I just can't help it, this feeling is so amazing. It's like the first time I grew a tree.”

Um...that's gotta be high praise coming from her, right? “I'll do my best to keep you feeling that way,” he responded, and gave her another kiss back.

In the dining hall, they received the reaction Mac expected, which is to say, his other partners were all incredibly surprised, until they realized the purple girl must be Rhea, and all rushed her.

“Rhea! That's you right? That means everything went well?” Melissandra asked excitedly.

Rhea nodded. “Yup, Mac couldn't resist me!”

Felicia smirked, “Not hard to see why...”

Kay and Emma were hugging each other, a sad expression on their faces. “Traitor! We thought you were one of us!”

Eleanor was simply hugging Rhea and rubbing cheeks.

While they were busy celebrating, Mac sat down next to the only one who wasn't surprised.

“You sure this will work fine?” Mac asked her.

Marie nodded. “Yes, I thought more on it last night and I'm sure it will. Or, well, we'll make it work.”

Mac smiled and nodded. However, he quickly became distracted though, as he noticed the maid who was attending them was sitting in the corner of the room, very confused. Ah, shoot...

Pointing this out to Marie, she held her head, “Yes, I had thought about that, but I wasn't sure what to do...”

“Maybe just introduce her to the maids later? Rhea loves doing big reveals.”

“If we do, it will get out right away to the other nobles,” Marie reminded him.

Mac shrugged, “It's gonna get out anyways.”

Marie thought for a moment, “Maybe we should at least wait until after your and Kay's wedding. Lord Gascon might take it as us upstaging this huge wedding he has planned.”

Mac nodded, agreeing with that logic. Yeah, I'd rather not make him upset.

Marie motioned to the maid, getting her to bring some more food out. Standing up, she gave Mac a kiss, whispering into his ear, “See you tonight.”

Blushing a bit, Mac nodded, watching as she left the dining hall.

Around the Castle

That morning, Mac finished his paperwork quickly and went down to try and remove some more rust.

On his way, he stopped by to give Daisy a quick kiss, and then went to the station he had set up. Setting a few pieces into the tub, he added some baking soda and slowly started charging up the water. If he used a lot of electricity, he could de-rust a few pieces in a few minutes, but it sapped a lot of his energy.

Sitting back, holding himself up with his hands, he took a few deep breaths. This really does take it out of me. I guess it's good practice though.

Taking out and storing the pieces he cleaned, he started walking back up to the castle, until he noticed Emma in the distance.

“Heuuugh,” he heard from her as he approached. She put her hands on her knees, before wiping sweat off her brow.

Mac noticed piles of dirt around her. “Practicing your magic?”

Emma turned around surprised, but then smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I wanna move enough to be useful, but it's slow going.”

Mac nodded back, “Yeah, it took me a while to build it up. Even now I can only use at full power for a few minutes before I feel like passing out.”

Emma moved one more mound of dirt, before dropping on her butt and breathing heavily. “Hey, are you busy right now?” she asked.

Mac shook his head, “No, I'm spending time with Felicia this afternoon, but I was gonna rest until then.”

Emma smiled, pulling Mac down onto the ground, and then sitting in his lap.

Mac wrapped his arms around her.

“You gonna kiss me or what?” Emma said teasingly, looking up at him.

Mac pulled pack her sweaty brows and kissed her forehead.

Emma giggled, “That tickled,” but seemed satisfied.

After relaxing for a few minutes, Emma asked, “Can we visit the farm some time?”

“What, are you homesick?” Mac asked.

“No...well, maybe a little?”

Mac shrugged, “I don't see why not. Although it'll need to wait until we have some time.”

Emma nodded, “I know, it doesn't need to be right away. I just wanna see my parents and siblings again.”

Mac smiled, giving her another hug as they relaxed in the grass.

In the afternoon, Mac went to get Felicia, who was with her siblings again. Mac knocked and went in, only to be attacked by a young boy and girl grabbing onto his legs, their normal custom when he visited.

Rubbing their heads, he asked, “Having fun?”

“Are you here to take our sister again?” the boy asked.

Mac smiled, “Yeah, we gotta go do lovey-dovey stuff.”

The boy gave an 'ewww' and ran away, while the little girl giggled and grabbed Mac's hand, leading him across the room to Felicia, who was busy sewing again. This time, it looked like baby's clothes.

“Isn't it a bit early for that?” Mac asked, giving a slight chuckle.

Felicia shook her head. “Remember, rabbit-humans aren't pregnant as long as humans. Plus, Mel and Elly will need some too. Well, most likely all of them will at the rate you're going...”

Mac blushed a bit but didn't deny anything. “It's not my fault for having such beautiful partners.”

Felicia giggled, setting aside her sewing and standing up to kiss him.

“What do you want to do today?” Mac asked, wrapping his arm around her.

Felicia pulled out a coinpurse and shook it.

“Shopping? For...?”

“Everyone,” Felicia smiled.

