"Do you know what you’re asking for?" I leaned back in my chair and slowly took a sip from my cup.

"Yes. Darius agreed with me." She finally relaxed after she dropped that bomb. "We hope that marriage would forge a lasting alliance between Metaka and Arcadia."

"An alliance?" I asked, closely studying her face.

"Yes." She was genuinely surprised by my question.

"You just said that this unnamed noble would marry Cassmira just to validate their reign. Making Cassmira my wife would allow me to... Oh, you sneaky..." I saw her grin. "You want to use me and your daughter to keep that noble in check. I suppose that he is not the crowd favourite, so the people of Metaka would choose to support Cassmira if he somehow gets rid of Vettalia and Guad."

"Correct. As a bonus, that would also make him forfeit any assassination attempts against the two." She smiled at me.

"That would work only if I had the power to..."

"Let's not insult each other, Theon." She waved her hand dismissively and pretended to be choosing what cookie she wanted. "We both know very well that in terms of power or wealth, you held much more of them than any Emperor or Empress of Metaka. Just look at your capital! The wealth and prosperity of your people is unthinkable. The tales about your Immortal Legions have reached Metaka, and Bards sing songs about their epic and always victorious battles. Two of your airships just annihilated the greatest Bernan Navy strike force I ever heard about. No, King Theon Avalon... I'm not afraid that you can't do anything about that man. I'm afraid that you might use your power to seize the throne. But even in that case, Metaka will be in good hands."

Matilda decided on a classic cookie with chocolate chips and bit the corner. I wasn't protesting since, technically, she was right. Well, maybe not the part about being in good hands, or hopefully, she referred to Cassmira. I still had minimal knowledge about the country’s rule. After she ate her cookie and took two more, she continued. "I'm glad you are not protesting pointlessly. Elisabeth of Berna technically is your fiancee. If Cassmira also became your fiancee, I can only imagine the terrified chaos among the nobles of Metaka. So far, they have looked at the lands of Arcadia with fearful but loathing eyes. They would dedicate everything to ensure that Vettalia or Guad would become their new ruler if you married Cassmira. What you have done with the nobles of Cridia has terrified everyone. As a mother, securing even a fictional engagement with someone like you would be the greatest protection I can provide for her and Leonard."

I raised my brow questioningly. She sincerely believed what she was saying, but I could see boundless canyons in her logic. She had conveniently jumped over or pretended they were not that deep.

"Only an insane person would try an assassination attempt on Leonard if his sister was engaged with you. Trying to take her away would be unthinkable."

"Mhm." I simply nodded. "You threw way too many ifs around, Matilda."

"I don't have anything else to try." She stared blankly at the greenery just behind the glass wall.

"Sorry, Matilda. But I don't buy it." I sighed as she wasn't going to say anything more. "If you are afraid of one man, then get rid of him. I don't believe for a moment that you don't have the means required for something like that. You are clever and cunning. I believe that you can kill him without raising a single suspicion. Instead, you want to move heaven and earth to hide your children in Arcadia while giving me enough time to realise that I can seize the throne of Metaka if I want to. What is the thing you are not telling me?"

"This Dungeon we are in, it's dormant, doesn't it?" She suddenly changed the topic and looked at me as if she wanted my confirmation, no matter the cost. "That man I mentioned with so much power has managed to subdue a similarly dormant Dungeon. But it provides significantly less wealth than yours. People who can do such things are precious to the Empire. I will be blunt with you if my honesty is not working. After Darius made me his wife, my life changed, and I began to love the Empire of Metaka and its people. I wouldn't mind allowing Vettalia or Guad to inherit the throne, but I can't allow Jarred Kai-Metaka to seize that power, ruin the Empire, and hurt my Cassmira!"

"You would rather trust an absolute stranger?"

"Yes! You had enough opportunities to do something, anything! But you did nothing nefarious. Instead, you saved my life and humoured every whim of Darius, who treated you like a vassal."

"Nope." I threw my hands above my head. "I won't play this stupid game."

"What are you talking about?!" Matilda hissed nervously.

"Cassmira is still young. She has her entire life in front of her. Do you even know what she wants?"

"She is the Princess of Metaka! Ensuring the safety of the Empire is her most important duty." Matilda lowered her head. "I beg you, Theon..."

"Luna?" I looked at my wife.

"I think we should invite everyone, including Cassmira. What you ask for, Empress Matilda, would effectively mean that Cassmira could one day become the Queen of Arcadia and possibly turn Metaka into a province of Arcadia."

"I am aware that might happen." She lowered her head. "All right, let's invite everyone involved."

