In recent days, Elise had been feeling overwhelming joy every single moment. It was as if she'd suddenly emerged into a sunlit paradise after years spent living in a dark cell—and her previous life had been quite comfortable by most standards.
Currently, Elise was walking through through the manse hand-in-hand with Quhuru. She would have liked to be with her other two husbands too, but it wasn't possible for them all to be together at once, not when they had their own duties and their own hobbies.
Elise glanced at the nearest window. Raindrops were pounding incessantly on the glass and soaking the garden outside. However, neither the rain nor the ugly moat that circled the manse could diminish her spirits.
The two of them passed by the door to Colette' room. This was closed and no sound leaked out, but Elise still smiled at the thought of what was happening inside.
"Do you think they'll come out for lunch, or will they skip it again?" Quhuru said, stifling a laugh.
"Hehe, I'd say both are equally likely! But there's no need to disturb them."
While Elise had already been experienced prior to getting married, her alraune half-sister had been a virgin. It would probably take a while before she learned to control her desires.
Elise and Quhuru reached the former's experimental room. Here, Elise resumed working on her latest project: developing strains of entomopathogenic fungi to eliminate disease-spreading species of insects, such as certain mosquitoes.
There were half a dozen cages filled with insects in the room. Most were buzzing around energetically, but two of the cages had some insects that had fallen to the floor and become covered in whitish fungal growth.
Elise approached one of the cages and cast a low-powered sleep spell, causing all the cage's occupants to land on the nearest surface and stop moving. Then she lifted up the lid and scooped out the dead insects from the floor.
"Seven out of the original forty have succumbed," Elise said. "A mortality rate of seventeen point five per cent. I was hoping for more, a week after infection…"
Quhuru wrote down the result on a sheet of paper. "Don't blame yourself, Elise. I'm sure there are things you can learn from this."
Elise knew this already, of course; failure was another part of the scientific method. But hearing it from one of her husband's lips filled her with happiness.
"Thanks! Then let's take a look at the physiology of these fruiting bodies…"
Elise touched the fungal growth on each dead insect, one by one, and Quhuru recorded her findings. When they were finished with this cage, Elise opened another one and began examining the fungi on the dead insects in here.
"Overall, the results are within expectations," Elise said. "And now I have more ideas on how to improve mortality. Just need to wait until the current experiment finishes…"
"What if you simply had more cages, with more insects?" Quhuru suggested. "Then you could start your next experiment now. And if you think there isn't enough space, we could excavate another underground room for you to do your research in. Colette could benefit from the same…" He grinned. "When she resumes her research, that is."
"Hmm. It's a nice idea, but we've already got that new training room. If we dig too much, it could risk damaging the city's sewerage system, that's quite extensive."
Quhuru rubbed his chin in thought. "Then what if we added a third storey to the manse? With six incubi on the job, it should not take very long."
That sounded more feasible. And now Elise was imagining several men toiling away under the hard sun, foregoing shirts to show off their muscles, sweat glistening on their skin…
Elise's legs trembled. She wouldn't be able to focus on her research like this.
"Quhuru..."
After Quhuru helped her calm down, a process that took less than ten minutes, Elise finished her current work. The two of them left the room and headed downstairs for lunch.
Elise reunited with her two other husbands, Rego and Merrabor, here. They'd been working during the morning, guarding Amelia while she gave out beauty treatments to visiting nobles.
And when they spotted Elise and Quhuru, both incubi immediately noticed what had happened.
"Really, Quhuru?" Rego said, shaking his head. "You were alone with her for just a few hours, yet you took advantage of her?"
"You know full well who took advantage of who," Quhuru shot back.
"Well, perhaps she had to settle for you this morning," Merrabor said. He puffed out his chest. "But tonight, we will again see just who can satisfy her best."
Elise giggled. "Please, there's no need to compete!"
"I thought this room was intended for dining, not for speaking of matters in the bedroom," Alatto said drily. He was already seated at the table.
"Hey, might be better to let them keep going," Amelia said, though she looked about to laugh. "The happier they are, the better they can do their jobs, right?"
However, Wilmarina entered the dining room shortly after. And while Elise was now able to show off her new marriage with head held high, her husbands were still awkward around their Mother-in-law.
"Welcome back, Royal Sorceress," Miklaz said. He'd already started piling food onto his plate. "Do you have anything interesting to share with us?"
Wilmarina looked at Elise and her husbands, who sat down quickly.
"I do… mainly news of the conquests."
They began eating lunch. During this, Elise heard about what the queen and her dragon daughters had been doing.
"Daenerys has now visited four nearby city-states: Elyria, Tolos, Mantarys and New Ghis," Wilmarina explained. She took a sip of apple juice. "All four have agreed to her terms—not surprising after her quick conquest of Yunkai. She returned to the city just this morning."
