Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
The Phoenix castle was certainly impressive to look at. Especially because of the numerous torches, bonfires, candles, and practically everything else around it. Which was impressive and thematic, to say the least. There were also numerous images and drawings of phoenixes everywhere.
"Lady Prince and company, welcome to Phenex Castle." To my surprise, Yubelluna was the one who had come out to greet us at the castle entrance.
"Yubelluna." I nodded in her direction.
"Please follow me," she said simply as she turned and started walking. I started walking. The closer we got to the castle, the warmer it got. Nothing intolerable, honestly, but something easy to notice, and something I had to discuss with Ravel. If all went well and Ravel ended up as my fiancée, I needed to know if a higher temperature was necessary to feel comfortable at home.
Once we entered the castle, we were greeted by a fairly large group of devils lined up. There were maids and butlers, and I could see Riser's Peerage among the group. There were also several devils within that group who were loud enough to hear with my magic detection. There were too many devils, though I suppose that was to be expected for a group like Phenex. Especially since with four children, they were a fairly large group. Three of them had full Peerages.
Ruval was in the top 10 in the Rating Game, so he should have a near-complete, if not complete, peerage. Riser had his party, and the middle brother, she didn't even know the name of, so she wasn't sure if he had a peerage or not. Furthermore, she also didn't know if any of the Devils present were part of their parents' Peerage. Lady Phenex had a set of Evil Pieces since she traded Ravel with Riser later on, but she didn't know if she had used any other pieces, just like Lord Phenex.
"Welcome to my home, Lady Prince." My eyes immediately went to Lord Phenex. Reinhard Phenex.
"Thank you for the invitation, Lord Phenex. You have a charming home." I said politely as I bowed slightly. Lord Phenex nodded in satisfaction.
"This is my wife, Elise, and these are my children, Ruval, Revive, and you already know Riser and Ravel." Lord Phenex introduced his family. I stared at them, really. Lord and Lady Phenex looked as young and handsome as the rest of their three sons. Ravel was still too young, despite being 18 years old. I knew that devils stayed young, but I guess they also used appearance manipulation magic.
A devil could only be ugly if they genuinely didn't care about their appearance or were lazy enough to not want to use even the slightest bit of magic to maintain their appearance. Honest came to mind. I'd found an image of him in this world, and he was just as fat and ugly as I remembered, and I didn't know what category that trash fell into.
"A pleasure to meet you all. This is Lucius Malfoy and his fiancée, Narcissa Black, my pawns," I gestured to both of them, who bowed slightly. "As you know, this is my Queen, Bellatrix Black," I introduced Bella, who just nodded. "And finally, this is Enid Sinclair, my Bishop," I gestured to Enid, who smiled nervously, raised her hand, and wiggled it. "My fiancées," I said finally and waited.
No one really reacted to this information, so either they expected it or they didn't care. Either way, I mentally sighed with relief.
My eyes immediately went to Ravel, and my eyes widened slightly as I stared at her for the first time. She was wearing a ridiculously short dress, which started at her plump breasts and ended just above her mid-thighs. It was completely black and left a lot on display, from the plunging neckline, her shoulders and arms, to her completely bare legs.
Finally, she had a sheer shawl that she was holding over the crook of her elbows as she moved forward. But most importantly, she was wearing jewelry. She had gold bands around her thighs and forearm, a choker and a necklace hanging down, both also made of gold, and some rather expensive-looking rings. Oddly, none of them had any jewelry; they were simply all made of precious metals.
" Stop drooling over your future fiancée," Narcissa mockingly transmitted to my mind. I blinked as I looked up from Ravel's body. Ravel was slightly blushing, but she was wearing a triumphant smile.
"Don't worry, she likes it, she dressed exactly for that," Lucius conveyed. I could feel his mental smile.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confusedly through the link, I could hear Bellatrix snort in her mind.
"Look closely at how she's dressed, not just her body," Bella said dryly. I blushed slightly, and this time I looked at her quickly. Oh.
"Oh... she's dressed just like me," I said simply in my mind, and it was true; she was dressed all in black and was wearing tons of jewelry that she'd never worn before, certainly not as heavy as mine, but we definitely matched. "They dressed her like that exactly for me?" I asked directly in Lucius's direction before stopping, wait... "You dressed me like that, exactly for her?" I accused Lucius, I could hear him laughing in my mind.
