*** Princess Elora ***

  Shimmer really did go to every wife to say goodbye. I was surprised to find her running around the house looking for me, but I'm gd I got to watch her ride off.

  She better e back. She aa pig a quest to do by themselves is a bit w. I know they are the stro of my wives. Maybe Alzi will overtake them here, but I would still prefer they at least take a partner.

  Shimmer should at least have the Baronness providing a group to hunt with. I don't know if Geta will evehat.

  Shimmer also seems to be one of the few things that Alzi likes right now. My maid gave me an earful for taunting Alzi, and Shimmer hasn't shied away from correg me either.

  Maybe I should just bring her Mother here. Let her be a guest with the others. Aurora has said Oriphusa thinks it would be good for Alzi to learn from the midwife, and Alzi hardly be a midwife to herself. Mai would solidify my e with tess Esmeralda.

  Maybe I went too fast on this. Three weak dragons are still dragons I have in my house.

  Then I force that snobby white bitto my house, and under my thumb would be nice. Hand her off to Nakuma, and I would have one of the stro mages of the Kitsunes liking me.

  Or if I could actually carry children for Alzi. I just have too much woing ht now to be burdened by however many kids Alzi would forto my womb. I'm going to look strating on that throne when I do let Alzi have her way with me. My mothers could hide their pregnaill the third trimester normally. I'll be lucky to hide it for a few weeks. If my m after walking doesn't give it away.

  I'll help her see what I want: a better pce for the citizens, a stronger Queendom, and that I need her help to do it. Ohere, I turn my focus to my wives and shower them in love.

  *** Yuki ***

  "She wants me to hand over the gold? She had a damn noble right there and needed me to e by to drop it off?" I ask again.

  "Yes. The woman said you would want your name on it or something. It would be best for you to do it. I 't read the trad the hat was helping didn't seem too happy to be there. I don't know how closely she was looking at everything," Armirynth says.

  "Ouch," I let out. "o poke me so hard, Kelly. I'm doing my best here. I'll go a a bit off for the hassle. I guess it will make it so we move everything in quickly. Though that damn warrior will be asking us to pick a new mission immediately."

  "I remember you saying you could hahis better. Yet here you are, ing back hurt again," Kelly says.

  "This is hardly an injury. It would be healed in a day and was only received after fighting a hundred damn goblins rushing out of a cave," I say. "Why do you o ent on every minor injury I get? I wasn't about to die. When fighting, injuries happen."

  "Nakuma never es back bloody," Kelly says.

  "She is strohan me and has space magic. I 't space, so my enemy's blood stays off my clothing. You only dance around blood so much," I say. I guess today will just be repeating versations.

  "Done; here are a few potions. I know you've used the st few I gave you," Kelly says.

  "I still have them," I say.

  "Prove it."

  I pull out the potions she gave me st time. "Three missions. I have been on three missions and e back a little hurt for two of them. I appreciate your healing and the potions, and I will use them if needed. But I don't like you implying I 't handle myself."

  "Then try to show a bit of care for others," Kelly says before st out of the living room.

  "Thank you for your work, Yuki. She has been running around trying to get ts again. I just think she is under a lot of stress right now. I'm sorry she is taking it out on you. I'll try to find a way to help her," Armirynth says.

  "No worries. I take her stupid bickering. You o get Mai to sit still. She is getting too far along to be running around the city. Mai is too small to handle even a single kid ahis active. She is going to get herself hurt soon," I say.

  "I agree, and she knows. She just likes feeling useful. Once Mai stops, she won't have anything to do. Bed rest will be hard on her," Armirynth says with a sigh, holding out my shirt for me. I don't like that she acts as a maid for me.

  I worry Alzi will somehow catch it a mad at me for turning her Mother into my maid. But Armirynth brings up her css and says she o do it.

  At least she doesn't fully dress me. I still have to put the shirt on my body. "I'll ruhere real fast, and you work with Nakuma to pack everything up again and move it. Try to get Kelly to stick around a Mai know what is going on," I say, shuffling the shirt over my head. "You should be able to move everything over fast. Unpag will take longer, but you don't need me and Nakuma for that anymore."

