The Castle in the middle of nowhere.

I was sitting in the living room, reading a book. It wasn't a report, technical documentation, or anything of the sort. It was a genuine piece of creativity, a work of fiction. A story of a young girl who woke up in a Duke's mansion... A romance story written by a young woman living in Westwood. Not so long ago, most of the people living in these lands were illiterate; now, they created the first works of fiction, threading the paths of art and literature. While the book wasn't exactly deep or the greatest romance ever written, though I wasn't qualified to judge such things, I was happy about it. That book symbolised the leap of civilisation the people under my rule had made. They started creating various works of art: paintings, sculptures, and music. My people were enthusiastic about the future like never before, and I was looking forward to seeing what else they would create. I finished reading, and I closed the book with a sigh. Of course... It had to end with a cliffhanger.

Two days ago, Amber, Irene, Luna, Hestia, Lavender, Stella, and even Cahrona had locked themselves in the Magic Tower. For some reason, they put their everything into solving the teleportation mana consumption problem. I had been joking back then since, at least for me, it wasn't a problem at all. While widely available teleportation seemed appealing initially, it was hazardous for many reasons. First, the security reasons alone were a big enough concern to classify teleportation as the most closely guarded secret. Secondly, it would be an excuse for the people to live in the pockets of civilization surrounded by the impenetrable wilderness. Why bother with developing untamed land when you could simply teleport effortlessly from one city to another? No. Teleportation has its uses, but I would strictly limit it to military use. I was ready to give an order to Stella when my Queens, along with the Faé Scion and Cahrona Ashes, appeared in front of me. Judging by their long faces and disheartened yawns, they were not successful.

Without a word, the Queens dragged Stella and Cahrona to the bathroom. Aoi gave me a surprised look, to which I could reply only with a shrug. I called one of the maids and ordered her to bring supper. The women needed about an hour to prepare themselves while I and Aoi sat silently, sipping drinks. The wind blew warm air through the opened balcony doors, and the afternoon sun shone in the cloudless sky. My wives and Aoi looked defeated, with gloomy faces, while only Stella seemed unconcerned.

"What's the problem you are facing, my Queens?" I interrupted the awkward silence with a warm smile and a gentle clap of my hands.

"We can't do anything about the mana consumption," Amber admitted with a sigh. "We tried so many things, like new visualisation of the spell, along with the newest formulas we developed in Arcadia, as well as every trick we could think of."

"Excellent!" I smiled warmly and dug into my meal.

"Huh?!" Luna stood up angrily. "Why are you so happy about it?!"

"Have any of you thought about the immediate consequences of making teleportation cheaper or, even worse, widespread? Like, for example, the security issues?" I asked while cutting off a bite-size piece of my fish.

"No..." Luna sat down and paled a bit. She slowly looked at the others who had participated in the project, and they were all ashamed.

"We just wasted our time..." Amber sighed, and I recognised the angry sparks in her green eyes, despite how rarely I had seen them so far.

"No," I said softly with a warm smile. "Even if you see that as wasted effort right now, it was crucial research."

"You really don't have to comfort us, Theon." Irene sighed sadly and took a bite of her salad.

"I don't have to comfort you. I simply stated a fact." I shrugged and took a sip of the apple juice. "I suspect that in the near or further future, someone will steal teleportation from us or come up with it on their own. You know me, so you know that I assume our enemies will have access to a similar capability as we do. Don't you think knowing the limits of teleportation beforehand would be beneficial?"

"Oh..." All of them, even Stella and Cahrona, exclaimed in unison.

"We still don't know enough to be comfortable with that new spell. But you are Arcadia's best shot for quickly understanding the quirks of that spell." I pointed at Amber with my fork and smiled widely. "So, how could I possibly say that you wasted your time?"

They all smiled back and started relaxing. The awkward silence slowly faded away, replaced by chatter. I felt that Cahrona was staring at me. When I looked back at her, she blushed and looked at her plate.

"Something wrong, Miss Cahrona?" I asked in the most neutral tone I could muster.

"I... I was wondering why Your Highness invited me." She nervously rubbed her hands on the dress she received as a gift from Hestia.

"Oh, that's simple. Really." I smiled as she jerked her head up in surprise. "Consider it a token of gratitude for all your hard work, Miss Cahrona. Since the day you have chosen to serve Hestia, you have been very helpful. But only the recent events have shown me how invaluable your help is."

"I..." She blushed and slightly lowered her gaze. "Thank you, my Lord."

"Be my guest." I took a deep breath. "Also, I wanted to apologise to you."

"My Lord..." She raised her hands in a defensive gesture.

"No, please. I don't want to make it more awkward than it already is," I interrupted her. "You work hard, Miss... No. Sorry. From now on, I will use your appropriate title: Princess Cahrona Ashes. I won't ask you to forgive me for killing your brother because that's something..."

"I forgave you a long time ago," she interrupted me. "I still harbour some resentment, but I know he couldn't be saved. I know he planned to kill me, and I know that I'm guilty of threatening to kill the Queens..."