“Everyone?” Mac asked, confused.

“Yeah, we need to get nice clothes for all my siblings, since they'll be front row for our wedding.”

“Oh...yeah, of course!” Mac agreed.

“I heard you knew a good shop...”

Mac nodded, and they corralled the siblings together (all of them besides Fiona, who was busy on her maid shift.)

Keeping an eye on all of them, they made their way out of the palace, getting some amused grins from the guards as they made their way down. Huh, this feels like we're a married couple taking our kids shopping. Actually, we'll probably have to do that in the future. He looked down at Felicia's stomach.

Catching where he was looking, Felicia smiled, before grabbing Mac's hand as they walked.

Leading the way, Mac brought them to the high-end clothing shop he had been to several times before. The old man in the butler outfit who ran it was initially surprised when a bunch of kids came in, but stopped when he saw Mac and Felicia, although he did a double take at seeing Mac.

“Another, sir?” he said with a smile.

Mac nodded. “Yes, this is Felicia. Our wedding is coming up soon, and we need some nice clothes for all her siblings.”

The old man smiled and gave a bow. “Of course, right away.”

Felicia had the children line up so the old man could measure them all (no small undertaking given the number of them). As he was doing so, Mac and Felicia sat down in the corner watching.

“You think we'll do this with our own kids some day?” Felicia asked, smiling.

Mac laughed “Haha, I was just thinking that! Though I don't look forward to having to take care of this many all the time...”

“That's why I'm here,” Felicia responded, and stuck out her tongue.

“Are you really gonna be okay taking care of our kids and everyone else's?”

Felicia looked up, thinking. “Hmmm, I bet my limit is about twenty.”

“Twenty!?” Mac shouted, briefly causing everyone to look at him.

Felicia giggled, “Haha, it's possible you'll have that many. Although, do you really think Mel and Elly will just drop off their kids and never help? I bet they'll be over every minute they aren't working.”

Mac nodded, “Yeah. I mean, I probably will be as well.”

Felicia laid her head on his shoulder, “Just don't forget about your wives too...”

Mac was filled with existential dread. He was already having trouble balancing spending time with all of this partners, adding children to the mix might be too much.

Reading his mind, Felicia gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Don't worry, you'll figure something out.”

Mac shook his head. “I need two or three of me.”

As they were talking, the old man finished measuring and started grabbing clothes.

Felicia stood up “I better go help the younger ones change.”

Mac kept watch on the others, who were mostly chasing each other around the store. Luckily, the old man was either too focused on choosing clothes to notice, or just accepted it as part of doing business.

As this was happening, Finn, the oldest brother of the bunch (who had recently turned sixteen) walked up to him, wearing a suit.

Mac nodded. “That fits you pretty well.”

Finn blushed a bit, and gave a 'hmpf'. “I wanted to say something.”

Mac raised an eyebrow.

“Er...thank you for taking care of my sister. She sacrificed a lot for all of us, so I'm glad she seems happy with you.”

Taken aback, Mac stared for a few moments before smiling. “Well, um, you're welcome Finn. She makes me happy too.”

Satisfied with that response, Finn continued. “Since I'm of age now, I was thinking of what I wanted to do. I...want to stay nearby my siblings, so I was thinking of joining the royal guard. That way I can protect Felicia...and my future nieces and nephews.”

Mac gave a weak smile. That's very admirable, but... “...I'm sure you can get there Finn, but the royal guard usually only accepts established soldiers. They don't normally train from scratch.”

Finn's jaw dropped as he looked like his whole world was falling apart. “No...I thought...”

Mac was quickly trying to think of a way to reassure him, before stumbling upon an idea. “Hey now, don't worry. You know you're other future brother-in-law, La Hire?”

Finn nodded, “He's the Captain, right?”

“Yeah, he's the finest warrior we have. Maybe the best in the whole country. So, maybe you can convince him to train you in his spare time.”

Finn instantly perked up, “Really? You think he would?”

“Yeah...” Mac leaned in to whisper, “Just say it'll win him bonus points with Fiona and he'll do it in an instant!”

Finn nodded, grinning ear to ear now that his plan might come to fruition.

After spending considerable time deciding on clothes for everyone, they were finally able to leave.

“The palace again?” the old man asked.

Mac nodded.

“Very good...sire,” he tacked on, giving a knowing grin.

Guess he figured it out.

After dinner, Mac went to Marie's room, who had just finished moving from her old room in the regular palace to the hall with the royal family rooms.

Knocking, Mac heard a succinct 'come in', and entered. Marie was sitting at her tea table, sipping a drink as she looked over some papers.

Mac sighed, “Shouldn't you leave that in your office?”

Marie chuckled, “This isn't normal work...” she explained showing Mac the papers. They were several different dress designs. “Like any?”

Looking them over, Mac said “They all seem nice, but I assume you want me to actually pick one...”

Marie nodded in confirmation.

Deciding to tease her a bit, Mac set down one, “I like this one, but maybe cut it a bit lower.”

