Ariel Interlude.
Ariel sighed as Rudy kissed her lips, pressing her down into the mattress. To her right, Sylphie and Roxy watched from a few inches away while petting each other and occasionally kissing, content to play the part of voyeurs to Ariel's first time.
My first time in two lives, she thought happily, before her thoughts briefly soured. First time with a man. Not my first time.
Taking a breath, Ariel forced herself to focus on Rudy and the feel of his lips on hers, their tongues rolling over each other, one of his hands laced with hers and the other stroking her hip. It was very sweet and romantic. Gentle, even. Gentler than she really had expected of him, given the bath time tales the girls told of their bedroom exploits, when Rudy wasn't sharing the bath with them.
First time with my husband. First time with my wives. That's what matters, she finally decided, and managed to banish the bad feeling with happy thoughts. After thirty years and two lifetimes, she had finally gotten married and would soon become a mother.
She had gone from Nanahoshi Shizuka, fifteen year old Japanese high school student before, to Ariel Anemoi Asura, second princess of the Kingdom of Asura after a surprise visit from Truck-kun. Despite the gilded, seemingly charmed life she had been reincarnated into, Shizuka's new life had not been all sunshine and roses. Her family were a bunch of degenerates and, in order not to be the nail that got hammered down, she had to blend in. Which meant putting on the act of the degenerate princess as soon as she was old enough to be expected to start taking an interest in sex and the debauched games nobles and royals played. She had feared for her chastity, feared she would have to embark on a journey of ever more depraved acts in order to satisfy her family.
Luckily for her, salvation arrived in the form of an avenging angel, to save her from a monster that had apparently been teleported into the castle garden—too late to save her friend and the only decent noble she knew at the time, but just in time to save Ariel. That was how Sylphiette entered her life, and from there, Rudy, Roxy, Eris, and everyone else. The people she was happy to call family now.
Ariel's thoughts were pulled back to the present as Rudy kissed her ear. "What are you thinking about?"
"Sorry," Ariel apologized for her distraction, shaking her head and smiling. "I was thinking about how happy I am that I have you all now. That I don't have to be someone I'm not."
Rudy reached up and petted her head, and Ariel felt a blush come to her cheeks. No one had done that for her since she was tiny. In fact, the last person to do it was Lilia—who had been more of a mother to her than her own mother. It made her feel small and vulnerable, but also… safe, happy, and warm. "We're glad to have you, Shizuka."
Ariel bit her lip at that, before whispering, "Can I be Shizuka tonight?"
"Any time you want," Rudy nodded.
"Of course you can!" Sylphie agreed, followed by a quiet, "Mm," from Roxy.
"Thank you all," Shizuka smiled happily, and Rudy reached up and brushed away the tears at her eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, she let it out in a shuddering, gusty sigh. "I'm happy, I promise!"
Lips found her neck and Shizuka squirmed as Sylphie wrapped herself around her right side. She caught side of Roxy moving around behind Rudy, before the bluenette latched onto her left a moment later, the Migurd woman's lips seeking out Shizuka's cheek and jaw. Sylphie's and Roxy's hands roamed her body and the white haired girl's hand glowed for a moment, before Shizuka found herself sucking in another breath, this time in shock at just how sensitive she felt.
"O-oh~," she managed to get out, before Rudy chuckled and his own hands joined theirs and his lips trailed down from Shizuka's mouth, to her chest, kissing the swell of her breasts but ignoring the aching peaks of her nipples. She mewled and squirmed as he kissed his way down to her belly, occasionally gently nipping at her entirely too sensitive flesh. "Rudy~," Shizuka whined. "Don't tease me!"
"Tease you more?" Sylphie giggled.
Roxy nodded. "That seems to be what she's really saying."
"No! I'm really not!" Shizuka shook her head, sending her blonde curls flying. "I, I can't take much more teasing! I've been pent up for days now and hearing you two talk about your wedding night when I couldn't join in has left me frustrated!"
Sylphie and Roxy shared a look, before Sylphie leered. "Hold her down."
