341-350

It took almost seven days before it was finally our turn to use the gate, and in that time, I was able to pretty much get a decent understanding of the teleport system here. Of course, I learned it all in one day, but I still studied it over and over when I did not have my normal classes at the academy. I just wanted to make sure I did not miss anything this way, I may be able to make improvements on it when we go to create the real thing in Gravos.

Thurul was taking care of all the gate stuff. He told me to sit tight inside the cabin as this was just a formal inspection. But sadly for him, I could hear everything that was going on. "Prince Thurul! You are back!"

"Why the hell are you bowing to me? I gave up my rights to the throne a long time ago to follow my passion. Why do you think I left the kingdom so that idiot brother of mine could take my place?" Thurul yelled back.

"That does not change the fact that you are still a prince of this kingdom. I am sure His Majesty will be very happy to know that you are here when you see him." From what I could tell, the guard seemed very happy.

"Why the hell would I talk with that old man? I have nothing to speak to him about. I am only here in this kingdom on business. Don't even think of spreading the word that I am here or else I might just have to accidentally tell your wife about that time in Dingland City." Thurul's voice was quite threatening, but now I kind of wished I knew what happened in Dingland City.

"Ahhh! Look at that I got the wrong person! Sir, please go on through. You are already checked and ready to go!" The guard was really quick to give up, which made me want to know even more!

"Lass, we have passed the inspection area, so you can come out now," Thurul shouted.

I pursed my lips as I opened the door to the deck and walked out like I was not eavesdropping. I mean, if I am going to do it, I should do it right! Sophie and Adel would have been with me as well if they were not playing a game! "So…. What happened in Dingland City!?"

"That is what you ask me about!?" Thurul looked really surprised, but I mean, I kind of expected him to be some noble with how he has talked over the years.

"What do you mean that is what I ask about? That is the most important part of the conversation!" I said with a huff. I wanted to know! But really, when did I become a gossipy old woman? Well, I guess age changes a person. I mean, I did go from being someone against romance to being in a relationship with four people! And because of that, I will never say anything bad about those harem novels I used to read all the time.

Thurul furrowed his bushy brow before letting out a sigh and saying. "That guard captain is the leader of the inspection squad here. But he was once a royal guard but retired to do a simpler job. During his time as a knight, he was in DIngland City and met an elf girl there and the two were drunk and… Well, they went at it. It was just a one night stand. The guard also has a wife and two kids. Maybe more now, but it was one of those things he regretted, but I found out about it through my information network. This is why he was so quick to let us through."

"I see… So it was a drunken accident….." I really couldn't say anything because I was with four people, so I was no different, but it did amuse me that Thurul would use such a thing against a guard to cover his tracks.

"Lass, you are not going to ask more about me?" Thurul asked.

"Huh? Why? Your life is your life, not mine. Anyway, are we already there?" I asked.

Thurul chuckled and nodded his head. "We will be undergoing docking procedures here soon."

"Okay!" I smiled and turned around to get ready. I couldn't help but be excited. After all, this was a dwarven kingdom! I have only ever read about such places and scene depictions of it in movies and tv, so this is really exciting to be able to see it up close in real life.

I ran down to the bedroom where Adel and Sophie were busy playing a game similar to chess when I began stripping my pajamas off and digging out my armor. I did not plan to wear a dress, that was for sure.

"Faith?" Adel asked curiously as her eyes drilled holes into my back.

"Hmmm? Oh, get dressed in some armor. We are going to be docking any minute! We have finally arrived!" I explained as I slipped my arms through the sleeves of my shirt.

Both Adel and Sophie hopped up from their seats and quickly joined me. "Faith, you look excited." i𝒏𝘯𝙧𝐞𝒂𝗱. c𝚘𝓂

"Of course! I have never seen the dwarven kingdom before, well, the actual place where most dwarves live. I have only read about them in books and stuff back on Earth." I explained.

"Ah! I see. I myself have not been out of the kingdom either, so this is my first time as well. But I have heard many stories from the officials who have tried to make diplomatic ties here. After all, the dwarven kingdom has many things all kingdoms would like to covet. But it is also how we were able to bring in some of the teachers at the academy as well." Adel explained.

"Then let's make the most of this visit and explore it all!" Sophie seemed to also be very excited. Her tail was wagging just as much as mine!

After getting changed, Adel suggested I let Iena and Diablo come with us to sightsee as well. So basically, it would be one big date. Well, I guess date is a little off since both Thurul and Grace were here too. "Faith, are you sure this is okay? With us both here, the kingdom…." Iena was the first to speak up. She knew it was very important to keep an eye on the kingdom during these troubled times.

"Mmmm… Diablo has set up a network of shadows around the kingdom as well as having some mid tier demons guarding the castle. So don't worry, we thought of everything just so you two could be here with me today!" I said with a smile as I held Iena's hand. Iena blushed and nodded as I led her off the airship.

"Faith has really become someone who is smooth with the ladies." Adel's teasing voice came from behind me.

"Miss Adel, you forget, Faith has also captured my heart as well." Diablo cut in, causing me to blush. Why is it sounding like I am some kind of playboy!?

"Now that you mention it, that is true. I guess it's those who fall first who lose while the winner is the one who is the happiest." Adel's words made me turn around and stick my tongue out at her. She returned one in kind.

"But Diablo, since you do not get to spend as much time with Faith, you should get over there and take her other hand. I am sure she will be happy." Adel's voice was low, but I could still hear her. I couldn't help but smile as both Sophie and Adel are very supportive of anything I do. i𝘯𝚗𝗿𝗲α𝙙.＆nbsp;c𝒐𝐦

And sure enough, Diablo did take my other hand as we walked towards the exit of the airship dock. "Thurul, are we already inside the mountain?"

