“Thank you. So do you.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Tilda was absent from breakfast. If my guess was correct, she would be in her bed for the next week at least. Quaid’s sisters were dressed, had their hair brushed, and sat at their breakfast table on their best behavior. I looked at Quaid and smiled. Eri had told them everything.
“Quaid, do you think there is any chance of us convincing all of your sisters to join us? I would love a chance to get to know them. They are so pretty, sweet, and polite,” I whispered just loudly enough for a straining ear to hear.
He whispered back, “I’ll ask permission from our parents first. Hopefully, they don’t have plans.”
Julia winked at me. Quaid left through a side door. I ate the fruit I was given for breakfast and wished it were steak. I noticed that the girls were wearing their bracelets. I smiled.
“Would you please pass the melon,” Jin-an said.
“Please, allow me,” Erykah said.
“Your daughters are so very polite,” I said to Julia.
“Thank you. They are very lady like this morning,” she said with a bemused smile.
Quaid followed Consul Bosh and Elspeth into the dining room. Consul Bosh seemed as surprised as Elspeth when they saw their daughters. Yukihyo and Nico grinned at me. The girls were on their best behavior because of me. I thought it was funny, since I had been trying to copy my manners from a madam. Yukihyo laughed. Quaid shook his head. Consul Bosh looked me in the eyes. I gave him my sweetest smile. The Boshes sat.
“Ladies, if you are free, would you like to accompany us to the Ocean View Tunnel this morning? Afterwards, we will have lunch and may visit a museum,” Quaid said.
Jamila began to jump up and down in her seat. Jin-an touched her hand and made a warning face at her saying, “Thank you, Quaid. We would love to accompany you, the Princess Teagan, Lord Yukihyo, and General Cassian.” The others smiled sweetly and nodded.
I looked at Elspeth. She was wearing an incredulous expression. I gave Pierce the morning off. Quaid got us all loaded into a transport. With the four little girls, Neema, and me safely inside, Yukihyo, Nico, Kaoti, and Quaid took their seats. The driver took us down the road and through the jungle. Moisture dripped from the leaves and onto the transport. It had rained softly on and off all night. The driver turned and drove us along the coast. All sorts of different boats were on the water. It looked like fun, but I put my hand over Niklos. I was fearful my motion sickness would return with a vengeance on a boat. Eri watched me. Her sisters were practicing making polite conversation with the men.
“Have you ever been sailing?” Eri asked.
“I’ve been on boats, but nothing like those. They look fast. Have you?”
“Yes, we go out on the water a lot. We have to go with an adult, though.”
I nodded. “My Papa took me fishing on the lake. He made me wear a life jacket.”
Nodding, Eri said, “It’s important to do what your daddy says.”
“Especially, when he is sweet and loves you.” Eri grinned at me.
“Yes, I keep telling Neema that she must always mind her daddy,” Yukihyo said in his deep monotone. Neema screeched at him, and we laughed.
The driver parked in front of a large building. The second floor walls were made of plasti-glass. The walls of the first floor appeared to be made of the same material used for starship hulls. Tall beams formed right angles out from the building’s sides and held up large collapsible awnings.
Seeing my curiosity, Jamila said, “Those fold down when there are storms and protect the second floor.”
“Cool. That’s a great idea. Will you take a picture of this place, Yukihyo?” I picked up Neema and followed the girls inside. A lady greeted us pleasantly. A gift shop was in the back right corner near a lift to the second floor.
“Lord Bosh, welcome! How may I be of service?” The lady’s polite professionalism with us had transformed into something else with Quaid. She reminded me now of the store clerk at the jewelry store on Arachne who always oozed over Simon.
“The ten of us would like to walk through the Ocean View Tunnel. Then, we would like to have lunch upstairs.”
“Yes, my lord. I will reserve the best table for your party.” She looked at Quaid like he was the last fried wonton in the bag. I rolled my eyes. Jin-an and Erykah saw me and exchanged surprised smiles with each other. “Right this way, please.”
The lady walked to a panel and opened a door with a palm scan. Quaid motioned for his sisters to go ahead. Kaoti followed them. I could feel the slight decline as we walked inside of the large tunnel. I wondered if Nico could touch the top of it. “Neema, will you go to Daddy? Mommy needs an arm to hold onto.”
