The Queen's Proposals
Hello everyone and welcome to the latest IF side story! This time around we've got something a little different. If I was reading the requests right, a prequel to the Lust IF is what you, my fellow readers, desired. And so here it is! Also, quick apology for it being a little late, had something of a busy week. But here it is now and hopefully you'll find it entertaining, so on to the story!
Lust IF Present Day: A Balcony on the Castle of Lugnica
The sun was shining down on the capital of Lugnica as its king, Ulric Arkwright, looked out over it. Currently, he was waiting on two things: for lunch to be served and for one of his wives, Anastasia, to arrive. Though Ulric had little doubt she'd be slightly late today given that she was in the market buying things for her second in command, Mimi. 'I wonder if she'd spoil our own child like she spoils Mimi?' thought the King absentmindedly.
In all honesty he still thought it odd that he wound up married to a wealthy merchant girl given that he'd had more than one reason to dislike merchants over the years. Though if he was being completely honest, Anastasia being his wife was still less surprising than Priscilla also being his wife. He'd thought very little of her the first time they'd met and even now she still lacked a bit of humility, though she wasn't as bad as she used to be. And she wasn't the worst woman Ulric had ever gotten intimate with, either. To this day, the Crusader could hardly fathom how he attracted the affections of not only the Witch of Greed, Echidna, but the Witch of Envy herself, Satella, who was feared by the entire world.
"And here I am today, with eight wives," he said aloud as he thought back to just how he won each of them over, intentionally or otherwise.
A Couple Years Before Lust IF: Lord Roswaal's Mansion
"Do you all realize what you're suggesting, or even saying?" Questioned Ulric as he sat in his room across from three women who'd just voiced an outrageous, to him, idea, "as a Catholic I'm only supposed to marry one woman."
"Yes, you've explained that to us before," said Emilia, "but you also said there were a lot of people in the Bible who had multiple wives."
"Kings, royals and nobles had multiple wives," said Ulric, "back in Europe my family had just enough nobility for us to have our men be trained as knights. But I have no such titles here except for the title of your knight which you have conferred upon me."
"Well you should know it's perfectly legal for you to have multiple wives here," Frederica pointed out, "and as a knight of a royal candidate, you should have no problem securing a priest or other official with the power to marry you to multiple wives. In fact, the Margrave is likely capable of performing the ceremony himself if need be."
"But even if I do that there's still the root of the problem," said Ulric, "do you really think I'd be capable of giving all three of you the attention you deserve? Moreover, would you all even be able to stand the idea of me loving more than one of you?"
"That's the reason we all talked it over and came up with this idea in the first place," said Emilia, "If I'm being honest, I'm already very jealous of Rem and so is Frederica. We've tried denying it, saying that what we felt for you wasn't anything other than admiration, or in my case simply saying I don't really understand what it is to love a man."
"But it's been over a year now," said Frederica, "as I told you once, I used to think I was in love with Clind, the house steward of the Miload family, back when I was still a little girl. I've learned a lot since that time, which is why I can tell that what I feel for you, that what Emilia feels for you, is love. Not just the love one would have for a very close friend or a family member, but the love that a maiden feels in her heart when they've met their handsome prince."
"A prince is what each of you deserves," said Ulric, "I am but a knight, a knight who is already in love."
"And I love you, now and always," said Rem, speaking up for the first time, "but I also love Frederica and Emilia, nearly as much as I love my own sister. That's why I can't bear to see them sad or unhappy. I am too selfish to simply give you up to them, but if you allowed all of us to love you then they wouldn't have to be sad."
"I…understand your reasoning," conceded Ulric, "but say another couple of men come along who steal Emilia and Frederica's hearts? They would not be able to pursue them if both are married to me."
"You should already know that's quite impossible," said Frederica, "you've stolen our hearts already. You stole mine when you brought my brother back to me and saved my life and you stole Emilia's when you chose to stay by her side and serve as her knight even after learning of the terrible threats that wished to bring harm to her. And there will likely be more threats than suitors wishing to take mine or Emilia's hand, not that we intend to go looking for any."
"And besides," said Rem, "you've fought against the white whale, the witch's cult, mabeasts, lethal assassins and the Great Rabbit. In comparison to that, it shouldn't be a terrible challenge for you to show affection to more than one woman."
