Chapter 22: Here Come the Brides

---D-Day+48, Glenic 19th---

*splash* *drip*

"Ah...  Yes...  That's the spot."

Feels good to be back in the bath on top of Lions Keep.  Lili is very good at scrubbing those hard to reach places.  Milfs are indeed, the best.  I'm a pig, so looks are important.  But when you add experience on top?  Now that's the winning combination.

Big soft breasts really are the best washcloths.

While I already have a milf with Simone?  She is to submissive.  I hear she was quite the ball buster before casanova broke her though.

Odaline?  Can't count as a milf because she got no kids.  And casanova didn't break her.  She was twisted instead.  Severely.

Of course while merged with the former holy whores Margo and Ferra?  Both become much more, 'proactive.'

Silvie?  Also kidless so no milfness.  But also not, 'mine.'  Never has been in fact.  The deposed reverse harem queen.  Its not even a lesbo thing.  She just doesn't want to be alone.  I'm, 'safe.'

Yeah, not what a guy wants to hear.  Even one with a harem.  Blue was shocked when Silvie said 'no' to marrying me.  The rest of us though?  Had kind of figured it out already.

Really do hope she finds someone.  Maybe there's someone in that village?  Ful-whatever?  Still getting happy sacky time of course.  Just a no strings attached kind of happy sacky.

Frosty?  You're kidding, right?  Even if she had offspring I wouldn't count her.  It would be the vilest blasphemy to call a breastless twig a milf.  The hentai gods would strike me down if I tried.

Lilias though?  Way more assertive.  Like Ushi she is a victim of the Flower Society, small world, but fell completely and was 'trained.'  Ended up humiliated, knocked up, and married off to a remote village lord.  She was born a Gilend in fact.  A distant relative of Red.

"Fufu."  Frankie?  Fufu?  Sigh.  "Master does love his new concubine."

Transporting the dragon corpses to meet the wagon column didn't take very long since we had Frazur to carry them.  What took a lot longer was moving the people.

Rottbow didn't even throw a stink over it.  Boss maid, their spy, said staying friendly with me is a lot more important than a hundred peasants or a disgraced bottom ranked noble lady and kid.

Ouch.

So, the refugees are moving to Pearlden.  With a pop of over two thousand?  A hundred more is no biggie.  Got the town council helping find a place for them.  Really hope none of them end up on a slaver's platform.

And monologuing of lady and kid?  Got a bad feeling this whole daughter sister not related by blood thing?  Is going to end up in a hentai place.  Lili doesn't seem to mind, which bothers me as much as Yodo and Mitsu not minding with Juri.

What the fuck is wrong with healthy same age monogamous relationships?!

And then remembering that I'm actually in a fifteen year old body?  So both Milti-Juri and Clari are technically in my strike range?  Bothers me a whole hell of a lot more.

God dammit.

Oh, and here it gets confusing.  Yeah, now it gets weird.  Seriously, fantasy worlds.  Yikes.

I'm sure Frankie explained this to me before but maybe I misunderstood or don't remember.  Both of those options are equally likely.

So, here goes.  Lady Lilias Barton isn't my 'wife.'  She's my 'concubine.'  I have no problem with her being my wife.  But if Lady Clari Barton is going to be my sister slash daughter?  Then Lili can't be the 'primary' or a 'secondary' wife.

If she is then Clari also becomes a daughter slash granddaughter of grizzly.  The marquis guy.  And everyone says that he and my 'siblings' won't accept that.

However, if Lili is my 'concubine.'  Then her daughter can be 'my' sister while not being the daughter of grizzly, or sister to his other kids.

Concubine is basically a not-wife wife.  Part of 'my' family but with no legal ties to the larger family nor rights of inheritance.  Primary and secondary wives have legal ties to the larger family, 'House,' and rights of inheritance.

Lili is fine with this.  Claims she even prefers it this way due to our age difference.  I suspect there is a plot to make Clari a wife and Lili being a concubine maybe makes it more legally and socially, acceptable?

Confused and curious, asked the wives and the consensus is that my side chicks?  The ringless ones?  Are 'mistresses.'  Which are not-concubine concubines.  At most.  Not legally 'mine' nor considered part of 'my' family.

Ringwraiths gone wild?

You know what?  If they got a ring?  I'm calling them 'wife.'  Whether they are technically the first wife, second wife, fiftieth wife, or even concubine.  Stupid fantasy world, stuff.

