Maybe because it was a Friday afternoon, but the Dracis mansion was slightly less bustling than usual. With all the busy and self-important Draconic Federation personnel moving in and out of the estate, it sotis felt more like a governnt office than soone's ho. I had no idea how Elly was dealing with it, but then again, the main building alone was big enough that she probably rarely if ever ran into any dignitaries or officials by chance.
With such idle thoughts in mind, I passed through the wrought-iron fences of the compound, casually greeting the familiar security guards in the process, and then I strolled across the front gardens. Spring wasn't quite in full swing yet, but thanks to the tireless effort of the family's gardening staff, the bushes and flower patches already looked pretty damn impressive.
The neatly trimd and sculpted hedges were steadily turning greener by the day, the dark cobblestone of the winding footpaths created a sharp contrast with the vibrant greenery, and the forecast said there wouldn't be any blackthorn winter days in the foreseeable future, so they even turned on the small fountain in the middle. I always wanted to take a closer look at it, but I couldn't just wander around here last autumn, and there wasn't much to see during the winter. It still wasn't in full bloom yet, so I made a ntal note to ask the girls if they wanted to take a stroll there in a month or so.
"Welco, future young master."
Lost in thought, I was mildly surprised when I was imdiately greeted by linda the mont I entered the vestibule. While we routinely saw each other these days due to my frequent visits, it was pretty rare to run into her right away like this.
"Hello, linda. Is Abram back yet?"
"Yes, the patriarch returned from his business trip this morning," the prim and proper chambermaid answered without much emotion, but the way she was looking at made feel a bit self-conscious.
While we maintained a cordial relationship on the surface, ever since her declaration that she would pursue the princess (in a romantic sense of the word, I assud), there has been sothing of a silent tension between the two of us. While Elly reassured that she wasn't interested in the blonde maid that way and that the 'misunderstanding' was already being taken care of, it didn't change the fact that our interactions remained just a touch strained.
Anyhow, I was just about to ask her to tell Dad-in-law that I was coming, but before I could get to it, another chance encounter interrupted in my tracks.
"Leonard!" From the top of the fancy stairs leading to the first floor, Ese descended with springy steps. Despite being the esteed matriarch of the household, she wasn't wearing any fancy dress or even designer clothes, but just a casual outfit with loose jeans and a simple sweatshirt. She bead at , an expression that was a mirror image of Elly's happy-go-lucky grin, and she even waved at . "You should've called ahead! I didn't know you were coming over. Are you staying for dinner?"
"Hello. I'm here to et Abram, so I wasn't planning to…" Noticing her intent stare, I reconsidered my options. "… but since I'm here, I might as well."
"Great! You're always just rushing in and out on business. It's been ages since the last ti the whole family sat down around the dinner table together."
I waited for her to arrive next to , while linda took a respectful step back to give us space.
"To be fair, I'm here to talk business. Or rather, about fifty percent business. You'll see."
"Will I?"
"It's about our spring break plans."
She raised a curious brow and folded her arms, swaying her hip to the side in the process. Was it just , or did she put on so extra curves recently? In my experience so far, body types seed to be pretty static in the Simulacrum, so maybe it was just the clothes, but considering she used to be wheelchair-bound, it made sense that she would 'fill out' a bit to emphasize how healthy she got.
Of course, I wasn't going to voice my impression in the open (heck, even ogling her like this was a bit rude), so I cleared her throat and looked her in the eyes again.
"I've heard about it from my daughter," she spoke up when our gazes crossed, her lips once again bending into a smirk that sohow managed to be both playful any yet dignified at once. It was one of the privileges of being an adult, I figured. "Is it still a secret?"
"It's not really a secret at this point, I'm just trying not to openly advertise it, in case things go horribly wrong in the anti and it gets everyone disappointed."
"That's not a good attitude," she chided all of a sudden, and before I could respond, she even reached out to pinch my cheek. "Would a bit of optimism kill you?"
"I get that a lot from Elly too, but it's just how I am," I told her, trying my best not to slur my speech.
Mom-in-law exhaled a sigh and let go of .
"linda, please let the kitchen know that we'll have the family four-course nu for today's dinner."
The maid remained motionless, but her gaze flickered over to for a mont before returning to Ese.
"As you wish, but… the future young master already asked to lead him to the patriarch's room."
I was pretty sure I didn't get the opportunity to do so yet, but Mom-in-law dismissed her anyway.
"Don't worry, I'll escort Leonard myself. You can attend to your duties in peace."
"Understood."
With that final word in tow, linda politely bowed and headed towards the entrance of the servant corridors we used a while ago when I was visiting Percival. By the by, the old man was no longer here. I arranged a small residence for him in the neighbourhood, with a nursing service, where the patrols could keep an eye on him. Snowy had been diligently visiting him (more often than not in the company of Penny, and occasionally even Tajana) every other day. She took my request to learn about intrigue and skullduggery from the old bastard seriously, and he caught on quickly, using the opportunity to prove his 'usefulness' to us.