Marie blushed, “If I cut it lower, my nipples will be showing! A woman my age can't wear something like that!”

“I don't think...” Mac said, before stopping. This might be dangerous, but I'm curious now. And we are getting married. “What is your age?”

Marie went really red, poking her index fingers together as she looked down. “Errmm....thirty....four....”

Mac nodded, “Okay, I was just curious.”

“You're not...nevermind,” she abruptly changed her tone back to normal.

Hopefully she realized herself I don't care.

As if to signal this was true, she stood up and hugged Mac. “If you really like that one, I'll choose it. But I think we'll keep it at it's currently designed length.”

Mac chuckled, “That's fine,” and hugged her back.

After a moment, Marie let go of him, and started undressing. “Alright, let's get to it.”

Taken aback at her businesslike attitude, Mac started undressing as well.

“Come on, come on...” Marie said, lying down on the bed and beckoning him over.

Mac gave a sly smile as he walked over. “What's wrong? It's not like I'm going to lose interest...”

Marie blushed, “I know, I've just been...distracted thinking about this all day.”

Mac blushed as well, getting on top of her. He could see she was already wet enough that foreplay was unnecessary. Sticking his member in, Marie let out a half-moan, half-sigh of relief, before wrapping her hands around the back of his neck.

“Just take it nice and slow for now,” Marie said, savoring every movement as Mac slowly slid in and out.

Mac did this for a few minutes, although slowly started to pick up the pace. “Sorry, I'm getting too excited.”

Marie shook her head, smiling, “No, go for it, I'm ready.”

Mac went quicker and quicker, slapping harder and harder against her, until he felt himself about to burst. Marie wrapped her legs around him, pulling him tightly against her as he released inside her, spasming several times until he was empty.

Despite Mac still being inside her, Marie sat up and embraced him, slowly making out with him as he tried to catch his breath.

“Sheesh...you're insane...” Mac said when he was able to get some air.

Marie blushed a bit. “I think you know how you make me feel.”

Mac nodded, “Same with you.”

Due to the incessant kissing from Marie, Mac got hard again still inside her, and started to thrust up into her, pushing her up and down. Mac sucked her breasts, unable to resist the allure as they bounced in front of him.

This time, Mac quickly finished, holding her tightly down as he came deep inside her.

Marie gave a giddy smile, pulling him down as they both panted heavily, giving him another passionate, sweaty kiss.

“You still want more!?” Mac asked, trying to catch his breath again.

Marie nodded. “Although, maybe we should bathe before continuing...”

The next morning, Mac checked in with Melissandra in her office, as she had asked him to come during breakfast.

“How are you feeling? Still sick in the morning?”

Melissandra shook her head, “No, it's mostly subsided.”

Mac nodded, “That's good. By the way, I still haven't thought of a good name...”

Melissandra shook her head, “That's okay, I'm not even halfway yet, so we still have time.”

“Tell that to Felicia, she's already sewing...”

“Mac, I don't mind talking about our future children, but you know that's not why I wanted to talk here.”

Mac grimaced and sat down.

Melissandra looked at him expectantly.

“I don't know. I guess it went okay? She didn't stab me, at least.”

Melissandra giggled, “Well if I thought she might do that I wouldn't have suggested you talk with her.”

“Well, we didn't get very far, besides reiterating our intentions. I did suggest she not stay holed up in her room though.”

Melissandra nodded. “I did the same.”

“I actually said she should train with the guards if she wants to have something to do.”

Melissandra shrugged, “I'm sure Captain La Hire won't mind.”

La Hire facepalmed after hearing the request of the woman in front of him. Why is one of sire's fiance's requesting to train with us? She might be capable enough, but if she were to accidentally get injured...

La Hire looked again at her. “Lady Gabriella, right?”

Gabriella nodded.

“If this is actually a request from the King, that's fine, but...”

“It is,” Gabriella nodded again.

La Hire sighed. “Alright, come on then,” he said, beckoning her to follow him. “We're sparring right now. Everyone else already has a partner, so you can spar with me.”

Grabbing one of the wooden sword and shields, Gabriella gave it a few swings.

Well, she knows how to swing, at least. Holding up his shield, La Hire got into position. “Alright, whenever you're ready.”

Gabriella looked at him for a moment, before lunging at him.

La Hire deftly batted the sword away with his shield before taking a slash at her, which she stepped out of. Guess she knows her stuff.

They continued battling back and forth for a few minutes, before eventually La Hire knocked her sword out of her hand, and rapped her in the side with his sword.

“Gehhh...” she grunted, falling over.

La Hire immediately stopped, looking concerned. Shoot, she was good enough that I didn't hold back at all, I forget she was one of the King's fiance's! Holding out his hand, Gabriella smirked and allowed herself to be pulled up.

“You're pretty good. I must be rusty.”

La Hire nodded, “Could be. You're definitely better than most I've sparred with.”