"Need I remind you that I had help from all three of you on practically every one of those," replied Ulric, "and I thank God every day that we survived those encounters. But fighting a battle and dividing my time among the three of you are different things. I can't simply swing my sword a few times and end a disagreement or divide myself to be in more than one place at a time."
"You won't have to be," said Rem, "we're not asking you to try being with all of us at the same time or that you have a required amount of time each day that you have to spend with each of us. As I said, we've discussed this and we've all come to the agreement that we're willing to make the sacrifice of letting you spend time with one of the others."
"If I'm being honest, Frederica and I will just be happy to have our love for you reciprocated," said Emilia, "for us, just being able to grab even a few moments with you would be better than keeping our feelings held in and never voicing them."
"And Rem's given us permission to pounce on you every once in a while," said Frederica with a wink and a toothy smile, "it's not considered an affair if your lover knows and approves of it, right?"
"It would still be considered adultery if we lay with each other out of wedlock," Ulric pointed out.
"Which just leads us back to where we started," said Frederica, "you can just marry all of us and it's problem solved!" Rem and Emilia both nodded at this statement while Ulric tried to find an argument against it. In all honesty it went against how he was raised to want to take more than one woman as a bride, though that was in his world and they were most certainly not in his world. So he continued to ponder the situation for several more moments before finally sighing.
"This is truly a strange land that I am living in now," he said, "to think I'd find multiple women actually willing to agree to an idea like this. But I can see you're not going to budge on this, so very well." The three gathered girls let out a small cheer. "But know this, should it begin to degrade our friendship with each other, we'll call it off immediately."
"I don't think we'll need to worry about that," said Frederica as she, Rem and Emilia all moved forward and enveloped the knight in a hug. Ulric sighed again yet for some reason he also couldn't get the smile off of his face. 'This will undoubtedly be interesting,' he thought.
Several Months Later: The Mansion of Crusch Karnstein
"Once again I'd like to thank you for all of your help," said Crusch as she sat at her desk facing Ulric who was sitting in a chair on the other side, "if not for you, my memories might still be gone right now."
"You know as well as I do that I can't take full credit for that," replied Ulric, "moreover, restoring your memories was, admittedly, a secondary concern for me."
"I know very well that your main goal was restoring Rem's memories," said Crusch, "regardless, you never once went back on the terms of our alliance and proved yourself an invaluable ally to me and the rest of my camp. And truth be told, I understand quite well wanting to accomplish something for the one you care for. You see, the reason I wished to participate in the royal selection in the first place is actually more selfish than you know."
"It also sounds like a very private matter," noted Ulric, "don't feel the need to reveal it to me. Sharing our most personal secrets was not part of the terms for the alliance, at least so long as they don't bring harm to any of us."
"Even still, I feel you have a right to know given how much aid you've given my camp even despite our status as your rivals," said Crusch.
"You've proven most honorable despite being our rivals," Ulric pointed out, "chivalry naturally demands I return such sentiment. But if you truly wish for me to know, then I will most certainly lend you an ear."
"You have my thanks," said Crusch with a nod, "I won't go into every last detail about my past with the Lugnican royal family, though it should suffice it to say that I was very close with them, especially Fourier and Ferris. It came as much of a shock to me as it did everyone else when that pandemic swept through and wiped them out. My last conversation that I recall with Fourier was in the royal garden before he passed away."
"To my understanding, the royal family was well respected here in their kingdom," said Ulric, "no doubt there were many heavy hearts when they departed this world."
"More than either you or I will ever know," said the royal candidate with a sigh, "and yet, there were some who didn't seem to care at all. The Royal Court, most notably, hardly seemed to care at all about them and the suffering they went through. Their biggest concern was that those capable of renewing the contract with the dragon, Volcanica, were now gone."
"Was it because their deaths were dismissed so easily that you vowed to break the contract with the dragon if you were to be elected as the new ruler?" Questioned Ulric.
"It was," affirmed Crusch, "any other nation's court would've taken the time to mourn the family before selecting a new ruler. But it's not even really a ruler that they want, just someone who can renew the contract with the dragon. This nation has relied on Volcanica for so much over the centuries that the very idea of not having her around anymore is terrifying to many people. But if you look at nations like Kararagi and Vollachia, they get along just fine by utilizing their strengths. And this nation is capable of standing on its own two feet as well if we can let go of our fear of being without the dragon."