"Let's just pretend that it never happened," I proposed and looked at my Queens, who nodded in general agreement. Even Luna, who had the biggest grudge against Cahrona, seemed to have forgiven her. Seeing the mixed feelings painted on the face of the Succubus, I smiled. "I warned you it might get awkward."

•••

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. They told me about their experiments with teleportation, and I suggested how we should use it. Stella was sure that creating a teleportation device that could be installed in a sufficiently giant airship was achievable. However, that would take time, and no one was eager to guess how long it would take. With that line of research and development decided on, Stella left us. While the Queens and Cahrona indulged themselves in some discussion about fashion, I decided to sit silently in the corner. Lavender abruptly proposed to go to the gardens, and we quickly moved to the quiet corner near the Palace forest. The maids prepared the blankets to sit on and short-legged tables, on which awaited various desserts and refreshments. The place was hidden in the shade of a nearby forest and a few lone trees, creating a charming clearing. The nearby brook shimmered softly, and the fresh breeze gave me a much-needed respite from the summer's hot sun. I was surprised to find that Cassmira, Lanka, Idna, Rose, Lilly, Iris, Dahlia, and Gloria were already waiting. Since it looked like I was an unnecessary addition, I lay down on the bank, and after taking off my shoes, I put my feet into the water.

I closed my eyes for a moment and realised that Morrigan was trying to contact me. It was nothing urgent, just a simple report that Dauntless was returning home. I had sent the Vampire Scion to gather all sensitive intel from our spies in Metaka and act accordingly. She used the time Janet spent in Yranta to investigate a case of the increasing number of bandits on the roads of Metaka that were headed to Arcadia. As suspected, a few nobles from the third faction, previously led by Jarred Kai-Metaka, were behind that. To my surprise, they continued to plot their schemes even without Jarred, which was illogical. None of them had enough influence to seize the throne, and that alone begged more questions. At first, Morrigan wanted to simply kill the enemy nobles; however, she quickly changed her plans to observe them in order to ferret out every connection they had. While I wasn't sure if there was any plot to follow, postponing their execution wouldn't be a problem for Arcadia. I was long past any concerns about something so mundane as borders. If people were going to pick a fight with me, nothing would stop me from playing along.

As I opened my eyes and focused on my surroundings, I immediately heard the wonderful music. Sweet tones of various instruments playing together created a heart-moving harmony, including harps, violins, wind instruments, and even a piano. I stood up, shocked and enchanted, and looked at the gathered women who played music I never heard before, yet it sounded so familiar. Rose, Cahrona, Luna, and Lavender were humming a mesmerising melody without words, yet it somehow made me sentimental. I couldn't tell how long I stood there immersed in the amazing music, but it was calming and comforting. The song they played changed, and I felt how the new melody brought back all my happy memories. While the memories I had already made in this world were still fresh, there were also some memories from my old world. However, instead of making me sentimental, those particular memories awoke my resentments and steeled my resolve to tread the path of my new life, bearing full responsibility.

"Theon?" I hadn't noticed the moment when Amber approached me and took my hand. "Are you crying?"

I slowly raised my other hand and touched my face. "It looks like it..."

I smiled and let my tears flow. We slowly walked towards them, and I felt their gaze on me. I started clapping with a wide smile. "That was incredible, my Ladies."

The women smiled back and bowed to me, unaware of how much their music had moved me. I was going to remember their performance forever. I sat down and let go of Amber, smiling at her and gently pushing her towards Irene and Lanka, who seemed to be waiting for her. I sat near them and picked up a free cup with some drink. I watched them laughing and having fun, and I smiled as well. I will protect their smiles. I will protect Arcadia.

•••

Dauntless was heading back to Arcadia, using only half of its nominal speed. At first, the Metakan ships tried to escort the mighty battleship back to the border. However, the honorary guard had to give up their task because of the approaching storm. That surprised the bridge officers because even the Bernan ships were well protected against the inclement weather. Only massive downpours and heavy thunderstorms would force the Bernan ships to seek shelter on the surface. The ships of the Royal Navy of Arcadia were immune from elements even before Dauntless entered the service. Janet, however, suspected that the Metakans were simply gathering the intel about Dauntless.

"We received new orders, Ma'am!" the communication officer raised his voice just before Janet retired to her quarters.

"Go on, Ensign." She turned towards him from the doors. Her first officer had already taken over the ship, relieving her from the duty for today, but no one was stupid enough to ignore the Admiral.

"We are to support the main offensive in Berna, Lady Admiral. HMS Victory, with her escort, is heading straight to support Lady Elisabeth. Once Dauntless meets with the rest of the Fleet, we will give the self-proclaimed Kingdom of Tulva one last chance to surrender."

"What if they refuse?" Janet smiled grimly.

"To quote the King himself, 'Do whatever you have to, Admiral. Ad Victoriam.', Ma'am!"

"Helm! Course to Berna." the first officer ordered, noting Lady Sparrow's facial expression.

"Finally..." Janet smirked and turned away again, the coattails of her long navy coat waving behind her. The Marine on guard duty opened the bridge doors respectfully and saluted her. "We are finally going to finish this war..."