Chapter 167 – Lunch and Learning

"I'm guessing Aurora hasn't had the time to explain all the rooms," the Princess says. "Withdrawing rooms are what you are thinking of. Their name has been shortened, as it sounds weird to call them withdrawing rooms. But they are for entertaining guests. It used to be where you would go after a meal. You would all withdraw to that room for the rest of the afternoon or night."

"Oh," I mumble. Could the Princess at least eat some food so I could finish the meal and run?

"We have a lot of them, so all of us and your eventual concubines can host people over," the Princess continues. "All have different views and chairs, so you can shape the experience of the night a bit just by choosing the room."

"Elora dear, I think Alzi wants to eat," Inanos says. "And so do I, to be fair."

Good to know we can do that.

"Hmm, oh yes, sorry," the Princess says. At least she takes a bite of the salad, and the meal can start. "Please ask any more questions you have, Alzi."

"When do I have to get some random woman pregnant?"

"You don't have to get a woman pregnant," the Princess says. "You don't need to use your mana to make her pregnant. All that is required for the parties are for you to finish inside her vagina to give her a chance to get pregnant. Then you get to pick the woman out of the bunch that comes, and it is tomorrow."

"Will you be mad at me if I don't get her pregnant?"

"No. I would appreciate it if you did get her pregnant, but it would be wrong of me to be mad you didn't get her pregnant," the Princess lies. "It is on the rare side for these parties to work. It normally takes a woman being picked five times before she will get pregnant. That could take years to happen. No, the only thing you can't do is to make it so she can't get pregnant. You can make it so she gets pregnant, or you can not mess with her chances. No hurting the odds."

I feel the command wash over me. It's not that I was going to stop her from getting pregnant, and the command isn't making me get her pregnant, which is nice. Why am I saying it is nice she isn't commanding me that much? I know part of her plan is to show how fertile I am. The Princess will definitely have some words for me if the woman doesn't walk away pregnant.

"Alzi, you really don't have to use your mana tomorrow if you don't want to," Isda says.

"I'm a slave," I say. "I need to make my owner happy."

"Would you like us to command you not to use your mana at the party tomorrow?" Isda asks me.

"Do it. Prove you don't care," I taunt.

"Alzi..."

"Wait," the petty Princess says. "Alzi, we are married, and this party relates to the family's goal of reaching the throne. If I say you have no need to use your mana to get an outcome, then you do not need to use mana to get an outcome. Everyone has been asking me to command you less. I just gave you a command, but it wouldn't do anything. The Goddess would ensure you didn't interfere with the process anyway. Tomorrow, you will get to pick a girl and take her to your room, or we can have another room prepared for it. She'll beg and beg and beg for a kid. You have no need to force it to happen. It will be your choice if you use mana to help it along or not. We will not decide it, my Love."

"If I pick the wrong woman?" I ask

"You can't pick the wrong woman," the Princess says.

"Can I pick two?"

"Do you want to?"

"Maybe."

"I would like you to make that decision right now. But there are no rules about how many you can pick," the Princess says. "You may let the woman's maid join her to bed and have two women that way as well."

"Depends on if the women are nice," I say.

"They aren't all nice, but they will all be nice tomorrow," Isda says. "If you pick two women, I can almost guarantee they will always be nice to you."

"Do I have to fuck the two women separately?"

"Yes," Vanya chimes in with a chuckle. "They won't be wishing to share a bed in such an important moment."

"Then just one," I say. Kids must not be that important to them if they are going to be picky about who else is there.

"Alzi," Inanos starts. "When you get us pregnant, would you like it to be two at a time?"

"I have no wish to get any of you pregnant," I say.

"Do you prefer getting women pregnant in pairs?" Inanos asks instead.

"No, I was just trying to have some fun while I'm whored out by my owner," I say.

"I see," the gloomy woman says. "This event is a required type of event for men, but I see what you mean."

"I've gotten more than my share of noble women pregnant this year," I say. "Which is why I said you want me to get yet another bitchy noble pregnant and prove you have some extra fertile man. You'll even make me wear a suit and bind my tits aren't you."

"You have gotten more than enough women pregnant this year," Isda says. "But our friends have been asking about this before they even knew you were going to be our man. I scheduled this to make them happy. You will be part of the planning going forward. Just know they will happen. All men have to go through this, and you will be subject to plenty while the limits on getting women in our house pregnant are in place."

