A/N: Hey everybody, guess what?

Today it's my Birthday, so to celebrate I'm publishing one chapter early, Enjoy!

CHAPTER IX.

Jenna felt today was going to be as bad as yesterday when she woke up.

Like they ever were since her brother arrived at the estate to introduce his wife to the family. Angelica had immediately gained her mom's favor just by being told she married Leon and while her dad was more cautious her polite and respectful words had eventually won over him as well.

She even convinced dad to make Nicks the Heir of his title and territory and offered her own maid as her older brother's fiancee.

She knew that it wouldn't be for long and she pitied Nicks for getting his hopes up, but when Lady Zola heard what had been happening here from her contacts in the capital all this charade would be over.

And today was the day, she could see the barony's best ship arrive and dock at the harbor, she hurried to her dad's office to greet the fancy part of the family and see her role model put everything straight but instead she saw Rutart being dragged kicking and screaming by one of dad's knight, a crying Merce being gently guided away by James a good looking, young knight at her family's service.

Lady Zola's elf servant was unconscious and being dragged by another knight as if he was just a sack of potatoes.

"I'll treat you right, you don't have anything to worry about, I promise. Mother will teach you everything you need to know, don't cry please" the youngest knight whispered to Merce.

Jenna knew she couldn't have heard right, Big Sis Merce couldn't have been given to marry a simple knight could she?

She rushed to the office where she thought she would find Lady Zola scolding dad for being foolish, instead she found her walking in front of another knight, she was disheveled had tears running down her eyes ruining her otherwise perfect make up, her face a mask of desperation and her eyes looking down at the floor.

Her stupid brother ran past her with a giggling Angelica running at his side.

She wanted to help Lady Zola out of her depression but first she needed to find out what had happened to leave her in that state.

"Nicks, please make sure Colin is far away before those two can get to it!" Mom told her older brother with fond irritation, Jenna could get behind that order, Angelica might be a proper highborn Lady, but she moaned and screamed, like a lot!" so either she was really sensible or that stupid brother of hers…

"Dad! What happened!" she demanded, this was not how things were supposed to go.

"If I may, Lord Balcus?" it was the maid… Cordelia, her brother's intended person who volunteered after Nicks ran out of the office to make sure their littlest sibling's ears were spared the coming… storm.

Jenna let herself be guided to a small living room away from Leon's room to her relief.

"What happened?" She asked again, this time in a whisper.

"As Lady Angelica would put it: Zola was crushed by the family she betrayed" Cordelia told her but she just wasn't in the mood for word games.

"What do you mean Lady Zola betrayed father?" she could only look at the floor, she could honestly find no fault on her step mother.

"Isn't that elf slave proof enough?" Cordelia asked as if stating the obvious.

Jenna shook her head, no.

"As noble ladies we have right to have lovers of lesser species, there isn't even risk of pregnancy so there is no risk"

"Count's daughters and higher have no love slaves" Cordelia said matter of factly.

But it changed nothing in her eyes, besides "The Offrey's daughter has three"

Cordelia scoffed "They aren't nobles as far as House Redgrave is concerned!"

"All of my friends do have slaves!" she explained, well at least the cool ones.

"Daughters of Viscounts and Barons live in their own little bubble" her future sister in law said gaining a glare from her, Jenna was included in that remark as the daughter of a Baron.

"Why did dad do this?" she asked again,Zola had that elf slave for as long as she remembered but it never bothered dad enough to do this!

"Zola's real crime" Jenna couldn't stand the lack of respect from the maid when she failed to use a more respectful way to address her role model, but Cordelia continued without correcting herself of apologizing "was her failure to raise her children properly"

Jenna stared at Cordelia shocked, Rutart was the perfect picture of a knight and a gentleman and Merce was a perfect Lady. What fault was she referring to?

"While Merce's upbringing could be tolerated had she married immediately after the academy, Rutart's could not, he is twenty years old, unmarried and unable to work the territory"

"That's what Nicks is here isn't it? so he could manage the crops and people!" She had always known that Nicks would take care of everything.

"Then Rutart is unnecessary, that… man planned to live his life as a parasite, and was removed because he became a liability to House Bartfort" Cordelia explained again, but…

"Why is our House so important all of a sudden?" it never seemed to matter before, so why now?

"It was always the most important thing, but that woman never let it show, if I had to guess her priorities were her own comfort first, his children second, whatever was left for your sister and you while your younger brothers were just something to be sold off to the highest bidder"

And didn't that describe exactly how things were before? Leon was sold so he had to buy himself back and Colin was being announced as the next item in an auction…

After a while Cordelia continued "Do you know why Lady Angelica accepted your brother so readily?"

Jenna shook her head, that was a riddle she had no idea how to solve.

"It is because she sees Lord Leon as an asset for House Redgrave"

That didn't make any sense at all.

"Why?, Leon and her are just a branch of our family's House right now!"

"You know that the highest echelon of nobility in the kingdom are descendants of adventurers, Lady Angelica grew up with stories of her father's adventures looking for new lands and uncharted dungeons… Lord Leon is an adventurer that accomplished all that with a small boat and found a number of Lost Items and even if you doubt it he really defeated experienced knights with a spare armor, it's no small feat!"

"She fell for Leon because of his achievements then?"

That made sense to her.