"I agree that overdependence can prove to be a liability in the long run," said Ulric, "that's why father taught me how to use a number of weapons besides my sword. He knew that there would come a time that I might be without it. In much the same way a nation should always be prepared for the possibility that it might lose its greatest commodity. That being said, you are aware of the potential consequences if the nation falls because it no longer has the protection of the dragon?"
"Yes, I was very well aware of it," said Crusch, "back at the start of the royal selection, though, I was too angry to care whether or not the nation crumbled due to my decisions. I would've placed the blame solely on them for relying too much on the dragon and laughed at being proven right. But after watching and listening to you, after hearing how you rely on the one you call God but also taking responsibility for your own actions, I've come to a realization of my own. I am not fit to rule this kingdom."
Ulric tilted his head in confusion for a moment before speaking. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said, "you've proven yourself time and again to be a capable leader. The loss of your memories and the illness you suffered were against foes that none of us understood how to fight, initially. None of that reflects poorly on your ability as a leader. So while this is technically good news for Lady Emilia and her chances at the royal selection, I still find it quite baffling that you'd think yourself unfit to rule."
"It's actually quite simple," said Crusch, "despite being brought up to be calm and cool-headed in the making of decisions, I based the method for how I would rule this kingdom on my own angered logic. A ruler does not sacrifice their own people just to prove a point unless there is no other way nor should the people suffer when my anger isn't even directed at them but the royal court. There is a time and a place to make such sacrifices but doing it as a means to feed one's ego or petty revenge is not that time. Moreover, I have only ever acted in the interest of the people up to this point when I felt it would benefit my camp. If I really intended to rule this kingdom, I'd already be acting like a ruler."
"Does this mean you intend to withdraw from the royal selection?" Questioned Ulric.
"It does," affirmed the green-haired woman with a nod, "though I wish to keep our alliance, and moreover, I'd like to voice my support for you as the new king." For the second time during their conversation, the knight was caught more than a little off-guard by his ally's words.
"I'm sorry but if I heard right," said Ulric, "you just suggested that I should be the new king."
"And I stand by those words," said Crusch, "in the past you have devised many successful, if not occasionally unorthodox, solutions for dealing with enemies of unnatural shapes, sizes and abilities. Your prowess at negotiation has also grown considerably since you became Emilia's knight. You did convince me, after all, to form an alliance with not only you but Anastasia Hoshin's Iron Fang as well. And while you might not be the most skilled knight I've ever met with a sword, training can easily be made part of your routine as ruler. We can't very well let the king be defenseless."
"While I'm flattered you think so highly of me, Lady Emilia is also capable of many of the things that you have listed," Ulric pointed out, "moreover, I highly doubt the people would follow a stranger who isn't even from their land."
"The people will follow one whom they believe they can trust," said Crusch as she stood up from her desk and walked to one of the nearby windows, "you are right in saying that Lady Emilia possesses many of the qualities that could make her a fine ruler. But she doesn't really want to rule, does she?" Ulric sighed, knowing that it'd be pointless to lie to her given the green-haired woman's divine protection of wind reading.
"No, she does not," admitted the Crusader, "Lady Emilia's true reason for wanting to become the ruler of Lugnica is merely to gain access to the dragon's blood. She was told it was the only thing which might be able to help the people of her village. Whether or not that is true is a question for Roswaal L. Mathers. Despite that, I know she would work hard to ensure the happiness of everyone in this kingdom."
"I don't doubt such a notion coming from you," said Crusch as she turned away from the window, "and I'd happily support Lady Emilia were it not for her inexperience. But what if I told you that as the ruler of Lugnica, you might be able to make mine and your Ladyship's dreams come true?"
"I fail to see how I'd be able to obtain the dragon's blood if I also broke the contract with Volcanica," Ulric pointed out, "and though this might not be my land, I refuse to take any action that might lead to its downfall."
"You won't have too," said Crusch as she approached Ulric, "I've decided, or rather realized that the contract doesn't need to be broken in order for this kingdom to decrease its dependency on the dragon. Rather, we can gradually ween off our need for Volcanica over time until we feel the nation is ready to be without her. It will be a much slower process than what I originally envisioned, but I feel it will prove more beneficial to the kingdom in the long run."
