While Madge trained to spend her Fast-growth points on the Proficiencies she had that didn’t overlap with Mona’s, the other girl slept like a princess on my lap. Eventually, she stirred awake. She blinked and her hand grabbed one of my tails wrapped around her for support. With a yawn came a recognition of her whereabouts and she flipped her head to stare right into my eyes.

“Please tell me I’d been dreaming.”

“I won’t ask if you won’t share. You’ve been dreaming, although some parts might be real.”

“We didn’t...” she didn’t finish the sentence and blushed as her body awareness told her she wasn’t wearing anything under her sundress.

I smiled to reassure her and shook my head, “No, we didn’t cross any lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Everything is fine.”

“Can I go?” She was wrapped in a cocoon of kitsune tails and still lying on my chest.

“Don’t wanna.”

“I have to.”

I just stared at her, amused.

“Your Highness, may I visit the loo?”

“Ah. You may. We rearranged the camp so we have room for training. The enchanted toilet is in that wooden shack.”

I made the tails disappear as I helped her on her feet. Mona didn’t look back as she locked herself inside the outhouse but I could hear her muffled screeches as she vented her frustrations. The enchanted toilet looked exactly like one back on Earth. It conjured its own water to flush into a disintegrating chamber. After the user was done with their business, it freshened up and cleaned them on command. It was something I made for convenience and also to spare some Scavenger Gnome’s head on the other side of the world of a nasty surprise, given where we were. The girls liked it very much.

Madge cleaned her sweat with a spell and sat next to me so I could help with her stretches while Mona took her time to quiet her troubled mind and heart.

----------------------------------------

“Am I interrupting something?” She asked from behind us as Madge was in the middle of her stretches.

“No. We were about to finish Madge’s exercise routine,” I replied naturally without turning around.

“What about me?” She demanded.

“You slept.”

“Why did you let me!”

“You needed. And I felt nice to hold you while you slept.”

“How selfish of you, Your Highness!” She pouted.

I chuckled, Madge giggled. Now I turned around. Mona quickly straightened her face.

“Do you want me to help you stretch too?”

“If that’s not too much trouble,” she sneered and poked her tongue out. “I’m going to change.”

“The dressing area is to the left,” Madge informed, “your left.”

----------------------------------------

“Oh, Goddess!” Mona moaned. “Your hands are divine.”

> > Mona’s Faith rose by 1.

She had worked out her Proficiency points and now was receiving a massage from yours truly. Disregarding the irony inherent in her wordplay, I finished it and she rolled over to jump out of the massage table.

“What’s your level? No, seriously. Are you born level one hundred?” She asked out of the blue. “I was thinking, you said that you weren’t strong enough to defend us earlier, that got me wondering.”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“Don’t be such a spoilsport,” she pushed me. “Let’s go with the basics. Did you start with level zero like everybody else?”

“Yes but not like everybody else. I kept the Attributes and Perks of my previous lives.”

“That’s cheating!” She protested.

Madge returned and I used her presence to evade the interrogation. Mona had much on her plate.

“Percy,” Madge called but was pounced on by her sister. “What is the matter?”

“You already got nicknames for each other?”

Madge tried to free her shoulders from Mona’s grasp. When she failed, the girl just looked away.

“It’s the first time she called me that,” I tried to explain. “And now you made it awkward.”

Mona didn’t apologize. Madge sighed and forced herself to meet the other girl’s gaze. “We need to talk.”

Girl talk, I reckoned as I stayed in my place.

----------------------------------------

They returned a while later, with a giddy Mona who promptly jumped, arms around my neck and tried to kiss me. Before she could, I put a Force barrier between our mouths.

“What is going on?” I demanded.

“Spoilsport!” She pouted and let go. “I was just going to practice!”

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Practice what?”

Madge arrived. “I thought about that a lot. Percival, we need the rest of the world, except for our mothers, to think Mona is your lover.”

“Wait, why?”