"So that leaves only Volantis as the true threat," Fieron said. "Once that's conquered, I doubt the likes of Tyrosh or Myr will dare try anything."
"But the saboteur fleet hasn't arrived there yet," Jassen pointed out. "That would probably take a few more days, considering the distance from here to Volantis."
"Putting Volantis aside for now, the nearby cities have agreed to peace terms," Miklaz said. "What are the details of those terms, Royal Sorceress?"
"They may no longer buy—or otherwise acquire—slaves of any kind," Wilmarina said. "They may no longer abuse their slaves in the name of 'discipline'. Any children born to slaves are to be treated as free citizens. And…" she closed her eyes, "the masters have three months in which to reorganise their economies to no longer depend on slavery."
Elise didn't grasp the full meaning of this at first. Others beat her to it.
"They can keep their slaves for three months!?" Rego said, standing up from his chair. "Why would Mhysa agree to such a compromise!?"
"She could have just forced them to free their slaves right now!" Zerah said in agreement. "They cannot resist the power of dragons!"
"Perhaps… Perhaps she did not want to repeat Astapor and Yunkai," Merrabor said, more quietly than the others.
Elise glanced at the three former bed slaves. She remembered that, although they appreciated their freedom now, they had all suffered hardships during Daenerys' conquest of Meereen—and this was a city in which she'd actually stayed to oversee things!
"And you think that's worth leaving people in chains!?" Quhuru asked furiously.
"Not at all!" Merrabor retorted. "I went through Unsullied training, just the same as you! But sometimes, there are no good options—"
Several other Unsullied joined the argument, all of them in favour of freeing the slaves immediately. The former bed slaves continued to stay quiet.
Elise was on the verge of panic. She didn't want everyone to argue, but the argument had begun so suddenly that she couldn't think of any way to defuse it.
"All of you, calm down," Wilmarina said firmly. "I've discussed this with the queen too. We eventually decided that it was the best out of several difficult options."
The Unsullied who'd been arguing immediately quietened down. Even so, many of them looked unsatisfied.
"Mom, mind explaining why you went with this?" Amelia asked, also looking unsatisfied.
"As a reminder, Druella's conquest of Lescatie, one city-state, required her and thousands of monsters," Wilmarina replied. "Immediately eliminating slavery from this region would need an even greater number. Daenerys's best bet would be to turn her armies into incubi—and then it would be impossible to contain the power."
Elise could easily imagine that. Of the six men she'd turned into incubi, three had married her soon after. The other three managed to restrain themselves, but they had outright admitted that it was difficult at times. If there were thousands of incubi running around, there was no way to make all of them never have sex with human women.
"This entire region would become a monster realm in short order, meaning no more male births."
The dining room fell silent. It was a counterargument they'd all heard before. That didn't stop Elise from feeling bitter that people would still suffer, just to a lesser extent than before.
"Even so, the amount of suffering that will happen in these three months…" Quhuru said. "Mother-in-law, is this truly the best option?
"And there's another factor," Wilmarina continued. "Most people in Meereen support Daenerys, but not all of them. Some do not, for a variety of reasons. And of course, these city-states she's just conquered have many more people who dislike her… If any of these people gains the power of monsters, what do you think they would do with it?"
In the past, Elise would never have imagined this possibility. But after learning that her own parents had rebelled against Druella's regime, she no longer had that luxury.
I've heard… I've now heard about those one hundred and sixty-three nobles the queen… crucified… Some of them might have… done the same to children… but even so… I can't blame their families for wanting… revenge...
"I know it's hard to accept," Wilmarina continued. "But even in the world we come from, monsterkind still has to limit itself. That's why there are still many human nations in existence. Many of them have poverty, corruption, inequality… but trying to convert them would create different problems."
"So even the Demon Lord and her husband, all of the lilim… have to be careful what they do," Elise said. "At least until they work out how to let monsters have sons…"
"Well, that is the conclusion Daenerys and I came to in the end," Wilmarina said. "If Fran had been here instead of me, then Daenerys might be acting very differently now…"
"Lady Francisca… she would want a more aggressive approach?" Beroq said.
"Yes. While she's not in the so-called extremist faction, she is very much in favour of granting monsterisation to those in need. I can't blame her, considering that she was sickly and neglected since birth… monsterisation was truly a whole new life for her. If she were here, I think she'd push for the creation of a monster realm." Wilmarina sighed. "There are benefits and downsides to both approaches. I can't say Fran's would necessarily be worse."
"...Now that you have explained it in detail, I see the logic," Rego said, bowing his head. "I can't fault Mhysa for choosing this approach."