But Cordelia shook her head "As much as Lady Angelica respects Lord Leon, she doesn't love him, she accepted him because her father wanted a strong blood tie with your brother. This is her way to be of use to her old House"

"Then Lady Angelica is only…" if this were one of her friends in the academy she would have been blunt, but this was the future matriarch of her branch of the Bartfot House she was talking to, of course she would be polite about it, but she still wanted to know if Angelica was only doing it to get pregnant.

"The first time, it was," Cordelia said and blushed a little.

"But now…?" So Angelica was simply enjoying the sex?

"I think that feeling so desired after the fall out with his highness has helped her".

That was the start of a beautiful friendship.

0x0

When Luxion announced that the airship Partner had taken off and would arrive in only one day she felt a pressure in her chest.

Olivia's vacation was coming to an end. A rather large group of people had gathered in the outskirts of the town and were looking upwards with anticipation, not everyone would be coming but they were curiously waiting for this mysterious Lost Item to arrive and within it their new Lord.

"Partner should be within eyesight range right now." Luxions mechanical voice announced to her and she relayed the message.

After a bit of searching someone finally spotted it "Over there!"

A gray spot in the sky growing bigger and bigger with every passing moment, she could feel her mom gently holding her arm and her father putting a hand on her shoulder.

That's right , this time she won't be alone, these nobles were kinder and there were only two of them and they even appreciated her talents.

Everything will be alright.

As time passed by the spot in the sky took form and Partner's imposing shape was soon at full display, "She's beautiful" she said in an awed voice and many of her companions agreed with her.

"She has only two cannons though" Someone pointed out.

"So what?! I don't think anyone is crazy enough to attack a ship that big!"

People started talking about how imposing it was and other such things and soon a gate on it's side opened and three smaller airships exited the main ship and descended approaching them, Partner was not to land and instead they will board it using this Mini-Partners.

Baron Leon, Lady Angelica, Miss Cordelia and another gentleman she recognized as her lord's older brother exited one of the small ships, disembarked and approached them, the group that had accepted to go with them approached them as well.

"It is good to see you again Miss Olivia, I hope your time here was agreeable" Lord Leon said, holding her hand and lifting it until he kissed the back of her hand making her blush like a tomato.

Have they decided to put up a show? Lady Angelica didn't look jealous at all, in fact she looked radiant. She decided to act along and she gave a curtsy.

"It was my Lord, these are your new vassals" As she said this she moved to the side to let the Baron see around twenty adults and various children looking at them with rapt attention.

After they were done with the formalities they were lifted to Partner by the smaller ships, once there they were greeted by the people that followed the Baron from his father's territory, there were around thirty people whom happily greeted them and then started mingling with their fellow pioneers all of them talking how it is like to work alongside a Bartfort.

They ate and drank until night getting to know each other before they were shown to a large room with small beds they would be sharing while she and her parents kept following the nobles to their own cabins.

Her parents knew of course that while she was acknowledged as Baron Leon's concubine they were not actually lovers just yet so they were relieved when they were allowed to share her cabin with her.

The next day while Miss Cordelia was showing her around looking for the ship's library which was filled wit text books on magic she noticed she had an engagement ring in her finger and had her tell her the romantic tale of how it was convenient for them to marry her and Lord Nicks, who was Lord Leon's brother and the new Hair to the old Bartfort barony…

"Do nobles even have a sense of romance?" She asked, forgetting how the poor lads would dive into dungeons to risk life and limb to present gifts to the girls they fancied…

"Don't' be like that… Olivia, we will be sisters in law, isn't that something to be happy?

The noble's pragmatism was something to be admired but it deeply hurt the romantic in her.

The trip to the library was calm and they gossiped about the brothers Leon and Nicks, she had described her new fiance as a good man that puts family first, and that he doesn't envy his younger brother's success, but feels bothered because people might expect the same from him, but he lacked ambition and had accepted fully to become the branch House down the line.

Miss Cordelia valiantly avoided calling Lord Leon and Lady Angelica as horny teenagers with license to fuck as much as she could, but did a wonderful job of describing them as that precisely.

It was a good thing Partner was so massive because they had places far away from the master's cabin, even if these were sound insulated rooms.

Alarms sounded everywhere inside Partner alongside Luxion's Voice warning them of air pirates coming for them.

Her Luxion avatar appeared beside her and guided them to safety.

After a few minutes she arrived at the ship's bridge where a worried Lady Angelica was intently watching a screen, she could see two pirate airships deploying various armors to board them and in another screen they could see Partners deck and a black, fatty and somewhat cute, black knight armor ready to intercept.

The black armor, "Arroganz'' as Luxion called it, was equipped with a strange carabin and a sword, it took off to combat their assailants, it was Lord Leon's personal Knight Armor.

It was impossibly fast and powerful, felling one foe after another with precise shots and slashes all the pirate's crashed on the deck without damaging it but shaking the ship slightly.

"Pirate's ships retreating" Luxion's voice announced to her relief, they had won! "Deploying missiles…'' Another screen followed these missiles as they flew towards their enemies and punched through its white barriers "Impact successful…" White flags raised in the enemy's deck after a few seconds "Pirate ships have surrendered. All available hands take your weapons and prepare to capture the enemy vessels."

At some point Miss Cordelia had moved to comfort Lady Angelica who was breathing rapidly but had a smile on her face.

"I knew he was supposed to be strong," the blonde lady said while looking at the screen, where Arroganz stood vigilant in the deck of one of the pirate ships, she knew that Lord Leon was supposed to be strong too, but… "But this is beyond what I expected!" Lady Angelica was noticeably shaken but happy.