The pair pinned Shizuka's hands above her head as their lips and free hands began to tease her body mercilessly. Shizuka moaned and struggled as they teased her, but the truth was… she loved every second of it, and Sylphie knew this. Sylphie knew many of Ariel's dirty bedroom secrets. She knew Ariel was a masochist, a submissive, and a pain jockey—and had, in fact, given Ariel that fetish herself. But this night wasn't supposed to be about 'Ariel,' it was supposed to be about 'Shizuka—'
Rudy's fingers spread her lower lips open and his mouth descended on her, and Shizuka's hips bucked as he assaulted her sopping cunt. A ragged moan left Shizuka's lips and she gave up fighting, because in the end, this was what she wanted anyway. To be pushed down and ravished by the man she loved and only the man she loved… and maybe some cute girls to go with him. The fact that those cute girls would be her fellow wives and sisters in all but blood was just a bonus for her.
Rudy's fingers slipped inside her channel and began gently stroking inside her, while he kissed, sucked, and licked away at her folds. At the same time, Sylphie attacked her nipples, inhaling them both, while Roxy kissed her lips and the Migurd's tongue explored her mouth.
Between the attentions of her husband and wives, Shizuka found herself quickly lost in the throes of passion, her mind going blank as her cries were swallowed happily by Roxy. Before she had even recovered from that, Rudy was moving up between her legs, spreading her thighs. For just a moment, he laid his cock out on top of her mound and belly, and Shizuka realized just how large he really was.
It's like something out of a hentai, she managed to string the thought together, before Rudy pulled back and pressed his cock into her folds. And then he was pressing forward, and Shizuka felt him press against her hymen. There was just a moment of resistance, then a sting of pain as he tore through the barrier. Sylphie's hand was pressing into her mons a moment later and the pain vanished, healed away as if it had never been. Shizuka didn't know quite whether to be happy or a bit disappointed—after all, that little bit of pain was supposed to be part of the process, and having the pleasure overcome pain was kind of a big thing… especially in her romance books and doujins, when she had been a teenage girl on Earth.
Then, she felt magic tingle inside her and Rudy pulled back, and Shizuka's world changed as his cock somehow scraped every sensitive little fold, nook, and cranny inside of her channel. She realized he was using magic to cheat about the time she felt a little bead of what must be her own arousal form on her clit, before starting to swirl, suck, press, and even vibrate. And then Rudy pulled her legs up in a V, resting them on his shoulders as he settled into her with a steady, forceful pace that very quickly had Shizuka keening and clenching Sylphie, Roxy, the sheets, and whatever else she could get her hands on as he drove her wild.
"Hehehe~!" Sylphie giggled, before kissing Roxy over Shizuka's body. "It's so fun to watch him do that to someone!"
Roxy met Shizuka's blue eyes with her own before chuckling. "It's nice to see it being done to someone else for a change," she agreed, before pulling Sylphie back in for another kiss as the pair's hands began to roam each other's bodies.
Shizuka would like to protest her treatment at their hands, but all she could get out was, "Ahn~!" and other lewd, indecent, fun sounds as Rudy drove her crazy and fucked her brains out. All thought was driven from her mind, beyond the desire to move her body and match his movements, to feel his skin and that of her wives, and the need for more.
Thankfully, it seemed Rudy was intent on giving her more. More and more and more. Until eventually, Shizuka could stand no more… and he pushed her just a bit beyond her limit, before filling her womb with his warm seed and leaving her a panting, shaking, sweaty mess on the bed.
Rudy leaned down and kissed her, and Shizuka felt herself melting inside at the intimacy and intensity of it. Looking up into his green eyes with her blue, she grinned impishly. Quietly, she said, "You finally got that JK you were after."
Rudy snorted. "Shut up," he laughed, rolling his eyes and easing himself out of her.
Then, to her amazement and a little fear… and not so little excitement, Rudy pulled a squealing and giggling Roxy away from Sylphie, pushed her down on top of Shizuka, and mounted her from behind. Sylphie curled up into Shizuka's side and hugged her, pressing her lips to Shizuka's ear. "We warned you," she giggled quietly as Rudy made Roxy squeal on top of her, the mage collapsing into a spent puddle after just one orgasm, and Rudy just kept tormenting the blue haired mage.
"You did," Shizuka sighed happily as her body shook under the force of Rudy's thrusting into Roxy. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around Roxy's insensate form and allowed herself to drift for a while, just enjoying this feeling of contentment. She wasn't anywhere near done with her wedding night and tales of Rudy's stamina were not at all exaggerated, so she would happily take another turn or two… later. After a short nap.
"…and so, allow me to introduce my husband and your new king, Rudeus Greyrat, Emperor-level Elemental mage…"
Rudy sighed as they watched the replay of the announcement, reaching up and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I look like some random asshole you pulled in off the street."
