The Switch
Chapter 13
You woke up only moments before Audrey and Lukher, Sarah and Daon, Yana and Brock and an older healer came with them as you were happy you had at least gotten dressed before you answered the door before everyone all hugged you tightly as they were so happy and relieved to be reunited with you and Kragan and had been quite worried about you. They were so happy and relieved to hear that you were cancer free and expecting.
"Tessa, this is Councilor Avalise's granddaughter Livashi. She came to help heal you." Audrey introduced.
"Oh, thank you so much for coming." You thanked her before Kragan got everyone else out, except Audrey, Sarah and Yana who were going to be taking this as a healing lesson while Yana was considered a healer in her own right but was helping Audrey and Sarah come to better terms with their moura powers of healing.
"Ok, now, the key to healing is making sure you have a hand over a good portion of skin. Preferably right over where the injury is. So hands on the belly." Livashi instructed as you had changed into a shirt and bottoms to reveal your stomach as you laid there as Yana and Livashi were one one side with Audrey and Sarah on the other.
"Ok, now we feel the baby down here correct?" Livashi urged.
"Yes." Audrey and Sarah both nodded while Yana was simply happy to nod.
"Ok, now focus on the areas around it. Really focus and identify each major and vital organ. Sarah, you're over the liver, what does it feel like?" She asked.
"Clean, like it got rinsed off and rinsed out." She noted.
"Yup, that's correct. Ok now, instead of having it on cleaning out mode, lets focus on returning it to normal." She urged.
"And Audery, what do you feel?" Livashi asked.
"The kidneys, they feel the same way." She said.
"Good, focus on making sure they're fully cleaned out and then dial them back to work regularly." She urged her.
"And I feel her gallbladder. Where stones once were but have been removed." Yana volunteered.
"Ok, now she's missing her appendix so this is how you get something to regrow, feel where it once was, now really focus on imagining what it should look like, using your own appendix inside yourselves as your clue on how an appendix is supposed to be like." She urged them since all three of them also had one hand on your belly and one hand on their own.
"Done." Sarah and Audrey both said at the same time once they all worked together to get the appendix to regrow and regrow back healthy and fully functioning.
"Ok, now, Yanna has already tackled the gallbladder, do we feel where she's healed the incisions where the stones once were." Livashi urged as the girls had to close their eyes and use their own moura magic's sense of healing touch to "see" and "feel" inside.
"Yes." Audrey and Sarah nodded in agreement.
"Ok, now, last but certainly not least, all this inflammation of the intestines. Do you feel the blisters inside? The polyps? Like pimples of the skin but they're on the inside?" She asked.
"Yes." Yanna, Audrey and Sarah all agreed as Yana was already working on your stomach and up your esophagus.
"Good, now, heal them, go on." She urged them as Audrey worked from the back of the colon in, while Sarah worked from the stomach down the small intestine while Livashi focused on adding more good bacteria to the gut so that you could eat whatever you wanted to eat but be able to process and digest it all before they all met in the middle so to speak.
"And?" Livashi asked.
"Everything feels normal. Nothing is in the way of her gut working properly, nothing is in the way of her digesting all of her food correctly and her body is now healed, healthy and in balance." Sarah realized.
"And no growths or cancers. Just a healthy layer of fat around the intestines which is normal." Audrey smiled happily and in relief before you reached down to grasp her hand as she moved the hand that had been on her own belly to hold your hand.
"And a good, healthy and stable pregnancy." Yana smiled happily.
"Agreed. Congratulations Mrs. Salgria, you now have a full and clean bill of health and you are now cleared to do anything you want to do, except drinking alcohol because you're with child. But otherwise, your body will tell you what to eat and what not to eat." She urged you.
"Thank you so much for coming." You thanked her before they helped you get dressed as you hugged them all tightly before you all went downstairs to the family's dining room to eat as Audrey and Sarah especially were so happy to be here just as friends and not in any real royal capacity and enjoyed 'dressing down' so to speak and blending in here while you were happy to introduce the Souja family members you had made and your brother Saffiro while Mildred was happy to simply sit back and enjoy her meal with you.
"Oh my gods, I see why you love this place." Lukher praised Kragan as he was devouring his platter of food while he and Audrey were happy to simply be a couple with their kid while Sarah did the same with her food as even Livashi was happy to eat and meet people as you were just happy that Mildred sat at the table with you to eat and that Saffiro was happily eating with Samantha.
"So? What are your plans now?" Audrey asked.
"Well, we should actually catch up with the people who are dying the wool for the uniforms, to make sure that process is still underway. We bought so much wool it was ridiculous, but it should be enough to dye and then cut into the uniforms. The seamstresses already made a mock up of the uniform and the cobbler gave us another mock up of the boots too." You answered.
"But beyond that, now I need to deal with Dorierra, get us registered, copyrighted, recognized in the D.A. and apply for official, verified and authentic providers. And get the plans and the mock ups and the first wave of ships there as models to show off not only what it would look and feel like to be in."
"So we need to bait those hooks well for those particular fish to bite." Sarah concluded.
"Yeah, basically." You nodded.
"Girl, I got you. It's amazing what can be done with some plaster and paint. And get veneers thin enough to give off an appearance of luxury without actually having to use that much." Sarah reassured you.
"And I'll happily help you fill out all the necessary paperwork. It can get a bit tedious but you need to be as specific and thorough as you can be. Nothing can be vague." Audrey urged you.
"I agree. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings or any gray areas, I want it all up to regulations and inspections and pass those criteria with flying colors." You nodded in agreement.
"Which I'm sure won't be that big of a hurdle for you guys. I'm just happy that now that you're back to full health, I don't have to deal with Milli anymore." Audrey muttered which got you to laugh.
"Yeah, she's wishy- washy. But don't worry. I have a plan about how to deal with her." You grinned.
"Well do tell." Audrey and Sarah eagerly invited.
"I'll need her ship to be fitted out to be lots of white and lots of gold. Everything else is an accent color to color the space. If the ceilings are muraled, but the walls are just plain white, and the floors are white marble with gold leaf pressed into the crown moldings and trims. That means that quickly and easily she can have her staff change out the curtains, change out the rugs, change out the other furniture and have the furniture either bolted through the rugs that can have removable patches for the legs of the furniture to be secured through. We could even put silken wall coverings already pressed and glued to panels to put on the walls if she wants to, on thin but flat and straight pannels of either wood or other flat but light board. That way, she can change it however she wants it- according the whims and moods of the court and herself. We just need to make it versatile enough that she and her staff can do so quickly, like within a day or several hours. Granted she will need practically a second ship, like the largest cargo ship ever to serve as a storage space to store all of that nonsense when not in use. But as long as it's all easily accessed and kept in a clean, dry, safe storage space, all she'll need to do is say the world and her staff can change it to suit her. Now granted her bathrooms and other areas that are always going to be wet- those need to be fixed, as in tiles and grout and such but if we do that in classic styles that shouldn't come in or go out of fashion easily. Like how temples are usually always decorated. No one looks at a temple and thinks it's outdated, simply classic and traditional right? Same thing. Classic, traditional stylings that represent Solowardian styles. Or the styles of anyone else who may be like her and want an easily versatile ship too. Granted, they will be paying through the nose to have a ship that can be two dozen ships in one, but the more accents and details we can make into design variables, that means that she will, in theory have limitless options for how she could mix and match it all. As long as we get at least one, I'm thinking probably three shades per color, a light, a medium and a dark hue, along with neutrals like tan, gray, black, taupe, that kind of thing. She'll be all set. Like I said, huge cargo ship full of all the other options, possibly two or three ships as storage, so she will, in theory need a fleet. But with her having the purse strings of the Lavine's, they can afford to do so and the Lavines, are, if anything, the only other family besides the royal family who sets the standards of fashion in society. And as long as the royal family is given the bigger, better, best version of that, I think that would take care of it. Like giving a doll to a little girl and a huge trunk of dresses and other clothes and accessories. Just give the doll over, and let them dress it how they want it." You explained.