Now, I know Oda-Mar and Sim-Fer strongly disagree with the mistressy, thing.  So, better promote Odaline and Simone to concubines too.  I'll make two more rings.  Maybe that will boost Simone's confidence?

Simone got notice of her divorce, so she's feeling pretty down.  She misses her kids something fierce.  Yeah, she treated them like shit for those last few months.  But she wasn't a person, back then.  She's trying to become one again.

Her husband?  Well, ex, now.  She feels unworthy of.  No longer suitable for.  Accepts it was her own fault for falling into casanova's trap.  Which the divorce decree shoves right back in her face again.  Yeah, she's not a happy camper right now.

Divorces?  A very rare thing to get approved in this world.  In Tourin, they can only be granted by the church.  Only allowed if the woman cannot bear children, has committed a major crime, or is overly vulgar/lewd/adulterous.

That last one goes back to the unwritten rules.  Social morals, and virtues, stuff.

Getting publicly exposed as another man's sex slave?  In front of her husband and a couple hundred VIPs?  A hole in one for number two and three.  Hooray for sexism...  Primitive backassward fucks.

And while I'm not interested in planting a flag where many, many, dicks have gone before?  They are very important to Margo and Ferra.  Which makes them important to me.

Besides, if wiener count was really an issue for me?  Then Ushi would be way the fuck out.  Just imagining her total from being Avi the drugged princess and then Avi the holy whore?  ...Ew.

Well, at least I got things fixed up down there for them.  Fantasy plastic surgeon powers, activate.  While the holy hentai scriptures may disagree?  Women's bodies aren't really designed to be twenty-four seven sex toys.

Sigh.

Also?  Got scolded a lot by, well, everyone.  Red's pregoness is over a month in now and I planned to let her know after a couple of weeks. Even though most don't realize it till over a month in.  In the future, I am to let pregnant ones know,  immediately.

Like immediately immediately.

The whole bun in the oven bit lasts about nine months, for humans, in this world too.  So a bit over seven months left.  Do I add a nursery?  Do we move out?  Maybe renovate the sixth floor's 'lord chambers' into harem housing?

With the ring and prego girlfriend?  Blue is in permanent afterglow and I'm waiting for her to start singing 'a whole new world.'  She's motherhenning Red in the most perverted and lesbo, but still gentle and loving, ways possible.  Kind of feel neglected by those two lately.

I was involved too you know!

Lili has proved more than able to pick up the slack though and has created a formidable team with Frankie.  Seriously.  Needed [Recovery Magic] before I could get out of bed this morning.  She's easily moved into the 'mother' slash 'elder sister' role among the wives.

Works with Ushi to keep things running smoothly in the family.  My milf secretary/assistant.  Yes, that is that hot.  Good thing she's got brains because she has next to no magical talent.  Her mana pool?  Is more like a mana puddle.

Yeah, and killing four dragons with witnesses around?  Surprisingly hard to keep that under wraps.

Dwarfinator and the Redbrands are kind of freaked about the whole four dragon, thing.  Explained I didn't do anything but the dwarf vet wouldn't accept it.  Says she fought an adult dragon with dozens of others too.  She just got most of the credit.

All the Redbrands consider it some sort of passed test, so claim the contract is over.  Still taking part in my morning combat training though.  Their 'servants' seem to be changing a lot more frequently now too.

Again, I would be an idiot to not expect spies, saboteurs, conmen, and assassins.  Explained the same to my women.

Also explain to my harem that I am their husband.  Not their father.  No matter how many times they call me daddy.  Its a lot.  That I will do my best to protect them and provide for them.  But if they let themselves be used even after all that?

Get the fuck out.

Leave out the part where, depending on the circumstances?  I might just kill them instead.  Really shouldn't need to explain that.

My harem is growing.  Will probably grow even more.  Whether I want it too or not.  And, again, I'm not here for them.  I am truly grateful they are helping keep the madness at bay.  Really am.

But my number one goal in this life?  Is to protect my son in my other life.  Lili handled that revelation super smoothly.  Blue already knew.

Oh, speaking of Lili?  The reason she's insisting on washing me herself right now?  In the hottest way possible?  And not letting anyone else contribute?  Well, this coward finally fessed up.

"Lili?"

"Jon?"  Feels weirdly good having a woman use my first name, outside the sack.

Even if its not my real first name.  Wish Red hadn't stopped.

"What if your son isn't exactly... dead."

"???"

"Well, he's dead.  But he's also... not?"

