The meeting was concluded without anything substantial and it seemed just as frustrating for the Princess. When I first met Theresa, I was under the impression that her confidence was a result of being raised as a royal. I assumed that her competence and wits were the results of strong examples given to her by her parents. Seeing her father today, however, forced me to reconsider. It seemed she must have taken after her mother more than her father. At least, I secured an Arcadian presence in Iceleon and confirmed the Bravefall Dungeon as the official embassy. It came to me as a huge shock but, except for Theresa, the King and the General Clown seemed to forget about the people of Iceleon. Since I was tired of the King and General's attitudes, I ended the meeting soon after appointing Victor as ambassador. While Theresa was begging me with her eyes to hear her out, I dismissed her, along with Victor, under the excuse of pressing him to install himself in his new office. I was glad to see that I read Theresa correctly. She did not disappoint me by exchanging a few angry words with her Father and following Victor.

The rest of the day continued pleasantly. My wives and I decided to spend some leisure time and played in the snow. While it might look heartless from one side, the fate of the people of Iceleon wasn't my responsibility. However, seeing Lavender and Mia’s sad faces, I assured them that Victor and Theresa had taken matters into their own hands. Upon hearing that, they completely forgot about the case, assuming it would be dealt with. After that, the afternoon quickly turned into the evening as we spent it in our private hot springs. Mia and Tia looked much healthier than before and the twins were cheerful again. To be honest, they looked much better than ever before and I wasn't the only one who noticed it.

"Mia, Tia you look... stunning!" Luna said after a long look she took to check out the Nekomis.

"Indeed..." Hestia said from the nearby jacuzzi. "I finally understand what happened to them."

"What was it?" I asked immediately, as all of us instantly locked our gazes on the smiling goddess.

She cleared her throat with a mischievous smile and partially emerged from the water. She put on an academic expression which absolutely did not match her nakedness.

"Well... Since life is certainly not fair and you received many divine favours, my Darling, all your wives became absurdly attractive." She said as she theatrically ran both her hands over the upper part of her luscious body.

I smiled widely and my other wives began chuckling. "If you think I am going to feel bad about it, you are wasting your time. I'm humbly accepting all blessings the heavens bestow upon me in their infinite wisdom."

"I thought so." She nodded with a playful wink and as she took her sweet time continuing. "Anyway, that process also has another side effect which we weren't fully aware of."

"I appreciate you are having fun building suspense, Sister, but if you don't tell us immediately, we will tickle you until you confess all your secrets!" Irene rose from the hot spring and raised her hands in a tickling suggestive gesture.

"Oh no, Theon, save me!" Hestia teased, teleported right to my side, and cuddled herself to me.

"I don't know how much I can protect you, my Little Flame because I desire to know as well," I said after wrapping my right arm around her waist. Then, using my other hand, I started stroking her belly where I knew she was extremely ticklish.

"Confess now and you will be spared!" Irene leapt towards us but she underestimated the distance and landed in the water. Undeterred, she emerged and joined me in tickling Hestia who laughed maniacally.

"Please! Hahahaha! Please, stop! Hahahaha! I confess! I confess!" Hestia was laughing so hard that she started crying.

Sufficiently punished, I released her and, once she calmed down, she took a deep breath and started explaining. "I'm more than sure Eriar was responsible for doing this to us. Anyway, he wasn't giving us just a beauty treatment. In fact, I'm more certain that the beauty treatment was a side effect of his real goal. He was getting rid of all our health issues. He purged toxins, realigned physical deficiencies, and corrected whatnot in our bodies. He also did something… I haven't figured it out completely… but it locked our bodies and minds so we would stay in our prime forever. There were a few more things he did and, though I might not know how or what exactly he did, I certainly feel it. So the answer to ‘what happened with Mia and Tia over the last few days’ is simple: they were rejuvenated and fully healed by Eriar."

I laughed and performed a perfect salute towards the heavens while still horizontal in the hot springs. "I salute to you, my patron-man!"

The twins took a deep and relieved breath; however, soon enough, they deeply but cutely blushed under my gaze.

"W-what?" Mia said as she dipped under the water so only her head, hidden behind her hands, stuck out of the water. Tia matched her actions and embarrassment like a mirror which made Amber and Cahrona chuckle.

"I must say that whatever reasons there were that kept suitors away will be a mystery forever to me. Especially now, when I can see that, in your prime, you were an incredible beauty. You both were." I smiled at Tia and witnessed how Mia's and Tia's ears twitched in embarrassment. However, the smiles on their faces behind their hands indicated how pleased they were to hear it. I slowly let my gaze move over the widely smiling faces of my Darlings and released a dreamy sigh. "I'm an incredibly blessed man to be surrounded by the most beautiful women of Nilmerthis."

The peacefulness was broken by the sound of splashing water and a quiet but very suggestive purring. It looked as though my wives decided that the evening was young and I was going to be very busy for the foreseeable future.

Thank you, Eriar, for my nigh infinite stamina.

•••

Rear Admiral, lower half, Marquis Victor Thornton of Arcadia was sitting in his new office and tried to responsibly attend to his new duties. It was difficult because Princess Theresa sat and looked at him with puppy eyes.