“I won’t be able to live it down if people know I came down here and couldn’t seduce you,” Mona started counting her arguments on her fingers. “People will doubt your masculinity if you, a [Prince], take a single woman. Some of your brothers have a hundred lovers!”

She paused to gauge my reaction. I tried to keep a soft expression and waved at her, “Go on.”

“You said you were worried about my safety, and if I’m not your lover, I won’t be able to stay with you. People will consider me just a palace maid, and even I go with you on a trip, they’ll make me stay with the servants, where I’ll be exposed to a lot of things. I don’t need to tell you what.”

She was right. A [Prince]’s lover was untouchable unless you wanted that Prince to come after you like a rabid dog, even if he didn’t like the woman as a matter of principle. Don’t mess with Royal property, was the sad status of these women. A servant that followed a Prince didn’t enjoy such protections and was more vulnerable. The “I thought she was just a servant, here I’ll give you one of my own skilled helpers to compensate” excuse worked a lot. The perpetrator killed someone close to you and infiltrated his own person in your inner circle.

“We decided that kissing is okay. You’ll kiss and display affection in public,” Madge said. “I’m sorry. If you want to object, then...”

One more reason to change Imperial policies. This whole place had to burn, or at least the ruling class. But no. This culture had impregnated the lower classes as well. Maybe the Empire was a lost cause.

But they were right. Mona would be ridiculed by the maids who would say to her face they would’ve seduced the [Prince] if they’d come in her place. I had to evade their subtle advances every time and the rumors would catch like wildfire with the distraught gold-diggers.

“You might need to create a harem for yourself too,” Madge continued when she saw I wasn’t objecting. “Just two women is too little for a [Prince]. Your mother agreed on letting only the two of us come here, but we had to talk to you about that.”

Rhiannon knew I wouldn’t do anything untoward with my birth sister, that’s what we talked about before leaving for the delve. I sensed she was keeping something from me but didn’t bother to find what it was.

“There’s also the issue of your marriage,” Mona’s voice carried all her uncertainty, worries, and fears. “We are of low birth, well, disregarding all this madness about being the daughter of the [Emperor]. You’ll have to marry a noble lady or two. Madge knows she can’t have all you for herself.”

All the problems past me left for future me were catching up really quickly. And with that, my anger at the Empire rose a few degrees. Two scenarios played in my mind.

In one of them, I played the game, navigated around the Imperial society’s pitfalls, created connections, went for the long run. I maintained the status quo, Rhiannon’s mental condition didn’t deteriorate, I got into a few fights and scuffles, duels and what-nots, left a trail of bodies behind me long enough that others ahead of me would think twice before crossing me.

On the other one, I rampaged and killed everyone. I made my family safe by making them live on a pile of bodies. Rhiannon would go mad with worry because she wouldn’t believe I had the power to defend everyone even if I showed it to her. I was forced to take her, Amina, Marion, and the girls away from the ruins of the Empire.

Then a third scenario appeared before me. The ascension of a young and ambitions [Prince]. Percival’s goal was to be the heir to the throne of the Empire, and he ruthlessly climbed the social ladder, turning everyone before him a supporter or a corpse. He was ruthless with anyone who dared look the wrong way at what was his and a fervent supporter of the [Emperor]. He went on wars, conquered the enemies of the Empire, denounced corruption, purged Houses that stole too much from the Empire. His brothers, contenders in the race for the throne, quickly learned to defer to him.

With his accomplishments, deep knowledge of the Empire’s laws and bureaucracy, and fervorous loyalty to the [Emperor], he becomes the Crown Prince and then succeeds the late [Emperor]. With absolute power, he remained as ruthless as before as he cleansed the Empire and changed policy.

Then, in three hundred years, the dragon Goddess descends and fights [Emperor] Percival.

I played the good guys every single time. Maybe this time I should be a tragic villain. An anti-hero.

I studied the two girls in front of me. If I married any noble ladies, they would soon learn they were subordinates to these two, or I would, unfortunately, become a widower.

