Matriarchal World Ch. 05

"Yes, my lady I will not waste any time to prepare."

Two weeks later, Raven was finally heading for the royal reception. It was only the second time she was invited inside the royal palace, and this time was even more impressive with the colorful decorations and other preparations the young male servants busied themselves for the arrival of the Saudi diplomats.

Her husband wasn't with her this time because the invitation didn't specify that she could take her spouse. Besides, her husband was busy with his occupations, so he had only wished her good luck with a kiss before she left.

The reception hall was one of the most impressive ones she had ever seen with queen Teresa herself and her husband consort Albert sitting in the middle of many influential political figures discussing with each other to wait for the arrival of the delegation.

Many women were discussing what the Saudi prince would look like but Raven doubted that they would satisfy their curiosity. After all, it was well known that Southern men often covered their head with a veil for modesty, and especially noblemen who would even hide their face with a thinner veil to only leave the eyes on display.

Finally, as people were starting to feel their impatience grow, a chorus of trumpets resonated in the palace indicating the arrival of the delegation. Everyone in the reception stood up in expectation of the guests, even the queen who walked to the center as Raven silently observed a large group of people arriving.

At the front was a woman in her early thirties who was obviously the leader of the delegation Cyra Abadi and she confidently greeted queen Teresa and king Albert. She was followed by a group of women who were probably her guards and in the middle of the group stood an elegantly dressed man covered from head to toe by several luxurious looking veils.

"Welcome honored guests. We are grateful by the trust and attention that you give us by offering a concubine to the British crown. We will make sure to pay you back an equal fitting gift in the near future, but for now please take place for the reception."

Cyra replied to queen Teresa by exchanging a few pleasantries before solemnly saying:

"Since the time has come, let me present you my brother the forty-third prince Aaadil who was promised to you, for the Sultana has deemed you worthy of giving one of her sons. Come forward Aaadil."

Prince Aaadil slowly obeyed, and once he was in front of the queen he submissively bowed and said:

"Honorable queen, I am yours now as your humble concubine."

Raven watched in awe as the prince was allowed to take off his veil to uncover his face to the crowd. His face was even prettier than what she could have imagined with dark eyes matching his brown skin and everyone attentively watched as the queen declared:

"You are now a concubine of the British crown so you will adopt our customs. You may keep your hair covered but you will show your face and wear English outfits. I am looking forward for your contribution in the palace life".

After that, the diplomats exchanged a few more words with queen Teresa, and then the festivities really started. Prince Aaadil now called concubine Aaadil was placed next to the queen and her husband king Albert seemed reluctantly accepting the situation.

Raven wondered how she would feel if she had to send her son as a concubine to a powerful woman who already had a husband. She understood why it was done, but it was still new for her to see a scene where the legal husband sat near an official concubine of his wife.

Prince Aaadil wasn't bothered however since he was expecting to be married off to a foreign queen from a young age. While Raven finally finished eating the copious dishes of the feast, a foreign voice with a light accent asked her in English:

"May I join you?"

Raven was shocked to see that Cyra Abadi herself had come to talk to her. Realizing that it was a chance since she didn't need to chase after her to obtain a chat anymore, she happily answered:

"Of course, princess Cyra." Raven replied with a smile. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence here with me?"

"I've wanted to meet you since I saw you in the news. I know that you are very involved in international relationships, and as a diplomat I am always looking for new contacts in every country that I can exchange with. Among current British politicians, you are known to have one of the strongest reputations for matriarchal family values and social support for big families. Since I will be staying in London for a little while, the time my brother acclimates to his life as a concubine here, I wondered if you would have some time to introduce me to the city and the important figures of this generation. After all, I came here first for my audiences with queen Teresa, but I want to take advantage of the leftover time."

"With pleasure, you can join me for a dinner tomorrow if you desire to. My husband enjoys receiving guests and the presence of a Saudi princess would ravish any of the members of my family. I have two daughters who learned how to speak Arabic by the way, so it could be a good opportunity for them to converse with someone from your country."