"I have another question: what measures does Queen Daenerys have to ensure these rules are kept?" Miklaz asked. "I assume she isn't just trusting the authorities of the cities to obey her."
"She's leaving behind representatives in each of the cities, to observe them," Wilmarina replied. "All well-paid, so they're less likely to take bribes, and with the name of the dragon queen behind them, no one will dare murder them. And they've been given telepathic bracelets, so they can contact Daenerys instantaneously when needed."
It was hard for Elise to imagine things like bribery or murder. In her worldview, people simply did their jobs properly and followed the law.
"As for how successful they are, only time will tell. That is more or less all that I know, so if you don't mind, I think we should all focus on this meal in front of us."
There was a subdued atmosphere for the rest of lunch. Elise ate very little, and not simply due to having eaten prior to lunch.
At the end, Elise quietly asked her husbands to come up to her room with her. From the looks on their faces, they knew her meaning without having to explain it.
Once they were all in the privacy of her room, where nothing they said might be overheard, Elise let out a sigh.
"Alright. I know you still have your disagreements. I think both sides have good points. I hope… I hope we can all talk this out calmly."
The three incubi nodded.
"Thank you for this, Elise," Rego said. "I'm sorry for worrying you—I'm sure the others are no less sorry."
"None of this is your fault, Elise," Quhuru said. He turned towards the third. "Then let us start the discussion, get it out of the way quickly. Merrabor… you went through the same horrors as us. Like us, you have seen other kinds of slaves experience their own horrors. Even before Elise's mother gave further explanation… just why were you already agreeing, to let slaves stay in their chains for three months?"
Merrabor looked between Rego and Quhuru. He showed no signs of backing down.
"It's simple. I was in the audience hall… on the day those three refugees from Astapor came. Do you remember that event?"
Rego and Quhuru looked unsettled. However, Elise didn't know what Merrabor was talking about.
"You might have heard about Astapor, the third city of Slaver's Bay, and how it's now ruins," Merrabor explained, clearly noticing Elise's confusion. "It's where we Unsullied were trained, and the first city that Mhysa conquered."
"A while after she left it, a butcher seized power," Rego said. "Cleon, I think that was his name."
"That's right, and he was a terrible ruler in peace and in war," Merrabor said. "Well, I only heard about his actions during war… When the Yunkish army laid siege to Astapor, he failed to either defeat them or to keep his people fed and healthy. Famine and disease ran rampant in the city… The refugees spoke of eating cats and rats and leather and… sometimes the flesh of people. And when the bloody flux came, three-quarters of the population—those who hadn't already died of other causes—perished."
Elise remembered what Meereen had looked like when she'd first come here. She'd thought that was the absolute apex of misery. The idea that there could be something beyond that caused her to shudder.
Quhuru looked unconvinced. "Are you suggesting that the same would happen now if—!"
"Of course not!" Merrabor said. "If you'd just let me finish—!"
"Again, there's no need to shout!" Elise said, physically stepping in between the two sides. "
"As I was about to say…" Merrabor continued in a lower voice. "I don't think the same thing would happen now. First of all, Mhysa is a different person now than she was then, wiser and more careful."
That was something that still astounded Elise. The human queen was four years younger than she was. And even at the age of twenty, Elise wouldn't have trusted herself to lead a village, let alone a country.
"And second, conquest with her monsterised daughters is obviously very different. But even so… there are limits to what she can accomplish. These are cities with over a million people, when you add up their populations. There's no way to keep track of everything that's happening. Free all the slaves immediately, when their economies are built on slave labour, and there'll be chaos." Merrabor sighed. "As much as it hurts me to say it… that chaos isn't beneficial to former slaves either…"
"When you put it that way… I've misjudged you, Merrabor," Rego said. "Sorry. You put more thought into this than I did."
Quhuru shook his head in frustration. "Just wish it didn't have to be this way…"
Elise began wondering about the alternative. Her mother had talked her out of it weeks ago, but now that she'd made some incubi herself, she began giving it serious consideration again.
Thousands of monsters were needed for Lescatie… so would over ten thousand be needed here? Over twenty thousand?
There are monster realms with bigger populations than that… although not many. If we started the conversion in Meereen, starting with the armies, then I don't think there'd be a rebellion here… or am I being naive?
It was truly a thorny dilemma. Personally, Elise was slightly in favour of making a monster realm—only natural after growing up in a country saved by monsterisation. At the same time, she considered her mother to be one of the wisest people she knew.
I just can't make up my mind… all of my schooling never taught me how to solve such problems.
There's one thing I'm glad for, though.
Elise stepped forward and pulled all three of her husbands into a tight hug.