Gabriella grabbed her sword and shield, dusting them off. “Let's go again.”

That afternoon, Mac was spending time with Charlotte. She had, apparently, forgotten that it was her afternoon, and was busy working on the steam engine.

“I'm sorry!” Charlotte said, bowing in embarrassment.

Mac shook his head, “It's not a big deal, I'm sure you were just busy.”

Charlotte nodded. I actually have it working now, but-”

Mac's eyes widened in surprise, “What!? It's working now? That's amazing!”

Charlotte grew red again, “Yes, but...”

“What's wrong? Mac said, noticing her reaction.

“It's...well, maybe I should just show you.”

After shoveling some coal in (which Mac took the shovel and did for her) they waited for the engine to heat up. After a few minutes, the engine slowly started moving. It was immediately evident to Mac what the issue was...there was an unbearable screeching as the parts moved. The lift was being pulled up, but very slowly. And whoever was operating would have their hearing damaged.

Charlotte put out the fire and the gears slowly ground to a halt.

Mac tapped his head in thought. “We need something...”

Charlotte got excited as it seemed like Mac might think of something. “Yeah, yeah!”

“Some kind of lubricant. I, um...I'm not sure. In my world, we could just buy it in tubes, but that's not possible here.”

Now Charlotte was thinking. “So, something to let them slide past each other and reduce the friction?”

Mac nodded.

After a few moments, Charlotte rushed out of the workshop, running at full tilt.

Uh...guess she had an idea. Waiting a while, Mac looked around the workshop. It seems like she had been tinkering with a few other things, and there were many diagrams sprawled out everywhere, some with big 'X's through them. Maybe she thought those were unfeasible?

After a couple minutes, Charlotte abruptly came back. Breathing heavily, she held up a bucket. “Cooking grease. If it stops food from sticking to pots, it should stop the metal sticking, right?”

Mac was in awe of her quick thinking. “Yes! Well, I think that should work?”

Charlotte nodded. Grabbing a ladle from the bucket, she poured some of the bucket's contents wherever the metal was touching or connected.

Mac shoveled some more coal and started the fire again. As it slowly heated up, the axles started moving again. This time, their was no squeaking, and the axles spun much faster, this time lifting the rock very quickly.

Charlotte tapped her chin, “It worked like it should, although we still-”

Mac, however, was much more excited. “Amazing! You did it Charlotte!” hugging her off the ground and spinning around, before giving her a big kiss.

Charlotte immediately lost all train of thought she had, going red in embarrassment.

Seeing this, Mac abruptly stopped and set her back down. “Sorry, I just got a little excited.”

Charlotte shook her head, “No, I...” she mustered up her courage and jumped back up, hanging off Mac's neck and kissing him again.

Catching her, Mac reciprocated the kiss.

After a few moments of making out, Charlotte unlatched herself, breathing heavy. “Did I do it right?”

Mac chuckled a bit. “Yes, although you don't need to force yourself.”

Charlotte shook her head, “No, I got some...” she looked down and blushed, “...tips from the others.”

I know who gave you that tip.

Mac leaned over and gave her another quick peck on the lips. “That's fine, but please just keep being Charlotte. Do whatever you're comfortable with.”

Charlotte was taken aback, but then smiled and nodded. She immediately then went back to the engine, muttering to herself as she poured some more cooking grease onto the axles.

Yup, that's the Charlotte I know.

Sitting down and watching her work, Mac was quiet for the rest of the afternoon as Charlotte kept working on the engine, alternating between running it and tinkering with different aspects (and using up most of the bucket of cooking grease.

Eventually, dinner time came. “Charlotte?”

Charlotte jumped up in surprise. “Oh...sorry, I forgot...”

Mac shook his head, “Don't worry about it. I'm assuming you're gonna keep working on this?”

Charlotte nodded, before turning back around and doing just that.

Mac walked over and kissed her goodbye, although she seemed to barely register it as she kept tinkering with the engine.

After dinner, Mac walked over to Emma's room. As he went inside, Emma was already sleeping in the bed in her normal pajamas, consisting of a white camisole and panties.

She must have been tired. She's been practicing her magic and working hard with the agriculture documents.

Mac walked over and sat down on the bed next to her, stroking her hair as he watched her softly breathe in and out. He weighed his options. I should let her sleep and recharge. But if I don't wake her up, she might get mad that we didn't have sex on her night. After weighing the two options, he thought waking her up was the better idea. No, I'm not horny! She definitely would get mad! he told himself.

Gently shaking her shoulder, Mac whispered, “Emma...wake up...”

Emma groaned, slowly opening her eyes and rolling over on her back. “Mac? Wassss wrong?”

Mac smiled, “Well, you fell asleep, but I figured you'd be upset if I just let you sleep through the night.”

Emma nodded, slowly sitting up. “You're right, I woulda been pretty mad.”

Phew, Mac let out internally.

Emma wandered over to her bathroom, where Mac heard her dunk something in the tub. As she came back, towel rubbing her hair, Mac realized she must have dunked her head in.