"Yep, this is Dwrognar, the capital of the Drawven kingdom. It may seem gloomy with how dark it is, but it is actually quite nice here. We dwarves like the dampness and cool air that comes with living inside a mountain like this. The air is moist, clean, and cool, making it the perfect place to work hard, creating many things.

"There are special vents that have wind magic inscribed in them that sucks the air out and also brings air in. It is a nice cycle that allows for the city to always have clean air. But this was not always the case. At one point, the kingdom was filled with heavy clouds of smoke and soot from all the forges. That was until a law was passed to have these vents put into place.

"And since then, the entire city has become a more relaxing place to live and work. I would love to have a mountain for my shop in the capital gravos, but I can only do so much. Luckily the Kingdom of Gravos has good clean, cool air as well." Thurul explained.

"I really like the glowing rocks embedded into the cave's ceiling. It looks like stars but also gives off a gentle blue light. It's very soothing in a way." I really like this place. It was different from what I was used to. I have been stuck on an airship for a long time now. While looking down at the lands of the different kingdoms that we passed through was fun and entertaining, this was a whole different thing.

A different culture that was different from the norm that I was used to was something to really enjoy, and I couldn't wait to explore this place from top to bottom. Thurul seemed nervous as he wore a hat on his head that covered his face from people's eyes. It was interesting to see him trying to hide his Identity.

"Brother, I know that is you!" A voice came from in front of us, causing everyone to turn to look at a well dressed dwarf with many guards around him as he walked over. "Did you think we wouldn't know if you arrived in the kingdom? We have known since you passed through the barrier at the border! Why are you not announcing your arrival?"

Thurul's face turned sour as he ripped his hat off and pointed at the dwarf in front of him. "You think I want to talk to you and that old man? I just came here to help my business partner! We have something to do that many dwarves will be highly interested in!"

The well dressed dwarf face scrunched up. "Are you still mad at me for taking Lena? Just so you know, Lena was the one who wished to be with me. I tried to stop her, but father announced our engagement to make the elders happy. Things were out of my hands."

"Out of your hands? You sure know how to pop kids out of her belly every single year! Just to spite me!" Thurul roared. I suddenly feel like I have stumbled upon a part of Thurul's past that we were not supposed to know about.

I quickly let go of Iena and Diablo's hand and walked over to Thurul, and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Thurul, relax. This is not the place." I then turned to the well dressed dwarf and said: "I would appreciate it if you would stop egging my friend on. Whether you are his family or not does not give you the right to be washing your dirty linen in public like this. Are you trying to make people talk about him in a bad way? Point and laugh at him for having his lover taken? Is this how you treat someone who is supposed to be family?"

"Huh? Who are you? What right do you have to butt into my conversation with my brother?" The well dressed dwarf yelled out.

My cold gaze fell onto the well dressed dwarf who called thurul his brother. "Who am I? Let me introduce myself. My name is Princess Cyrilia. Princess of The Gravos Kingdom and long time friend of Thurul. And as his friend and as a princess, I can not sit here and watch you belittle him, a citizen of my kingdom. Or do you wish to find out what I do to people who harm my friends, whether it is physically or mentally?"

"You!" I could see the anger in the well dressed dwarf's eyes. I sneered and stepped forward.

"So, are we going someplace to talk or not?" I asked in a more commanding tone.

"Follow me!" The well dressed dwarf spat out before turning around and walking off.

I patted Thurul on the shoulder to give him some reassurance before walking off, following behind the well dressed dwarf. He brought us to a lavishly decorated private room in a nearby restaurant with many paintings and expensive looking pottery inside a restaurant. "Is this better!?"

"I think you should watch your tone. From what I have heard and what has come out of your mouth. You really have no right to be looking down on anyone." I said as I narrowed my eyes at the well dressed dwarf. "You may think you're some kind of amazing person, but to plot with someone else to go against your own kin is disgusting if you ask me."

"What the hell do you know!? Are you saying I plotted against my own brother?" The well dressed dwarf yelled out.

"If you didn't, then why are you bringing up things that would harm your brother now? A malicious heart will always be a malicious heart. Your every word is like a knife trying to cut open your brother's wounds. Because you are scared that he came back to take away your spot as the crown prince. That all your schemes were going to be ruined just because of your brother's return. But let me tell you. Such schemes may work on many people, but in my eyes, you are just a clown dancing around looking for attention." I said mockingly. I mean, I have read so many novels with so many scheming people, how could I not see the scheme he had in place?

"Slander! I would never….." I let out a loud laugh interrupting the well dressed dwarf.

"Slander? Let me guess. This girl Lena was it? You planted her at your brother's side. Made her act as if she was in love with him, and then when your brother fell for her, you used that chance to call her back and married her. All for the sake of making your brother want to leave the kingdom due to his depression of having his only love stolen from him. You even birthed many children with her. If that girl ever had a shred of feelings for Thurul, she would never have been willing to let you produce so many kin.

"A woman in love with someone would never betray those she loves as long as they were not betrayed in kind. And from what you said, Thurul never betrayed her, but she betrayed him. So this means you set this all up. All the clues to this are so obvious it makes me want to puke." I could see the changes in the well dressed dwarf's expression, which means I was probably on point.

"Wait… So Lena…." Thurul's voice quivered. I felt bad. This must be hard to take in. Never mind breaking up with a lover or being betrayed by a love, I am only now learning what it means to fall in love. But Thurul has experienced it all.

