BXBX NOVEL Chapter 259 258: Politics
However, what I read made me frown.
"Chordeva..?"
Glancing up, I looked towards my wife, my frown deepening as I watched her spin her pen around, those beautiful ruby eyes meeting mine in mere moments.
"What\'s up?"
Her bored tone made me sigh, but I handed her the document I was reading, letting her look it over before I asked "So... why did we just send our daughter into a veritable deathtrap?"
The Demoness chuckled dryly as she laid the paper down, before she leaned back in her large chair, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Honestly? By the time they left, I still thought that the Grangeri, Liliko, and Poshiliqo Families held the contract. I got the news yesterday, that the Sariel Family bought out the contract weeks ago, but it had been undergoing \'finalizations\' since then. Jahi and the others were already there when I learned of it..."
She gave me a wry smile, and she shrugged as she added "I really didn\'t expect them to buy out a Legion; the amount of Families that can actually afford to do so on a moments notice are small, and they weren\'t amongst them. Not even the Kameiel\'s were amongst them. The amount of hard money you need to purchase a contract is no small lump of change..."
I frowned at that, my mind working in overdrive as I asked "How much do you need to fund a Legion? I can\'t remember..."
Chordeva\'s arrogant smile made me glare at her, and she chuckled as she answered.
"Roughly 500 some odd Platinum a year."
I almost choked on my saliva at that, my eyes wide as I tried to process that number.
"T-That much?! 500 Platinums?!"
She grinned at me, leaning forwards as she listed off the reasons why.
"You need to employ a damn good Commander, and they aren\'t cheap. Then you need to pay the salaries of the soldiers, set aside a reserve for the event of their death to be sent to their families for five years, weapons, you need to employ a certain number of mages and healers, all of a certain quality... There\'s a lot of moving parts in a Legion too; place of residence, servants, transport, gear, supplies, food..."
Her smirk grew further, and I shivered as she said "Honestly, 500 Plat is on the low end. The Ashen Legion? Somewhere in the 750\'s. That amount of cold hard coin is near impossible to own on your own. Besides conglomerates, the only Families that own that kind of money in true, physical coin can be counted on one hand."
"Wait..."
Getting up, she loomed over me as she hummed softly, and I glared up at her as I asked "I know we have money, but is the reason you don\'t let me look at finances..?"
Seeing that arrogant smile again, I held back the urge to smack her as she cooed softly, those rubies gleaming as she wore a full faced grin.
"Oh, only because I\'ve had upwards of ten thousand Platinum squirreled away~"
My jaw dropped as I stared up at her, my head numb as I repeated that number.
"Y-You have... t-t-ten thousand? Platinum?"
She nodded, her hands wrapping around my waist as she corrected me.
"WE have ten thousand. I thought you knew, but you were awarded multiple giant piles of Gold and gems before for our work in the last Monster Horde Subjugation."
Blinking, I shook my head slightly, not wanting to sound stupid.
I... never actually paid much attention to money, since I knew I would always have some.
I mean, Elves live for a long time, and my Mother made quite a large amount as a spy for the Empress, and my Father had a frightening business acumen...
As for the Asmodia Family, they\'ve been around for... well, since the founding of the Empire; of course they have money.
I just... always thought it was liquid, like most Noble Families; businesses and investments, items that would accrue value over time like paintings or enchanted weapons and armor...
Not physical coin.
However, as mind breaking as that number was, I returned to the pressing matter, interrupting Chordeva as she was about to lean down and kiss me.
"That\'s besides the point! What about Jahi and Kat? Why\'re you so... laid back about our little girl being in enemy territory?!"
She sighed as she stopped, letting me go as she returned to her seat.
"Politics, as always. The Empress has someone nearby; obviously, since she dotes on all of her children immensely. I wouldn\'t be surprised to know that the Sultana had someone nearby as well. Truth is, the Empress wants to let this play out, to learn just how far the Sariel\'s are going to go.
Buying a Legion\'s contract is no small deal. Add onto that the fact that there are internal battles between us and them, and the Empress wants to see if the Sariel\'s are planning on remaining loyal or not. The Legion itself is loyal, there\'s no doubt about that; Adelina Leonisa comes from an honor bound family to the Empress\' wife Fenryas, so the Legion will never turn traitor.
