Dysfunctional Imperials
Copyright© 2025 by Ogreface
Chapter 20: Duke and Duchess of Ceres
The council of barons, under the chairmanship of Viscount Asgaard, had set a special session for eleven am that morning, to receive the special envoy. Olaf was told to dress formally, meaning a tuxedo, for the occasion. It was only the second time that he wore his tuxedo. Vanessa, Aster, and Mona were all dressed in formal dresses with Aster wearing a very colorful ankle-length dress usually worn by the women on the islands. It looked quite spectacular on her, especially with her thick braid of glossy auburn-red hair and a white blouse.
Duchess Victoria reminded Olaf and Jason that Olaf’s delayed birthday ball and buffet was scheduled for the next evening, and that the entire council of barons, Viscount Asgaard, and at least six other barons were also invited. Olaf and Jason gave each other a look and shrugged while their ladies got excited about the dance.
Olaf walked into the library at the same time as Jason, to wait for everybody before departing for the council session. Jason was wearing the ceremonial uniform of an Imperial Marine Colonel. He had two aides with him, both women. One was navy and the other was a marine. Then Lady Erin and Lady Lenore also joined them, also in formal dresses.
Then Colonel Vercuil and Major Letterman walked in, followed by a rather nervous Jenna. They were also in their full ceremonial uniforms. They saluted Olaf and Jason and then went talking with the two aides. Olaf found the girls surrounding Jason particularly attractive, even when wearing the uniforms of marine and navy officers.
“Olaf, this is Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Gomes, my Imperial Marine aide, and also my concubine. Lieutenant Gwen Revere is my navy aide.” Jason introduced the two ladies.
“Your Grace, Duke Wilbur’s imperial aides have been reassigned, along with his IPS people,” Colonel Vercuil said to Olaf. “We never got around to assigning him a Ceres Militia aide. The council of barons decided that you should have a Ceres Militia aide. Since you now have a group of professional body protectors, it has been decided to transfer Lieutenant Purcell from the Ceres Protection Service to you as your official Ceres Militia aide.”
“So, you are still getting to follow me around,” Olaf teased her.
“That’s okay, Your Grace,” Jenna giggled nervously. “I’ve kind of gotten used to that.”
“You will be attending some new training courses for your new duties, Lieutenant,” Colonel Vercuil said.
The group traveled in one of the marine shuttles; there would not have been enough seating in the smaller hovercraft. As the rear ramp closed, Olaf noticed three more marine shuttles hovering around them. He sat between Vanessa and Mona, with Aster next to Vanessa and Jenna next to Mona. Jason was surrounded by his ladies across from Olaf, with the BPs towards the back of the shuttle.
“Your Grace, I am Ruth Emerson from the Imperial Protocol Service,” one of the older ladies from Jason’s group introduced herself as the shuttle landed but before the rear ramp started to open. “My job is to advise Duke Jason on how to act and behave in public. When the rear ramp is fully down, you can join Duke Jason in walking down the ramp. Normally the higher rank leaves first but, in this case, you are also a duke so you can just walk next to him. There will be Imperial Marines forming an honor guard. Let Duke Jason take the lead and just follow him around. Once the two of you are escorted into the building, you are the host and can guide Duke Jason to the council chamber.”
“Thank you, Madam Emerson,” Olaf said as he smiled at her.
As the ramp started lowering, Olaf noticed that the side door was already open and most of the IPS people were already exiting the shuttle. There were mobile stairs at the door so the ladies with their dresses and heels had no problem getting out.
“Smile and pretend as if all this is normal,” Jason said to Olaf as the two of them walked to the edge of the ramp. The plaza where the shuttle landed was right in front of Government Hall with the ramp facing the grand entrance. The paved area between the shuttle and the entrance was clear, with soldiers lining both sides. Behind the soldiers was a huge crowd of civilians watching the spectacle. The people started clapping as Olaf and Jason walked out of the shuttle but then they became quiet.
Ruth Emerson was mistaken. There were two honor guards. On one side was the Imperial Marine honor guard and on the other side was a Ceres Militia honor guard. Jason stopped and looked at the two groups. Then he turned to Olaf.
“She messed up,” he said softly. “Go inspect your people while I inspect the marines,” Then Jason headed towards the marines. Olaf had no choice but to improvise. He headed straight for where Major Warren, the second in command of the militia, was standing in front of the honor guard.
