The Clones of Mawcett by Thomas DePrima

according to the Peerage Inheritance Laws.”
“I'm not familiar with the title Azula. What does it mean? Is it sort of like— being adopted, on Earth?”
“You have not become a member of the Royal Family, if that's what you mean, but you are definitively a Peeress of the Realm. The Azulas and Azulos rank immediately below the Royal Family, and sit at the apex of the Peerage. You have further been proclaimed a Lady of the Royal House, which defines your premier status in our realm. Only marrying one of the King's sons could elevate you higher. We have been without either a Lord or Lady of the Royal House since Azulo Kwittejto passed away eighteen years ago. The status of Lord or Lady of the Royal House does not pass on with the title and inheritance. Um, perhaps it would help if I compared our society with one on Earth that I read about?”
“Yes, perhaps. Please continue.”
“During what was called your Middle Ages, there existed a form of monarchial government called the Feudal System. As I understand it, the reigning monarch initially owned all the land in his realm. He then allotted some to the nobility, in exchange for vows of fealty and promises to provide fighters if war should come. The nobility then allotted parcels of land to Knights, and exacted similar vows of allegiance and support. The Knights then allotted land to serfs, who never owned the land but would work it and provide part of their crops to their Knight, who would pass part to their Baron, who would pass part to their King. Our system works similarly, except the landowners are responsible for selling their own crops and other products, and must pay their taxes to the crown with currency. Only the nobility may own land, but they don't own their serfs. Each citizen is free to move about as he or she wishes. If one nobleman is cruel or unfair, the citizen may move to another's land. If I understand the import of each title in your ancient system, an Azula is the equivalent of a Duchess, while an Azulo is the equivalent of a Duke.”
“Thank you. I think I understand much better now.”
“The lands bestowed on you by the King and Queen are of minor value right now, but one day they will again be part of an important agricultural area.”
“Lands?”
“Yes, My Lady; the million hectares on Obotymot that comprise your royal estate.”
“A million hectares? Royal estate? That's something else no one remembered to tell me,” Jenetta said quietly.
“It's just a small estate, My Lady. In fact, your estate is the smallest among all the Peers. The next larger estate is that of Meptro and Meptra Kwudozu. Their estate comprises just three and half million hectares, but it's all rich agricultural land here on Nordakia, which made it much more highly prized even before the meteor strike. When Obotymot was colonized, the king offered to double or even triple the size of anyone's estate that would exchange their land on Nordakia for land on Obotymot. It was an attempt to spur development there, but owing to pressures from the Church, there were few takers. As a result, the ruling family still retains most of the planet.”
“Meptro and Meptra?”
"On Earth, the nobility was ranked, from highest to lowest, King, Duke, Marquis, Count or Earl, Viscount, and lastly Baron. On Nordakia, the ranking is King, Azulo, Suvvuto, Fetuzo, Wollzako, and lastly Meptro. Although Meptro and Meptra Kwudozu are members of the Nordakian nobility, they are only the equivalent of a Baron and Baroness in the Earth system I was referencing. While their lands are incredibly valuable when compared to your own, their peerage is of the lowest rank in our nobility. I don't mean to disparage your holdings, My Lady. Your farm land was among the very richest and most productive on Obotymot before the meteor strike.
“Our King is very wise, My Lady. If he had given you a million hectares here on Nordakia, it might have caused— let us say, hard feelings— among the Peerage who have held