There were no extensive speeches or victory parades, which had been somewhat expected by the people of the Cridian capital. It wasn't the first successful coup d'etat in the world or even in Cridian history, so they had a basic knowledge of how it usually transpired. According to their understanding, the new ruler should enter his new capital, and their lives shouldn't change much. Oh, but how wrong they were... The Cridian capital, despite its connection with the waterways, was an architectural nightmare. Every nook and cranny was occupied by shacks and make-shift homes, filling the all available space and leaving just narrow streets of the cramped, claustrophobic city. It had witnessed numerous fires and plagues, and thanks to Theon’s knowledge, Amber and Irene finally understood why. The city itself was overpopulated, and instead of expanding outwards, the density of buildings had reached a level of absolute absurdity. So Theon decided to destroy it, while Amber let it fall into ruin. Some thought their reasoning was pure symbolism: to send a message to outsiders watching as well as all those who, despite everything, were still loyal to Josla that the Kingdom of Avalon could simply afford to destroy the entire city without suffering any substantial deficit. However, there were other reasons beyond the city itself.
The country’s population density was unevenly distributed to the point where people living in the north and east faced resource shortages. At the same time, there weren't enough hands to work in the south and west to produce much-needed resources. That was why the people from the fallen capital were directed to the field camp the Third Legion had prepared with the intention of moving them south. The city itself was searched thoroughly, and anything of value was assessed and inventoried. The few layers of observers managed to catch anyone who tried to flee fairly quickly, and as Queen Luna suspected, many of those people were interesting catches. As it turned out, the Cridians couldn't deploy the siege golems to defend the city because someone had managed to steal the cores. This revelation angered the Kitsune Queen, who immediately ordered an extensive investigation. Josla was eventually interrogated, and Luna was glad Amber kept her alive. The documents retrieved from Josla's shack, which she called a palace, were surprisingly complete. Thanks to them, Luna's inquisitors swiftly delivered Avalon's justice to hundreds of criminals and the wicked. The trials were public and, to the very last moment, supervised by the Queens, allowing them to calm down the terrified people. The presence of Hestia smoothed the tensions, but the presence of other Eternals quickly made people comply with the new authorities. The Queens worked restlessly to ensure all former Cridian assets were secured and properly catalogued. The week since the Queens left the castle went swiftly, but they were happy to finally return home.
•••
The forced teleport made them disappear one by one in rapid succession from their pavilion, leaving some of their work unfinished. Ban, with Drake, made sure to secure the files before sending everything of value back to Avalon under the heavy guard of Legio Aegis and Lord General Blair. The Queens smiled in relief as they saw the familiar interior of their palace. They all stormed the Royal Suite, where Theon was already waiting for them with a slightly worried Lavender.
"Welcome home, my Darlings. I missed you so much."
"It's good to be home!" they shouted as they almost jumped forward to kiss their husband.
However, ‘almost’ was a keyword, as Luna and Aoi headed straight towards the bathroom after briefly kissing his cheeks. Despite the royal carriage they took with them, which was equipped with a reasonably comfortable bathroom, they felt dirty after spending a few days near the Cridian capital. Walking lazily at the end of the column, Hestia grabbed Lavender and towed her to the bathroom. After she mischievously smiled at Theon and winked, she closed the doors behind her. Hestia almost burst into laughter seeing the carelessly piled dresses of Luna and Aoi, who were already covered in thick foam and taking turns scrubbing their backs. Amber and Irene slowly took off their dresses while Lavender stood almost in the corner, surprised and embarrassed.
"Gods! That city reeked!" Aoi complained.
"I know, right?!" Hestia giggled and smiled at Lavender as she walked past the Dryad towards the showers while taking off her dress. "Thank you, Lavender."
"What for?" Lavender felt a bit embarrassed. She thought she had already come to terms with her being a Queen of Avalon, but standing right in front of them, she wasn’t feeling that confident anymore.
"For becoming one of us, of course, our newest sister!" Amber replied, allowing the warm water to wash away the shampoo from her long hair. "Oh... I needed it..."
"You are not angry?" Lavender lowered her gaze only to notice Irene standing right before her, covered in floral scent bubbles.
"As long as you are happy about it..." Irene giggled and grabbed her hand. "Come on! We will talk in the bath."
Lavender, still a bit embarrassed, was powerless to stop Irene and Hestia from stripping her and dragging her through the showers to the bath. The five women soaked themselves in the hot spring bath, but Lavender hesitated to join them. However, since she already was naked and wet after showering, she meekly sat among them. Once she had done so, however, she felt as if she always belonged there, as if she always was one of them. She felt strange but in a good way as she started to realise that she felt less awkward with each passing moment. After Aoi and Luna summarised the siege of Cridia city for her, Lavender told them about what had transpired during the meeting with the Bernans.