"Well actually, I've met your eldest daughter Alison in Rome. She's someone I've befriended and kept in contact with for the last two years, she's quite the fascinating discussion partner, even if she's rather young".

"Well, that is a surprise, I didn't know that my daughter had met you. it's surprising that she didn't tell me, but it must be because she is very busy."

"That's for sure, she is a studious person, but she also knows how to have her fun. But it is normal for her not to talk about everyone she meets, most of her contacts are important people of the political or economic sphere."

Raven smoothly carried the conversation, intelligently mixing politics and fun topics and at the end of their exchange she had learned a lot of things from princess Cyra. Cyra was 32 years old and the daughter of a concubine of the Sultana and had become a top diplomat through her hard work and communication skills.

Cyra was intrigued by her new exchanges with the British politician. She had been to England before, but only for a short period and didn't enjoy much time to relax on that occasion. But on this trip, she had booked more than one month worth of time in the British capital, so she intended to enjoy the city as well.

Besides, most of her contacts were for business but with Raven Steel the exchange was truly friendly. Raven wasn't judging her culture and its practices, she was simply asking questions by curiosity and willingness to learn.

Cyra could only see her brother once after he became a concubine because he was busy learning etiquette rules and getting to know the inner court, so she spent her free time rediscovering the city with Raven.

The first time Cyra was invited to Raven's house, she was greeted by Raven's husband. Mr. Steel was an elegant man despite being in his late forties but well-dressed and subtly applied a bit of make-up to perfectly enhance his features. Only one of her sons was there to greet them, it was Hudson a good-looking young man who had just turned eighteen.

"My two elder sons Lucian and Tristan are already married", Raven explained her. "And my youngest boy Valentin is only fourteen, so he is currently in his finishing school. The only one missing is Jules, my third son, he is twenty years old but is a real tombgirl. I'm sure he must be up to something in the gardens, I apologize for his delay, but he will show up for dinner, I am sure."

Mr. Steel and his son Hudson lightly bowed to her, and she smiled at them by courtesy. The shy looking Hudson suggestively smiled at her, but Cyra wasn't interested. Sure, he was pretty, but she had plenty of beautiful men in her harem including foreigners from all over the world and he was a bit too young to her taste.

She was invited to the dining hall and had only begun to converse with Mrs. and Mr. Steel when someone entered the room and captivated her attention.

It was a nice-looking man with strawberry blonde hair mixed in a messy bun dressed in a shockingly revealing outfit. He wore tight exercising trousers which revealed every curve of his manly thighs, buttocks and even groin, and a loose shirt revealed his pale chest.

"Jules, how undignified, I told you we were having an important guest tonight!" his father Mr. Steel shrilled.

Jules looked at his father, then at Cyra with some curiosity, but no feeling of shame appeared on his face for putting himself on display in this outfit.

"Go quickly change yourself before I take away your moving privileges." His mother Raven said in a stern tone.

That seemed to catch his attention more, for he sighted at his mother with annoyance before slowly turning around to comply.

"Well, when you told me that your third son was a tombgirl, you weren't exaggerating Mrs. Steel."

"Yes, and I apologize on his behalf for his immodest display, for that is mostly my fault for indulging my sons growing up. That is a mistake that many mothers do when they can afford it, they spoil their little boys until they grow up a bit wild sometimes. Each of them are lovely, but grew up with some nasty habits that needs fixing. He will need a strict woman to guide him, just like the wives of my two eldest sons."

Cyra nodded with amusement: it was something that existed everywhere despite the cultural differences. Even in Saudi where men were commonly disciplined from a young age to become good submissive husbands, the sons of royalty or other rich women were spoilt rotten by their overprotective mothers, so it was their wife's job to teach them, or in cases where there were several husbands, the eldest ones usually disciplined the younger ones.