"Humph! Your wild stories are just that wild stories. Brother, do not listen to her. Friend or not, that means nothing. She could have just been using you because she already knew you were a prince of this kingdom. Maybe she was using you to get closer to me. I am the crown prince of the dwarven kingdom, after all. She will probably find some excuse to jump in my be…."

<strong>*Slap!*</strong>

"You!? You dare hit me!?" I turned to see Adel's face red with anger and Sophie standing up with her hand on the hilt of her sword. Iena was no different, but the main culprit which surprised me the most was Diablo.

"Watch your tongue! No one is allowed to insult my wife!" Diablo angered roar echoed through the room. Technically we were not married officially by Gravos standards. Only demon standards, but I will not correct him in this situation.

"Who!? Who are you!?" The well dressed dwarf seemed to be suffering under some kind of pressure, causing his entire body to be completely covered in sweat.

"Diablo enough. And Thank you….." I said softly as I grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

I could see his brow wrinkle, but he still nodded and sat back down. Once I looked at the others, they also sat back down, but I could see the killing intent in their eyes. I turned and coldly looked at the well dressed dwarf. "I suggest you be careful with what you say, or even I will not be able to hold my family back. They are very overprotective of me. Just know if you were not a prince, I would have castrated you here and now."

"I see…. So this is the kind of person you were from the beginning. You have truly opened my eyes and for Father to go along with it all means that I was never in a position to be cared for by this family. I am glad I left….." Thurul words cut the tension in the air as I sat back down. Since he wanted front stage, I would give it to him. But to my surprise, he turned to me and said: "This gives me some peace of mind. So now I do not mind what I am about to do. From this moment on, I hereby request to join the Cyrilia family as part of House Cyrilia." 𝑖n𝚗𝘳e𝗮d.＆nbsp;𝒄𝐨𝗺

"You wish to be known as Thurul Cyrilia?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes. I wish to be under your flag and will swear my loyalty to you from this day forth." Thurul replied as he bent down on one knee and bowed his head in a knightly fashion. Looking at him, I sighed and stood up and drew my sword, and placed it on his left shoulder. "Then, from this moment on, you will be one of my retainers, Thurul Cyrilia."

"You! Thurul, are you crazy!? You know by doing this, you are no longer part of the royal family!" I turned and gave the well dressed dwarf a strange look. It seemed there was more to things than what was being said.

"Humph! You can't ever open the vault without me. My blood has been inscribed into the magic circle since birth, and without me there, you can never sit on the throne. I never planned to help you retrieve what was inside. So your kingly status will never come to fruition. You are bound by the magic to never be able to open it to claim the throne. Even if Father dies, you will never officially become king even if you name yourself as such, as each king must go into the vault and retrieve the Dreadnaught Hammer." Thurul's tone was full of mockery, causing the well dressed dwarf's face to twist.

"You! You dare!? Do not think I can not do anything to you! Guards seize Prince Thurul for conspiring against the Crown!" The well dressed dwarf yelled out but sadly for him, the guards couldn't move, not when Adel had already cast pause magic on them. "What is going on!? Why are you not moving!?"

Horror filled the well dressed dwarf's eyes as he looked at his guards, who were all frozen in place. It was only the sound of my finger tapping the table was heard, did he turned to look at me. "Mr. Prince….. It seems you do not know your position. If you threaten those of my family, I will not hold back. From what I can tell, this kingdom is running perfectly fine, and I do not wish to bring it under Gravos's rule, but if you dare to make another move like you have now, I will annex this entire kingdom, and your dream of becoming king will never see the light. Your fate will be for Thurul to decide."

"This…. How can you just interfere with another kingdom's affairs!? I need Thurul to give up his right to the throne legally in order to take the crown!" The panicked well dressed dwarf looked at me with pleading eyes as if I was going to help him.

"Why would I not interfere with this? Thurul is my friend and is now officially part of my Cyrilia family. Who gave you the right to threaten him with your soldiers? My question for you is, are you trying to start an international incident by threatening a princess of another nation's family members?" I asked this question, but I couldn't help but feel a bit used as I eyed Thurul. He lowered his head as soon as he felt my gaze. But nonetheless, I still owe Thurul a lot for all he has done, so I will not blame him for his motives. But he should now know he is locked to my family.

"I…." The well dressed Dwarf seemed at a loss.

"I think I should be asking you the same question." A voice came from the other side of the door. Another much older looking dwarf pushed the door open, followed by a few knights.

"Father!" Thurul had a complicated look on his face as he saw the old dwarf.

"Thurul, what is the meaning of this? You bring outsiders to walk all over our ages long dwarven tradition!?" The dwarven king yelled out. He seemed very angry.

"Father, you expect me to sit by after being under my brother's grip for all these years? Why do you think I left the kingdom in the first place!?" Thurul shot back. Please visit 𝙞𝚗n𝓇𝘦аd.＆nbsp;𝗰𝘰𝚖

"What does your inability to deal with your brother have to do with anything? This is why you were not favored. You are lacking!" The king snorted before looking at me. "Princess Cyrilia, was it? You are overstepping your bounds in my kingdom."

"I wouldn't overstep if you raised your son correctly. Thurul is a good person and a hard worker. He sees friends as people he can trust with his life. But you allowed your good son here to trample all over him. Just admit you didn't like Thurul in the first place. Why else would you allow your good son here to use a woman to honey trap him and force him out of the kingdom?" I answered back coldly.

