Chapter 354 – Starting an Awkward Lunch

*** Alzi, main body ***

Today's dress is lacking all the holes from yesterday. Of course, it has the normal holes in it for my limbs, but it isn't trying to show off all the Goddesses' marks on my skin. Luck, Power, and Destruction are a lot harder to cover up, with them claiming the top of my breasts, and of course, there's Writing's mark on my wrist. I could wear gloves if I really wanted to cover up that one, but that would feel really weird. And it would be really pretentious. Maybe I could do that to piss off some nobles. Dress up like Fluvis's Mother and act all chaste.

"Is something funny, Your Highness?" Shyla asks. She's doing the final touches for my hair, large braids that quickly get my hair up into some kind of style. Shimmer put me into a deep sleep, and my two bodies were not happy to leave it. So Shyla let me sleep in a bit, but that means she now has to hurry to get my clothing onto me.

"I thought about dressing up like some noble that would never dream of getting into another's bed. Gloves and everything. I wondered what kinds of faces everyone would make when I've already got a belly clearly showing I've had a number of people in my bed."

"If you had that thought a few minutes ago, we could've tested it out now," Shyla says. "Sorry, Your Highness. I'll have something ready for your next meeting."

"Not for the next meeting. We should wait until I'm a bit bigger for the full effect, I think."

"Just let me know, Your Highness. I'm happy to dress you however you wish."

This dress does cover more of my cleavage than normal, since it needs to sit higher on me to fit the weird sleeves. They don't cover my shoulders; instead, they're just some extra cloth to show off or something. Shimmer said it was fine for me to use the royal red, so the dress is red. It doesn't hug my legs; the skirt even manages to reach below my knees if I'm not twirling, and I don't like twirling.

It's still a sexy dress, but I don't look like I'm going to take a woman to bed the second I walk into the brothel.

"Do you have an idea for the suit?" I ask.

"I don't know how different you need it to be. There are a few things that can replace the tie that won't be as tight. And we can give you more room in the pants and remove a few layers to give you more room to breathe. We can switch the colors, mixing the paints and jacket color. A cape would be nice, but it would cause a problem for your wings, just like hats would be problematic. Not that we can't work it out, I just notice you're a lot happier when your wings are free. I'm assuming that will be true for your horns as well."

"A different tie will be nice, and with the pants, those are the main two issues, besides women deciding that it means they can just pull out my semen."

"You can always force them to do it the old way, or say no. If you wish, Your Highness, I or your Shadow can even give out the rejections. There have been a few men who have won that right before. And you have clearly won that right. No one is worthy of demanding sex or a child with you, much less through such a method."

I'm sure my Shadow would put a damper on the mid-dance sex. Having a nearly naked woman hovering around me, watching everything, would turn most people off from me. "True. I am actually in a position to say no."

"Yes, you are, Your Highness. Shall we head down? The lunch should be short, and then we can have both of your bodies around your family again."

My second body truly is chaste. If it didn't need to be near my kids, it would be perfect to send out to nobles and confuse them about my nature. Aurora has taken to dressing the body. Nothing crazy, practically just what the maids wear, but in different colors than the maids' black and white. It has more differences, but the basics are that it is purely functional for me to take care of my kids. No thoughts of sex, healing, or the world outside the nursery. It slept in there, getting up when they cried to feed or watch over them. Aurora told me that sometimes, babies cry just for exercise, and if they aren't accepting a nipple and haven't gone to the bathroom, there may be nothing for you to do. Just make sure it isn't going on for a long time, because then we're missing something they are trying to tell us.

It's really hard to just listen to them cry. But I do my best.

I feel all the other desires in that body. My mountain of love for Mommy and Mai, the desire to pin them down and breed them again, the happy feelings I get when I look at Ilka and Akhae, but I just don't have any desire to act on them in that body. I just care about the kids and make sure they are taken care of.

That doesn't mean I didn't give Mommy a long kiss and hug when she joined me in the morning, but I didn't feel like turning it into more until my main body gets back home. It's a tool to help my children and show the basics of my love. Nothing more.

"Let us get this over with," I say. The one issue with my second is that I don't have any desires to act sexually with it, so my main body gets all of that. Mai just joined the nursery as well. Those two are devastating to me. I'll have to include the Shadow when we get in bed so that I don't wind up getting them pregnant again so soon.

