Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
April 5, 2008 - Serena Pov
Preparations for the engagement party were moving along smoothly. Most things were already in place, so Ravel had returned to Phenex Castle to prepare for what was missing. Namely, the lack of staff at my mansion.
Meanwhile, I was about to attend another meeting. This time in my very own mansion. I was sitting quietly in one of the mansion's living rooms, with Maomao sitting nervously across from me. This was exactly where I had programmed the portkey I had sent to Fengxian, and it should be the correct time by now.
To my surprise, I saw a group of people appear and trip over their own feet. Most of them stumbled, but they quickly recovered, except for one who fell to the ground and started laughing.
"Again!" the succubus exclaimed happily on the ground.
"Jester!" I froze completely once I got a good look at the mother and daughter pair. The mother had completely red skin, ruby red skin and dark reddish hair, long, curved horns with pointy ears. She was wearing a purple dress, And quite a lot of jewelry.
Jester, on the other hand, was completely blue, from her skin to her hair, with small, curved horns, pointy ears, and freckles. She was dressed as if she were going on a hike, not a meeting. A light blue and white dress, with a brown leather corset over it and many belts, along with protective boots and gloves.
NO! It's a coincidence, a damn coincidence. Please let it be a coincidence. I mentally pleaded. Even more so when I looked at the other pair of mother and daughters.
The mother was a curvaceous woman in a white dress, with silver hair, purple eyes, purple horns that rose upward, and pointy ears. Her daughter looked like a much younger copy of her. Same hair and eye color. The only differences were the color of her horns, which were black, and the fact that she lacked the curvaceous figure her mother had. The daughter was almost completely flat.
"Mother!" Maomao sighed in relief as she stood up and walked over to her mother.
"Maomao!" Fengxian exclaimed as she hugged her and sighed in relief. I let them hug and exchange words in low voices for a few seconds before clearing my throat.
"Lady Prince, thank you for keeping Maomao safe." Fengxian bowed immediately. I shook my head.
"No need. It wasn't a problem." I said with a smile. "Well, until she decided to steal and poison herself with my potions," I added dryly. Fengxian froze and immediately looked at Maomao. Maomao looked away without any hesitation and stayed as still as possible. As if she was trying not to let her mother see her.
"Maomao." Fengxian groaned before grabbing her daughter's cheeks and beginning to stretch them forcefully.
" Gaah! Mom it hurts! It hurts!" Maomao exclaimed begging for mercy. Fengxian didn't hesitate but squeezed harder making Maomao scream even more before she calmed down. Maomao immediately pulled away and began to rub her sore cheeks.
"I apologize for my daughter's behavior, Lady Prince. Even after helping her, she caused you so much trouble. I will make sure to repay you for the mess my daughter caused." Fengxian apologized as she bowed once more.
"Tch, you believed her without any questions? You could have asked my side of the story," Maomao complained, her cheeks still aching. Fengxian barely looked up to see her daughter.
"You're my daughter, I know you, but I'll play along. What was your version of events? And don't you dare lie," Fengxian said forcefully. Maomao froze before blushing, giving me a pleading look that I was more than happy to ignore. Maomao pouted before sighing.
"It wasn't my fault-" I snorted loudly, Maomao just glared at me "-I was left alone in this mansion, I got lost along the way, I found your lab by mistake and the potions were just there, they were mislabeled, what I drank shouldn't have been poison." Maomao lied shamelessly. Fengxian glared coldly at Maomao.
"Do you want to try again?" Fengxian asked slowly, her icy tone making Maomao shudder. She immediately lowered her head.
"After Lady Prince's bishop left me in my room, I couldn't resist the temptation and I sneaked out to find Lady Prince's laboratory where she works on her potions. I found her lab and entered without permission. All the potions and ingredients were well labeled but none had the effects I was supposed to, but I knew they were poisons because they were all listed together and I recognized several of them."
"I grabbed one of the first ones in line thinking it would be milder poisons and then go get an antidote. It turned out to be one of the stronger ones and I was completely incapacitated by the poison. If it weren't for Lady Prince's butler monitoring the room and alerting Lady Prince in time, I would have died on the lab floor."