"Do not worry, I have many brothers, but the favorite sons of my mother are also quite spoilt, this is not new for me. Some of my own concubines were quite spoilt too when they first arrived to my harem, so they needed quite some discipline to learn their place."

"By the way, how does a woman keep control on so many men? After all you must be quite busy and your harem is very populated." Mrs. Steel asked with curiosity.

"Well, that is my first consort's job. There is a strict hierarchy among the men inside my harem and the disobedient ones are taken care of in my absence without a problem."

"Well, it seems like my son Jules could benefit from such a strict environment", Mr. Steel half joked.

"What about me?"

Jules had come back already, and he was at least wearing a loose tunic on top of his shirt that covered the forms of his thighs and behind, but his hair was still messy and he didn't seem the least embarrassed.

Cyra was intrigued why the son of such an important woman could walk around in such immodest clothing. Usually when a man wore revealing clothes, it was to mark his masculine lines and seduce the women around him, but the messy appearance of Jules indicated that he didn't care the least about seduction.

Which was a shame Cyra thought, for the more she watched him, the more she found him intriguing and attractive. He was the total opposite of his younger brother Hudson who wore very delicate and elegant clothing, his hair brought back in a sophisticated style and his face beautified by a very light touch of make-up.

"Just stay quiet for now young man", Mr. Steel answered his son Jules. "You have already disgraced yourself so try to behave for the rest of the evening."

Jules loudly sighted but didn't insist. He passed his frustration by purposefully loudly slurping his soup then loudly chewing his meat, and Cyra was shocked to see that none of his parents reacted to his provocations. If one of her spouses or brothers openly provoked her that way just for some petty annoyance, they all knew that they would bitterly regret it once they were disciplined. After the meal, Cyra decided that she would find a way to get to know Jules. She was already fascinated with him and the thought of conversing with him already excited her.

In reality Jules was also intrigued by Cyra. It was the first time that a Saudi guest was dining with them, and even more exceptional was the fact that she was a daughter of the Sultana. Besides, he knew that she was attractive even if he tried to ignore that fact.

He usually took great pride in not caring about how women judged his appearance and clothing, but the way she had observed him with interest made him blush. Jules knew that women weren't interested in him normally, at least not for anything serious. He knew people described him as too wild, undisciplined and bossy.

Jules dreamt of being able to journey and see the world, but as a man it wasn't so simple. His mother had never allowed him to leave London and even when he went to his sports sessions, he was always accompanied by a houseman. Most sports weren't considered very masculine since women monopolized that field too after the apparition of solarium in women made the female body naturally stronger, but Jules still liked to move his body. He practiced climbing, long distance running and swimming which were all considered women's domain, but his mother gracefully allowed him to train twice a week.

To his shock, his mother announced him the day after Cyra arrived that he was forbidden to go to his training sessions.

"But mother, why? I don't understand! This is the only thing I can do in this boring city, apart from visiting the library!"

"You are a twenty-year old gentleman now", his mother sternly announced. "I can't allow you to spend all your days sweating in some isolated room or else no one will ever want to marry you."

"But it is what I like! And there are only men in the training field I go to, so I don't see the issue!"

"Well even so, I forbid you to go again. Consider it a punishment for the indecent outfit you showed yourself in when the guest arrived yesterday. Moreover, you are grounded for the next month, so use your time to reflect on your poor attitude. You should feel grateful that this is all, most parents would be more severe with their discipline. Take your time in your room to occupy yourself with your books or some other calm activity for once. You can perhaps try a more masculine activity like dancing or music perhaps, and finally grow up?"

Jules was furious, why was his mother suddenly so mean? Sure, she had reprimanded him before, and yes, he did somehow push her patience at the dinner with his outfit, but this was too much.