"Yes?" He finally gave up and she giggled.

"Was it real?" She asked quite cryptically but he knew exactly what she meant. However, as a confirmation, she quickly added: "I mean your promotions! Are they permanent or temporary?"

"Depends on which you mean." He started carefully. "If you are asking about my noble status, it's permanent, at least for my lifetime. If you are asking about my military rank, I won't be demoted until I mess something up horribly."

"For a lifetime?" She asked, confused and finally took off a thick woollen sweater she was still wearing despite how warm it was in the building.

"Noble titles are generally not hereditary in Arcadia. There are a few exceptions but nobles can be stripped of their titles in extreme circumstances." He shrugged as if this was something normal.

"I'm sorry, what?" She froze with her arms above her head entangled in her sweater.

"Hmmm..." He leaned back in his office chair and crossed his arms in front of him. "I never considered how the noble system even works, Princess-"

"Theresa, Victor." She interrupted him with a warm smile and finished taking off the sweater. "My name is Theresa. We spoke about that."

"If you insist..." Victor mumbled a little bit embarrassed. "Your father is not going to like the familiarity. He hated me before, and now..."

"Oh, no! On the contrary. He hated the fact that you weren't even a knight. Now, he will be your best friend." Theresa shrugged indifferently. "But truth be told, each day, I care less and less about what he has to say. But we digress. Arcadian noble system."

"Yeah..." He looked at her a little bit confused but decided to not pry into her relationship with her Father. "I meant the noble system in the wider context. All I knew was that it would never concern me so I, like most people, learned to bow in front of anyone who barely seemed to be of a higher station. I heard that nobles had lands, money, and privileges, but it was murky water at best. Before you ask, that's something that is universal between the old nations of Aderon."

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"I mean..." She mirrored his position, but her face turned into a thoughtful mask. She mulled over her thoughts and finally sighed and lowered her head. "Well, I assume you are correct. No one cared to explain things to the common people in the first place."

"Well... No one explained that to the nobles either." He allowed himself a grain of mockery in his voice.

She looked at him for a moment with her mouth wordlessly opening and closing but she couldn't really find a counterargument. Theresa wasn't angry upon hearing his remark, on the contrary, it appeared as if she achieved some kind of enlightenment. She took a heavy-looking notebook out of her purse and, after she abruptly stood, she grabbed Victor's pen from the stand. She started writing as her face gradually became more and more irritated. If Victor wanted to be honest, he felt sorry for the Prin... Theresa. Even in his head, using only her first name seemed difficult. He shook his head and looked out the window.

He had no idea why the Emperor ordered him to ensure Theresa was constantly busy but now he discovered that her presence was dear to him. At first, she was incredibly annoying; however, the more time she spent on board his ship, she changed. Drastically. The moody and spoiled princess was gone and replaced by an incredibly self-aware and ambitious woman. During the short time, which felt like months, they spent together she had become his friend.

He watched her as she hunched over her notebook and wrote whatever was bothering her. Her penmanship was beautifully rounded and even. It was obvious that she wrote a lot. However, Victor held his breath as her beauty struck him as he realised how beautiful she was even in this simple act. Of course, she wasn't even close to the splendour of the Empresses of Arcadia, but still, she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen.

"I hope you are enjoying what you see because you have to get accustomed to seeing me daily." She whispered with amusement but only so he could hear her.

"Oh, I would like to see you daily..." He unintentionally replied as his eyes went wide in horror when he realised what he said. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."

"Shut up, Victor. Don't spoil the moment." She gave him the warmest smile he had ever seen and it melted his heart irreversibly. "You don't even know how glad I am to hear that you feel charmed by me."

She sighed and closed his fountain pen. She had a little cute blush but he knew that his face was fully blazing. She rolled the pen nervously in her hands and focused on it as if she were making some very important decision.

"Tell me, Victor..." She looked up with a determined look on her face. Her voice contained pain and a little fear but her eyes were full of honesty. "Could you take me away from the madness that is my Father's Court? Would you hide me from the plots of all those that wish to destroy House Iceleon? I'm scared, Victor. Right now, Kana and Melody are the two people I can trust and they are protecting my quarters. I don't know what allowed the General to carry himself with such arrogance. I’m no longer sure what the future holds…"

"I will." He said knowing the risk of disappointing his Emperor. That thought, however, caused him to pause. Suddenly, the orders he received made sense if he wanted to follow through on what Theresa just proposed. He grinned and shook his head in disbelief as the foresight of the Emperor once again proved superior.

"What if I'm disinherited and banished? What if I become just an ordinary girl?" She whispered in fear.

"I would welcome such news with joy, Theresa." Victor smiled a little bit mischievously. "I wouldn't be kidnapping a Princess if such happened. However, the only thing you need to do is ask, Theresa."

"What do you mean?" She cast a fearful gaze at the soldiers of the Iceleon Royal Guard who stayed at the other side of the office, closely watched by a single Praetorian.

