Herald of Steel

Hearing the carriages were being readied, Lady Nanazin sitting adjacent to Cambyses shot opened her drooping eyes and quickly attempted to get up as if to get ready.

However she was hardly in the best shape, and her body clearly wobbled the moment force was put on her feet.

"Ahhh!" Hence before the lady knew it, she found herself plopping down on the couch, her head rapidly spinning.

'My god, how long have you been drinking?' And seeing the absolute state of her, Alexander half rolled his eyes in amusement.

He found the lady was the most wasted out of them all, with eyes that seemed to be rapidly 'swimming' and a deep red flush painting her cheeks and nose.

It appeared Lady Nanazin was quite bad at poker.

She had also intentionally drunk a lot today in happiness at her powerful appointment, quaffing down the sweet wine like it was water, thus leading to her current semi wasted state. Alexander might not been comfortable sending her home in this state even if the weather was fine.

And the same could be said for the others to a varying extent, which made him want to hide the current situation even more. Most of the ladies seemed too drunk by now to engage him in anything meaningful anyway.

Thus he feared the revelation would only spread panic.

Hence brushing his hand, Alexander quickly chimed, "There is no need to hurry. Hemicus tells me that the winds outside are very strong and some of the roads are already waterlogged. It would be very dangerous to go out now."

And this relatively innocuous news was received much more warmly- because given the strength and duration of the downpour, everyone had already expected it.

In fact, waterlogging was nothing new for the city- due to it being situated on a slope and without a still proper working sewage system- Zanzan tended to get waist deep in water regularly even after only moderate rainfall.

This was because water from the surrounding hills would all flow downhill to this one convenient place, creating a 'giant puddle'.

This was also one of the main reasons why Pasha Muazz had his house built atop a hill overlooking the city- he did not want his first floor to become a pond during the rainy seasons.

Thus due to Alexander's natural explanation, the sound proposal was also quickly reinforced by Cambyses, adding from the side,

"Yes, the way thunder and lightning are constantly rumbling…. I fear the horses will get spooked the moment they are brought out." Saying so she turned to look worriedly at the window where the glass could be seen turning a hue of blue and purple almost every few seconds.

Thus turning her head back, she cordially invited,

"So please stay the night here my ladies. We have enough rooms. We will escort you once the weather clears up in the morning."

"*Hic*... mmm, that sounds good." Lady Nanazin naturally accepted the offer in a heartbeat. She would have never let go of a chance to stay with Alexander even if she was sober, much less drunk.

Although the alacrity of the answer did make Alexander's lips twitch a bit. Even though their relationship was an open secret by now, he was still a bit cautious about openly flaunting their status.

Hence trying a sort of devil's advocate he worriedly asked, "Will your daughters be alright alone? Should I send a messenger informing them?"

"No, no, no need. They know I am here. They will understand..*hic*." Lady Nanazin rapidly brushed her hands with such speed that it seemed she was afraid she was going to be sent home, thus repeating, "They will understand. No need to bother. They also have Azira and Azura with them. So there is nothing to worry about, *hic*."

Adhanian queen was so rapid in her reply that she slurred many of the words and did not even really address Alexander's question. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire

She had only registered the daughter part and thought Alexander was talking about sending her to them, not a messenger.

While looking at the lady who was clearly out of it, Alexander decided not to bother.

He at first thought about how long it had been since he had seen the two princesses turned priestesses and then decided to send a man a bit later with a letter to the house, letting the daughters know of their mother's whereabouts.

As for now, he turned to Lady Parthia next and asked the same question.

And the mature lady in question too brushed aside his concerns in a sort of haughty voice, "My son can live one night without his mother."

This was a logical answer, yet it was also a reaction that surprised Alexander because he thought the married lady was going to be much more against it. It did not need a genius to figure out what a married woman staying in another man's house without her husband implied.

So he thought Lady Parthia was going to insist on leaving no matter what.

After all, he had also invited her a lot of time before to stay the night and was vehemently rejected every time.

But Alexander quickly chalked the inconsistency to it being due to unavoidable circumstances this time.

"Great! Mom can stay with me." Lady Parthia's choice also seemed so natural to others that it managed to illicit a great cry of joy from the young Camelia, who sent a glittering gaze towards her.

It had been so many years since she got to share a bed with her mother that just the thought of snuggling up to her and falling asleep with that familiar scent made her terribly excited.

Alexander and Lady Parthia also had no problem with this arrangement, and the former was just about to approve the great idea.

When….

"Camelia, you are a grown girl! How can you say such an improper thing such as sleeping with your mother?" Cambyses strongly interjected from the side, smirking a disdainful taunt, "What is next? Asking to play with your dolls?"

"..." Alexander's young mistress quickly flushed an ashamed look hearing this, and vehemently shook her head. The custom of the time made it highly improper for an adult girl to be caught having such childish hobbies. She would have been thought to be foolish and dumb.

Then, before Alexander could interject with a defense on her behalf, claiming the girl was simply a bit homesick, Cambyses imperiously dictated to the princess, "You go stay with Fabiyana and Alexandria tonight. Both of them are scared of thunder, so they will need someone to look after them."

"Your mother can stay with me. Despite being with us for so long, I don't believe we got to ever properly talk. Today can be that auspicious day."

None of the involved parties apparently had any objection to the announcement, and thus Cambyses proceeded to lay out the other sleeping arrangements as well.

Such as Mean getting to accompany the other kids, while Lady Nanazin got to share her room.

Alexander watched all this from the side with a sort of muted appreciation, as Cambyses expertly divided up the rooms, then called the maids to have the places ready.

However as she finished this, he suddenly saw his main wife turn to give him a menacing gaze and snark at him in a very crass tone,

"See! Now do you understand why I said we need a bigger house? Being unable to even give our guests even a room! How shameful! *Tsk*!"

And hearing this, Alexander still could not help but instinctively blush.

Although such behavior from a wife in front of guests was highly improper, what Cambyses said was indeed true. This was truly a failure of his as a host.

If this was the best he could do, if anything more was beyond his capability, then it would have been another time.

But clearly, Alexander was swimming in money.

Hence for him to offer such poor accommodations to his guests…

As a country with a culture of great hospitality, this was highly inappropriate.

It was nearly the equivalent of showing up at a close friend's wedding with nothing but a sleeveless shirt despite being a billionaire. He would be seen as a miser at best, and tasteless and classless by most.

This example truly let him understand having a big house was not just a status symbol- for someone of his status it was a necessity, something whose absence that might even cause a diplomatic incident.

After all, the guests and dignitaries visiting him demanded a certain level of sophistication and frankly, he too would expect a similar thing.

He would also be unhappy if he was offered a hut to stay in, even if the noble host was living in a similar hut.

Hence, despite both Lady Parthia as well as the slightly recovered Lady Nanazin quickly coming to Alexander's defense, claiming they did not mind and also offering excuses such as his house just got burned down and that this was only a temporary residence, Alexander took Cambyses's attack personally and gritting his teeth promised,

"Fine! I will have a new mansion built here by next year."

While getting the promise, Cambyses let out a proud smirk, knowing since Alexander made such a strong promise, she was guaranteed to get her new home by next year.

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