Maybe I should keep Esiyae around for the same purpose. They can take turns saving my lovers from having never-ending pregnancies.

No, I'd be letting her teach our kids how to hate. She has to go.

A Phoenix directs us through the halls to meet up with Shimmer, who has her collar and leash back on, and then to some parlor or something. I'm sure it has a better name than parlor, but I don't know it. And who cares? They just like being fancy to be fancy.

Inside are just three of Shimmer's sisters. I haven't asked how many she has, and I'll let the Queen decide how many she'll show me. The real number doesn't really matter, but there are fewer here today than there were in the throne room yesterday.

"Welcome," a pregnant sister says. "We're sorry for there being so few of us here. The Dragons have started their assault, and our other sisters are needed to help keep them at bay. But, congratulations, Alzi and Shimmer, on the child. We are all excited to welcome the new life into the world. We're all busy and need to go somewhere after this, so lunch will be served immediately. I hope we will have a time where we can truly celebrate with you, Alzi."I'm about to hear some unflattering stories about Shimmer. Maybe I should take the Queen up on marrying some of her other daughters, just to see what they have to say about Elora. Or I could just make friends with them to get the stories.

"Thank you, Ryze," Shimmer says. "Yes, we have many things to celebrate. I need to return the favor for your own pregnancy."

"Yes, you do owe us a lot. Getting to this stage was harder than it should've been."

Ok, so maybe this will just be awkward.

I let the sisters stare at each other and go sit down, put the silly napkin on my lap, and wait for the food to come. Shimmer and her sisters do the same. Shimmer sits down to my right, and Ryze manages to sit to my left.

*** Isda ***

"How about now?" my maid asks.

"You've already called."

"Of course! You are bleeding, my lady. In what world would I not have called for help?! Yes, we are at war, but these are kids. Eight of them, and Kelly is around. How could I not call for her? You're delirious. I feel that I wronged you by not calling for her before now or talking to people who aren't here. But every time I tried to go call for her, you stopped me. I'm thinking that what little rational brain power you have left finally saw what is needed not to stop me this time around! You'll have to take all the blame for this; I'm not letting Alzi bloat me up for your stupidity. I know this is going to require more help than Kelly can offer for this to work out."

"I'm fine," I say. I don't know what makes me keep saying it, but I do. There's no way my body is fine. Just a few hours ago, it felt like someone was sawing me in half, and now, there's nothing. No feeling at all. It's like I don't have a body, despite me clearly having a massive belly. Yet I said I could do this.

I said I could give birth without being able to feel if I'm even contracting. I don't know if I'm pushing, if I should be pushing. Who knows, maybe I just can't push anymore.

How far gone am I for that to happen?

"What the fuck is wrong with you people?!" Kelly says, storming in. "Is this all you know how to do? Hurt Alzi and everything she loves? Goddess damn it all! How much more blood were you about to let her lose? It's a damn swimming pool in here. I don't have the mana to deal with this! The only hope is that Alzi gets back here in time to save you all!"

Kelly doesn't hesitate to join me in the pool of blood. Her hand pokes and prods around my body until she finally sticks her head between my legs.

"You fucked up," is all Kelly says. I don't know if she's doing anything other than looking. But I'm sure she has a direct view of some problem.

"I know."

"Do you all know that you fucked up? Did you know it while you were doing it? How long did it take to figure it out, and why do you keep doing it? Eight kids, and you think a short woman like you isn't going to have complications? You should have given birth prematurely, but it seems some Goddess wanted you to give birth quickly and completely. Your kids are fully formed and don't have the room to get to the exit."

"Yes."

"Yes. Yes, yes, yes. I'm so glad you can confirm everything. What am I supposed to do with this? I cut you open, and you die. Is that something you also know? If you had told me about this, say an hour ago, I could have handled it. But right now, I don't understand why you're even awake."

"I'm an angel."

"Does that make you immortal? Otherwise, that doesn't answer my question."

"My Goddess wishes me to be awake."

Sorry Alzi. Sex has another cruel joke to play on you. I'll lock myself up with Fertility after this. No, I won't.

"Syro!" Kelly shouts.