"!!!"

"Yes, I admit it.  I knew.  Just had no idea how to bring it up...  Sorry?"

Yeah, that's a scary look.  Better just put up and shut up.

~Mom?~

Now I was pretty shocked.  Perrin, her son, was dead.  Even the almost dead rarely keep enough sense of self to speak after raising them.  This kid though?  Tenacious.

Kid, ugh, he's four years older than me.  Or, at least, was.  Yep, he's the 'who's the daddy is a long list' baby from her days owned by the Flower Society.

Well, whoever the daddy really is?  The boy's soul still had a firm grip on his body long after other spirits fade or drift.  Could speak and even had most of his memories left.

In fact, he's the only 'speaker' from the village shadows.  His stepdad had already ready faded.

Made sure Clari was there too and a whole lot of crying and hugging followed.  But, isn't it weird how quickly my women adjust to the undead?

Well, so, Perrin is finally off with Clari.  In her shadow of course, and is getting the grand tour.  Perrin loves his sister way to much to let her know he's already done patrols so has seen it all.

After they left?  Mrs Milf, with a scary look again, dragged my chicken little ass to the bath and ordered me to get in.  Apparently my execution was going to be by drowning.  Well, I'd already gotten laid today so...  I was good to go.

Instead?  Big soft breast washcloths start scrubbing me.  Even cleaning my hard to reach places.  Then she starts whispering to me.  Even though she sent the maids and other wives away so we are alone.

"My son was the only joy in my life before Clari was born.  His lordship was a good man but he wouldn't recognize Perrin."  Tears are falling into the bath.  "He tried so hard too.  He had it so hard.  All because his...  mother..."

"Lili..."

She recovers a bit.  "I can even feel him, a bit, thru you.  He is so happy now."  Wraps her arms around my neck.  "You have given me back my son.  And brought him joy.  I will never be able to repay you enough."  Squishy scrubby.  "But I will try."

Now its only third-day.  But I spend the rest of the morning in this bath as Lili first gives me an extra special deep cleaning.  And then brings in the wives and maids to clean me again and again.

Yeah, I had already canceled everything for today because I have plans for after lunch too.

"Odaline?  Simone?"

We are in front of the burning fireplace in my grand suite.  I'm on a knee with these two lovely ladies seated on the couch in front of me.  In my hand are two coil rings.  Each black as a moonless midnight and full of stars.

My four other wives are standing behind them on the couch while Margo and Ferra are sitting beside them.

"You are important to me.  I already consider you a part of me."  Why are they crying?  "Now I want you to consider me a part of you.  Will you join me?"

Yeah.  I'm no romeo, but I get by.  As long as they get the idea and sign off on it.  Which the nodding and bawling seems to indicate.  Oh god, now the wives are crying.

"Hold out your hands."

I slide the coil rings on both of their left ring fingers.  They shudder as I feel the connection forming.  Margo and Ferra shudder too as their half-dead links become much stronger.

*uuaahhwwaawwaa*

And the full on wailing begins.  I can feel its happy wailing, but its still wailing.  Wives attack!  The dog pile of sobbing and hugging commences.  I?  Back away slowly.  Really hope I'm not making a mistake.  Really hope this does more good than harm.

I hurt them.  Exposed a very painful truth.  Done what I can to heal them.  Hopefully this will do more.  Wow.  I have not been here two months yet and I've killed tons of people.  Even gotten my women killed.  And already back up to three wives and three concubines?

What the fuck is wrong with me?

""There is nothing wrong with our beloved.""  Oh, they merged?  ""You saved us.""  Still not used to stereo women.  ""Our hearts were stolen.  Broken.  Left empty and we did not know it.""

In a blink Oda-Mar and Sim-Fer have moved from the couch and are wrapping me in their arms.

""Left just things to be used.  Then thrown away.""  Creepy horror movie twins.  ""You showed us the truth and became our beacon.  Returned our hearts.  Fixed and filled.  Gave us justice.  Gave us safety.  Gave us, love.""  Uh.  ""With you we feel, human again.""

Fuck.  Not going to cry.  Not gonna cry, dammit.  Behold the necromancer wim-  Ack!

Queue dog pile two.  With me as the ball this time.  All I can see and feel are boobs and butts.  Boobs and butts.

Yeah.

"Its good to be the king."

Barton, Odaline (female, human, tourinese)

Barton, Simone (female, human, tourinese)

Perrin (living shadow (male, human, tourinese))