“Really?!” Clara leaned toward Ri, shifting her long blue-silver hair away from her ear. “You really are!” Clara snapped her head back, looking for Dyon. “Dyon! Why didn’t you tell me you married an el –”
Clara’s words caught in her throat when she saw Dyon hugging Madeleine. She couldn’t see his face, not clearly anyway, but she could tell that it was a deep moment between them. At the very least, Dyon wasn’t hugging her just for the sake of hugging her. That realization made Clara suddenly think of something else. Maybe Dyon had needed someone like Madeleine to open him up… If there had never been a Madeleine, would Dyon still be burying everything inside like he usually did?
Ri saw Clara’s reaction and could only smile, taking her arm and continuing to walk forward with her.
Clara was quiet for a while, unsure of what to talk about while also not being in the mood to. Suddenly, she thought of something she couldn’t help but ask. “How does it make you feel when they have moments like that?…”
Ri looked at Clara’s side profile, “A small part of me wants it to always be my job to comfort him.” Ri said softly.
“Then why do you accept this at all?”
Ri looked away, staring down the barren hallway. “Originally, I didn’t think too much of it. When I met Dyon, Madeleine was far away. I was naïve to the concept of jealousy because it wasn’t right in front of me.”
“Then… What about Madeleine?”
Ri smiled, “Madeleine is the first truly selfless person I’ve met. I’m not sure if it’s because of her bodily constitution, but when she says she only wants the best for Dyon, she means it. She jokingly says that Dyon can only have three more wives after her, but I have little doubt in my heart that if Dyon fell in love with five women right now, she would accept them all.”
“But that’s not how you feel?” Clara asked questioningly.
“I would kill him if he did that nonsense!” Ri pouted.
Clara giggled, appreciating Ri’s honesty. At the very least this meant Ri and Madeleine didn’t feel helpless to the situation. And, for Ri to feel so comfortable in dictating what Dyon could and couldn’t do definitely meant that both Ri and Madeleine were equal in Dyon’s heart… And he made sure they knew it.
Almost as though to confirm Clara’s thoughts, Ri continued. “That said, if it wasn’t for the type of person Dyon was, I would never accept this. I’d have been content with giving my virginity to him and then spending the rest of my life alone.”
Clara listened quietly to Ri’s words. In the Western reaches of the mortal realm, virginities were becoming less and less important to a lot of people. That said, Clara was not one of those. She didn’t put importance onto the physical aspects of being a virgin, but she tied a lot of emotions to it – whether they were rational or not.
The fact Ri would have been willing to spend the rest of her life alone, despite the length of time martial artists lived, was a testament to how important she found her virginity to be as well. She hadn’t given hers up on a whim. She had done it because she accepted that there was no one better to give it to than Dyon.
“But, I didn’t have to leave. Dyon made me feel like my love with him meant something and that that something could be separated from his love of Madeleine and yet remain equal.
He doesn’t talk about it a lot, but he doesn’t need to. Because of the connection between the three of us, we’re able to meld our souls together. Regardless of how hard Dyon tries, that’s the only time we can really see what he’s thinking.” Ri spoke softly. “Before today, how long has it been since you last spoke to Dyon?” Ri suddenly asked.
“… We were nine or ten. So, six or seven years.”
“Normal people forget those they used to know in that length of time. They think about them less. They overwrite the memories they used to have with them – and that’s probably especially true if you were ten at the time… And yet…”
Clara looked to Ri, anticipating her next words.
“Dyon isn’t like that. The guilt he holds over the matter is just as strong as the day you two stopped talking. It hurts him and cuts him up on the inside. But, he continued to hold on to the fact, and still does to now, that he can’t accept you as his third wife.”
Clara froze, looking away from Ri and rapidly blinking her eyes, trying to keep something away.
“Do you know why?” Ri asked. “Do you know why he’d rather cause himself that level of emotional pain instead of taking something he undoubtedly wants?”
