The World Dragon's Heir - Chapter 471
Chapter 471: Poppy
Dominic extended his hand to greet the Royal Guard, who returned it with a smile. But what Dominic noticed faster than the guards opening the carriage doors was the smell of magic.
They had not driven here from Witheton, they had come via portal, and had only arrived a few kilometres out, not long enough for the lingering magical residue to fade.
Probably not even past the Baronies.
“Your Highness, welcome to Wistover.” Dominic began.
“Oh, Prince Wavemates, I love the horns. Is Fahad here? He didn’t run away when the ladies showed up, did he?” Princess Poppy asked airily, utterly unconcerned with propriety.
“Of course not. Crown Prince Fahad is currently in the main salon, if you would like to surprise him with a visit.”
“Wonderful. Are there rooms adjoining his? We can move my ladies in waiting there, if it’s no trouble.”
“The next villa over is available. Wistover Manor is set up to give privacy to our Royal and Noble guests.” Dominic suggested.
“That will work. However, I must stay next to him.”
Dominic nodded. “I will see that it is done.”
The Prince had plenty of space, he could deal with his little sister.
“Was there a particular motivation to the visit? Or were you just missing your beloved older brother?” Dominic asked as the staff began to escort the ladies of Axbridge out of the carriages.
“It’s for the dating event, of course. We heard that the Amerton Court sent a whole delegation to Cygnia, and they’re here right now, so we came too. I believe that the Ladies of West Keria should be here within the hour, or first thing in the morning.”
Dominic sighed. “I think that something got lost in the translation. The ladies were resting here for a few days before they continued on to the larger cities in Cygnia.”
Princess Poppy giggled and patted him on the head, an action she had to stretch to accomplish.
“Silly Dragonkin. That’s not how women work.
You see, they didn’t end up this far off course on purpose, they’re here to wait for the new Barons to come back from war, all hopped up on glory, and looking for their storybook ending like a bunch of dogs in heat.
So, naturally, we couldn’t miss the opportunity for our ladies to join them, and neither could West Keria, who also has a surplus of Noble daughters, but far less acceptance of mistresses and concubines.”
Dominic nodded. “It sounds like fun. We will have to invite some of the boys as well, not just the soldiers. Make it a grand event, unless my wife murders me for suggesting it.”
Poppy giggled. “You married Princess Alexis, right? You look surprisingly unharmed. Have you tried scouting monsters in advance, so you can offer hunts as a peace offering?”
The Princess winked at him and Dominic laughed. “I take it that you have known her for some time?”
Princess Poppy nodded. “I went to the Cygnia Royal Academy with her and her twin sister. We were in the same year. And, when we were younger, we would all spend time at Prince George Mitfield’s estate in Dunstow. We’re technically distant cousins, but Prince George’s mother’s family is closer to mine.”
Dominic smiled. “In that case, I have good news for you. He is here, representing Mitfield during ongoing negotiations.”
“UNCLE GEORGE!” Poppy shouted, waving toward the house.
The maids laughed, and Dominic saw a white haired head peek out one of the windows, before the man in question came running out.
“Poppy girl, what are you doing here? Did you miss your big brother so much? We’re not going to steal him while he’s away. Plus, doesn’t he already have like three wives to go back to?”
Poppy rolled her eyes at the much older Prince. “It’s not like that. I came for the dating event. Father says that it’s time I started looking, so I brought all my ladies in waiting, and some others from the capital.
Oh, this is going to be so much fun.”
Prince George sighed, and gave Dominic a sympathetic look. “It appears that things are getting out of hand.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. We will just have to finish the negotiations before too many more arrive so that we can keep the ladies and the gentlemen separated.”
George winked at Poppy. “I think that might be difficult. If we’re going to have a whole house full of determined heartbreakers, we’re doomed to be constantly chasing them out of each other’s rooms.”
“That was one time, and it wasn’t like that. You know that Claudius is a siscon.”
Dominic choked on his laughter. “Oh, I have to hear this one. The Crown Prince is quite protective of his sisters, I agree.”
George sighed. “Great, now we’ve got more children to gossip in the house. I should have invited more from my generation.”
Poppy winked at him. “Do it. I hear there are plenty of young widowers who might be looking for a bride. You know at least one or two of these ladies wouldn’t mind a silver fox and then life as a young widow.”
George patted her on the head. “I need to talk to Fahad about your reading materials. Someone has been corrupting your young mind.”
And Dominic wouldn’t be shocked if it was Alexis.
George got a sly look on his face. “Did you know that Dominic thought that the Amerton Court was the name of a high-end brothel?”
Poppy smirked. “It is actually. There is a hostess lounge by that name in Witheton, the Guards told me about it. They had to take down their sign because Amerians kept trying to set it on fire for the insult.”
George frowned. “We really do need to control your outside influences. I will speak to Fahad about making changes to your guards.”
“No, wait. It’s not that bad, I swear. I just happened to hear them talking about it.”
Dominic smiled at their interaction, then turned to address the others.
“Ladies of Axbridge, welcome to Wistover Manor. I am Duke Dominic Wavemates, and I will be your host for the duration of your stay. My staff is working on arrangements to get everyone settled for the evening, as we weren’t expecting a late arrival of this size.
Please bear with us, and follow me inside, where we have tea ready.”
Tea solved everything. They could make it in under a minute with magic, and a good tea base, but it kept the ladies occupied for half an hour with ease.