...

Alexander's room, Night

Alexander woke up after his fight, still groggy, lying in bed. He felt like he could sleep much longer, but his maids forgot to close the curtains, letting the annoyingly intense light from the moons into his room.

He tried to move away from the light, not wanting to use any mana to close them since his mana veins were still a bit cramped and his core bloated. Yet he couldn't, sensing that something was around him. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw the reason for his immobility, 'Huh, I am really like my uncle.'

All the Cold-Snout girls were soundly sleeping around him. He tried to remember what happened, which he could quickly do since he didn't black out this time. Ipe healed him, and he went to sleep almost immediately, with Vanessa, Emma, and Matilda accompanying him.

'Why did I allow this even... oh right.'

Alexander was tired and looked for closeness, a stupid peculiarity he slowly accepted but didn't like at all. It was like he needed to find his pack before resting so he could recover from his wounds in peace. Through talks, he found out that it was typical for certain beast-kin to do this, as they had instincts similar to those of their animal counterparts.

While it was interesting to think about which of his ancestors had intercourse with a canine, right now, he felt a bit claustrophobic, trying to shuffle around a little, but immediately stopped when he heard how they complained while sleeping. They also came even closer the moment he wanted to get slightly away.

'Jesus, are all girls like this?'

He remembered the same situation with Patricia, who was glued to him every night. However, those thoughts made him happy since she was there for him. Sighing and accepting his fate, he leaned back, closed his eyes, and tried to replay what happened at and after the fight.

Alexander got what he wanted. Bartholomew had promised to let him act as freely as possible, even in front of Lili and others, which was all he needed.

He shuffled with his tail under him, feeling his stress had just disappeared after a small spar. He no longer needed to negotiate, as it was getting too annoying. He could send him directly to Ariana and Aurum, who would be trying to find a sensitive solution for some tax policies and their school.

All that remained was the legal argument, which he could quickly write over the next couple of days since he had enough time now, 'Hoooh, I feel great.'

The fight in itself was a little stressful but nothing out of the ordinary. Alexander could go all out since it was someone who could endure his crazy attacks while fighting like this with his Mother was impossible. He feared hurting her accidentally.

However, as he replayed the fight in his mind, he recalled many mistakes he had made that needed to be fixed. Also, he would need to find a way to go against a skill that would nullify his mental fortitude skills. In his opinion, it was bullshit that there were even such things that could do this, but it could also be something like hypnosis, which would make him not use specific skills on purpose, suppressing them, so to speak.

However, this was one of many hypotheses he had as to how one could disable his damn skills, 'I need to ask later, Bart.'

It was a quick recount, which he didn't want to do more thoroughly now since he was too relaxed, especially with the girls sleeping peacefully around him. Still, he remembered another thing, 'Weren't there some notifications?'

There were some level-ups, but he also gained a skill and was interested in what it could be. He looked to the right, seeing that he was lying on Matilda's arm while Vanessa was on the left. On the other hand, Emma was using his stomach as a pillow.

However, as he looked down, he saw that he had his pajamas on. He raised an eyebrow and wondered if he wanted to know who had actually changed his clothes, but he shrugged inwardly in the end, concentrating on the more pressing question.

'Should I open my system window?'

After some thought and seeing how deeply they were sleeping, he opened his system window, but before that, he turned down the brightness and blue light, which he could do by manipulating the construct a bit, which could change the appearance of his system window.

image [https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kiruschka/kiruschka.github.io/main/Chapter_128_To_132.5/Chapter_129/Alexander_System_129.svg]

'Nice, what do we have here...' Alexander squinted his eyes, '...no seriously, what the fuck is this?'

His skills experienced some level-ups but nothing dramatic. However, one skill changed into a weird version, '[Royal Pride], huh?'

Before, it was [Noble Pride], and apparently, this skill was available to aristocrats but not everyone. This skill had multiple prerequisites, one of which was that the populace at large accepted the person in a specific way while the individual also accepted themself as a ruler.

It was one of those skills that came with being born in certain circumstances, one of those more unfair skills that were not available to the common populace.

However, while the skill sounded weird and somewhat negative, it was a mighty mental fortitude and manipulation skill that was constantly active. However, it often made Alexander very arrogant, a perfect excuse for him not to work on his attitude, blaming solely his skill for this.

