"The Grand Temple has twenty five such rooms, in fact," High Priestess Amelia said. "Only thirteen of them are currently in use, and as an Archmage, Lucy is entitled to such a room if she so requests."
"Fair enough, I suppose," I said. "It's a bit out of the way, though... but, well, that's kind of minor."
"And, also, a solved problem," Amelia said, opening one of the apartment's interior doors onto...
"My chamber?" Kara asked.
"The one and the same," Amelia said, nodding. "When you open your chamber's door from the inside, you may choose whether it opens to Lucy's own chamber, or to its customary hallway."
"Well, that's convenient," I mused. "Whoever built these things was damn good at what they did."
"Indeed they were," Amelia said. "Alas, there have been setbacks and losses, and today we yet lack anyone capable of reproducing this great work... but we can maintain, and we do know how it all was made, in the event we do, one day, build back up to such heights. But! That is a subject for another day. Do enjoy your new chambers, everyone." She swept out the door, leaving the three of us alone.
"Hrm..." I inspected the space- still on its default apartment preset- faux-carefully; it was identical to Amelia's such space, but lacking even the sparse personal touches the High Priestess added. "...A shame we've already eaten dinner; breaking bread in here would be an excellent way to make it feel lived in."
"We could break in the space another way," Kara suggested.
"Not on the table," Rachel said.
"You're no fun."
"I suppose that means we can just head straight for bed, and talk about relationship boundaries, and what we want, and all that good stuff," I said. "While cuddling, of course, because cuddling can help make emotionally difficult conversations easier."
"Fair enough," Kara said.
"If you need privacy to change into your bedclothes, then you may have the room first," Rachel said. "I am already wearing mine as an underlayer, and Lucy simply removes her hat and boots before bed."
"And the jacket," I added. "Well. Sometimes."
"I'm perfectly comfortable sleeping in my robe," Kara said, storing her five-cornered cap in her void space. "And I am also perfectly comfortable with either of you seeing me without it."
"One day," Rachel said.
"She likes to take things slow, remember," I said.
----------------------------------------
Once we were in bed, we had to find a new position in which we could cuddle without anyone being unduly left out or crushed, and the result was reasonably effective. I laid on my back in the center of the bed, and both Rachel and Kara laid on their sides, their shoulders tucked under my arms, and their heads on my shoulders. Oh, for sure, they'd wanted to use my tits as pillows, of fucking course they did, my tits are amazing, but those were, unfortunately, so big and juicy that they could not comfortably lift their heads up enough to rest atop the towering titties.
This wouldn't have been a problem if my boobs had been less firm and more squishy, but Rachel and Kara both agreed that they were better the way they were, so I kept them that way and contented myself with an arm wrapped around each lover... and, admittedly, a hand on each one's topmost tit. No reason I had to be deprived.
"So, let's go over what we all want out of a relationship," I said. "Rachel, you mind going first?"
"What I want is to be treated as an alpha treats a lover," Rachel said. "To know the firm, assertive, and protective love of another alpha. And... I also want something long-term."
"I see, I see," Kara said. "Lucy? What do you want?"
"Well, I consider myself to be an alpha, and I am more than eager to give Rachel what she's asked for, and would be even happier to give that to even more people," I said. "And you, Kara?"
"...I can't help but notice that, while we are all alphas here," Kara began, "Rachel's stated desires are rather omega-like, and Lucy's are quite alpha-like. And my desires, as an alpha who was raised in a community almost exclusively of betas, are very beta-like, in that I would quite like opportunities to both give and receive that sort of... affectionate aggression. I would like to be Rachel's second alpha, and Lucy's second omega, so... effectively, I want to be your beta."
"I mean, tying up what you want with gender essentialism isn't the greatest idea," I said. "But, as long as you know what it is you want, and that it is in fact actually what you want, then I suppose that works."
"But," Kara said, continuing. "I do also like having time alone, my own space to work, and the ability to focus on my studies."
"Ah, of course, of course," I said, nodding. "We can definitely accommodate that."
"And..." Kara trailed off. "...I think I would like to have children, some day. And actually raise them, not just pass them off to the creche-mothers and forget about them. But... not soon."
"It may prove a difficult ambition with us as your lovers," Rachel remarked. "I, for one, have no intention of bearing a child any time soon, and I doubt Lucy has any such intention either."
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Well, no, but hey, I bet our little polycule'll grow some more over time," I said. "I'm a magnetic personality, with tits bigger than my head."
"That helps less than you think in a temple," Kara said. "And if you do grow your harem further..." Kara trailed off, biting her lower lip contemplatively, before sighing. "You might want to find someone who's good at politics, because of... me."
"Oh?" I asked. "You said you were the bastard of a noble and a nun, right?"
"I did, and I am," Kara said, nodding. "But... remember how I am twenty seven years old?"
"Yeah?" I said.
"What happened twenty eight years ago?"
"I don't know, I haven't gotten there in my history studies yet," I said.
"The last war with Tepes," Rachel said.