Maomao said in a single breath. Her cheeks and ears were completely red with embarrassment. The three older succubi sighed, while the other two younger ones, similar in age to us, just laughed.
"I'm very sorry, Lady Prince," Fengxian said in my direction once more. "You should have let her wallow in the dirt for a while so she'd learn her lesson," Fengxian said with a hint of pity. Maomao looked at her in disbelief.
"My stomach has completely dissolved!" Maomao shrieked. Fengxian looked at her coldly.
"Next time, maybe you shouldn't drink unknown concoctions in unknown houses with unknown effects. Especially not if you know they're poisons. And you're fine from the looks of it, so Lady Prince must have cured you. So, you deserved it." Fengxian hissed. "And by the way, you're grounded until you're 30," Fengxian said. Maomao's mouth opened wide before she groaned in frustration. I just laughed at her misfortune.
I hadn't been bothered by that. The poison Maomao had drunk was actually one of the most "docile" I had. At least from the compartment she'd opened. There were much worse things she could have drunk. Some would have killed her faster than I could have gotten to the lab to administer an antidote. So she was lucky.
"Don't worry, Fengxian, it doesn't bother me." I said simply, Fengxian sighed with relief and nodded. "Now, introductions?" I asked simply. She nodded.
"Lady Prince, these are the other two leaders of the other two major brothels in Lucifaad and their daughters. Marion Lavorre, leader of Lavish Chateau and her daughter, Genevi -"
"Jester! My name is Jester!" the blue succubus interrupted with a smile before looking at me "Hi! I'm Jester!" she greeted me directly. Marion immediately began to scold her while Fengxian sighed.
"Jester." Fengxian corrected herself wearily. I wanted to scream out loud, the damn Genevieve 'Jester' Lavorre. Member of Mighty Nein. A character from the Critical Role series. I had no problem with Jester; in fact, she was one of my favorite characters from the second campaign. The problem was everything she brought to the coalition.
Did The other Mighty Nein exist? Were all the problems they faced happening somewhere in the world? Were the other campaigns present too? Gods, demigods, genocidal groups, crazy cultists and sectarians, religious groups of evil gods. I didn't want any of that around. Just thinking about Predathos, the devourer of gods, made me shudder.
Really, I hoped that just Marion and Jester were in this world.
"And these are Sheila and her daughter Maria." Fengxian introduced. And there was the second point I didn't want to acknowledge. Sheila and Maria Naruse. Shinmai Maou Characters. I didn't know which was worse. I'd have to start looking for information that would reveal all these facts. Honest in Lucifaad was already tolerable, I just hoped that Critical Role and Shinmai Maou plots really aren't here either.
I was actually thinking of complaining to The Company, it should just be DxD and not some kind of weird mash-up, this world already has enough problems without having to worry about other series' problems.
What did strike me as odd was that Sheila was in her adult form, and her eldest daughter, Lucia, wasn't there. I suppose since she didn't have to give her power to Maria when she was conceived, she retained her adult appearance. But Lucia was still a mystery.
"Please sit down." I pointed to the seat in front of me. I was sitting on a comfortable sofa, drinking tea and eating chocolate snacks that were generously served on the small tea table in front of me. Across from me was a sofa where Fengxian, Marion, and Sheila sat.
To one side, there was another sofa a little further away, where Maomao dragged Maria and Jester. The three of them immediately began whispering to each other once they sat down. I guess they knew each other. It made sense, being the daughters of the heads of the three most famous brothels in Lucifaad and all of them around the same age.
I didn't remember any of them in my fabricated memories of this world, but well, I was quite introverted in those memories, preferring solitude, searching for rare plants, experimenting with metals and reading books at the public library; socializing wasn't on that list.
"I guess you heard the news," I said simply. The three succubi nodded immediately.
"Congratulations on your engagement, Lady Prince. Miss Ravel Phenex must make a wonderful fiancée." Fengxian said politely. I nodded before stopping as Jester was reaching from her seat to grab the snacks. I simply waved my hand, and the plate moved in her direction. Jester's face lit up, and she began to eat happily.
