Chapter 689: Blackmailing The King

After spending a good chunk of a day with her kin, Nerissa was then informed as she was planning on leaving that King Dickon had sent her a royal summons. This prompted Nerissa to roll her eyes as the only way he would have known she was here is if Elaine told him.

’Just great.’ She couldn’t help thinking. Being who he was and who his daughter was, Nerissa had a good idea what Dickon had summoned her for.

Nerissa sighed before entering the throne room. King Dickon and Queen Elaine were sitting alone. No guards, no court. Just the two of them for this summons. This was at least an upside to Nerissa. She didn’t have to put on airs like the order tends to do around other nobles.

Still, after approaching, she did bow slightly to be respectful of their titles. “King Dickon. Queen Elaine. You wish to speak to me?”

Dickon did not put on pretences. Casual was the way to go for this he estimated. “Praetorian Nerissa. I have summoned you, but not on anything official. I have asked you here before us today as nothing more than a curious father who cares for his little girl. Would you be willing to answer some questions about the Archon you left with after my wife’s party?”

Nerissa thought for a moment before replying. “I am willing to answer as long as it’s something I believe my friend would have no problem with you knowing.”

Dickon frowned slightly hearing this and asked. “And what would this Archon of my Empire keep from his King?”

“Perhaps the way your daughter’s lips feel against his own?” Nerissa declared and watched as the king gripped his throne’s arm rests with considerable force.

Nerissa then turned to Queen Elaine who looked like she was about to speak up. “My friend is quite protective of his privacy. As I am sure your spies have found out. Now, as for an actual answer to your question, my King. You know Archons and nobility have consent to keep their private affairs away from the crown. So let us end this banter, hmm? Tell me what you wish to know.”

Dickon looked at his wife for a moment, Elaine noticing the look in his eyes, knew he was on the edge of bursting. She tried to shake her head to tell him no, but he blurted out before finishing turning his attention back to Nerissa.

“What is this scrunts ambition with my daughter? Does he wish to bed her to get closer to the throne? Because if that is the case I will have him castrated and hung up at the palace entrance with his tiny prick nailed to his forehead!”

Nerissa just stood there for a moment and sighed before turning around to leave. As she did so, she heard footsteps coming down from a throne and running to block her exit. Stopping before Elaine, she allowed the woman to speak.

“Forgive my husband, Nerissa. We are just worried parents. In this empire, we should have some information on our Archons, so for Apollo to be as ghostly as he is, it leaves concerns for Hailey’s safety. Please trust us, we hold no animosity for Apollo, your friend. DO WE DEAR?”

Elaine shouted to her husband, prompting the man to gulp down any other words he could have said and simply replied with. “Yes dear…”

It didn’t work though as Nerissa still tried to leave, she could feel the ill will towards Apollo radiating off the king still.

Deducing what was happening, Elaine then offered. “Is there anything we can do to convince you to stay and talk with us Nerissa? We just want to know more about our future son-in-law.”

Dickon grasped his chest as Elaine said those horrific words. ’This is the big one!’ He couldn’t help thinking, forgetting he had an artificial heart that couldn’t have a heart attack.

Nerissa, however, saw gold and a chance to possibly increase the rate of curious encounters in the future. Turning around to address the king, she declared. “Grant Archon Apollo Hylus-Lambdason Sentinel authority alongside diplomat status and make it official in the records within the next twenty minutes and I will tell you as much as I feel is fair about my friend. Oh and I won’t tell Hailey that you probed me for information about her boyfriend.”

“Done!” King Dickon agreed in a heartbeat. “Wait, Dickon, think this-” Dickon ignored his wife’s concern. He had concerns of his own in this matter. In a moment he could think of two different communications between him and Hailey depending on his actions.

If he declined Nerissa’s proposal and Hailey found out. he would be yelled at again with her screaming how much she hates him, but if he granted her… ’Boyfriend’ these titles… She might call him all cutely telling him how much she loved him and how he was the best!”

That thought alone released so much serotonin and dopamine that any possible downsides of this deal were cast to the void.

Four minutes of shouting at underlings through communicators later, a woman ran into the throne room with a scrolls in her hand before kneeling before the king, holding the scrolls up to him.

“Hand them to the Praetorian and leave, tell everyone good work on my behalf.” He addressed the one kneeling and watched as Nerissa took the scrolls and read them over.

“Everything to your satisfaction? Other copies now exist in the public and private charters. He is now officially a sentinel, one of twenty-six, tell him congratulations.”

Nerissa read over the scrolls carefully. Making sure no fast ones were pulled and Apollo had no forced conditions applied to his new status. Once satisfied, she closed the scrolls and looked directly at Dickon.

“So, what do you want to know about your future son?”

Dickon collapsed back on his throne, grasping his chest once more before declaring in great concern.

“I-I can smell toast.”

…

Sat in her spacecraft, Aeletha was relaxing, listening to some classical music she had preserved for millennia. Modern songs were too similar to one another these days after all; There was nothing good to listen to.

While relaxing, one of her private communicators chimed. She frowned upon hearing it. She had made it clear that she would be a way for a time and most of her duties had been passed onto underlings.

Walking over to her desk gracefully, she reached into her communicator draw and pulled out the one that was chiming, causing immediate surprise.

This was her spartari contact for a very specific reason. Answering the call swiftly, she answered as she always would despite her excitement.

“Speak…. Uh huh? Really? How long ago? An hour? Excellent work. I am currently away from Calnivis. You can reach out to Cor’voth of the Plipit, tell him to pay you what was agreed and for it I will owe him a favour. To confirm my authority to him, say the name, Lommey.”

Aeletha put the communicator down and back into the draw before returning to her seat and smiling. ’Sentinel? Just what is that Archon doing over there to get titles like that? Ugh, I need more Chapters of him. There is never enough.’

He really was like a mystery book. Just when she thinks she has a grasp on that human, more things come to light. She wanted to just skip to the end and find out just what the great mystery of Apollo is.

At that thought a smile crept upon her face. Pushing her hair through her horns, she sat back and smiled. With his new titles… She could write a new book and bring him into her story with no drawbacks…

Aeletha suddenly found herself smiling and allowed herself to remain doing so as a plan was already forming in her mind. All she needed to start off this little novel was a good enough reason for the coalition and the barbarians to make temporary peace again.

As she thought this, a vision clouded her mind. A fleet larger than any before. Larger than Bastion was approaching the galaxy. The hunger was voracious, practically feral compared to what they have shown before. They were going to devour like never before. Enemies never before seen will descend on unsuspecting armies. Worlds were going to be devoured down to the core. Star systems wouldn’t even burn, they would just cease to exist.

As the vision ended, Aeletha gathered her thoughts. “So many… A perfect reason to call a truce…”

And from what she had seen, they would hit Spartari first, giving her time to finish her current task before she could simply use her amulet to get back home much faster. But with that said and knowing a threat greater than bastion was upon them, Aeletha walked back to her desk and pulled out a few dozen communicators. She had work to do. A galaxy to save.

As she began her work and began her calls, she had failed to spot that in her Mindspace, the two visions of her future that she could possibly have were slightly changing, the river towards one of her futures had begun to widen, ever so slightly…

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