Clara wiped her eyes, looking down at her hands in abject shock at the glistening liquid she found.
“It’s because of us.” Ri said softly. “Regardless of what Madeleine and I say, he feels like he owes us more than he can give already, so he refuses to act selfishly. But, at the same time, it’s for you too Clara.”
“Me too?” Clara continued to blink, unwilling to believe that tears were falling from her cold eyes.
“He wants you to find someone better than him. He wants you to live a life where you can have everything that you want. A life where he can watch you from a distance and smile – content with the fact that someone he loves is doing well.”
“Someone better than him?” Clara was caught between a sob and a laugh.
Dyon was flawed. Truly and deeply flawed. He always thought that he knew what was best for people and somehow ‘what was best’ was always the path that caused him the most pain. He always feels as though the most selfless act was the best act, and for a moment, he was proven right.
The one time that Dyon decided to be selfish. The one time he decided to ignore the ramifications and act as he wanted. He ended up with an emotionally disparaged Ri – even he had no idea how close Ri had been to leaving. So, he said never again. Cutting himself off from his feelings, only willing to cater to Ri and Madeleine now.
But then, he would turn around and save Ava and Venus and Delia. And then he would come back home and show Clara a world she had never seen before – he would cure her father on a whim and fix a national crisis with a wave of his hand.
And to top all of that off, he cared for them so deeply that he was willing to inflict harm unto himself. He was willing to bring Clara’s one-day-boyfriend along. He fought 11 geniuses for Ava. He challenged the head of a God Clan for Venus. He provoked a God sect for Delia.
In some cases he loved them like little sisters. But in one case, they were a first crush he hadn’t forgotten.
And yet, regardless of how he felt, he wished them all the best… Hoping that they all found someone better than him.
Clara’s sobs turned into a fit of giggles. “He’s so arrogant so much of the time, then he turns around and has the audacity to believe we’ll find someone better.”
Ri smiled, laughing along with Clara before they both looked into each other’s eyes, nodding.
“He’s an idiot.” They said simultaneously.
Away from Dyon, Madeleine, Clara and Ri, the World Tournament was still raging on. The third day was just beginning with the foundation stage warrior ranking having been finalized just the day before.
In typical fashion, youths of the God Clans completely dominated this ranking. Because they weren’t able to participate for a spot in the overall rankings because of their weakness, they held nothing back in competing with each other.
In the end, Tau Aumen’s younger brother, Ur Aumen, boasted the number one spot, bringing pride to the Aumen Royal God Clan of Planet Deimos – despite only being ten years old.
Not many were surprised by this though, after all, his elder brother was ranked third on the cumulative rankings. In fact, because Dyon’s name had been practically ignored, many began to say that he was actually the second ranked. As such, the Aumen family became a highly respected name, living up to their multi-millennia legacy.
That said, everyone acknowledged that there was no large disparity amongst the top eleven, or true top ten, as they coined it. This was because campaign rankings tended to fluctuate wildly and often relied on luck. Just the campaign before last, Tau Aumen had been first. He only slipped to third this past campaign.
Because fluctuations like this were frequent, tiers were used to separate fighters instead. And the top ten happened to be the highest of tiers.
That said, there were also dark horses who ranked lower that simply didn’t have enough years of campaigning to shine through on the cumulative rankings. These were people like Thor and Vidar, as well as Caedlum. Their faith seeds could not be ignored and their control over them only increased with each passing day. Many already accepted that they were likely already comparable to members of the top ten.
Aside from this, there was one pride of Earth that didn’t use his age as an excuse. Prince Lionel Belmont was just barely 22 years old, and yet ranked as the undisputed first place on the cumulative rankings. No one knew how he did it, but from his third campaign onwards, he never ranked outside of the top five. People witnessed his feats with their own eyes, as such, they accepted it. Lionel Belmont was simply a genius amongst geniuses.
