The door to Sarinia Baelora's quarters slid open and Myrdina burst into the room. "You're leaving?!" she screeched, bristling with anger.
"Welcome, dear sister," the eldest daughter of House Baelora said dryly, turning to glance through her bedroom's open door into the lounge. "Please accept my apologies for not inviting you in, I was preoccupied and must have failed to hear the door chime."
Myrdina ignored her elder sister's sarcasm. "I just got your message! What do you mean you're going to Genthalas and leaving me in charge of Baelora?!"
"Exactly as I said," Sarinia replied, folding a long dress and placing it in her case. "I need to find out what mother is planning and there's no way I can do that from here. I intend to travel to Genthalas with the fleet. Once I arrive, then I'll-"
"Oh, no... absolutely not!" Myrdina snarled. "If you think you're leaving me behind on an undefended planet, you're seriously mistaken! I've delegated custodianship of Baelora to Lieralia... I'm coming with you!"
Sarinia sighed and shook her head. "Fine, do as you please... but I'm not sure why you're so eager to face mother's displeasure. Do you actually think she'll be overjoyed to see us arriving at Genthalas?"
Myrdina suddenly looked anxious and she twisted her corded belt, a nervous tick she'd developed years ago after one of Gaenna's more brutal punishments.
Lieralia and Rosanae chose that moment to stride inside, both looking just as furious as Myrdina had done earlier.
"I thought I'd find you in here! What are you up to, Myrdina?!" Lieralia demanded, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I've never seen you turn down an opportunity for advancement, but now you're leaving me in charge of Baelora? Why?!"
Before she could reply, Rosanae fumed, "Why was I overlooked? Lieralia and I are the same age, why should she be put in charge?!"
Sarinia turned to Gaenna's third and fourth daughters. "Myrdina has decided to accompany me to Genthalas to uncover whatever scheme mother is plotting. Surely the two of you can share administrative duties while we're away?"
The twins looked at each other in alarm, then glared at Myrdina. "Why didn't you tell us what Sarinia was doing?!" Rosanae demanded imperiously.
"If you two are going, then we're coming too!" Lieralia snapped, folding her arms across her chest and daring her eldest sisters to say otherwise.
Myrdina glared at the two of them in irritation, then suddenly snorted with laughter. "You aren't seriously suggesting we leave Tehlariene in charge of our homeworld? That imbecile has her head in the clouds!"
Lieralia and Rosanae looked at each other and smirked at the thought of leaving their youngest sister in that prestigious position.
"You think that's amusing?" Myrdina asked them incredulously. "Mother would have an absolute fit!"
That wiped the smiles from their faces.
"Well I'm not staying behind!" Rosanae snapped.
Lieralia huffed indignantly. "Nor me!"
Brought to an impasse, they turned to their eldest sister for guidance.
Sarinia placed a pair of strappy high-heeled shoes in her case, then studied her three younger sisters with an arched eyebrow. "What are those looks for?"
"What are we going to do?" Myrdina asked impatiently. "It's your fault we're in this position."
"My fault?" Sarinia asked with a disbelieving laugh. "I'm sure you all agree that we need to look into mother's affairs and see what she's planning... If I stay on Baelora, are any of you volunteering to go to Genthalas and investigate? Do you really relish the opportunity to be in Gaenna's close company for the next several weeks?"
All three of them looked down, unable to meet her gaze.
"Such brave souls," she said with amusement. Her smile faded and she sighed. "Or perhaps you're simply far wiser than me."
Myrdina suddenly looked up and exclaimed, "We could all go!"
Rosanae nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Yes! If all of us accompany the fleet to Genthalas, we could weather mother's fury between us!"
"Including Tehlariene!" Lieralia added with a vindictive grin.
Myrdina laughed at that and nodded. "Between the four of us, we have enough operatives within our territory to ensure that House edicts are carried out to the letter, even if we aren't occupying the palace. Besides, we can tell mother that we feared for our safety without the fleet guarding the homeworld... surely she can't object to that?"
"Oh, I'm sure Gaenna will be most understanding," Sarinia said, rolling her eyes. "Are you quite certain I can't convince any of you to stay behind? Mother will be far less angry at us turning up unannounced at Genthalas if one of you is occupying her seat of power."
The three sisters exchanged glances then shook their heads obstinately.
"We're coming with you," Myrdina said with an air of defiance. "Just because I don't trust our mother as far as I could throw the evil old hag, don't think I'm going to start blindly trusting you to have our best interests at heart. There's got to be a reason that Gaenna is skulking around Genthalas like a vulkine circling a carcass... and if there is, I'm not planning to be left out!"
Sarinia sighed with resignation and shut the lid of her suitcase. "Fine then... If you won't listen to reason, then we'll all go." She looked at them sharply and added, "But pack quickly, the fleet is scheduled to depart in an hour!"
"I'll inform Tehlariene we're going on a trip," Lieralia said with a smirk.
The three sisters laughed as they hurried out of the room, leaving Sarinia alone in her quarters. She waited patiently for them to leave and when the door finally closed behind them, her lips curled up into a cold smile of satisfaction.
***
John cradled Sakura's head in his hands and gazed into her soulful brown eyes as he pushed his cock deep inside her. Her lips parted as she let out a delightful gasp of pleasure, her pussy gripping him tight as he pushed through her cervix into her womb.
"It feels good to be home," he said, leaning down to kiss her.