"Elise!?" "E-Elise!?" "Wait, why—"
"Thank you for sorting this out so quickly," Elise murmured. "I was afraid… afraid that this might turn into something bitter."
The succubus felt several hands pat her on the head and back. Even these simple gestures gave her a strong feeling of comfort.
"We only managed this thanks to you," Rego said.
Elise laughed weakly. "You don't have to lie to spare my feelings, I barely did anything."
"My love, I was getting ready to punch Merrabor in the face," Quhuru said. "I think your intervention made a big difference."
"And for not getting punched in the face, I'm grateful to you, Elise," Merrabor said. "Also for helping them stay calm enough to understand my point of view."
Elise pulled away. She searched the faces of the three incubi, trying to find any sign of deceit, but to no avail.
"Thank you…" Elise breathed in and out. "When I used to… dream about this kind of life… I never considered the potential problems…"
"Yet you helped to solve it, and quite well," Rego said. "Perhaps you take after your father in that aspect."
"Perhaps…"
Elise couldn't remember a single instance of her parents arguing. Yet, after hearing about how Francisca differed from the others in her opinion of monsterisation, she now wondered if they'd just kept their arguments away from their children.
Come to think of it, I remember that Aunt Sasha once said, "We are different in many ways. Our only unifying features are that we love Elt, and that we accepted being turned into monsters"… It would be more surprising if they never had any arguments.
But even so… they're still together, and happy together, after thirty-one years. Clearly, they've managed to make their marriage work.
"I'll do my best to live up to his example," Elise said, now managing to smile. "Now, I want to speak with my mother now, so if you'd like to come with me…"
Elise and her husbands left the room and headed downstairs. They could now hear muffled shouting coming from the direction of the dining room. Additionally, they saw an unexpected sight at the bottom of the stairs: Colette and Errol standing there nervously.
When Colette caught sight of Elise's group, she perked up a little. "Just what is going on?" she asked. "We… came out, and now Amelia and Auntie Mary are having a fight."
Elise gave a quick explanation of events. During this, she caught some snatches of the argument.
"—actually bothered to tell her from the start, then maybe she could've started making incubi earlier! Then she'd be better-prepared now!"
"I could not have told her that early. I didn't fully trust her then—what if she was a tyrant who'd try to conquer the world with her now-unstoppable army?"
"You already heard how she was trying to get people out of chains! And seriously, even if she was that, she'd still be better than—"
"Amelia. Things are never that simple. You've spoken to many nobles of Meereen during your work here. What did they tell you about the queen?"
"I—that's not—ugh!"
Eventually, Elise's twin stomped out of the dining room. She barely even glanced at Colette and Errol before going upstairs towards her own bedroom.
Merrabor blinked. "Your sister… feels even more strongly about this issue than we former slaves do."
"It's partly that, and partly her being more willing to confront our mother about it," Elise said. She thought back to a dozen other arguments in the past, though these ones had been about Amelia's lifestyle. "Well, Amelia isn't in the mood for anyone to talk to her at the moment, so we should go to Mother…"
Elise's group, now joined by Colette and Errol, entered the dining room. Here they saw Wilmarina sitting down and staring at her cup of water.
"I'm sorry about Amelia," Elise said quietly. "If we'd been here with you, we could have helped talk to her."
Wilmarina waved a hand dismissively. "It's alright. She raised some good points as well."
Rego cleared his throat. "To be clear, Mother-in-law, I don't blame you at all. You gave Mhysa good counsel, and as I said earlier, I understand why she's chosen this approach."
"I as well," Quhuru said. "I must thank you for being so patient with us, despite our immature arguments."
"Why are you all so apologetic?" Wilmarina groaned. "Before Amelia came, two other Unsullied came to me to apologise."
Merrabor laughed. "Please give us time. In a few more months, perhaps we'll learn to be as bold with you as your elder daughter is."
"On second thoughts, please don't do that. I have enough stress as it is… Let's move on to a less stressful topic." Wilmarina turned her head slightly. "Colette, Errol… I'm happy to see you two have joined together in matrimony."
This caused the alraune and the new incubus to compete in who could blush more intensely.
"I-It's nothing worth celebrating…" Colette said.
"A-And it shouldn't have taken so long," Errol said. "If I hadn't been so cowardly…"
"However, I do have to give you the same warning that I've given Elise," Wilmarina continued. "It would be slightly inconvenient to deal with any pregnancies…"
"A-A-Auntie Mary!"
"Roya—I mean, Wil… Wilmarina... I assure you, we'd never be so r-reckless!"
As she watched the younger couple act flustered, Elise couldn't help but smile.
Arguments are a part of any relationship. In the future, even these two might find things they disagree on.
But as long as everyone involved can talk things out properly, it should be okay.