However, if you asked members of the Ragnor clan, they would point out that Thor and Vidar were only 20 years old. And members of the Pakal clan would be even quicker to note that Caedlum was only sixteen.
It was suffice to say that the raging crowd had a lot to look forward to. They hadn’t forgotten about Dyon’s performance, though. They remembered the domineering display they witnessed. The visual of thousands kneeling before one man was almost too impactful. In fact, the remaining 788 candidates had to be chosen by measuring whose knees hit the arena last. Even to right now those candidates weren’t up to fighting.
But, some naively argued that Dyon’s competition had been too weak. They claimed that any member of the top 30 or even 40 to 50 could have done such a thing. They claimed that they never said Dyon was weak, only that he didn’t deserve to be number one. However… Those with any real shred of intelligence knew better. It was safe to say that the only cumulative rankers who weren’t afraid to fight Dyon were likely in the top 20. Everyone else though? They shivered at the thought of facing him.
“Congratulations to the ranked members of the foundation stage!” Elder Den’s voice boomed across the stadium.
In the revamped demon sage area, Dyon’s comrades were living a life of leisure. After Dyon’s display, no one dared to bother them in the least. Even the heckling had stopped.
Delia, who had woken up, blushed as Eli’s hand brushed up against hers while trying to hand her a plate of food. In typical Eli fashion, he pulled back a bit too quickly, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. But, luckily for him, Delia giggled at his antics, catching the plate before it fell to the ground.
She had woken up just half a day after Dyon, Ri and Madeleine left, and she was the picture of health. In fact, she was more than that now. The glow of her olive skin, the faint shine of blue that flickered in her hazel eyes, and even her long and flowing brunette hair, accented with beautiful golds and browns, brought her image together to one of near perfection. There was no question in anyone’s eyes that she had become a beauty rivaling Ri and Madeleine.
Zaltarish, though, did not find this display cute at all. How many long weeks and months had he spent carefully and diligently plating food for Mithrandir? How was he supposed to know that all he had to do was drop it to gain her affection!
‘THE WORLD IS SO UNFAIR!’ Zaltarish couldn’t even find the tears to cry. Arios’ pat on his shoulder only made him feel worse.
“It’s okay. All you have to do is rank highly and she’ll acknowledge you.” Arios sad trying to comfort his new found friend.
Zaltarish’s red eyes steeled as he nodded firmly. “Right. I’ll be number one!”
“Eh… Maybe don’t aim so high…” Arios tried to walk back his statement but it was already too late, the fire in Zaltarish’s eyes had been lit.
“Now!” Elder Den’s voice continued, “We’ll move on to the Meridian Formation rankings! I wish you all the best of lu –“
Just as Elder Den was going to finish his sentence, he suddenly felt an outstanding pressure cover the arena.
King Belmont’s eyes snapped up to the skies, a massive grin appearing on his face before he looked toward Big Red.
The pressure mounted as intent level wills clashed and distorted reality. The skies bent and twisted under an odd force until eventually… They tore in half.
The heads of the God level clans all had their eyes trained on that single space. They had no idea who was arrogant enough to interrupt something on the scale of the World Tournament. This was an event that housed all of the strongest experts in the universe, this wasn’t a small get together.
And yet, this person tore apart the skies themselves, ensuring that everyone was aware that they had arrived.
In the Elvin Kingdom’s section, Uncle Acacia stood violently as he was a tall man and a small Japanese woman descend as though they were a God and Goddess amongst mortals. The pressure they placed on the arena didn’t matter even a little bit to him. All he saw were two people he loved dearly.
Uncle Acacia didn’t hesitate, flashing into the skies with speeds as fast as his cultivation would allow.
“Did you have to enter like this Edrym? You’ll make our daughter think lesser of us!”
“This was necessary. They have to know their King is back and he’s not weak.”