But, by buying a Legion, you need to send Envoys to manage it, and that\'s the problem. What are those Envoys doing? Are they staying faithful to their homeland, or are they preparing something insidious?"
The large Demoness let out a sigh, and I saw that, despite her assured words, she was just as frustrated as I was.
"So it just comes down to politics. All because I can\'t just be allowed to burn that damn House to the ground. We all know that the only reason the Sariel\'s managed to reach their position was political marriage and a few small achievements, yet idiots flock to their side with the promise of overthrowing us. It\'s pathetic, and I wish the Empress allowed the same things the Sultana does, but..."
Gesturing around us, she gave me a wry smile as she shrugged.
"But we can\'t, even though the Empress values us more then them... Fine, if there\'s nothing we can do on the surface, what about-"
Shaking her head, Chordeva gave me a small smile as she said "There\'s no need, really. Nirinia is with them, and despite her... quirks, the little Djinn is quite strong. Could\'ve knighted her a few years ago, but I want to smooth out her personality a bit before letting her go free. So they have a qualified Knight beside them, the Empress\' guard, and you can\'t forget the Banshee."
I sighed as I moved to sit on her lap, my lips pursed as I leaned against her chest.
"Still, I can\'t shake the feeling that it\'s just... not enough. We both know that the Sariel\'s have some hidden cards, and I just can\'t ignore the fact that those cards might just-!"
Placing a finger on my lips, the Demoness gave me a serious look as she muttered "I know. I hate it too. When I think of leaving her there, with only Nirinia and a shadow guard, I think it\'s too little. But it\'s not an impossible challenge for them to overcome. If the Sariel\'s to turn their backs on the Empire, they die. So if that\'s their plan, they can\'t show those cards to early, and I have a few cards of my own; as do you."
I sighed again before nodding, falling quiet as I stared at the paper laden desk.
"I guess I can ask Mother for some... \'assistance\'. Father\'s already been applying pressure on them economically, and he\'s managed to get a fair few of their businesses to shut down or be absorbed. But... can we really not do anything?"
Chordeva shook her head again, sighing as she said "Sadly, no. That old bitch is still around for the Kameiel\'s, and the Sariel Patriarch is a tough nut as well. If it was just one or the other, I could act first and beg for forgiveness later, but not against both. Though, honestly, this all boils down to who loses their heir first, and..."
We grinned at one another as we thought of the three heirs.
"Well, we may be a little biased, but I highly doubt the little genius of the Kameiel\'s, even when teamed up with the arrogant rogue of the Sariel\'s can compare to Jahi. Especially not with Anput and Leone beside her."
I nodded, before I smirked as I whispered "You forgot Kat. Of those four, I think she might be the hardest to deal with. She takes too much of what Julie was like and takes it a step farther. Add onto that her penchant for murder, and well..."
"She is rather intriguing, isn\'t she? One moment she\'s calm and quiet, the next moment she\'s giggling as she disembowels some poor creature, grinning as it bleeds to death. It honestly feels like she\'s got two versions of herself..."
Shrugging, I added "Honestly, she manages quite well to keep herself under control, and she is rather skilled for her age. Her stubborn will to remain hidden is annoying, but understandable, considering..."
Feeling Chordeva stiffen below me, I sighed as I finished my sentence, glaring up at her.
"She seems to actually enjoy satiating a lustful Demoness."
Raising a brow, Chordeva leaned down and nipped my ear, making me moan softly as she whispered "You act like you weren\'t just begging me to ravish you all of last night..."
Giving her a narrowed glare, I hissed "This and that are two different things!"
"Are they? Show me then~"
Letting out a huff, I glared at my wife as I got up, moving away from her.
"Fine. No sex for you tonight."
What used to be a surefire way of getting under her skin made the Demoness chortle, making me confused.
Turning back to her, I glowered at her as she shrugged, her arrogance back as she sweetly said "Well, just like my daughter, I happen to have a choice now in who warms my bed~ If you want, you can watch as I play with my adorable little puppy?"
Gritting my teeth, I let out another huff and stormed away, much to her amusement.
I was blushing as she murmured "Oh, we both know where you\'ll be tonight...", all because I knew she wasn\'t wrong.
Though, I would try my damndest to hold out...