“Mona, come here. You want a kiss, you’ll get a kiss. Are you okay with that?”

Nothing wrong with kissing one’s sister on the lips. Just a sign of affection, nothing more, nothing less. Even back on Earth, it was common in several places. Even in America, it would not be a crime. Puritans and some people might think it inappropriate and shun the siblings. Didn’t we have the idiom, “like kissing your sister," to denote something without any special meaning? I wouldn’t French kiss her, French kisses were not the norm in polite Imperial society.

She tiptoed next to me. “Yes, we must make this sacrifice,” she stated theatrically.

I held the back of her neck and kissed her forehead. “You are my precious sister. You have no idea how precious siblings are to me. Promise me you won’t forget that. I’ll make you a vow. Me, Percival, the Matriarch’s current incarnation. One day, you’ll stand on the Throne Room of the Empire, clad in silk, kingmetal, and diamonds. Upon your forehead, a tiara that is more valuable than any other item crafted under the System. Before anyone who looks at you, a notification of your title.

“[Princess], it will read. You’ll bear it with pride. People will kneel before you. And you’ll stand by my side, along with Madge and Rhiannon. Marion, your other mother, will watch from the court with pride. That is my promise to you.”

At first, she was about to complain about the forehead kiss, but at the word “vow” and the seriousness of my tone, she froze. As she imagined the scene, she shivered a few times. This girl was raised as a commoner, a playmate for the [Prince] whom she believed to be the ultimate goal. Now her horizons were blown out of proportions compared to her humble Palatial staff upbringing. Overwhelmed, she teared up.

“I don’t know if I can be a [Princess].”

I snorted and chuckled. “I’m a deity. If I cannot make my favored ones into Royalty, nobody can. As my birthright, I claim the throne of Roswaria.”

> > Insufficient population.

I thought the System would reply with that.

“I declare myself [King-in-Exile] of Roswaria. I pledge to reconquer the land and establish my rule.”

> Verifying conflicting claims. None found.

>

>  

>

> You gained the title [King-in-Exile].

>

>  

>

> The System generated a Royal Quest for you.

>

> Rebuild Roswaria

>

> Rebuild and repopulate Roswaria in less than 10 years.

>

> Rewards: The [Royal Boon] Perk.

>

> Penalty for failure: Loss of all Royalty perks and titles.

----------------------------------------

That’s the way the System treated Royalty. It was all or nothing. While the Royals relished the benefits of their station, to the System they were tools to accomplish a job. But now I had the Dynasty Rules under control.

I straightened my back and let my {Royal Aura} work at its lowest setting. “Come here, Mona.”

“What are you doing?” She asked, a bit wary. “If you want to look impressive to me, you’re doing one heck of a job.”

I placed my hand over her head. “Nothing of that. This is a solemn occasion. Mona, as it is your birthright, I declare you to be a rightful [Princess] of Roswaria.”

“Pff, what? WHAT?” She did a double-take as the notifications started to pop before her. “You can do that too?”

“He can, I can see the title on your {Appraise},” Madge started with a bit of envy. “Congratulations, Your Highness.”

Mona turned around and poked her tongue out. Then back at me. “What happens now?”

“Now, you need to unlock and learn {Detect Royalty}. Then you’ll learn {Hidden Royalty} so you can hide your title and your status. That’s why we try to keep a few Perk picks open. You never know when you’ll need to get a new Perk.”

“Too bad I don’t have any, then,” She cheekily admitted.

“I’ll grant them to you. I think I can do that. But you need to meet the requirements. Let’s go, sit down. I’ll teach you a mental exercise. You too, Madge.”

“But I’m...”

“You’ll be Royalty soon enough. Better get it out of the way now. And {Detect Royalty} is a good perk to have.”

We sat and I taught them the mental exercises Euric of Ekar once showed Haru. Madge couldn’t get the second Perk, but we walked the first step to do one side of my family justice.

Even if it meant murdering the other.