"Kragan kiss your wife for me cause I can't get to her." Audrey urged him from her space directly across from you.
"Happily." He laughed before he kissed you soundly right there at the table which got you to giggle and blush bashfully before Saffiro kissed your cheek sweetly.
"See? Only you could have found the best solution for the most temperamental, tempestuous, spoiled brat in the world." Saffiro praised as you laughed even harder as your cheeks got almost impossibly red.
"Although, might I suggest getting either gray or black carpets around the fireplaces in the rooms to soak up the soot and ash and stuff, so they're not constantly cleaning that from any little speck." Samantha added.
"See? That is a great idea. That way it won't show how dirty it could be because a white one would show everything and black and silver or gray are excellent accent colors too. I love that I have a great mind like yours to help me with this too, especially when it would come to practical applications." You praised with a bright and happy smile.
"Well then it looks like we have our work cut out for us." Samantha praised.
"We do." You nodded happily.
It was only a month later and you found yourself at your desk that had been moved to the guest suite at the High Councilor's palace and compiled all the receipts from all the shopping Kragan and yourself had done the day before as well as give the stacks and stacks of orders that you had gotten just from the High Councilors of Dorierra an appreciative but weary look all the same while your paperwork was still being considered and reviewed. And with Audrey and the other High Councilors all but assuring you that your business would be accepted and agreed upon, you kept your busy with your business, and there was just more and more and more of it every day. From the moment you got up to the moment you fell asleep. To the point you even dreamed about it. Because all the stacks of orders were just...more work, each one more intricate and custom than the last as your 'doll with many clothes' idea had taken off like a fucking canon.
Kragan and yourself had barely touched down in Dorierra in the very first ship that had been completed- The Contessina Originalle which was a true middle of the road as far as the various designs were concerned. It was the one that Kragan had first designed and you were desperate to see it from start to finish and fully realizied, even if it wasn't perfect. It was still structurally sound, still in good working order and while it had more basic and plain finishes, that actually lended it to being a perfect blank canvas for everyone else's imaginations. It was a bit rushed and you still had a few kinks to iron out. But it was something physical that all these High Councilors who ruled all of Dorierra to use as a benchmark to imagine what The Contessina Cruise Ships were really capable of being. Each room was built to showcase all the variables and all the various possibilities. And a whole set of the fleet would be debuting at your younger sister's wedding in just 4 more months and you were sure your pregnant belly would be so big, you'd be ready to pop and you just prayed that your own baby wouldn't come in the middle of your sister's wedding and 'pull any spotlight from her on her big day'.
You were just grateful to be welcomed and received into the greatest, wealthiest and most powerful country in the world and since you got here, trade within that D.A. was open and stable and fortunes could be made if you knew where to go, who to talk to and what to offer. And so far, you had done that, several times over. The High Councilors of Dorierra were practically overjoyed to have you, Kragan and Salgria Shipping and especially The Contessina Cruise Ship Company here to practically debut the ships. Kragan had gotten his own fleet of the new Salgria Shipping Company Ships, complete with all the upgrades, uniforms, logos in the sails, soaps, and every other little detail possible and imaginable. Everything was ready to show off and to get the D.A. both literal and figurative stamp of approval on the shipping company. The application and approval process to it was actually painless and practically immediately approved. So to have it recognized in the D.A. was huge. In one fell swoop, you practically replaced Dorierra's own shipping fleets, which was a relief to them, because they would rather pay Salgria Shipping to do such work for them than actually do it themselves.
And the Dorierran danari, was practically international currency. But the Nadasi adani gold drakar was worth- ounce for ounce- 100 times it's weight in Dorierran danari because it had adani in its gold. Which made the gold itself worth that much more than any other blend or kind of gold. Even platinum paled in comparison.
And thanks to Queen Audravienne of Yekmeni and her sister Princess Maisarra of Wakanear, they were making sure that you were going to be getting a fair price for what you came here to buy as well as get paid a "fair" price for what you were selling as they and Samantha were happy to explain and show off each thing in the ship and how beautifully crafted and elegant they could be. It was going to give anyone in the world enough capitol and means and ability to sail the twelve winds and travel both in and out of the Dorrierran Alliance, which was a huge boon to the land locked countries that didn't really have a navy or access to the sea naturally and all these other countries needed was enough space to build a skyport on. And countries were literally lining up to receive one, a skyport in every capital city of each country with their secondary cities getting on the waiting lists to receive a second one or more, depending on how vast the country was.
But while a dozen ships were barely bare bones as far as framing and fewer still had any kind of "meat" on those bones as far as stone timbers were done. At least you had the Originalle, that rested just outside of your window on a special "dock" at the High Councilor's palace to use as a frame of reference.
And of course- every High Councilor ordered their own Contessina Magnifica- which were the largest and most lavish of all the ships Kragan and yourself had designed and these ships would be- in a word- massive. Each one would be styled according to the culture and preferred color scheme and aesthetic of all the various cultures these High Councilors hailed from. While others were happy to stick with the versatile doll in some aspects too, especially when it came down to the hosting suites on the ships where they could host anyone and everyone of great importance in the world and maybe- get that last 19% that remained.
Every day, you took ten High Councilors on the ship at a time, because any group any bigger than that would not let "the tour" go smoothly. And of course after the tour- then the blueprints were shown and then they were able to make their orders and of course add or change rooms as they needed to for their various purposes. Mostly for hosting or for touring the Supersphere in style. And you were only a few days away from finishing off the entire High Council as you were wondering if they were waiting for you to finish with the whole Council before giving their decision on The Contessina Cruise Ship Company.
But while you waited, that didn't stop Kragan from taking full advantage of the decision of the D.A. High Council. Because you had both encouraged the other that 'while the sun shines, make hay', concept. Meaning if it all possible, make as much money as you could, while you could. And the price to "rent" the High Councilor's own staff to train other staff for all the other ships you'd be providing for all the other rulers of all the other nations inside of the D.A. Was way less than you thought it would be. It was all underway so that by the time the ships would be done, these trainers and managers would then be able to train more teams of staff to staff these luxury sky ship cruise liners while the ships themselves were still being built so that by the time the ship would be done, the staff would be ready to be united with their ship and sail the 12 winds over the whole supersphere. And that way the High Councilors could have their own staff both in their gigantic palace and on their own ships and the staff could serve well on both. And you'd get the best service staff in all of the supersphere, trained by the very best that Dorierra- as a country- had- to do so.
And so far- you had used the "down payment" that the high councilors paid you in- and loaded it up on a lightning rider and fly it back to Yekmeni as Saffiro was getting better and better at managing the flight himself and made the trip almost on a daily basis. Fly out in the morning after breakfast to leave Samantha, yourself and Kragan to do business during the day, with all the money the lightning rider could carry and fly it to Yekmeni- straight to the foundry to get the Dorierran denari melted down to it's base gold, have adani added to the gold and minted into adani gold drakars and could be flown back before sunset and right back to you to "re-spend" there in Dorierra for a simple "fee" that you paid Audrey just for the plain mineral that her kingdom was sitting on several mines for. And with the exchange rate- it was worth doing, especially when she and her sister were doing it too, a secret you were happy to keep between you and your husbands as you excused Saffiro's flights as him making deposits for you in various countries accounts across the world, but he'd already done that by now. A couple times over too. To the point that the accounts, thanks to the rates of interest, were practically self sustaining, no matter how much was used to build the Contessina Skyports as Kragan especially was keen to make sure at least every single one of those was built with care and would be built correctly so that they would last for at least a century with good upkeep and servicing.
