---One Week Later, Near Holfort/Principality Border---
Lucoa lay sprawled out on a beach chair at the front of my airship. Dressed in a skimpy bikini, she was taking advantage of her vacation to relax and sunbathe. Close by, Angelica and the other women gave her concerned looks. Such shameless attire was supposed to be reserved for the bedroom, yet she was showing off almost everything without a care.
“Ladies, I’m flattered by your stares, but I’m not interested in women.” Lucoa flipped onto her stomach with a playful smirk. “If you would, please leave me be. I haven’t had a vacation in a while, so I intend to take full advantage of this break.”
“That’s not… Why would you… Grr!” Angelica’s expression soured as she crossed her arms. “We are not here to gawk or ruin your vacation. What we want is for you to stop prancing around in that getup. Have you no shame, woman?”
Lucoa tilted her head to one side, taking a moment to think. Once she had an answer, she gave Angelica a shrug.
“What about this is shameful? The only people who can see me out here are you ladies, Solaris, and Leon. We are women, so your argument doesn’t hold water. Solaris is a bio-machine, so he doesn’t count in this matter. As for Leon, well… why do you think I’ve been sunbathing in front of the bridge these last two days? He knows very well that I like him and want to take things to the next level.”
“You bitch!” Clarice’s beautiful face turned into a ferocious glare. “Leon is our betrothed. We will not let a hussy like you get your hands on him.”
“Hussy?!” Lucoa shot to her feet. She thrust a finger toward them. “Listen here, I’m not the same as the homewrecker who ruined your previous engagement. The four of us are more than happy to share Leon with you.” Lucoa turned to Olivia, Roxanne, and Yunyun. “Right, ladies?”
The three women immediately threw their hands up, hoping to remain neutral, but their refusal was taken the wrong way. With the raw pain of their broken engagements still fresh, Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre wanted reassurance that Olivia, Roxanne, and Yunyun would not become potential issues one day. However, the three women could not give the denial they wanted to hear.
This hesitation triggered an immediate overreaction. To the insecure noblewomen, the silence spoke volumes, causing a minor disagreement to devolve into a heated argument. As things got out of hand, I watched them with mild annoyance.
'Good grief, Lucoa. I told you not to antagonize them, but you did it anyway. Now I’ve got to deal with this mess before someone says something they’ll regret.' I stepped away from the helm and headed for the stairs with Solaris. “Luxion, you have the bridge.”
<Not to boast, but I told you this would happen. You should have left that mischievous dragon back in the capital. She will bring you nothing but trouble if you keep her around.> Luxion floated beside me, taking remote control of the ship.
I sighed. Lucoa was a troublemaker, but I liked that about her. With her around, my days would never become monotonous. The only issue was that she hadn’t learned when it was appropriate and when it was not yet. In time, I hoped that would change.
“Lucoa is a member of the team. She stays.” I made my position clear. “Since we have a free moment, I’d like to get an update on a few things. How goes the creation of my power armor and the decryption of the data disks?”
<The decryption algorithms are complete and tested. You can begin reviewing the data at your leisure. As for the power armor, it was coming together until you had me divert resources to build the airship we are flying in.> Luxion floated beside me, monitoring various systems.
Princess Hertrude’s approval arrived the morning after I was made a royal envoy. With nine of us now heading to the Principality of Fanoss, Spacehog was no longer a viable transport option. At most, she could carry three of us comfortably with Solaris flying beside me. Since I had no other means of transportation, I had Luxion make me a top-of-the-line airship.
I gave him three criteria for the ship. It had to have the best sensors and weapons in our arsenal, be fast, and be maneuverable. With this in mind, he created a nine-hundred-foot ship that looked eerily similar to a Pre-Heresy Olympia-Class Strike Cruiser. The design was familiar to me from both Aremus’ and my past life’s memories. What confused me, though, was how Luxion got the design.
“I have a question for you, AI.” Malcador appeared beside me. “Why does this vessel appear to be a miniaturized Imperial vessel? Don’t tell me this world is a lost Imperial world.”
<To my knowledge, this world has never been under the dominion of the Imperium. I suppose a Rogue Trader may have discovered it before we arrived, but I doubt it. This was an almost barren rock back then.>
Malcador and I stopped walking. We swiveled our heads in shock toward Luxion, who continued moving for a few feet. Before we could ask a follow-up question, he spoke again.
<To answer your question, the information was collected during Aremus’ stay on this planet ten thousand years ago. And no, I will not elaborate further on what I said seconds ago.>
Malcador’s eye twitched with frustration. He disliked keeping Aremus in the dark, but he had little choice in the matter. If he broke his arrangement with the machine, it would obliterate his fading consciousness. Aremus’ training was far too important for him to risk spilling the truth.
