The day was coming to an end as Orion left May's side.

Bringing her back home, he made his way through another portal, where a massive castle overlooking the sea was resting.

His feet on the pavement of the large building, he sighed.

"I hope I won't bother her."

Olivia was always busy. She had the entire city of Noctelagia to lead as her Lord and its citizens to take care of.

Even taking a moment of her day would cause some of her paperwork to pile on, and Orion wasn't one to cause headaches when it wasn't needed.

"That is an unnecessary worry."

A maid opened the front door before bending forward in reverence.

"Hello, Marie."

"Welcome, Master."

Urging him to come inside with her hand, she waited as Orion nodded.

Passing her, Orion waited for Marie to close the door and come to his side.

This simple gesture made the maid smile.

"You were wondering if Lady Olivia was busy, right?"

"Yes. Also, you can be more casual. She won't mind."

Surprised, she stiffened for a moment before nodding.

"If you say so..."

Recovering her composure, she led Orion toward Olivia's study, where she could be found.

"Olivia has been dealing with a few requests today. Although significant, they were dealt with quite rapidly."

"She's been resting since completing her tasks, while doing some light paperwork."

Orion smiled.

"That's just like her."

"Still, she could always bring her paperwork back home and do it there."

With a frown, he suddenly retracted his comment.

"Never mind. Knowing her, she separates her work from her life. It would be detrimental to her mood and focus."

Nodding with a fair smile, Marie answered that.

"That is what she said to us, too. This idea was brought up before by one of us, only to be rejected with the same argument."

She was beyond pleased to know that Orion was on the same page as Olivia concerning her important work.

Walking through the corridors, Orion and Marie crossed Helen and Helena's route.

The sisters bent their upper bodies slightly while greeting Orion.

"Welcome, Master."

"Hello, Helen and Helena."

Surprised by his reply, they looked at each other. As Orion continued, they looked at his back.

Then they smiled and returned to their work.

"May I ask you something?"

Marie suddenly looked at his face with a light frown.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

She shook her head from side to side.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"No, nothing of such."

"I was wondering. Do you perhaps know each one of us?"

"Of course, I am not thinking ill of that. I simply thought that learning the names of twenty-seven women was likely difficult."

With a shrug, Orion looked back at her.

"You are precious to Olivia. If I were to ignore you, I wouldn't make a good partner for her."

"And placing a name over a face isn't difficult for me. Just like Olivia, I know each one of you."

"Not personally as she does, but enough to greet each one of her maids."

Inside, Marie's loyalty to him kept growing. The more she conversed with him, the more she felt like kneeling in front of Orion.

The conflictual feeling of her servitude to Olivia and her loyalty to Orion clashed incessantly in her mind.

But the solution was simple, and she also knew it.

Nothing needed to change.

As they arrived toward Olivia's study, Kate and Alma noticed them approaching their position.

Immediately, they stood ready to receive Orion and greeted him like everyone else did.

"Welcome, Master."

"Hello. So, today's guard duty is Alma and Kate?"

"Yes!"

Their eyes sparkling, they straightened proudly.

"He came to see Olivia, as you might have realized already."

Marie explained to them before looking at Orion.

"Please wait for an instant. Once I make notice of your visit, she will surely dart out of the room."

With a smile, she knocked on the door and entered, closing the door shut behind her.

"..."

Kate and Alma looked at each other in concern. They had no idea what to say or how to entertain him.

"I have a question."

Orion turned to them and asked with a neutral expression.

"Yes?"

Alma was the one who received the question.

"Have you been notified by Olivia?"

The maids pondered for anything that could be related to him.

Suddenly, they recalled it.

The mood drastically switched, and more than two pairs of eyes fell on his back as they nodded.

"I had no idea five of you were working in the shadows. What a surprise."

With a smirk on his face, Orion turned around and looked at where Alisa, Celeste, Noelle, Martha, and Zara were.

Zara was sitting on a beam near the ceiling, and Noelle was behind the window, pressing her back against the wall to avoid being detected.

Celeste and Martha were on opposite sides of the corridor, watching from the corners.

Alisa was standing behind Orion, something that he had completely failed to notice.

If she had any bloodlust, he would have sensed it. Since she had none, she made for a perfect assassin.

Each one of them was what could be considered his equal in hiding their presence.

"We will patiently wait for the day you call for us."

Just as fast, the five sneaky maids vanished and returned to their duties.

'I'll have fun with them.'

Orion crossed his arms and smiled with his eyes closed.

At the same time, the door abruptly opened, surprising Kate and Alma, whose shoulders twitched at Olivia's boisterous entrance.

"!"

Standing face-to-face with Orion, she looked very flustered.