"Guilty as charged," Lucius relayed simply while smiling. "And before you say anything, she wasn't dressed like that, SHE dressed like that, specifically for you, so to speak, people assumed you had certain tastes in how you dressed." Lucius relays mockingly. I mentally grimaced. Just because I only wear black and a lot of jewelry (and I like the way I look), doesn't mean I'm not attracted to other types of clothing. Bella's outfit made her look really attractive, while Enid's way of dressing was also charming.
"I suppose she's really okay with all this if she dressed like this for me?" I asked cautiously, Lucius mentally nodding.
"Yes, indeed, she is. She certainly likes you, and she's not averse to marrying you for the benefit of her family. In fact, she's grateful to be able to choose who she marries. You really did leave a good impression on her… well, after the first meeting." Lucius conveyed mockingly. I wanted to roll my eyes but stopped myself.
"So shes doing it for family, huh? Who would do that?" I transmitted to the link only to be greeted with three flat stares that somehow carried through the telepathic link . "Yes, yes, yes, nobles." I mentally rolled my eyes. Enid laughed softly inside our heads.
"As fun as this conversation is, you really should congratulate her; she seems lovely," Enid conveyed with a smile. I nodded.
After I used Added Potential to create a telepathic link with Enid, I was immediately designated the 'Alpha. ' I didn't know if Enid was just too submissive to take the position or if it was just the way The Company's seal worked. Still, we experimented with the link quite a bit. Especially the distance. Much to Enid's delight, distance was never an issue. Even with one of us in the Human World and the other in the Underworld, we could still hear each other as if we were right next to each other.
Furthermore, the bond never disappeared; it was always present, even in our human forms. We just couldn't communicate easily. But once I could sense it within my mind, it was easy to bring the telepathic link to the forefront once more. And since I was the designated 'administrator,' bringing it to the forefront of my mind was also the same with Enid's bond.
To say Enid was euphoric was an understatement. The bond was now always on and present. Enid's mind was practically glued to mine as if she were snuggling up to my presence. It was truly something Enid had been craving. She'd been over the moon with happiness for the past few days.
And once we saw the others, I tried it with them. A telepathic bond for the group was too good to pass up. And since it could be used while we were in our human forms, there was no need for any of us to become shapeshifters or Animagi, so I decided to take a chance.
Added Potential [Bellatrix Black, Narcissa Black, Lucius Malfoy has Pack's telepathic connection (Twilight)] -15 [51]
It worked like a charm. Luckily, Occlumency itself served to block out thoughts. It had separated Lucius and Narcissa into their bubble, so they could cross it whenever they wanted if it was important, but at least that way no stray thoughts would get in.
While Bella was forcibly brought into our group by Enid, she really had no reason to hide her thoughts, so she just went with the flow. Enid had been on cloud nine ever since (even if some thoughts or memories of Bella made her nauseous).
And obviously we would use it to our advantage.
"You look beautiful, Ravel," I said with a smile in her direction. Ravel blushed even more. deeper and looked me up and down.
"You too, my Lady," Ravel said with a small smile.
"Serena, please, or Sera, with luck, we'll be engaged after this meeting," I said with a soft smile, Ravel nodded as her blush deepened.
"Understood… Sera." Ravel said with a smile. I nodded before looking at Lord Phenex once more.
"By the way, a gift from me," I said as I reached under my skirt and pulled out two bottles. The slightly surprised looks from most of the Phenexes made me smile slightly. " Firewhisky " actually seemed appropriate. I had several books on magical alcohol at home that I'd never read. We also had a few bottles of Firewhisky from Odgen and Blishen that Lucius had bought before we left the wizarding world, but giving them alcohol that would be impossible to replicate if they asked for it was a bad idea.
So, I made my own alcohol. It was… a good experience, certainly. And if I may be modest, it actually turned out well. Especially because I used alchemy to age them instantly. I had to experiment a lot to achieve the same flavor achieved with the slow oxidation achieved with barrels, the flavor and aromas of the different woods in the barrels, and the right amount of aging to balance the flavors.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Riser asked dryly. I blinked and looked at him, confused.
"No? Why?" I asked, confused. Riser snorted, frowning.
" Firewhisky? What, is it something you created? Is it because we're Phenex?" Riser asked again. I looked at him flatly.
"You live in a castle surrounded by fire," I said dryly before rolling my eyes. I moved my hand and pulled out a Whiskey Glass, uncapped one of the bottles, and poured some into the glass before holding it out to Riser. "Try it," I said simply. Riser frowned but didn't move.
"I'll do it." Ravel said as she stepped forward and quickly took the glass with a determined look. I blinked slightly in surprise.
"She wants to impress you," Lucius said playfully in my mind, I ignored him.