"And the reason you feel that I would be best suited to carry out such a task and you wouldn't is because?" Ulric let the question hang in the air.
"As I said before, I'm much too close to the matter," replied Crusch, "and recent events have shown that I am not as well-prepared for everything as I once thought. You, however, have proven quite capable and moreover you come from a land where you've never had to rely on one like the dragon. The contract is not something sacred to you like it is to so many others and that is why I believe you'll more clearly see where our overdependence lies. And above all, I know from your words that the one you value known as God also values the people. And what any kingdom needs above all else, is a ruler that values their people."
Ulric put a hand to his chin as he thought the matter over. "It is a very tempting thought you've presented me with," said Ulric as he stood up, "but as ever my loyalty is to Lady Emilia. I will not simply try to take her place from her without asking for her word first. So all I can say for now is that this is a matter best discussed personally with her ladyship."
"As always," said Crusch with a small smile, "your loyalty is impressive. Such a strong sense of responsibility but with a caring heart. It reminds me so much of another man I used to know." She did something surprising then, and pecked Ulric on the cheek which froze the knight in place as he tried to process what just happened. "I'll contact you soon and see if we can't set up a meeting with your mistress. If everything works out, I'll be calling you King Arkwright in the not too distant future." She walked out the door then, leaving a still dumbfounded knight wondering what exactly just happened. It would be the first of several events that the Crusader would fail to comprehend as the seeds of his rise were sown.
Shortly After Ulric's Coronation: The Office of the King
To say Ulric found his current circumstances to be unbelievable was an understatement. Crusch's idea had actually gone over quite well with Emilia and they'd come up with a plan that should one of them be offered the position of ruler, they'd give it to him. At the time, Ulric was more concerned with simply doing his duty and wasn't sure how seriously he should take this line of thought. But then, it had happened. Echidna had returned in the body of one of the Ryuma clones and intentionally brought with her the wrath of the Witch of Envy, much like how she'd manifested at the Witch's graveyard.
The Knight had died an innumerable number of times attempting to fight Satella with the other knights and his friends, but she and Echidna proved to be too powerful. So using a change of tactics, the Crusader decided to give Satella what she wanted, a reciprocation of her love for him, at a price. She readily agreed to the condition and nearly destroyed Echidna in order to prove that she was sincere. Ulric stopped her, however, instead suggesting that Echidna and the other witches be allowed into the same world that Satella was in.
While she wasn't ecstatic about the idea, the Witch of Envy agreed to keep a close watch on all of them within her realm, on the condition that she be allowed to visit Ulric whenever she pleased. The Crusader agreed, seeing it as a small price to pay to end the threat of the witches for all time. This apparent defeat of the most feared being in the world catapulted the Emilia camp to the top of the list for the other candidates with practically the whole kingdom calling for them to rule. And as they'd planned, Emilia gave the title of ruler to Ulric.
Now here he sat, the newest king of Lugnica who'd also be marrying 'four' brides in just a few months' time. Though he'd tried to deny it, he and Crusch had grown much closer, far too close to be called 'friends' or 'allies' anymore. The Karnstein family head had also grown closer with Rem, Emilia, and Frederica. In the end, the four of them devised yet another idea they'd sprung on him at the last minute. And while he saw no reason to disagree, he still found it hard to believe that it was happening in the first place. "God in Heaven," he prayed, "if this is your will, let it be done. And give my heart strength so that it doesn't go out under the stress of another unexpected surprise."
It was a prayer that would turn out to be tested in almost no time at all as barely five minutes after had said the prayer, Julius of all people walked in. "Good evening, your highness," he said with a bow, "I do hope you're doing well despite the exhausting turn of events that has happened recently."
"Ah Julius," said Ulric as he motioned for the knight to take a seat, "please sit down, and don't worry about referring to me as 'your highness'. The two of us have known each other long enough now that such honorifics should be unnecessary. Though if you insist, you can still call me 'Sir Ulric'."
"I just thought I'd get a feel for it," he said while straightening his hair a bit, "it still seems terribly strange when I think back on it. Not so long ago you were a knight still developing his magical abilities while being shown around by Lady Emilia. And yet in three years' time you managed to win the hearts of most of the other candidates and become the king of the whole nation. To call it astonishing would be the understatement of the century."