It took less than one hour to bring everyone to the tea room. Amber and Hestia were the first ones to arrive, and they took their time to talk with Matilda. The Empress was seemingly calm, but an aura of strange fear encompassed her. I couldn't fully tell what was wrong with her, but she tried to mask her uneasiness. Irene and Aoi arrived just before Leonard and Cassmira. The latter looked at their mother in surprise, clearly unaware of her plans. I looked at the spy's reports and the summary of what we knew about Jarred Kai-Metaka. There was enough to know that simply killing him would be the easiest thing under the sun. While I was silent, Matilda explained the reason why we invited everyone. They chatted for a long moment, with Cassmira breathing heavily and unable to say anything besides some hazy and nervous monosyllables. Leonard yelled at his mother while Hestia and Amber calmed the discussion. I gave them about half an hour for bickering before finally interpreting for them. During that time, Cassmira was nervous and pale about the situation, which understandably overwhelmed her.

"Princess Cassmira, tell me what you really want," I asked, and a dead silence fell upon the room.

"As the Princess..."

"No," I said firmly and crossed my arms before me, interrupting her as I leaned back in my chair. "Listen to me very closely, Princess Cassmira. Right now, you have the opportunity to say what you want. Not only can you say it, but your mother and I will listen to you and honour your wishes. There is a possibility that this will be that single moment in your life that changes everything. So I don't want to hear anything about what a responsible Princess should do. For this one moment in your life, you are just Cassmira, a girl who is lost and trying her best in this vast and unforgiving world."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"I don't know... I really don't know!" She started crying. "Yes, you are right. This moment can change everything, but not only for me. Countless people will be affected by a single decision—my decision, and I can't stop thinking about it just like that. I don't dislike you, on the contrary. But to be your wife... I simply don't know. Please, don't hate me for that."

"Princess Cassmira, call me odd, but I want to know your wishes. I can't hate you for your honesty." I smiled warmly at her, hoping it would somehow help calm her down. I looked at Matilda, who sighed with a heavy heart.

"Theon, Cassmira, please forgive me..." She tried to stand up, but I stopped her with a single gaze.

"There is nothing to forgive, Matilda. However..." She looked at me with a sad smile that quickly changed into confusion. "You have trusted me with the safety of your children, Matilda. You probably question my sanity as a King right now because who would discard such a golden opportunity?"

"You can say that..." She pouted, her cheeks puffing out.

"But that decision is not a simple one. It's a political marriage, and while you believe it would be the best protection for Cassmira, it can also hurt her. You are right to think I can protect her, but I will not force her into a relationship where she won't be happy. Cassmira, you must learn what you want, but don't worry. You have plenty of time for that."

"Thank you, Theon." Matilda's face brightened, and the princess nervously nodded. I think most of what we said went right above Cassmira's head.

"You also said that the Dungeon we are in is dormant. You are wrong," I said with the best neutral expression I could muster and tried my best not to laugh, seeing their reaction.

The smiles on their faces froze momentarily, and just a moment later, they changed into panic. Matilda gasped in utter dread. "You can't be serious. It's not dormant!?! We must evacuate the place immediately! If you think you can order a dungeon to do your bidding, then you are insane!"

"Hahaha, please... Honesty for honesty, Matilda," I said calmly, which made them sit down. "I am King Theon Avalon, The Righteous Dungeon, The Champion of Eriar, The Chosen of the Archangel, The Bringer of Equilibrium, The Friend of the Eternals, The Protector of the Weak, The Bane of Void's Servants, and The God Slayer."

"You are the Dungeon?" Leonard was the first to recover from shock. He looked at me with such disbelief that I was almost sure he wouldn't believe a word I said. Cassmira was terrified and grabbed her chair's armrests so hard that her slender hands went white.

"I am the Dungeon." I nodded with an amused smile.

"But you said that you are the Summoned Hero... Oh. The Champion of Eriar." Matilda shook her head in disbelief and heavily leaned back on the padded chair. "Then your Queens are the Scions?"

"No. After all, Theon is a person who obtained the powers of Dungeon from Eriar." Amber took a sip from her cup with a smile playing on her lips. "It's wildly complicated."

"Then who are you?" Cassmira demanded with barely masked confusion.

"I am just a humble Half-Elf girl." Amber smiled warmly, but it was apparent that Cassmira did not believe her. The young Princess looked at Irene.

"I am an Elf, a noble daughter of the not-so-noble Ibrevell Kingdom," The Saintess replied with a smile. After she looked at Amber, the two of them giggled.

"As you know already, I'm a Kitsune." Luna twitched with her fox ears in amusement. It was like Leonard and Cassmira only then noticed them and her four tails.

"I'm the Queen of Dragonkins, the direct descendent of God Zephyr." Aoi smiled at Leonard and Cassmira, who stared at her with dropped jaws. The legends about Dragonkins were widespread across the entire Aderon. She blinked, and her blue eyes changed; the irises and pupils narrowed, creating reptile-like slits.

