She dreamed of strange things. She couldn’t tell what had been chasing her, but she instinctually knew that it was dangerous, so she’d run and run until her legs refused to respond. She’d collapsed then, in a forest she recognized.
It was where she’d played growing up, where she and her siblings had played before they were old enough to be taken away to more and more lessons. But the forest was familiar, its scents, sounds, and even its aura relaxed her until she remembered that she needed to flee.
But her body wouldn’t respond to her desperate need to flee. Her eyes searched this way and that, frantically looking for her pursuer. Then she spotted it.
It was a massive white/blue cat, easily dwarfing a two-story house. She could see the muscles below it’s short fur ripple as it slowly stalked towards her, seemingly confident that it had finally run its prey to the ground.
She watched its approach, heart pounding in her chest. But as it drew closer, she found that it didn’t loom over her, but seemed to oddly stay the same size. By the time it was upon her, their eyes were level to each others’.
Her heart nearly stopped as the cat’s nose nearly touched her own before it sniffed her. Was it only now wondering if she’d taste good? But as she watched, the cat did something unexpected.
It turned around in a circle a few times, shrinking even more as it did, then curled up in her lap and started purring.
She was so shocked by that that her eyes popped open, causing her to squeeze them shut again as the light blinded her, sending needles of pain into her brain.
“She’s awake,” she heard her mother say, greatly increasing her confusion.
Emily heard feet shuffling across the floor before she felt the auras of her father and siblings approach. She could smell that she was home, no longer in the arena she vaguely remembered sparring with Joram in.
She opened one eye a hair and saw that her mother was sitting at her bedside, a relieved expression warming her already welcoming visage.
“What happened?” She asked her mother, who just shook her head slightly before turning to the door.
That was when her royal father entered, closely followed by Reduin, Sylana, and Galamir. They soon crowded around her bed, causing her to feel more than a little self-conscious. She may have technically been the second princess of the Eternal Snow Kingdom, but she was only the daughter of a concubine. That her royal father would appear so anxiously before her, not to mention her normally aloof brothers and sister… it was hard to take.
“Did,” she started, then swallowed. “Did something… bad happen?” She asked, dreading the answer.
She vaguely remembered bits and pieces of the fight. She recalled being angry at Joram for messing around in front of her family, embarrassed that he would make light of their fight. She also remembered flashes of Joram as he started pushing her back with his new combat style. She also had the faintest sense that she’d fallen even further into the battle lust that her bloodline brought out than she’d ever gotten.
Her parents exchanged a look, but it was Reduin who answered for them.
“No, no one was hurt,” he said, then looked out the window, seemingly embarrassed as his cheeks coloured slightly.
Emily looked over to her other two siblings and saw that they, too, looked embarrassed, but also a little bit… angry. Yes, that was it. From the way their ears were angled to how the hair on their tails stood up slightly, the signs were there.
Then a thought occurred to her and her hands when to her covers and quickly lifted them.
She sighed in relief at the sight of her body suit, still intact and looking as new as the day Joram had made it for her. So, her clothes hadn’t disintegrated in this fight after all. Which then got her wondering why her brothers and sister were angry.
“What happened?” Emily asked, looking from one parent to the other, brows furrowed in confusion.
It was her mother that spoke next, relaying what she’d seen. She went over the fight, which helped to jog her own memories to a point. It was around the time when her mother said that her aura had manifested into claws that things grew too hazy for her to remember anything.
It was when her mother described Joram’s own battle aura that she grew more serious.
“Such a potent aura only comes from someone who has a very strong bloodline,” her mother said, passing briefly to add weight to her next words. “Not only that, but we all experienced an overwhelming suppression from him.”
Emily regarded her mother dumbly for a minute, trying to consolidate her words with her experiences with Joram. Ultimately, it didn’t matter to her. She’d finally found someone who wouldn’t get hurt when she sparred with them.
Added to that, he was surprisingly easy to get along with. For as much as it didn’t make her uncomfortable to have people ogle her everywhere she went, it still got annoying. Especially when it got in the way of her everyday life.
But as much as she teased and flirted with Joram while bugging him to “take responsibility” for her, he didn’t react beyond chasing her away. Not that that bothered her, as she knew just how annoying it was when others bothered her like that. It was just… fun.
“So?” She asked as she sat up in bed to look at her family from a better vantage.