Ariel chuckled quietly as, on screen, Rudy lifted into the air and casually summoned multiple elemental dragons to dance around the city of Ars, all without leaving so much as a blade of grass disturbed in their wake—a vast improvement over the last time he showed off that bit of spellwork, if Eris's stories were anything to go by. No, husband. You look like what you are. A powerful and dangerous wizard. I would rather our kingdom, and especially our neighbors, trade partners, and potential enemies see that than the typical image of a king—soft, fat, and clad in fancy robes. No, you suit your role just fine, my love."
"Mm," Rudy murmured, before grabbing her by the hips and pulling Ariel over into his lap. He kissed her neck and Ariel felt herself growing warm, her stomach fluttering at the attention. "Say it again."
"My love."
"I like it."
Ariel knew neither of them were quite there yet, but they were… fond of each other. They were friends. They enjoyed each other's company. They liked each other. She loved him and she was sure he loved her as well. But to say either was in love with the other was difficult. Sylphie was certain it would come with time. Roxy tended to agree. And Eris… Eris thought that if he just kept fucking her silly and 'putting hearts in her eyes,' she'd fall for him in no time.
Ariel couldn't say she entirely disagreed.
"What's our next step, wife?"
"For you? I need you to secure the borders of Asura with a wall, the same way you did Fittoa. Then build Laputa. We also need more airships, so we can begin engaging in that favorite of your American pastimes: gunboat diplomacy, under the guise of trade."
"I feel kinda singled out here. It's not like we had a monopoly on it—"
Ariel cleared her throat. "Admiral Perry."
"Not gonna let that one go?"
"Japanese Racial Trauma."
Rudy snorted a laugh, before his fingers began tickling her sides. Ariel squawked, then squealed in laughter as he tickled her. "I think if I push you down and give you enough ahegao faces, you'll get over that."
"Mm, possibly. Only one way to find out," she purred, before smacking his hands lightly. "Later! Work before play!"
"Yeah, yeah," Rudy agreed, kissing her neck and squeezing her into a hug. "We'll need to have someone start going around and taking care of the legwork of putting together a shipping company. It'd be better if we had actual crews for any cargo airships—that way, we're not just destroying jobs and replacing them with Sprite. People to move cargo on and off the ship, people to direct them, someone ostensibly in charge, merchants with connections to do all the trading for us so we don't have to micro-manage… I want to be as hands off from this as possible. I set it up, supply the ships, it runs on its own and turns a profit for the company, our family, and the kingdom. I want quarterly progress reports, not daily interruptions."
"Agreed," Ariel nodded. "You should farm it out."
"I don't want to just dump everything on Sprite, again—"
"Master, if I may?" the spirit in question interrupted, her hologram appearing nearby, sending them an amused smile. "I enjoy doing things for you and your family. It gives it a sense of purpose and makes me happy when I do a good job and you praise me."
"Our family. You're a part of it," he insisted, and Ariel saw the spirit's body freeze for a just a moment, before she blushed and beamed a happy smile. "But yeah, you're already doing a lot," Rudy continued on, shaking his head. "And you'll be running the kingdom eventually too. It's not that I don't think you can—I know you can. I'd just rather someone else be the face for this. At least have some semblance of it being a private company and not a direct arm of the kingdom."
"Then I suggest Sylphie, or Zenith. Sylphie would love to help out, especially if it helps the family. Zenith has been… bored and listless since we laid out your father's indiscretions for her. I think that having them work on it together, and perhaps involve Hilda as well, would take care of those things."
Rudy turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?"
Ariel smiled and nodded. "I think it's a good idea. Mother has been feeling depressed since then. I think she's angry with me."
"She is," Rudy confirmed. "It's not your fault. You're in a bad position here and she knows it. Zenith resents it not, and may hold a grudge for a while, but I give it until you start popping out her grandchildren before she gets over it."
"Such a way with words," the blonde grumbled, rolling her eyes.
"You knew what you were marrying into."
"Hah. I did." Looking back to Sprite, she nodded. "Would you let Sylphie know?"
"Mm!"
Ariel watched the spirit disappear, but knew she was still hanging around. Always around. Shifting her attention back to her husband, she asked, "When will you be getting the printing presses and canning facilities running again?"
Rudy hummed quietly, considering it. "I want to redesign a bunch of stuff. There are several improvements I can make to the whole thing now. I've also got some ideas for other stuff. Smelting, forging, and a full industrial uplift. We'll just be skipping some steps. Mostly everything to do with conventional fuel sources and making a mess of the country digging up resources."