"Believe me when I say becoming king wasn't my intention," said Ulric, "it was by the suggestion of Lady Crusch, Lady Emilia and a number of others. The fact that the royal court agreed to it is astonishing, though me marrying two of the candidates who can renew the contract with the dragon was probably the main driving force."
"Ah yes, two candidates, you say," spoke Julius with a mischievous glimmer in his eye.
"I know that look, Julius," said Ulric as he sat up a bit straighter in his chair, "it means you're up to something or your lady is up to something. Which reminds me, you haven't said why it is you've stopped by."
"Indeed I have not," said Julius, "your suspicions are correct, however, my mistress is indeed up to something. Though even I'm not entirely aware of what her goal is." The door opened then as Ulric instinctively reached for his dagger.
"That's because I've done my best to make sure ya don't spill the beans," said Anastasia Hoshin herself as she strode into what was now Ulric's office. She was dressed in her usual white dress and hat.
"Lady Hoshin," said Ulric as Julius got up and offered her his seat, which she gladly took, "what an unexpected surprise. Which is likely what you were intending."
"It looks like you've gotten to know me pretty well," said Anastasia with a cute smile, "it's made these little chats of ours more entertaining."
"And I wouldn't mind a lively chat one bit," said Ulric, "though my time is a lot more limited than it used to be, so you'll need to get to the point a little more quickly than you usually do."
"Indeed I do," said Hoshin with a wink, "though what I have in mind will probably have us seeing a lot of each other, and in more than one sense, should you agree."
"So you do have a proposal for me," said Ulric as he crossed his arms, "not that it's unexpected. So tell me, how can I help you this time?"
"It's not just how you can help me, but also how I can help you," said Anastasia, "you see, ever since you helped me out with my own issues with the Witch's Cult, and saved me once or twice, I've gotten a new perspective. I do wish to grow my business, of course, but there's also something I want that I know can't be bought with any amount of money. I want the love of a fine man, specifically, your love."
"My love?" Said Ulric with a raised eyebrow as he leaned forward a bit, "Lady Hosh-."
"Please, call me Anastasia, or Ana if that's easier for you," she said with a cute smile.
"Very well, Ana," said Ulric, "you do realize that in a short few months, I'll be marrying four wonderful women. I've known all of them for a good amount of time, and while you are most certainly my favorite merchant I in no way intend to betray the trust of my brides-to-be."
"I'm not asking you to betray their trust, I fully intend to tell them all about this," said Anastasia, "after all, you and they have known me for a good amount of time as well. And being the negotiator I am I'm certain they'll agree to this proposal, at least so long as you're on board."
"So if I'm understanding this correctly," said Ulric, "you're proposal, is you proposing?"
"That's right!" Said Anastasia happily as she clapped her hands together, "I've fallen for you, your majesty, and I'd like to become one of your wives!" Ulric couldn't help but take a steadying breath as he tried to think of the best way to answer this unexpected occurrence.
"If it helps," said Julius, seemingly unfazed by his mistress's suggestion, "Lady Hoshin fully intends to put all the resources of the Hoshin Trading Company at your disposal. And you've seen the positive effects both it and her trading methods can have for a kingdom. Moreover, you'll basically have won over Kararagi as an ally to Lugnica."
"But even puttin' all that aside," said Hoshin with a wave of her hand, "you and I have had plenty of moments of our own where we were bondin'. You can try to hide it, but I'm pretty certain I've figured out when you're concealin' the fact that you're enjoying yourself."
"And here I was certain I'd gotten better at disguising such things," said Ulric with a sigh, "but more to the point, you are aware that I'm not marrying Crusch just because of her wealth and power. Her and I have grown genuinely close with each other, and she gets along famously with Rem, Emilia and Frederica. In much the same way, I'm marrying Emilia because I love her and not because she commands a powerful spirit."
"Of course I know all that," said Anastasia, "like I said at the beginning of our conversation, I want something that I can't buy with any amount of money. If you could be swayed by something like that so easily then one could hardly call you a proper knight." She leaned forward then and placed her hand on Ulric's. "You see, I'm still a pretty greedy girl and probably always will be, but my priorities have shifted a bit. Now what I want more than anything, are moments."