Emily’s parents exchanged another look before her father spoke.
“Do you understand what his existence might mean?” He asked in his King voice as the looked her in the eye.
“Does it matter?” She asked, not quite getting what he was getting at.
“Mr Aneath is a monster, dear,” her mother spoke up from her side, surprising her with her words.
“So am I,” she said, now getting annoyed with the conversation. “What of it?”
She saw both her mother and father wince slightly at that while her brothers nodded solemnly. Having gotten beaten up by her growing up must have left their pride bruised.
“Dear,” her mother started. “That’s like comparing a house cat to a winged tiger,” she said as delicately as she could, which still felt like a gut punch to Emily.
It was one thing to know that she wasn’t able to beat Joram, but another for her mother to say it so bluntly. She felt her ears droop as her chin fell a bit. Then a gentle hand on her head made her look up.
“My little kitten,” her father said, astonishing her so much that she instantly forgot her dismay. “Do you think it is wise to continue being around such an existence? What would happen if he took offence to you one day? Would it end there, or would he come looking to end things by removing the problem at the root,” he asked, his hand still on her head.
“What would happen if his clan took offence? Given his bloodline, I am confident that he comes from a formidable people. Even though I sense no cultivation from him, he still managed to defeat you with his aura alone. How much more terrifying would his clansmen be if they were cultivators or practitioners?”
Emily wilted more and more as her father spoke, his words too sensible to refute. She’d also wondered just how powerful Joram would be if he, too, cultivated. Would he have even entertained her selfish demands on his time?
A few minutes passed like that until she finally murmured.
“But I thought I’d made a friend,” she said so quietly that only her parents heard.
She missed the look her parents shared before herding her siblings out of her room so that she could be alone for a while.
Another few minutes passed before her father also left, leaving her mother to stay with her. More minutes passed before her mother spoke.
“Is he a good friend,” her mother finally asked as she leaned forward, elbows on her knees with her chin cupped in her upturned palms.
“He made this for me so that we could practice together more,” she said, feebly plucking at her body suit.
Her mother got an odd look on her face as she took in her body suit. It covered more skin than the ones she’d originally had, but still clung to her form.
Emily looked up again when she felt her mother’s fingers plucking at her top. She frowned more as her mother then tugged a bit harder, then used her nails in an attempt to poke a hole through it.
Fed up, she gently slapped her mother’s hand away.
“Stop that,” she said, scowling.
Her mother sat up more, then quickly scooted into the bed with her.
“What’s this, now?” Her mother asked, now intensely interested in her outfit.
Seeing an angle to attack, Emily pounced on it.
“Isn’t it great?” She asked, practically purring. “Not only is it comfortable, but it is amazingly durable. It hasn’t once been damaged in our spars since he gave it to me,” she said smugly.
“How? It’s not even an artifact…”
“He is an amazing Artificer,” she said, still as smug as could be. “Not only that, but he didn’t even charge me for it.”
Sasha’s eyes blazed with interest then.
* * * * *
“So, are we really doing this?” Asura asked, looking around the large space.
Kinkade nodded absently as he used a modified omni-tool, one that hadn’t been designed to function as an implant, to scan the space. Because their “eyes” didn’t work like an organic’s did, using the AR glasses wasn’t an option, so they’d need to work with the scans afterwards.
“I know that Joram wasn’t keen on devoting time to this project. So, why?” Asura asked curiously.
“Hmm, well. I’m pretty sure that we’ll need more Crystals than we’re already bringing in, so this’ll definitely help things,” he said, returning to where the real estate agent was waiting at the front of the building.
“Wonderful space, isn’t it?” She said, a wide smile on her face.
“Hmm,” he hmm’d. “Not bad, but do you have anything a bit wider?”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
She thought about it for a moment before giving him an appraising look. He responded by giving her his second-best smile, causing her to become a bit flustered, but admirably keep her professionalism.
“Properties larger than this tend to be quite expensive,” she said, motioning around them. “May I ask what you’re planning to use the space for? Depending on that, our selection will greatly vary.”
“Hmm, well. I didn’t want to let the news out yet. But, we could say that it will be a bit of a… department store,” he said, trying to keep things on the down-low.
Again, the real estate agent- Ms Palamine Ephyra- tapped her tablet absently as she thought about potential locations.