No one knew more than him how much his kingdom must have been in turmoil in his absence. So, he used the World Tournament as a stage. He proved that he didn’t care to offend any other God Clan heads. In fact, he didn’t care to offend any Royal God Clan heads. He had the confidence and arrogance of a King, and he was unapologetic about it.
In what seemed like an instant, Uncle Acacia had made his way to the front of the two of them, his heart beating wildly and the excitement on his face palpable.
The man and woman smiled sincerely seeing him, knowing full well what was about to happen.
Uncle Acacia rushed forward, trying to take them in his arms. But, the man who called himself king flashed away, leisurely walking past.
“Big Brother! Sister in law!” Uncle Acacia fell to his knees, wrapping his arm around the beautiful woman’s waist as they both stood in the skies.
The woman lovingly patted Uncle Acacia’s head, “You’re too old to still be such a cry baby. Come, come. We’re back.”
The crowd immediately understood what had happened.
King and Queen Acacia had returned.
Uncle Acacia, lifted his sister in law up, letting her small figure sit like a Queen on his shoulder. The smile on his face was bright. So bright in fact that he completely forgot that he had been hiding from someone’s view all this time. That said, he was clearly in too happy a state to think about that right now.
“Stop playing around, Jar Jar,” Queen Acacia smiled sweetly. “Take me to see my Little Alex.”
“Ah… About this.” Uncle Acacia started. But, before he could finish, King Belmont and Big Red had made their way out to greet the King and Queen pair.
“It took you long enough.” King Belmont smiled. “If I didn’t come out personally, the other heads would have a field day with you.”
King Acacia’s smile faded a bit, his eyes training on Head Sigebryht in the distance. Their clash of wills lasted but a moment, but in the end, it was clear that King Acacia was still superior.
“My World Tournament isn’t a place for you to settle your kingdom’s disputes. Come.” King Belmont turned, leading them to their sky box before closing them off to the public once again.
“About the kingdom big brother…” Uncle Acacia started, gently putting down Queen Acacia.
“Did something happen?” Edrym’s eyes pierced toward his younger brother, questioningly.
Queen Acacia was immediately greeted by Queen Belmont and Mistress Sicarius and had been playing with the little Belmont baby princess, but when she heard her husband ask about kingdom affairs, her head snapped back. “No. Nothing about the Elvin Kingdom until I see my daughter. Where is she and why didn’t you bring her when you came up to us?”
“This…” Uncle Acacia scratched his head awkwardly, his long dark blue hair shifting ever so slightly as he glanced from his brother to his sister in law.
Seeing Ajaar struggling, King Belmont sat on his throne and sighed, “Kids grow up fast.”
“What do you mean?” Queen Acacia looked up in confusion. She just wanted to see her daughter, but everyone was being so cryptic.
“I don’t know when it happened, but she must have left with her husband.” King Belmont said slowly.
Queen Acacia’s eyes sparkled, “Husband? My little girl has a husband now?” Tears threatened to spill out of Kawa’s eyes. It wasn’t that she was for or against the idea. It was mostly that she as a mother had already missed so much of her daughter’s life.
King Acacia’s face steeled. “What is that supposed to mean? How could you not monitor the movement of children?” Edrym didn’t entertain for an instant that Ri’s husband was a top tier expert. He was already having trouble controlling his temper, he didn’t want to make it worse than it already was.
King Belmont shrugged, taking a glance at his sons before looking back, “Let’s just say your son in law is quite the genius despite what’s being said.”
“What’s being said?” King Acacia didn’t seem to care about this glowing endorsement. Or, more accurately, he didn’t let his true feelings on the topic show on the surface. He felt the need to make up for time he lost as a father, and that meant properly vetting his daughter’s man.
Seeing that no one else wanted to explain, King Belmont took it upon himself to. After a few minutes, King and Queen Acacia had a solid understanding of the situation.
