Tingoo reigns supreme in the empire's adult entertainment industry—a massive conglomerate that touches every corner of the business. From running brothels to producing adult videos, operating love hotels, developing erotic games, publishing smutty books and manga, and even streaming it all online, right down to securing seasonal nudist beaches (I could scream with joy just thinking about it!). Whether through direct ownership or wielding influence as a major shareholder, they've got their fingers in every pie. Calling them the undisputed top dog doesn't even cut it—they're miles ahead of the pack.

  Their roots trace back to one of King Carl II's close aides, who wanted to bring the king's vision to life not from the pace, but from the private sector. Naturally, their ties to the court were rock-solid. In modern terms, it'd be insider trading: they'd get early scoops on policies, positioning themselves for massive profits. But when it came to realizing the king's ideals, they'd dig into their own pockets without hesitation. Everyone agrees—without Tingoo, the Astaraia Empire wouldn't be the world-dominating powerhouse it is today.

  According to Lawrence Hepburn (I'll call him Larry from here on), the guy Father tasked with digging into the empire's adult scene, they're still thick as thieves with the government—think cushy post-retirement gigs for officials. But if someone's not pulling their weight, they get the boot, no mercy. King Carl himself id it out: "When private markets and government agendas csh, side with the market if it's in the right. Blindly following orders from on high is the quickest way to rot." Damn, that's badass!

  As part of my "prep work," I dove into a bunch of erotic games, and their user interfaces were super intuitive—pretty much the same across different developers. Turns out, Tingoo spotted the potential early on, developed the UI, and licensed it out dirt cheap. It's still getting tweaks today, and both devs and pyers love it. Try building your own? You'd just rack up extra costs, and any cool features would get ripped off in no time.

  Now, why bring up Tingoo? Simple: that's where we're headed to work, at one of their fgship spots. Intel had us pegged—it was only a matter of time before the empire caught on—but formally, at the time of our family meeting, the annexation request hadn't gone through yet. The next day, the whole royal family marched to the embassy to deliver our intent. The ambassador jumped right into the paperwork, and just like that, our "training" kicked off inside the embassy.

  Ft-screen color TVs, HDD recorders with disc media, PCs, smartphones... All that cutting-edge tech was locked away in the embassy, thanks to extraterritoriality. Sure, they were standalone—no internet or even phone lines—but just having them boosted efficiency like crazy. The empire was all "We've been waiting," rushing the process along, but it still took time. In the meantime, we'd commute to the embassy for our "lessons." That became the royal family's top priority. The domestic stuff? The council could handle that.

  Larry clued me in on those erotic game UIs during one of our sessions there. The empire's cssified tech is airtight, but there's a mountain of public info out there. OSINT—Open Source Intelligence. With nothing else to go on, Larry had already pieced that much together.

  Finally, the big day arrived. First up was the announcement ceremony back home, with Father and the council leading it. My closing speech hit all the formal notes:

  "As a member of the royal family, I accept this decision as my duty. From here on, I'll dedicate my life to the trade, serving our customers with utmost sincerity so that this nd can enjoy the test advancements as soon as possible."

  And to wrap it up with a flourish:

  "Soon enough, thanks to the tech we'll get, you'll all be able to watch my escapades too. Make sure to enjoy every bit—any money spent will be the best investment in a brighter future."

  I fshed a bright smile to end it. Hopefully, they took it as genuine encouragement, not sarcasm. After all, I truly want the people of Winfield to see and savor my wild side—it's my honest-to-goodness wish ? If my fantasies py out as pnned, anyway...

  After the ceremony, we headed to the empire's embassy. There, we met with the ambassador and some Tingoo reps, hashed things out, and then it was off to the imperial capital for me. Father, the queen, and the crown prince got assigned to the empire's second-biggest city (think Osaka or Kyoto in Japan). Larry and Bernard Jackson—another guy Father had tapped for the job—went with them.

  See, during the ceremony, Father, the queen, and the prince wore these drained, grim faces, making no secret of how much they hated it: "As royals, we'll accept this fate out of obligation." But Mother and I, in our speeches before them, showed a vibe that wasn't all doom and gloom about our future in the sex trade. That pissed off the queen.

  "Even after taking you as a concubine, your lowborn roots show through. Are you that excited about a future bedding men for money?"

  She tore into us, then decred she couldn't live in the same pce as us going forward. Father and the crown prince agreed, but Prince Gilbert pushed back against the queen and chose to come with us instead. It's not just about different mothers—the royal family's totally fractured...

  Or at least, that's the act we pnned to sell. Gilbert was heartbroken about splitting from his real parents and brother but accepted it. The queen, holding back her sorrow, even encouraged him: "I can trust you with them." Of course, alongside respect for the legitimate line, there's real love for my cute little brother and the family as a whole.

  As for us, now fallen into female svery—well, we've braced ourselves, and the STD prevention is top-notch. Like so many before us, we can at least put on a show of enjoying the sex and live long lives. It'll be a busy one... though that nagging anxiety about the sex won't fade until my first time... But honestly, Gilbert's got the tougher road ahead.

  He'll have to watch his stepmother and sister servicing men up close, forced into support roles. Even if we say, "We're enjoying it, so don't worry," who knows if he'll buy it? And if he does, how's he supposed to feel about his family being that... promiscuous? At least he won't have to see his real mom vioted against her will—that's the only silver lining, maybe.

  We'll back him up with everything we've got, but how much will that really help?...

  Oh, and Winfield gets to keep its name. Changing it would've sped up full tech integration big time, but we dug in our heels. Sure, it'll raise suspicions about independence ambitions, but it's a non-negotiable for us. Can Father and the others handle things so the people don't start demanding a name change to cut the wait short?