“Alright, I'm awake now,” Emma said, jumping in his lap.

Mac wrapped his arms around her, slowly kissing her neck.

Emma giggled, “That tickles! Kiss here instead,” she added, pressing her lips on his.

Mac reached underneath her camisole, rubbing her breasts. Emma giving a cute grunt every time he went over her nipples.

“You're so mean, teasing me there all the time,” Emma said, standing up and taking her camisole off. “I see that got you ready in no time, though” she added, pulling Mac's pants off.

Mac grinned. “Well, so are you,” he responded, pulling off her panties to reveal her as already dripping wet.

Emma blushed a bit, climbing on top of Mac's member and slowly sliding herself in. As Mac started thrusting up into her, Emma moaned more and more, causing Mac to pick up the pace.

As Emma felt Mac coming, she locked lips and stuck her tongue in, grabbing him tightly as he released into her.

Laying her head on Mac's shoulder, she slowly caught her breath. “I better be pregnant after that.”

Mac chuckled. “Are you worried about that? It's not a competition.”

Emma nodded, “I know, but I want to have children too. Well, our children,” she added, giving him another kiss.

“Well, we'll just have to keep at it,” Mac said, giving a her a sly smile.

Emma giggled, before starting to rub Mac's member again.

After a couple more rounds, Emma was conked out again on the bed, Mac deciding this time to just let her sleep. I need the sleep too, anyway.

Preparing to Leave Again

After breakfast the next day, since he was caught up on paperwork (and didn't want to start anything new since they would be leaving soon) he decided to visit Rhea.

Since they weren't 'revealing' her yet, she didn't have a room, and was instead mostly hanging out in the gardens (except at night when she snuck into different people's rooms), getting used to her new form.

Walking down the gardens path, Mac found her snoozing on a bench, lounged over, revealing her undergarments. If she were in her small form, it would probably have been cute, but in her big form it looked more comical.

As Mac approached, the cartoon bubble coming out of her nose popped, and she woke up with a jolt. “You came to see me!?”

Mac raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, why wouldn't I?”

Rhea acted as if she was going to say something, before shaking her head. “That's right, I'm important too now!”

Mac sighed, “You've always been important, even before we decided to marry.”

Rhea stood up and floated over to him with a bounce, giving him a kiss.

Mac gave her a kiss back. “That's a nice dress.”

Rhea nodded. “Melissandra gave me some of hers until I can get my own.”

“Yeah, we'll need to go shopping once its safe.”

Rhea seemed a bit concerned. “Is it going to be okay? You and Marie seem concerned about it...”

Mac shook his head. “It's just...we want to make sure it's a good time to reveal you. And before you ask, no I'm not going to back out.”

Rhea raised her eyebrow. “I didn't think you would? Remember, I know what you're thinking about me.”

Mac gulped. Oh yeah, I completely forget that, since she doesn't mention it much. “Well, that's good. So...do you wanna stroll for a bit?” He grabbed her hand and continued down the path.

“Oh, let's go hang out with this one tree...” she suggested, running faster and pulling Mac in a specific direction.

After a minute, Rhea stopped by a specific tree in the gardens, one he had spent some emotional time with Melissandra under.

“I like this one the most. For some reason it reminds me of you a bit,” Rhea explained.

Mac looked at the tree. It didn't really look like him at all, it just looked like a tree. “Err, sorry, I guess I don't know why.”

Rhea grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers, before placing his palm on the tree.

Suddenly, he felt a radiance coming from the tree, as if a light was enveloping him. He was overcome with a range of emotions. Sadness, joy, loneliness. Maybe even a hint of...lust? He couldn't feel them himself, but it was as if they were being shown to him.

After a few moments, Rhea pulled his hand back. “Did you get it?”

Mac nodded. “What did you even...”

“It was communicating with me, and I made it channel through you first,” Rhea said, giving a big grin.

“Well, it felt kind of weird. But I think I sort of understand now.”

Wrapping her arm in his, they continued along, Rhea occasionally stopping to talk with one or other of the trees.

There was a bit of an awkward exchange as they ran into one of the maid's watering flowers along the path, who gave a curtsy, along with some sideways glances at Mac, since she couldn't see Rhea.

In the afternoon, Mac was going over the plan for their wedding with Kay.

“The day we get there, the celebration will be in full swing already,” Kay explained.

Mac shook his head. “So we have a day of celebration before, then the wedding day, then another day of celebration?”

Kay giggled, “Nyahaha, I told you, my father wants to make our wedding one that will be talked about for years. Of course, it's partly to raise Gascon's prestige...”

“Well, I guess it doesn't hurt anything...I'd say the money could be put to better use, but we're already receiving a bunch...”

Kay nodded. “Yes, he'll be sending the payment home with us.”

“Still feels weird to get paid to marry you...”

Kay shook her head, “We already talked about this, I know you would anyway. Just think of the payment as a...good selection bonus,” Kay added, looking proud of herself.