"Are you going to keep magic out of the process still?"
"Yes and no. Magic to fuel various machines, now that I've got a solar power to mana formula worked out. But other than the power source, they'll all be mechanical. They still serve the same purpose—giving normal people who don't know magic a job performing a useful service. What're you thinking?"
"Well," Ariel considered for a moment. "I wanted to pay to do some transcription and new printed runs of books. I'd also like to build a library within Laputa."
"I'll never get over what that means in Spanish."
Ariel blinked. "It wasn't just something Miyazaki made up?"
Rudy snorted quietly. "No. I forget who wrote the original book. Pretty sure it translates to 'the whore.'"
Ariel turned and stared into Rudy's eyes, amusement pulling his lips upwards into a grin. "And you let me agree to name it that?!"
"And now, you too share this cursed knowledge. You're welcome. I figure the others will get a kick out of it when we explain."
"Arrg! You insufferable ass~!" Ariel pitched a little fit, pounding at his chest with her fists.
Rudy laughed and caught her wrists, pulling her down flush against his body, before capturing Ariel's lips. In a few seconds, he had stood, forced her over the side of the chair, flipped her skirt up, and thrust into her wet, needy cunt—somehow knowing exactly what she needed at the moment.
I could get used to this.
"Mmm, that's nice," Ariel sighed as Sylphie rubbed her back and used some medical technique to ease the pains of her pregnancy. Strained and tight muscles loosened and Ariel was left feeling like she was floating in a warm haze.
"You shouldn't work so hard," the other girl chastised.
Ariel snorted, turning to eye Sylphie skeptically. "You work harder than I do, I think."
"Yes, and I take care of myself every day!" Sylphie glared back. "You would forget to eat if someone didn't make you."
The blonde winced, knowing she was guilty as charged. "Yes, I suppose so."
The bathroom door opened and Roxy entered, along with Lilia, who closed the door behind them. The pair quickly undressed and scrubbed off, before slipping into the bath. Looking at the two, Ariel chuckled quietly. Another weekly meeting of the wives, another week closer to watching Lilia and Roxy pop. Though Sylphie and I aren't far behind, she mused.
They were joined by a hologram of Eris sitting in her own bath aboard her namesake ship. Looking over the four of them, Eris huffed and sank a bit lower in the water, looking away with an annoyed look.
"You wouldn't be jealous if you had stayed," Roxy pointed out, addressing Eris's annoyance immediately.
"Tch. I know," the redhead grumbled.
"Hehe. It's your own fault," Sylphie teased.
Eris glared. "Next time I visit…" she threatened.
"My ears again?" Sylphie giggled, making the ears in question twitch and drawing Eris's eyes. "Just remember, I can get my own back."
Lilia cleared her throat. "Girls," she said, drawing their attention. "Business first?"
"We're just having fun," Eris sent the older redhead a surly look. "Fine! I'll go first! We met the Sword God and he's agreed to take me on as one of his students. Also met the Water God and her student. Rudeus should come see them. Sylphie, you too."
"Me?" Sylphie asked, pointing to herself.
Eris grinned and nodded. "You've worked out how to heal old age, right?"
Sylphie nodded, before cutting a look at Roxy. Roxy's blue eyes met Sylphie's red and she smiled. "We've had this discussion before. Elder Rokkus lived a full life and he died happy, after seeing his family and our tribe were safe and would all live full, happy, healthy lives. He had no regrets. It isn't your fault. Spells normally take years, if not generations to develop. That you've figured out a cure for old age, one of the most sought after healing magics of all time in only a few short years is nothing less than a miracle."
Sylphie sighed and nodded, and Ariel shifted to pull the smaller girl into her lap, wrapping her up in a hug. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"Alright," Sylphie murmured, before looking to Eris. "What did you have in mind?"
"Oh, just… a little of our husband's special brand of bullshit."
Roxy sighed, palming her face. "The kind he reserves for you?"
"Yep!"
The women exchanged looks before Ariel asked, "And who are we going to need to send condolences to?"
"Hehehe~!" Eris giggled. "Isolte Cruel. The Water God's granddaughter."
Once more, everyone exchanged a look. It was Lilia who chuckled and asked, "And are you setting her up for something more than a simple defeat?"
