The private training room in the palace felt rather empty to Leon as he walked in.  Most of his retainers were off doing other important things, leaving only a mere handful of people left to fill the space.

Valeria was there, as she was essentially in charge of his retinue, though the number of people she was responsible for had shrunk considerably.  Marcus and Lucianus were there, too, as were Red and Anzu, but everyone else that made up Leon’s retinue was gone, now, off seeing to their other duties.

Alix and Alcander were in charge of the Tempest Knights; Anshu was off somewhere in the Indra Raj; Gaius’ duties as Leon’s top secretary meant he usually trained on his own; and Anna was training her war beasts with Eirene.  Running the household, meeting guests, managing Leon’s official relationship with Heaven’s Eye, and organizing alms were full-time duties that Elise took to with gusto, while Maia had her pod of lesser nymphs to manage.  Cassandra, finally, typically acted as Leon’s unofficial top diplomat, though the way she took her sister showing up as the Sacred Golden Empire’s envoy had him rethinking matters.

Regardless, those that he could count on as being part of his retinue had become so few that he was tempted to stop thinking about them in those terms—especially since he was about to shrink it even further.

“Marcus!” Leon called out as he entered the training room.  Marcus had been busy monitoring Lucianus’ sword forms, but as soon as Leon called out, Marcus ordered the younger man to keep going without him and ran over.

“King Leon,” he said with a respectful and incredibly formal bow.

Leon glared at him.  “What’s this?  Getting crusty and traditional in your old age?”

Marcus smirked as he straightened up.  “Just trying to set a good example for the kid.”

Leon nodded as he glanced at Roland’s son.  “How’s he doing?”

“Sir Roland made sure Luke had a good foundation to work with, but he’s no great mage or swordmaster.  Yet.  But I can see his potential; give him a decade or two, and he’ll be a real terror on the battlefield, if given the chance.”

“Good,” Leon said appreciatively.  Lucianus was still only third-tier, though, so it would be a while before he could be anything on a battlefield where Leon was present.  Still, hearing that he had potential from Marcus was as good of a recommendation as Leon would ever consider.

“How’ve you been, Marcus?” Leon asked, his tone lightening as his posture relaxed; a subtle signal for Marcus to relax, as well.

“About as well as can be expected,” Marcus replied with a slightly downturned tone.

“Bored?” Leon inquired.

“I… guess you could say that,” Marcus admitted.

“I understand.  Seeing everyone else getting positions must be frustrating.”

“It’s fine,” Marcus hurried to state.  “I’m not jealous, I’m just… I feel like I can do more.”

“I know you can; there’s no need for you to prove yourself.  Not to me, anyway.”  Leon gave his retainer a comforting smile, but it was clear from Marcus’ expression that he considered the words to be little more than platitudes.  But before that thought could really sink into the scion of House Aeneas’ head, Leon continued, “But if you ever wanted an opportunity to prove yourself, then one will soon present itself.”

“Oh?” Marcus whispered, his eyebrows rising as he locked his eyes on Leon.  “I’m all ears, Your Majesty.”

Leon sighed at the use of his style, but let it slide.  Aloud, he stated, “I’ve given orders for a new government position to be created, one I’m sure you’ll be familiar with from the name alone: Exarch.”

Marcus’ eyes widened even further.  “Would these Exarchs possibly be like those back home?”

“Of course they would,” Leon confirmed.  “The Common Lands in the east are going to be put under Royal management.  The land is quite sparsely populated, but most of the island’s Titanstone quarries are found there.  The way that Titanstone is extracted from the earth, refined, and added to Kataigida’s market is chaotic at best.  The Exarchate I establish in the Common Lands will have one overarching duty: streamline the acquisition of this critical resource.”

“I’ve seen maps of the Common Lands,” Marcus whispered almost to himself as he scrunched his eyes up in thought.  “It’s true there are few large settlements and most of the rural population is engaged in mining Titanstone, but these settlements are spread out and not connected by many roads.  Add to that the dominance of the Booming Brown Bears in the region, and keeping those lands organized will be a serious challenge for anyone you appoint.”

“Good thing I’m sending someone I trust,” Leon said.  “As I said, this is your opportunity.  I am considering no one else for this post but you, so I’m going to be put out if you turn me down.  I’ll have to put together a list of candidates and weigh the pros and cons of each and maybe even interview them before making a decision.  Don’t make me do that.  I don’t have the time or patience for that.”  Leon finished his plea with a sarcastic smile, to which Marcus responded with a quiet chuckle.

“Don’t worry, my King!  Your knight is here to relieve you of the horrors of paperwork!”  Marcus gave Leon an exaggerated genuflection, and though he typically hated to see it, Leon still laughed.  “In all seriousness, though,” Marcus continued as he straightened up again, “I’d be honored to receive the offer, and I would most certainly accept.”

Leon clapped his friend on the shoulder and gave him a wide smile.  “Fantastic!”

“What about Luke?” Marcus asked.