Mac leaned over and scratched her ears, delighting Kay.

“Oh...” Kay said, suddenly remembering something. “Make sure we're being careful during the celebration.”

Mac raised an eyebrow. “Why? What's wrong?”

Kay made a frown, “I don't know exactly. I got a couple reports that people are unhappy with your rule.”

“What!? I've only been here for, here for...” Mac counted on his hands, “...four months? What do they expect!?”

Kay nodded, “It'll be five months next week. It's not like this is a popular sentiment, but you always have a couple people who are unhappy for whatever reason.”

Urgh, I guess that's true in any world I'm in.

“Well, okay. I guess I'll make sure I have a guard with me at all times.”

Kay smiled and nodded. “Yes, I was already planning on it.”

Mac stopped scratching and leaned back in his chair. “Since we mentioned it, I've really been losing track of time.”

“Nyahaha, good thing Mel keeps track of your schedule,” Kay giggled, sipping on her tea.

“Yeah, I feel like I'm relying on her too much. Really, all of you too much.”

Kay shook her head, “Nonsense! What are your cute wives for but to be worked to the bone?” she said with a teasing grin.

“Actually...I did have an idea I could use your help with...”

Kay set down her tea, intrigued, “Oh? What would that be?”

“So you know how we're waiting for an opportune time to reveal Rhea's existence, right?”

Kay nodded, “Yes. Are you wanting to spread rumors about her to make it less jarring when we actually do?”

Mac flinched in surprise. “You're scary sometimes.”

“Nyahaha, I merely had already thought about the possibility. Since you thought of it independently, that mean's its probably a good idea.”

“You might be giving me too much credit.”

“I could say the same,” Kay added with a sly smile, before taking another drink.

After dinner that evening, Mac had the evening to himself. His partners were all packing (Mac had finished already) and they would all be joining this time (Tillie giving the okay for the pregnant wives to make the short trip, since it was a special occasion). It's our first trip as a family. Well, sort of, it's only 5 days, and most of that will just be at the Gascon estate.

Mac turned his phone on, scrolling through the pictures. He had taken quite a few at this point, including some with Marie and Rhea now. He kept scrolling until he got down to the ones from his old world. Five months, but it feels like a lifetime ago...

As usual, the phone was showing as having no signal. Mac shook his head, Even if I (well, with Charlotte doing most of the work) could advance our tech a bit, getting to smart phones in my lifetime is a bit too ambitious. Turning it off, he placed it inside the box Rhea had been trapped in. Since only he could open it, it made for a good mini-safe. I guess this can just be a time capsule of my life here.

Laying back on the bed, and staring up at the ceiling, Mac slowly drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, everyone was gathering in the front yard. Since the entire royal family was leaving, most of the maid staff, and almost the entire royal guard, was going with them. Due to this, there was more than a dozen carriages and wagons being loaded up.

“Hey, uh everyone!” Mac asked, getting the attention of his partners.

They all stopped their various conversations and looked at him.

“Uh...I was hoping we could get a picture with all of us before we leave.”

Always excited at having their picture taken, they quickly gathered up around him. As Mac tried to take a selfie, stretching out his arm as far as he could, he realized the futility of trying to get all of the in the picture together.

Luckily, Fiona was nearby, and offered to take it for him.

Click.

Thanking Fiona, Mac showed all of them the picture.

“It looks wonderful!” Eleanor exclaimed.

“Haha, even with that we barely all fit,” Emma laughed.

“What are you gonna do once we have children too?” Felicia asked.

“Uh...I guess we'll figure something out,” Mac answered, not really sure himself.

After that, they started loading into the carriage. As Mac watched them all slowly climb into the carriage (and helping the pregnant ones in) he realized...there might be a problem. After all nine of them were in, Mac followed them up.

“Umm....” The carriage was...a bit crowded. I get that's partially my fault, but...

Shaking his head, he walked over to the window, saving the seats and the bed for the others. Marie, who seemed to be doing the same, walked over and gave him a smirk. “Regretting your decisions?”

“No...we just might need a bigger carriage.”

Marie smiled. “Well, we could always commission one, although it'll be a bit expensive.”

“I mean, I would like to travel with everyone more. So maybe we can once we're better off.”

As they started out, Mac sat by the window listening to the conversations being had.

On the bed, Rhea was showing Emma and Felicia her wings.

“Oh, they're really silky,” Felicia said, touching them lightly.

“Yeah, I wish I had a pillow made of these,” Emma added.

Rhea laughed, “Haha, please don't pull them off!”

Around the tea table, Daisy, Eleanor, and Marie were chatting.

“I had Mac start giving me shoulder massages too, and it really feels great,” Eleanor explained with a smile.

“I told ya! He gets in your shoulder muscles real deep! Although I imagine he's a bit softer with y'all...” Daisy responded.

Marie gave a smirk, “I don't know, he was pretty rough with me...”