"Listen sweetheart, your father and I have discussed a lot about the solutions to your wild behavior. We love you and that is why you need a change to help you grow. We have decided to make you enter your debut ball next Saturday, along with Hudson. Perhaps socializing with other young men of your station and meeting respectable parties will shift your perspective on some things. I know you don't want to get married, and I don't want to push you into an unhappy marriage, that is why I want you to meet people in a respectable area."

Jules scoffed: he knew what his mother meant with "respectable area". After all debut balls were simply big announcement to show the marriageable young men to high society, so that rich and powerful women can pick them for marriage quickly. Normally, gentlemen did their debut when they turned 18, and most anticipated the event with much excitement, but Jules wasn't like them. He was 20 years old and had never attended a ball because he didn't want to marry.

"I don't want to go to these stupid parties! Why don't you just go with Hudson, he is already obsessed talking and preparing for his debut."

"That is not negotiable young man," she said. "You will come in a nice and appropriate outfit in two days with me and your brother Hudson to greet the other gentlemen and ladies, smile politely and dance if you are invited to. Consider that part of your punishment if you want. Besides, it wouldn't be right to make Hudson debut and not you since you are two years older. It is already unconventional that brothers who are two years apart debut at the same time."

Two days later, Jules was wearing a newly made gown that fell to his feet and covered his body to perfectly mark his wealthy status, as he was told to by his father. His hair had been neatly combed and pulled behind to show his pretty face that had been perfumed and even slightly powdered. His gown was ivory white, since pale colors were expected from debutants to show their purity and innocence.

He felt uncomfortable walking in his silk robes, and it annoyed him to watch his younger brother Hudson to enthusiastically walk in his own perfect outfit. Their father was also with them, tasked with the important duty of chaperoning their interactions with women.

Jules was decided not to talk to anyone. If he were to meet gentlemen his age, all they would talk about was about marriage, clothing or other topics that bored him to death, and women didn't want to talk about complicated topics with him. The only person who understood him truly was his sister Alison who always listened to his opinions whenever she had time, but unfortunately she was often absent, traveling a lot between her studies.

He silently followed his parents inside the carriage and watched as they arrived to pass through the gate of a big residence. The place was owned by Andrea Femina, the second daughter of the duchess Femina of Yorkshire. Since Andrea was the second daughter, she didn't inherit the title of duchess, but she was still a lady, and a highly influential one in high society for her work in politics. She was the one who organized many of the big parties in London, and anyone thrived to get acquainted with her.

When the carriage stopped, they were immediately greeted by neatly dressed housemen who led them through the impressive halls and doors of the residence. The ball room was entertained by a group of musicians who stopped playing when Hudson and Jules entered the ballroom to announce their arrival as they followed the small group of other debutants of the season.

Immediately, all eyes went to them from both men and women, curious to see what the debutants looked like. The musicians started playing again, and the most eager women quickly came to them, politely asking them for a dance. Jules frowned in disgust, noting that many of the women examining him were older than his mother, but his brother Hudson eagerly accepted the invitations of some of the women and went dancing, under their parent's approving gaze.

Jules didn't have any friends he could hide with to escape this situation, so he stood as close to the border of the room as possible, where the possibility of women noticing him would be the lowest. There were still several women who eyed him lecherously, but none came to talk to him to his relief; Jules decided to hide behind his fan and wait for the evening to finish quickly.

"Well, to see me little brother dressed up and powdered wasn't something I was expecting", a friendly and familiar voice said behind him.

"Alison!" he smiled when he recognized his elder sister. "I wasn't expecting to see you here, I didn't even know you were back in London!"

At the age of 22, Alison was a model of the high society's succession. She had already finished her studies at the age of 21 with a master's degree, for she had jumped several years with her high intelligence. Since then, she had spent her time accumulating professional experiences through several internships in foreign ambassades and political groups to solidify her knowledge and contact network in Europe. Because of that, he hadn't seen her for almost nine months, but he often thought about her with a smile, for she was his favorite sibling.

"I returned two days ago, I have some vacations and wanted to see you at your debut."