Her choice of words was flattering since she saw me as someone willing to marry, but also worrying since this seemed a little too much to be a coincidence; I mean, what are the chances she hands me a suit specifically tailored for marriage when I intend to propose to her tonight? Quite low, in my opinion, but I didn't make a deal about it, mainly because if this just so happened to be a coincidence, I didn't want to give away my surprise, granted her actions caused me to think she must have some clue about what's going to happen.
"I appreciate it, Master, though just out of curiosity since you have a marriage suit, I'm assuming you have a dress specifically for marriage as well? I don't suppose you're also wearing it?" Questioned Alexander with a raised eyebrow as he rested the suit onto his shoulder while looking at Lavender's face that peeked behind the door.
"Yeah, I do; I'm also wearing it, as well." Replied Lavender with a slightly blushed face, and while her words didn't mean much, her actions were an indirect statement that she was more than willing to marry Alexander.
To say her words didn't fill me with bubbles of joy would be me lying, and it was pretty difficult to suppress the emotions I felt, but for tonight's surprise, I did just that and only gave Master an understanding nod, seemingly acting oblivious to her underlying meaning.
"Well then, I better leave you to it, Master; I still need to get dressed and prepare the final touches to your birthday surprise. Though, just a heads up, I'm keeping this suit, Lavender." Said Alexander with a soft smile as he gave Lavender a peck on the lips before turning around and exiting her bedroom, leaving an embarrassed dryad all alone.
"Ugh, so embarrassing! I can't believe I practically just proposed to my own disciple! But I mean, I can't imagine spending the rest of my withering life with anyone else." Muttered Lavender shyly with blushed cheeks as she closed the door and leaned against it, acting like a young woman in love; such a sight Alexander hadn't had the privilege to see.
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Exiting Master's bedroom, I headed toward my room and closed the door before stripping naked, yet at the same time, Talis flew into the room, taking me by surprise with her sudden appearance.
"Haa, Talis, next time, could you please announce your presence? You freaked me out." Remarked Alexander with a sigh of relief as he glanced at Talis before carefully putting on his brown and green suit, starting with the pants.
"Nope! The Queen of the Skies doesn't announce her presence before anyone! Now tell me, what does a lowly land dweller like you want with me?" Stated Talis, proudly pointing her beak to the sky, accentuating her white bowtie as she stood on her hanging birdcage while stretching her wings.
Seeing her act like that, I just shook my head, sighed, and ignored her as I wore my remaining clothes, which consisted of a green long-sleeve shirt, a brown buttoned-down vest, a green tie with the image of the world tree tailored onto it and finally a brown coat with green stitching. Approaching a mirror, which was actually a frozen slab of ice that Master somehow managed to make super reflective, I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't help but whistle in awe.
"I can't be the most handsome man on the market, but my goodness, I don't think I've seen someone as handsome as me back on Earth! It must have something to do with the mana, as that's really the only thing different about this world." Declared Alexander as he did a few poses in the mirror, looking far better than any supermodel from Earth.
"What do you think, Talis? Do I look good?" Asked Alexander as he stopped posing in the mirror and looked at Talis.
"You look great, very intimidating, almost as intimidating as me!" Stated Talis with a nod as she flew and landed on Alexander's left shoulder.
"If you say so, Queen of the Skies. Anyways, have you prepared your gifts, Talis?" Said Alexander with a shake of his head as he viewed the two of them in the mirror, Talis's brown feathers complimenting the suit.
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"Yep, everything is ready; what about you, Alex? You've been gone all day; did you finish your gifts?" Asked Talis with a nod before looking at Alexander with a curious glint in her little eyes.
"Yeah, I've also finished everything; I just intend to check up on the tarp before we begin everything, though I still haven't thought of an appropriate name for my gift." Remarked Alexander with a slight frown as he shook his head and sat in his bed with a thoughtful expression, pulling out the ring box from his pouch.
