Compounding Troubles

With Frey leading the way, Vahn and Shiroyasha found themselves in a waiting room reserved for foreign dignitaries and important guests. The interior was decorated like an extraordinarily high-class parlor, complete with a fully stocked bar, a performance-style cooking range, and a small stage where three remarkably beautiful and scantily clad dancers were waiting to perform a traditional sword dance.

The Salamandra Community had gone to great lengths to ensure Vahn and Shiroyasha were thoroughly entertained and occupied before their scheduled appearance. Shiroyasha's perverse nature was well-known to the majority of the Little Garden's residents, and rumors of Vahn's harem and preferences had been circulating ever since the celebration following his ascension as the Sage Dragon Emperor.

In the opinion of a growing number of people, winning Vahn's favor and becoming an affiliate of the Aldrnari Empire were the fastest methods to achieve virtually any goal. The number of personal messages and hand-written letters he received daily had long exceeded one million. It was for this reason that Sandora employed Shiroyasha to act as an intermediary. Without one, it was nearly impossible to get a private message through to Vahn.

Unfortunately for the team of hopeful Maids, skilled Chefs, and tastefully exotic dancers, the first thing Vahn did after looking around the room was ask them to withdraw. Since Shiroyasha didn't contradict him, the sixteen individuals within, many having used all their connections just to get into the same room as Vahn, began to file out. The only exceptions were two of the dancers, twins whose only visible differences were their skin and eye colors.

Waiting until everyone else had departed, Vahn spread his domain to seal off the room before turning towards Shiroyasha and asking, "Why did you ask these two to stay...?"

Though he could have ascertained the answer for himself, Vahn wanted to hear what Shiroyasha had to say. In response, she stuck her tongue out at him before clasping her hands together and suggesting, "For now, why don't we all make ourselves comfortable?"

Despite squinting his eyes, Vahn didn't oppose Shiroyasha's suggestion. Instead, he cast his gaze over the equally fretful and excited twins. Each had short, white-blonde hair, slender waists ideal for belly dancing, and fairly ample breasts. What distinguished them from one another was that one was dark-skinned and had a black horn protruding from the center of her head, while the other perfectly contrasted her sister with fair skin and a white horn. The tone of their eyes was subtly different, but both sisters had amber-grey irises and large pupils that were nearly the same color.

"What are your names?"

Instead of answering Vahn's question, the two girls exchanged nervous glances with one another until Shiroyasha explained, "They can't speak. Those collar-like markings around their neck have the function of limiting the development of a person's vocal cords. They were originally intended to be assassins but were recruited into the Salamandra Community when they were eight years old. It's probably better you didn't know what came after. Just know that, compared to what they would have been forced to endure, it was relatively tame."

Not expecting Shiroyasha to spontaneously reveal their pasts, the two sisters hung their heads in shame. They were instructed never to show their emotions, but certain situations made it a lot harder than usual. If Vahn viewed them as dirty or soiled goods, they would probably break down and cry.

"Raise your heads..."

Compelled by the resonating tone of Vahn's voice, both girls promptly raised their heads to the point their chins were jutting outwards. For a brief moment, terror unlike anything they had experienced since their childhood washed over them as Vahn suddenly extended his large yet remarkably soft hands to grasp their necks.

"Speak..."

With Vahn's voice carrying the same compulsion as before, both sisters simultaneously replied, "We can't..." in a frightened yet considerably more surprised tone.

Nodding his head in approval, Vahn retracted his hands from the sister's necks, declaring, "From this moment onward, the two of you are free. So long as I draw breath, there isn't a force in all of Creation that can change that..."

Since they weren't used to speaking or straining their vocal cords, the two sisters fell to the floor and began crying in painful silence. It wasn't until Vahn said, "Let is out..." in his captivatingly reverberating voice that their own came forward, anguished wails escaping their throats, accompanied by a deluge of tears...

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Though he wasn't even remotely surprised by the development, Vahn couldn't help smiling wryly when the two sisters invariably prostrated themselves before him, pleading, "Please allow us to serve you!" in soft yet resolute tones.

Ignoring the prompt from his Unit Management, Vahn said, "The Aldrnari Empire is fundamentally different from other nations and organizations. I have quite a few, but no need for servants, slaves, or private entertainers. If you are concerned about what to do with your newfound freedom, then the answer is simple. I'm sure the two of you have always harbored hopes and dreams of some kind. Now is your chance to pursue them."

Without raising her head, the darker of the two twins explained, "The only hope my sister and I have ever harbored is finding a Master that will treat us gently. It is for that reason the two of us came here today..."

Though the copper-skinned woman's words were nearly inaudible, Vahn could understand her without any difficulty. He could also see the auras of her and her sister gravitating towards him, a mixture of fear, hope, and desirous intent contained within. The only thing the two sisters knew was attending others, so they were willing to do whatever it took to convince him of their worth.

Speaking in defense of the two girls, Shiroyasha, who had made herself comfortable on one of the elegant sofas, remarked, "Stop beating around the bush. Can't you see how your actions are stressing them out? If they want to serve the Aldnrari Empire until they figure something else out, just let them. It's not like they can't change their minds later..."

