Chapter 60: 63.

As it turned out, Selene's engagement WAS news to monsieur Dantes. Thankfully, he had retained enough presence of mind not to shout, but... yeah. Right now, he and Selene are discussing things in one of the cabins, after a very tense hissyfit at each other. I... have a suspicion they're pretty used to solving their problems like this. Aaaanyway, I'm going to... Nevermind, Dantes just poked out and asked me to come and join them for the discussion. I... suppose.

"So." - I begin, as soon as the door is closed - "What exactly do you need from me?"

Edmon scratches the back of his head - "I'm... Not sure I understood Selene's story correctly."

Selene grumbles back - "Or, translating from dadspeak, he wants to know why Edward went from your fiancé to mine." Edmon gives his daughter a glance that could likely be translated as "why are you being so informal with a woman who stands square above us in the social order?".

"Well, the most basic explanation is 'I like girls'." - I tell him blithely, causing a doubletake - "The long story is that while yes, me and Edward used to be engaged, this engagement was decided on by our respective parents back when we were still toddlers. Due to series of misunderstandings which I will not be detailing on, in part due to me still not understanding them completely myself, Edward went on through his childhood believing I heartily dislike him, while I was quite certain I've nailed my part perfectly." Pausing for a moment, I pop open the concealed minibar, prompting two doubletakes this time, pour myself a nice glass of wine, and continue - "To put things in perspective, I had not really spent any time with Edward since I was nine. Meanwhile, Selene had met him in the Academy as it just started, and hit it off. As we later discovered, Ed's dislike of me was magically reinforced at some point during last year, probably because I started making waves with my new inventions on the market."

I pause, and realize I forgot something important. "Oh, help yourself to the drinks if you feel like it." - I invite them - "Anyway, once the magical part of it was discovered... And yes, Selene had played a role in this. She noticed Ed's behavior was off and with the help of his best friend, one Alistair McGregor, had persuaded his highness to investigate the matter properly. The magical influence was discovered and eliminated, again with the help of Selene, sir Pasteur and yours truly, but not before Edward shouted out loud in the presence of his highness that he refuses the engagement. I elected not to object, since I have met Moon Unit by that time and I was far more interested in courting an elven maiden than trying to rekindle some kind of nonexistent romance with cold fish Ed. I have given my reasons to his highness and suggested that Edward should be engaged to Selene instead. It makes sense, because any royal family would not say no to the addition of light magic talent to their bloodline, and I had by then accumulated enough of political weight to inspire his highness to treat my opinions with suitable gravitas."

I pause again, take a sip of wine, and continue - "So, anyways. Since I am not interested in Edward and since it is rather obvious he and Selene have considerably tender feelings towards each other..." Edmon has a very complicated facial expression after the explanation. He begins to say something, thinks better of it and instead takes me on my invitation to get himself a drink, pouring a shot of stout brandy, which he then downs.

"I... am not comfortable with just... passing fiancés around like this, but I suppose there were good reasons for that decision." - he finally concedes - "But I have to ask, what would have happened if his highness insisted on upholding your engagement to Edward?"

I shrug - "Most likely? I'd try my best to coopt Selene as his concubine in that case. Political marriages like this end up with a mistress in equation more often than not, and honestly, I'd rather Ed has a mistress I can find a common language with."

He chokes on the follow-up shot and coughs, as Selene swats his back. "Alyssa is... very practical kind of lady, dad." - she offers, - "It goes without saying she'd have her harem in any case too, and Ed would have simply smiled and looked past it. Tit for tat is rather common among nobles."

"Harem?" - he repeats, dumbfounded.

"Remember the introductions? Moon Unit, Bridgit, Lily-Anne and Roxolane are my... well, fiancées at the moment. As far as I'm concerned, they're already wives, but I'm holding off on ceremony and reception until I have my own palace to hold it in." - I tell him - "You are an important part of those plans, by the way. One can not govern isles without a fleet."

"Wait, wait a second. Isn't Lily-Anne Edward's sister?" - he questions.

"Princess Lily-Anne Northrop-Cullen, yes." - I confirm for him - "Essentially, I'm still marrying into the royal family, just to a person better suited to my preferences. It does help that Lily-Anne apparently had feelings for me for a good long while, and seized the opportunity as soon as it presented itself."

He grumbles. "I've half a mind to forbid everything, but..." - he trails off, waggling his hand in the air vaguely - "One does not just deny an engagement to the prince without damn good reasons to. Better reasons than hurt feelings, anyway."

Selene looks away - "I've been planning to tell you all about it, just... It's not the kind of thing to say in a letter, so I was waiting till winter vacations to discuss it properly." She sighs and shrugs - "I didn't expect Alyssa to just... fly us all out here on a lark like this."

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I snap my fingers - "You know, I just realized something. We are missing one person who really should be a part of this talk." And since they'll probably start hemming and hawing, I just step out of the cabin, and enter one on the opposite side. Ed's been napping... though, it has to be said, he snaps awake the moment I open the door.

"What?... Oh, it's you. Something I can help you with, lady... Alyssa?" - he offers, as he sits up.

"Mind coming with me, Ed? I just realized Selene's dad had not heard about your new engagement yet, so we're filling him in." - I explain, and he hops off the bunk.

