There wasn't much more to talk about with Yuki after that. I still don't know how I should truly feel about her. It's comforting just to love her, but I always have this small itch wondering if I really should trust her. I guess I can play into her weird ignore kink thing and just treat he a bit like my old wives.

Should I come up with a different name for that group? Eh, who cares?

I get Yuki's fluffy tail nice and pretty, and then let her go. Nakuma wakes up without a word and snaps her up and snuggles off to the side of the bed. Leaving just the oldest woman in the bed.

"Looks like it's my turn," Nanoka says, teleporting over to me. "Just a few tails."

Few? I have all this fluff before me, and you think I'm going to do just a few? No, I'll have to get her to let me have them all.

Nanoka's tails are so pretty. The golden flower at the tips gives off a little shiny and greedily sucks up the life mana I put near it. There isn't much I can really do for her tails. She clearly knows how to take care of them herself, but I'm happy to run my hands through them a bit.

"It really is nice having someone care for my tails again. Your hands are so gently. Truly reminding me of my old lovers," Nanoka says. "Thank you for letting me join. Seems you put all the women to sleep with your caring touch."

Taking a peek behind me, I find Nakuma and Yuki asleep, curled up with each other to match Mai and Calli. "I'm happy to do it," I say. "I wish this were all I had to do. Care for the women I love and my children."

"Eventually. You won't always be stuck in the middle of wars. The Goddesses will have to stock up on prayers again so they can affect the lower realms, and they'll have to let you be. You have plenty of allies now to help you. I don't think any woman has had this many Queendoms and realms ready to fight for her. Nature is dangerous and not to be underestimated, but I'm sure the Goddesses you have backing you can find a weakness to let us through. You'll have your peace eventually. I'm here to help you reach it."

"Thank you," I say. "Did Yuki really not have the ability to free me?"

"I do not know. I'm simply in charge of security for the Queendom. My elders keep watch over our Palace and other important buildings. My being here likely means the Queen believes that there was enough of a mistake made to warrant a payment. If Yuki truly kept you there on purpose or through a mistake, or truly couldn't have freed you, the Queen would know, I have no doubt. But if she'll share that information, I do not know."

"I guess," I say, moving on to the second tail. I do hope I can get her to like me enough that I can fall asleep surrounded by her tails someday.

"You have enough to worry about right now. Let Yuki be as she is. Being with Nakuma is a strange punishment for her, as you can imagine. Despite Yuki's oddity, she would love nothing more than to have you to herself and be the center of your world. Keeping her attached to Nakuma is enough till you can find out truly what she did."

"Would the Queen ever tell me that Yuki did something wrong?"

"If you promised to impregnate my daughter, the Queen, yes. I know she would love to have your child when all this fighting business is done. Offer her a few, and she would tell you everything you want to know about Yuki and her treatment of you. I know that is a steep price, so give a bit of leeway on the kids, and she'll drop enough hints to let you figure it out yourself."

"Why does everyone want a kid with me?"

"Kids are special," Nanoka chuckles. "But that is not all. Your Queen's mana changed after having a child with you. Which is part of why I won't say Yuki could free you from this nation. Her mana got stronger and more effective. Nobles will hope that it happens to them as well, and if it doesn't, worst case is they have a child with dragon's blood in them."

"Greedy bitches."

"Yes, and likely to fail. Your Queen and her line are very different from the noble families. There's a reason her mana would react, and so many nobles before her had nothing."

Does she worry that I'll stop grooming her tails if we run out of things to say? "What do you mean?"

"My Queen isn't going to be happy that I share this with you, but we are married now," Nanoka sighs. "There is a reason the phoenixes were able to get one of their kind into the Princess's harem without a worry, and why this Queendom dominates the lower realm. The dragons and phoenixes have been cultivating the Queendom, hoping to use it to gain the other's royal bloodline somehow. You can say that's stupid all you want, but Shimmer carries your child. A royal dragon in her womb. Or maybe a phoenix with the royal's bloodline. Maybe it won't be a royal, but it will still be a good shot at the Phoenixes getting their hands on the dragon's blood. Some of the other royal lines in this realm are like that. I believe the Edoezia Queendom is one such line. Stay close to Geta tomorrow. If their royal line is still cared for, we'll find out tomorrow."

"Shimmer tricked me."