“How much longer do you intend to keep me in the dark?” I stared at Luxion. “I’ve been patient with you until now. If you keep up these games, don’t blame me for getting forceful.”
<I… I am well aware, Leon. I will be ready to reveal everything to you come the end of your first semester. Please wait just a little longer.>
Now that he had given a set timeline, I backed down. The end of term was only two months away. I had waited this long; two more months were not an issue.
We continued moving until we reached the doorway to the deck. As I went for the handle, Luxion and Malcador vanished from sight. I stepped outside with Solaris into a screaming match between Clarice and Lucoa. Just as they were about to throw punches, I moved between them.
“That is enough!” I glared at the dragoness. “Lucoa, did I not instruct you to keep your trap shut about romantic relationships around them? It has only been just over a week since their entire world came crashing down. Your jabs are like rubbing salt into an open wound. If you keep this up, I will confine you to your quarters until we arrive at the Principality’s capital.”
The fury within Lucoa’s heart settled. With a calm mind, she bowed her head to them.
“I am sorry for instigating a fight with you.” Lucoa rubbed her arm. “Since coming to realize how great of a man Leon is, I’ve been trying to secure a place in his heart for me. When I heard about your engagement to him, my first thought was that you’d think I was like that thieving vixen and force me away.”
Her honesty sucked the heat from their fiery rage. In that moment, they could see the same fear they held in their hearts within her.
“Thank you, Lucoa.” I turned my gaze to Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre. “You had every right to chew Lucoa out, but dragging Olivia, Roxanne, and Yunyun into things was unacceptable. They were innocent bystanders, not active participants. I know your emotions were running high, but that isn’t an excuse.”
Their minds now clear, they turned to the three pale women and bowed as well.
“Leon is right. We poured our anger and fear out on you without thinking.” Clarice lifted her head to look them in the eyes. “Please forgive us.”
“It’s alright. So long as you understand and promise not to do it again, we can move past this.” Yunyun met her gaze.
Olivia and Roxanne nodded.
“Of course!” The three noblewomen spoke in unison.
With peace restored, I used this opportunity to prevent future issues. What Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre needed right now was reassurance that they could entrust their hearts to me. They knew I was a good man, but that alone was not enough. All of them thought their former partners were good men, yet they tossed away their hearts without a second thought.
I withdrew three rings from my item box and dropped to one knee. One by one, I slipped the rings onto their ring fingers with a soft smile.
“Listen to me carefully. No matter what the future holds, I will never abandon nor forsake you for another until the day I die. Your fathers have entrusted your futures and happiness to me. Please don’t let anyone convince you I would do any less than move heaven and earth to make you happy and safe.”
Angelica, Clarice, and Deirdre teared up. This very thing was what they desperately sought from their ex-fiancés, but never received. It was just a simple gold band with a two-carat diamond on it, but to the three of them, it meant they had someone who treasured them by their side. They never wanted power or wealth. All they sought was the same love and devotion their parents gave each other.
“You’ve quite the silver tongue, Leon.” Angelica wiped away a tear. “We will do our best to be worthy of your love and devotion.”
“Stop kneeling and hug us!” Deirdre opened her arms.
With a smile, I rose and pulled them into a big hug. After enjoying the moment, we separated and headed inside. Lucoa followed us, done with her teasing for today. As she crossed the threshold, my mind connected with hers.
“You don’t need to work so hard to get my attention. You already have a special place in my heart, Lucoa.” I winked. “By the way, when the time comes, I hope you wear something just as skimpy to bed.”
“Leon!” Lucoa stopped in her tracks. She turned to me, her eyes wide with elated shock. “You are such a naughty boy. If you keep teasing me like this, I am liable to stop holding back.”
“Good thing I have such ridiculous stats. I hope you can keep up with me.”
While the others were not looking, Lucoa kissed me on the cheek. As she did so, the mischievous woman smashed her bountiful chest against me. Before I could utter a sound, she bolted after the other women.
I touched my cheek with a warm smile. That was the first genuine show of affection I had received from her. It made my pulse quicken, and my desire to make her mine even stronger. Before my male instincts got the better of me, I forced myself to return to the bridge.
As we reached the stairwell, Luxion appeared beside my head. <We’ve got a situation. The ship’s sensor array has detected energy weapon discharges twenty miles out. Something is interfering with my spy satellites. I cannot get a visual on the situation.>
Neither the Holfort Kingdom nor the Principality had the technology to field energy weapons. That left an unknown third party, possibly the Rachelle Holy Kingdom. Unsure how they got so far into our respective territories, all I could do was reach the battlefield as soon as possible to lend my aid.
“Get us to the battle on the double.” I spun on my heels to track down the women.
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