"Goodness gracious, it completely slipped my mind." - he quips - "We were talking with Selene how to break news to him, just... didn't expect the opportunity to crop up quite so soon." He follows me to the cabin, where Selene and Edmon had settled themselves with glasses of wine. I glance at Ed and pour him a glass as well. He could use the drink. He smiles, takes the glass and closes the door.

"Monsieur Dantes." - he begins smoothly, sketching a polite bow to startled Edmon - "Let me start off by apologizing for dropping the matter on your lap in such a haphazard manner. I... we made plans to talk to you and receive your approval over the winter holidays, and neither me nor Serenity were quite in the right headspace to bring it up right now, so it slipped our minds. While I understand that you might have reservations both about the engagement and about objecting to it, let me assure you that your opinion on the matter is valued and is to be sought. Insofar, this engagement is not yet announced, and will not be put into action without your permission. That being said, I do sincerely hope that you will permit it, because I am in love with your daughter and can not think of anyone else I'd rather marry."

Dantes coughs. "Not even lady Gillespie here?" - he offers rasply.

Ed sighs. "Truthfully, no." - he offers - "I have wronged Alyssa here greatly with my treatment of past engagement, and I admit that much without reservation, but when all is said and done, I... do not yearn for her in a way I yearn for Serenity. I am and will remain forever thankful to her, however, for putting her significant influence and persuasion to the task of... reshuffling the arrangements to everyone's satisfaction. Also, one has to remember that my sister is much happier with the new arrangement, and there is no good reason to stand in the way of her and mine happiness."

"In short, everyone is satisfied with the revised arrangements, and frankly speaking, I do not see a way for Selene to marry better than this anyway. She's marrying into the highest bloodline there is in the country, AND in the same time marries out of love. One could hardly envision a more satisfying union." - I conclude.

Dantes grunts. "Well... In all honesty, I really would have preferred to be consulted before anything happened..." - he begins - "But with things being as they are, I suppose this is really the earliest this discussion could be held to begin with." He pauses, then waves his hand through the air abruptly - "Aw, to tarnation with it. I hereby give my acknowledgment and blessing to this engagement. But, your excellency? Please treat my girl right. Selene is my pride and joy."

Ed nods solemnly. "Monsieur Dantes, you have my word on it that Serenity would be treated as befits of a princess." - he vows - "As my father always told me, happy wife is happy life."

___

With all the things happening in Haver, it is almost midnight by the time we finally fly back to Parsee. Everyone is tired, and I make an executive decision to touch down my airship in the Academy gardens to let everyone get back to their dorm rooms as soon as possible. As for the airship - I imply that it will be magically guided back to the mansion on itself. In truth, I simply leave an instance of me back on the airship to drive it where it needs be, while the other instance disembarks with everyone.

As we enter the rooms, my wives are quick to divest themselves of clothes and fall over into the bed. I... really tired them out, I suppose. Then again, I kind of made this whole trip a whole load of business instead of just partying in the clouds. Though none of them seem to be particularly upset by this, everyone is tired. And so, everyone hits the sack without much ado. Including, yes, me. And while I go get some sleepy gropes from all of them, it quickly becomes a sleepy cuddle pile. Which suits me just fine.

Meanwhile, back on the airship, my other instance is hard at work, eliminating the remains of the party and instead stocking the airship with necessary supplies and tidbits for royal demonstration and diplomatic mission. Some of the new wares I put on the market are put on board, squirreled away in the cargo compartment as diplomatic gifts. I am obviously going to run the list through with Abraham before gifting anything to make sure he is aware of what might be offered. He might have insight on what he might want included, too. The supplies are made in expectation of twelve people on board doing an overnight trip and return. While I'm certain foods and such could be purchased in Kraut for the return trip, being prepared for all sorts of oddness usually pays off in this world.

That being done, I also write a letter to father, sending it off with a pigeon. Obviously, Abraham will talk to him on copperphone to set the date of the diplomatic mission, but having him appraised of the situation beforehand will help dad stack his deck appropriately and ensure he has made the necessary arrangements for his absence at home. It might be a good time for twins to be given a bit of a task, they're at the age where they are beginning to want to prove themselves as nobles. Mom would oversee, obviously. I do my best to describe the airship as accurately as I can, but I still think there will be an incredulous phonecall in the morning. I... underestimated the impact, apparently, because the whole city is abuzz, in spite of the late hour. I have, out of curiosity, stepped into the pub to hear out what city folks think of today, and everyone and their fucking cats are talking about the airship. Hell, I have stumbled upon a bard busy composing a new song about "the magical sky chariot". He... ah, was at first a bit rude, when I mentioned that the airship is not a chariot at all, then he looked up and almost swallowed his quill in his hurry to apologize. Silly goose. I spent five minutes describing the airship to him in detail from outside and inside - if the folk are gonna buzz, I might as well make sure they are buzzing in the vein I approve of. I also hinted to him that tomorrow, the king himself will take a ride on the airship. That is, in part, to give him more ammo for the song, and in part to see if there is anyone opportunistic or stupid enough to try something cute.

I... probably am going to meet the successor of Klaus in Kraut. Inviting spymasters to such pow-wows is a common tactic. I wonder if they would acknowledge the attempt with enchanted crystal or not. Probably not. The only feasible strategy for failed assassinations is deny, deny, deny, after all.

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