“Take him, too,” Leon stated, his tone almost disbelieving that Marcus thought it needed to be asked.  “He’s your squire, isn’t he?  Unless you’re sick of him…”

“No, no,” Marcus hurriedly stated as he looked over his shoulder at the still-training Lucianus.  “I was more worried I would have to leave him behind.  He needs his training, and I don’t like leaving a job only partway finished.”

“Then it sounds like we have a plan,” Leon said.  “Expect a formal offer for the position within a month.  I’ll have to work with the elders and my ministers to codify the position of Exarch, but I don’t think it’ll take much longer than a few weeks.  Maybe if the Tribes pitch a fit, but I think I can bring them around quickly enough.”

“I’m ready when you need me,” Marcus confirmed.

“You people spoil me,” Leon said as he laid a hand on Marcus’ shoulder and started pulling him further into the training room, intent on getting in a little bit of sparring time.  “How can anyone else hope to enter my service if they have to live up to your example?”

“They’ll just have to content themselves with the knowledge that they’re just inferior,” Marcus replied, readily taking to Leon’s game.

Leon grinned and continued the exchange for a little while longer before he and Marcus began their training spar.  He didn’t push himself too hard, though, especially since he wanted to have a good fight with everyone else in the room before leaving again, but by the end, both his and Marcus’ desire for a good fight had been sated.

---

Leon sighed in contentment as he once more found himself sinking into the bath.  It had been a long day, but he was much more relaxed now than he’d been the night before.  He might’ve preferred to delegate his responsibilities, but now that he’d taken care of quite a few of them, he had far less weighing on his mind.

But, of course, the day had given him new worries and concerns, and of his four bathmates, one of them was the focus of one of his new concerns.

However, it wasn’t Leon who first broached the subject, as he’d been more inclined to wait until the steaming hot bath had relaxed his ladies before gently bringing the issue up.  Instead, Elise was the one to bring it up.

While he immersed himself in the water hot enough to have been quite uncomfortable to a mortal, Elise, Cassandra, and Valeria—the latter of whom wore a towel around herself—were sitting on the edge of the bath soaking their feet and calves in the water, chatting about their day, while Maia swam around the large bath quickly enough to give it a gentle current.  A few pleasantries were spoken, small complaints about people they’d had to deal with were aired, and Valeria expressed her approval of Marcus’ upcoming appointment as Leon’s first Exarch.  And then Elise asked her question to Cassandra.

“So, you finally met with Princess Andromache.  How did the meeting go?”

Cassandra froze for a moment as her expression rapidly morphed from relaxed contentment to panic, then anger, and finally settled into neutral with a slight hint of bitterness.

“As well as I’d expect dealing with that bitch,” she growled.

Leon’s heart sank as he heard the brief exchange.  As subtly as he could, he returned to his ladies at the edge of the bath.

“Business was hardly handled,” Leon said before any further questions could be asked.  He could tell Elise knew more about the exchange than her earlier statement let on, and that she wasn’t happy about it.  The last thing he needed, though, was a fight between his official Queens.  “I was a bit blindsided by the reveal of who’d come,” he continued, sending both women a reproachful look.

“Apologies, husband,” Elise said with genuine contrition.  “I’d thought to leave it for Cassie.”

Cassandra clicked her tongue in displeasure before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.  When she opened them again, she’d crossed both her arms and legs and looked like she would’ve rather been almost anywhere else.

“I should’ve told you,” she admitted.  As if it excused her oversight, she said, “I don’t like thinking about her.”

“Is your relationship that bad?” Valeria asked, her sapphire eyes crinkling up a bit in confusion.  “You’ve never said anything about this.”

“Andromache has hardly ever been in my life,” Cassandra stated.  “I’ve rarely brought her up because she’s practically a stranger to me.  She’s family, but on the few times we’ve interacted, she’s always been the bitchiest bitch who’s ever bitched.  We’ve not had a single conversation where she hasn’t reminded me that she’s Mother’s heir!”

She paused and huffed, a look of unrestrained anger racing across her face.  Leon, Elise, and Valeria remained silent, while Maia just kept nonchalantly swimming, hardly seeming to pay any attention to the conversation at all, even though Leon could feel her attention.

Breaking the silent moment, Leon said, “Sounds like you have a lot of thoughts about this.”

Cassandra practically snarled.  “She comes all the way here, stick firmly lodged so far up her ass she’s coughing up sawdust, and still acts like a superior bitch!  She’s the one who’s going to be Empress, so why does she have to come here to remind me?!”

“You know,” Elise quietly stated with a mischievous look in her emerald eyes, “she’s only a Princess, but you’re a Queen.  You outrank her, now.”

“I know that,” Cassandra exclaimed.  “And it means nothing to her!”

“What do you want from Andromache?” Leon asked.  Cassandra scowled and remained quiet for a long enough moment that Leon continued.  “We never did get around to whatever business brought her here, though I don’t think there was much aside from a simple introduction and reiteration of our nonaggression pact.”  He gave Elise a questioning look, and she nodded in agreement; he wasn’t wrong in his assumption.  “She didn’t mention sticking around as a full-time ambassador, so… we’ve had our introduction.  She can leave now, if you want.”