"Humph! It is his own weakness! He let a woman take advantage of him. This is his own fault and something he will need to live with!" The dwarven king answered. "But you, Princess Cyrilia, are nothing more than a titled princess and are butting in where you do not belong. I will give you a fair warning. Stay out of this, or the dwarven kingdom will not stand idly."

"Oh? Let me say this, then. I will stand back, but as of now, Thurul is part of my Cyrilia family. He is no longer a royal. So if you are trying to detain a member of my family and a citizen of the Gravos kingdom, then that would be an act of war." I replied with a bright smile causing the dwarven king's brow to furrow.

"Humph!" The king snorted before looking at his other son. "You did good! Real good! Let's return!"

I signaled for Adel to release her spell on the other knights as we watched as the king and the well dressed dwarf left with their entourage. "Faith… I am sorry… I had no choice…."

I shook my head upon hearing Thurul's apology. "It's fine, do not worry about it. If anything, you made the right choice since the King himself came. He can't do anything to you or to me at this time unless he wishes to start a war. So before he makes his next move, he will need to plan carefully. Until then, we are free to explore the city as we please. After all, he wouldn't dare kick me out."

I gave a bright smile as I leaned back in my chair. "So for now, let's order some food. I would hate to waste this chance to eat at a high scale restaurant now that we are here."

We waited thirty minutes before a large amount of food was brought to the room. The whole bill was paid for by the dwarf kingdom or, should I say, the well dressed dwarf, since he was the one who booked the room. So I made sure to buy all the most expensive dishes.

"This is not bad…. The meat melts in my mouth." I said as I shoved another mouthful of meat into my mouth. It was really melting away inside my mouth with how well it was prepared and cooked.

"It really is. This mashed proato is also very good. The seasoning makes my mouth water for more!" Adel chimed in, her cheeks were just as puffed out as mine. 𝐢n𝑛rℯ𝒶𝚍. 𝑐o𝘮

"How is the meal?" A waiter came in after knocking. He had a big smile on his face as he looked at us.

"Can we get another round of the same plates?" I asked. The waiter's smile broadened even more as he nodded his head and quickly ran off.

The only one not really enjoying his meal was Thurul. "Thurul, what's wrong? Don't like the food?"

"Lass, it's not that but the fact that I brought you into a conflict that has nothing to do with you. I have to apologize and also thank you at the same time." Thurul replied.

"Ah… don't worry about it. It's not like you meant to drag me into anything, and well, I kinda stuck myself into it when I noticed that flea trying to use words to stab you. As your friend, I can not stand by and allow such a thing to happen. So turn your frown upside down and enjoy the free meal the flea offered us. You can even order the best ale they have here." I said with a big grin as I rang the bell. The waiter once more came in with a big smile on his face and asked: "What can I get for you."

"We want the best ale you have. Bring us whatever you have." I answered. I wanted to taste a bit of this myself to see what dwarven ale tasted like.

"Right away!" The waiter happily ran out the door, and not more than ten minutes later, two huge jugs of ale were placed on the table with multiple mugs. Seeing the ale, I saw Thurul's nose twitch, and before he probably even knew it himself, he was already drinking. I poured myself a small cup. Sophie and Adel did so as well. Diablo, Grace, and Iena did not, they seemed to be on guard duty. I did tell them they could, but they refused.

Although my first sip of ale did not go very far, I stuck my tongue out and wrinkled my nose. I really did not like it. But Adel and Sophie seemed to like it a lot as they downed their mugs. "Hehe….. Faithy is here…." Adel suddenly latched on to me and kissed my cheek.

"Ahh, no fair! I want to kissy Faithy too!!" Sophie yelled out as she slipped under Adel's arms and joined in. I, who was suddenly latched on to by the two girls, felt helpless.

"Hahahaha! You are more manly than any man!" Thurul suddenly let out a loud laugh, his cheeks red. I think he had drunk one of the jugs himself. "I do not think the Cyrilia family will ever have a problem needing an heir."

I pursed my lips and looked at the two girls, who were now half hugging me and each other at the same time, passed out in my lap. I was quite surprised at the low tolerance. "They only drank a cup!"

"Lasss, this ale is made for dwarves who are born drinking ale instead of milk. Only a small bit is enough to knock them out. I am more surprised you didn't get drunk off a single sip." Thurul replied. He was obviously drunk, yet he could still think rationally.

"Well, I didn't drink that much, just a mouth full. So I do not think that is enough to get me drunk." I replied.

"No, No, you do not understand. Lass, this ale is enough to get a grown human male who has drunk ale for years drunk on a single sip. Never mind a small girl who is only a few years into adulthood." Thurul explained.

"I see…." I guess this is a benefit of being a dragon? Either way, I do not like drinking, so I won't be drinking anymore.

"I guess we will be stuck here until these two wake up. I could dispel their drunkenness, but I think a small headache will be a good lesson for them to not drink anymore." I could cure them of any hangover, but everyone needs to learn the hard way sometimes.

We waited for almost an hour with no signs of the two girls waking up, so in the end, I carried Adel and Iena carrying Sophie on our backs as we decided to leave. The waiter was very happy when I told him to take a thousand gold tip. After all, he worked hard for us. The wall dressed dwarf should feel good about helping a hard working man out with his large amount of wealth.

We found an inn where we took three rooms. Thurul and Diablo shared one room while Iena, Adel, Sophie, and I shared another, and Grace got her own room. The boys got a double which had two beds, while we girls shared a large bed that was just big enough for all of us. It wouldn't be the first time we would have slept in tight quarters. Well, at least not for me, who is normally sandwiched between fluff and puff.