"I have a fair idea what you probably mean by that," said Ulric, "but just in case, do elaborate."
"I want someone to come home too after a long trip or a long day at work," began Anastasia, "I want someone who'll ease my burden and whose burden I can ease even if it's just a little. I want someone who's honest and not playing nice just to get a chance at the best deal, someone who's as much at home in a drafty tent as they are in a castle. I want someone who sees me for who I am and not for my wealth and connections. I've been thinking about this for a while now and every time I always come up with the same person in the end. Ulric Arkwright, I am in love with you, and because of that I want you more than anything. So what do you say, Ulric, will you take this greedy girl as your own and make a proper wife out of here?"
"You," said the King, "really are something. Then how about this then: should I agree to marry you and make you one of my wives, you'll break off all business connections with the Hoshin Company."
"You mean…give it away?" Questioned Anastasia with a tilt of her head.
"I mean let someone else lead it," said Ulric, "you don't need to dissolve it or anything as it is a useful company. However, you are to remove yourself from all business roles and trading roles in relation to it. You'll monitor the kingdom of Lugnica's wealth as its treasurer from now on and that is the closest you will ever get to being a merchant again."
"You want me…..to never be a merchant again? The thing I've built my entire life around," said Hoshin as realization crossed her features and she averted her gaze.
"Your highness!" Said Julius, "surely you don't intend to deny her ladyship of one of the greatest joys in her life?! She has been a successful merchant almost before she could even speak properly!"
"I am well aware of such a fact," said Ulric, "which is why I'm making it a demand in the first place. If you're really serious about wanting to become one of my wives then I want a demonstration of your devotion to me, my other brides and this kingdom. Rem, Emilia, Frederica and Crusch have already demonstrated their own love for me in a number of ways and while the two of us have worked together before I doubt your supposed love for me is what drove you. So what will it be, Ana? Are you willing to make such a sacrifice for the one you claim to love?"
The pained look on both the purple-haired girl's and Julius's face told Ulric that he really was asking a lot of her. Ulric himself didn't like seeing such a look on her face but he kept his own face impassive as the silence stretched on. Then, after a couple of minutes had passed, Anastasia finished contemplating her decision. "I…...will accept your terms," she said, "you are indeed someone who can't be bought with money and I've no doubt you'll care for me like you intend to care for the others. It'll be hard for a bit, but I didn't get where I am today by crying over every little setback."
"That's good to hear," said Ulric as he leaned back in his chair, letting out a groan of relief, "though you should know, there's still a lot of paperwork that I don't know how to do as of yet. I wouldn't even know where to begin finding documents for resignation from a trading company. And even if I did, they'd probably get mixed up with another set or lost or misplaced. To be honest, I've no idea when or if I'll even be able to get around to relieving you of your duties as the head of the Hoshin Company."
"Wait, what are you saying?" Said Julius with a hint of confusion in his voice.
"I'm saying that while I did ask for Ana to sever her ties to the Hoshin Company," said Ulric, "I just realized that it'd be a lot of trouble to actually go through with it. And being the new king I'll no doubt be busy soon. I guess I'll just have to leave you as the head for now until I actually find the time to accomplish such a task."
"Wait, you mean I can remain the leader of the Hoshin Trading Company?" Said Anastasia as her eyes lit up with hope.
"For the time being, at least," said Ulric, "though don't thank me yet. Who knows when-UFFF!" He was silenced by Anastasia running around his desk and tackling him with a hug.
"THANK YOU!" She said as she repositioned herself in his lap, "you actually caught me off-guard for a moment. I can already tell, being your wife will be anything but typical."
"Yes, I was worried for a moment myself," said Julius, "though I must ask, was it really necessary for you to suggest something so extreme?"
"I had to be certain," said Ulric, "a husband and wife must be willing to make sacrifices for each other from time to time. Asking her to sever her ties to the very trading company that bears her name was the greatest sacrifice I could think of."
"But now you know," said Hoshin with a smile, "so does that mean you accept my proposal?"
"I would, though there's one more issue to resolve," said Ulric, "you'll need to convince my other brides to accept you as one of them."