"Maybe…" Eris shrugged. "I mean, Roxy's got those Migurd she's training. Sylphie's got Aisha and Norn. I figured I wanted someone of my own, too. Isolte Cruel and Nina Farion are both good choices. Nina's the Sword God's daughter, by the way. I figure, we introduce them to Rudeus and just… let nature take its course."
Ariel laughed. "By which, you mean let our husband be his usual self and watch the fireworks."
"Yeah, pretty much," Eris confirmed.
"I'm not seeing how my magic is needed," Sylphie pointed out.
"Right! So, Isolte's grandmother. The Water God. I want to give her the choice. Offer it in exchange for getting Rudeus a teacher. Isolte is strong and sexy, but she's got a chip on her shoulder."
"Hmm," Roxy hummed, her lips curving into a smile. "Now, who does that remind me of?"
Eris sighed, then nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Takes one to know one. Which is part of why I want Rudeus to come up."
"The other part being, you want to see master Rudy break her like he broke you."
"Exactly!" Eris nodded, grinning. "It's gonna be awesome, to see someone else on the other end of the tsundere taming this time."
Lilia raised an eyebrow, casting a glance around the bathroom at the unfamiliar words. Quietly, she asked, "If that is all from Eris…?"
"Yeah, that's all I got. Need Rudeus and Sylphie to come up and take care of some stuff, then you can both head back home. Shouldn't take more than a couple days."
"I'll let master Rudy know," Lilia agreed. "I have a request, if you don't mind. More of a question, really."
"Go ahead," Ariel nodded, encouraging her former maid/bodyguard. Would that I had suspected that one day, I would call her my fellow wife… Well, I suppose it's a good thing that she was let go after being crippled, if only because she ended up in Rudy's life.
Lilia's green eyes looked over the group, studying them intently for several moments, before she finally asked, "Am I of equal standing with the rest of you, as master Rudeus's wife?"
"What?" Roxy raised an eyebrow. "Lilia, of course you are."
"Yes! You're just as much of a wife as the rest of us," Sylphie reassured her, moving off of Ariel's lap and over to Lilia's side, pulling the maid into a hug. "Why would you ask that, Lilia?"
"You all share a secret I am not privy to, and it revolves around the language master Rudy taught Aisha and Norn."
Silence fell over the room and Ariel winced. Roxy sighed and began, "It's not that we're keeping a secret from you, specifically. It's secret from everyone. You see—"
"Don't do it," Eris interrupted, silencing Roxy. "Remember the last time."
"She has a right to know," Sylphie countered.
Eris nodded. "And it's not our secret to tell. We're not doing it to be mean, we're keeping it secret because Rudeus asked us to keep it secret. If she wants to know, she should ask him."
"There's no reason we can't tell her now. If Rudy gets angry… I'll take responsibility," Roxy tried.
Eris glared. "Sprite, shut her up."
Roxy's eyes went wide. "You can't just—"
The spirit in question appeared in the middle of the bath, silencing them all. She looked torn and more than a little upset. "Eris, I understand why you asked what you did. And I agree that it's master's choice to tell, not Roxy's. But… please don't try to turn me against one of you. Don't put me in that position. Please."
Eris winced. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Sprite. I overreacted." Looking to Roxy, Eris nodded. "Sorry, Roxy. This… not being there… I can't just come across the tub and shut you up myself. I shouldn't have done that."
Roxy sent the redhead an unamused look. "I think we need to have a little discussion on whether any of us has the right to enforce our will on the others by force or magic, Eris. Jokes, play, and sparring aside, no."
"Then just how am I supposed to keep you from doing something stupid, huh?! You've already done this once and Rudeus was upset! How do you think he's going to feel if it's you doing it again?! I'd rather you be angry with me than him be angry with all of us, or you for breaking his trust!"
"Perhaps use your words and not your fists?"
"Roxy! Eris! Please stop," Sylphie interrupted. Taking a breath when she saw they had listened, she turned to Eris. "We understand, and we're happy and grateful that you're worried for us. But Roxy's right, one of us can't just unilaterally have her way and force everyone else to go along if they disagree. We also can't go running to Rudy any time we have a disagreement. We have to be able to settle them between ourselves. Peacefully! Because no one wants to hurt the others and make them feel like their thoughts and feelings don't matter."
Eris sighed, running a hand over her face. "You know I'm not good at this 'talking' crap."