Luckily night time was already settling in on the outside, so it was a perfect time for everyone to take a break and rest so we could do more exploring the next day. Iena sat on the edge of the bed in a long nightgown as I brushed her hair for her. "Iena, are you okay with all of this?"

"Hmm?" Iena turned to look up at me.

"I mean with how things are. I know it's a little late to be talking about this stuff, But you love Diablo, right? He has said he will not have a family with you…." I said softly.

Iena tilted her head to the side with a puzzled look as she answered: "Faith, I am married to you. Why would I care? While yes, I do like spending time with Diablo, we get along great, but it feels more like just friends now. I find myself happier spending alone time with you than with him, and I cherish every second of it. While how we got to be this way was a pure accident, I do not regret it in any way and am, in fact, very happy. My only complaint is being stuck in the capital all the time. I wish I could spend more time with you like Sister Adel and Sister Sophie. Plus, I can see you really like Diablo as well. I can see how you smile when he hugs you or kisses you."

Iena paused as she lowered her head and blushed as she continued: "Also, Adel and Sophie have been teaching me many things, so when we reach the stage where we can be intimate, I will be ready to be of service."

Seeing her bashful face made me smile as I leaned down and gave her a deep kiss. I had worried Iena would be troubled with the current arrangement. She seemed happy on the surface, so I had not asked anything until now but seeing her as this showed me that she seemed to be just fine. That night, Iena and I got much closer.

The next morning, two girls woke up with bad headaches. They only drank one mug, but that was enough to give them the worst experience of their lives. "I am never drinking again!" Adel yelled out as she held her head.

"I agree…. Faith, heal me…." Sophie whined as she looked up at me with big round watery eyes.

"Nope! You got what you deserve. Let this be a lesson to never drink again." I replied as I got up.

I, of course, didn't miss Sophie changing targets and looking at Grace, who had come in to do her normal routine. Sadly for Sophie, she only got a snort from Grace as Grace said: "Master is right, mistress or not, you should learn from your mistakes. But…. You can take this to ease the pain."

"Speaking of which, Master, I heard there was an incident at the Crown Prince's residence last night. Rumors in the city are saying that the Prince refused to pay his debt even though it was clearly placed on his account with his own signature." I have no idea what time Grace had to get up to go out and find such information. But she seemed to be very good at this.

I do have to say the information is funny. I could imagine the look on the well dressed dwarf's face as he was handed the bill. If he refuses to pay, there is nothing the restaurant could do about it, but that does not mean the well dressed dwarf's reputation would not plummet. Who would trust someone who can't even pay their bills? As such, the well dressed dwarf's reputation took a big hit.

Did I plan all this, one may ask? Not really… In fact, I only wanted to make him pay a lot of money for the food and drinks. I never actually thought this would become something even better than just making him pay a huge fee. But now that I think about it, he did seem the arrogant type who would run out on the bill. So I guess, all in all, it worked out well for me, but I do hope the waiter will not be harmed in any way.

At any rate, it was time for breakfast. Looking at my two fiancees, who were holding their heads, made me sigh as I reached out and cast healing on them. When they looked up with their big round eyes that were filled with gratefulness, I couldn't help but laugh. "Next time, don't drink so much."

"I will never drink again. That was horrible!" Adel said as she climbed out of the bed.

"Mmm…. I will only drink if Faith is drinking….." Sophie said as she too climbed out of bed.

"Master, may I ask what is wrong with Mistress Iena? She seems to be out like a light." Grace's question caused everyone's gaze to turn to the demon girl, who was covered in blankets with nothing but her bare shoulder and head sticking out. Her hair was a mess, and her cheeks were shiny and flushed.

I rubbed my nose and said: "We stopped up our relationship last night."

"What!? No fair! I missed out!" Adel cried out. Causing everyone to give her a strange look. She blushed and lowered her head as she felt everyone turn to look at her.

"I see… So it is only a matter of time before little masters begin running around. I am sure Sir Diablo will be very happy when…."

"Grace, stop!" I yelled out. I really wondered why Grace had to go above and beyond in everything, including when she was trying to tease me!

"Master, I was only going to say when you two finally stepped up your relationship." Grace gave me a sly smile as she began placing clothes on the edge of the bed. "Master, Mistresses, please wash up and then get changed. Sir Diablo and Thurul have been up for a while now."

"Alright, let's get up then," I said as I climbed out of bed as well. I turned to look at Iena, who was still sound asleep, and smiled. Seeing the small smile on her lips made me happy. To see those I care for and love be happy brings me happiness as well.

When we made our way downstairs, minus two since Grace stayed behind to wait on Iena, Thurul and Diablo were sitting at a table drinking a cup of tea. "Your girls are finally down. I have a place I want to take you today." Please visit 𝙞𝙣𝗻𝒓𝗲𝓪d. c𝘰m

"Oh, where are you taking us?" I asked as I sat down. Diablo poured me a cup of tea for me, Adel, and Sophie.

"To the secret trade district. Only those in the know, know about this place and it is where all the top craftsmen of the kingdom reside. If we can snatch a few of them, we can surely reengineer everything you have in those hangers, including that big guy." Thurul answered. He seemed highly excited about this. It looks like the prior day's events did not have too much of an effect on him, or he was just really good at hiding his emotions.

"I guess for high quality craftsmen, it will also cost quite a bit of money as well." I would be happy to get top notch craftsmen, but if they asked for extraordinary prices, it would not work out well. While quality over quantity was the normal way to go, I still needed to hire many people to build these things as well. All of which would cost a good deal of money.