"I came to see you, Olivia."

A smile on his face, Orion placed his hand on her head.

'Marie was right.'

Thinking about how Olivia came out of the room, he gave more credit to the maid, who knew exactly how her friend would react.

...

After a while of talking to Olivia, they ended up outside.

"I had no idea such a place even existed."

Astonished, Orion watched the illuminated garden behind the castle.

Tall lamps shone on the many flowers growing in the garden.

"If not for Lillian and Marie, this place would be a wasteland."

The proud maid bowed to her master, thankful for the compliment.

"All I do is water them with magic."

Orion observed with interest. The variety of flowers gorgeously blooming here could undoubtedly resonate with his father's love for plants, was what he thought.

Seeing Olivia shrug while Marie looked at her with a saddened expression made it easy to understand how important Olivia was to them.

They wanted her to have some joy in her life, past all the challenges that they had been through.

"Do you think they aren't pretty?"

With a smile, she turned to Orion.

"Far too pretty for a being like me."

The illusion dissipated, revealing the demon Olivia.

"I like flowers, but I don't think they suit me well."

Her finger poked the petals of a rose, and with a bitter smile, she turned around.

"At least, it makes for a beautiful garden."

Choosing to ignore her comment, Orion agreed.

"This is a beautiful place indeed."

While ignoring it, he still couldn't accept her being so low-spirited.

Letting his desire speak for him, Orion walked up to her. He lowered his chest, extended his hand toward her face, and pulled her chin upward.

Marie turned her gaze away for an instant as Orion and Olivia kissed.

"Feeling better?"

With Olivia stunned, only a meek nod answered his question.

"I have no idea what is eating at you, but neither your appearance nor how you think will change the fact that you are beautiful."

"Y-You think so?"

"I do."

Olivia suddenly stepped forward and faced Orion.

"But you've never taken me to bed! I've seen Amelia, Karteira, and Deveralna join you in your room. Even Senia!"

"But what about me?"

"You've never asked me. Even though I am willing to..."

Orion looked to the side. He pondered what would be the best answer to help her understand his viewpoint.

"You seem to value a physical relationship more than anything."

Facing her, he continued.

"I don't think it is a bad way to think. Everyone can enjoy a relationship differently, and you are no different."

"I've said this to everyone before, but I am a poor exemplar of a lover."

She grabbed his arm.

"That's not true. Not at all!"

Shaking her head, she looked down.

"It's me who hasn't been putting effort into this relationship. I thought everything would go smoothly once I forced my way in."

"But I was wrong. You've done so much for me, and all I've done was stay on the side, watching as you do everything."

"I couldn't accept that... and I might have been a little dispirited by that thought."

With a frustrated smile, she let go of his arm.

"You've done nothing wrong."

Orion leaned forward and hugged Olivia, who hugged him back.

"I am an awkward man."

"And I am an awkward woman."

Orion chuckled.

"Then we're perfect for each other."

Pushing on her shoulders lightly, Orion stared deeply into her eyes.

"Even though we are inexperienced, we complete each other. I cannot let you go anymore."

Those words made her heart flutter. But what happened next was out of her expectation.

Orion brought out a box out of nowhere and held it in front of her chest.

"Would you accept me in your life?"

With trembling hands, she reached for the box.

In her head, she was believing this to either be a joke or an illusion caused by her magic.

When the top of the box opened, a silver ring with one of the darkest gemstones she had ever seen twinkled under the moonlight.

The ring looked similar to the one his mother, Orianne, received from Reon. As her ring became a sort of heirloom to Olivia, he thought this would make do for taking it back in the past.

"It's a black onyx. It supposedly helps with getting the 'strength' necessary in life. I thought it would look lovely on your hand."

The poor and confused Olivia stared at Orion, whose smile shocked her more than anything.

Her fears, which were similar to Amelia's during the beginning of her adventure with him, suddenly vanished.

She was no longer afraid of losing her place among his family.

"You should ask for help more often. There's no reason for you to keep drowning in work and getting tired."

"I'm sure those three would gladly help you. Especially Kamala."

The other Lords were her friends. She simply couldn't bring herself to bother them.

As the ring slid on her finger and came to rest perfectly around it, she began to cry.

Marie, hiding her mouth with both hands, also felt like crying. All the maids, watching from various places of the castle, celebrated the engagement of their master.

Some jumped, some threw their fists in the air, and some cried.

But the one shocked beyond belief was Olivia.

"I... want proof that I am not dreaming."

"Gladly, princess."

Orion hugged her tightly while going for a kiss.

Her wings stretched wildly behind her, and her tail wrapped around his right thigh, forcing them to stay intimate for a while.