Chapter 20: Politics
"Sofia, you are the daughter of a nobleman and you are in your mid-twenties. The fact that you are not already married, which I hadn't known until you confirmed it with your reaction to my statement just now, is itself slightly concerning, but Raul presents a more than adequate solution to that." Margarita explained, speaking rather calmly and to my slight annoyance logically.
It was quite odd that Sofia was both so beautiful and also the age that she was without being married. Especially since she was a noblewoman. I knew and didn't disagree with the baron's reasoning behind his choice not to marry her off against her will, but it could have been argued that perhaps he was a bit too nice on that and now Sofia's status as a bachelorette was suggestive of a problem.
"Raul is a deity and he seeks to become the city's patron. Him marrying you would be our way of welcoming him into the city's highest echelon and signal to our citizens that he has our backing. Plus it would also help to serve as a way for us to repay him for what he has done, including healing you." Margarita continued, clearly not opposed to the idea. At this point, the baron himself stepped in.
"Though I don't like to admit this... Your mother is just fully correct with what she's said. We shouldn't discount your feelings, Sofia, and of course Raul's feelings, but your mother raises valid points Sofia." The baron admitted, softly and uncertainly taking the side of his wife here. I could feel his slight embarrassment over the fact that Sofia wasn't married yet, even though he wasn't ashamed in the slightest of the choice he made to not marry her off against her will. At this point, I opted to step in and share my opinion on this idea.
"I am not a big fan of the idea of an arranged marriage. Sofia is incredibly beautiful and highly intelligent, I've read the minds of the people of the National Arcane Academy they all hold her in incredibly high esteem, but there's also another problem to consider here." I explained, before pausing for a moment to think of how to words what I was about to say delicately.
"You all need to understand what a grand adonis is. What I am. I am a spirit of life, sex, pleasure, and sexuality. I can empower people through sex. My kind is known among the gods and others who know of us for building enormous harems of an immense diversity of men, women, and other, less, non, or differently gendered beings. And I do not know if I intend to be different in that regard. I haven't had time to consider it yet. I've only been a god for two days." I revealed and then reminded the people in the room. I quietly hoped that the baron wouldn't point out the normalcy of polygamy among the nobles of Vanheim in response to my words but my hope was immediately shut down.
"Raul... nobility in Vanheim and in many other kingdoms for that matter, which you would know since you've read my memories, doesn't have to be or are even expected to be monogamous. We won't stop a powerful noble from having many wives. If anything it could be considered a bit of a status symbol. Even elven nobles are often practicing polygamists." The baron explained, clearly not bothered by the possibility of his daughter joining a harem.
To my considerable annoyance, even Sofia herself didn't seem put off by this. Her opposition to an arranged marriage was more related to the fact that we had just met, which I learned when I did a light scan of her mind. Baron Gomez turned and faced his daughter and began to question her.
"Sofia, why is it that you haven't married anyone?" He asked her, his eyes glowing with the knowledge that he already understood why she hadn't married anyone yet.
"Because I haven't anyone who is sufficiently skilled in magic and also powerful enough. I'm also a powerful mage and if I marry I want my spouse to be equal or, if possible, my superior in terms of raw magical power." She replied, also knowing where this was going. I winced in response to her words, not because I didn't fulfill those conditions but because I was actually a perfect match for her there.
"Well... If those are your conditions... I try to be as honest whenever I can be and to continue to do that I feel obligated to let you know that I'm a master of magic capable of using magic through raw willpower and I can understand any spell the instant I see even its effects. Plus if we have sex I can probably more than double your current arcane abilities. Grand adonises have a unique ability, one that even other gods don't have, to fully empower our lovers through sex. The boosts are permanent unless I chose to take them away from you." I replied, without hesitation, even though I wasn't fully on board with this plan.
My words made the baron and his wife smile, and I internally cringed knowing that my declaration probably got them more on the side of the arranged marriage than they had been before. The consequences of honesty I suppose.
Sofia fell silent for a moment as she considered my words. Incredibly enough I still wasn't telling her the full truth. If she and I got married, there was a healthy chance I'd share several of my powers with her, which I could do through my ability to "Bless" someone. None of the people in the room, even Riezel, knew the full extent of the power of "Bless", since so far I hadn't really used it on anyone, at least not to the extent that it could be used. I had only shared "System access" with people, not any of my truly tremendous powers such as my invulnerability or my intellect.
I gazed at Sofia and considered what I'd share with her if we did get married. If we got married I'd wait a bit to see how we were feeling and then begin to effectively make her like me, but I didn't reveal that. If I did that I know I'd solidify and intensify the decision of her parents to try and get us to get married.
I couldn't really blame them, after all, what sort of loving parent wouldn't want their only child to be immortal and invincible? That said, their nature as loving, caring parents didn't mean I needed to reveal everything, not just yet anyway. Sofia herself was beginning to come around with regards to the idea of an arranged marriage so long as it was to me since I met her internal criteria. Riezel watched this with some amusement, and her thoughts were about how this reminded her of the wheeling and dealing that she witnessed in Hell.