"I'm so sorry, Lavender..." Hestia lowered her head and folded her legs as she sat in the water. "I should have warned you and Theon that I always suspected Jukk'nala for harbouring a grudge against the Dryads..."
"Nnnnhmmm..." Lavender murmured something under her breath as she shook her head in disagreement. "We Dryads suspected him as well for a long time. But for the sake of Theon and the well-being of Avalon..." Her voice trembled, and she shrugged with a sigh. "In the end, it didn't matter. Jukk'nala is dead. His heart was buried in the unconsecrated graveyard..." Lavender stared blankly into the distance, but the others merely accepted it without much surprise. "He really killed a God..."
"Probably not the last one..." Hestia laughed. "Sister, it's all right... And relax! You are our equal."
"Really? You don't mind, I..." Lavender pouted cutely, looking for a word, but the other Queens laughed.
"We don't mind at all." Irene laid on her back and allowed the water to carry her afloat. "Ohhhh... This is heaven..."
"Trust me, it's better than at least one heaven I know about..." Hestia rested the back of her head on the folded towel she placed on the edge of the large pool precisely for this purpose.
"The more the merrier." Amber grinned, but then she turned serious. "Besides... After Irene, I thought a long time about it, but it wasn't until Luna joined as third Queen that I finally got an idea..." Amber smiled a bit mysteriously and waved her hand. "Anyway. I studied the history records that Knys brought with his guild to Avalon. I gathered as much knowledge as I could using the Slime Spies... Theon, as cautious as he is, might have underestimated the craving for power of other people, even one initially loyal to him. I haven't forgotten about gaesa and loyalty pledges, but I also realised that with enough willpower and personal might, they can be undone."
"I don't understand..." Lavender looked around at her... Sisters, who were nodding slowly. She smiled meekly at that thought. She was one of them, the Sixth Queen of Avalon...
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"Given the chance, ambitious people might one day betray us. Reach for the power that solely belongs to Theon and... Us." Amber put a heavy accent on the last word. "It has happened before so many times in history. 'The old king is dead, long live the king!'..." she theatrically raised her fist in the air, splashing the water around, and then, she sighed and smirked coldly. "So that's why I won't allow them to have such chances and succumb to temptations."
"How?" Lavender gazed at Amber, bewildered.
"Very, very simply, Sister." Luna played with one of her three tails. "We simply won't appoint anyone to any executive positions within the government. The province governors or even the city lords will be closely watched; however, it's less concerning since only three people among all the nobles of Avalon have hereditary titles. Lanka Goldentail, Dastra Blair and Fornal Ban."
"Exactly." Amber stretched herself with a slight moan of pleasure. "As the first queen of Avalon, I am the Prime Minister. I can appoint and dismiss any Avalonian official, including nobles, regardless of their status or rank. While Theon is the head of the state and his voice is absolute, I am the chief of his government, and I am going to make sure everything works smoothly."
"As Saintess, I was initially responsible for contacts with Eternals. However, now I am responsible for healthcare and all religions in the entire country." Irene smiled, closing her eyes as she floated nearby Lavender.
"I'm the head of the Department of Security, which means that I'm responsible for all intelligence and counterintelligence agencies of Avalon. My responsibilities also entail directing law enforcement and the Guardsmen's corp." Luna moaned with pleasure as Aoi scratched her behind the ears.
Lavender looked at the Queens with shock. She knew they were busy, but she never realised the extent of the duties they carried. But that made perfect sense... Meanwhile, Hestia took a quick dip under the surface, and as she re-emerged, she squeezed the water from her hair, standing in the thigh-deep pool. "As you know, I'm the Goddess, and it looks like one of these rare opportunities to actually do my job happened while I was away. I'm tasked with contacting not-allied Gods." She giggled and sat again in the water. "I'm also responsible for the Department of Family, Labour, and Social Policy. Long story short, I direct a special department that helps people find jobs matching their skills if they can't do so on their own, helps struggling families, organises and supervises orphanages, and even prevents the unfair treatment of workers. Along with Luna's law enforcement agencies, we also find and liberate all slaves."
"I supervise the Department of Internal Affairs." Aoi giggled. "It's up to my department to supervise the relations between local governments and the central government. I approve local governments' funds, so if anything looks odd, I will inform Luna and Amber to investigate. I am also responsible for logistics and public administration and services."
"And now we have you, Lavender." Amber hugged the Dryad from behind, startling her a bit. "With your outstanding knowledge and skills, you will be in charge of the Department of Agriculture. I hope you will also help us with our joint effort, the Department of Education. Each of us focuses on a different branch of it, and I hope that thanks to this, Avalon’s schools will be unmatched..."
"But...Oh...! I think I understand..." Lavender finally smiled and relaxed, allowing Amber to massage her back. "The Queens will gather all the executive power, allowing Theon to focus on governing the country!"