"Shimmer submitted to you. Hard to call that a trick. Go with Ioelena to the pixies and find out what real tricks are. If the Pixies want to have offspring with you, they'll find a million different ways to trick you into carrying a child for them or for you to give them your seed. You may not ever find out it happened, too. Shimmer didn't think she could hide it forever. She knew the truth would come out. Now, dear. I thank you for the pampering, and I know you have more you wish to ask now. But you need to sleep." All the fluff I had before me disappears with her statement. Just the two tails I brushed stay behind!

"No, you have more tails for me," I say. Her other tails have to be here somewhere, hiding from my sight. I just have to find them, or maybe ask my wife to spit them out of whatever space Nanoka put them in.

"You've completed your classes. You need to sleep for that to register. Then we both know that Mai will go into labor before the morning comes. Get some rest before your baby comes. She'll need your help, and you'll want to be rested for that. I can stay and let my tails be your blanket, but you have to sleep for me, dear. You'll have more chances to groom my tails if you really wish for them. For now, get some sleep."

"Fine," I say. "I'm not letting you get away till I've groomed all your tails."

"Get to bed."

I get in the middle of the bed, and Nanoka gently moves everyone to my side with a bit of mana before her tails come out and cover us. The lights go out, and I put myself to sleep, too worried about Mai to fall asleep naturally.

...

"Alzi!" Mai screams. "Alzi."

"Yes, dear," I mumble. A selection of new classes blocks my vision. I should've stayed... oh, they went away. I guess Fertility is getting some control or something. Maybe power?

"Alzi, the baby is coming," Mai says.

"Baby," I whisper. "Shit! Is Kelly around? I should get help with this. I was kind of useless with Sarania. Are you comfortable? How fast are the contractions? Water and rags. How do you want to be? Maybe Kelly brought her bench thing. Or..."

"Dear, just support me. Nanoka got everything set up."

I finally look around the room and find everyone cleared out except Mai, who's now in the middle of the bed. Aurora comes waddling in with her normal smile.

"How are you feeling, Mai?" Aurora asks.

"Scared, but ok for now."

"Good, Kelly is on her way. It should just be a minute. Let me get you some water, and your Highness, how about you get a robe or nightgown on?"

"Ok," I say. I guess I don't have to meet all my children dressed the same way they are. Maybe that'll keep me from getting more random tattoos.

I shuffle out of bed and try the mana thing to put on a loose nightgown. Happy with the results, I take Mai's hand and give it a gently kiss. The little screen just shows she's in labor for now. "Are the contractions happening close together?"

"Kind of."

"Ok, I'm going to check your dilation while we wait for Kelly," I say. Not that I'll be able to do anything with that information. But maybe it'll help her stay calm. She has to be pretty afraid right now. The last kid did a number on her.

"Alzi," Kelly says, rushing over to the bed. "Let me. I'll walk us all through this in all the gory detail. Sorry for that, Mai."

"Please do," Mai says. "Work your magic."

"We have plenty of magic to go around. Don't worry," Kelly says, getting between my kitty's legs. "Alright, Alzi. I'm assuming the contractions are just a few minutes apart right now."

"Yes," Mai says.

"Good. Then we are looking for a dilation of about four knuckles or four inches, which seems to be the case. So, next..."

...

Mai struggles so much more than I do. If you don't account for how I always seem to get pregnant with a bunch of babies at once. But Kelly was her normal self. Calm and reassuring. I had plenty of mana to help ease Mai's pain and keep things from becoming like her last birth. And now, finally, the baby is out. Giving off the soft little cries.

"She looks like a catkin," Mai says. "How? You're so much stronger. She has my ears and tail. Just your wings made it to her."

"She is a catkin," Kelly says. "Don't worry, strange things happen, and you're an undead Mai. Don't be surprised that something strange happened with your pregnancy."

"She's a cutie like her Mother," I say. "I could use some daughters with soft tails to fluff while I read them a story."

"You can read?" Mai asks. "I thought you were having trouble with that?"

"Goddess of Writing gave me the ability to read basic books. So I'm just good for children's stories for now."

"That's great," Mai says. "I'm scared of how they'll grow up with so many noble children for sisters. I'm not that strong."

"Don't worry about that," Aurora says, giving us a blanket for the little kitty. "Alzi is the major factor in all this. She's plenty strong for you. Just show your kid love and attention, and they'll do just fine. Now, I'm sorry to say this, but the Edeozia's Queen is getting executed soon. Alzi, you should be there as you ordered her execution."

"But..."

"Alzi, go. I know you'll come back to see our kid. Go do your responsibilities."

"Fine," I say. I can't fight with a woman just after she gave birth to a cute kid for me.