The Grand Duke Pimpernickel

Howell Pimpernickel stared morosely at the large screen zoomed in on the face of the First Prince of Erenveil*.

He could barely hide his disgust.

Men should not be this good-looking unless their job was entertaining a crowd or being a private playboy.

Or if they were gay!

They certainly should not be better looking than the womenfolk, that's for certain!

He harrumphed and looked away from the raw masculine face of the man who was Crown Prince of Erenveil.

It was exactly opposite of his own soft jowly face with the heavy-lidded eyes and a tomato nose above lips so thin it looked as if he had a single gash line for a mouth.

As for hair…there was so little left on his bald pate that he couldn't even remember what color it had once been—red brown? Brown-red?

Howell stared at Prince Dante's face for awhile longer. He had to admit, the man was by far, much better looking than any of his three wives!

He just could not get over how a man could be this pretty and still be single!!!

Not that Howell was gay or anything…

But men are supposed to be bulldog-looking and homely, and reek of old sweat and funk!

Why is a man like Dante allowed to be so disgustingly good looking??? He probably smelled good too, the mongrel.

Prince Dante was on visual call, discussing with the ship captain about the ambush that happened at the final Avgo event, but Howell Pimpernickel wasn't paying any attention to the details.

He was paying close attention to Prince Dante's perfectly shaped reddish pink lips as he said whatever it was that he was saying.

As Prince Dante's mouth opened to say a few more words, Howell could see the Prince's perfectly even white teeth and a soft pink tongue.

He was also focusing on Dante's brilliant razor sharp eyes the color of a clear green glass bottle on a warm summer day.

His hair was a deep blue that made Howell Pimpernickel think of a turbulent navy ocean, swelling and moving with rhythmic force and raw power.

"Grrrrr…" he felt a rumbling growl emanate from deep within his chest.

"Grand Duke Pimpernickel." Those lascivious lips on the face of the Crown Prince Dante was calling out his name.

It sounded like such a come-on that Howell Pimpernickel actually blushed.

"Prince Dante…" he blinked and focused in on Dante's beautiful eyes.

"Call your men off my mother's world. I do not want to see my maternal grandparents become war refugees and lose their homes."

"Of—of course. Nobody wants that. Old people need a safe place to live." Howell mumbled, barely able to think straight.

"One other thing. I have reinstated the rightful King of Emporia back on that world. He was the young child king Mattheus Cordera of twenty years ago. He has returned to reclaim his throne."

"Emporia?" Howell Pimpernickel gasped. "But that world was supposed to have been sold to the Avians for a fixed sum of money."

"To whom did you pay the money, and what was the amount?" Prince Dante asked with a deep-throated rumble that caused all the hair on Howell's arms and neck to raise with a strange thrill.

"We—I don't know. I don't deal in those trivialities."

"Find out and get back to me." The First Prince of Erenveil and Crown Prince Dante raised a hand and in a stately gesture, cut off communication.

The monitor went dark and disappeared from the space where it was.

For a moment, Howell Pimpernickel stood staring at that empty spot that was once a huge and up-close image of the Crown Prince Dante of Erenveil.

He released a jagged breath and rubbed the sweat from his brows. His body felt flushed and uncomfortable and he could barely stand the itchy throbbing sensation running through his crotch.

"It's too hot in here," he snapped at his attendant. "I'm going to take a shower."

He took off at a near run for his quarters, leaving behind the confused attendant who was wondering what exactly had just happened!

How was it possible for the staid dull Grand Duke to have acquiesced to each and every single demand that Prince Dante had just thrown out without a single negotiation effort or back-and-forth haggling?

Was the Grand Duke starting to slide into early dementia?

Of course, at that very moment, Howell Pimpernickel had nothing on his mind but his burning desire to be alone with himself.

As soon as he hit the bathroom, he stripped off his clothes and ran under the shower.

As the warm water hit his head and shoulders, he panted with need. His body was flushed and his stubby shaft was hard as a stump.

That nasty bastard.

How dare he move those—those lascivious lips of his in such a way? Doesn't he know that talking in such lewd manner was too sensual and would make people think dirty thoughts?

That damned First Prince.

He needs to wear some fucking face mask or something!!! Shield those lips away so people won't have to imagine what those lips can do!

Howell Pimpernickel's reluctant soapy hands reached down and grabbed the base of his short stump. With a growl of irritation, he began pumping it with his right hand while stroking his balls with his left hand.

As his hand worked up a nice lather, he began moaning a single name out.

Over and over again, he called out the First Prince's name.

In no time at all, he had blasted his stumpy junk to kingdom come, his eyes still fixating on the visual image of Prince Dante of Erenveil on the virtual monitor in front of him.

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"He did what?" Dante asked his attendant, not sure if he heard correctly.

"Your Royal Highness, the Grand Duke Howell Pimpernickel addressed you as the Crown Prince of Erenveil in his latest announcement regarding the mer-world of Emporia."

"Wait. Did Father not spread the word that Lucas was now Crown Prince?" Dante furrowed his brows.

"Sir, apparently, the word never reached the vast majority of the galaxy. Everyone still thinks you are the new Crown Prince after Prince Byron stepped down," the attendant said with a greasy smile.

Dante narrowed his eyes. "And now that the Grand Duke of the Avian world has come right out and said it in a galactic-wide announcement—"

"It's almost etched in stone." The attendant finished the First Prince's words.

Dante tapped a finger to his lips. He wondered whether he could use that to his advantage.

Maybe…

"Take us back to Erenveil. I need to talk to my father."

"Yes Sir."

"And also…" Dante paused. "Send an entire transport pod full of tropical flowers from Emporia to my wife and tell her I'll be a little bit late coming home."

"An—an entire transport pod…Sir?"

"Yes. Plumerias, orchids, azaleas, hibiscus, roses, whatever they have blooming and can be shipped in their potted containers. No cut flowers. Those won't survive the trip back to my wife."

"But Sir, an entire transport pod…"

"Hmmm. You're right. That's not good enough to get me out of trouble for coming home late…"

He snapped his fingers.

"Isn't Emporia famous for their salt ocean pearls? Send her a trunk full of pearls of all colors and have Jason make her some pretty baubles."

He grimaced slightly.

"That should appease her enough so she won't get mad that I'll be…a few days late coming home…"

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Here is the visual that he is looking at.