Chapter 836 836 Just Ask
There was an uncomfortable pause as most of the people in the audience realized that the questions that they wanted answered were not the sort of thing that you should speak of in public.
Asking the Coven Leader if she was having an illicit relationship with a Magi Saint, or with her longtime friend Mary, wasn't exactly the height of political correctness. Especially when the Coven Leader was in a complex political marriage.
But the other questions, about how she had ended up with the new Fae Advisor, and what exactly caused this sudden decision to make a complex arrangement not only with Forest Grove, home of Magi, Mutants and Exiles, but with Gormana, a human nation on the far side of the continent.
There had to be some cause to it, but the question itself was a delicate one, as none of them were willing to risk angering or insulting the Coven Leader.
So, the first few questions were quite benign, just verifying the timing of the transition to the new currency, and that the cards that didn't get delivered today could be picked up from the courier companies as soon as possible, bur that no more than one with the aid benefit on it could be linked to a person.
But after a few questions, when it looked like Reiko was going to end the question and answer session, someone finally got brave.
"Coven Leader Reiko, I know that this question is on the minds of many of the people gathered here today. Can you tell us what sort of relationship exists between you and Saint Noxus? Was it a personal bond that led to this new treaty?" One of the minor members of a Council Family asked.
The Council had been there for the whole thing, but the finer details were unknown to the public, and even to their Families.
Plus, none of them had thought to ask such a question. The Demon and the Fae showing up with a Saint and a group of Rank Five witches had drawn all their attention to the 'what' and away from the 'why' of the deal.
Reiko carefully considered her answer before she spoke. "I can't say for certain what brought on the urge to make the deal, but what I can say is that the decision was made by the leadership of Forest Grove and Gormana to approach us at this time. The deal was not a result of us reaching out to them.
While Saint Noxus's fondness for the city certainly aided our negotiations and got a more favourable deal for the people of Morgana Fortress, our relationship goes no further than friends and classmates, so I will not entertain any defamatory words being spoken about my marriage."
The witch sat back down, but someone called out from the crowd, refuting Reiko's demand.
"Even if it is about the pervasive rumours that you treat your husbands as nothing more than pets and force them to watch you when you're with the others?" The voice called.
Reiko glared angrily into the crowd, unable to determine who had said that.
Honestly, Wolfe wouldn't be surprised, but he got the feeling that she was more into Mary than Men. The look on the Fae Advisor's face spoke volumes about all the things that Wolfe didn't know about Reiko, though.
His look caught her attention, and she gave him a smile and a message.
[I will advise her to be more discrete in her interactions with her husbands. I think that the magic broke them, and our gentle Miss Reiko likes to take out her frustrations on them.]
That made Wolfe laugh a little to himself. So Reiko had that sort of tendency.
[Your mind travels in strange directions. I can assure you that what you are thinking is not what is happening. She treats them more like an animal than most actual animals are treated. The last time that they tried to plead for better treatment, she agreed to let them eat at the main table all the time, and not just when their families were visiting. But she still doesn't allow them to enter her wing of the house without her specific permission.]
Wolfe nodded in understanding. So it was more dysfunctional than he had expected. It was no secret that arranged marriages could be a mess, but he had at least expected them to warm up to each other a little in the last half a year.
In a way, his arrangement with Cassie and Ella was arranged and not completely voluntary at the start, but look at them now.
The Fae Advisor was beginning to turn red from hiding her laughter as the pause turned uncomfortably long.
But then Reiko sighed and decided that she would answer the question.
"It is no secret that my arranged group marriage is unconventional, and far from the steamy harems you might have seen in a romance novel. But I can assure you that I do not treat them as pets, and there is no forced voyeurism involved in our private time together.
In fact, some of them are here today with their family members, and you can ask them directly how married life is treating them." She explained with a tightness in her voice that spoke of her displeasure.
The crowd turned toward one of her husbands, looking for answers, and the Advisor moved behind Wolfe, out of sight of the audience and the cameras.
"Are you eating something?" Wolfe whispered.
"Popcorn. This is going to be spectacular. The first thought in his head was that it would be better to be treated like a pet. Then she would at least show them some affection and maybe pat their heads.
The slave bond makes them want to please her, but that just annoys her even more. Perhaps I should be a marriage counsellor instead. This drama is incredible." She mumbled back around handfuls of the salty snack.
"Should I fix the spell?" Wolfe suggested.
"If I wanted the spell fixed, I would have done it myself. It's such a weak spell that she's probably going to be able to break it herself soon, and I want to enjoy it as long as I can before she realizes that."
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