But, before they could make a decision one way or another, Uncle Acacia, aka Ajaar, also known as Jar Jar, made it a point to explain the happenings of the Elvin Kingdom as well. These were things even King Belmont hadn’t known about. But, in that very moment, everyone became aware of Dyon’s deeds.
Queen Acacia giggled, content with her new son in law as she played with the adorable baby. “Then let’s wait for them to come back then.”
“So, what you’re tell me is that my son in law is an arrogant playboy who also happens to be a cheater?”
“Well, I don’t know whether he’s a cheater or not.” King Belmont responded. “But, I guess the other two descriptors are true… Considering his second wife is the first in line genius of the Sapientia.”
King and Queen Acacia froze. “You mean…”
Big Red nodded, interjecting. “She’s their daughter.”
“Who the hell is this kid?” King Acacia’s cultivation leaked, shaking the skybox violently.
“Oh?” King Belmont smiled. “You’re quite close.”
“Stop being so overdramatic Edrym. He’s no more or less arrogant as you.” Queen Acacia reprimanded.
“I never cheated to get to where I am now.” King Acacia said defiantly.
“Like I said,” King Belmont spoke, “I don’t know whether he’s a cheater or not.”
Suddenly, Lionel spoke. “Father, you’re giving him too much leeway. How is it possible for anyone to climb to first on the rankings after a single campaign? If you want to praise his array alchemy, I wouldn’t say anything. But, to say that he might deserve his ranking is too much.”
King Acacia sighed, “If I didn’t have to leave, I would have married her to one of your sons instead. How could I have allowed this? And for him to marry their daughter as well? We’ve truly failed.”
“You’re letting your emotions affect your logic.” King Belmont warned. “Don’t ruin your relationship with daughter after already being away for ten years. If the first thing you do is reprimand her choices, you risk alienating her forever. And, from what I know about this boy, he’ll care little for your threats. In fact, if you provoke him, it’s likely that you’ll be on the losing end.”
At this point, even Queen Acacia was surprised by King Belmont’s words. Regardless of how talented this boy was, he was still a child at the end of the day. Why would that ever be something King Belmont had to worry about?
Below their skybox, the next rounds of the World Tournament had begun. The contrast between the cheering crowd and the silent skybox was striking. But, no one understood how to take this conversation forward from here.
Well… That was until the second grand entrance of the day happened just moments later.
A sonic boom sounded above the stadium as a dark Tower appeared. But, that wasn’t what caught everyone’s attention.
King Acacia’s eyes narrowed as the Tower disappeared, revealing a smiling and handsome teenage boy surrounded by three laughing beauties. One with fair caramel skin and grey eyes. Another with striking purple hair and eye. And the final, one that made even his kingly demeanor shatter.
“Is that really my daughter?…” He said softly.
Queen Acacia stood quickly, almost forgetting that she had been holding a little baby in her arms. “Sorry, sorry small child. Aunty’s sorry.” She cradled the baby as she slowly handed her off to her mother.
“Hold on Kawa. Jar Jar, go and get them. Tell them to come here.” King Acacia spoke.
Kawa however, wasn’t listening. She left the skybox with speeds that exceeded Uncle Acacia by hundreds.
In the air, Dyon looked down at the fighting figures in the arena and smiled. It seemed they had made it in time.
“Dyon! Do we have to stand in the air like this?!” Clara clung tightly to Madeleine, unwilling to let go even though they stood on Dyon’s array. She was clearly not used to this.
Dyon was going to respond when he sensed something quickly approaching. Even he didn’t have time to think, he had never felt something so powerful before.
Without asking, Dyon’s figure immediately flashed backwards, grabbing onto the waists of all three girls as a massive sentinel appeared in front of him.
Clara shrieked. The movement was too face for her to handle and she barely registered that they were falling from the air.