Deciding to pretend he didn't hear that last comment, he continued looking around.

Charlotte, predictably, was sitting next to the bed, nose deep in one of Mac's books. Surprisingly, this was a mathematics one, a book he hadn't seen her reading before. Hoping she didn't ask questions about that one, since he would probably struggle to answer, he looked at the last two. Melissandra and Kay were whispering in a corner.

They must be up to something.

With all the chatter, the day passed relatively quickly, and they stopped at the inn partway to the Gascon estate that they had rented out in its entirety for the night.

This time, since the whole royal family was there, they had their own set of tables to eat at.

The maids were taking care of cooking, so the normal tavern girls didn't have as much to do.

A deer-human barmaid came up, awkwardly smiling while watching the maids methodically delivering food to the table. “Umm...could I help your majesties to any drinks?”

Mac smiled, “Sure, I'll have an ale.”

Most of the others shook their head (either due to being pregnant or trying), although Marie ordered her favorite wine while Daisy ordered her usual ale. And Charlotte, who ordered a beer.

Oh no... Mac thought, trying to hide his dismay. He leaned over to Melissandra, who he was sitting next to, and whispered, “Hey, help me keep an eye on Charlotte.”

Melissandra raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

As he sat there drinking, he casually looked around the scene. His partners were all chatting as they had been in the carriage, and the guards were shouting and carousing as usual. He noticed Gabriella was with them, seemingly enjoying herself drinking with the guards.

On one side of the tavern, the maids were all sitting at a table eating (now that all the food had been served), chatting and giggling amongst themselves. I guess this is basically a vacation for them as much as it is for everyone else.

“Here you go!” said the deer-human girl, setting down another ale in front of him with a smile.

Snapping Mac back to the table, he smiled back at her, “Oh, uh, thanks.” I wasn't going to get another, but I guess this is a good chance to kick back...

“Mac...” Melissanda grabbed his leg, and motioning her head toward Charlotte.

As predicted, Charlotte looked extremely drunk, not even a quarter way into her mug of beer.

“Hey, when you gonna kiss me?” she said, looking down the table at Mac.

Mac just blinked a few times, not sure how to respond. Like right now!?

Eleanor, who was sitting in between Charlotte and Mac, seemed to think Charlotte was talking to her. Blushing a bit, she said, “Oh...I...guess that's fine. I'm assuming you mean like this, right?” and leaned over, kissing Charlotte on the cheek.

Charlotte seemed delighted at this development, standing up in her chair to kiss Eleanor back. Except, she slipped out of her chair as she was standing.

Luckily Daisy, who had been laughing at the display, reacted quickly and caught Charlotte in her arms, receiving her own kiss on the cheek for her trouble.

Daisy seemed to take it in stride, “Aww, shucks, you shouldn't have...” but stopped when she noticed Charlotte seemed to be asleep in her arms.

Melissandra shook her head, facepalming. “I guess we should turn in. Do you need anything?”

Mac shook his head. They had said earlier they were going to have a 'girl's night' since all of them were together for the first time (on a trip, that is) and Mac was more than fine getting another night of rest.

Giving him a quick kiss, she left. The rest of them one-by-one gave him a kiss (the guards started cheering after a couple, giving a big holler with each one). He even gave Charlotte a peck on the cheek, which earned him a grin despite her state. Is she really asleep!?

Once they were all gone, Mac decided to join the tables of guards. One of them, used to fraternizing with the King on previous trips, asked him, “Ain't you joining your wives, sire?”

Mac shook his head as the deer-human girl gave him another ale. “No, they're having fun together tonight, so I'm all by myself.”

This earned him a round of laughter from the guards. Another asked, “All those woman and you're all alone, what a riot!”

Mac, deciding to play along, took a swig and replied “Well, to be honest, sometimes I get so worn out I need a break...”

Luckily, this garnered another round of laughter from the guards. Even La Hire, who had a couple drinks, was laughing. And, to his astonishment, so was Gabriella.

Maybe she's more comfortable in this kind of environment?

Due to the drink and atmosphere, the guards had decided it was safe to pepper their sovereign with personal questions.

“Who's your favorite?”

“Come on, you know I can't choose, I like all of them in-...”

“Who has the largest chest?

“I mean, it's obviously Eleanor, I'm surprised you even-...”

“Is it true Queen Melissandra seduced you the first night you were summoned?”

“How do you even...well, no, not-...”

Eventually, La Hire put his foot down. “Just because he's drinking with us, doesn't mean you can ask him questions ad nauseam.”

Some of the guards started to protest, so Mac said, “Well, I was gonna hit the sack anyway, since we got a big couple days coming up.”

Receiving a couple slaps on the back, Mac headed up to his room.

Washing himself and drinking some water to try and help sober himself up, he changed into his tracksuit and laid on the bed, listening to the sounds from the tavern filtering up from below.

As he closed his eyes, he started to drift off to sleep, when a knock came at his door.