"Thank you, and as you know, the engagement party will be in 2 days." She said ignoring Jester's moans, the other succubi looked at her strangely except for Maomao, she had tried my cooking the day before and had done exactly the same.
"Is there... a particular reason you're telling us this?" Sheila asked slowly. I nodded. I waved my hand, and three invitations appeared.
"You're invited." I said simply and levitated the cards in front of the older succubi. All three of them looked surprised. Though the biggest reaction came from Marion, who, even with that skin color, I could see her paling completely. "Did something happen?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Marion tried to open her mouth before nervously closing it.
"Marion has agoraphobia." Fengxian sighed. I blinked. Ah, yes… agoraphobia. Canonically, it was the same. Going out into the elements and leaving Lavish Chateau made her anxious.
"But... you're here," I couldn't help but point out. Marion grimaced as she visibly calmed down.
"We're all succubi, and I'm surrounded by people I know besides you," Marion said honestly. I nodded in her direction.
"It's okay, no problem, just-"
"I'll be attending on Mom's behalf!" Jester exclaimed, her cheeks stuffed with food and her hand raised in the air.
"My little sapphire," Marion said, moved. "It would have been better without the crumbs in her mouth." I chuckled.
"Okay, you're invited." I said simply. The older succubi's eyes widened.
"Yes!" Jester exclaimed happily.
"You too." I said, looking at Maomao and Marie, surprising them as well. "The presence of some succubi is expected, so it shouldn't be a problem if there are more," I said simply.
"Are you sure, Lady Prince? I love my daughter, but… I'll be the first to say she's not the most… refined." Marion said carefully.
" Maaamáa !" Jester moaned as she pouted, making the other two teenage succubi laugh. I just smiled at her.
"Don't worry about them. My engagement party, I can invite whoever I want. The guests are devils allied with the Phenex, I don't even know them. As long as I don't insult all of them, it's fine." I said with a shrug.
"Not all of them? Does that mean I can insult some of them?!" Jester asked excitedly.
"Jester, no!" Marion scolded.
"Jester, yes!" Jester and Maria exclaimed at the same time with huge matching smiles, Maomao also had a smile on her face, the only reason she didn't seem to join in was because her cheeks must still be hurting.
"Maria!" Sheila chided. I burst out laughing.
"Don't worry. Though I did warn you it'll be tedious. Lots of stuffy devils chatting amongst themselves. It'll be boring except for a few events." I said honestly, Jester pouted.
"I'll still go! I have to help Mom when she can't!" Jester said confidently. Marion looked at her daughter with a smile. I nodded.
"Very well, with that finished. Let's move on to the next thing." I announced. The older succubi straightened. "The engagement contract will be signed before the party, at which point I will own all the land around the island. Meaning, once the engagement party is over, you can move into my territory immediately." I announced. The three succubi sighed in relief, though Marion looked completely flustered.
"That's fantastic, Lady Prince. Is there anything we can help with?" Fengxian asked in relief. I hummed softly.
"Actually, yes. I need a full count of how many succubi will be moving in. I need you to organize how you'll want to live. I could create completely individual houses for everyone without any problem, or keep it as it is now and create one big building to hold them all. Or an apartment," I said simply, everyone's eyes widened.
"I-Isn't it too much effort to make a house for all the succubi?" Sheila asked incredulously, I shook my head.
"Not really. They'll be pretty generic. It would take me a few minutes to make a dozen of them. The city is almost completely designed. I just need to decide on the succubus' living quarters. Brothel, houses, or apartments." I said simply. The succubi still looked incredulous. "By the way, Marion," I looked at the reddish succubus. "If you want, I could completely move the entire Lavish Chateau or replicate it perfectly. Same with Verdigris and the other brothel," I told her.
Marion paused for a few seconds before sighing in relief and I could feel a weight lifted from her shoulders.
"You... could you do that?" Marion asked weakly, I nodded.
"Again, it's your call. You guys decide. As long as you have all the details by the time the engagement party ends, I can start building everything needed," I said honestly. The succubi nodded, still surprised by that.
"I… thank you." Fengxian said after a few seconds, I shook my head.