King Acacia’s eyes flashed at this scene, ‘He reacted to Kawa’s speed?… How?…’
King Belmont said nothing, instead sipping his wine with an ‘I told you so’ expression. Even Lionel didn’t know what to think. He couldn’t see Kawa at all, but he knew fully well why Dyon was reacting as he was. It hadn’t even been a split second since Queen Acacia had left the skybox.
Dyon’s eyes were flashing with a dense purple gold as he pushed his aurora to the max. Suddenly, his manifestation bloomed, his humanoid figure tearing its way into existence as his eyes considerably reddened.
Suddenly, he could see. A beautiful Japanese woman was careening toward them with speeds he couldn’t fathom. His sentinel was between them and her, but he wasn’t sure if it was enough.
Dyon pushed the pace of thinking, erupting his soul power to the peak of the middle 7th stage.
Saint energy poured from his pores, reddening his skin under the strain of pushing his soul to this level.
‘Think, think. Is it worth it to pull out the second puppet or not?’
Dyon scanned the woman. But, the first thing he noticed was the surprised on her face when their eyes locked. She clearly hadn’t expected for something like that to be possible. The second thing Dyon noticed was the softness in her eyes. And the third thing he noticed was how that softness became longing as her gaze shifted from him to Madeleine and Ri.
‘Japanese woman…’ Dyon’s eyes snapped to the Belmont skybox. He had calculated that that must have been where she came from.
His array alchemy pierced through their sound and visual protection, immediately landing on a tall and dark blue haired Elvin man.
King Acacia’s shock only grew. ‘How…’ Because he had noticed something else… That sentinel… It was too familiar…
Suddenly, Dyon understood. He let out a breath of relief, his tense muscles loosening as he retracted his soul manifestation and his sentinel.
Seeing Dyon stop, the girls tried to catch their breath, looking up at him for an explanation. Everything had happened in less than a split second, but the drastic difference between the action and the stopping jarred them. If it hadn’t been for Dyon using array alchemy to protect Clara from the violent changes, it was likely that she would have been injured.
“Dyon? What’s wrong.” Ri looked up questioningly. The three of them were still being held tightly against Dyon, and maybe if it was anyone else, they would have thought he was being a pervert. But, Ri was his wife after all, even if he was being a perv, she wouldn’t mind too much. The problem was that she knew Dyon wouldn’t have acted that way for such a petty reason.
“Little feu glace…” Dyon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It had been a split second for everyone else. But, in that split second, Dyon had pushed everything he had to limit. “It seems we were too worried about your parents.”
“Too worried?” Ri stared into Dyon’s eyes confused, until she slowly started understanding what he meant. “You mean?…” Tears glistened in Ri’s eyes as she heard a voice behind her.
“Little Alex?” The voice was so sweet that Ri broke down. Her vision was so blurry that even when she turned to face the voice, she could barely see through the onslaught of tears.
Kawa quietly embraced her daughter, both of their petite figures trembling in each other’s arms.
Dyon and Madeleine smiled. Clara was a bit confused at first, but when she pieced what was happening together, she too smiled.
“I’m sorry Little Alex, I’ve been a bad mother.”
Ri shook her head adamantly, trying to speak. But, the words kept getting caught in her throat, unwilling to come out.
Dyon remained silent, letting them have their moment. He didn’t let the crowd impact this moment, having laid a concealment array over them.
“Come, come. Your father is waiting.” Kawa wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked up to Dyon. “You went and got married behind my back, hm little girl?”
Hearing these words, Ri blushed profusely, “Mom, this is Dyon. He’s my husband. This is Madeleine, she’s my close sister and sister wife. This is Clara, she’s Dyon’s childhood friend.”
“So it’s like this?” Kawa smiled at Dyon, placing her small hand on his cheek. “You’re quite handsome, no wonder my daughter fell for you.”
Dyon grinned. “Mother in law, a compliment on my looks from you might be the peak my life ever reaches.”
“Oh, and why’s that?”
