The Princess hooks my arm and leads us across the giant ballroom. It is about five times the size of the brothel's lounge, yet the hundred or so people fill it out well.

  A number of heads turn to look at us. The Princess's bright red dress with a low cut and all those rubies refleg my light around probably catches a lot of eyes. The men also seem to get a number of eyes just by existing. The women take in their form and calcute something before returning to their versations.

  As we he waiting family, the beautiful dark elf steps forward. Her belly showing, but no where as pronounced as Neka's.

  "Wele, Yhness," Velga says with a deep bow despite her pregnancy. "It is a joy to meet you ahe father of our children on your arm. I am Lady Velga Whitearrow."

  "I'm happy for your family," the Princess says with a big smile. "I'm still getting surprised by just how many girls seem to carry my husband's children. Lady Ko mentioned a very pregnant dryad as well."

  "Yes, yes," Velga says. "Lord Alzi got six of us pregnant that night and a number of my guests. Obviously, I was one along with Ko and Diphyl. But also Llorva, my high elf wife, and two more. Lord Alzi had a busy night."

  "Sounds like it. Two-thirds of the birthday family and some of the guests is more than a busy night," the Princess says. "That is a lot of kids at once."

  "Yes, it is, and we are happy to see our trade increasing a bit with your extra activity, Yhness," Velga says. "We love and are excited for the kids. But resources are important, and you are showing us how to get more. This dragon of yours seems to be a bit lucky for us all."

  Velga makes some motions that the Princess agrees to. Her head bobbed just a tad before a wide smile cracked on the dark elf's face.

  My arm falls, and the elf s me up in a gentle hug.

  "I'm sad to see your colr is still on," Velga whispers. "But thank you, and I am sorry for whatever Diphyl did to anger you."

  She doesn't hold on long like Ko did. I guess she just wao apologize for that stupid mind thing. That Dryad better not try it again. I don't have any way to punish her again.

  I could give her another child and make her stay pregnant for longer. But they all have long dresses on, so I don't think she'll give me the ce.

  "I would love to discuss some more things with you, Princess Elora," Velga says. "I doubt Lord Alzi is ied iails of our alliance, and one of my wives owes him an apology. Maybe they dance while we work out a few details, Yhness?"

  "Is that ok with you, Alzi?" the Princess asks me.

  "Oh, um, I guess?" I say back, caught off guard by the ask.

  The little dryad steps up to me cautiously, biting her lip as she offers her hand out to me. "I would love to dah you," she says with a small bow, her bulging stomach limiting her motion.

  I don't say anything back to show my displeasure with her. I just gently pce my hand in hers a her take me across the room to the dance floor.

  Not many are dang yet. I guess most wait till after dio start, preferring to talk politics before they get too drunk.

  The band is pying something much slower than the brothel would ever dare py. The brothel wahe girls to shake whatever they had ahe nobles and merts moving—to get them to act before thinking.

  Ihis music almost forces you to think before every a.

  True to Aurora's words, the Dryad leads. Her belly forces us apart. With each step, we move just a tad, with a small sway of our hips.

  The music protected us from the sile hardly fixed the stramosphere. Her eyes dug into my chest as I waited for her to say something.

  "I am sorry for entering your mind," Diphyl finally says. "I did not think you would take offeo it. Nobles are used to having small versations with their mind if one is a mind mage. I see how that feel like a final invasion for you. The one po one reach, and I broke that. I'm sorry. Thank you for still giving me childree that. I'll gdly carry the burden you've given me and raise them well."

  "You better treat them right," I say. "Do you know how many?"

  "No, I'm too scared to find out," she says. "My wives are demanding I get a t so they pn and so the midwife knows how many I will have to push out."

  I check for her, ready to terrify her a bit more. She seems a bit too happy to be carrying my childre was meant to be a punishment. The dark elf had triplets in her womb, and Ko had ten kids on the way. The small Dryad is bigger than Ko, so I don't bme her for being scared.

  "Do you wish to tell me, Lord Alzi?" Diphyl says, finally looking me in the eyes.

  "Yes," I say.

  "Do as you wish," she says.

  "Eleven. Ohan I just had," I tell her.

  "Ko calls hers a litter and talks about how catkio have rge pregnancies in aimes. Dryads do not have a story like that. Even dragons had some stories about the Queen having rge pregnancies. Drayds have stories about a single child at a time," Diphyl says. "I know I will make it. I'm just scared of the pain. I'm sure you uand that well."