Major Warren kept a stony look on his face he saluted Olaf and then did a weird sidestep to end up next to Olaf on the outside. A quick glance at Jason gave Olaf an idea about how fast to walk as he walked past the stony-faced troopers. Jason recognized most of them from their joint early morning run.
“Major, I am impressed. Please convey my thanks to the troopers,” Olaf said when they came to the end of the guard section. Finally, the major’s face showed a hint of a smile as he saluted and then turned around towards the guard. The spectators started whistling and clapping again as Olaf made his way to the bottom of the stairs. He got to the steps just as Jason got there. There was no sign of the ladies, but the BPs were forming two lines at the top of the steps, and behind them, waiting for them. Together they climbed the steps as the one line of BPs stepped back into the shadows and the second line stayed at the foot of the steps.
At the top of the steps, Jason stopped and turned to face the huge crowd. There were a lot more people than Olaf expected and all of them were making a noise and waving or clapping.
“Time to go in before the BPs start freaking out,” Jason muttered. Olaf and Jason walked into the building next to each other as two militia sergeants held the doors for them.
“That was not part of the plan, Your Grace,” Ruth Emerson said as she appeared next to them. Jason just chuckled. “Lord Olaf, as soon as Duke Jason calls on you to stand, tuck your current medallion inside your shirt,” She said.
“I don’t have your new medallion on me,” Jason commented softly. “That is why I have aides to do the fetching and carrying.”
The ceremony inside the council chambers was well orchestrated and totally new to Olaf. He and Jason were escorted by the Master at Arms to the front row where they sat, one on each side of the lectern. The entire auditorium was full of people, and all twelve barons were already seated but everybody stood as Jason and Olaf walked in. Olaf’s five women, Ruth’s mom had appeared from somewhere and joined his concubines, were sitting next to him while Jason’s women and aides were on the other side.
They had barely taken their seats before Viscount Asgaard called the meeting to order. He welcomed Jason, as the representative of the emperor, and then introduced him to everybody present, by listing all of Jason’s many formal titles. Then he offered Jason a chance to address the council. Jason stood and walked to the lectern, facing the council.
“Viscount Asgaard, council members, it is with a heavy heart that I stand here today,” Jason said. “I came to officially inform you that your ruler, Duke Wilbur Ostrander, died of a heart attack while performing his official duties as a member of the Imperial Council on Secundus. I represent the emperor in this case, as special envoy and as heir to the emperor. Allow me to present to you two of my companions,” He turned and waved at the girls sitting off to his side. Erin and Lenore both stood and joined Jason, one on each side of him. Jason took Erin’s hand and pulled her slightly forward, so she stood next to him. “Council members, citizens of Ceres, I hereby introduce you to Lady Erin, Countess Taurus, and the future empress of the Pleiades Empire.” Erin faced the council and curtsied as all the barons stood and bowed to her. Then she took a step back to stand behind Jason’s left shoulder. Then Jason took Lenore’s hand and pulled her a bit forward. “I would also like to introduce my sister, Lady Lenore, oldest daughter of Emperor Jason Pleiades.”
“Poor thing, she is very nervous,” Vanessa muttered next to Olaf.
“I’m nervous and I’m not even standing up there,” Aster muttered.
“One would think she is used to this, being the daughter of the emperor,” Mona added. “I wonder how he will make the formal announcement.”
“What formal announcement?” Olaf asked.
“Shh,” Vanessa said as Jason turned and looked at Olaf.
“Now, as special envoy and heir of Emperor Jason Pleiades, it is my privilege and honor to present to you, the new duke of Ceres,” Jason said. Before Olaf could react, Vanessa reached over and pushed his medallion into his shirt so only the ribbon was visible. “Olaf Halgaard Ostrander, son of the late Viscount Carl Halgaard Ostrander, and grandson of the late Duke Eric Halgaard Ostrander.” Jason smiled and nodded at Olaf, so he stood and walked up to Jason. As Olaf stood, he noticed as the white-haired beauty in the navy uniform also stood and approached Jason. She handed Jason a glossy red-brown wooden box before she returned to her seat. Jason placed the wooden box on the lectern and opened it. Inside was the ducal medallion wrapped in a ribbon with the Ceres colors. As Jason removed the medallion, Olaf could see that the medallion was dormant. Then Jason held the medallion up so the entire council could see that it was dormant.
