[Bonus chapter] The Butterfly King

"As soon as possible." Both Dante and Byron called out.

"I agree." Slate nodded. "We need to ensure that nothing like what happened with Leo occurs again."

Jason shuddered with distaste. "As long as people still think that even one of us seven Princes is still available, we will continue to get accosted and threatened by all these crazies."

"Let's get married as soon as everyone gets back to Erenveil." Slate suggested with a wolf grin. "I want to be completely owned by my wife as soon as possible!"

"Is that enough time?" Jared pondered. "I need more than three days to make all of us matching wedding outfits."

"How about off-the-rack clothes from a department store?" Candace suggested with a bright smile.

"Off-the—what? What in the world are you talking about woman?" Jason scratched his head.

Candace laughed. "Never mind. How long do you need to create your masterpieces?"

Jared and Jason glanced at each other for a couple of minutes and began muttering to themselves.

"If we get everyone off that huge masquerade ball to do this…"

"I can have that jewelry show deferred…"

"And all the shoe makers…"

"The silks need to be sent from Emporia…"

They finally turned back to Candace.

"We need at least two weeks time. We also need to find a good location."

"I can find us a good location." Dante spoke up.

"And with all of us at one location, we will need high level security, which I can provide." Slate said.

"I got the perfect A-level entertainment groups I can call on for music and dancing. They all owe me many favors." Lucas grinned.

"I can take care of the food and drinks. I have very good connections for that." Byron chimed in.

"And I'll find the flowers, birds, and butterflies." Leonardo threw in.

Candace laughed. "I feel so useless. What can I do to help?"

Leonardo tweaked her nose. "If we are going to be doing all this work, we need your strength and love to keep us going. You have to remain healthy and beautiful."

He was still holding onto her body, hoping she would not demand to be set down. He wanted to hold her for as long as she would allow him.

He'd nearly lost this woman and now that she was back in his life, he never wanted to let her go again.

"Listen to the Doctor, Love." Byron admonished. "For the next two weeks, no risk-taking like you want to do all the time."

"No crazy dancing. Just normal stuff." Dante chimed in.

"Her normal stuff is kind of crazy." Jason laughed.

"We'll just have to heal her with our inner energies." Slate smiled.

He would never forget the first time he healed her at her home on Earth. He had been the first one to kiss her that day, and she didn't even know he had done it.

The Emperor listened in on all the wedding talk without saying a word. They seemed so happy about it all. Who was he to insist that they do things the way he wished.

And besides, he couldn't go up against Candace if he wanted to. With a few simple words based on her understanding of their laws, she could browbeat even him.

He nodded with satisfaction. The combination of Candace along with her seven men would be more than sufficient to run the galaxy in as smooth a fashion as possible.

He sighed. His time was fading and it was time for his children to take over. Once the wedding was officially announced, he would talk to the Advisors to plan for a smooth transition of power with a large ceremonial coronation.

That would be another huge gala event…

============

On the other side of the galaxy, high above the flower fields of Laroche Gardens, King Ophiucus Faraday was in a panic.

He was a short fat man who had butterfly wings that could never get him off the ground because he had gained too much weight. Still, he liked to show them off so he kept them continually sprouted behind his back.

His gold and black wings were at the moment, fluttering and quivering with agitation as he walked back and forth in front of his gold gilded throne.

He had gotten word from his own people that Olivia had been arrested and was currently sitting in the ship's brig awaiting to be flown back to Erenveil where she was to be incarcerated at the Erenveil high security dungeon tower.

His hands shook, even though he had taken to holding his own hands to keep them from shaking.

He had to get her off that ship before she landed in Erenveil because once she entered the Erenveil Dungeon, his chance of getting her out was next to none.

"Get me in touch with Emperor Rex!" He roared at his advisor who was standing around looking more and more useless by the moment.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The man began making the calls needed to reach the Emperor.

The Emperor, being the Emperor, was not one who could be easily contacted, but in this case, it was the King of a neighboring kingdom, a powerful insectoid world, no less.

It did not take more than fifteen or twenty minutes of channel changes to get to the Emperor.

"Ophiucus!" The Emperor called out in greeting.

"Emperor Rex." King Ophiucus sighed. "What is going on with the children? Why is my daughter in the brig?"

Emperor Rex sighed. He had mentally prepared himself for this very moment, but when it came, he found himself at a difficult situation.

Ah well. Nothing could be gained by beating around the bush. Best course of action was to simply lay the truth out on the line, no matter how badly it reflected on everyone.

"I'm afraid she has done something that, to my son, is unforgivable." Rex shook his head with regret.

"Nothing is so unforgivable as to be thrown in jail!"

"Ophiucus, your daughter cheated on Leo with some random man and got pregnant. Are you saying that's forgivable? Who do you think my son is? Some chump?"

"Rex. Come now. She's barely four weeks pregnant. Aren't you jumping the gun a bit in rejecting the fact that it could be your own grandchild?"

Rex sighed. There was no saving face with this man.

The reason why it took the Emperor so long to respond to King Ophiucus was because he was going over the visuals, not just the one from Leonardo's bedroom but also the one from Captain Hemming which Rex had procured directly from the ship's technical crew.

"She was caught on visuals doing many things. If you are interested in seeing them, I can forward you the visuals."

King Ophiucus stammered. "Rex. Whatever she's done, surely it is not so horrible as to be given a death sentence!"

"She drugged and assaulted my son, Ophiucus." Rex ground out. "I was perfectly fine with her being his wife even though he was not thrilled about the prospect, but an assault on a member of the royal family is not, and has never been acceptable."

King Ophiucus sighed. "Is there anything I can do at this time to save my daughter's life?"

Rex stared at him. "There might be."