"Hmm, so that's what you've been working on for so long? A ring. I didn't know you could craft those things; what do you call people who can do that? A blacksmith?" Questioned Talis as she looked at the silver ring covered in unique markings with a hollow mana crystal full of ichor embedded into it.
"No, but you're close; what you're thinking of are Artisan's. Though no, I'm no Artisan; in fact, if it weren't for Trina, I wouldn't have even made it this far." Stated Alexander with a shake of his head while carefully holding the ring in his hand as he tapped his head, which is where Trina resides; her sister, whom he still hasn't spoken the name of, dwells within his heart.
"Maybe you've got a good name for this ring, Talis?" Added Alexander as he looked at Talis with hope-filled eyes, though he shouldn't have expected much from her.
"Um, what about Silver Ring? Or, Golden Crystal? No, I've got an even better one, Silver & Gold!" Stated Talis confidently, though her ideas caused Alexander to stare blankly at her.
"Well, let's think about this later; I've still got things to do." Said Alexander as he stored the ring back into the box and placed it in his pouch before standing up.
While I look quite spiffy in this suit, without any shoes, it only makes me look tacky, but luckily, there was a pair of shoes that came along with the outfit; they were brown dress shoes that were coincidentally just the right size. Putting them on, they initially felt slightly uncomfortable, not only because they were narrow but also because I hardly wear any shoes; besides the boots I wear alongside my armor, I seldom wear any shoes, nor do I ever wear any underwear.
'Copying Master's habits is going to be problematic when I start exploring the world and joining civilization again. Eh, but I'll worry about that later; besides, I like feeling so free.' Mused Alexander as he once again checked his outfit in the mirror before exiting the room alongside Talis, who was still perched upon his shoulder.
Since Master was still readying up, I exited the house and gently landed on the ground with the help of a vortex of wind before approaching the tarp in the distance beside the pond. Arriving, I swiftly entered, and even though I checked everything this morning, I did so again; it must've been my paranoia kicking in.
"Talis, you should bring your present here, and I'll hide it underneath the tarp alongside my other presents." Said Alexander as he pointed toward the items placed beside the white gazebo.
"Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." Said Talis as she flew off of Alexander's shoulder and exited from underneath the tarp.
I was about to follow behind her, but I noticed the rug was creasing, so I took some time to fix it; while doing that, I heard someone approaching from outside the tarp.
"Alexander, you in there?" Asked Lavender softly with slight traces of nervousness, and although she was beyond curious, she held back and stopped herself from looking underneath the tarp.
"Yes, one second, Master; I was just fixing something. I'll come right out. Though I'm surprised you're finished so quickly, I thought it would've taken you much longer." Remarked Alexander as he did the finishing touches before patting himself down to be more presentable.
"Well, to be honest, when you first arrived, I had already been getting ready for two hours, so I was nearly done."
"Never mind then, that makes ple-" Said Alexander with a soft chuckle while exiting from underneath the tarp, only to freeze as he laid eyes on Lavender.
Master's natural beauty alone was something already leagues above any women I'd ever laid my eyes on, but right now, as I looked at her, it felt as if I was looking at a goddess in the flesh; I honestly, couldn't even formulate words to describe the beauty radiating off of Master. I could tell she had used makeup, but unlike some women from Earth who would use it to change their entire appearance, she only used a little, which ended up greatly enhancing her already present beauty.
Her full red lips were covered in bright red lipstick, and she had a slightly darker shadow around her eyes, which accentuated her gorgeous orange eyes; her cheeks seemed as if she was constantly blushing, though it was only slight, not enough to completely hide her vibrant green skin underneath. Her red vine-like hair was tied into a thick braid and resting on her shoulder, displaying her slightly pointed ears, along with her nape, which was covered in hickeys.
Master was wearing what looked like a white wedding dress that fit snugly to her upper body and loose as it got lower, dragging across the grass beneath our feet. Her Dress itself was actually rather plain; nothing that made it stand out, but that was wonderful, in my opinion, as it served to enhance Master's vibrant green skin and radiant beauty.