"Lass, you are misunderstanding something about us dwarves. Those who love their trade will never be swayed by money. Only those things that truly interest them will they be moved enough to want to see things through to the end. These masters are the same way. And I know these things will light a spark of interest in them." Thurul explained.

His words helped extinguish some of my worries but not all. I mean, if I go in there and they all reject me, I will have to try other dwarves, but if word gets out that I was already rejected then what? How many would be willing to work for someone who was rejected by the masters? I can only hope things will go over smoothly.

<strong>*Bang!*</strong>

The inn door slammed open, and a bunch of dwarven knights filed in and surrounded my table. "Crown Prince Thordor would like you to visit the palace."

"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes and looked at the knights surrounding us. "Who the hell is this prince?"

"Lass, it's my brother from yesterday," Thurul replied. His eyes were also cold as he stared at the knights.

"Oh, the arrogant well dressed dwarf." I didn't know his name and calling him a prince did not sit well with me since I did not like him one bit.

"Impudent! You dare slander the Crown Prince!?" One of the knights yelled out. I only snorted as my eyes lit up and said: "Sit!"

<strong>*Bang!* </strong>

The knight who yelled out hit the floor right on his butt as he was forced to sit on the ground. Did they think we were easy to bully? Did they think we would just do as they said? I glared at all the knights as I said: "What right does the crown prince have to use force against not just one but two princesses of the Gravos Kingdom? Go back and tell your prince if he wishes to have us go to the palace, then he needs to come here and crawl on his hands and knees between Thurul legs. If he does that, we might grace the Palace with our presence."

"Cough! Cough!" Thurul choked on something, whether it was air or spit, as he looked at me with wide eyes. He then raised his hands and gave me a thumbs up.

I watched as the knights looked at each other, seemingly troubled as to what to do. But what can I say? They barged in here, acting all high and mighty. But now they were being told to go back and ask the prince to come back on his own and crawl between Thurul's legs. If they did that, they would surely lose their lives! So instead, they did the only thing they knew would not get them in trouble! All the knights looked at each other and drew their weapons.

"What are you doing to my wife!?" A yell came from behind us, causing me to turn around to see a red faced Iena standing there, giving off an immense pressure. That pressure slammed down onto the knights surrounding us, causing them all to fall face first onto the floor.

"You're so loved," Adel said teasingly as she leaned over and nudged me with her head. I poked her nose and raised my hand. "It's okay, Iena. Come sit and have tea."

I heard a snort before footsteps, and then Iena walked over, hugged me from behind, and kissed my cheek before taking her place next to Diablo. Only when Diablo handed her a cup of tea did she release the pressure she was giving off.

The knights that were on the floor were all pale faced as they began to scramble up. They didn't even look at me or anyone else before they all took off. Only one knight stayed, and that was because I had not canceled my magic on him yet. I wanted to ask him a few questions before I let him go. My eyes lit up as I asked: "So tell me, what did the prince want by forcing us to go to the palace?" i𝑛n𝓻ℯ𝘢𝒅. Coｍ

"He wanted to put you and Thurul on trial for ruining his reputation and force you to admit that it was you who had staged everything to do with the restaurant." The guard replied.

"So he is an idiot." I mumbled, and surprisingly the guard said: "Yes…. He is truly an idiot. Everyone knows this."

"Pfft! Hahahahah!" Adel burst out laughing. She was always one to find things amusing.

"It seems this crown prince is not very well liked by his own people. Wouldn't that mean a coup would be possible? I bet as soon as he takes the throne, many people would want him gone." I have to agree with what Diablo just said. If the Prince was not liked and was given the throne, the possibility of a coup was not out of the question.

"So, do you think he will come and crawl between Thurul's legs?" Sophie asked, causing all of us to laugh.

"If he does, I will make sure I shower first. Need to show him a tiny bit of respect." Thurul replied with a big grin. He seemed to find this whole thing amusing.

"Haha!" I couldn't help but laugh. The whole situation was kind of funny. I looked at the guard still sitting on the floor and gave him another order: "Go tell your prince to come walk through Thurul's legs."

After this order, the guard finally stood up and walked out of the inn while my group and I finished our breakfast and chatted merrily as we did. When we were done, we got our things out of our room. I told the girls tonight I would be with Diablo since I had spent the night with all of them already. I had to make it fair, after all. While they pouted, Diablo smiled. He was in a much better mood, it seemed.

The dwarven capital was really a unique place. As we walked through the city streets, I could see the way the locals lived. While dwarves were the biggest of the population, there were humans and other demi humans living here as well.

But while there were many people walking around buying things here and there from the various stands and shops, there were also many sitting on the side of the road with a can in front of them and a sign looking for a handout. "Thurul, is it like this everywhere?"

"I am not sure. During the time I was here, there weren't so many poor people. To be honest, I am even surprised at how many are here. Gravos also has its poor sections, but only the east side was like this, while the main hubs were quite clear. Now I am not saying that the poor should be hidden, but this is just a bit crazy if you ask me. But with your reforms in the east side slums, life there is hundreds of times better now. My father once did his best to keep people from suffering and even issued reforms himself but now…." Thurul let out a sigh. I could see that he was not happy with what he was seeing.

"Thurul, do you want to figure out what is going on in this kingdom?" I asked. I wanted to know what Thurul wanted. If he wished to figure out why this was all happening, I would help him out as best as I could. If he just wanted to finish the task at hand and return, we could do that as well. Everything was up to him.