"Be careful, it's strong," I said with a smile. Ravel nodded and took a small sip. She coughed immediately, and to everyone's surprise, a burst of fire shot out of her mouth. Ravel's eyes widened slightly, and she covered her mouth immediately before blushing slightly.
"I-I didn't mean to!" Ravel said quickly, embarrassed. I smiled widely.
"So? Do you like it? It's a side effect of the whiskey," I said with a smile. Ravel looked at me in surprise.
"Wait, you can do that?" Ravel asked in surprise.
"I wanna try it!" Revive exclaimed with a grin as he grabbed Ravel's glass and took a long gulp. Unlike Ravel, he barely flinched as he gulped down the firewhisky. To my surprise, he kept his mouth tightly shut. Unfortunately for him, fire always found another way out, but this time, it came out through his ears. His eyes opened wide, just like the rest of the Phenex. "Ha! That was fantastic!" Revive exclaimed with a grin. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"I really don't recommend blocking the whiskey's exit any further. It Always finds a way out." I said playfully. Revive didn't seem to understand, so I simply looked down at his crotch. Revive stood stiffly for a few seconds before paling, which made me burst out laughing. "So, what do you think?" I asked them both playfully.
"Oh, yeah, you were right, it is strong, I even felt like it was burning my throat despite being a Phenex, and for some reason it gave me… courage?" Ravel seemed confused by the last part, so I nodded.
"It's magic alcohol, made with ingredients with magical properties, so it's stronger than regular alcohol and takes longer to leave the system, even for devils. The first sip always creates a flare, but subsequent sips don't; it has to be completely out of your system for it to happen again. And yes, it has a burning effect and instills courage." I Explain simply.
To my surprise, Lord Phenex stepped forward, took the glass from his son, and took the last drink left in it. He didn't even flinch when the flame burst from his mouth. Instead, he stared at the glass before looking at one of the maids around us and nodded. The maid walked up to me and held out her hands, and I handed her both bottles.
"I accept your gift, Lady Prince," Reinhard said with a simple nod. "Now, shall we begin the discussion?" It sounded more like a command than a question, so I nodded. We were quickly led to a long table. To my surprise, Reinhard didn't sit at the End, but chose one of the sides and sat in the middle. The rest followed suit.
To his right sat Elise and Ravel, while to his left sat his three children, Ruval, Revive, and Riser. Lord Phenex gestured to the seat opposite him at the long table. I simply complied with his request and sat down. Bella took her place to my right, followed by Enid, while to my left sat Lucius and Narcissa.
"Very well," Lord Phenex said. "As you can guess, Lady Prince, we have… certain concerns about this union." Lord Phenex began.
"He's talking about your ability to have your offspring inherit your powers," Lucius relayed. I reached into my cleavage and pulled out a folder full of papers.
"Oh, come on, that can't be possible!" Riser exclaimed incredulously as he looked at me. I smiled mockingly at him as I left the papers on the table and moved my hand to push them with magic in front of Lord Phenex.
"I understand your concerns. I certainly wouldn't have made that statement if it weren't completely true. But for your peace of mind, I called in a favor from Lord Beelzebub to give me a full scan and checkup. Here are the results." I said simply. Lord Phenex opened the folder and began reading it. His eyes widened slightly.
"Do you have a clan trait?" he asked, almost sounding incredulous. The surprise was greater for the other Phenex, and I shook my head.
"No, as such, my power certainly doesn't belong to any of the 72 pillars, but… according to Lord Beelzebub, my power manifested in the same way a clan trait manifests, so it's completely inheritable, and since it emerged from me, it is in fact compatible with my succubus heritage, so it's certain that my descendants will be able to inherit those abilities without any problem," I said simply.
I had truly had a thorough medical checkup with Lord Beelzebub, and every moment away from that lab is the best thing that could happen to me. He had truly gone out of his way to make the checkup as thorough as possible. He certainly wanted me to succeed in these talks.
"You... can you start a new pillar family?" Ruval asked incredulously. I hummed softly.
"That's not really what I'm aiming for," I said honestly. "But Lord Beelzebub believes that sooner or later I'll be included among the pillars, yes," I said simply.
"And… what is this clan trait?" Lord Phenex asked, staring at me.
"It's in the next few pages, excuse me, just a moment," I said simply before looking at the folder and quickly throwing out several Gemino. The folder immediately multiplied, and I handed it out to the rest of the Phenex. "It would be better if everyone knew," I said simply. Everyone opened the folder almost eagerly and began to read.
Okay. Let's get this started.
Editors note: THIS CLIFF IS STEEP Y'ALL.