The mental fortitude it gave him would not let him bow down to someone who didn't deserve it in his eyes, manipulate others into seeing him differently, and let others perceive him more like a noble. Even his thuggish way of speaking would become eloquent through a slight change of tone through the skill.

Yet, the new skill weirdly made no sense to Alexander, or at least his perception of how it functioned, 'Hm... but I am not a royal, though?'

After some thought, he decided that it was one of those dangerous skills, as apparently, Alexander thought of himself in a way that eclipsed his current status. Even though the Crown couldn't touch him because it wasn't one of those illegal skills, it was still risky to show his system window to others without changing the name of the skill beforehand, as he could be perceived negatively, even rebellious.

Before he could think further, he heard someone gasp around his stomach area, becoming louder, "How did you...?!"

Alexander raised an eyebrow, became a little scared, and suddenly heard Matilda waking up, also gasping, "By the circle!"

Next was Vanessa, who only exclaimed her surprise with one little word, which brought so many emotions into it that she looked sadder by the moment, "Oh..."

He quickly closed his system window and looked interchangeably at them as they turned to him. He smiled charmingly, trying to defuse the situation with humor, "Good morning, my beautiful Ladies. This is only a dream, you know?"

They didn't answer him and stared blankly at him, 'Well fuck.... no, wait!'

The more he thought about it, the better this faux pas seemed. They saw his insane levels and multitude of skills. As such, they should've been scared of him or given up, seeing as coming together with him would be impossible.

While Alexander didn't care if his future partner was as talented, inside their noble circles, marrying only those who could compare to the other partner's talent was almost mandatory. There were other things to consider, like resources and beauty, but usually, when someone was far outside their league in that sense, it was over.

His goal now was to keep them as good friends but push them away as lovers. He had no interest in them but needed their connection to the Cold-Snout fief. While he could ask his uncle through his Mother, it was always better to build more friendships, and since the girls were quite friendly, it was his genuine wish not to drive them away fully from him.

With a little bit of luck, he could make them hesitate to try to become his lovers, making their reason to visit him come to nothing. Later, when he married someone, it would be solved by itself.

Alexander sighed, trying to be somewhat secretive even though he didn't care, "I'm sorry. I wanted to keep it a secret."

Emma was the first to speak out, sounding confused, "Secret?! You are Tier 4!"

He nodded while trying to act out as if he understood them, "Yeah, you probably don't want to have anything to do with me. I under..."

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Matilda, though, aggressively interrupted him, "What?! You are talented, nice, and cute!"

Vanessa also cuddled closer to him, "Do you feel bad because of the high level? Don't worry; we don't see you any different!"

Emma interjected, too, "That's right! You may feel different, but for us, your personality is the most important thing."

'Uh Oh.'

While in panic, they bombarded him with lovely encouragement, compliments, and much more. It was cute but made him sweat slightly as his spontaneous idea backfired.

Alexander noticed that he accidentally made himself pitiful instead of arrogant, and they jumped on it, trying to reassure him. They cuddled closer to him, patting and continuing to tell him all the nice things.

'I am so fucked.'

Alexander needed to salvage the situation quickly. He wanted to be on good terms with every noble and their puppies if he wanted his ideas to come to fruition as seamlessly as possible. Of course, even without a good relationship, he could somehow make due, but why make your life harder? As such, rejecting them outright and without any good reason would be a disaster, as one of those could become the first Lady of the Cold-Snout, making his life hell.

He had some ideas about what he could do. One was him saying that he was queer and into guys, but this would backfire the moment he got a wife. Also, while Moorgrel didn't care about homosexuals, they did so for nobles who were about to become heirs, especially. It would diminish his prospects and give some nasty rumors that his future wife would need to deal with. It was not worth it.

Another idea was that he could fake out that he was impotent since Ipe basically reconstructed his whole body, and healing wasn't always perfect. However, this was another world in which magic existed. All he would need to solve this problem would be a really good alchemist, pharmacist, or a Temple healer a notch above Ipe.

'Think Alexander, think!'

Emma pinched him slightly, "Are you okay? You look absent. Do you still worry?"

Alexander smiled at her, "Obviously not, with how nice you are all..." Emma suddenly blushed, making him panic even more, '...god... fucking... Damn It!'

