"Like my daughter says, we do not ever wish to have a future where you and your family completely cut ties with Birchan, but if it ever must happen - either because you feel you have outgrown our stable corner of the world or because you simply wish to be completely free - I want to ensure that at the very least, you think of this country fondly.
I can only hope that where I have erred the others inside of the Queendom have succeeded; I hope that the friendships you have forged with both Duchesses, with the Magistrate, and with all of the various other Nobles and merchants end up creating an attachment to this place.
One can never be too safe nor too shameless when it comes to wanting the best for the collective, and whilst I understand that I am certainly not someone you wish to ever come running to aid, I hope that you can separate the wearer of the crown from what it represents, or from who it represents."
The Queen remained where she was, lounging tiredly in the lavish chair and looking between Rhefia and I before letting out a sigh once again, prompting the Goddess beside her to 'smile' as she reached over and caressed her wife's thigh.
"Even if you do not remain, I will still be here, and we have many a people within the city alone that are exactly what my fellow Goddesses are looking for in their time of boredom. So go and do as you please and don't regret it; I know you care not for us at all, Miss Astra, Miss Rhefia, so I won't hold onto a faint hope that that might change."
Her bluntness as she practically waved us off verbally was completely at odds with the hopeful and somewhat pleading tone that both the Deerkin were taking, and because of that I felt a little... better, even if I really did lack any sort of reverence for her after what she had allowed to happen.
"Moving onto the next part, we - or more specifically my sweet wife and our daughter - have decided that the Princess and her wife should enjoy a relaxing, quiet vacation away from the city whilst the Princess Consort is pregnant, so as to inspire good feelings into both her and her unborn baby.
For at least the next month and a half they shall enjoy this vacation funded entirely by themselves secluded from everyone else to ensure they are not distracted by outside noise; during that time Princess Heria shall work tirelessly on the treaties, agreements and contracts that have suddenly piled up these last few days."
The Goddess' smile remained as she stared at Rhefia and I, not looking towards the nodding Deerkin Princess nor minding the widened eyes of the Princess Consort, who was darkening in the face as she clenched her teeth as hard as she could.
"Additionally, whilst they enjoy that vacation of theirs, they have also decided to graciously bequeath a suite of gifts thoughtfully prepared for you, Miss Rhefia. Things that most Deerkin of your blood would find quite difficult to source this far south. There are also more than a few gifts that are meant for a more... delicate palate, so to say."
Now she gave me a wink to make sure I understood that those gifts were meant to be 'shared' between Rhefia and I, and it would seem that this was the straw that broke the Gazellekin's back as she stepped forwards and let out a somewhat menacing growl.
"You're EXILING us on our own coin, and now we're meant to fund gifts for these two?! When was this decided?! Why was I not-!"
"Because, my dear, you have managed to - pardon my language - fuck up quite drastically. You are a petulant, petty, irritating child in the body of a woman who has never once been properly told no and forced to deal with the consequences. Now, kindly shut up and understand that this is for your own good, hm?"
Giselle looked like she had been slapped as the Goddess said that, her harder tone at odds with her still smiling features while those molten gold eyes no longed looked as warm as usual, though that lack of heat wasn't directed at us.
"I apologize for that, however I will ask if we are all agreeing to these terms? To let... well, calling them 'bygones' feels disingenuous, however the saying is rather apt; are we letting these bygones be bygones and moving forwards with everything?"
Whilst I personally felt there should be more done for this, Rhefia was the one who needed to make a decision, and after hearing the outburst from the Gazellekin she just took a deep breath and shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"There is no problem for me, no. This has been... a relief, and a surprise. I don't mean to rush, nor sound impatient, but my Queen, would it be possible to head to the Temple of Blades immediately?"
"We might as well. Heria, those documents are all in your office already, and until your departure tomorrow at noon more shall be arriving at your desk. Giselle, dear, go to the baths and relax, your only working yourself up and upsetting the baby."
The Gazellekin flinched at that, a mixture of indignance and concern warring on her face before she let out a very heated huff and stormed off, ignoring Heria completely and removing herself from the office.
The Princess took a breath before bowing slightly to Rhefia and I, bidding us farewell and wishing us well before she went to follow her wife, which earned a sigh from the Queen as she rubbed at her temples.
"If I had known this would have been this much trouble way back when, I would have pushed her to marry that eccentric girl instead... but what's done is done. Alright, come, let us remove a relic from the Temple. Duchesses, Magistrate, if you wish to come witness history you may, otherwise..."
Standing up and glancing at the three extra Nobles, the Queen added "And don't think I wasn't aware of your little ploy, Leonisa. Bandits would never stumble upon a town that secluded without just a little intervention...", which made the Lionkin frown.
The immediate glare from me, Renna and Rhefia made the golden haired Duchess shake her head as she said "I swear I had nothing to do with that.", causing the Queen to pause before she sighed again.
"Ah... if you wish, you can read this, my Queen. It's a report about what happened whilst I was there, and... well... A Goddess was there, though she was dealt with. By Areseta, not by me."
Another long, tired breath was pulled in by the Queen as she stared at the door, and for a moment I wondered what she was going to do only to raise a brow as she took the papers handed to her without even looking at them right now, the Deerkin more focused on walking us out of her office.
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I know some people were a little miffed about what the Royals have given, and obviously it isn't extremely flashy right now, but I will just say this; the relic that is changing hands isn't something small, and obviously whilst I touched on how underutilized and unimportant Astra's staff has been, if you recall the stat bumps it gave...
Yes, you'll see in the next chapter why it is more than fair, and at the same time it is also quite a fun way to get things rolling in a certain direction for something I want to play around with, though that plot thread could be who knows how many chapters away.
Anyways, just wanted to chime in and say that obviously the Queen isn't wanting to give up a whole lot, but this is something that hopefully is 'big' enough to keep the Astra fam around whilst also not being something that she nor the rest of the Queendom would miss.
Let me just stop rambling and leave you all in suspense for the next chapter~!
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