“Daddy!” He gave her a wet kiss on the neck, and she giggled.
Quaid and Nico walked to either side of me. I held their hands. “That’s better.” It was cool in the tunnel and dimly lit. Quaid sent a small wave of pleasure through our entwined fingers.
“You made my sisters very happy today. They want you to like them.”
“I do!”
“I know.” He kissed my temple.
Neema began to shriek in delight which caused laughter up ahead. While the floor remained, the sides and top of the tunnel became clear. We were underwater and surrounded by the ocean. I drew in a breath and looked around. Fish swam everywhere. They were all different colors, sizes, and shapes. Kaoti busily took pictures. Neema moved her head all around following fish. Yukihyo kept a hand splayed across her back. He watched her face with as much delight as she had watching the fish.
“This is amazing,” I said.
“It gets better.”
The tunnel took us past a large coral reef. “Oh! That’s what it looks like underwater? I have a coral necklace.”
Nico said, “Yes, Thalassan coral is highly prized. Only coral that washes up on the beaches is used. It is a living thing and provides homes to several different species.”
“Do we have to worry about boats hitting us?” I asked.
“No, this is an aquatic preserve. Boating and diving in the area is prohibited. However, the tunnel couldn’t be damaged by a boat. This tube was constructed of the same material used in starship view ports. It can be used as emergency shelter during hurricanes,” Quaid said.
We caught up to the others at the end where a large space had been created with benches on which to sit. The girls were looking around and pointing.
“Weird. What’s that?” I pointed at a thing crawling along the sand and rocks.
“That is an octopus.”
“Is it an ocean spider?” I tried to count its legs.
The girls led the way back to the entrance. The lady greeted us and smiled as she waited for us to exit the tunnel. “Your table is ready, Lord Bosh.” She looked at him as though he were a dream. I snorted and stepped into the lift. It was worse in the restaurant. I thought one of the waitresses might offer to feed him. Finally, the table was covered with dishes. I was surprised that no meat of any kind was served. I had expected fish. Yukihyo and Quaid laughed at me.
After lunch, we bought each of the girls a stuffed animal in the gift shop. Each toy resembled a fish. Yukihyo bought Neema a rattle that was shaped like a sea shell. I made sure Kaoti bought Violet something. Once I was in the transport, Quaid handed me a stuffed animal that looked like an octopus. I laughed. “Thank you, Quaid. That was fun.”
“Yes, thank you very much,” the girls echoed.
Quaid grinned and said, “You’re welcome.”
Our next stop was at an art museum. It had sculptures on display. Some were tiny reproductions of jungle plants that had to be viewed under magnifying lenses. The largest sculpture took up an entire wall. The artist had sculpted a coral reef complete with fish out of stone and had then painted it to look real. Someone had even sculpted a wave.
“Wow. This is great. Are these for sale or permanent pieces?”
Quaid went to ask the curator. The reef was the only piece not for sale. The museum had already purchased it. “How much is this wave?” I was informed that it could be mine for the large sum of fifty thousand credits. “I would like to purchase it as a gift.”
“I will see to its packaging for proper shipment, Lady Bosh,” the curator told me.
“Thank you.” I followed him and had my chip scanned.
“Who will be the lucky recipient of this piece, Lady Bosh?”
“My Papa.”
“The artist will be pleased that his work will be given to the Emperor of Parvac.”
“It’s beautiful. I think it will remind him of my mother.” I felt my eyes grow warm.
Quaid put his hand to my back, and I felt my attention go elsewhere. Quaid told the curator to have it delivered to Captain Lee on the Tora and gave him Hiroshi’s contact information. Yukihyo brought Neema to me and found us a quiet place to sit around the corner on the way to the restrooms. Kaoti and Nico were guarding the girls on the second floor.
“Perhaps one day, we will have a transport full of little girls of our own,” Yukihyo said as he smoothed Neema’s hair.
“We’ll need Hiroshi to get a bigger ship.”
“That can be arranged.”
“I’m going to need more back rubs.”