“Other than my wives and my mother, you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Kawa was taken aback by the purity in Dyon’s eyes. He didn’t hesitate and confidence exuded from his every word. There was no way to fake something like this. It was clear that Dyon’s arrogance seeped into his very bones.
“Such a sweet talker,” Kawa giggled, taking her daughter’s hand and floating toward the skybox. “I warn you though, Dyon. My husband might not be so easily convinced.”
Kawa looked back to see how Dyon would react, but all she found was a small smile. But, it was clear the fire in his eyes were lit. Kawa could only sigh and let them figure it out amongst themselves.
Seeing Ri, Uncle Acacia gave her a massive hug as he usually did before passing Ri off to his elder brother.
King Acacia looked down at his daughter with a sad expression on his features. His large hand found a way to her hair, rubbing if gently. But, Ri didn’t seem to buy any of that, so she leapt into his arms, hugging his waist tightly.
Clara had insisted that this was a family matter. So, against Dyon’s wishes, he had handed her off to Venus and Delia below. He didn’t want her to be in an environment like this without him, but her cold eyes had given him an ‘I’m not budging’ look, so he had no choice but to oblige.
That said, Dyon found his way to a couch seat and sat beside Madeleine leisurely. Clearly unperturbed by the seemingly odd atmosphere in the room.
Lionel came over to greet Madeleine. But, after a few stiff interactions, he went back to his seat. He hadn’t bothered to say hello to Dyon, but on the same hand, Dyon hadn’t spared him a glance.
In this room filled with outstanding lineages and powerful family ties, it was clear that Dyon was the odd man out. Even Madeleine, who thought she was in the same shoes as Dyon, was actually more connected to these people than she knew.
Ava wasn’t present. Realizing that she wouldn’t get her chance to fight Tammy, she had settled for fighting for a spot on the meridian formation rankings and was currently below improving her stock.
In the end, King Acacia offered Ri a seat by him and Queen Acacia, but Ri shook her head and instead sat to Dyon’s right while Madeleine continued to sit on his left. It was clear that father’s opinion or not, she chose Dyon.
Soon, the room became even more quiet than it had been before.
King Belmont, his wife, child and two sons sat in one corner. Big Red, his wife, and eldest son sat in another. King and Queen Acacia sat facing Dyon, Ri and Madeleine. And last but not least, Uncle Acacia stood awkwardly to the side, conflicted. On one hand he loved and respected his elder brother. But, on the other hand, he had seen first hand the kind of man Dyon was. He had already proven that he deserved Ri. This was wholly unnecessary. Especially for a father who had been absent for more than ten years.
“You’re quite rude not to pay respects to you parents in law, don’t you think?” King Acacia’s voice finally broke the silence.
Ri’s brows furrowed, clearly wanting to say something. It wasn’t in her personality to hold back, even when it came to her own father. But, a strong hand found its way to hers.
She looked up to find Dyon still smiling.
Madeleine had to try and withhold her giggle. She had seen this smile one too many times. But, what she had never seen was this smile come out on the losing end.
Seeing Dyon’s intimacy with his daughter, King Acacia imperceptibly leaks some of his cultivation. But, he could only pretend as though nothing had happened when Dyon didn’t react.
“Do you have nothing to say for yourself?”
“That depends.” Dyon responded.
“On what exactly?”
“Is my father in law someone capable of admitting when he’s wrong? Or is he like every other supposed elder I’ve met who thinks his way is the only way?”
Queen Acacia sighed as she turned a gaze toward King Belmont. It seemed he was right again. This wasn’t a child who ever saw it fit to lower his head.
“I don’t remember agreeing to be your father in law.” King Acacia’s lip twitched.
“You are Ri’s father. She is already my wife. Whether you agree or not, it’s already a fact.” Dyon explained slowly.
King Acacia remained silent, scanning Dyon’s features. But, no matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t find any semblance of wavering confidence. In fact, when his gaze shifted to his daughter, all he found was a small smile and look that seemed to be almost borderline reverence toward this boy.