“Are you needing something more centrally located, or a location a bit further out? How much foot traffic do you anticipate having? Will you need space for your customer’s transportation, like carriages, palanquins, and such?”
Kinkade paused, not quite sure about acquiring a parking lot for his store yet as that would likely come with quite the price tag, never mind maintenance and everything else. But foot traffic? That was pretty much all that he’d been naïvely anticipating. If what he sold really became popular, then there’d likely be more than a few people with transportation that’d need to be taken care of while their owners shopped.
“Seeing as how the items to be sold will be more… exclusive, I’ll likely need a parking lot eventually. How about we look for something less centrally-located that has access to parking.”
Ms Ephyra nodded as she quickly started scrolling through her magi-tablet, going through the available listings that might match.
It took another couple of hours of looking through what was available for Kinkade to finally find what he felt would work best for his plans.
It was further out, nearly at the suburbs of Stormhaven. He was impressed with it at first sight.
It was its own building, no other units attached to it with four stories, large grounds, and even a large stable out back. Even if he only used the first floor, it had more than enough space to accommodate every aspect of his planned department store. And if their store grew sufficiently, then he’d have more than enough room to grow.
“So,” Ms Ephyra said, now looking a bit hesitant for the first time since they’d met. “Even though this property is listed, its purchase requires a letter of recommendation. It can come from a noble or a reputable business owner,” she said, regaining her usual comportment at the end.
That was… unusual. Not that he could argue the point, as the property was listed at costing over one hundred forty T3 Cards to purchase outright. Given how much it would be to rent, the purchase sum was outrageous. He wondered if the owner was more interested in residual income over outright profit. Hmmm, that was probably the case, given that they could afford to put a property like that up for rent.
Then the thought about who he could get a letter of recommendation from. The Dean was out, as he didn’t want the man to blab to his family about the venture yet, as was the President of the Heavenly Trove Bank for the same reasons.
‘What about Miss Layla?’ Asura suggested.
‘Ah, good call,’ he sent back happily. Miss Layla was far enough removed from his family and daily life that she would be the perfect choice.
“Would a manager of the Heaven’s Bounty Auction House work?” He asked hopefully.
Ms Ephyra looked startled for a moment before nodding.
“That should do,” she said, then held up her magi-tablet and pointed at the reference number for the property. “Just have them included the reference number in the letter, and all should be well. In the meantime, I’ll make sure that there is a hold on the property. We wouldn’t want your efforts to go to waste, after all,” she finished with a smile.
“Great, we’ll be in touch shortly,” Kinkade said as he shook her hand.
- - -
‘So, do you think she’ll say yes?’ He sent Asura as they were led to Miss Layla’s office by Aenwyn.
‘Well, I’d be astonished if she didn’t, seeing as how we’re Emperor-Class VIPs and all,’ Asura sent, reassuring him.
They were soon seated across from Miss Layla in a more comfortable couch, being served tea by Aenwyn. Across from the ornate coffee table sat Miss Layla herself, as stunning as ever. He idly wondered if she’d attended the Academy and, if so, if she’d been on the Goddess Ranking.
After Aenwyn finished serving them all tea she sat beside Miss Layla, teacup and saucer in hand. Come to think of it, she too was right up there with Miss Layla for looks. He wondered if there was some kind of beauty requirement for someone to be employed here, considering that almost every female employee he’d seen had at the very least been very pretty.
“So, what can I do for you both today?” Miss Layla asked after delicately taking a sip of tea.
“Well, I’d like to purchase a property in Stormhaven, but it seems that the purchase requirement includes getting a letter of recommendation from someone of great repute,” he explained, a small one-sided grin tugging at his lips.
“Oh? That’s unusual,” Miss Layla said, now even more curious than she’d been. “Could you please give me the details?”
He obliged.
A small frown marred her countenance for a moment before Aenwyn passed her a mag-tablet. After flicking through some pages, she looked up at him with her usual smile that could floor most men.
“It seems that this in an old property of the Auction House,” she said. “I don’t know why it’s been left vacant for so long, let alone why it hasn’t been sold yet. But I’ll be more than happy to make the arrangements for you.”
Kinkade was a little bit more than a little bit shocked at her revelation. Why the heck wouldn’t the auction house have just sold the property off? If it wasn’t making them money and, on the contrary, probably costing them significant property taxes every year, it made no sense to just hold onto it.