“I’ll rub whatever you like, lady wife,” he said with a very mischievous grin.
When we returned to the group, Quaid was surrounded by women who laughed and touched his hands and arms while they talked. I sighed.
Once we arrived at the Bosh property and returned the girls to their parents, I stretched out on the bed. After making sure that I was okay, Phillip went out on a date. Pierce got Neema to take a nap, and I got my back rub. During dinner, the girls chatted happily about our day. Simon and Hiroshi had returned and joined us.
“I’m glad you had a nice time,” Elspeth said. I chuckled to myself.
“What is it, sweet cousin?” Simon asked.
“Oh, Simon. You should have come. Poor Quaid gets treated the same way here by women as they treat you on Arachne. I can tease him for weeks.” I rolled my eyes.
“They were that bad?”
I laughed and fluttered my eyes at Quaid. “Lord Bosh! Oh, welcome. How may I be of service?” Yukihyo chuckled and Consul Bosh smiled.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Quaid said.
I raised my eyebrows at him. “Seriously? They were throwing themselves at you so hard, I thought you might need localized defense grid armor.”
Quaid said, “Does the Empire have that?”
“I don’t know. I assume so. Why not? Couldn’t they make one the size of a collar pin? You saw how small the ones were they showed us at the military base.” I looked at Nico for confirmation. He stared at me. “What?”
“That’s a good idea. Why not? Excuse me.” He got up and left. I eyed his half eaten steak.
“It’s always like that,” Margrete, Quintin’s wife said.
“I don’t get it. Why did you go to so much trouble to marry me when you could get a dozen wives for no effort at all in minutes?’
“They want my name, wealth, and what I can give them. You only wanted me and pretended that you didn’t.”
“I wanted to shoot you and travel back in time to throw that coffee from Flora’s on your crotch.”
“That is what makes you so special.”
When we returned to Quaid’s house, it was to find Lorca and Pierce looking into the bedroom with faces torn between laughter and more laughter. I spied around Lorca’s arm. Thunderdrop purred and chirped at the stuffed octopus I had left on the bed. He nuzzled it. “Chirp.”
I turned and walked to the couch shaking my head.
“What is it, lady wife?”
I pointed. Yukihyo, Hiroshi, and Quaid looked and then quickly walked out onto the veranda where they shared a good hard laugh.
The next day, Hiroshi, Simon, Phillip, and Yukihyo had serious deals to make for our silk. Quaid offered to take the rest of us to the beach. He loaded his sisters, Neema and me, Nico, Kaoti, and Pierce into a long open roller. Then, he and Quincy took us out to the beach where they had set up tents for shade and another for food and drinks. Elspeth and Julia had rubbed sunscreen into Neema and me. They had given jars to Nico, Kaoti, and Pierce. After I had coated Nico with the sunscreen, he almost hadn’t let me leave his room. However, I was able to appease him with a touch.
Now, Neema bounced and screamed in my arms. I sat with her in a shallow pool the Bosh family had dug out for the little members of their family. Nico and Kaoti stayed with us. Quaid and Quincy were in charge of their sisters. Pierce prepared an area in a tent for Neema.
“Your father called earlier. He has made each of your new little sisters honorary princesses of the Parvac Empire. I printed out the documentation. Yukihyo is purchasing frames, and Simon is selecting appropriate white dresses.”
I laughed and kissed Nico. “That’s perfect!”
I let Neema sit in the shallow water. She grabbed handfuls of wet sand and smeared them on my leg. “Mommy.” She sent me an image of being held in the water by her daddy.
“Okay, I’ll take you.” I picked her up, and Nico helped me stand. We waded into the water. Quaid came to us.
“Do you mind if we go for a swim?” Kaoti asked.
“Go for it.” Nico and Kaoti moved into deeper water and begin to propel themselves forward with powerful strokes parallel to the shore. I bent my knees dropping down a bit in the water to cool off. Neema laughed as the water touched under her chin. “Have you heard from Eric or Kane?”
“Yes, I have. Kane’s crew has been very popular with the ladies. A few of them are bringing brides home with them.”
“Oh, no. That means fewer women throwing themselves at you. How will you manage, Lord Bosh?”
