They've just finished dinner when Cain gets a message from Maria, the little Succubus Puppet that Cain left with King James to be the defense council representative on his behalf.
[The initial Harem composition has been leaked. They might have been speculating, but they got it right. Can you return to the Palace early?]
[Of course, are we expecting trouble?]
[Not much, but they're moving up the official announcement to this afternoon, followed by the traditional ten days of celebrations and then the official coronation and ten days of seclusion. It's just starting one day earlier than usual; James will officially be of age at midnight.]
"Change of plans, ladies. King James has started the party one day early, so we need to be at the palace tonight. We can go directly there from the house in Assah." Cain informs the group.
"I will show you the spare rooms to change when we get there. Don't worry; I've got everything we will need for a Royal ball; we only need to pick outfits." Misha smiles.
Daisy, who has been mostly silent this entire time, perks up at that news, so Cain hands her the chest full of clothes. "You get to help the whole group pick this time. Get everyone looking good, yourself included, and I will change to match." Cain instructs the happy bunny as Misha pets her ears.
It's not a long walk to the house once they're through the public portal in Assah, and Cain stops to greet the members who have gathered where while Misha pulls everyone up to their bedroom.
It hasn't been used in a while since they travel too much, and Misha wonders if they shouldn't just reassign some of these bedrooms that are reserved for the Guild Master. Today however, the large bedroom comes in handy, as they've got five ladies to get ready for a Royal Event.
Daisy has done this before, pulling dozens of outfits out of the chest and laying them across the bed while she instructs everyone to strip down.
"Getting dressed takes forever so we will do that first." The Bunny decides.
"With the system, we can touch them and equip them. It makes any piece of clothing fit just right and only takes half a second." Misha reminds her, and the tawny-haired bunny girl faces palms.
"I forgot about that. But we should still change into the ball gowns first, and then we can take it back off to keep it clean and do makeup to match. Does anyone have a collection of jewelry?"
"I do, but Mary doesn't wear any." Paige informs her.
"Mine is enchanted; Cain can alter it to match my outfit," Misha informs her, and the Bunny giggles.
"Oh, well then, I'll let him know what would look best afterward."
"Um, my necklace is the same? He can change it, and I can't take it off on my own." Cyrene says softly.
"Alright, no more holding back. What is that item, and what did you get from the random roll that was so exciting that you couldn't tell anyone in public. Just send it in a private message if you need to."
[Ancient Pet Collar] Allows use of any of the wearer's skills on command of an Ancient. The wearer may return to gifting Ancient's side immediately once every 24 hours from anywhere in the world. Grants additional skill [Trick], Allowing the Wearer to utilize one previously unknown Skill or Ability designated and known by the Ancient. Appearance can be modified by gifting Ancient art at any time.
"Oh, you sneaky little snake. I knew you were holding back on that item's abilities. Teaching you to do tricks is pretty amazing as well. You know you're going to have to tell Cain, right? But more importantly, what did you get from the random roll?"
Cyrene pulls a giant plush stuffed animal from her inventory. 2.5 meters tall, it is identical to Cain's Ancient Form.
"You got a stuffed animal?" Paige asks incredulously while Daisy moves forward to cuddle the stuffed Ancient.
"Oh, it's so soft. I'll bet this is softer than my ears."
"Huehue. If I can't cuddle him all night long, this is the next best thing." Cyrene giggles and wraps around the stuffed animal, sighing at the feel of soft fur on her scales.
"Alright, so the Lamia is obsessed. But can we get on with the clothing? I swear if you don't behave, I'll call him in here." Daisy teases Cyrene, who freezes. She wouldn't object, but right now, she's naked and wrapped around a stuffed version of him, which could be more than a little embarrassing.
"Alright, let's find some good outfits. We absolutely do not want to be late for the party; they have the most incredible sweets and snacks served by the Royal Kitchen." Misha orders, holding a powder pink and gold dress up to Paige.
"Not bad compliments on your blonde hair, but it needs a little something else."
It takes three hours to get all the outfits right and the makeup and hair for five finished. When they come down, they're all suitably dressed for the banquet.
"Looking stunning as always." Cain declares, kissing Misha and changing her accessories to a ruby-encrusted golden necklace and bracelets that complement the black dress with golden accents that she picked.
"Cyrene here has something to tell you, don't you?" Misha says, pulling the Lamia front and center, the plain metal chain choker looking very out of place with her red and silver ball gown.
"Well, if, you see I. You gave it to me, you see, and how could I not? I mean..." Cyrene babbles, so Cain activates [Superior Mental Domination] and looks into her mind.
The name of the item he gave her wasn't just related to the appearance of seems. He does indeed now officially have a pet Lamia.
"That's fine, I understand." He smiles, rubbing her back and making her give an involuntary sigh, which sounds more like a soft hiss.
"You do?"
"I can read minds, remember? I know what it is now and what you need. But first, let's make that a bit more appropriate for a Royal Ball." Cain smiles back at Cyrene.
Looking into her thoughts, he realized that trying to fix her damaged mind was a lost cause. She was already so obsessed with the fact that someone finally cared for her that she had flown full-on into a cultist's level of Devotion.
If he ordered her to serve as his belt every day, she would see it as an honor. She was so far gone that a pet bed in the corner of his room was currently her highest goal, other than getting him to praise her.
Cain wasn't sure what to do about that, but for now, just taking care of her and keeping her safe and happy would do.
[Like any good pet owner should.] The thought pops into his mind, and Cain remembers that he's still merged with a pair of Seraphim Inquisitors.
[The Ancients kept anything as pets. After all, they made most of them. Just don't go overboard, and the regular people around you shouldn't get too upset. The original Ancients went overboard.]
The second Inquisitor's mirth appears in Cain's mind before he speaks. [Plus, having your very own loyal cult is kind of nice. If you were Seraphim, you could gain the power of their adoration.]
Cain wonders if a similar effect might occur with Ancients if they gather enough followers, but tunes the pair out before they convince him that becoming a cult leader is the right thing to do, instead focusing on Cyrene's necklace.
It won't become anything but a choker, unlike Misha's, which will become any necklace he likes. So Cain settles on a delicately engraved silver collar with one single large ruby in front, matching her with Misha, as well as the Lamia's beautiful black and red ball gown.
pan,da n<0,>v,el Cain changes into a black suit with a red vest and tie, then looks over the others. Paige looks every bit the part of the Princess she is, but Mary isn't wearing any visible jewelry. Cain has an older necklace in his inventory that gives a decent amount of Summon damage, not even a third of what his current one does, but a big bonus for Mary.
"Try this one, and let's see what it looks like on an Elf," Cain says, handing over the necklace.
Just like on him, it's a simple gold rope, only much thinner. It adds a bit of flair to her appearance, and Cain nods.
"You can keep that. It adds Summon damage, and you'll be grateful to have a much of that as you can get if you decide to start rerunning dungeons solo." Cain smiles.
"It is beautiful, thank you." Mary blushes, and Misha hides her smile.
The Puppet Master is sweet and Misha adores her kind and gentle nature on a personal level, but she decides the Elf will need to be paired up with someone before she becomes a threat to Misha's own position. Her Cain likes cute things too much, and he's got a soft spot for women who are kind to him.
She could also induct the Elf as one of Cain's followers. Maybe one of the Guild Members would be a good match for her? If she organizes a series of parties for King James's birthday and invites everyone, there's a good chance she will find someone suitable.
Misha is lost in her thoughts of matchmaking as they make their ways down the stairs to the travel circle, only coming back to her senses once they arrive at the Skyview Palace Gardens.
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