“Oh,” he said, remembering Ms Ephyra’s most competent assistance. “Would that prevent our realtor from collecting her commission for helping us to purchase the property?” He asked, not wanting to be ungrateful to the helpful realtor.
“It would, but I can arrange for your realtor to be appropriately compensated,” Miss Layla replied with a slightly warmer smile than usual. “Now, how were you wanting to pay for the property? We have several options that might help you,” she said, then proceeded to explain.
Option 1 was to just hand over the entire sum. Bam. Done.
Option 2 was effectively getting a mortgage, with various maturation dates.
Option 3 was to just lease the property, but he really didn’t want to have to worry about rent.
Property taxes, business taxes, and paying the employees he’d need to eventually hire would be more than enough to worry about. Even then, it would take him a good month or so to get everything he needed to open the department store. Stock, employees, renovations, security, utilities, banking, the whole nine yards.
“There is, however, another option,” Miss Layla said with another charming smile on her face. “Seeing as how you’re one of the very few Emperor-Class VIPs we have, we can also just deduct portions of each of your sales to cover the purchase cost.”
“Ah, that could work,” he said, looking over to Asura to see what she thought. After getting a slight nod from her, he continued. “Then that would indeed be the best choice for us. That said, would we still be able to make payments towards the principal if we want to pay off the debt sooner?”
“There’s nothing to worry about there. You can even pay off the principal next week if you’re so inclined,” Miss Layla said, waving off his concern. “Aenwyn? Could you please start on the arrangements?”
Aenwyn nodded, taking the magi-tablet back before excusing herself and leaving the office.
* * * * *
Joram lay on his bed in the manor, sprawled out and prone.
The number of people who’d not only followed them home could have easily been a mob. The number of people who’d tried to get past the defensive arrays they’d immediately turned on after arriving astonished him. They ranged from Emily’s enraged fanboys to his own considerable followers/fangirls. He was very glad that he’d opted to splurge on their accommodations, as he was sure that a lesser array that came with a less expensive rental property wouldn’t have been able to keep them all out.
Anyway, he was currently drained from having been interrogated by Grammy and the rest of his family, his mother being even more intense than Grammy had been. The questions varied wildly. Anything from political considerations to if he was already having sex with a princess and if they should expect a child soon.
During the latter questions, he could feel Avi’s mirth flowing across their connection. As attractive as he found Emily, he still didn’t really know her that well. So, even if Avi “approved” of her, things weren’t likely to “happen” as things were currently.
The questioning had taken almost two hours before they were satisfied. Before leaving, they’d taken their time in admonishing him to keep focussed on school. “There’s no need to rush things,” they said.
The worst part was having to endure the pouting he’d felt coming from Bai Lian and Mo Yu the entire time. He was sure that if anyone looked at the pair that they’d have looked as placid as a lake in winter… and just as cold. He could practically taste their dissatisfaction with him.
So, as he lay there in bed, he’d planned.
There was a whole month off for summer break, which meant that they’d have plenty of time to do things together. He really wanted to do more questing with everyone. He felt that they’d all gotten along quite well each time he had taken out his team. Heck, even the joint ventures with Alicia’s team were well received and executed.
He was glad that The Untouchables proved to be so successful. Alicia had managed to sign on then entire study group, consisting of Jae-Eun, Sophia, Alyraele, Gabrielle, Daleira, Faenwyn, Kassandra and Renna. Surprisingly, Emily had opted to join his team, N7. He’d been afraid that Bai Lian and Mo Yu would object, but they’d been more than happy to accept her into the team. Wentian had just shrugged.
The Untouchables were gaining recognition for their efforts, never mind their members. At a total of nine beauties on the Goddess Ranking, the number of teams that showered them with offers to work together was ridiculous. The Quest Hall had had to allocate The Untouchables a much larger mailbox to hold the never-ending flow of requests.
Yeah, some questing would do nicely, he thought, thinking of the rejuvenating effect of nature on him.
Some time outdoors. Maybe checking to see if I can find those Bloodmoon Reavers again to top up my stocks. Yeah, an outing would be fantastic.
As he was blissfully planning his summer vacation, his student card pinged at him.
Message from Emily Hornwood:
Can I come over to talk?
He sighed.