  "Yes, yes I do," I say.

  The versation sits there for a while. I'm just following her along the dance floor with a few other couples. One man and womating quite close to each other.

  Nothing is really happening, but I think the noblewoman wishes for it tress.

  "I hope you are happy with the Princess," she says. "It's a on dream of o end up in a princess's harem. I know it may not seem amazing to you, but they get a lot of perks and a lot of power. The colr likely makes it feel a lot worse, and it is sad to see it still on after your marriage. But try to make it to another noble's house and pare it to what you are living in. You will see the privilege. And soon you will see the work they have to put in for that privilege. It's a different world that royalty live in."

  "The house is nice," I say. "But I don't like the people."

  "Talk with the men tonight," she says. "Dinner should be starting soon. I think they would love to share their stories with you."

  The song ends with a long, soft note. Diphyl gives me another bow. This time, she forces her body to dip down into a full bow.

  "Thank you for the dand children. I will cherish them forever."

  With that final statement, she walks away. Leaving me alone on the dance floor.

  Should I leave or ask someoo dance? I could also go looking for Isda. Shimmer said she would be my chaperone for the night. I'm not sure how I ended up with the Princess instead.

  "Need a partner?" Geta says, hugging me from behind.

  "I suppose," I say, trying to free myself from her grip.

  She lets go and spins me around a few times. I don't know how she dodges my tail, but it never collides with anything.

  When I stop, I'm ia's grasp. Her hand is on my waist, and the other holding my own hand.

  I don't know if she just knows the timing or if the band took it as a cue. But the music starts back up, and I return to the gentle sway of the simple dance.

  The strong woman just smiles at me, looking me over in the suit. The simple dance is meant to let us talk, but I guess she knows I would prefer to just get the night over with rather than talk.

  "You looked stunning with that pregnant dryad," Geta says, ruining my dream. "She even forced herself to give you a proper bow at the end. If I didn't e by, I'm sure a noble would be aiming to get in your pants right now. It would be a failure for the family to let you get a regnant before we even had dinner."

  "I'm not that easy to seduce," I mumble. The colr shocks me as the words leave my lips.

  "There is nothing wrong with being seduced easily," Geta says. "We know you will be, and it isn't your fault. Any girl that was in a brothel that long will be an easy target. Add in your csses, and you don't stand a ce. That isn't your fault. I know it probably hurts, but know there is nothing you do about it. You try praying to the Goddess of Sex, but she doesn't have many temples and is almost as elusive as the Goddess of Fertility."

  "I'll think about it," I say. My anger surges over the life I missed as I rock bad forth ia's arms. Her muscles tempt me through her bck dress.

  They said I could feel up the women, so why not my 'wives.'

  I drop my free hand to her ass and wait. Geta raises an eyebrow but lets me tinue. I slip my other hand from her grasp and trace it dowrong forearms and past her bulging biceps, down her cleavage to her chiseled abs.

  Geta's own free hand nds on my shoulder as her smile tells me to keep going.

  I know it will stop if I get under her clothing. But I tease her plenty without crossing that line, like setting my erotic tou just a tad. Just enough to get her thinking about the bedroom. To make her body desire sex just as much as I normally do.

  I trace out her muscles, memorizing every detail like I used to do to all the beautiful warriors. I o give her a massage. The st one ended up with us just havihen me oable.

  "Alzi, you please stop teasing me?" Geta calls out. "The song is almost over, and I really want to tie you up in a bed and ride you all night."

  Happy with my work, I y mana and look at the warrior's face.

  She's blushed and squirming, and her smile is fighting to stay friendly. I see it slipping into the face of a woman who wants to breed.

  "I deserve this, I guess, for talking about that in public," she says. "But, please don't do this with our wives. They won't trol themselves as well as I do, and I don't wish to see the pain you gh whery to ceive with you. Elora's ands still stand."

  "Ok," I say. I remember that priestess who must've snuto my bed. The colr was not happy I gave her a child.

  The host es out to the stage, ringing a soft bell to grab everyone's attention.

  "Dinner is prepared to be served. I have a few servers here who will show the men to their seats. The long tables will be brought out shortly for us," the horny Dryad says. Her eyes locked onto mine for her short speech.