We finished the ceremony and the embassy meeting by morning, then spent the afternoon heading to the imperial capital.

  Even en route, I squeezed in a decent amount of "studying." Cars make me queasy, so the advice was to sleep through that leg if I could. But once we boarded the pne? That'd be my chance—and sure enough, it worked out.

  The airpne... mind-blowing... It's the fastest way to travel, accessible even to everyday citizens these days. I'd never been in a car before, let alone a pne. We hit the "airport" for the first time, and during the wait, we climbed up to the rooftop to watch the pnes take off ahead of ours. I couldn't get enough of it. The three kids were over the moon, of course, but even Mother and Larry were geeking out like crazy.

  Right after takeoff, just gazing out the window had my spirits soaring, but eventually the novelty wore off, and I dove back into my prep. They'd loaned us ptops for it. Sure, part of me wondered if it was a bit much for a young woman in her prime to be diving into erotic content in a public space like that, but hey.

  The flight touched down right on time at Jena Ripple Airport in the imperial capital. It was already dark out, so we didn't get too hyped up. Now we're settled into hotel rooms nearby, courtesy of Tingoo. I've got a single to myself; Gilbert's bunking with Larry, Michelle with Mother. The "others" are all tucked away too, some sharing rooms.

  That's me, Mother, Michelle, Gilbert, and Larry—who we managed to get permission to bring along. But beyond us, some of my former maids chose to fall into svery just to stick with us.

  The more sves earning points for tech rollout—without causing trouble—the faster things move. Sure, royal genes pack a punch in quality, blending status and beauty for prime marriage material, but quantity's always a bottleneck. So accepting volunteers as sves... yeah, it sounds ridiculous when you put it like that. Still, from the royal family's side, we welcomed anyone willing. We id out the situation on a whim, figuring recruitment would flop... but it didn't. A fair number of maids cleared it with their families and stepped up.

  Mine in particur—I've got the biggest group. They were always so diligent with those "beauty treatments" that were basically just massaging my breasts. Yeah, the weight causes shoulder aches and all sorts of hassle, but they're a huge draw for guys. How many men have secretly fantasized about getting a look at them? That's exactly why they'll be my secret weapon going forward—I'm thrilled and counting on them big time.

  These maids who chose to join me, accepting a future of selling their bodies to men—they're beyond words in how grateful I am (technically "former maids," but that's a hassle, so I'll just call them "maids" from here on). "Honestly, we're not exactly opposed to sex," they'd say, brushing off any sense of obligation. "Better than heading home—we'll make way more cash this way, and get our hands on all that advanced tech right away. Totally worth it!"

  I trust their loyalty to me is genuine, but I can't help wondering what percentage is thanks to these breasts. If we'd had an even number, maybe it'd be me sharing with one maid. ...In that case, would they have gotten all excited deciding who gets the spot—rock-paper-scissors or something?

  Right now, I'm in just the bottom half of my pajamas, giving them a good... massage. Or care session. Counting on you, girls—let's keep this up...