"The Emperor ordered me to protect you using all power at my disposal. I'm still the Captain of HMS Scimitar but, now, I also have much more power under my command." He smiled and looked deeply into her green eyes. He regretted that he couldn't tell her that the Bravefall Dungeon was, basically, under his command.

She puffed her cheeks but then a sudden change in her expression betrayed what she understood with all its carried implications. She leaned back in the chair comfortably and smiled.

"Thank you, Victor. I want you to know that I like you as well." She smiled and then cleared her throat. She raised her voice so everyone could hear her. "You said that the nobility of Arcadia is different?"

"I don't know whether it's more complicated or not but we are taught about it in school." He smiled as he followed her gaze towards the nervous soldiers her Father left protecting her. "In Arcadia, being a noble means you have an important administrative role. It's useful for dealing with the surrounding countries but it won't give you many benefits inside Arcadia. Certainly, no one is going to kneel before you. The higher your noble rank, the bigger your responsibilities."

"So there are no benefits to the title?" She asked with a smile. While Victor continued uncertain whether she was happy about their whispered, honest talk or if she masked further confusion.

"Well, no, of course there are benefits. With the higher ranking station and responsibilities, you receive a much better salary. Some administrative roles can call on the army if they need to."

"But you don't control any land, right?"

"It's complicated. Arcadian nobles do not own land in the sense that your nobles do. Even governors don't directly own the areas under their protection. We can, however, buy property and use it as we desire. For example, Queen Elisabeth Nix and her husband own a ten-square-kilometre swath of land with a cosy mansion in Everlight. Lord Blair and his wife, Calicarpa May, the younger sister of Empress Lavender, have a few big orchards, a tea plantation, and a vineyard near Westwood. It's the capital of the western province where they reside, by the way. Duke Rizk’a, the Governor of Hilgvar Province, and his wife have a large mansion in the Infinity Dungeon City as well as some more tourism-orientated lands in the nearby mountains. The last time I checked, they were finishing a large resort with plenty of attractions but it was also going to serve as a base for exploring the mountains.”

"I admit that I don't understand." She furrowed her brows and sighed.

"It's not difficult, but it might be a little complicated. Everyone in Arcadia can control land. The amount of land is determined by their ability to cultivate it and develop it. If someone is deemed unfit to fully-own land, they can always rent what they desire. Contracted land is usually conveyed for ninety-nine years. The law is constructed so farmers can control as much land that they can cultivate. The Emperor has the right to evict the people who are proven incompetent or amass land with no intention of developing it. It boils down to the fact that all land of Arcadia is managed by the Royal Family and they grant it to people of Arcadia. It's the opposite of serfdom laws that Iceleon or Metaka practice. The Empire of Arcadia collects tax but it can be paid with money or your products. So, for example, most of the farmers send food they produce and most blacksmiths simply send high-quality weapons..."

As he continued, Theresa fought a war of emotions: her guards, who were truly her father’s eyes and ears, the current crisis during the negotiations, and the distraction of this man. His jaw was chiseled just so. He didn’t talk down to her and she felt something different from all those poseurs her father made her entertain. His sleeves cut into his arms and chest…

"You believe that is not complicated?" She almost panicked but, after a moment, took a deep breath and slowly nodded. "It's not easy but certainly sounds more equitable than serfdom. So to sum it up..."

She put together her hands and pressed the index fingers to the tip of her nose. As she collected her thoughts, she started tapping her nose with her index fingers and took a deep breath. Victor fought the distraction of her cute cheeks and wayward hair as she exhaled.

"The noble system in Arcadia can be described as meritocracy." She smiled as she entered some familiar grounds.

"Yes."

"You don't practice serfdom and deem slavery one of greatest crimes against the people."

"That's right." He nodded with a smile, happy she understood his admittedly incoherent babbling.

"Can I stay with you for a night?"

"Yes..." His smile melted. "Theresa! That wasn't fair!"

"Too late, Victor, you said yes." She giggled. "While I'm certainly interested in... Deepening our relationship, let's call it." She gave him a very clear-meaning wink. "Can we agree that we are deepening our friendship for now? I'm not crazy enough to spark unnecessary scandal but, Gods be my witness, I don't want to speak with my Father or that idiot General today. Or tomorrow. If they act like lunatics during our next meeting, I swear I will run away and ask the Emperor to help save my country from their incompetence."

"But..." He looked at the Iceleonian Royal Guards and sighed.

"I just know that once I return to my quarters, they will summon me and continue being idiots! Please, Victor, have mercy..." She almost begged him.

"We shouldn't..." He sighed but then he smiled. "All right, Your Highness!" He raised his voice so everyone in the office could hear him. "What you are suggesting requires a lot of planning so if you believe you are going to leave me to resolve alone, you are woefully wrong! Guards! Bring us coffee, refreshments, and pastries. We have a lot of work before tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!" The Praetorian replied with a cold voice that weakened her Father's elite soldiers. He cracked open the doors and forwarded Victor's request.

"Of course, Marquis Thornton! I will gladly help you with any details you require to help my people!" She replied with a warm smile and lowered her voice so only he could hear her. "You are the best, Victor! I would kiss you, if not for them."

"I'm going to hold you to that." He smirked which instantly put a deeper blush on her face.