Cassandra’s look of anger softened into something more contemplative.  “It would be fun to kick her out on her perfect ass, wouldn’t it?  Maybe it’ll dislodge that stick up here a bit…”

“Have you always been stronger than her?” Valeria asked.

“Well, no,” Cassandra admitted.  “But I surpassed her when I was twenty-six.  Not long before we met, actually.  I reached eighth-tier before she did.  I always excelled in martial arts, but she was the perfect little demure Princess, being all good and smart and attractive and…  She was never around because Mother always had her assigned as a druid, governing a city or province.  I was twelve before she was recalled to Evergold to finally meet me.”

“That’s terrible,” Elise said as she rubbed Cassandra’s back.  “I can’t imagine a family forcing siblings to be so distant!”

Leon quietly agreed.  He, Elise, and Valeria were all only children, and having any siblings at all would be…

‘Or maybe…?’ Leon silently thought as he considered that he was nearing forty.  He was still an infant when his mother had been taken.  Forty years was a long time, long enough for anything to have happened to his mother.  ‘Maybe I do have siblings?’

After a moment’s consideration, though, he scowled and shook his head, forcing the thought to leave.  Artorias and Serana loved each other.  He didn’t want to think that his mother might’ve abandoned them.

‘But…’

He scowled again, and by chance, made eye contact with Valeria.  She was in the same boat as he was, and he could tell that his thoughts were echoing in her head, too.  He quietly reached out and took her hand, and they gave each other a reassuring squeeze.  No use getting worked up over something that may or may not have happened, over something that was nothing more than an idea.

Together, they turned their attention back to Cassandra.

“There’s no reason for us to host Andromache for long,” Elise stated.  “I’ll meet with her tomorrow and handle whatever business she has, and then make her see that she’s no longer welcome.”

“I don’t want to just kick her out,” Cassandra complained.  “She’d just make a big deal about it to Mother, and then I’d have to hear about it!”

Leon reached out with his free hand and laid it on Cassandra’s still-crossed arms.  “What’s the worst that’ll happen?” he asked.  “Endure a lecture?  You’re a Queen now; you can use any excuse you want to get out of it.  And if your Mother tries to pressure you into staying for her lecture, I’ll head to Evergold myself and challenge her to a duel!  Get her right off your finely-shaped ass!”

Cassandra stared at Leon for a long moment, her expression slowly softening, before a look of pride crossed her gorgeous features and she said, “I do have a nice ass, don’t I?”

“One of the best,” Leon definitively said.

Cassandra shared a look with Elise, and both of Leon’s wives turned over, giving him quite a view of their rear ends.  A little shuffling gave them the perfect lighting and posture for derriere appreciation, and Leon almost pulled himself up against the side of the bath to get a better glimpse at their physical perfection.

And then, Cassandra asked him a question that sent ice running through his veins and any potential arousal growing within him fleeing for the hills.

“So, Leon…  Whose ass is best?”

Leon’s smile thinned, and Valeria answered his look of panic with a wink, then leaned over and peeled her towel back enough for him to see just a hint of her flawless assets.  With a look of betrayal, Leon pushed himself away from the edge of the bath, exclaiming, “That’s a trap!  I will not take this bait!”

All three ladies lost themselves to a fit of giggles before pushing themselves back up.  Cassandra laughed harder than all of them, and when she stopped, she looked like she’d come to some kind of resolution.

“If I must,” she stated, “I will… bury my animosity for Andromache.  We won’t be interacting that much, anyway.”

“No, fuck her,” Elise said with a dismissive flick of her radiant red hair.  “If she’s going to come here and condescend to our family, then she’s unwanted here.”  She gave Leon a look that stated this wasn’t up for debate, though since Leon agreed, he didn’t care about the look.

Cassandra threw her arms around Elise and whispered, “Thanks.”

“Your mother and grandmother can find someone else to scrape for our approval,” Elise continued as she returned Cassandra’s hug.  “What we have to offer them is too valuable for them to just ignore us.  And the next time I see them, I’m going to give them a real piece of my mind for how they’ve raised their children!”

“I’d love to see that,” Cassandra said as she lost herself to another laughing fit.

Leon was about to agree when he found the water surging underneath him.  He recognized Maia’s power, and while he was curious as to what she was doing, he didn’t try to stop her.

He almost immediately regretted not interfering when he was almost thrown out of the bath; he caught himself on the edge of the bath, his legs still submerged, but everything above his hips was hanging out to dry.  Surprise kept him hanging there for a second, but by the time he was about to move again, Maia rose out of the water until her face was mere inches away from his rear-facing cheeks.

Her lake-blue eyes wandered over his naked form, taking in his highly defined back muscles down to his sculpted and somewhat prominent backside.

“Yours is best,” Maia stated before sinking back into the water.

The other three ladies once more all but exploded with laughter, becoming almost more hyena than human.

And Leon, though mildly embarrassed, almost joined them as he sank back into the water.

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