But you just felt like you needed to crunch these numbers before you could find rest and respite for the day.
"Tessa, come on, the numbers will be here tomorrow. You need rest. Your brain can't calculate accurately and correctly if you're exhausted." Kragan urged you as he had already gotten ready for bed only to see you in nothing more than a night gown and a robe still at your desk, the only sounds of your pen's nib writing along the papers.
"I just need to finish this, and I'll be to bed." You answered him as you had arabacus' and other calculating tools all around you to double and triple check your numbers.
"How many pages is that though?" He asked.
"Not that many." You tried to waive off.
"Tess...": Kragan said in that gentle but firm tone as your shoulders sagged because that tone always seemed to be able pull out of the deepest of rabbit holes you could find yourself in, at least metaphorically speaking.
"Fine, fine, just let me finish this one page then. I'm halfway through." You brokered.
"Mmhmm." He hummed before he used his secret weapon. His hands, rubbing your neck and shoulders as your hand slowed down while your eyes closed serenely as a pleasured sigh finally left you.
"You have knots the size of drakars back here." Kragan noted.
"But they're each worth a hundred gold danari." You teased.
"Mmm." Kragan hummed before he leaned down and captured your ear lobe in his mouth before pressing sweet but salacious kisses down your neck.
"Oh come on, that's not fair." You whined as your head naturally held back and lolled to the side to give him more access.
"I don't care. I will use. Every. Means. Necessary. To get you to bed so you can rest." Kragan punctuated between kisses.
"Resting will not be the first thing I do if you keep that up." You warned as you turned your head to give him a meaningful look.
"Good. You need a due release for all this hard work too." Kragan murmured into your skin at the crux of your neck and shoulder before he bit down ever so amazingly.
"Of fuck me." You groaned as your hands abandoned the pen and the papers and everything else to reach up to thread your fingers into his soft hair and grab a good fist full to keep his mouth right where it was.
"Oh I plan to." Kragan chuckled rather schemingly.
"Damn you and your amazing mouth, come here." You used your hold on his head to move his mouth to yours so you could kiss him while you let him pick you up out of your chair and lead you over to the bed, his mouth and hands not leaving you for a moment as your nightgown fell from around you as did your robe from across the room, and while the delightful chill in the air was an exhilarating sensation, Kragan's warm skin against your own was even more so. Especially when his body was pushed flush with yours.
"Did you lose weight again? Your upper weight feels smaller." Kragan asked as his hands roamed your form lovingly with soft but needy caresses.
"What my upper waist and belly loses, the lower picks up." You excused as you were happy to be laid down reverently as his mouth moved down from yours to your neck and chest again.
"These do too apparently." Kragan smiled as he grasped and kneaded your breasts that has seemed to grow too the more the pregnancy progressed before he started to suckle on them as your eyes closed serenely to enjoy the sensation, especially as your legs had parted to make room for his knees into the bed you were laid out on. Then his mouth traveled further south, as his mouth and his kissed and nuzzled your oh so precious belly that had indeed started to grow into more of a baby bump in just the last month.
Then his mouth went even further down to kiss, and suck at your womanhood, and that's when your body fully both relaxed yet began to coil in other ways as pleasure coursed through your body like your very blood did as your fingers were happy to comb his hair and find purchase anew as you didn't even both to hold back your voice from revealing how much pleasure his ministrations were giving you. And you were so relieved to find your release easily and quickly since Kragan seemed to have your path to pleasure more and more dialed in every time you got to have sex.
"You're right, I did...I did need that." You sighed as you basked in the afterglow.
"I'm happy I could help you realize that." He smiled as he kissed you deeply as his hips rolled to seat himself fully into you as you sighed happily to be rejoined with him as you were happy to just enjoy this, every breath, every touch, every bat of his gorgeous golden yellow eyes as they gazed so lovingly into your own. You were so happy that you could be with him now and still enjoy this with him as every day with him was like another blessing for you to enjoy as you continued to find new things to love and adore and appreciate about him. From the cool head on his shoulders, to the very well muscled shoulders that carried so much weight of responsibility so well. To that broad chest with that heart of gold inside. And while his hands had thankfully gotten softer lately, which your pussy for one was quite relieved to have. But the rest of you rather loved the rough calluses on his hands when he could touch you so lovingly and tenderly yet lustfully all the same. And you really loved how easily you could get lost in each other, where the whole world fell away and constricted to just one where the two of you and the babe in your belly were the only beings to reside blissfully happy within it.
You welcomed the second orgasm as much as your womanhood welcomed more of Kragan's seed as the warmth of him and it soon radiated throughout your entire being as Kragan finally stilled, his hips grinding out the last of the stroke into you before finally stilling completely as he took several large breaths to try to catch his breath from the exertion while he nuzzled his head with yours, the sweat of his brow mingling with yours as he tried to rest over you in such a way that he wasn't pressing too much weight onto your belly, but you welcomed it over your chest, where it was such a grounding force, like an anchor, keeping you safe and secure, always.
You started to scratch his back as you came out of your afterglow, as a way to bring you back from that small eternity of bliss. To feel the hills, valleys, lines and scars of his back was something you always loved to feel. And to hear his moan of delight as he relaxed further onto you was also a point of happiness and pride. It was something you too had learned about him, just the right touches and depth of your scratches and where his itchy spots were, where to trace around moles or to watch for scars that could either be tender or numb depending on the severity of the original wound.
"I love you, I love you, I love you." Kragan mumbled as he moved his forehead to rest his head next to yours as he pressed kisses into your neck and shoulder as he squeezed around you as tight as he dared.
"I love you too, too, too." You hummed as you couldn't help but smile.
"You look really sexy pregnant by the way." Kragan praised.
"Yeah, bigger breasts will do that to the male gaze." You teased.
"Ugn, no, not like that." Kragan humphed as he playfully bit your earlobe in retaliation.
"No, you're glowing, your belly's getting bigger and yes, while I do appreciate the fact that our babe has the potential to be very, very well fed." He began as he reached over and honked your breast for emphasis.
"Really?" You deadpanned as you stopped scratching to simply lay your hands flat where they had once been.
"Yes really, before they come and you use them to nurse the baby with them, because that is what breasts are for, they will always be fun to play with before and after though." He insisted as he lifted his head to look at you and plant his elbows beside your head if only to pet your head and hair with his hands.
"I feel like they grow more udder-like by the day." You noted.
"So? They're real breasts, they were literally created just for that purpose. It'll come in handy when it's time to feed the baby, your arms will thank you, trust me." He insisted.
"Well I guess I will just have to wait and see then." You placated.
"You will. But beyond that, something about that baby bump and these amazing hips and this ass that I want to smother me. You do it for me. You're perfect for me in every way possible." Kragan praised and kissed you to keep you from arguing with him.
"This isn't fair, you're not letting me talk." You mock complained against his lips.
"Not if what you're going to say is a counter argument." Kragan insisted.
"It's not." You turned your head to keep him from silencing you any further.
"So what is it?" Kragan asked.
"Thank you for feeling that way about me, because I feel the same way about you." You insisted.
"Oh, good." Kragan beamed happily before he kissed you again.
"You just really love kissing me." You giggled.
"Mmmhmm." He hummed as he kissed you some more.
"I feel like if you keep this up any more you're going to kiss my lips off." You teased.