"Now you just leave that to me," said Anastasia as she playfully pecked him on the lips, "I am a merchant girl after all. I'm certain I can come up with something that we can all agree on."
A Couple Months After Ulric's Coronation: The Throne Room
"Al, you realize what you are asking of me, correct," said Ulric as he looked upon the one-armed knight standing before him.
"Technically this request is from her ladyship," said Al, "I haven't the foggiest idea why she's suddenly gotten it in her head other than she's being her usual self."
"And under ordinary circumstances I would most assuredly deny her so-called request," said Ulric before glancing at a report he'd gotten shortly before Al's arrival, "but it is coming at quite a troubling time, though I imagine it's proving quite convenient for her."
"You know how things go for her," said Al, "whatever time she chose would've been a good time for her. Though it most certainly helps this time around that she's in a position to avert disaster."
"Yes, a skirmish with Vollachia would be a problem," said Ulric with a sigh, "though it's all thanks to that blasted emperor's bodyguard, Cecilus, making trouble along the border to fight Reinhard. Thanks to that, we had to repel him and kill a few Vollachian soldiers in the process which the emperor didn't take too kindly too. That kingdom really does always itch for a good fight."
"Like you wouldn't believe," said Al, "to be perfectly honest, I knew Lady Priscilla would take an interest in the situation, but even I didn't think she'd do this. If it had been anyone else offering themselves to make peace, the emperor of Vollachia would probably have turned them down. But he's more than familiar with Lady Priscilla's luck and the things that happen around her, so that's probably the only reason he agreed to her proposal."
"And while most of the terms for the proposal are quite acceptable, there's still the one detail you've brought before me that I don't understand," said Ulric, "why in the world does Priscilla Barielle want to marry me, besides the obvious?"
"The way she explained it to me," replied Al, "is that you've proven yourself to be one of the most amusing men she's ever encountered. And if we're being honest, you do have quite the track record to your name."
"So she desires my position as ruler then," said Ulric as he set the report down and leaned forward a bit on his throne, "I am, just so you know, well aware of how she became baroness of her land as well as what's happened to her previous husbands."
"It might seem odd to hear this, but she doesn't actually care all that much about the throne of Lugnica," said Al, "unlike some of her previous husbands, she actually wants to marry you. I don't know if she sees something special in you, is legitimately in love with you or if this is just another one of her games, but I do know what might happen if you turn down her proposal."
"Potential war with Vollachia," Ulric said, voicing Al's unspoken statement, "had we a little more time we could prepare an adequate defense against them, but the Vollachian mercenaries we hired have only just begun training new recruits and current soldiers. Volcanica can certainly help, but I hear the strongest fighters in Vollachia are quite destructive."
"Well I should mention," said Al as he scratched his neck a little, "Lady Priscilla has also promised as many Vollachian soldiers and mercenaries as you require should you agree to take her hand in marriage. She told me to tell you that for extra incentive."
"Did she really," said Ulric, "and she can get them to us, discreetly, if necessary?"
"Discreet enough," said Al, "even the emperor of Vollachia doesn't know about that little tidbit I just mentioned to you."
"Priscilla can be truly crafty when she wants to be," said Ulric as he crossed his arms, "very well, I'll think over this proposal. But tell Priscilla I wish to discuss the finer details of all of this in person. If I'm really going to take her to be another one of my wives, then we'd best get used to seeing each other a lot more often."
"I'm sure she's counting on that," said Al, "but just know that you're probably doing the right thing. Miss Priscilla is a surprisingly dangerous woman to have as an enemy."
"So I've noted more than once before," said Ulric. And in the end, he'd take note of it several more times as the two of them met and came to an agreement. They'd marry and avert possible disaster with Ulric promising to give Priscilla time whenever she asked for it, so long as she was civil with the other girls. And thus, Ulric Arkwright, the king of Lugnica, wound up with six wives. Or eight whenever Echidna or Satella would come to visit him. It would prove to be one of the more, interesting reigns that would be witnessed by the kingdom for many years to come.
And there you have it, the prequel to Lust IF! I know it wasn't the most exciting story, but hopefully it cleared up the majority of questions you all had concerning the previous side story. Again, sorry this took a bit longer than usual due to me being a little extra busy last week. And as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked and do send me whatever requests you might have for the next side story. 'Til then.