That tangent aside, Ese gestured for to follow after her, and we walked up the stairs from whence she ca.
"Did sothing happen between you and linda?"
I wasn't expecting a direct question like that, so it took a second to respond.
"No, not really."
"Are you sure?" She narrowed her eyes and looked over from head to toe as if sothing about my posture was odd. "The way she looked at you wasn't normal."
"There might be so tension between us due to certain circumstances, but it's nothing major."
"Tension," she echoed , still sounding unconvinced. "It's not interest, right?"
"No, of course not," I denied on the spot, and she responded with a sharp nod.
"Good. While I had my initial reservations about this relationship between the three of you… What did Judy call it?"
"Polyfidelity?"
"Yes, that. I'm glad to see that the three of you are close, so make sure you won't ruin it and end up like father-in-law."
I couldn't help but blink in surprise at that.
"The previous patriarch? Why? I thought his wives got along well enough."
Now it was her turn to blink and look at funny.
"Who told you that?"
"Dad-in-law."
The answer didn't even fully leave my mouth, and she already stifled a groan.
"Figures. n are just ignorant of these things."
"… So, from what I gather, they don't actually get along."
"It's complicated." I thought she said that to cut the topic short, but then she imdiately continued with, "My mothers-in-law are all… strong personalities, and while they keep up a friendly façade in front of Abram, their relationship with each other can be… stormy at tis. It's the reason why they still haven't visited Critias, despite the announcent of your engagent and the forming of the Draconic Federation." She looked at with a aningful gaze. "It's only a question of ti though. I'd reckon they will put aside their differences and attend your wedding in the future, at the very least. I recomnd you steel yourself in preparation."
"You are raising sooo many red flags right now," I grumbled without reservations. "What happened to your lecture about optimism from just a few minutes ago?"
She didn't give a proper response, only a shrug that could be best interpreted as 'This is this, that is that'. Suddenly feeling a bit nervous about my first encounter with my grand-in-laws, we finally reached the door leading to Abram's study. I've been here more tis than I could count, though mostly when discussing Federation business. The place looked much more presentable than the first ti I stumbled in, when half of it was filled up to the ceiling with unsold music records.
"Son, honey! What a pleasant surprise!"
Dad-in-law was sitting behind his desk and welcod us with a hearty laugh and his customary lack of indoor voice, simultaneously pushing a conspicuous pile of docunts to the side.
"Good afternoon and such," I greeted him back with a lazy wave. "How did the negotiations go?"
"Worse than ideal, but better than expected," he responded enigmatically and then paused while Ese walked over to his side and presented her face for a quick peck. The two of them smiled and chuckled in that cosy, wholeso way that only harmonious married couples could pull off, yet he soon turned his attention back to . "But son… Are you sure investing in online businesses like this is a sound strategy? I can wrap my head around sales numbers and distribution channels, but these 'search engines' and 'ad revenue' bits and bobs are Swahili to ."
"In the short term, yes. Trust , it's going to be a big thing, just rember…"
"Yes, yes," he cut off with a shake of his hand. "I shouldn't put all my eggs in the sa basket, and invest our profits in stable stocks and companies. You told this every single ti we talked business."
"And I'm glad to hear that you listened," I quipped back with a toothy smile and stopped in front of his desk. "But speaking of business, how about the other thing I ntioned?"
"You an, that investnt opportunity you talked about the other day?" Abram paused and absently rubbed his sideburn with a large thumb. "To be honest with you, I'm not sure about it. We have never done any infrastructure developnt projects, and while I floated the idea to so of the other patriarchs with more business experience in this field, I couldn't get any straightforward responses without sharing the details."
"Were they interested?"
"Yes, but I think it was because your na was attached to the idea. Others though… You see, son, Celestials don't have the best reputation, and while many are eager to deal with you because you represent both them and the Draconian families, there are just as many who are wary of agreeing to anything for the sa reason."
"As expected. We'll fix that image problem with ti, and…" I paused, and suddenly recalling sothing, I clicked my tongue. "Before I forget it again, can I ask you to help put together a press conference?"
"Press?" Ese echoed , one brow raised in confusion.
"Not in terms of TV stations and news, but internally. Assembly included. I was told I need to clear up people's misgivings about and my abilities before things get out of control."
"Oh, you an your ability to teleport," Mom-in-law noted, and Abram suddenly slapped his knee.
"Ha! I know I shouldn't be surprised about what you do, son, but that was still a shock! It does explain how you kept coming and going as you pleased in the mansion though!"
"It certainly does," Ese agreed, but her eyes were still on . "What kind of 'misconception' do you need to clear up?"
"Things that I could just Phase into anyone's bedroom in the middle of the night and murder them in cold blood." I paused for a beat, and cheekily added, "I reserve harassing people in their sleep to folks I don't like."