“Let it be known that the duke’s medallion is dormant,” Baron Rudolf said in a formal and loud tone.
“Since this medallion is dormant, only the legal heir to the Duke of Ceres can activate it,” Jason announced. “Olaf Halgaard Ostrander, touch this medallion to prove your status as heir of Wilbur Halgaard Ostrander.” Then Jason held the medallion out towards Olaf in the palm of his hand with the face downwards.
Olaf reached out and placed three fingers on the smooth back surface of the medallion. Instantly he felt the prickles, like a light electric shock. Then the medallion lit up as lines that looked like random etchings appeared all over the back of the medallion. Jason took the medallion in his other hand and held it up so the council and the audience could see it. Everybody knew what to expect but still there were a few loud gasps heard as the now active medallion was shown around. Jason stepped closer and put the ribbon around Olaf’s neck. Then he stood back and shook hands with Olaf. Instantly everybody stood and started clapping.
Olaf was feeling as if he was in a daze as he looked around at the smiling faces surrounding him. Vanessa had a huge smile on her face, with what looked like tears in her eyes. Mona was bouncing on her feet as she clapped. Aster was smiling just as widely but was more reserved. Countess Erin just smiled at him while Lady Lenore gave him a weird look, as if she were seeing him for the first time. Then Viscount Dirk and Baron Rudolf appeared in front of him and shook hands with him.
“For the next part of the ceremony, the council will withdraw to their private chambers,” Baron Rudolf announced loudly. “Duke Jason, Duke Olaf, Viscount Dirk, ladies, please join us.” Baron Rudolf led Olaf and Jason through a hidden doorway behind the seats of the council as the auditorium erupted once again. The women all clumped together as they were joined by more family members. Mona’s father and older sister as well as Anna and Petra were escorted by Wilf and Wilda. Duchess Victoria and all his aunts and their husbands and his cousins were there, being escorted towards the door by one of the barons on the council.
It was the second time Olaf was invited into that oddly shaped room, a circular-shaped room with one concave wall to conform to the curvature of the council chambers. There were tables against the walls filled with food and drinks. There was no seating in the room, the only other furniture in the room was another lectern across from the hidden doorway. Baron Rudolf was guiding Jason to that lectern as the room filled with people.
“I’m glad you came,” Olaf said as he walked up to Anna, Petra, Wilda, and Wilf. Wilf’s bride was still hiding behind him. Wilda’s husband was not there. The five of them were looking quite out of place and lost.
“Your grandmother sent a hovercraft for us,” Anna said.
“We were warned, she sent money for new clothes as well,” Petra said as Aster appeared and hooked arms with her mother.
“I always knew you would never stay on the island, but I never would have imagined seeing you like this,” Wilda said as she hugged him.
“Your Grace, meet my bride, Sele,” Wilf said as he bowed. The skinny little girl shuffled a bit forward and made an awkward curtsy while looking down. “Unfortunately, Gerb is out on the boat. We take turns being the skipper.”
“Sele...,” Olaf said softly and in a gentle tone. She slowly lifted her head and looked at him with huge eyes. “Is Wilf treating you well?” He asked. The girl blushed gently as she shot Wilf a shy smile.
“I think he does, Your Grace,” she said softly.
“Sele, remember one thing,” Olaf said. “Wilf and I grew up together. I see him and Wilda as my siblings. That makes you part of my family. You five will always have direct access to me.” Then Diane touched his arm to get his attention.
“Council members, guests,” Jason said from the podium. “When the emperor was here, to confirm Duke Wilbur as your new duke, he also required both Duke Wilbur and Duke Olaf, who was Viscount Vasa at that time, to show their loyalty to him by touching his wand. Duke Olaf obviously passed that important test. Now, as representative of the emperor, I would ask that each member of the council do the same towards Duke Olaf.”
Olaf was standing roughly in the middle of the room, facing Jason, as the Master at Arms brought a kneeling bench out and placed it in front of Olaf. Then Viscount Asgaard walked up to him, went down on one knee as he bowed his head towards Olaf.
“I hereby swear allegiance to Olaf, Duke of Ceres,” Viscount Dirk said in a clear voice. Then he stood shook hands with Olaf before moving away to join his wife and son. Immediately Baron Rudolf took his place and repeated the process. Then he joined his wife and heir, and Derick’s new wife, who was obviously pregnant.