"You all really bought a prostitute for your friends. How nice," I mock.

"This would be happening even if you were in your home village, Alzi," the Princess says. "You would've had a check a few years ago and would be told to start getting more women pregnant. You are too strong for the nation to let your genes die out. This isn't an us thing or brothel thing. It is the law. This first one you can be mad about I guess, but the rest are the law. Even if we let you run around and get everyone in this house pregnant, you would have to do them. Any house you are a part of will have you fucking other women. That is what having a working dick means in all Queendoms and realms."

"I don't want to!" I scream out. "I'm tired of fucking strangers."

"Even my father has to do it," the Princess starts.

I can feel my stupid eyes watering. Damn this all. Why can't I just be alone with my loves? My focus moves to the foolish soup. They can all talk amongst themselves.

"Elora, not now," Isda chides.

I hear a chair scoot out, likely Aurora looking to yell at me for crying at the stupid table. I'm sure that is one of their ridiculous rules.

Instead, the gloomy girl plops into my lap. Her head fit right between my breasts.

"Can you check my arm Alzi?" Inanos asks. "I had a curse put into it a bit ago, and I don't think it is gone completely. My mana is a bit slow."

"Fine," I say. "Which arm?"

"Left arm," Inanos says. "You're soft and warm, by the way."

"I know," I mutter, I move my mana around and down towards her arm. The woman relaxes into me as I start searching for something in her arm. I'm not sure what a curse feels like, but whatever. At least she isn't asking for a kid.

As my mana moves around I feel some of it just disappear. I move around and find a small hole that just sucks up any mana that touches it.

Should I keep feeding it and see what happens? Would that make it stronger?

"Um, there is a hole that is sucking up my mana," I say. Not willing to fuck this up. I need a healing class.

"I thought it was still there," Inanos says. "Can you build up a lot of mana and rush it all over the hole? That is how the first healer got the size down. Guess she didn't have the mana to double-check her work."

"I guess," I tell her. I gather up a small ball of mana and send it forward. It pushes into the hole. Only a small amount makes it past the spot in her arm. I try another pass, but my mana doesn't go anywhere. I try again and find the hole missing. "Was that all she did? I can't seem to find it anymore."

"No, she had something to remove the curse. That was just a remnant that needed to be healed," Inanos says. I feel a rush of her mana swipes past my own. The first time, I really felt someone else's mana. It easily corrodes the small ball I had. "Sorry, without a spell or skill, mana outside the body is easy to remove, especially inside another's body. Didn't mean to scare you."

"That is fine. But is it really that easy to get rid of a curse?" I ask. Her mana sends a bit of a shiver down my spine.

"For life and death mana, yes. Well, death mana doesn't get rid of curses," Inanos says. "Our mana naturally heals or kills. Others have to put a bit of work into their mana to do anything. People also counter my mana normally with skills, so I have to work past that, but everyone is willing to let you heal them. Even the monsters. Can you feel my mana moving around? I'm guessing it feels strange being close to death."

"Yes," I mumble.

"I won't hurt you; I just needed to test if my mana was working correctly, and it is," Inanos says, her body turning in my lap. "Can I kiss you?"

"Sure."

I was expecting a kiss on the cheek, but I am married to the woman. Her lips take mine once she has permission. Her lips are a bit cold. Would an ice elemental be freezing? Can an ice and fire elemental have a kid together? Can I have a kid with Inanos? Would she kill any child inside her?

"Thanks, honey," Inanos says when she frees my lips. "I can have a kid with you, by the way. My mana wouldn't dare hurt a child in my womb. Especially one as special as yours would be."

"I wasn't..." I start to say, but a finger goes across my lips.

"Most men ask it so I was answering it. People are always wondering about elementals and I would be happy to talk about them with you sometime. Tomorrow, I leave with the rest of the wives, minus Elora and Isda. But when I get back, we can find some time to talk about it if you like," Inanos says. "We could go and visit Fluvis and your children too. Have her perspective on things. You likely have a lot of elemental children with her."

"I guess that would be nice," I say.

"Good, I'll get off your lap and let you finish your lunch. Thank you for joining us and healing my arm," Inanos says, giving me a peck on the cheek this time before returning to her seat.

The rest have turned the conversation towards the mission they are starting tomorrow—something about a bird's nest in a forest. I just let them talk and focus on the sandwich.