“I will be fine. There are plenty of them left.” I splashed him. “Thank you for staying at my home and getting to know my family.”
“It’s been fun. I like your family. It wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be. Everyone is together but spread out into their own houses.” We played for another hour and then sat in the shade, drank, and ate. Neema took a nap. I rested with my head in Nico’s lap.
Nico said, “Enjoy the warmth while you can. Our next stop is Leucon. It is three days out and blocked by Epopeus from the suns. It is like Ephors in winter.”
That evening, we dressed up for dinner. Nico, Quaid, and Kaoti wore their uniforms, Neema and I dressed like princesses, and Yukihyo and the others wore suits. Consul Bosh had asked us to meet in the living room before dinner. Everyone, but the girls, was in on the surprise. They remained on their best behavior. I had learned that the girls were usually wild little tomboys who spent their time either in the jungle or the ocean. They liked me because I acted like a Laconian man being able to pilot a fighter ship and marry as many spouses as I wanted. I had tamed their aloof brother. However, I liked wearing pretty clothes. I had no problem being liked.
Once we had all gathered, Consul Bosh activated the vid-screen. Papa sat behind his desk. “Good evening. I see you are taking care of my beautiful daughter and sweet grandbaby.”
Neema heard his voice, saw him, held her arms out to the vid-screen, and said, “Gapa.”
Papa smiled proudly and blew her kisses. She got angry and cried when he didn’t hold her. Yukihyo took her and calmed her speaking to her in his native language. Papa met my eyes and had a rather smug self-satisfied look even for him. “She misses you almost as much as I do, Gapa.” I laughed.
“I hope Consul Bosh realizes how much it pains me to be separated from my only child and grandchild.” Consul Bosh bowed to Papa. “I wished to speak to you all this evening to express my gratitude to you for making my daughter feel welcome and at home. Particularly, four young ladies have impressed the Princess Teagan of House Probus with their kindness, adventurous spirits, and graciousness. May I address Jin-an, Erykah, Jamila, and Eri of House Bosh?�
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“Yes, Emperor Probus,” their father answered. The girls inched forward, and I stood with them.
“My daughter tells me how sweet and lovely her new sisters are. Now, I see for myself the truth of her words. Hopefully, your brother will one day give me a granddaughter as beautiful as you girls.” I blushed. “During a conversation with your sister, Eri, I learned you might be interested in taking on the responsibilities of being princesses. Is this true?” The girls nodded. Their eyes were wide and had gone black. “You must be sure. Being a princess is a huge responsibility and once it is done, it cannot be undone. Eri, can you describe these responsibilities to your sisters?”
“Yes, Emperor Probus. A princess must always do what is fair and right, do what daddy says, and wear diamonds and white to parties.”
Papa gave her a pleased smile and a nod of his Imperial head. “Very good. I see the Bosh girls are as intelligent as they are pretty. Eri has assured me she can uphold these duties. Can you ladies do the same?”
“Yes, Emperor Probus,” they said with sincerity.
“Very well. From this day forward, Jin-an, Erykah, Jamila, and Eri are honorary princesses of the Parvac Empire. General Cassian, I believe you have something for the princesses?”
“Yes, Emperor Probus.” Nico gave each of the girls official documentation with Papa’s imperial seal framed in white.
“I’m a princess? Really?” asked Eri.
Nodding, I said, “Yes, Princess Eri Bosh.”
The girls struggled to remain lady like. Jin-an tapped the other girls. “Thank you for this great honor, Emperor Probus.” They curtsied. Julia hid her smile behind her hand.
“Lord Montgomery, were you able to find the gifts I wanted for the young princesses?”
“Yes, Emperor Probus.” Quintin helped Simon pass out boxes. The girls opened them and pulled out poufy white party dresses.
“Oh, thank you!” Eri said.
“Princesses, I would ask that you attend an event this evening and behave as befitting your rank. Commander Bosh can provide you with the details.” Papa winked at me. I mouthed the words I love you to him. Papa nodded to Consul Bosh and ended the call. I had the best Papa in the universes.
The Parvac Emperor's Daughter (The Space Merchants Book 3) Page 13