For a moment as I stared at her face I lost focus and imagined Riezel's head around my knees, her full lips wrapped around me. Her lips were perfect for that sort of thing and it was a fun thing to imagine. As I glanced at her I noticed her face spontaneously beginning to blush as she imagined the same thing. I quickly refocused and silently "Blessed" Sofia's mother and father with a weakened version of telepathy. Their eyes subtly widened as they read the changes to the system's text boxes alerting them to what I had done.
As we all sat quietly I sent the two of them a telepathic message telling them that I had given them telepathy as a gift and as a way to get them to follow my lead. I turned to Sofia and began to speak.
"Sofia, like you I am a bit hesitant to commit to an arranged marriage. However, I know that we both agree that there are valid reasons for both of us to consider the other person a good match. Your parents are correct when they talk about the practical benefits for me if I marry you, and as far as seeking a match with regards to arcane potential and potency, I can assure you that the only people you'd find in this world who might be better matches for you are other deities." I began, gazing into her eyes as I gently talked to her.
"I have an idea that I think would be good for you to at least hear. I think we should become engaged to each other, for a period of time before we decide whether or not to get married. I think... a year is a good amount of time for us to learn from each other and about each other. We can of course decide before the year is out, one way or another, but a year gives us plenty of time to legitimately consider how to proceed. As a plus, I can do a few things for your family for free. Such as this." I tell Sofia, before turning and granting her parents my sort of immortality. Both of their eyes widened as they realized what I just did.
"Raul... This is too much..." Baron Gomez whispered, and I began to shake my head in disagreement with him.
"Actually this is perfect. This means that Sofia is free from the expectations that someday she or her mother might become the city's next leader. You are a good man and a skilled leader, the city would be lucky if you'd be its eternal baron. Of course, there are complications that this will cause with regards to the king, but those are complications that we can deal with when they appear, when we've had time to deal with the dungeon, among other things. At the moment this is about freeing Sofia from the burden of expected rulership and giving her her freedom." I explained calmly, to which I was delighted to see Margarita agree. She was nodding along to my words and when I was done she began to speak.
"Raul is correct. Sofia does not want to be a baroness. She is a heroine in her own right, a freer spirit and more adventurous sort than you and I are and not suited to the sort of life being a baroness would require her to live. With this, she is free to live a life she wants to live because we can rule without worry and not need an heir to take over someday." Margarita added, her words soothing her husband's concerns.
"I... You're correct. You're both just correct." The baron admitted, relenting. Sofia gazed at her parents in confusion and I went ahead and answered the question she was about to ask.
"Your parents are now immortal. I will also grant you immortality. No parent should ever have to bury a child." I explain, with a smile on my face.
"But I did that for a reason. Now that they are immortal, you are free from a central burden faced by nobles, the need to produce an heir. Sofia, if you and I get married I will use my powers to let you live as free and happy a life as you want. I am not opposed to marrying you. I am not especially fond of an arranged marriage, but if you consider this plan and we opt to do as I suggested, getting to know each other for something like a year, then it's not really an arranged marriage anymore. I'm open to this idea. The question is, and no matter what choice you make I will respect it, are you?" I asked her, gazing into her solidly, perfectly, green eyes.
She gazed into my eyes and for a moment was stunned into silence. I watched her contemplate the choices arrayed before her and even imagine the sort of life she could live now that I had appeared and done so much for her and her family. And then I watched her make her choice.
"Raul... I'll become engaged to you. Your sincerity is obvious to me, and after all, you've done for my family and for me personally... I'd be a fool to flat-out reject your idea. Let's give this a try." She said, slowly at first but gradually warming up to her choice the more she spoke.
"There are of course considerations we'll have to make, things we need to plan, but... I think the right course of action, for both of us, is the plan you've laid out. If you'd have me as your wife, or as one of your wives, it'd be a great honor to me and my family whom you've already done so much for. If you turn out to be even one-tenth the man you seem to be, I suspect I'd be pretty lucky." Sofia added, feeling the subtle effects of my hypercharged charisma combined with the fact that I was an honest sort.
I sensed Riezel's surprise and also amusement at this turn of events. I myself hadn't come into the baron's home expecting all of this, but as I granted Sofia my sort of immortality I gazed at her and felt quite happy about this turn of events. When I was done I smiled delightedly as Sofia's system-granted text boxes began to change and she began to read them.
"Okay! Well... I suppose that there is a lot of work to be done over the course of the next year, isn't there? I want to gain the approval of the city's major factions, earn name recognition through adventuring and through the National Arcane Academy, and prepare for the day we take the Emerald Cavern. And of course, I also want to get to know Sofia." I declared, before turning to my... fiance, and taking her hand in mine with a smile. She gazed at me, and I blessed her with telepathy and told her that I'd never read her memories if she didn't want me to.
Her parents smiled at the two of us and I sensed their pure, unbridled joy at the events of the last few minutes. I also sensed their growing desire to grow reacquainted. I smiled at them and quickly offered to show Sofia her new home, which caught her off guard. I sent her a message asking her to trust me and to give her parents some much-needed and well-earned time alone, before opening a portal to the seraglio. She quickly understood my meaning and Riezel, Sofia, and I politely said farewell and stepped into my castle.
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