As if she had just realized something, Shiroyasha promptly adopted one of her mischievous smiles as she sat up and said, "Tell you what, if you don't take them, I will. Then, just to annoy you, I'll have them dress up in skimpy Maid outfits and invite them to join us whenever you come by to visit. Shishishishi~."

"..."

Inhaling a deep breath, Vahn reached up to rub his forehead and temples before ultimately just shaking his head and muttering, "Whatever...in for a penny, in for a pound..."

Directing his gaze to the silently observing Frey, Vahn asked, "What about you? Know that I have already looked into your situation thoroughly. If it's just restoring your family's honor and securing a better position in the new Salamandra, I can help you without compensation. The moment I became aware of their schemes, your father and uncle lost all power and influence over you. By the conclusion of the day's events, you will be the Leader of the Scarlett Family in more than just name."

Though he already knew how Frey was going to answer, Vahn couldn't help shaking his head when she asserted, "My family may have assigned me this task, but I have yearned for Your Imperial Majesty's touch ever since I bore witness to your power against Amaterasu-Ōmikami. Even if I must foreswear their right to your throne, I am willing to give anything for the right to bear your children..."

Misinterpreting the shaking of Vahn's head as a rejection, Frey began to feel a little panicked. She was willing to settle for someone like Mandra if she had no choice, but for the sake of her family and children, she would prefer the far more superior mate. If she failed to convince Vahn here, the prosperity of her family would be inextricably tied to Salamandra and its politics.

She would never voice it aloud for fear of being labeled a traitor, but Frey was frankly fed up with Salamandra and its politics...

Fortunately, just as Frey's mind was beginning to race for ways to appeal to Vahn, he freed her from the burden by saying, "Very well. I will accept your proposition and allow the Scarlett Family to join the Aldrnari Empire as an affiliate."

Overly excited by Vahn's words, Frey's diminutive wings perked up and began to flap as the base of her tail became rigid and slightly raised. Her desire to breed was in full swing, but before she could even think about presenting herself, Vahn revealed that he wasn't exaggerating about his knowledge of her situation, asking, "What do you intend to do about your cousin?"

Though she felt like she was pushing her luck, Frey decided to go out on a limb, answering, "If Your Imperial Majesty permits it, I know for a fact that she would be more than willing..."

Demonstrating his power and the fact he had basically given up, Vahn just nodded his head before waving his hand to produce a petite woman with burgundy hair and blood-red eyes. Her identity was Frey's cousin, Alexys. However, despite descending from the same genealogy, she lacked Frey's pointed ears, wings, and tails. Her only draconic feature were her horns, a pair of ridged, dagger-like protrusions that jutted out from the sides of her head in a surprisingly fashionable manner.

"What the hell...?"

As she hadn't even sensed a spatial fluctuation, Alexys was more than a little confused by her sudden, near-instantaneous transfer. The presence of her elder cousin helped to lessen her growing panic, but that changed rather drastically when she noticed Vahn and Shiroyasha.

"Your-Your Imperial Majesty...!"

Hurrying to take a knee, Alexys's panic increased when an invisible force prevented her from doing so. Fortunately, Frey had quickly recovered her senses, readily stepping forward to embrace her much younger cousin as she softly cooed, "Calm down...there's no need to panic..."

Though she could feel Frey's heart beating at an incredible pace, Alexys began to calm down with the help of her cousin's gentle caress. Frey had stepped in to take care of her following the death of their shared mother. When she later became the caretaker of Salamandra, Alexys was chosen as a candidate for the next Dragon Knight, so this was only their second time meeting since Salamandra's 'disappearance'.

Like Frey, Alexys was presently wearing a suit of Dragonscale armor. The difference between them was that Alexys's was made from the materials of a Black Dragon. She also wasn't comfortable with the notion of running around half-naked, so, similar to Vor, she wore a skin-tight bodysuit under her armor. While this covered all the important bits, it actually caused her butt to stand out even more due to how the pale-grey material caught the light and cast shadows...

Undermining her efforts to keep Alexys calm, Frey explained the situation by whispering into her ear. By the time she was finished, the youthful yet remarkably busty young Dragoness was trembling due to a mixture of fear and immense excitement. She had also seen the recording that had made innumerable dragon girls, even those with thinning bloodlines, thoroughly smitten with Vahn. The only reason they weren't head over heels for him was because they would rather Vahn hold their heels over their heads...

Turning along with her sister-cousin to meet Vahn's gaze, Alexys adopted a genuine yet remarkably fierce smile as she declared, "It would be one of my life's greatest honors to serve the Sage Dragon Emperor. My body, my life, my everything is yours to do with as you please..."

Getting a little ahead of herself, Alexys promptly removed the piece of covering her privates. This revealed yet another flaw of the bodysuit, as the moment she removed the piece of metal, it became apparent just how genuinely 'excited' she was...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'It's like showing up for an orgy and getting turned away at the door...','I'm not sure if Shiroyasha is an awesome wingman or an absolute troll...','The family dynamic of dragons is messed up...')