Chapter 216 – Lunch Service

The next few days were similar. The Princess took all my time at night. She wasn't bowing down to me anymore, but Fluvis got me in the mood to have some fun, and the Princess seemed to enjoy it. And I did drag Aurora into her bed as well. With three pregnant women joining me in bed, our bodies were a hot, sweaty mess, though Aurora was the only one who looked pregnant.

It is a step back in a way, but it is nice seeing her gradually feeling better. I doubt she is actually any better; she probably just thinks that I like her more now.

I have now started healing the families of Fluvis's sailors. It took just three sessions to fix up all of the sailors, and I made the mistake of saying that being a healer is easy. Aurora would not stop talking about everything I would need to do as a business owner. Then, the pressure that healers have to deal with when everyone has life-threatening injuries.

The top two things on her list were reading and math. She also made it clear she would only help me complete all those things. Setting prices, understanding the laws about emergency healing, charity work, taxes, and the healing guild. Stupid fuckers limiting what I can do. But I did beg the Princess to help me with the taxes. Mommy just had to hand some copper over every so often, from what I remember, and Aurora made it sound a lot more involved.

"Alzi, honey," Ioelena says, stopping me after my healing work is done for the day. "We were hoping to have a bit of fun with you to make up for being late. Just over some lunch; we know you need to spend time with your kids."

"Sure," I say. I'm not sure why I'm still giving my wives a chance. They all seem hopeless when it comes to figuring out what I want besides marrying my Mommy.

I guess I can rationalize this as me trying to get along with my forced family and make my Mother's entrance a bit easier. I can have them all be like the other workers at the brothel—friendly but distant.

That could work. If I have to be around them, it won't be the worst thing to be friends. I just can't forget about Mommy and Mai and Yuki.

Elyne is waiting for us outside the tent. Her fingers tap over her belly as I leave the tent with Ioelena and Aurora in tow.

"We are setting up lunch in one of the gardens. Elyne is planning on taking you on a short ride while we finish our preparations," Ioelena says. "If you wish."

"Is it normal to ride on the back of a Centaur?" I ask.

"You carried Shimmer while flying, and helping out your wife is never an issue. If they say yes, there is no problem," Ioelena says.

"Sure," I say. I wonder if it will feel any different from when I was abducted, though my dress isn't really made for riding, I think. I don't really ride horses or centaurs.

Elyne trots up and kneels down to let me get on. "You should sit sideways," Elyne says. "Your skirt is too tight to sit normally, and it will just be a short and leisurely walk. Just hold on around my stomach, and you'll be fine."

"Ok," I say, moving up towards her human portion. I snuggle in, and I love that I can use my tail to balance myself on her back. I guess having her wear a saddle would be going too far.

"I'll see you soon, Alzi. Enjoy the ride," Ioelena says as Elyne carefully stands up.

She takes us to the nearest garden, which seems to follow a purple theme. All the flowers have different petal patterns, but purple is the only color besides the green stalks and wooden trunks.

"Thank you for thinking about how I would feel. It is rare for centaurs to do this willingly, but my dear wife is more than worth it," Elyne says. "I've been with the Princess for a long time, and this is the worst she's been. Thank you for joining her at night; I know it must be hard with all we've done. Our adventure group had four others in it, but somehow, that girl managed to be a Princess and still not be the center of attention."

"Is she getting better?" I ask. "I think this collar was the only thing that got me through the first time it happened to me. I wasn't ready for all the things Mistress had me go through."

"Elora is doing better. To get much better, she'll need more time, but she is tough. Just needs to get back to work, and she should get out of her rut," Elyne says. Each step she takes is careful, slow, and steady to keep me from shaking. "I know seeing you happy helps her. Her biggest problem with connecting with others is how much effort she puts into fulfilling her duty. In our group, she was focused on the mission and how she fit into the group while fighting, but she struggled to see how she fit in outside the mission. She could listen to our problems all night long and spend the next day coming up with solutions, but it took years for her to understand a joke. To simply know that sometimes, we just wanted to complain. By then, most of us would just avoid her when they vented, not wishing to hear all the solutions she would come up with. It's great when talking to a mayor but not your friend."

"Are you a noble?" I ask.