Alexander had three girlfriends his whole life, with the first ending in a shit show after two months of dating while in middle school. The second was cheating on him, and it was also a middle school romance. The third became his fiancé a year after they got their high school diploma, with him only truly loving her his whole life.

As such, his experience was only in having some female friends and colleagues but nothing romantic. The moment they saw his ring, he was out and didn't care, but now, this lack of experience was biting into his ass. Even his talks with his female friends didn't help when they complained about their relationships.

Why? The girls on Orbis, even though younger, were far more experienced when it came to dating and romance than those on Earth, even if older, as seen in how Anastasia and Aro coached Alexander's brother. Maybe it was because they were nobles, with dating being part of their duty, but they nonetheless were far more mature in their approach, even though they sometimes acted very juvenile. They all knew what they wanted and went for it.

He suddenly got an idea, 'Patricia, I hope you will not kill me for this.'

It was easy. Alexander would say that he was in love with Patricia, write a letter to her, ask her to play his lover for a couple of years, and then break up. Was it cowardly? Fuck yes.

'...' There was nothing he could think more but that he was acting like an asshole, but one with a greater goal.

"I understand you are so lovely and caring, but there is someone else..." Vanessa interrupted him, sounding joyful, "...Patricia? We already sent her a letter."

Alexander suddenly felt anxiety for the first time, wishing some assassin would appear, "Huh? What did you write?"

They all looked to the side, embarrassed, except for Matilda, who answered proudly, "We want you!"

Emma angrily clarified, "Of course, if only Patricia is fine with it!"

Vanessa also answered him, trying to be as soft as possible, "You should also be okay with such an arrangement, of course. The Cold-Snouts never mistreat their husband!"

Alexander now looked at them interchangeably, trying to be more honest with himself, 'Do I actually really like them?'

Vanessa was lovely and sensitive, Emma was highly competent and clever, and Matilda was protective and tempered. They were all great girls, but he couldn't see them as his lovers. A certain person always came to his mind when he thought about love, 'I am not over you, huh?'

It was like a stone inside his heart, pressing against his chest. He still loved his former fiancé, Angeliqué. He never could really close this chapter from his former life, only putting it away as more and more things kept his mind occupied, with him having an excuse not to work through this.

After a moment of silence, he sighed, deciding to be honest, "I can't..." He smiled sadly, "...I still love someone who will never be mine, and I am not over it..." He again looked at them interchangeably, "...I am sorry, but I can't take you as wives in good faith, and me lying now, hoping I would love you at some point, would only degrade you."

Alexander saw how they looked at him in a slight panic. He, though, tried to reassure them without lying, going by his gut, as it seemed only proper. Still, he was nonetheless a little melancholic, remembering Angeliqué, "You deserve someone who also likes you back, at least equally, but I can't do it and don't know if I could do so in the future."

Matilda became slightly enraged, climbing over Alexander, pushing his shoulders down, "Who is this? Can't we just get her?! Is it some commoner?! We are fine with such an arrangement!"

Alexander shook his head, smiling as this was not something he could tell them, "She is a commoner, I guess, but it is impossible to get her. She is unreachable, and I am clearly not over her."

Emma became even more enraged, climbing over Alexander, too, "What do you mean she's not reachable?! This is stupid! Just tell us her name and where she is! Even if she is inside enemy territory, we can get her! I just need to tell this Father, and he will do everything in his power to get her, and then we can decide from that point!"

Alexander sighed, "It is impossible, trust me."

Emma and Matilda bared their teeth and fangs at him, becoming increasingly furious since he only talked vaguely for obvious reasons, only for Vanessa to shout at them, "Stop, both of you! He is telling the truth!"

They both looked at Vanessa, who tapped her nose, "I can smell that he is 100% sure and isn't lying. Also, he is hurting! So stop this nonsense immediately!"

They both immediately climbed down, apologizing to Alexander.

"Sorry, are you hurt somewhere?!"

"Was I too heavy?!"

Vanessa sighed, rubbing the place between her eyes, interrupting her sisters, "He is emotionally hurt, not physically, you idiots!"

Alexander straightened up, sitting in the lotus position, and nodded at Vanessa, who looked sadly at him, "My brother has a similar skill, thanks."