Thurul paused his steps, causing us all to stop as he turned to me and said: "Can I have a day or two to think about it?"

I smiled and nodded: "Take your time. We will not be leaving right away anyway, so take your time and figure out what you want. If it comes down to it, I will use my full power to get to the bottom of things. Even if I must take over the kingdom to find out."

"Well, don't go taking the kingdom over because I do not want it," Thurul said flatly. I could see he had no interest in ruling anything.

"Well, if that's the case, I know a ruler who would be more than happy to have another kingdom thrown at him." I could hear the sneeze from here. That stupid king!

"Faith, my father would probably cry if you annexed another kingdom. He said in all of the kingdom's history has the kingdom suddenly expanded in such a short period of time. We are lacking ministers to even set up a stable government to keep the kingdoms in place." Adel said as she chuckled.

"Adel, I wouldn't laugh too much. He might just abdicate his throne to you, making us handle it instead." I said as I poked her side. I guess this realization only now just hit her as she frowned.

"If he dares, I will refuse!" Adel shouted righteously. "He has to stabilize everything before I take control, or else I will not let him off! But then again, the one annexing everything is my fiancee…."

I felt a sharp pinch in my side, making me slap the hand away that was doing such an evil thing. "I get it! I won't annex any more kingdoms… For now…."

"Adel, if we took over the entire continent, wouldn't it make things easier? Then we won't have to worry about foreign interference." Sophie suddenly asked.

"It's not that we can't do such a thing, but we will need to deal with the current matters at hand first. We need to be able to protect everything we have without worrying about some super being like Azengrade destroying everything we work hard to build up. Which is why I am here in the first place." I explained. While maybe having the continent under one rule would keep things quiet for the time being with so many unknowns in the mix right now we still have to worry about how we will defend ourselves against a being who is on par or stronger than Diablo and if there are more than just one of him. Then there is the man who can ignore even my own detection magic and barriers. Such things as of now make it hard for us to build up the kingdom any further.

"That is true…." Sophie sighed as if her plans for world domination were suddenly crushed. But for her of all people to suggest such a thing was quite amusing in itself as she was normally the passive one.

"We are almost there. Just a few streets mo…." Thurul stopped his steps once again when he saw a group of knights walking towards us. "Why are there more knights here!?" i𝚗n𝘳𝙚𝑎𝗱. 𝑐𝗼𝒎

"Thurul, relax, they are probably sent to keep us from talking with the masters. "

"Even so, they had no rights to block anyone from entering any part of the city." Thurul snorted.

I chuckled and patted him on the shoulder as I asked: "What are you so worried about? It's not like they can do anything." My eyes glowed as I looked at the knights. "Right? You will let us pass, right?"

"Of course!" All the knights replied at the same time. The formation they were in suddenly split apart, making room for us to pass.

I smiled and gave my thanks as our group walked past them without incident. I wonder how angry the well dressed dwarf will be when he finds out we walked right into the street he seemed to want to keep us out of. I can already picture him swelling up like a red balloon after he finds out.

This street much much different from the other streets we were on. There were still people coming and going, but all of them looked like craftsmen. "This is Forge Street. There is nothing but blacksmiths on this street, and each one is a master of the trade. The place I want to take you first is right over there."

Thurul pointed to a small building with a large smokestack that stretched high above us. We walked over, and Thurul pushed the door open to reveal a small weapon shop. "Master Toremdeat!"

"Hmmm? Thurul, is that you!?" A voice yelled back from the back room. Seconds later, a short, stout old man with a long white beard came walking out. He was covered in soot and wore a pair of goggles on his head and a pair of dirty overhauls on his body. When he saw Thurul, his old eyes immediately lit up: "Haha! Thurul, my boy! Did you come back to save this kingdom?"

"Huh? I will not become king of any nation. More importantly, Master Toremdeat, I want you to look at something." Thurul quickly blew off the whole save the kingdom thing, which told me that there probably was an issue in this kingdom that was bigger than we could see.

"Oh?" I saw Master Toremdeat frown slightly, but he only sighed as he said: "Let's have a look. You always bring me interesting things." After saying this, he looked at others and me and said: "Come on in. any friend of Thurul's is a friend of mine."

"Thank you, Master Toremdeat." I gave a respectful bow. Those who show me kindness get kindness in return.

We were led to an office like room that was similar to Thurul's meeting room at his shop. I guess this was something all blacksmiths had. When we all sat down, Master Toremdeat did not beat around the bush. "Show me what you got, I have many orders to finish." 𝐢𝙣𝓃𝘳𝙚𝐚𝙙. 𝓬𝐨𝑚

"It's this here," I said as I took out a crystal orb and placed it on the table. I then sent some magic into it, making many pictures appear in the air. Master Toremdeat looked at them with wide eyes showing great interest in what he was seeing.

"What is this!? What are these crazy things? And this big one!? Thurul, Lass, what are these? Can I see the real thing!?" Master Toremdeat was like a little kid in a candy store as he stared at the pictures in front of him.

"They are back in my kingdom, the Kingdom of Gravos," I replied. "My name is Faith Cyrilia, also known as Princess Cyrilia. The things you see here are all things I acquired and are very sensitive in nature. If you wish to see them in person, you must agree to help reverse engineer them so they can be recreated with this world's technology."

"Wait, Lass, you want to reverse engineer these things!?" Master Toremdeat asked before turning to Thurul, who nodded.

"Faith is the head of the Cyrilia family and a princess as well. I have joined under her name and am now known as Thurul Cyrilia. Her ambitions are much more profound than you can ever expect. You can say she is someone who is trustworthy and will treat all who work for her fairly. This I know since I have made a pretty penny working for her." Thurul explained.