  "We handle moving everything if you handle your room. We should have the mana to move our stuff int. I just don't want to gh your items," Armirynth says. I guess Kelly did get around to teag them some stuff.

  "Alright, well, I'll get the keys aurn," I say. There's o make that annoying warrior wait.

  I walk out of the living room and head for the office. Did they think a noble would lie about being associated with me? Or did they see a pregnant dragon and think I was scamming them with an illusion? How is handing them gold a scam?

  I hustle through the busy streets and reach the office. My white tails do attract the attention of all the women w the ter, but none call me over. Is the stupid saleswoman not even w today? Another oer be able to finish the damn paperwork.

  "I was told I o e dowo finish a sale," I call out, skipping past the few people in lihey are just lower nobles. I better not be expected to wait for them as well.

  "If you could wait in line, please," they say.

  "I am already wasting my time. I sent someoo buy a house a few days ago, and you said I had to e here in persohough they had the money. I don't think you truly io make a Princess wait in lier calling me here," I say as I reach the ter. "Let me hand you the gold, with a dist for my troubles, and you hahe keys. It was meant to be iher women's name so you should hahe deed for the nd as well. The name would be Arminrynth."

  "Please wait," the woman says again.

  "No, give me what I here is no reason for this to take more than a minute," I demand.

  "You will not be getting the deed. You are fronting the gold, not the dragon from a small vilge," the woman says.

  "So I 't gift a dragon some gold? I won't be owning any nd or property. I won't be gaining any trol. She has no title, and this won't give her one. She has no influend will not gain any from my gift. Now, I want the deed and keys. I have people waiting on me. Being a Princess and all."

  "Yuki," a new woman calls out, ing out of the office.

  "I'm gd to hear you know my name," I say. "But I think the sentence should be sorry for making you e out here for no reason. Here are the things I should've given Armirynth when she was here."

  "No, that is not the right sentence. Why do you o buy a new house?" She asks.

  "Kids, really. The dragon regnant when she was here and another woman I have living with me is pregnant. I need more space. I already own a house and deed with the royal family, of course, so why would it be a problem to own another? If it is, I should be talking with someone higher up than you," I say. "So hurry it up before I'm forced to have Queens start talking about me owning a house."

  "Are you really going to run to your Mother over a house for some exiled dragons? I don't think my Queen would care. You, being a fner with attats to their ruling party, had extra checks, and you failed them. So go run to Mommy if you wish," the manager says, walking back to her office.

  "Have fug fun talking to the Queen about your stupidity!" I shout at her.

  With that, I left and started towards the inner walls. Why go to my Mother when I annoy the Queen herself? One look at my tails, and she'll yell about getting me what I want so she doesn't have to deal with me.

  Plus, I think she went down to spend the night with Alzi after talking to me. It could be a good thing to check if Alzi get old women like her pregnant.

  It is a rather long walk to the Castle in the middle, but I'm sure I'll have a carriage to take me bae.

  The crowd thins out as I start to he castle walls. More and muards are about. Some in uniform and plenty in hiding.

  I even got a ail now. It's nowhere near as pretty as my own, but it is fun watg it panic when I use a bit of mana.

  Half the day is wasted by the time I reach the castle gate. A fact I will be hearing for at least a day after this. But I get to yell out now, "I o speak with the Queen!"

  "What business do you have with her?" a guard calls back.

  "Housing, I was denied for some reason, and I don't think they did the paperwork correctly. I fixed before I go out and plete another mission for this Queendom," I say.

  "I o send a message," the guard says back. It's a step in the right dire, I suppose.

  "Make it quick."

  "No need," a woman says, giving me a slight bow. "The home office sent a message that you would likely be ing up here angry. I assure you no paperwork was done incorrectly."

  "I believe I asked for the Queen, not one of her paper pushers," I say. No way a woman with as little mana as her is anywhere near a position to be talking for the Queen.

  "No, Princess Yuki," she says again. "The decision is made acc to her rules. There is no need, really."