"Please don't joke like that in public, or it will only make things worse," she scolded , while Abram was deep in thought.
"I can pull an ergency assembly and ask Endymonion to send so attendees in a diplomatic function. I don't think they have any news organizations, but word-of-mouth should take care of spreading the news all the sa!"
"Maybe we should, then?" Ese proposed, and his husband turned a questioning eye at her. "The Draconic Council keeps pushing out new laws and treaties every week, and it's hard to keep track of it all. We could use sothing to keep the mbers and our affiliates up-to-date. Maybe a newsletter?"
"That's not a bad idea," I agreed, but Dad-in-law was less enthusiastic.
"It's not, but… we just finalized the budget the other day, so if we wanted to add a new departnt to the payroll…"
"Hold that thought, I'm going to ask Judy first," I interjected, and my in-laws both turned to with a hint of intrigue in their gazes. "She likes to take note of everything and organize data, so I'll ask her if she wants to help with this. Think of it as a test run."
"A capital idea, son!" Abram grinned ear-to-ear, and if he wasn't seated, I was sure he would've tried to pat my back. "It's about ti we gave her so kind of official position in the Federation so that those annoying naysayers would finally shut up! Good thinking!"
"Wait, what kind of naysayers are we talking about here?"
Mom-in-law clearly signalled to her husband to keep quiet, but he didn't receive the ssage, and he told , "Just so envious old n who think she doesn't have the background or achievents. It's just aningless buzzing, like a swarm of flies. It's best to ignore them."
"… And how co I've never heard about this before?"
"Because nobody is foolish enough to say it within earshot to you," Mom-in-law told flatly while simultaneously pinching Abram's ear.
"Ow, honey! What was that for?"
She ignored him and smiled sweetly at instead.
"I do agree with my hubby that you should ignore them. Don't try to engage with fools, for they drag you down to their level and beat you with experience."
"… Noted."
I said that, but honestly speaking, the idea that so people in the Draconic Federation were scheming to discredit Judy still didn't sit well with . I already had too many things to keep track of, but I figured I would have to squeeze 'observe the Council mbers and their helpers to find the ringleaders' into my daily routine from now on. But that was for later.
For the next half an hour or so, we discussed other business-related minutia, like my 'royalties' from Ouroboros, the company's music streaming platform, and other short and long-term plans, including the upcoming spring break training camp. We didn't go too deeply into the details though, since we would talk during dinner as well, and we would've probably gone into so other tangent if not for a knock on the door.
"Please excuse ," linda spoke as she entered and, following a strangely awkward curtsy, she addressed . "Milady is requesting the presence of future young master in her room, as soon as possible."
"It's fine, we'll continue later," Ese said before I could get a word in, and urged forward with a smile. "Don't make them wait."
"Sure. I'll see you both at dinnerti."
With that, I bid my farewells and followed after the chambermaid.
"This way, future young master."
"I know. At this point, I can navigate this mansion with my eyes closed."
That was a bit of an overstatent, but linda only humd in response and gestured for to follow closely. Our short journey to the princess's quarters was quiet and uneventful, though I couldn't help but notice a few odd things. Such as… did linda also put on so weight? Or maybe I was just prid to notice small discrepancies due to my previous observations about Ese's hips. No, scratch that; no matter how I looked, she did seem a bit bulkier than usual. Was she like that earlier as well, I wondered.
Not for long though, as we reached Elly's room and linda took out a master key. The door was open, so she didn't need to use it, but since I was paying extra attention to her, it just struck as odd. She stepped aside and gestured for to enter, and I did so without any reservations.
Elly's room was the sa as always, with its eclectic mixture of the girly stuffed animal collection and signed heavy tal posters and paraphernalia both clashing hard with the fancy antique baroque-style furniture. If anything, I considered it a reflection of my princess; odd and quirky, but undeniably cute and wholeso as well. Which made the following observation all the more confusing.
"Where are the girls?" I asked, glancing around in the empty room. I was just about to use Far Sight to see if they went to the toilet or sothing when my plan was interrupted by the sound of a key turning.
Startled, I looked at linda, who just used her master key to lock us in. Not only that, but before I could even utter a cheesy line befitting the situation, such as 'What's the aning of this?', she turned to face and, without an ounce of hesitation, she bent over and grabbed the hem of her long skirt. With motions that I could only describe as 'practised', she smoothly pulled her maid dress over her head, revealing… a different maid dress underneath.
Except this one was the impractical kind, with fishnet stockings, a miniskirt, and a short-sleeved top with a freaking boob-window to show off her cleavage. While I was still shocked by the sudden turn of events, she cast her original maid outfit onto the ground and casually adjusted her headdress.
"I was told future young master is aroused by such clothes, so…" She tried to do a curtsy, though it looked a bit silly with the comically short skirt. "I will serve the future young master now."
…
Crap. I walked into this one, didn't I?
User Comments
0 comments from readers