The World Dragon's Heir

Chapter 754: Gossip

Once the meal was over, Earl Totbu invited a group to the sitting room.

"Perhaps we could speak of the future, while the ladies enjoy a refreshment before the guests arrive?" He offered.

It was tradition that the ladies split off to do their own thing after breakfast. Mostly because they found the men’s talk of business dreadfully dull, but also so that they could speak freely without their husbands present to call out the blatant slander.

Not every Noble marriage worked out as well as Dominic and Alexis. Most simply tolerated each other, or had developed a fondness for each other over the years that was closer to that of trusted coworkers.

The moment that the men were gone, everyone turned to her, eager for the latest gossip.

"So, what is the deal? Did the Duke turn a fond eye to the daughter of a Baron as a concubine? Or are you one of his wife’s people, here to make sure that he behaves?"

The Earl of Totbu’s wife was a blunt-spoken woman, used to being the senior member of any group, and especially so against the young daughter of a Baron.

Amie giggled politely. "You could say that I have been sent to keep him in line, I suppose. There is precisely zero chance of the Duke taking a concubine. Are any of you familiar with the dragonkin romance stories that were popular a few decades ago?"

The Earl’s wife smiled.

"Yes, I’m old enough to remember that trend very well. The possessive growls, the claiming bites. A proper bodice ripper. Wait, you don’t mean he’s actually like that?"

"If you try to touch the Princess while he’s sleeping next to her, he will extend his wings to wrap her up, and growl at you in his sleep." Amie confirmed.

"He has wings?" A Baroness gasped.

"He can hide them, but yes. He can also retract his claws, which I’m quite certain is a blessing. They’re absolutely adorable together, and the young Princess Katerina is absolutely adorable.

Officially, Princess Alexis sent me to deliver her gifts to the local Nobles. Unofficially, I’m here to ensure that the Duke doesn’t do anything drastic."

The older women laughed at the notion. They would not be the least bit surprised if Dominic did do something drastic if insulted. Not only because of his personal reputation, but because he was dragonkin.

"So, did the Princess come out more like her mother or father?"

"It’s a bit difficult to tell. While the young Princess does have the most adorable little horns nestled in her hair, she also likes to swing pens and sticks around like a sword.

So, I would have to say, in appearance, more like her father, but with her mother’s face. But in personality, she is truly a Princess of Cygnia."

"You don’t believe that the urge to swing swords comes from her father?" One of the Ladies questioned.

"Doubtful. I’ve never actually seen him use one. Surely, he’s competent enough, but he usually alternates between pistols and magic, while Princess Alexis remains a Royal Paladin through and through."

The Noblewomen nodded. That was expected. There wasn’t much that could change her mind about that way of life, even if they personally thought it was eccentric.

"So, all is well in Wistover?"

The Ladies were clearly searching for gossip, so Amie decided to indulge them.

"Almost. You see, Prince Russel and his family have been relocated to Wistover for an overseer’s position at the new international investment bank. He’s settling in quite well. However, seeing a new Princess in the Manor during their visits makes his wife want one of her own, and I’m not entirely certain that he’s going to survive the baby fever."

Royal Gossip!

The Ladies drilled into the details of the situation, as Amie happily filled them in on the public version of the recent events.

This was the part that the men couldn’t ask Dominic about without seeming impolite. The ladies, on the other hand, were free to ask Amie about it. Especially as she was just an unrelated Lady who lived in the city.

While Amie filled the Ladies in, Dominic was caught in the predictable business talk of the Noblemen.

"Your Grace, we have some questions about that transport that you arrived in. I have heard that you use them as public transport in Wistover. It seems an odd choice, though they’re quite capable, I suppose.

What motivated you to choose them?"

"Well, they are locally made, which is an advantage for us. But they’re easy for people to get in and out of, they can travel quickly on hard roads, and make it through rutted dirt double tracks to get to isolate Baronies and Knightly Manors.

But most importantly, they’re versatile enough that I can also use them for Guard patrols.

Using them for both purposes, and simply painting them different colours, so everyone knows which is which, has greatly reduced the cost and complexity of maintenance.

The Duchy only has to train our repairmen on one single design for all the Duchy owned transports.

Of course, we also own some older carriages, many tractors, some airships and so on. But for getting around, it’s all the same transports. During harvest season, we can even pull the seats out and load them with crops.

The factory is privately owned, not Duchy owned, unfortunately.

They came up with the design, and paid for the factory to be built, so unlike the airship hangars, the transports are a private company. And I strongly suspect that they’re overjoyed that the King hasn’t cancelled the short-term tax exemption that the Duchy was given when we first settled."

The Earl clapped his hand on his thigh and laughed. "You know he’s regretting that by now. He thought that he would make life a bit easier for his daughter before she had to settle into the life of a frontier Noblewoman.

And now look at her. Not some impoverished Marchioness struggling to keep the staff fed and paid, but a Duchess who is quickly becoming one of the wealthiest women in the nation."

Dominic shrugged. "We’ve got one more year if the exemption isn’t cut short. That’ll be enough to get us established. After that, I suspect that things will begin to become a more level playing field."

Everyone knew that he was just being humble.

But they couldn’t know that a year from now, he would be so wealthy that it would not matter that the tax exemption was ending. The Duchy would be making more than enough to pay, even without collections from the Barons or the citizens individually.