"No, never." He pulled away only to leave more kisses up your jaw and onto your neck as you simply sighed. You did love this lovey dovey side of him before he finally slipped from you and began to clean up the mess he made both in and out of you, leaving you there to simply lay there as sleep began to lay claim to more and more of her head before he finished and you moved further up into the bed before he spooned you.
"Sleep, rest, you and the baby need it." He urged you.
"Mmmhmm." You hummed as you couldn't even fight hard enough to keep your eyes open as you were happy to let sleep pull you down into it's depths with Kragan cuddling into your back and his arm as your pillow while his other hand palmed your belly both protectively yet possessively all the same.
Then, you felt the flutter. Which got you to snap your eyes open and gasp softly.
"What?" Kragan asked worriedly.
"The baby, I think I just..I think I just felt them kick." You answered as you moved your hand and his hand where you had felt it as you waited for it to happen again as you rolled onto your back to give the both of you better access to your womb.
"They kicked!" You cheered happily as you could feel internally before you moved Kragan's hand over to where it was and had him slowly and carefully probe deeper before, just faintly, he felt the little flutter too.
"They did! Well hello there! Daddy's here. I'm right here." Kragan began to cry happily as he pushed in just a little more just to feel it better before you pulled his hand out so that the baby could freely move back before he felt the flutter against his palm.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you for this beautiful, wonderful miracle." Kragan thanked you as he leaned over you to kiss you deeply.
"Thank you. You put it there." You smiled through your own happy tears.
"But you're the one nurturing it. I love you. You're amazing." Kragan praised as his happy tears fell from his eyes and landed on your own face and joined yours.
"So are you, I'm so happy I get to have this. You, the baby, everything." You cried happily as you reached up to palm his jaw to keep his face as close as possible.
"Me too." Kragan nodded.
"Now, all of us- should get some sleep." Kragan insisted as you were happy to roll into his chest as you held him while he was happy to hold you into his arms as the last thing you felt before going to sleep was Kragan's lips pressed to the crown of your head, while you were wrapped up safe and sound in his embrace.
The next day, everything came through and you got the surprise of a lifetime. A summons the High Council Court.
You could not be more anxious or stressed about it though. You wore your best dress, your best jewelry, even that horribly gaudy ring Kragan got you and you felt like you probably applied an inch layer thick of cosmetics. Being presented to the Queen in Solowards wracked your nerves this badly.
"Hey, it's going to be ok. I'm sure it's just a matter of formality. I'm sure it's going to be just fine. I sincerely doubt Audrey and Sarah would ever let it revoked or denied or refused. Not without threatening to torch this place down to the ground." Kragan reassured you as he helped wipe the majority of makeup off that you were sweating through anyway.
"You don't need to apply this much spackling though. You're perfectly beautiful without it." Kragan insisted before you just washed it all off to start anew anyway.
"Hey, hey, less is more. Flattering colors if you absolutely must. You are not Millie. They are not there to judge you. Just to approve your business, that's all. It's not personal, it's just business."
"If I had a shilling for every time I've heard that one." You sighed.
"Well now it's time to live it." Kragan encouraged you.
"My Lady, it's almost time." Mildred reminded you.
"Thank you." You thanked her gratefully as you only had time now to just put a touch of eyeshadow and blush on, with only a few flicks of mascara before you rushed out of there, with your hand tightly in Kragan's as you pulled him along before you met Audraviene and Lukher, Sarah and Daon and Yana and Brock even. Then you saw all of Kragan's family also waiting, dressed resplendedly too. Then you saw your family and even Roncharles and his family were there.
"What's wrong?" You asked your parents with wide fearful eyes.
"Nothing's wrong. We're here to support you, that's all." Your mother reassured you.
"Because things are about to go very right." Audrey encouraged.
"So, I've been told this is your family. Saffiro introduced us." Audrey said.
"So...you're here for the answer to my submission to the D.A.?" You questioned.
"Well, don't worry. I heard it got approved, we just wanted to see it officially for ourselves." Audrey reassured you.
"You're sure?" You asked.
"Yes. I'm sure. That's why Langashi called me personally to tell me to come here to see it for myself. She invited your family here for it. Because she knew they would not want to miss it, but..." Audrey began before her smile vanished to that of disappointment.
"But what?" You asked as your heart sank.
"Your King and Queen were even invited. They refused to come, they didn't feel it warranted the trip, at least, according to Langashi." Audrey murmured quietly.
"To Solowards, no woman ever amounts to anything more than breeding stock. They most likely didn't think it was worth the trouble." You murmured.
"Well you will be one of the first to prove them wrong. I have no doubt about that." Kragan reassured you as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders.
"Well, it upset Langashi. And she is, if anything, spiteful when it comes to views like that. So chances are, she upgraded your approval. Which, thus, everyone else got the invitation to come here to see this with their own eyes to bear witness." Audrey offered.
"Oh, upgraded?" You asked.
"When Langashi asked me about it, and I told her what you had told me Solowards was like, she sent an undercover into the country. And when she looked into it, she was not pleased with her findings. And she wants you to have an upper hand when dealing with them from now on." Audrey explained.
"Like the way you do with Dorierra?" You breathed.
"Better." Audrey grinned schemingly which got you to raise your eyebrows higher in surprise.
"Come on. Let's see what she could come up with." Audrey invited before she led you to the High Councilor's court while the attendants showed where you and your other family members should go before you and Kragan were shown the middle of the court with the stained glass showering color all around you.
"This High Council of Dorierra has come to the agreement that your application to become citizens of Dorierra is approved. You are henceforth given the title of Radiance Supreme. Come forward and select your crown." Langashi announced as she approached you before several others came forward, all of them carrying matching crowns of various styles as you heard Audrey and Sarah gasp loudly as their jaws were on the floor while their eyes were wide but alight with delight as Sarah was the first to practically bounce in place.
"Please, forgive me, why do I need a crown?" You asked in confusion.
"Because Radiance Supreme is a title Dorierra has when it recognizes a world power in the making. Sangria Shipping is an empire recognized as such by the Dorierran Alliance. And The Contessina Order, which you are Radiance Supreme over, like an empress over her empire and the two together are now considered a dual empire. And with this status, you now are free of paying any taxes on any other lands and earnings held outside of Dorierra. You now have a palace and a space that should suit the building of the greatest Contessina Order Skyport in the Supersphere and you only need to pay a small, nominal due to the Alliance itself. But you, as Radiance Supreme of the Contessina Order, now have diplomatic immunity and all protections and guardianship, loyalty, rights and citizens as any other natural born Dorierran. Any lands you hold in your possession the whole supersphere over are now considered that of an ambassador's. You do not owe any tax, nor fee, nor payment to any other leader or realm other than the D.A. And any who dare come against you or anyone in your family, both immediate and extended will have the weight of the entire Dorierran Alliance backing you. From here you can elect Radiances Intermediaries, since each Contessina Order Skyport, is it's own district, or province or embassy, depending on how you wish for it to be known as but each one has the rights of an embassy in every sense. So please, select the crown that our High Council of Dorierra will recognize as the symbol of your reign over your empire of The Contessina Order, So therefore you are Her Royal Radiance Supreme Contessinaessa Vessezin Salgria the Great. And your husband of course is His Royal Radiance Supreme Kragan Salgria the First. Please, pick the crown in which your own daughters and sons of your own choosing will someday inherit from you that the High Council of Dorierra will count as the symbol of your rulership and reign over your empire that I'm sure the sun will never set on soon enough." She explained proudly.