One by one the rest of the barons followed the same process until all twelve barons had sworn allegiance. As the last baron joined his family after shaking hands with Olaf, Countess Erin, Jason, and Lady Lenore lined up behind the kneeling bench.
“There is one other task the emperor has entrusted to me,” Jason said. “As special envoy I have the same authority as the emperor. It is as if the emperor is standing here,” Jason said as he slowly walked around Lady Lenore, gently pulling her along as he walked behind Olaf. Jason walked a complete circle around Olaf back to Countess Erin, having left Lady Lenore to stand next to Olaf. Olaf was not sure what was going on. He and Lady Lenore were now facing Jason and Countess Erin.
“Wait” Erin said as she looked around. She stepped out of view behind Olaf and then reappeared on the far side of Lady Lenore before rejoining Jason. Olaf glanced at Lady Lenore to see her holding a small bouquet of flowers.
“Olaf Halgaard, kneel please,” Jason said. He was still not sure about what was happening but obeyed. Then Lady Lenore knelt on the bench next to him. “By order of Jason Pleiades, Emperor, I hereby task you, Olaf Halgaard, to take this woman as your wife, to honor her, and to produce many offspring with her. Olaf, do you obey your emperor and take this woman as your wife?” Olaf was not sure he heard right but then he glanced at Lenore to see her looking at him with huge eyes. She looked apprehensive. He suspected that she either knew and agreed to what was happening or she was as surprised as he was but still agreed.
“I do!” he heard himself say without actually thinking about it first.
“Then I hereby declare that Lenore is the formal wife of Duke Olaf,” Jason said. Then he stepped forward and placed his hands briefly on Olaf’s and Lenore’s head before he stepped back. “You may stand, Olaf, you are now my brother-in-law.” Olaf was still in a kind of a daze as he automatically held his hand out to Lady Lenore, to help her to her feet. As she stood, she handed the flowers back to Countess Erin and then held his hand in both of hers. “Council members of Ceres, by order of the emperor, and approved by the Imperial Council, I give you Lenore, Duchess of Ceres,” Jason announced loudly. Then the entire room erupted in applause.
“You could have given me a warning about what was going to happen,” Olaf complained to Jason when they were alone a while later.
“Nah, it’s more fun this way,” Jason said with a chuckle. “Besides, it is not as if you could have avoided it; the emperor explicitly told me to marry off my sister to the first eligible nobleman of suitable rank I encounter. As the daughter of the emperor, only a duke will do, and you are eligible.”
“Lady Lenore, sorry, my duchess, is rather beautiful and attractive,” Olaf responded. “I am going to have to get used to having a duchess. I also have to get used to the power I now have over other people, something I would never have asked for.”
“Your main power lies in your position as a member of the Imperial Council,” Jason said. “Have a look at your medallion, the new one.” The medallion was hanging outside his jacket, so he lifted it up and studied it. The front had the faint whorls under the emblem of the imperial empire on it and the back had the universal symbol of justice, the balance scale with the number ‘8’ under it.
“What does that mean?” Olaf asked. Jason’s response was to show him his own medallion, with the symbol of crossed swords and the number’2’ under the scales.
“The numbers indicate your status in the empire.” Jason said. “The emperor’s medallion has the number one on, and the chairman of the Imperial Council is number three. Only dukes who are members of the Imperial Council have the scales and number on, regular dukes do not have that. The numbers indicate your position on the council, which is based on when your system was colonized. Basically, it means as a member of the imperial council, you are also an imperial judge, with jurisdiction over anything the council has jurisdiction over, like the imperial navy and the imperial marines. The crossed sword on my medallion means I can judge and execute judgment on my own. You can actually fire an imperial judge if you have evidence of corruption or inappropriate actions by the judge.”
“The emperor puts a lot of power and trust in a newly appointed nobleman,” Olaf muttered.