"Indeed. Don't get us wrong as well!" Luna dipped herself in warm water, leaving only her head above the surface. "We don't see everyone as a potential threat. After all, we want to nurture the knowledge of our people by creating an unmatched education system. Many of these people will gain significant positions and influence, but never enough to get an idea they could ever hope to reach for the king's power."
"Yes. We could live without worrying that someone might abuse their power. It will also create stability for the people of our Kingdom." Amber smiled at the Dryad. "We knew the depth of your feelings towards Theon, Lavender. We know you will never betray him, and that's why it is time for you to know about a few important things..."
•••
I was sitting in the living room, finally able to relax. My Queens had returned home, and the war in Cridia was finally over. The subjugation of the entire country went smoothly so far, and with the imprisonment of Josla Cridia, there was no one to challenge me. I made sure there were no nobles left, all of them imprisoned or killed, their families stripped of all their riches and titles. The preparations to subjugate the remaining dungeons were well in motion. However, I wasn't planning to take direct action right from the beginning. It was time to see if my vassals could be helpful. That's why I decided to have my three most loyal vassals, Demesne, Kirin, and what surprised me most, Bob, to subjugate the remaining dungeons. I planned to see what they had learned from me.
My most imminent and most concerning problem lay in the north. I allowed the Bernan airship to flee unscathed. Destroying it wouldn't be that hard, but leaving it intact was important. Even Ian, while killing some people onboard, was working within the confines of the orders I had given him. Besides, I needed it this way. Smoke and mirrors... My plans for Berna couldn't have gone better. According to Sebastian, the airship required one week to reach Avalon, but surely they were not travelling at their highest speed. That gave me about one and a half weeks plus the time needed to gather the required soldiers for their response. Of course, I might be wrong, and their armies were already on their way here, given how the entire situation with Elisabeth was staged. I moved the Third and Fourth Legions to the east and southeast, leaving the First and Second as the reinforcement for whatever might hit us from the north. With three Legions on the Bernan borders, I would surely stall their war effort in the worst-case scenario.
My borders were fairly secured in the south, thanks to Queen Mia and her sister Tia. The war with Verksa quickly spread to most of the smaller southern Kingdoms thanks to a complicated net of connections and treaties. However, with the help of my Legion, the royal sisters ruled supreme on the battlefields despite the hardships they faced. In the west, the border was protected by Blair and his forces. Even though he was currently in Avalon, I was more than sure he kept tabs on his assignment. The kingdom of Cridia was dissolved, and all its lands were controlled by my forces, even more effectively than Cridians had ever controlled them in the past. It was time to give a new name to my kingdom...
"Theon?" The voice of Amber, sweet as honey, called me from the bathroom.
I turned around with a mind occupied by war. My Queens emerged from the bathroom wearing only a suggestion of clothes and very mischievous smiles. However, seeing my face and assessing my state, their playful attitude changed into concern.
"It's good we returned in time..." Irene sighed as Luna grabbed my hand, teleporting me to the bathroom, where she kissed me as we fell into the water.
I laughed as the fire of humanity started burning again in my soul. With new clarity, I could reexamine the events of the last few days. I noticed the rest of my Queens had entered the bathroom, explaining something with very concerned and serious faces to Lavender, who blushed with embarrassment. The Dryad was completely red from her toes to the tips of her ears, and she shyly covered her face behind her hands. In the meantime, Luna helped me remove my soaked clothes while we both laughed.
"Well... In my defence, I had to do a lot of dungeon-related stuff when you were away..." I meekly smiled as I dropped to the water, pulling Luna with me.
"Oh, don't worry, Darling. We will fix you in no time." Hestia floated in the air and sat on me, closing me in her embrace.
"I'll be in your care, my Beauties..." I smiled and kissed her.
•••
Elisabeth was puzzled. It had been four days since she had pledged herself to King Theon. She expected to be imprisoned and interrogated, and she was, sort of... But not the way she had expected. She was imprisoned, but her cell was ten times bigger and infinitely better than her room in Berna. She and her cat were fed generously and she finally wasn't hungry anymore. She could freely leave her assigned room and take a stroll in the vast gardens of Avalon. However, she wasn't allowed to leave the upper castle and some places within its limits, but that crazy idea never even came to her mind. Where could she go anyway? She was also interrogated, but the Wolfkin girl who questioned her always brought new, incredibly tasty pastries with her. So they casually talked with each other while they both drank tea and ate incredible sweets. Even with everything they knew about her, she was treated incredibly politely and with respect, which she had never experienced before. Her life took a turn into a brighter future, but she wasn't naïve to think it wouldn't be without a price. She already knew what her new master requested as the payment, but she had already ensured he was not expecting anything impossible from her. That's why she looked forward to seeing what fate had in store for her next...