"We know, and we love you anyway," Sylphie beamed a smile at the redhead. Turning to Roxy, she continued, "Eris is right too. You told us when you shouldn't have. Rudy wasn't too mad that time, but doing it again would be making a habit of it. I don't think he'd immediately see it as the kind of problem that would damage our marriage, but it is the kind of thing that puts the idea in someone's head, you know? 'If they did it twice already, then I probably shouldn't expect anything I tell them in confidence to stay that way.' And I know you don't want that."
Roxy shook her head. "No, I don't. And I know she means well—"
"Up, up, up! I'm not done!" Sylphie wagged her finger and Roxy chuckled, sinking back in the bath a bit. "Roxy, Eris isn't Paul. She's a muscle head," Eris snorted, "but she's our muscle head. She isn't going to just have her way just because she can, because she thinks she knows best when really, she doesn't know anything. I know you just wanted to stop that sort of thing before it ever started, but… I think it's not something we have to worry about from each other, because we've all seen what happens when you do that."
Sighing, Roxy nodded. Looking to Eris, she said, "Sorry. I should have had more faith in you. You worded it poorly and it reminded me of, well…"
"Mm," Eris nodded. "Yeah. It's okay. I get it. But you know I wouldn't actually—"
"I know," Roxy agreed.
"Good! I'd say kiss and make up, but we can do that later," Sylphie beamed a smile, before turning her attention to Sprite. "And you! Come here," she launched herself at the spirit, who giggled as Sylphie swept her up into a hug and pulled her into her lap, before running her hand through Sprite's hair. "We're sorry. Forgive us?"
"There's nothing to forgive," the spirit shook her head.
Watching the others, Ariel cast a glance at Lilia and nodded. "Well, I'm glad that's settled. This is a good time to point out that we could use a leader, or at least an arbitrator. Some sort of official procedure for airing grievances and resolving disputes between us, so that no one is left feeling singled out or like they're being treated unfairly."
"Yeah, and who do you suggest, Ms. Queen?" Eris cocked one eyebrow in amusement.
"Yes, it does seem awfully convenient a time to make the suggestion," Roxy sniped, but the way she fought down a smile told Ariel she was joking.
"Oh, that's easy. I nominate Sylphie," Ariel gestured at the white haired girl. "Sprite doesn't want the job and, until she's a wife, she shouldn't have it anyway."
"'Until?'" Lilia echoed.
Ariel raised an eyebrow at the redhead's question. "Of all of us, you've known him the longest, and you think he won't?"
Lilia paused, before nodding. "I concede the point."
"I don't want the job!" Sylphie shook her head.
"You're the best one for it," Eris shrugged. "None of us can stay mad at you, and we know you want what's best for everyone. I agree with Ariel."
Roxy sighed, sending her former student a fond look. "Agreed. She has the best temperament for it. However, I don't believe that we should just turn everything over to Sylphie alone. What if it's an issue that we all feel strongly about, and all have different opinions on?"
"We can burn that bridge when we get to it," Eris grinned.
"Cross. You cross the bridge, Eris," Ariel pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Sure. And then burn it."
"This is Rudy's fault, I just know it," the blonde sighed, earning giggles from the others. "Right. The other thing. Sylphie was right. Lilia deserves to know. And it's not fair that we're keeping it from her. She could go to Rudy, but we shouldn't bother him for every little thing. And I agree with Eris. It's not your secret to tell. However…" she swept her blue eyes across everyone else, "it's my secret too. Does anyone have any objections?"
Eris looked annoyed. "Sounds like cheating to get around it. He's gonna say you should have talked to him."
Ariel winced and nodded. "Yes. However, a relationship is give and take. We all have the right to make decisions for ourselves—it's just best to communicate these things and not, as Sylphie said, act unilaterally. So, Lilia, what do you think? I can tell you now, or…"
The maid shook her head. "No, thank you. This sounds like it's not a small thing. I would feel more comfortable if you asked master Rudeus."
"Well, there you have it," Ariel nodded. "We'll ask Rudy. In the meantime… Things are starting to settle down on my end, so I should have more free time to spend with all of you soon."
"Yay~!" Sylphie cheered, clapping. "I also have news!" Turning to Lilia, she said, "You're due next week. Roxy should be within the month."
Ariel watched the looks of anticipation cross the other two women's faces, while Eris pouted, before taking on a serious look. "I'll make sure Gal knows that me and Ghislaine are coming back for the births."
Talk descended into the topic of babies and preparation for them from there and Ariel sighed and leaned back in her seat.
Politics. I can't fully escape it, even here. Ugh. Rudy~, bend me over and take my mind off of it~!