Although well into the night, I arrived at Volkun's study, where I knocked a few times, only for Gothel to open the door, prompting me to slightly bow as I respectfully greeted her and Volkun sitting at his desk.
"Your Majesties. I've finished investigating everyone, though I apologize; it took far longer than I initially expected." Stated Alexander lightly as he looked between Gothel and Volkun while grabbing a journal from his breast pocket before handing it to the latter.
"Your apologies aren't needed; we've already done a little snooping to confirm whether your investigations on the nobles were accurate. Unfortunately, your analysis was correct." Replied Gothel softly with a shake of the head as she sat down while glancing at Alexander before sighing with an ugly expression, causing him to frown.
"I hope you do not take offense at us doubting your skills… It's just hard to fully trust the words of someone of your strength." Added Gothel quickly as she looked at Alexander apologetically, only for him to shake his head.
"Oh, no offense at all, Your Majesty; this is Princess Jasmine's life we're talking about. I wouldn't so easily trust myself if my daughter's safety was on the line." Said Alexander with a faint smile as he looked at Gothel, who faintly sighed in relief before chuckling while nodding in agreement.
"I'm just worried whether the people for the job are trustworthy." Added Alexander lightly as he looked at Gothel before shifting his gaze to Volkun, who was intensely reading the journal, flipping through the pages every few seconds.
"Ah, I see; you need not worry; they are trustworthy. We're confident the Church doesn't even know of their existence." Replied Gothel with a faint smile as she looked at Alexander, who curiously raised an eyebrow before nodding.
For the next few minutes, Gothel and I patiently waited for Volkun to finish reading the journal containing all the spies and trustworthy people in the palace.
"Sir Alex, the stars beside every name… They're the trustworthy ones, correct?" Asked Volkun with a hopeful gaze as he looked at Alexander, who nodded, causing him to heave a sigh of relief while grabbing his heart.
"Ha, that is relieving… If we were comprised so severely without knowing, I couldn't imagine some of the weaker Kingdoms." Muttered Volkun quietly as he stared at the ceiling while Alexander wryly smiled.
"How are we looking, Darling?" Asked Gothel as she set her teacup down and looked at Volkun, who sighed while flipping through the journal.
"Manageable." "Manageable? It must be worse than we expected." Said Volkun and Gothel, respectively, as the latter wryly smiled while the former chuckled before shaking his head.
"However, I see you put question marks beside our Royal Archmage and Royal Captain, Sir Alex." Remarked Volkun as he raised his head and looked at Alexander, who nodded with a sigh.
"While I don't believe Sir Jordan to be a spy, I can't confidently determine whether that's really the case or not… As for Madam Justina, I couldn't tell you a thing about her. However, if she were truly a spy, she wouldn't have saved Jasmine and fought off that attacker." Stated Alexander while looking at Volkun, who nodded with furrowed brows, his genuine emotions hidden behind an indifferent gaze.
"Is there anything you have to add?" Asked Volkun curiously as he looked at Alexander, who thoughtfully furrowed his brows only to suddenly nod.
"Oh, I should've brought this up when you asked for my status, but I'm technically a Prince, and the disciple of a Grand-Archmage, who is also an SS-class Adventurer." Remarked Alexander with a faint smile as he summoned two medallions from his space pouch before holding them for Gothel and Volkun to see.
Master's Adventurer license looked the same, but the medallion in my other hand was given to me by Queen Vestalis, signifying my status as a Prince of their kingdom; I was a bit surprised they officially recognized my status and even gave me a medallion. However, after giving it some thought, it wasn't surprising; they knew I wasn't from this continent, so they probably gave me this just to keep friendly relations with me. After all, outside of the Asckbon continent, this medallion means nothing; it was pretty much just a flashy ornament.
"W-What!?" Exclaimed Voklun in shock while Gothel spat out her tea in disbelief while staring at the adventurer's license.
"W-Why didn't you say anything earlier!? Let alone Jasmine, I would've given you my wife!" Remarked Volkun loudly as he looked at Alexander in slight anger, while Gothel faintly frowned, though nonetheless she nodded in agreement.
"Um, I-I forgot?" Replied Alexander with a wry expression as he looked at Volkun, who grabbed a fistful of hair in frustration.