"My Mother was a baroness. My sister won out to take her title," Elyne says. "Give her a stick, and she could beat anyone. Or anyone nearby, at least. Geta or Vanya could plow or slip their way through her guard, I'm sure. The Princess could do either if she wished. Even I may be stronger than her now, but I wasn't back then, so I went off, refusing to become a maid. I got lucky that the Princess was looking for an extra mage for her group in my lands, and I did a good enough job that they let me join permanently."

"Is your entire family centaurs?"

"Yes," Elyne says, her chest puffing out. "The Countess over us had a centaur for a husband, and our city was one of the few with centaurs, so he liked to visit. Most of us still prefer the nomad lifestyle, but you need to go much farther south to have the grasslands for that."

"Would you be mad if I got you pregnant?"

"No, I have a very different fear with you, my dear husband. One that can be discussed after the war," Elyne says, her chest deflating.

"Are you worried I don't find you pretty? My biggest problem is how pretty you all are; I'm getting stiff just thinking about you," I whisper into her ear. The beauty of snuggling into her back is how easy it is to tease my stead, my arms shifting up to support her breasts.

"No, no. It is nice to hear that you like how I look. It is a very strange issue. We are already going to lack the Princess on the battlefield, so I can not join you in bed, or I would have to say home with Isda," Elyne says.

"Fine, but you are just putting your name first for those who will be carrying after this," I say.

Elyne starts to jog, giving up on continuing my nice, smooth ride. "The table is just around the corner, my dear wife."

So, two of my wives are scared to join me in bed. I don't know how Aurora hasn't scared them all off by now.

We turn the corner, and I find out exactly what they meant by finishing their setup.

Ioelena has changed her dress, and now they all look ready to get drunk in a brothel. Their dresses are the kind that, if you found the right thread, you would have the lady naked in a second. A single kiss, and they would surrender their body to the prostitute. The best customer you can have, besides no customer.

Elyne kneels down so my feet can touch the soft grass, and I slide off and walk over to the little table they set up. Just the standard lunch, minus the wine.

"Just relax, dear," Elyne says. "Let us handle everything. The months, possibly years, ahead will be full of stress. So, for now, let us handle everything for you."

Vanya pulls out my chair for me, all six of her abs showing through her lack of clothing. Inanos pours me a glass of water from a fancy bottle. We can't even have plain water around here.

Syro gets the privilege of placing the useless napkin on my lap before Vanya pushes my chair in while Ioelena starts cutting my meat into perfect little squares. I pick up the spoon to start eating my soup when Elyne starts to massage my shoulders.

"I know Shimmer is also scared of your bed," Elyne says. "But your other wives are not so fearful. This upcoming war will likely decide the fate of your child, so we ask that you don't get any more of us pregnant. But know that you can now call us to bed if you wish. Any of us would be happy, even if it is just holding each other to sleep, dear."

"Aurora showed us a figure you made for her," Vanya says. "I think she even set up a carving station in your room."

"Yes," I say. "It was something cheap that I could do in what little free time I got. Mai would buy the wood for me, then I would make a few figures that she could sell and pay for the wood and hopefully pay down a bit of her debt."

"You got skilled in that limited time, dear," Vanya says. "The detail on the face was impressive."

"I normally do it nude. I'm better at remembering bodies rather than clothing."

"If you ever need a model, just ask," Vanya says. Should I ask if my love of muscles is also a well-known secret? Will my newest tattoo make the rounds as well?

"Does everyone know I like muscled women?" I ask.

"No, it was a game some nobles did. They would guess what body type you liked best, and then everyone compared their massages to figure it out," Ioelena says. "Certain circles cared a lot about you. Both nobles and adventures. Nobles cared more about how you were in bed, and adventures cared more about the massage room."

"And nobles get to keep caring about how I am in bed," I say.

"No, they don't get to care about how you are in bed. They get to care about what you like. What draws your eyes and how to please you," Inanos says. Did they plan out the order in which they would talk? "You are no longer picked by gold but favor. Still a prize, but that is how men are in this world. You would never be just your Mother's."

Now that I have finished my soup, Ioelena is starting to feed me the perfectly cut squares, and Inanos is helping me drink.

"All the women you tried to get pregnant at the last tea party are sharing about your ability. We have warned everyone that it was just you proving your power, and in the future, they can expect only one to get picked unless they truly catch your eye," Vanya says. "And there is no guarantee that you would use your mana to ensure a pregnancy."

"Good. I expect you all to help limit the number of those parties I will have to do," I say. The Princess's harem can be useful for something.

"We will help you, dear," Elyne says. "We will."