"I'm the Queen of Dryads." Lavender made a nearby plant bloom a wonderful flower, which made Matilda’s jaw drop. The illusion that made the Dryad look like a Human was broken.

The three of them locked their gazes at my last wife, who, in turn, unleashed her presence. Divine authority instantly forced the three Metakans to their knees. They struggled for a moment, but then the realisation of who she was finally dawned upon them.

"Goddess Hestia!" Matilda exclaimed in reverence and profound shock.

"Indeed, I'm Hestia. The Goddess of the Pantheon of Aderon. A wife of King Theon Avalon. The true Hero sent to save Nilmerthis."

The three of them slowly returned to their chairs, shaken and shocked. Matilda picked up her cup with a shaking hand and took a long, generous sip of tea. I gave them a moment and smiled, which helped them slightly. They slowly relaxed.

"Indeed, I am the Champion of Eriar, the Silent Guardian of Nilmerthis. I wasn't summoned to this world; I agreed to be here. Nonetheless, the fact remains that I am here to fight the foul creatures of Chaos and Void that wish to destroy our reality," I said and nodded to the Empress. "As I promised you, Matilda, I will protect Leonard and Cassmira. I will also try to protect you."

•••

When the Metakans left, after asking thousands of questions and receiving significantly fewer answers, we chatted for a moment in private. While my wives were uncertain about my responses, I was quite happy with how it turned out. Ultimately, my wives agreed it was the best course of action. Matilda, who learnt additional secrets about us, gained additional assurance that I wasn't playing in anyone's else game. She now believed that I had my own goals, which greatly surpassed Mortal politics. While my other wives chatted about the recent battles that took place in Berna, Amber was deep in her thoughts as if untangling some great mystery. Eventually, she spoke out in an absent tone.

"Theon... Cassmira is quite the opposite of Elisabeth. She might have what it takes to be one of us, your Queens." Amber played with her cup momentarily and put it back on the table with a sigh. "But you are right. She is too young. While she is very responsible, given time, I think she might be overwhelmed by our fate. It's funny, but I don't know what to think about her for now."

"I won't force her to do anything. Metaka is not a problem we have to address anytime soon. Hopefully, it won't be a problem to ever address." I nodded at her, but I was already absorbed by someone else's problem, which soon might be my problem. "But that man... Sebastian?"

My Noble Slime scion materialised from the shadows as usual. He used the time to refill our tea cups with our favourite blends of teas as he replied to my thoughts in a way possible only to my scions.

"Marquees Jarred Kai-Metaka," Sebastian started in an emotionless manner. "He is a cousin of the current Emperor, an ambitious, fifty-two-year-old man. While Emperor Darius does not see him as a threat but an asset, this can't be said about Guad and Vettalia. At one point, the main pretenders to the throne tried to destroy him, but they failed and faced incredibly harsh reprimand from their father. This only confirmed Jarred's belief that he was above the law. After that, he secretly contacted the Bernans and now obtains subtle help from them. However, we couldn't find what he had promised them in exchange for their support, neither in the Bernan’s archives nor in Jarred's custody. Empress Matilda is correct. That man is currently thinking of a way to force Cassmira out of Avalon to kidnap her. So far, we have killed thirty-four of his agents who tried to kidnap the Princess, and we seized several forged letters addressed to her. In one instance, he had managed to bribe the Emperor's courier. We also have the testimonies of bandits that tried to kill the Empress, who they believe it was him who hired them."

"Hmmm... That's correct, Theon. I was going to send him an official warning." Luna nodded. "But after we learnt about that assassination attempt, I wanted to talk with you before I did anything."

"Luna, please send Darius the proof of his transgressions against Arcadia and the evidence of treason against Metaka. Demand justice. If Darius hesitates, Sebastian, you will subjugate the Dungeon that fool thinks he has dominated. Jarred is going to die during the Dungeon’s sudden awakening." I simply shrugged.

"As you wish, my King." Sebastian bowed to us and disappeared.

"Is that wise, Theon?" Amber hummed under her nose. "Or is it really necessary?"

"Guad or Vettalia would be predictable as ruler of Metaka. If Jarred seizes the throne, and depending on the deal he struck with Bernans, he can attack Arcadia. I'm not a fan of that idea. Besides, I promised Matilda to protect the twins." I sighed and saw their quizzical looks. "Just trust me. If we leave him alone, he will somehow manage to kidnap Cassmira. Then I would have to gather a party to reclaim her while he would do who knows what to her. No, no, nope..." I made a big x with my arms in front of me. "We can simply skip that awkward chapter, which would be traumatising for the princess. Cutting loose strings before they become a problem is so underappreciated."