“The quickest way to lose your new status would be to abuse it,” Jason said. “You also have other, more pleasant duties, like appointing new viscounts in your system, marrying other noble born couples, and approving a viscount or even a baron’s choice of wife.” Jason gave Olaf a sneaky smirk before continuing. “Noble marriages seem to be my specialty. The first marriage I performed was for the twin brothers of Jade, the girl in the hover chair. Their sire, the duke of Mynos, was murdered by his wife’s lover. He had twin sons of our age, but he never appointed one as his heir. I was asked to sort it out. We had the older sister of one of my concubines, Lilly Osborne, with us. Her mother sent her and Lotus with me to Secundus to find suitable husbands for them. I picked the most suitable twin as the new duke and then married him and Lilly. He obviously retaliated by declaring me the official guardian of his sister, Lady Jade. Since she is hover chair bound, she would never have found a husband, so he effectively forced me to take her as my concubine.” The two of them were watching as Countess Erin, Vanessa, Mona, and Aster were surrounding Duchess Lenore, who actually looked relatively content from the way she was smiling and chatting with her sister-wives.
“I’m still supposed to figure out what to do about my one cousin,” Olaf said. “I introduced her to a navy commander, the captain of a frigate. The next thing I heard was that the two of them eloped. His ship was recalled, and he took her along.”
“Then they are already married for all practical purposes,” Jason said with a chuckle. “The best you can do is make it official. What is his name?” Jason asked as he waved the white-haired navy lieutenant closer.
“Lieutenant Commander Adam Carsten, commander of the frigate Jasper Sea, “ Olaf said as the lieutenant joined them.
“I know about him,” Lieutenant Gwen Revere said. “He is in trouble for bringing some noble-born girl with him when he was ordered back to Pleiades Prime. She is from here?”
“Anika is my cousin, granddaughter of Duchess Victoria,” Olaf explained. Gwen Revere looked shocked for a moment. Then she got a sneaky look on her face.
“I know exactly how to help the navy, and how to help you, Your Grace,” she said as she smirked at Olaf. “You need an official Imperial Navy aide de camp. Such appointments are usually long-term. This Carsten cannot serve as the captain of a frigate and be married to a noble born lady. I will just suggest he be appointed as your navy aide, which means he will be sent back here to follow you around.”
“How will it affect his rank?” Olaf asked.
“Oh, he will eventually retire with the same rank,” Gwen Revere said. “At his level of seniority there are just not that many posts. He might need to wait for somebody to die before he can get promoted.”
“I suggest you declare him a knight.” Jason said. Gwen Revere giggled as Jason laughed along.
The wedding party started breaking up shortly afterwards, with Duke Jason and Duke Olaf being escorted back onto the shuttle, along with all their women and security detail. Lenore was still surrounded by his concubines, with Ruth and Wilda having joined the group.
“I’m curious what this shuttle’s call sign is,” Olaf commented to Jason.
“My guess it was Imperial Two on the way here but it is now Ceres One,” Jason responded.
For all practical purposes, the sudden and unexpected wedding party continued once they got back to the palace. Jason commented to his many women about them continuing their journey after the ball, which was to be held the next day only, and was promptly told that they were not quite ready to leave yet. It turned out that Jason’s many women decided to have a shopping day, or two.
“I just love those long colorful skirts that Aster is wearing,” Lady Andrea, one of Jason’s many concubines, said. “Where can we get some?”
“We make the skirts ourselves,” Aster responded. “We buy the material at a shop near the harbor; it’s the only shop we know of that sells that style of cloth.” Aster, who was usually quite shy, especially among the more worldly girls who arrived with Jason, seemed quite at ease while chatting and giggling with one of the servant girls of Jason’s group. Jason referred to her as Lady Jade’s companion. The skinny shy girl with dark brown hair was mostly on her own, while Lady Jade and Lady Lotus were mostly in each other’s company.
“Jason, I don’t know if it is the right time or place to talk about this, but I have been noticing something for a while,” Lady Erin said as she and Vanessa joined Jason and Olaf where they were sitting under one of the shady trellises in front of the palace. Vanessa was holding a baby in her arms. Olaf watched Vanessa’s face as she cuddled the baby and got a lump in his throat at noticing peaceful yet excited look on her face.
“If it is something good, tell us,” Jason said. “If it is embarrassing, leave it for when we are alone.”
“It’s neither, it concerns Mia,” Lady Erin said. “She has been a bit moody and lonely ever since we left Glamour. It is obvious that she is much happier since we got here.” Jason turned and looked around until he spotted the girl in question. Olaf looked where Jason was looking and noticed the young and relatively plain girl sitting and giggling with Mona as the two sat in the shade while watching as Aster showed Clarissa’s younger sister, Lady Chloe, how to modify the hem of the long colorful skirts that Aster and the island women made themselves. Olaf remembered seeing Mia in either Aster’s, or Mona’s company from soon after the visitors arrived.