"Yes!!" Saffiro cheered so loudly it echoed in the whole of the room as you turned over to look at him before he sheepishly shrunk back but his smile was just as beaming as Audrey's and Sarah's was as you looked just plain shocked, pleased but shocked as he was mirroring your look of shock and awe as you then looked from him to the crowns as you kept your grip firmly on his hand.
"Thank you?" You finally answered High Councilor Langashi.
"You're welcome. Now please, pick out your favorite crowns to symbolize your rulership over your dual empire." Langashi repeated as she had all the crowns displayed down a row that Kragan and yourself walked down.
"Get the biggest one!" Millie called out from where she was as you couldn't help but snicker a laugh.
"Get the most regal Dearest." Your mother encouraged.
"Unless none of these are catching your fancy." Langashi said as she watched you and Kragan walk down the line of sets of crowns, a "masculine" version and a "feminine" version in each set before you were drawn to one and looked down at the ring on your finger and realized it matched and the style was...somehow perfectly you.
"This one." You breathed when you saw it.
"Perfect." Kragan grinned before Langashi dismissed the others.
"Then I, High Councilor Langashi do hereby anoint you as Her Royal Radiance Supreme Contessina The Great of The Contessina Order." Langashi said before she picked up the crown and put it on your head as you curtsied low for her to do so.
"And I anoint you, His Royal Radiance Supreme Kragan The First." She said as she did the same to Kragan.
"It is now my privilege and honor to introduce Their Royal Radiance Supreme's, Contessina and Kragan Salgria, rulers of their dual empires. And these are the crowns of which you may anoint other as your own Royal Radiance Intermediaries." She said before she showed you a stack of other boxes.
"Actually I would like to anoint one right now."
"Please do, it would be my honor and privilege to see it with my own eyes and witness it." She smiled.
"Samantha?" You called before it was Samantha's turn to look like a rabbit caught surprised in a trap. But Saffiro practically walked her over to you before you put the first lesser crown that matched your own.
"Samantha, as my first act as Radiance Supreme, I hereby anoint you in turn as my first and greatest of Royal Radiance Intermediaries, you may serve the Contessa Order in whatever capacity and from whatever location you feel most comfortable in." You happily said before you put the crown on her own head before she gathered you into her arms and hugged you tightly and you both started crying happily.
"I love you too." She said.
"Oh my gods, I never thought in a million years that I...that you would...thank you." She said as she tried to wipe away her tears as they flowed from her eyes before Saffiro happily and proudly pulled her back into his own embrace.
"You're welcome." You offered before Kragan took the stack of others.
"There is now a banquet that you and those with you are now invited to enjoy." She offered before you were practically swarmed with your family and Kragan's family and Roncharles and his family too as even he and his parents and Millie were crying because of how happy they were for you and how proud they were of you too.
After the feast, you were all shown your new palace. And the area for where the greatest of the Contessina Order Skyports would be built right into it. It was right on Dorierra's main square and the adjacent but smaller and less spectacular palace was being torn down to build a skyport so tall it would probably scrape the skies and would be almost high enough to get hit by the skyland that traveled over the supersphere.
All while you held the precious declaration of Kragan's and your own Royalty as you couldn't stop staring at the golden foiled words embossed on it.
Radiance Supreme.
Radiance Supreme. You were an Empress in your own right. Because Dorierra viewed Salgria Shipping, and specifically The Contessina Order, as a dual empire and that if you wanted the one, you had to recognize the other as supreme. Radiance was in reference of The Contessina Order and that the Supreme was in reference to Salgria Shipping. It came complete with a certificate, a crown of it's own, a coronation and everything. Your palace and the very ground every skyport inhabited were considered foreign embassies. And you now had diplomatic immunity and only the High Council of Dorierra were above you and were considered your rulers and you were freed of any other and could accept or decline any offer of anything from anyone else in the world. You were considered a ruler in your own right. And The Contessina Ships were considered just as highly prized as an "export" that the Dorierran brides were. And every employee was considered a "subject" under your own rule.
Because while you were Radiance Supreme Regent of The Contessina Order, Kragan was considered your consort, while Kragan, yourself and everyone in his family were considered regents in Salgria Shipping because as a family- the business was run. To the point you "paid back". All the money Salgria Shipping had "invested" into The Contessina Project, with interest. And your promise of them making their money back a hundredfold proved true.
Then you showed Millie her ship, she was head over heels in love with her own Contessina Superiore'. And even requested that it be fitted out in practically pure diamond white and gold when it was unveiled at her wedding.
But you also took the opportunity to present the blue prints to a Contessina Ethereal to your parents since they were the first on your list of non royalty of ships that would be completed. Since the Ethereal was only one grade lower than the Magnifica which were the grandest of all.
And this was the break, and what you never realized you had been waiting for because suddenly, everything fell into place.
In the following weeks, you felt like you could practically taste ink through your fingers, no matter how much you washed your hands. From calculations to orders, to plans to everything in between, you practically went through a bottle of ink a day and your writing calluses were especially thick from writing orders, to signing off on so many things it was hard to keep track of it all. But thanks to Mildred, Saffiro, Samantha and Kragan, all of you were able to keep it all organized. And you could not have been more happy to have the capable help. And by the end of the month, you, Audrey, Sarah and Samantha had your new system down pat as the first fleet started to really come together while the Lavines and your family agreed to be your eyes and ears in Solowards.
And while you were happy to let the High Councilors get their orders in first, you soon had a waiting list of people who were anxious to see the ships unveiled at your sister's wedding. And practically frothing at the mouth to the point of bribery in the forms of titles, land holdings, estates, favorable banking terms with high rates of interest earned in accounts while also not charging any taxes on any business you would do in their countries because the money the would rake in from those using your skyports in their capital cities while also courting the D.A's elite was worth more than any kind of income tax they would ever charge you because the D.A. simply had a flat fee for the operation of your businesses in their Alliance since you were given titles and estates and land holdings in Dorierra itself where there was a massive skyport being built. As you were sure you could hear the banging of hammers even in your sleep. But the skyport would be attached to your own palace there which was getting upgrades and expansions of all kinds. And with Audrey continuing to multiply your money by adding adani. You were practically your own bank.
And all of these rulers, with all the major cities begging for one and eager to get the new official D.A. backed, authenticated, certified and endorsed Salgria Shipping ships in their ports and in their skies as Salgria Shipping Skyports were being built with equal fervor and enthusiasm as the Contessina Order ones were. And then slowly then all at once, Salgria Shipping ships soon took up the skies and seas in numbers no other navy in the world could boast of. And you were finding it almost difficult to figure out how to structure your now massive wealth to keep it safe and to keep anyone from taking advantage of you or your family or your husband and his family either. Because overnight, Salgria Shipping was a multi million gold denari business that was now it's own empire with Kragan and his father being the spearheads of it. And the Contessina Order was it's own empire too and you barely had a full fleet built.
And it seemed overnight, Salgria Shipping was the single most profitable business in the whole of the Supersphere. Because of your insistence of a trademark. That trademark, together with the special sails and the uniforms of both the sailors and the ships- was a name said in awe and wonder and reverence in the whole of the Supersphere. To the point that Astrin had to hire a massive team of accountants to run all the books because even she couldn't keep up with the D.A. side of things. And thankfully could at least handle the non-D.A. side of the business herself.
