My Servant System

"Well, my past with Chordeva aside, I think we should speak of the here and now instead of times long past. The Empress found it inside her magnanimous heart to award the Beliali and Cimeriesa Clans the entirety of the Tragon Kingdom, and the Asmodia's would have been awarded that as well, however..."

Lady Hathor stared at Jahi pointedly for a moment before looking to the side, taking in the side profiles of Belian and the Madam, who were taking this moment to eat.

"Chordeva refused the land in exchange for coin, which leaves the large Kingdom to us to cultivate and nurture into something our Empress can be proud of; something worthy of her trust in us. It was Belian's idea to invite some outside help to contain and cull the monster populations down on the southern border, and we agreed. We didn't know that it would be the Scion of Asmodia joining us though..."

The Madam nodded, sipping on her wine before adding "Initially we believed he was bringing a Knight or two over to aid us. That, or perhaps a contingent of soldiers to act as muscle. As such, we were fully prepared to have to negotiate over the pay for this upcoming venture, but as a show of good faith to you and your fiancees, Lady Jahi, we are willing to let you keep everything you find in those Dungeons, whilst also offering to pay anything extra should your services be required for Nogart or any of the cities leading towards the Capital of Tragon."

I glanced at Jahi, who was tapping her finger against the side of her wine glass, the Demoness' amethyst eyes focused on the Madam and Lady Hathor, making a point to ignore the narrowed eyes of Satanya or the curious, almost empty eyes of Ammit.

She was giving it some serious thought, and each moment that passed was strained with silence, the hall waiting to hear her answer and wondering what she was thinking.

"That sounds more than acceptable, Madam Tabitha, Lady Hathor. On the condition that you have both talked to your respective... envoys about their behavior going forwards? I don't appreciate those coveting what is mine... even in jest."

We all nodded, looking back across the table and staring pointedly at Satanya, who's lip curled up into an arrogant sneer as she glared back at us, the woman's sharp fangs gleaming in the light.

"That we have, and we will do so again, if needed. Those of us who are old enough aren't willing to test the stubbornness of an Asmodia, let alone willingly draw their ire. Hathor can attest to just how long an Asmodia can remain... spiteful. Rightfully so, of course."

Lady Hathor just nodded quietly, picking at her food for a moment as her multicolored eyes grew distant, making me wonder if she had actually wanted to be by the Marquess' side - even now.

The Marquess was certainly a catch that most woman would yearn for, but does that hold true for someone as powerful and influential as herself?

It was... interesting to think about, and it made me glance at Jahi as I wondered if I would feel the same should we have grown apart during the early years; would I have tried to make a return to her side even after all that time?

Sensing my gaze, the Demoness turned to look at me and smiled, her features softening as she patted my thigh, turning back to the others a moment later and meeting the various looks that the Demon's gave her; Belian had a small smirk, the Madam remained neutral - albeit her eyes shone with understanding and appreciation - while Satanya and Lady Hathor both frowned slightly, for different reasons.

"What's the plan for Tragon anyways? Surely you aren't keeping it the same? When we were there for the Crusade, the land was untouched and waiting to be used... for anything. There are certainly ore deposits situated beneath the earth, there's the expanses of fertile soil, some forests that likely are teeming with wildlife..."

"The first thing we need to do - and the reason we are sending a small, yet elite convoy over first - is to make sure everything is clear and ready to be occupied. We need an assessment on the cities, the land, and the Dungeons before we make any real moves. When you reach Nogart, the main thing that you will be doing is surveying the city and taking in its facilities. Can it properly house enough people, sustain those people, and provide other things for those people? Are the buildings still standing and relatively usable, are any survivors sheltering within its walls? We need to make sure that the Kingdom is ready to accept its new rulers and understands what is happening, and the best place to start is their capital."

Lady Hathor nodded at Belian's words, adding "This is merely an expeditionary force. Satanya and Ammit are to head it, with Laraie, Luci and Ronove aiding Satanya and Nakith and Setem aiding Ammit. The seven of them were to work together and further their bonds on this trip, so that if they ever take over as important members of the Clan, they have a better taste of the responsibilities required of them. Now with you here, they get to learn how to work with outsiders as well, so that they might learn how to not antagonize those that could be helpful to them and potential allies in the future."

The Clan Head of the Cimeriesa's glanced at Satanya as she said that, making the young Demoness let out a huff as she crossed her arms and looked away, much to the dismay of her three retainers.

"Either way, this journey is needed in many different facets, and we are hopeful that you'll help us on this diplomatic mission as well as potentially find it in your heart to rekindle the relationships between our Clans once more. Watching as the Asmodia's have slowly dwindled down to naught but two remaining Demonesses was agonizing, even more so when Chordeva made it clear she wasn't going to accept any help or aid from us..."

"It's three now, Lady Hathor. There are three Demonesses of House Asmodia; my Mom, myself, and my younger half sister Lakshmi."

Murmurs erupted around the hall at that, with the woman staring at us in silence for a moment before nodding, a small smile on her lips as she muttered "A half sister, hmm..?"

"Congratulations, Lady Jahi. We had heard the news that Baroness Julie Zara was pregnant, but no one had confirmed the children that she bore, and who exactly was the other parents; if it was just Lady Ria, Lady Chordeva, or perhaps both?"

Belian wore a strained smile as he said "Both... it was both. Twins; Lakshmi Asmodia and Alessandra Haniel..."