“Tell me.” King Acacia spoke, “What would you answer have been should I be able to change my mind? And what would you answer have been should I be as stubborn as the other elders.”
Dyon smiled. “If you were as stubborn, I would have nodded and agreed with you.”
King Acacia nodded in satisfaction until he heard Dyon’s next words.
“And then I would never associate with you again.”
Queen Acacia snorted, holding back a bit of laughter along with King Belmont. It was clear at least the two of them were having a good time.
“If you had the ability to change your mind, though. I would tell you that I was only about as rude as a father who hadn’t seen his daughter in eleven years, and yet insisted she come to greet him instead of the vice versa.” Dyon’s eyes flashed with a hint of aggression that disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. It wasn’t lost on him that Queen Acacia was the only one to come out. In fact, his small smile had been one of pent up irritation. He remembered how many tears Ri had shed for this man, and yet he had never told her where he was going, never sent any messages, then just one day showed back up perfectly healthy and had the audacity to make them come to him? If Dyon was strong enough, he would have let his fists do the talking instead of his words.
King Acacia froze, his eyes darkening. “What did you say?”
Dyon didn’t respond. It was obvious that King Acacia had heard his words – and very clearly at that.
Queen Acacia no longer giggled, but she didn’t say anything. She too was unsatisfied with how her husband had handled the situation. He had even tried to make her stay behind too.
“To speak to your own father in law like this. It’s clear why you’re nothing but a commoner from the dregs of the mortal realm.” Lionel spoke out from the side of the room, leisurely sipping on spiritual wine.
Dyon didn’t care to respond, instead continuing his stare down with King Acacia.
“Are you not going to respond? Or do you only talk big when you can use my daughter as a shield?” King Acacia asked, probing further. In his estimation, Dyon was only being so bold because he knew he would never attack him because of Ri.
“What a useless question. Why would I bother responding to either one of those Belmont boys? All they know how to do is drool over my women from a distance. Would you respond to such people?”
Elwing, Lionel’s younger brother grit his teeth in anger. He hadn’t said anything, but Dyon had still dragged him into this. But, he had witnessed Dyon’s feats unlike his elder brother. He had a respect for Dyon that Lionel didn’t have. As such, he said nothing.
Lionel however, didn’t seem perturbed on the surface – remaining deadpan. But, a fire was slowly boiling over inside of him.
King Acacia raised an eyebrow. “Where is all of this confidence coming from? Did cheating really make you feel as though you have the cache to say these things.”
Ri stood abruptly, “Dyon didn’t cheat! I can’t believe you would say something like that!”
Taking Madeleine’s hand, Dyon stood too.
“I think we’ll be on our way now.” Dyon smiled.
Ri was stuck. She thought that Dyon was leaving her behind because of her father, but his next move shattered all of that.
“Little feu glace? What are you doing just standing there?” Dyon stretched out his free hand.
Seeing their daughter sigh in relief to something as simple as a hand made King and Queen Acacia very clear on how deep her love ran.
King Acacia wanted to stretch out and stop Ri from leaving, but he suddenly felt a pinch on his arm. He looked to his side to find a very angry wife.
“Don’t you dare. You’ve done enough.” Kawa’s canines grew and her eyes narrowed into slits as her bestial aura overflowed. It was clear she was pissed.
King Acacia’ brow furrowed. But, he too thought it would be too much to keep his daughter from Dyon. So, he lowered his hand. That said, Dyon’s last words almost made him regret that decision.
“Imagine that.” Dyon turned back before he stepped into the skies with Ri and Madeleine by his side, his eyes burning with a dense black flame. “A supposed king so easily swayed by public opinion. It’s no wonder it took a commoner to save your kingdom.”
King Acacia nearly exploded. But, by the time his vision cleared, Dyon, his daughter, and his god daughter, were gone.