Meanwhile, you had hired and "bought" Dorierran brides. And these ladies were a lot like you. Extremely intelligent, very capable of discernment, charm, capability of not only juggling leaders and rulers of their various quarters, but also taking in orders, setting up their various "provinces" of your Contessina Order Skyports up. They weren't really that "prime" as far as the Dorierran bride system was concerned, but to you, they were the best of the best. They were all a little older, so they could be considered "past" their prime as far as marriage was, but as far as individuality was concerned, they were fully realized and extraordinary. And if anything, they had aged like fine wine and had only grown into their own. They had the capacity, desire and drive to spearhead this project with you. They had the high ethics you did, and who wouldn't even let a handsome bribe corrupt them because by that point, you had gotten at least three offers from every ruler in the D.A. You were literally given the highest rank of nobility outside of the royal families- possible. With many kingdoms making new titles to accommodate you and appease you. With many trying to gain your approval by any means necessary. Which for Kragan was easy to answer. To give women universal rights as equal citizens as their male counterparts enjoyed and equal shares and heirs. While your name was then celebrated by women all over. Except in Solowards as your mother told you that word of your success and triumph was being downplayed and all contributed to your father's greatness instead for raising such an exquisite wife that she assured the success of her husband, as foreign as he was, so well. As speculations of what you could have done had you stayed in Solowards was wildly rumored. And as much as that infuriated Kragan, you could do nothing but shake your head, because you knew it was take probably the threat of war and the King and Queen losing their heads and crowns to change anything there. So you were anxious and eager to get your friends and families out of that place as soon as possible. Because even Roncharles was starting to see the true nature of his own country and it's harsh truths, especially when Millie began to feel the pressure for her to repeat your success with him and his family and his own family's fortunes and businesses.
But it was the other bride's insights on what to do and how to present these ships to rulers that their own districts catered to. They were all multilingual. And were the perfect managers to hire. And while they were essentially married to the job- with you "buying" them only to hand over their own freedom from the bride system over to them, they were free to pursue any other romantic relationship with anyone else they wanted to and would deem worthy, which in turn made them ecstatically happy. And it worked out so well, especially since their loyalty came to you and the business before their loyalty to Dorierra and were soon more than just employees and employer, and much more than ruler and subject, but actually really good friends too, and ones that you felt happy to have and their friendship and loyalty was just as precious to you as your friendship and loyalty to Audrey and Sarah and Yana as you were seen as their equals in all things.
And in the process of selling custom ships in the various districts, because you got to be hosted by every quarter, each ruler was eager to give you gifts of super fine quality, as were the High Councilors. So when it came time for you to design and decorate your own ship, you had an over abundance of gifts to choose from to decorate it so that it looked like you had already traveled around the world to pick up such precious treasures while everything else could go into your own palace at Dorierra. You were so happy to do a lot of the decorating with Kragan so that he was just as happy and pleased with it as you were while the excess could go to your "suite" at Souja Tavern and in Wakanear, Yekmeni, Drauch and even Forestrong. Of course, with your ship, it came with extra protection measures and fitted with the fastest engines possible as the catalog had to become a massive volume set and a cypher the size of a novella.
But that was only the precursor, because the real gambit was going to be Millie's wedding. Because just about every royal family within the D.A. and even outside of it was practically begging for an invitation, which Millie was overjoyed to send out. Because that meant that her wedding was a damn theatrical spectacle on a world wide stage and the "wedding gifts" just to get the invitation to go were sizable and as much as your family and Ron's family were paying to throw a wedding to end all weddings well worth it and they were actually making money off such a production.
Finally though, you finally got the call you had been waiting for ever since you left Solowards. A call from the entire Royal Family. But this call, which had Audrey and Lukher along with Sarah and Daon and even Ashurah and Irelu on the call and you only got a heads up about it only an hour before they called which put you into a near panic to hurry up and put on the best piece of clothing you could get your hands on along with your better jewelry while you took that ring on and even the crown.
"Tessa, why are you so upset?" Kragan asked as he tried to help you get dressed.
"Because it's the King and Queen and every encounter I've ever had with them has been a disaster and I can't fuck this up, not for Saffiro especially, him and Samantha are so in love and inseparable and I don't feel like I have the full leverage to get Samantha an equal footing in Solowards yet, even now, it's clear my family and Ron and his are on less and less even and sure ground ever since my elevation and it's a delicate balance and with Millie's wedding so close, I don't want to jeapordize anything for her either. I still feel like The Contessina project is still in a little model ship and drawings on paper but otherwise an empty box. We're still dumping as much money into it as we're getting just in pre-orders from the High Councilors and other Councilors of the quarters and the waiting list is already 5 years long. I don't feel ready to battle them yet." You explained as you fought to keep yourself from crying.
"Hey, you are not their subject anymore. There is nothing they can do to you or your family that Dorierra or even you yourself can't undo and then out-trump. Not to mention, you have the rest of the world eating out of your hands and you have a fucking stack of stupid titles from all over the world. Solowards is not the only country in the world. And you said you wanted them to beg for mercy for giving me a baron status right? Well now's the time. Make them beg. Make them plead. And if you don't feel you have the nerve or the heart then let me do so for you. Otherwise, you got this. You have the backing of the D.A. as a whole. Who are they to intimidate you? If you have the most powerful people in the world eager to be your new best friend to get their fancy little row boats. You do not need their stamp of approval, you don't even need to have anything to do with them. They are coming to you. They are seeking you out. Grace them with a few minutes of your time and if you don't like what they have to say, excuse that you're meeting with some other rich and powerful person. Take that stack of stupid papers and line the whole messengerari with them if you want to or need to ok? Besides, I'm pretty sure your crown is bigger and greater than theirs." Kragan said as he held your flushed face in his hands to smile reassuringly at you while your hands naturally went to his wrists, eager to have more of his touch.
"And it's not like you'll be facing them all alone. I'll be right there, as will Saffiro and Samantha. And Samantha isn't afraid of anyone. Let Samantha tell them off if you want." Kragan offered which got you to finally snicker a laugh despite your nerves.
"True." You nodded.
"That's my girl." Kragan praised before he kissed you and held you as long as you needed him to before he got the stack and put them next to you as you got your ledger about how much money was being invested into the project while Kragan got the latest totals of Salgria shipping, just in case he needed to have a battle of good ol fashioned hard numbers.
"You got this." He reminded you as he reached over to grasp your hand and squeeze it tightly before Saffiro and Samantha came into the room as Saffiro was in a similar state as you, anxious but trying to remain calm while Samantha was doing what she could to keep him calm too.
"Prepared I see." Saffiro noted as he nodded to the stack as he had also brought his own stack, as had Samantha.
"I'm trying to be. I don't know what they want or what this is about. Do you?" You asked him.
"Nope. Which is why I threw up when I found out." Saffiro admitted.
"Saf, relax. They're just people with fancy little hats that lets them feel entitled. There is nothing they can do that can't be undone and then outmatched by anyone else, we don't need them, they need us." Samantha reminded him.
"Except those people rule over our family and their home country." Saffiro reminded her.
"For now, it would take two seconds to call up any or all of the High Councilors and have them and everyone else you want- pulled out of there, especially since Langashi was rebuffed by her last meeting with them. Right now, practically give her a reason to torpedo the place to smithereens." Samantha reminded you.
"I don't want it blown to smithereens. I just..I just want it to change." You confessed.
"You have a crown higher and greater than theirs. Depending on what they want, you have the power and authority to make that happen. So now's the time. Make it happen. Remember, they're coming to us. They are seeking us out." Kragan reminded you and Saffiro.
"Exactly." Samantha smiled.
"Nervous Nellies." Samantha teased which got you and Saffiro to look at each other meaningfully.
"You're right." Saffiro readily offered but that didn't stop him from reaching to hold your hand just as tightly as he was holding Samantha's before the call came in.
"Wait. Let them wait, give it two or three rings." Samantha encouraged.
"Three rings." Kragan nodded in agreement as you counted them before you answered the call.