"You forget!?" Exclaimed Volkun in anger and disbelief as he looked at Alexander, who sheepishly smiled.
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After explaining the reality of the situation, Volkun and Gothel calmed down while offering their condolences; still, he said he'd easily get the nobles to agree with the whole marriage thing, which I wasn't exactly keen on. I mean, I'd agree to it, but only if Jasmine agreed to it; I simply wanted her in my life, whether that be as a friend or a lover, and I would be happy with either.
Of course, I also told him I'd only marry Jasmine after I married Michelle and Lazuli; it would be disrespectful to skip Michelle and Lazuli and marry another woman instead. Volkun wasn't all that happy, considering Jasmine was a princess, but I stood firm on my decision, which made him reluctantly agree.
After a bit more talking, I retired to my room, where Lazuli and I spent the rest of the night making love as a way to make up for last night.
Once morning arrived, everyone got ready to leave the Kingdom, which earned a pout from Vanimo, though the rest of us promptly ignored him.
"Must you leave, Alex?" "Yes, can we not come with?" Asked Nala and Sarabi softly as they looked at Alexander with pleading expressions, only for him to firmly shut them down, causing their fluffy ears and tails to drop.
"I'm sorry, but no." Replied Alexander as he looked at Sarabi and Nala, causing them to reluctantly nod and quietly sniffle while tears streamed down their cheeks.
Inwardly sighing, I hugged the two sisters before walking away, though I didn't make it far as Jasmine suddenly pulled me into a random room and pinned me against the door.
"So you just planned to leave without saying anything?" Asked Jasmine with a pout as she looked up at Alexander while leaning into his embrace, causing him to wryly smile.
"I mean, your father already intends to secretly send you to live with me in the Mezcla Continent, so we would've seen each other soon." Replied Alexander lightly with a wry smile, only to relieve a stop on the foot from Jasmine, who frowned.
"Hmph, is that how you treat your fiancéé, Alex?" Asked Jasmine with a disapproved look as she eyed Alexander, who tilted his head to the side.
"Fiancéé?" "Yes, fiancéé. Did you not know? Father has already released an official statement, although he hasn't revealed who I'm being wed to." Remarked Alexander and Jasmine, respectively, as the former wore a confused expression while the latter flashed a surprised look before faintly smiling and resting her head against his embrace.
"Um, are you okay with all of this, Jasmine?" Asked Alexander as he hesitantly looked at Jasmine, who tilted her head before nodding with a faint blush.
"I wouldn't mind being your wife, Alex… Besides, I know this for all for my safety." Replied Jasmine with a faint blush as she fluttered her eyes at Alexander before faintly sighing.
"You've spoken about your other suitors, and I don't want you to pick me just because I'm the best of the worst options. I'd want us to truly love each other." Stated Alexander firmly as he grabbed Jasmine's shoulders before gently pushing her back, causing her to faintly smile.
"We're only engaged right now, so there will be plenty of time for us to properly fall in love with each other before we marry." Stated Jasmine with a smile as she looked at Alexander, who shook his head before smiling in defeat.
"When you put it like that, I have nothing to say… I'm confident I'll eventually fall madly in love with you." Said Alexander lightly with a firm expression as he gently brushed aside Jasmine's hair, causing her to blush while averting her gaze.
"I-I think the same." Muttered Jasmine weakly, her words causing Alexander to chuckle before leaning down.
"May I, Princess Jasmine?" Asked Alexander with a soft smile as he looked at Jasmine, who nervously gulped before nodding.
Brushing aside Jasmine's hair, I leaned in and gently kissed her; it was similar to when she first kissed me, but also slightly different. After a few seconds, we separated, leaving a string of saliva between our lips while Jasmine gasped for breath.
"Amazing." Muttered Jasmine softly as she touched her lips, only to furiously blush when she saw Alexander looking at her with a smirk.
Chuckling, I gently patted her shoulder while grabbing the door.
"I'll see you soon, Jasmine. Oh, and if you could do me a favor, could you look after Nala and Sarabi? At least until they get back on their feet." Said Alexander as he opened the door and left the room, walking down the hallway toward where Lazuli stood in the distance.
"Of course, Alex." Replied Jasmine with a nod while looking at Lazuli, who flashed a beautiful smile and mouthed the words 'Sister', causing her to blush to deepen.