  "Then go get her seal on a paper that says as much. Royalty should be talking to royalty. Go find a wife or a Princess of age to talk with me. You don't get to deny me," I say.

  "Yuki," the guard calls down. "You may enter."

  "At least the guards have some brains," I mutter, passing the silly woman. She doesn't respond, but I like to imagine her angry face as she knows I'm about to get what I want. The Queen really o get her lower workers in line.

  A small door off to the side opens. A group of guards is waiting oher side to lead me to whet to talk to.

  "This rincess Yuki," A guard calls out. I wonder who was talking to me before. I didn't reize the voice, but it had to at least be a Princess if they didn't call me Princess. But then what is with the letter and the office worker?

  The Queeo get her house in order here. Seems a number of Goddesses are messing with her.

  I'm about to marry into a mess, it seems.

  The guards take me for a short walk to a random bench behind the walls. A woman in red already sitting there waiting for me.

  "Hello, Yuki. We all have heard a lot about you, but I'm guessing you know little about the younger Princesses," the woman says. "Sorry to make you walk in here, but I wao get a closer look at the famous singer. Here is the paper to get your house. A carriage should be ing this way soon to take you back. Mother has made it clear she doesn't want to talk to you."

  The little elf holds out a letter with a royal seal stamped on it. I take it from her and look to the road. A small carriage moving down it. "Your name? I want to make sure I point things back to people in case this fails," I say.

  "No need. If it fails, I'll take her head myself. They may be annoying, but they aren't stupid. I hope we don't meet again, Yuki," the Princess says, wandering off.

  The guards point to the nearing carriage, and I take the hint. The mysterious Princess did at least give me a carriage with the royal coat of arms on it, so the trip back should be quick.

  The carriage es to a stop, and I hop in and rex for the ride back.

  "We are here, Princess Yuki," the driver calls back.

  "Thank you," I say, hoping out. I stride through the doors yet again. "Someoer fug help me now. I've wasted aire day getting this house, and heads will roll if this takes more than half an hour."

  "You got your answer," the manager says, strolling out of her office. "Go home."

  "Should I report you to the ?" I ask, waving the royal sealed letter.

  "Hand it here," she says.

  "Here you go. Read fast but accurately. I'm not having you waste more of my time."

  Her eyes s the short letter a few times over. Each time, her face sches up a bit more.

  "The words aren't ging. Give me what I want."

  "This says you 't have the house you wanted. But a house just outside the district."

  "Give it back," I say, snatg it from her hands. That bitch will be giving me her name if she thinks that is acceptable. I s over the lines, looking for where the Princess limited my options. "It says no such thing."

  "It says you may have a house fit for your stature. As a fn citizen, you are not fit for the noble mert district. You are no mert and not a noble of this Queendom. So you may not live there. Besides, you want it in the dragon's name. She is even less fit to live amongst the nobles."

  "You know what happens when I run mana through the seal?"

  "Yes."

  "Do I o?"

  "Be my guest, Princess," the woman says. Her years of w at the desk show in her waist. Brown-haired elf with a smug face that should get wiped off quickly here.

  My mana runs through the seal; a fme shoots out as the paper befiving out a yell.

  "Princess Yuki, why do you have a paper with my seal on it, and why are you running mana through it? I know your Mother taught you better than that!" the Queen screams. "I do not have time to py babysitter for you."

  "Then tell your home office that I live on the edge of the noble district if I please. More than half a day was wasted on this. I wish to be pleting missions, not running around. Your daughter said you wished not to speak to me, and the people here were annoying, not stupid. Your daughter seems to have those wrong."

  "What house do you want, and what reason did they give for not letting you have it?"

  "Just a small house for ten, I think, on the edge of the noble mert district. I am taking care of my lover's Mother, and she is pregnant with twins. I need a bigger house. They say I am not a noble or a mert, so I am not suited for the house."

  "Jessica, give her the damn house and then never show up to the office again."

  "Yes, your Royal Highness," the plump elf stammers out. "I was just following what your offie."

  "Give a report, and if it is accurate, you may get your job back," the Queen says just before the fme vanishes.

  "Today, please," I say with a big smile.