"Your Majesties." You greeted cordially as you nodded to them from your seat as it was clear they were sitting on their own thrones before you noticed that your own parents and Millie and Ron and his parents were on this call too. Before you noticed Langashi was secretly peeking in on this call too.
"Your Radiance Supreme. How truly radiant you are." King Grenver greeted you as pleasantly and charmingly as he could in that same sickeningly honeyed sweet tone possible which put you on guard.
"Really, I see that a change of scenery has done you so well." Queen Phelisity praised as you could see that they were dressed in royal garb as were Audravienne, Lukher and Maisarra and Daon as well as they were peeking in this call too.
"Thank you." You thanked them.
"It's the pregnancy." Kragan grinned triumphantly.
"Oh! Congratulations!" The Queen managed to say as you could tell they both had to be measured with their responses to that.
"Yes, well then this is only that much more reason to celebrate then." King Grenver offered.
"Celebrate what exactly?" Kragan asked.
"Your immense success the world over." King Grenver offered.
"Which we understand has been a smashing success ever since the wedding." Queen Phelicity offered sweetly.
"It has been. Thanks to the truly remarkable insights, ideas and inventions of my brilliant wife." Kragan praised.
"Oh of course, of course." King Grenevere readily agreed.
"Well if your congratulations is all that you wished to communicate, really a letter would have sufficed, you didn't need to trouble yourselves to call us. But we appreciate you reaching out, now if you'll excuse us, we have our own business to attend to, unless you had other business that you were calling in relation to?" You offered as you reached for the off button because you were irritated they were dancing around the subject because something about them and the way they looked and were acting.
"Oh, no please your Radiance, please, we actually called to ask when we might be able to get a Contessina ship of our own?" King Grenevere requested hopefully.
"Well currently the waiting list is 5 and a half years. But we could certainly get you on the list." You answered.
"Oh but wouldn't it be better if we were to get a ship at about the same time as your sister does? Shouldn't your King and Queen get the same graces from you- your Radiance?" Queen Phelicity asked in her sweetest tone possible.
"Well, as it stands, you are actually the very last ones in the entirety of the D.A. to call and ask about it and we are on a first come first served unless previously promised kind of business and the only one I had previously promised a ship to is my sister Millicent and to her alone. But you will see that there will be a full fleet available for display at Millicent's wedding. Now if- after the wedding and all the guests have had a chance to look them over to finalize their own orders on that waiting list, if you wanted to buy one of the display models, that will be your choice, but please know that the display models will only have the best decorations, finishes, etcetera. But such a ship will not be cheap. But it will be the immediate result you so desire." You charmingly offered.
"Name your price your Radiance." King Grenevere requested.
"Ok, well here are the plans for the ships that will be there. Is there one that is standing out to you?" You asked as you electronically sent them the general sketches and layouts but nothing that could ever be copied and replicated and duplicated with any real success.
"Oh the Magnifica." She readily insisted as she went straight to the greatest.
"Well for the Magnifica, at my sister's wedding, we are looking at a price point of 50 million gold bouillon." You answered before it was their turn to balk.
"That...that would bankrupt the country." King Grenevere practically blanched.
"Well if you're not interested I have 107 other rulers waiting in line for that particular one. And all of them have the cash in hand as we speak, if you would like perhaps a smaller model or if you wanted to get on the royal waitlist. We could do that too, because otherwise, the waitlist is closer to 15 years for non royals." You offered.
"Fifty Million gold bullion? That's a real figure?" King Grenevere asked.
"Actually that's with the discount that Her Radiance is giving you because that's with the deference she is deciding to show you because you were once her own rulers. But since we have a Dorierran recognized double Empire of our own. That ship is actually closer to 80 million." Kragan insisted from beside you as you grinned.
"Actually, even that is lowballing it Your Radience, I believe that currently the highest bid for the Magnifica at your sister's wedding has already surpassed 100 million." Samantha offered.
"Surely the taxes we would get would..." Queen Phelicity urged her husband.
"What taxes?" You asked her pointedly.
"The taxes that your husband, as a baron, owes our crown." Phelicity answered.
"Do you have such a thing in writing? Is it legally binding in the D.A.?" You asked her.
"Do we?" Phelicity asked her husband.
"You shouldn't because my father and I never signed anything. And with us gaining the status of Radiance Supreme by the High Councilors of Dorierra and it's Alliance. That supercedes all others, even if such a thing were to exist." Kragan insisted.
"But, surely we..." King Grenevere asked his scribes who were off to the side before the scribes shook their hands no.
"Well we can draw something up." King Grenevere.
"You're more than welcome to draw something up but unless you have a Dorierran Alliance recognized notary there to notarize my signature, it would never be legally binding." Kragan pointed out.
"And women are second class citizens in Solowards. And are not even granted full rights or liberties as citizens. So surely you can not come back to me with anything, because like my excellent husband stated, our own anointing as Radiance Supremes within the Dorierran Alliance Sphere supercedes any and all others." You reminded them.
"But what about those 20 acres?" Phelicity asked.
"Oh you mean that 20 acre parcel of woodland that my husband signed over my brother at fair market value only for him to then sell back to their original owners?" You asked.
"I have the point of sale right here." Saffiro offered as he held up the receipt up to the messengerari's surface.
"But what about Salgria Shipping?" Queen Phelicity asked her husband.
"Oh you mean the Salgria Shipping Charter that states every single member of my family as co owner and co-ruler of, that's registered with the D.A. In both name, seal, logo and copyright?" Kragan asked.
"But what about The Contessina Skyport that they're building?" Phelicity asked.
"Oh that was signed over to me on my wedding day? And since by Solowardian law, everything I have belongs to my husband? Who is not even a registered member of your society, who doesn't even have papers of citizenship, much less nobility since you never gave him actual papers in court, simply announced that he was a baron in court, where something can be true one moment and false the moment after- based on your own whim, nod of your head or word from your mouth. Meaning that our status as Radiant Supremes with the Dorierran Alliance still outranks and supersedes anything and everything Solowards would have? That deed? That by Solowardian Law now belongs to me and has full embassy status and is protected and sanctioned by the D.A. and is of course- tax exempt?" You asked as you held up that deed for them to see for themselves.
"But what about the accounts?" King Grenevere asked desperately.
"Oh you mean the accounts that were charging me interest instead of giving me interest? Oh I closed those the day before we left Solowardian soil." Kragan answered before he held up that receipt too that was signed off by the heads and managers of the bank and was in fact notarized by not only their own notaries but noted and cataloged in the D.A. too.
"Surely we could come to some kind of arrangement and understanding. Think of your sister and your family and your sister's fiance and his family." King Grenevere placated.
"Are you threatening my family King Grenevere?" Saffiro asked.
"Well, no, no." King Grenevere shook his head as he looked at the faces of the Dorierran High Councilors who were sitting in on this call.
"Actually, that did sound quite threatening to me." High Councilor Langashi murmured.
"Please, you misheard, we meant no such thing." King Grenevere insisted before Langashi played it back before she made this call available to any and all other parties who were interested.
"So what I'm hearing is, if I don't give you what you want, then you'll do what exactly to my family who remains on Solowardian soil?" Saffiro questioned in a tone that you had heard way too many times from your father when he was dangerously close to gutting his prey in the court.
"Nothing, we wouldn't dream of doing anything to them." Phelicity insisted with a jab to her husband's side as the number of full pages of those who were on this call kept growing.
"Now it seems to me that if you wanted to enter any kind of negotiations with us, you should be considering what favorable terms you can provide for us in exchange. But in the meantime. We really should get back to business with other more amiable and reasonable clients." You began as you reached for the button to end the call again.