- - -
Across from him sat Emily, once again in her usual body suit, though with a new addition: a white shawl. It was draped across her shoulders to hang down her torso, likely in an attempt at modesty. Probably at her mother’s insistence, and who was currently sitting beside her daughter on the couch.
Wentian had already served more tea and snacks, so they’d taken the time to politely sip their tea and nibble before Sasha spoke.
“I must say, we are very impressed with you Mr Aneath,” she said with a smile that was likely the origin of Emily’s.
“Thank you,” he said with as much dignity as he could muster while still being emotionally drained from the day. “But please, just call me Joram. Everyone else does.”
“I don’t feel that that would be appropriate considering-,” she paused as Emily surreptitiously elbowed her in the side. “- you’re such an amazing Artificer,” she finished smoothly, obviously changing what she was going to say.
“I’m sure that if your daughter can manage it, then someone of your standing can also honour me by just using my given name,” he said, managing to give his second-best smile.
“Then I shan’t be polite,” Sasha murmured as she briefly bowed her head before continuing. “I’ve spoken with the King, and more with Emily, and we’ve come to a decision. In light of your amazing talent, as well as gifting Emily with an artifact of great value, we’ve decided to accept your gift as her dowry,” she said, her smile so pleased that he nearly bailed right there.
He took a moment to calm his nerves, recruiting a few Minds to help. He looked over to where Emily sat and saw something that he’d never beheld since he’d first met her. It was a combination of embarrassment, uncertainty, and more than a hint of shyness.
Her rosy cheeks complimented her eyes so well that he was briefly taken by her beauty. In fact, her blush was so intense that even her ears appeared to be a bit pink. As he looked at her, she began fidgeting in place ever-so-slightly, upping her cuteness factor to the point of lethality.
He quickly turned back to Sasha and saw a knowing look in her eyes that sent another shiver down his spine.
“So,” he said, then cleared his throat. “You’re saying that I’m now engaged to Emily?”
“We wouldn’t want to impose on someone of your great standing,” she said, confusing him a bit before realizing that they probably thought that he was already a 6th Tier Artificer, a great addition to any world power out there. “But the fact that she’s taken with you hasn’t passed our notice. Not only that, but if we are able ensure that she is with someone as exceptional as you, we won’t have to worry about her bloodline causing her undue heartache,” she finished by turning to gaze fondly at her daughter.
“I’m sure that she has many suitors, all with a much better cultivation than I have,” he said. “Couldn’t they also ensure that no… mishaps occur?”
Sasha looked as though she’d anticipated his question. He watched as her smile grew softer as she glanced at Emily. When she turned back, the smile was the same, but there was now a sparkle in her eyes that set off alarm bells in his head.
“Yes, there are,” she said as she leaned forward slightly. “But none, I feel, more suitable than you. You’ve been exceptionally kind to my daughter, even going so far as gifting her the equivalent of a Tier 6 defensive treasure. Not only that, but by all accounts you’ve behaved quite chivalrously when presented with the opportunity to take advantage of her.
“You’ve also entertained her remarkably selfish and stubborn self by accepting her dozens of requests for martial exchanges. You’ve accepted Emily into your questing team when I’m told that Renna had tried have her join The Untouchables with her. Quite persuasively, I’m told,” she said, her smile turning into one of amusement briefly before becoming soft again.
“From what I’ve been able to learn, you’re a young man of reasonable character. If what I’m told is true, you don’t even charge for your tutoring services. Not only that, but you also treat the many young women that almost constantly surround you with dignity and respect. Even with the amount of flirting Emily tells me that those very same young women throw your way,” she said, her eyes once again twinkling as that last statement nearly broke his brain.
“I am also told that you’re in a relationship with Miss Seraphina. As a concubine myself, I understand that your attention would be divided between them. But we don’t mind. As long Emily continues to be treated as well as she has been, not only will that give her father and I much joy, but it will also make her very happy,” she said, causing Emily’s embarrassment to skyrocket. He could swear that steam was starting to rise from her head.
“So, young Joram,” she said, her expression turning to one of utmost sincerity with a hint of pleading as she slid forward on the couch, leaning forward into a seated bow. “We entrust our daughter into your tender care,” she said, head bowed.
Is the whole damn family so stubborn? He thought as he regarded the two women, wondering what he was going to do now.