He looked back at Matilda and Emma, saying in a defeated tone, "I am sorry, but could you not tell this to anyone? I really work hard to get over her, okay? I am also sorry that I kind of wasted your time here, but I promise you something great in the next few days, okay?"

After some silence, Matilda sighed heavily, scratching her head, "Man, I really thought I found someone..." She fell flat on the bed, "...back to visiting balls again, I guess."

Alexander shook his head while she peeked at him from a weird position, "You are a great girl, don't worry. You will find a much better boy."

Matilda rolled her eyes, "This is such a lame line."

Alexander playfully smirked as he saw her bare feet and started tickling them a little, making her laugh and kick him slightly, "Hehe, ask Vanessa if you think I lie."

Matilda avoided it, rolling backward on the bed, still laughing a little. She looked at Vanessa, who was still frowning, "Are you okay?"

Vanessa visibly accepted Alexander's feelings since they were nothing anybody could do anything about—they were just unlucky. As she was about to say something, Emma interrupted her, yelling, "I can't accept it!"

Emma jumped at Alexander, forcefully kissing him, pressing her lips against his, and even surprising him. He held his hands up peacefully, his eyes wide, not knowing what to do. Seeing her, who tried to force her tongue into his mouth while crying, Alexander felt a lot, with confusion being the most pronounced.

Alexander did not understand it because it seemed fine with her sisters, who accepted it well. While they were sad, it didn't mean they would go their separate ways. They could still be friends.

The kissing didn't last long, as Matilda and Vanessa immediately grabbed Emma and pulled her away from Alexander. Yet, she was still clinging to his clothes, ripping them apart, crying and screaming, "No! Let me go, you bitches! You don't know how hard it is to find someone as brilliant as me, but now I have someone and will not let go! I will not go to any balls anymore! Let me go!"

Matilda was the first who tried to pry Emma's hands from Alexander's clothes, only for Emma to bite her in the neck. Matilda used energy to dampen it, screaming back in anger, "Damn it, Emma! Calm down!"

Vanessa could prime her other hand away, "Please calm down! Let's talk it over!"

Emma looked at them interchangeably in hate, only to look Alexander into his eyes, crying, "Why... just give me a chance? Please?"

Alexander's heart almost broke seeing her like this, and he wanted to say yes immediately, but now, he needed to use all his skills not to give her any weird ideas, making this as clean as possible. It only seemed fair.

He sounded sad, "Emma..." She interrupted him immediately, "No... please..." Alexander, though, continued, "...I can't. I am so sorry, Emma."

She suddenly hung almost lifelessly in her sister's arms for more than a minute, where she wept and cried. All three of them were confused as to what to do. However, after some more time, she suddenly shook, looking at Alexander, smiling as amiably as possible, 'I am so fucked.'

It was not a normal smile. It was the same as with Patricia and Angeliqué in the past, making him shiver. It was a venomous gaze, almost like that of a snake waiting for its prey, "I am sorry, Alex. It was unbecoming of me..."

While he understood why Patricia looked at him like this, who went through hell, Emma didn't, which made him panic, as it could only have one meaning, 'This is worse than I imagined...'

Emma smiled at her sisters, still peeking at him, "Would you please?" Her sisters let her go, and she stood up and silently walked to the door. However, before she opened the door, she looked back at Alexander, smiling, making him shiver, "I will still go to balls and rendezvous with others, but the moment you get a fiancé, I will be there, and I swear on my name..." She put her hand on her chest, where her heart was, "...I will get you, darling."

Clank

After the door closed, all three looked at each other, baffled, with Alexander gulping audibly, only for Matilda to try to soften the situation, "It's not as bad as your last rendezvous, I guess?"

Alexander raised an eyebrow, looking at her baffled, "You mean where I was almost killed by assassins and laid down in bed for months, not moving and shitting in diapers?"

Matilda nodded weakly back, clearly forcing a small smile, "Yeah..."

Vanessa rolled her eyes, "Matilda, you are a moro..." Before she could end the sentence, Alexander started laughing hysterically, "Haha, I guess you are right!"

Alexander actually didn't know what happened, but it was nothing good. He had now what he would describe as a stalker who wanted him by all means necessary, and what did it mean for him and his future goals? How the fuck would he know? It was like a one-in-a-thousand situation, but before that, he needed to understand why she was so attached to him.

"Now, let's talk facts."