"Anything! Name them! Name the terms!" Queen Phelicity implored desperately as she moved her hands to cover the buttons of her own messengerari- as if that could keep you from ending the call on your end.
"Laws for starters. And not just theoretically but in practice and upheld in any and every court. As it is, Solowards- by law- is very harsh towards women and especially entrepreneurs, and- extra especially towards those who are not of human origins and laws on the books, upheld both in theory and practice and upheld in court. From there, I would think lands of considerable size and wealth and self sufficiency would be in order as well. If not very high titles. Because as it stands, our own title and status of Radiant Supreme is actually higher than that of your own as King Regent and Queen Consort. And then I think if you were to have a meeting with your banks about those rates of interest to put them in our favor. And if you want any taxes from us, you better have quite the deal, in writing of course, upheld by any Dorierran recognized court, because we are subjects and citizens of that first and foremost. And as it is, we already have 163 offers of very high nobility from the other rulers in the world that come with no other strings other than we get to enjoy lavish estates with very handsome land holdings and rates of interest in our favor for any and all accounts we hold with the national banks there so that tourists might enjoy their stay while they are there to restock and refuel and of course shop in the various cities for anything and everything that would strike their fancy. And right now, they ask for no taxes whatsoever since our empire is purely business and held with the D.A. itself. And that the only thing we would pay for would be supplies to restock our own private ship when traveling at their various skyports. Otherwise, they pay us to have the privilege to have a skyport on their lands. Really the Contessina Skyport is really just a formality, a place where my family might use as a point of origin on their own travels." You specified.
"And really, since you brought up our family. I believe I will ask her Radiance to withdraw the discount and deference." Saffiro urged you.
"Consider it rescinded." You smiled at him as you made a note of it in your book.
"Wise decision My Love." Kragan praised.
"Now if you will please excuse me, I'm getting a lot of new bids on that ship, and currently the price is over a hundred and fifty million. And the ship isn't even fully built yet! Oh duty of business calls. Until we meet again- Your Majesties." You offered before you really did turn off the call as Kragan, Saffiro and Samantha all cheered and applauded you before Kragan pulled you over to kiss you and hug you.
"And you weren't ready for battle." Kragan teased.
"Apparently I was." You laughed.
"Time to celebrate. Because Frangellica is currently handling the bidding war while sending out the blueprints for the ship to all the bidders." Samantha reported.
"Do remember how you told me, when we first met, how you would do what you just did?" Kragan asked.
"Yes." You nodded.
"Well consider it a job well done. I'm so proud of you for sticking to your guns. If they call back, the lowest price you'll receive from them is 200 million gold bullion if the bidding war isn't higher than that itself. And if it is, make them pay an additional fifty million gold bullion on top of whatever the highest bid is." Kragan insisted.
"Deal. Ugh, such a sum doesn't even feel real." You admitted.
"Oh it's real. It's very, very real." Samantha praised.
"Congratulations, next time, I dare you to tell them to 'go fuck themselves'." Samantha encouraged before all of you started erupting in laughter as you held your belly from laughing so hard.
"Oh gods, I could. I was half tempted to." You admitted as you wiped the tears from your eyes as you struggled to get this damn jewelry off.
"Damn you swelling fingers." You cursed as you tried to get this god awful ridiculously gaudy ring off of your hand.
"Then you should, and if you don't, I will. Mom and Dad are messaging of how proud they are of us for standing up to them." Saffiro smiled.
"Oh good, so they're not dying of embarrassment for having rude and impertinent children?" You asked.
"Nope. If anything they praise our good business sense." Saffiro smiled before he leaned over to kiss your cheek.
"Gods you're amazing. I'm so proud of you. Still my favorite sister." Saffiro encouraged.
"And you're still my favorite brother. Favorite sibling period." You insisted as you nuzzled your forehead to his before you both gently knocked your foreheads together only to erupt in more laugher.
"That's right. Don't you forget it." Saffiro teased before he got up as he and Samantha retreated to relax in their own suite of rooms in your palace as you were eager and anxious to get all of this gaudy and ridiculous jewelry off of yourself as Kragan was eager to help you do so as well.
"Better?" Kragan asked once you were free of it all before he helped you put it back into your "royal" jewelry box tha you kept the "royal regalia" jewelry in.
"So much. A relief honestly." You smiled as you sank down into your vanity and put every piece into it. Because after you got your crown, Kragan and everyone else agreed that you needed a full royal regalia jewelry set, which was thankfully a place you could keep that ring that Kragan had first gotten you as you paused to trace the jewel's shape as you wondered if it was perhaps foreshadowing that while you had never really wanted enormous wealth. Your prince charming led you to make it yourself. And how, with just a simple switch, your life was vastly different. And nothing like you could have ever thought to want or expect.
"Everything ok?" Kragan asked.
"I'm just thinking." You murmured quietly.
"About what?" He asked as he came to kneel next to you to watch you curiously as he offered his hand as you took it with your other one but kept your index finger on the main stone of the ring.
"How, if I hadn't switched, how different things would be. And how...miserable I would have been, or how dead I would have been. Because before you, the only things I had to live for was my family. And how helpless we all were because two doctors, who didn't know jack shit about medically treating women, misdiagnosed me. And were giving me poison and medicine alike. And how much I would have missed out on. Only you could have been my knight in shining armor, whisking me away to your castle in the clouds that was not of stone, but of wood and sail. And how, neither of us wanted anything to do with royalty or nobility or any of it. We just...we just wanted to sail around the world and be together. Even if the ship was no bigger than a lightning rider. But because we switched, you saved me, you literally gave me the world. And you're giving me a family of my own. And because you loved me to the point of invention, now the whole world can know what it is to be as free as a bird, flying on the winds, going wherever they would take you. With only a roost of your own making to call home." You murmured as you just stared into the ring.
"And how, you got this ring for me, when you didn't even know me, fearing that it would only be something this grand, complete with all of this to make me happy. And here I am, locking it away in a case, rarely to see the light of day. But the moment you did meet me and found out I was nothing like you had feared, but everything you wanted, you gave it to me anyway, because even just knowing me for a few hours, you grew to like me and love me enough to take care of me. Even when you had no obligation to. Just...because that is the kind of man you are. And I'm so happy and grateful that you are that way. I don't want or need fabulous jewels to go with every fine dress in every closet in every house in the supersphere. I just need you, our baby, a roof over our head and food in our stomach, Everything else is extra. And while most would argue that the rest is the most important part because it's everything else that makes the former possible. I feel like, even if The Contessina Order fails spectacularly, and Dorierra takes back it's crown and it's title and prestige and it's palace and everything else. It wouldn't matter. Because we would still have each other and that's all we would ever want or need because we are both content to live in simple anonymity. And we are both easily contented with each other. Because we love each other, without question, without reserve. And even with all of this..." You gestured to everything else around you.
"But this is still the most precious thing I possess and only you could have given it to me." You said as you put his hand on your belly before the baby kicked at his palm as Kragan smiled as tears glazed his eyes before he moved himself to kneel between your legs to kiss you as soundly and deeply as he could as he clung to you and held you.
"I couldn't agree more. You and them are the most important things to me too. Because I love you and them without measure. And I will do whatever it takes to provide you with whatever you want and need and whatever they would want and need. Because without you, I'm a ship without an anchor, or sail or current, adrift in life with no purpose or meaning. You fill me with the same love and warmth that makes the fire of passion to turn the heat of a hearth into a home. And that home solely rests wherever you reside." Kragan vowed as he moved both of his hands to your pregnant belly.
"Likewise." You smiled.