“Jade’s companion.” Jason commented. “What do you think is the problem?”
“From what Lotus told me, Jade was a shy lonely little girl stuck in a hover chair before you rescued her,” Erin said as she studied Mona and the girl with her. “It seems she doesn’t need a companion anymore. I asked Sylvia about it. Maybe she can give us more of an idea.”
“Excuse us for a minute, please,” Jason said as he stood and took Erin’s hand. Olaf watched as the two strolled off to where a few of Jason’s ladies were chatting and laughing.
“Who is this?” Olaf asked Vanessa as he looked at the baby in her arms.
“Her name is Alexis; she is Lady Sylvia’s baby,” Vanessa said as she made funny faces at the baby. “She is the older lady in Lord Jason’s harem. She is Lady Carissa’s and Lady Chloe’s mother. I think she seduced Lord Jason shortly before they left the Grendel system, which makes this one the emperor’s first grandchild. You were wondering why I seduced you last night? Lexi is the reason. I want one just like her..., from you,” She added quickly as she blushed.
“Good save,” Olaf chuckled as she blushed even deeper as the near implication of her comment hit her. “So, you want to stop going to school?”
“Maybe take a year off and have your baby,” Vanessa said as she hugged the baby while leaning against Olaf’s shoulder. Olaf enjoyed having her so close to him. He put his arm around her waist as he watched Jason, Erin, and Lady Sylvia took the girl who was sitting with Mona and strolled off some way with her as they talked softly. Then Lady Chloe also jumped up and followed Jason and the ladies.
Mona and Aster both had puzzled frowns on their faces as they watched the others walk away. When Mona noticed Olaf looking at her, she put down her sewing and stood. Her frown got more pronounced as she came walking towards Olaf and Vanessa. Aster was quick to follow Mona in joining with Olaf and Vanessa.
“Did Mia and I do anything wrong?” Mona asked as she sat down next to Olaf.
“Can I hold her for a bit?” Aster asked, her face turned into a gentle smile as she looked at the baby in Vanessa’s arms.
“It is very dangerous to hold a baby,” Vanessa said as she transferred the baby to Aster’s arms. “Yesterday I held her for a bit and last night I spent the night with our husband.” Aster’s eyes grew wide as the implication hit her.
“You want a baby,” she stated.
“If I am not pregnant after last night, then I think we should hold back for a while,” Vanessa said as she kept watching the baby in Aster’s arms. “I want a baby for myself, and to satisfy my mom’s need for a grandchild, but Lenore needs a baby for Ceres, an heir for our husband. We should try to not all have our babies at the same time.”
Aster ignored Vanessa’s comment as she cuddled the baby and made baby noises at her. Her behavior gave Olaf new insight into women and what was important to them. He could easily interpret the look on Aster’s face as that of longing to have her own baby. Having all of his concubines pregnant at the same time might be weird but if that was what they wanted, who was he to object?
“This is a bit awkward,” Lady Erin commented as they all gathered for predinner drinks in the library that evening. Duchess Victoria prepared a relatively intimate yet semi-formal dinner for her guests. Olaf and Jason were wearing jackets and ties, and the ladies were all wearing dresses, but Baby Lexi and Toddler Helen were present as well, being looked after by Trista and Mia. Instead of the long formal table, the dining room was set up with several round tables, so a number of the non-concubines also joined them.
“What are you talking about?” Vanessa asked.
“Jason is occupying the suite where Lord Olaf should be staying, now that he is the new duke,” Erin said. Mona and Lady Lenore were with them, which resulted in Lenore turning pink in the face as she looked up into her new husband’s face. Olaf was standing with Vanessa, Mona, and Lenore in the library when Erin came up to them. Then Vanessa giggled.
“Lady Lenore, I can think of one way more romantic than spending your first night with your husband in the bed chamber of the duke, and that is to spend the night on the beach in a tent,” Vanessa said.
“You keep referring to me as Lady Lenore but then you call Erin on her name without any honorifics” Lenore commented with a puzzled look on her face.
“We might be sister-wives, my lady,” Vanessa responded with a giggle as both she and Mona made a rather elaborate curtsy towards Lenore, “but you are the most senior lady in the entire system.”
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