Alarm bells started going off in his head. Wait...what's going on? They aren't supposed to be coming tonight. Did one of them sneak over? That's not...well, nevermind, I could see some of them doing that.

He slowly walked up to the door, before having another realization. Wait...is she really...

Stopping in front of the door, he slowly opened it to see the deer-human tavern girl, holding a tray with a couple mugs of beer.

Oh...why did I think it was going to be a drunk Gabriella? I'm going crazy...

Giving him a smile, the deer girl asked, “Would you like another ale before bed, sire?”

“No, I...” but seeing her cute grin, Mac couldn't say no. “Yeah, why not.”

The deer girl came in and set the tray down on the table, grabbing the mug and handing it to Mac.

Mac smiled, and took a swig from it.

“Um, sire,” the deer girl said, starting to blush.

Alarm bells started going off in Mac's head again.

“I heard you were alone tonight. Would you be...interested in purchasing me to keep you company?” she asked, sliding the sides of her tavern girl outfit to reveal a surprising amount of cleavage.

Wow, those are probably at least at Mel level, maybe... he started to think, before realizing he was staring.

The deer girl seemed to be doing a nervous, yet seductive smile as she slowly slid it down farther, her rough undergarment top now showing.

“Hold on. Look, um, you're very attractive, but I already have my wives and fiances, so I don't-...”

The deer girl cut him off, “But you said you were alone tonight.”

“Yes, but even so. If you really want to sell yourself, I'm sure one of the guards-...”

She cut him off again, “No, I, um...” she blushed fairly heavily, “...this is actually my first time, so I was hoping to sell it for a high price...”

Mac shook his head. “Why are you selling your virginity off? I get you might need the money, but-...”

She looked down, her cheery face now looking sad. “It's...it's not for me. My mother...she's very sick. I only make enough here to barely support her, let alone afford the medicine to cure her.”

Mac grimaced as his heartstrings were tugged at, and then sighed, before walking over to his chest. “How much do you need to make?”

The deer girl sighed in relief. “Thank you sire. The medicine to cure her is eight gold. I've never done this before, but I was hoping to get at least a couple...”

Mac grabbed ten gold from his coinpurse. Walking back over, she grabbed her hand. “Here...uh...”

The deer girl bowed, “Fawna, sire,” and took the gold, looking at it. Counting it out, she looked up at him, “Sire, this is...”

Mac slipped the sides of her dress back up. “It's fine. I don't need your first time. Actually, promise me you'll save it for someone you actually want to give it too.”

Fawna, taking a few moments to register what he was actually saying, fell to her knees and started to cry. “Sire, why would you do this?”

Mac patted her on the head. “Don't worry about it. As King, I want to help as many people as I can.”

Smiling through her tears, Fawna stood up and bowed repeatedly, “Thank you so much, sire. I can never repay you...”

“It's fine, it's fine. Just make sure your mother gets better.”

Fawna nodded, wiping her tears and bowing once again before scurrying off out into the hall.

Mac closed the door behind her, giving a sigh of relief. I think I handled that pretty well, right?

He went over to his ale she had brought, shrugged, and chugged the rest, before collapsing onto the bed, and falling asleep.

Waking up in the morning, Mac had an incredible headache. I definitely drank too much... Crawling out of bed, he grabbed some water and poured it down his parched throat. I'm pretty sure I haven't drank that much the entire time I've been here in this world. Actually, I dunno if I ever drank that much in my old world, either...

As he sluggishly made his way down to the carriage, he found himself looking out for Fawna, but didn't see her anywhere. Hopefully she gets her mom the help she needs.

As he entered the carriage, he saw that he was the last one to enter. Melissandra came up and gave him a kiss. “Did you sleep well?” she asked with a smile.

Mac gave a forced smile. “Uh, yeah, well enough.” For some reason, he was feeling guilty. Wait, why am I feeling guilty? I really didn't do anything!

Melissandra seemed to pick up on this. “...Mac?”

“Err...what?”

“Did something happen?” she asked, head tilted down slightly as she stared at him.

“I didn't! No, I mean...” I may as well just explain it. Starting from the beginning, he told her about his interaction with Fawna the previous night.

Melissandra sighed. “I'm always delighted at how devoted you are to your partners, but aren't we going back to old-Mac problems?”

Mac raised an eyebrow.

“...Helping every pretty girl you meet?”

Mac felt that like a punch to the gut. “Hey...I...what was I supposed to do there?”

Felicia, who had been standing nearby, smirked, “You should have just slept with her. Now she's gonna fall in love with you. Coming from experience.”

Mac gulped.

Emma, who was also listening in, nodded, “I'm not saying you should have, necessarily, gone that far, but just giving charity like that is going to make her feel indebted to you.”

Mac tapped his forehead. “Okay, I'm not saying I wouldn't have still given her the money, but I'll try and think things through better in the future.”

Melissandra smiled, giving him another kiss. “Good. Now come on, we've got a long day ahead of us.”