***
Kamily awaited Palien's visit, sitting next to the twins. They lay calmly in their beds and did not sleep, looking carefully at her with their large green eyes, as if they were thinking about something. She didn't want to take them in her arms, so as not to cry when they parted. Ekiloren approached the girl and carefully stroked her white curls.
Palien quietly walked in and sat down next to him:
"Do you admire the babies?" He asked Kamily quietly.
"No," she didn't look at him. "Take them!"
"You don't want to let them go, admit it," Palien decided to torment the Queen.
"These are your children, I didn't dream about them," she said coldly, throwing a contemptuous look at him.
"You didn't even hold them in your arms," Palien reproached her.
"For what? They will not have a mother, the poor things will grow up on a ship without sun and greenery, in stuffiness, without affection, tortured by your discipline, in the arms of your soulless concubines."
"You always think badly of me, imagine me as a heartless monster."
"So deprive me of the crown for this! I won't mind."
Palien could not stop:
"Are you doing all this to spite me? But why? I always loved you, dreamed of our children, looked for you everywhere when you ran away, tried to prove my love again, but you continue to hate me. You are rebellious, you reject everything, you do everything your own way."
"You pushed me around: you forced me to become Queen and bear your children against my will."
"I will return in fifteen years and I would like to see you humbled by your fate, like your favorite Lariel. Preferably surrounded by babies emerging from the eggs."
Palien laughed a little and calmed down, walked up to the twins and began to stroke gently their heads.
"Oh, yes!" He suddenly perked up. "Another little deal!"
"Selestra, come to the Queen," Palien sent a mental order to the princess. Kamily looked at him in confusion.
The girl entered the room, looking around in fear.
"Finally, I can look into your eyes, Selestra," he smiled slyly and slowly approached her. "Do you remember how you hid from me, but in vain - fate cannot be avoided."
"What are you planning?" Kamily shouted.
"You have become even more beautiful, Selestra," Palien walked around her, looking her from head to toe. "And you're not taken!"
The princess had nothing to say in her own defence.
"You must now choose another according to the Code of Thrive. I know how much you love living in our society of wonderful wizards. You adore us! Rules are rules. You haven't chosen anyone and your womb is empty."
Palien came closer to her, looked into her eyes and took her hand.
"I will help you. My wonderful officers are worthy of your highness. You will fly with me to the ship now, and at the same time you will help carry the babies."
Selestra's heart began to beat wildly, and despair seized her. She began to call Lariel with her thoughts.
"You promised not to touch Selestra," the indignant Kamily jumped up.
"I won't touch her, let her meet the elite, maybe she'll like someone," Palien took the baby and brought her to Selestra.
"Hold her!" He thrust the child into her hands and said in an insinuating voice. "Look how cute! You want more children, right?"
Selestra stood depressed and held the kid in her arms, realizing the inevitability of what was to come. Kamily looked at her with despair, not knowing how to stop Palien's insidious plan. The ruler took the boy in his arms and beckoned the princess to follow him.
"She'll be back soon, don't worry," he told the Queen with a victorious look.
Selestra cast a sad look at Kamily and began to cry. They got out, boarded the shuttle and went up.
She stared out the window of the shuttle, but the views of space were not delightful at all; she was feverish at the thought of what awaited her.
Palien smiled mysteriously at her, trying to relieve her tension. "Selestra, why are you so worried?" The gentle tone of his voice caused even greater trembling in her heart. "You have nothing to fear. Nobody is going to hurt you. Every Ruler has the right to worry why the princess does not dare to find a new chosen one. If you don't like me or your friends, then I need to provide you with more candidates to choose from."
Selestra had nothing to object to him.
"Why are you so attached to this Lariel? I understand, of course, he is very beautiful, but not meant to be yours. He is a hermaphrodite, his fate is to accept the courtship of ancient aristocrats so that they could continue their line leading from the Archons. It is your duty too - to give love."
"I'm not ready for this," she finally found the answer.
"Most likely, you have little experience communicating with other men; you have only lived in the kingdom for about a year. You saw Lariel and immediately fell in love with him."
"No, I communed a lot, our guys taught me magic."
"If you're shy about me, it means you're still afraid to communicate. But this can all be fixed. You will see for yourself that the officers are not only very beautiful, but also magnificent lovers. Any of them will give you unforgettable pleasure that you have never experienced with your only partner."
These words made Selestra feel cold. She sat in a deadening stupor until approaching the fleet.
They soon exited the main starship's airlock and handed the children over to the concubines who were waiting for them. Palien took the princess by the arm and led her to the wardroom.
Selestra looked very frightened and pale when the Commander introduced her to the officers. The handsome men stared at her, not daring to move.
"Selestra is a little shy," Palien explained her embarrassment. "Ramies! Come here."
One officer straightened up and approached them.