Chapter 5
It was now time for the bride and groom to leave for their honeymoon. Among all the well-wishers, Cherie and Henry took special time to talk to Daniel and Delia about their future trips.
�I hope you have a happy time in Paz,� Daniel said to Henry and Cherie.
�And I wish you luck with your engineering work here in Bravia,� Henry said. �I hear you start tomorrow.�
�That is correct,� Daniel said, smiling.
�I hope you have a happy marriage,� Delia said.
�I hope you have a good summer backpacking across Puria,� Cherie said. �See you both after the break.�
A servant came up. �Your personal carrier to Paz is here,� he said.
�Thank you, sirrah,� Henry said.
�Sirrah?� Cherie asked.
�My love, you are unfamiliar with how to refer to servants,� Henry said. �One is supposed to call them sirrah to demonstrate their level relative to yours.�
�When my family had servants we always considered them family,� Cherie said, shrugging her shoulders. �I suppose I will never fully understand proper aristocratic ways.�
�I can relate,� Daniel said.
�Alright,� Henry said. �We had better go. We do not want to keep the driver waiting for too long.�
�Until later,� Daniel and Delia said to Henry and Cherie.
�Until later,� Henry and Cherie replied as they all said goodbye to each other. Henry and Cherie then walked out of the hotel to the personal carrier.
�That was an odd exchange,� Daniel said to Delia.
�Yes, it was,� Delia replied.
�I wonder why Henry is being so odd recently, asserting high aristocratic privileges,� Daniel said. �I find that highly troubling.�
�I agree,� Delia said. �Something must be up in the house of Bravia.�
�Guess we�ll find out if we are supposed to,� Daniel said.
�Yeah, I guess,� Delia said.
Hearing a ballad on the dance floor, Daniel patted Delia on the shoulder and said, �May I have this dance?�
�Of course you may,� Delia replied as they went hand in hand to the floor.
�Do you like slow dancing very much?� Daniel asked. �I have never danced with you before.�
�Yes,� Delia said. �I like to slow dance, when it with the right kind of person. When you are close to someone it is nothing to drape your hands over his shoulders and let him hold your hips close to his. This type of dancing is especially conducive to passionate kisses.�
�I have never danced like this before,� Daniel said. �But I like it.�
�I figured you would,� Delia said. �I especially like how close our bodies are as my chest is against yours and our faces are so close together.�
�One does not dance like this with strangers,� Daniel said. �And one should be careful about dancing like this with anyone you are not interested in, as friction is friction.�
�Yes, physical intimacy creates or heightens emotional desire,� Delia replied.
�Are you trying to give me something to remember you by?� Daniel asked.
�Of course,� Delia said. �I do not want you to forget how close you are to me this summer, or how beautiful I am. I do not want you chasing after little tail here in Bravia while I am away. I want only you, and I want you to want me alone.�
�Of course I want only you,� Daniel replied honestly. �Why would I chase after some little flirt here. I will be so busy working with designs and maps that I will have no time for the silly girls who chase after nobles like groupies, even those nobles who possess an intimidating amount of intelligence like the engineers.�
�What all kinds of nobility are there?� Delia asked, satisfied in his loyalty.
�There are three kinds of nobility my dear,� Daniel said. �Has not your mother taught you that much?�
�No,� Delia said. �She spends a good deal of time socializing with nobles, but not explaining how one can get to be a noble.�
�I see,� Daniel said. �I did not know until recently myself. I looked it up once I was offered a chance to be in the Engineers. The three types of aristocracy are the aristocracy of birth, the aristocracy of God, and the aristocracy of merit.�
�That sounds really interesting,� Delia said.
�The aristocracy of birth is what you, Cherie, and Henry are a part of. That type of nobility includes those who are born into titles of baron or duke, the two types of houses in Secfenian nobility,� Daniel said.
�Other places have more titles?� Delia asked.
�Yes,� Daniel said. �The Animal Star Empire included Marquis and Marquesses, Counts and Coutnesses, among other titles.�
�What about the aristocracy of God?� Delia asked.
�The aristocracy of God includes those clerics who have their doctorate and a secure episcopate. Those clerics, like Wilfred, make up the second class of noble, noble because of their service to God. The highest of those nobles are the mages, those humans granted a longer life so they can serve as God�s servants here on earth and are granted powers commensurate with their responsibilities.�
�No wonder some clerics see themselves as so important,� Delia said.
�Very true, as they are nobles themselves, of the first estate, considering themselves above those who merely nobles by the accident of birth,� Daniel replied.
�And the engineers are part of the third type of nobility?� Delia asked.
�Yes, the aristocracy of wealth includes those who are trained in engineering, architecture, medicine, law, accounting, and other professional fields. Those who obtain a doctorate of any field may fall into this group. All of these people are bound to high levels of ethical standards and demand large amounts of intellectual skill and professional judgement. There are some that may pay for this type of aristocratic title outright, but the costs for buying a noble title for the merely wealthy are quite ludicrous,� Daniel said.
�What class of nobles would that be in Puria? Do you know?� Delia asked.
�That is the hidalgo class,� Daniel said. �The children of such nobles are considered knights, but only have an estate to the level that they themselves preserve the livelihood of the family.�
�There are so many poor hidalgos in Puria,� Delia said. �They all came from houses that once were hardworking and intelligent?�
�Yes, or once exceedingly wealthy,� Daniel said. �Still, one cannot live on the past when you are part of the aristocracy of merit, as that type of aristocracy, like the aristocracy of God, does not come with a particular house where one has lands and fees that provide a degree of financial stability over time.�
�Well, my noble gentleman,� Delia said with a wink. �If our children have my looks and your brains we shall fear no turn of fate.�
�They shouldn�t be too bad off with my looks and your brains either,� Daniel said with a smile.
�I fear that would be a disaster,� Delia said, joking. �Would you like to retire with me?�
�Certainly, my dear,� Daniel said. �We need to get some sleep so that we can get our summers off on the right foot.� They walked together off of the dance floor and up to their penthouse suite.
�Look at those two,� Bathsheba said to Natonito. �See how in love they are?�
�Yes, I do, my love,� Natonito said.
�Do we look like that to other people?� Bathsheba said, snuggling up to him.
�I think we do,� Natonito said with a smile as he kissed her.
�That�s what I want us to always be like,� Bathsheba said.
�There are some things that never grow old,� Natonito said. �Like cuddling and talking with the one you love.�
�Would you like to go up to bed and snuggle away from these prying eyes and gossips?� Bathsheba said.
�Certainly, my dear,� Natonito said as they went up to bed.
�Hello, Oen,� Meadow came up to him and Karen. �You must be Oen�s wife.�
�And who are you?� Karen asked sharply.
�I am the reason Oen has been so grouchy recently. After he broke off with me I have been trying to milk him for some money,� Meadow said. �Because I have some incriminating evidence that would hurt his reputation.�
�Chasing after little girls again? You�re worse than my brother,� Karen said.
�She�s legal,� Oen snapped.
�Well, unless you give me five million freznics, I�m going to turn your name into a byword. Every time someone thinks of Oen Bravia, they are going to think of the famed sex pervert and lush,� Meadow said.
�I do not stand for blackmail,� Oen said.
�We shall see,� Meadow said, walking away.
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