"I see…." Master Toremdeat sat back in compilation for a moment, then looked at me. "If you plan to reverse engineer these things, you will need every dwarf craftsman in the kingdom. But…." Master Toremdeat's lips curled up in a scheming smile. "I think I can get them if you are willing to take us all in."

I was utterly stunned by this statement. I came here for craftsmen, and it seems I would be able to get them, but the problem was…. "I am not sure if I got enough money…."

"Lass… you need to understand we dwarfs are not all about money. If you can give us a place to live and food and ale, we will work for you. So can you do this?" Master Toremdeat asked with a smile.

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, I will take every one I can get. Just the ship alone will need hundreds of people to work on."

"Good! But Lass, I hate to say it, but you should also talk to those long ears. We will need their help with certain intricate systems." Master Toremdeat was a man of action, I guess. He was already thinking ahead.

"Alright, I will talk with Runa. She is the Princess, after all." Although I have not talked with Runa for years, so I am not sure if she will be willing to talk with me. I mean, I will still try, but there is no telling if she will be willing to help me or not. I do hope so since she is my own connection to the elven race. But I guess only calling upon her when I need something doesn't seem right either. So I will need to offer something in return.

"Oh? You know Princess Runa. Then I think we will be good on that front. For now, go back to your inn and wait for the good news. I will talk with the other masters." Master Toremdeat clapped his hands together. Thurul told him which inn we were staying in, and with that, we left.

I rented another inn room since tonight I would be staying with Diablo. The girls pouted, but I decided it was only fair to give some time to Diablo as well. So even though the sun was still high in the sky, I retired to the room I had just rented and sat down on the edge of the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

"You know you do not need to mind me so much, right?" Diablo said as he sat down.

"Diablo, we are all in this relationship together. As you are the only man in this relationship, and even though you and Iena are semi together as well, you are still my husband according to demon culture. I will not leave you alone." I replied.

"I see…" Diablo sat on the bed next to me and looked down at me.

"Diablo, do you hate this? I mean, you are waiting on me, and it's been years now. So do, you hate waiting?" I asked. He was always so hard to read sometimes that I did not know if I was hurting him or not.

"Not in the slightest. You forget that I have never been with a woman for thousands of years, ever since I was born. So this is all new to me as well. And Iena is more of a friend than a lover. While we have kissed at the start, the past few years have been more just us talking as friends and nothing more. We both only have eyes for you and only you." Diablo replied. His words were sweet, so I couldn't help but smile and turn over and hug his waist. We have known each other for so many years it is quite insane. But we have never once fought. Now that I think about it, I think I have only gotten mad at Adel. But that was because of her actions. Now she is much more calmed down. Please visit 𝒾𝒏n𝗿𝒆а𝑑. 𝘤𝘰m

I took a deep breath as I came to a decision. "Diablo…. Tonight…. We will become one…."

Diablo hummed as he patted the top of my head. My face was burning, and so was his from what I could see out of the corner of my eye. But I wanted to reassure him that I wanted to be with him just as much as the other girls. Although I was kind of afraid since I heard it hurts….

Around mid afternoon Master Toremdeat showed up at the inn with a few other elder Dwarves. We all sat at a table in the inn with a few jugs of wine in front of us as we began our conversation. "Lass, this is Master Darevoun, Master Godmumli, and Master Aranaeg."

"Hey, girl, it's not fair that you showed Master Toremdeat what we will be working on and not us." Master Darevoun complained.

I chuckled and took out the orb but adjusted it so that it would only appear on the table. When the elder dwarfs saw the images, their eyes turned the same as Master Toremdeat's did. They looked hungry, like they wanted to jump into the images. "Master Toremdeat was right. This is well worth it. I am glad I agreed."

"Lass, you have around five thousand craftsmen from all over the kingdom who will be gathering to go back with you to your kingdom. Will you be able to take in that many?" Master Toremdeat asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem." With magic making five thousand, apartments were no problem. "But just so you know, there will be a blood seal contract involved. After all, the information about these things can not be spread."

"We figured as much and are willing. What we see is a new age of technology. A new age that will boost all races by many generations. This is something this world needs at this time, so we are willing to sign a contract." Master Toremdeat replied.

"Then we will do that when we arrive in the Gravos Kingdom. How long do you need to prepare?" I asked.

"We will need six days at least. Each craftsman will need to arrange things." Master Toremdeat answered. I really did not expect them to be so quick. I thought maybe a month or two would be needed.

"Take two weeks. Make sure you are prepared and that everyone knows about the contract. This way, everyone has a chance to think about this and will not regret it later." I would prefer to have people think things over and make sure this is what they want.

"Alright. We will take two weeks." Master Toremdeat replied with a smile. "Then we old men will take our leave. We have many things to take care of."

We saw off the four masters before having dinner and settling down for the night. It was on this night that Diablo and I became intimate. As for a public wedding and all the things that this world would consider the norm. They would still wait. Adel and Sophie were to be first, then Diablo and Iena.

One thing that was amusing was the next morning, Diablo was being teased by the girls. He had to sit there with red cheeks as they asked him all kinds of questions. As for me, I made sure to take precautions. No Little Faiths would be running around any time soon. But I guess while things were going smoothly on one side of things, on the other side, some people did not like it when I was happy.

While eating breakfast, a large group of knights suddenly rushed into the inn with prince's smelly pants in the lead. He looked around the room and then pointed at us and yelled: "Arrest them all!"