"No need to thank me," I said simply, taking a deep breath. "Now, I need to address a… heavier topic," I said solemnly. That stopped the three succubi stiffly, and they straightened upon noticing the seriousness in my voice. "Can they… keep secrets?" I asked, looking at the succubus daughters.
"Of course!" Jester exclaimed, offended.
"What's going on?" Maomao asked directly with a frown.
"Again, this is something that must be kept secret at all costs, or all the succubi will be in danger. You can't tell anyone." I repeated myself solemnly. Jester shrank slightly as she paled.
"I trust my daughter," Marion said without hesitation.
"Us too," the other two added at the same time. I looked at the daughters, who nodded firmly. Even Jester seemed completely serious for the first time since entering the room.
I took a deep breath. I began to tell them about Ajuka's entire discovery. Dominant genes, recessive genes, and how succubi were practically living DNA banks. That within them, and all succubi, they held the key to resurrecting all the extinct pillar families and giving birth to more pillar devils. I told them everything I had discussed with the Satans, holding nothing back.
They were utterly stunned by the information, but quickly began to blanch at the implications and what it would mean for them.
"We'll be used as incubators," Sheila muttered in horror. The other succubi shuddered violently.
"No!" I said firmly, startling them all. "Lord Lucifer and Lord Beelzebub promised they wouldn't force any succubus who didn't want to. And if they decide participate, they'll do so on their terms. I'll make sure they keep that promise," I said determinedly.
"With all due respect, Lady Prince, we're truly grateful for what you're doing, but... what can you do against them? They're Satans," Sheila said with a grimace. I nodded slowly.
"In a real fight? Unfortunately, nothing." I said simply. "To be honest, in a direct fight I'm confident in facing Ultimate -class devils under certain conditions, but not Satans," I said confidently. The succubi looked at me, not entirely convinced. But no matter. "It's my engagement party. I'll face Riser as a show, a way to show off in front of the other devils, so to speak. You can judge my skill after that," I told them.
"Even so…" Sheila bit her lip. I nodded.
"Even so, it's not enough. All I can say is, Satans genuinely care about all Devils, including Succubi. I really, truly believe them when they say they won't force Succubi to do things they don't want to. But I can't say the same for the other Pillar Devils. And Satans have their hands tied in most Pillar Devil fights."
"The condition of the succubi must remain silent. Whether to keep them safe from the pillar devils, or from the other races who will surely want an extermination of the succubi to prevent the devils from multiplying in strength." I said brutally honestly, the succubi paled.
"So we shouldn't tell any of the other succubi about this?" Fengxian asked frustrated, I shook my head.
"Not at the moment. At least wait until you move to my territory. That way, if the information leaks, I could defend you from any problems. As is common knowledge, my queen can create her stakes in any territory designated as mine. So she and I will always be vigilant." I said confidently.
That calmed them down a bit more. I almost wanted to roll my eyes, but it made sense. Bella was the only one who had fought all the peerages, and she did it alone multiple times and always emerged victorious. By this point, it was common knowledge that she was Vlad III's reincarnation, or spiritual heir of, the Impaler.
Just like her current epithet, The Impaler Queen, it was her most recognizable move. She could make it seem like she had twenty thousand stakes within our territory. While the area of effect was actually much more limited than people believed, it was still terrifying to most. Add to that her apparent immortality, and she was someone to be reckoned with.
"We… need time to digest this." Fengxian said neutrally. I nodded.
"Of course," I said simply. "I'll answer any questions you have, if that's okay with you," I added. And with that, I received a wave of questions that I spent a couple of hours answering.
Author's Notes: Yeah, here they are… first! nothing canon and possible conflicts from Critical Role will be included in this story! Maybe one or more characters. But none of them, including Jester, will have most of their powers, if any at all.
The same goes for Shinmai Maou: Sheila, Maria, and Lucia. They'll be some of the few characters included from the series; they won't have their powers, and almost nothing canon will be included. Although I might backtrack, the Shinmai hero clan and the DxD hero faction give me several ideas, but we'll see!
(I didn't find any adult versions of Sheila, but I did find plenty of adult Mari, so those images will be used; after all, they're practically the same):