"Indeed," Kara said, nodding. "My mother was a young nun in the march of Jet, and while she was traveling away from the front to Kotor, she stopped at a temple for the night, and met a young noble alpha heading towards the front. This alpha, knowing she was likely to die without leaving behind an heir, approached my mother, a beta exemplar-"
"Is that why your tits are so big?" I asked.
"...Yes, actually, but if I may continue?" Kara asked.
"Right, right, sorry."
"This noble alpha, knowing she was likely to die without leaving behind an heir, approached my mother, the only beta exemplar in the temple, and asked her to bear the alpha an heir, before she went off to battle, so that her bloodline need not be completely extinguished should she fall. My mother, twenty three and somewhat baby-feverish, in addition to being somewhat taken with the noble, agreed immediately. The two slept together that night, with the alpha having ensured that her heir would be an alpha as well."
Kara sighed, before breathing in deeply, clearly psyching herself up for the next revelation.
"That noble alpha who laid with my mother and sired me upon her, was Ariel Nukem, the heir apparent to Duke Kara Nukem, whose name I bear. My mother knows this. A few very high-ranking nuns know this. High Priestess Amelia knows this. But nobody else knows this, outside of this room."
Ah.
Shit.
"But... by right, you should be the Duke of Nukem, not Leyla," Rachel pointed out.
"I know," Kara said. "We all know. They attempted to raise me as a scholar of history and psychology and the humanities, but I wouldn't stand for it as a child- I was always more interested in numbers and mechanics and the elegant beauty of the workshop. And so... they gave up. I was a Black Stone, the same as my father before me, and I do know that this means I take precedence over Leyla Nukem for the ducal throne, but... I just can't make myself want it. We already have a Duke, anyway. Let her do the job; she's had it for as long as I've been alive. She must be better at it than me."
"Uhhh..." I trailed off. "About that..."
"Oh you've got to be shitting me," Kara said, closing her eyes.
"Leyla Nukem is an abrasive and impulsive asshole who nobody likes," Rachel said. "A proper ruler must be schooled in history and in governance, yes, but they must also be schooled in people, and how to speak to others without giving offense, and how to ensure that your vassals like you and agree with your goals and do not want to get rid of you. When you say you would make a poor Duke, I will not contradict you. But you alone would make a better Duke than Leyla Nukem, if only by your awareness that you do not know what you are doing, and your willingness to listen to others who do know what they are doing, let alone your presumable ability to speak calmly and levelly to your subjects."
"I don't want to be the Duke," Kara protested.
"You do not have to be the Duke on your own," Rachel said softly.
"In all honesty, you wouldn't get to be even if you wanted to," I said. "Leyla Nukem is an asshole who's alienated her vassals, and they all want her gone. You, Kara, represent a more appealing alternative- an excuse to wipe the slate clean and start over without Leyla. They would install you on the throne as a puppet, to advance their own aims, and were you to go against them... well, they've already demonstrated a willingness to unseat an unwanted Duke."
Kara wailed.
"But," I pressed on. "Like Rachel said, you don't have to do this alone. You don't have to be a puppet to Marquis Jet or High Priestess Amelia or Count... whatever, I don't know any of their names. If you give the word, Kara, you will have myself and Rachel in your corner, protecting you from those who mean you harm. Or... if you give the word, Rachel and I will drop the subject, and we will never again discuss your father, or the governance of the realm. I promise. I don't want to pressure you, Kara. I'm sorry if I've done that."
Kara clung to me for comfort, so she likely wasn't too upset with me. Rachel reached out and stroked Kara's hair, which Kara seemed to lean into.
"...It's a lot to take in," Kara said, after a long pause. "And... I still don't want to do this. I don't want to be the Duke, and I don't want to leave the Grand Temple behind. But... I do want to make a difference. I want my work to mean something to someone. And as much as I'd like to do that with my study of mechanics... I'm not sure I can." Kara sighed. "One thing I was told, growing up, was that there was a risk of civil war. They told me that to motivate me in my studies, but... that wasn't just motivational theater, was it?"
"It was not," Rachel said quietly, shaking her head. "Especially not after the Duke's own latest outburst and humiliation."
"I figured," Kara said, sighing. "Well. What kind of Duke would I be, to ignore the safety of the realm for my own desires?"
"You don't have to do this," I said. "We can find another way. Have the council appoint one of their own as the new Duke, and let House Nukem fall to the curse of Tepes at long last, replaced by another."
"That wouldn't work as well as having me replace the Duke and preserving House Nukem, would it?" Kara asked.
"It would not," Rachel said.
"Then it's settled, I suppose," Kara said, sadly.
"There'll be time yet to get your affairs in order," I said, patting her head. "There's another quest we have to finish first, before your political career can begin."
"What quest?" Kara asked.
"You'll see."
----------------------------------------
I finished the chalk summoning circle, and checked it carefully against the book. I knelt before it, and then, just because I was feeling generous (and wanted the practice) drained just about my entire (not insignificant, these days) mana pool into the circle.
The shadows swelled, then faded, leaving me standing across from a familiar face.
"Lucy, it's good to see you again. You've got a question, and I've got an answer."
"Good to see you too, Lucifer," I said. "Where's the Teapot of Eternity?"