That night, Kaze was summoned to Laevia's room when he was cuddling with Lunaria after dinner.
"Ehh, again?"
"Sorry Lunaria, I will try to make it quick."
Kaze apologised to a pouting Lunaria, who reluctantly unravelled her hands around his body.
"Mou… mother just had to pick a time when we are relaxing."
"It can't be helped. Now that we are dating, we have to expect some sort of arrangement and frequent meetings to occur."
"Come back soon, okay?"
"Now you're overdramatizing it."
Leaving the room, Kaze followed an already waiting maid to where Laevia was waiting for him. As expected, he was led to one of the private quarters where the Emperor and Empress stayed within the palace. Ever since becoming Lunaria's boyfriend, Kaze was able to access these sorts of places more often, as Lunaria would often bring him around.
"Laevia-sama is already waiting inside."
"A-Alright. Thank you."
The maid left after guiding Kaze to the front of the bedroom door. With a light knock, Kaze entered and was greeted by the rulers.
"Sorry for intruding, Laevia-sama, Reginsleif-sama."
"It's fine. If anything, I'm the one that's sorry for calling you so late."
"Does there seem to be a problem?"
"Mm, my husband and I wanted to have a light chat with you. We are curious how your day has been with Lunaria."
Laevia gestured to a seat in front of him. With her husband sitting next to her opposing him, Laevia waited for Kaze to sit before speaking again.
"If you are thinking that this is going to be a daily thing where you deliver a report to us, please don't worry. While we might be asking for things from time to time, it won't be at such frequent intervals. So, how was Lunaria?"
"Um… her well-being is fine. She has opened up considerably."
"Ho? How so?"
With the Emperor following up his wife while stroking his beard, Kaze could tell that they were genuinely worried for their daughter but didn't want to directly ask her for her feelings out of consideration that they were being too pushy. Instead, getting the answers to their concerns directly from Kaze was a more feasible choice, since he would be honest, and they would get to learn more about Kaze too.
"Previously, when we weren't… lovers yet, she seemed much more reserved."
"Ah, are you talking about sex?"
"Y-Yes…"
"Hm, anything else?"
"She is still as pushy and cheerful as she was, but maybe more naturally than she was."
"That's a good sign. Dear, what do you think?"
Laevia smiled delightfully at Kaze's words and turned to her husband for his thoughts.
"Kaze, can I ask you to elaborate what you mean by 'naturally'?"
"To put into context, my thoughts may have differed since we are dating now, but she has gotten more physical and open with her thoughts. Previously, she would find an appropriate and private time to confide in me, but she has been doing so whenever we talk without fearing what she had to stop herself from saying… something like that?"
"I see. What about her being physical? Have you two been fighting?"
"Oh, not that type of physical, Reginsleif-sama. I mean, she stuck close to me a lot more than usual. Before we dated, she was sure to keep her distance."
"… Kaze, do you mind removing your top?"
"My clothes?"
"Yes, please."
Adhering the Emperor's rather random request, Kaze got to his feet and took off his shirt.
"Turn around."
"Like this?"
"Ah, things seem to be going good."
When Kaze did so, Reginsleif nodded approvingly with a relieved smile. This caused Kaze to feel a little confused how he was able to determine something like them being physical from just showing his back.
"Kaze, how often have you and Lunaria mated?" Laevia, knowing that some explanation was needed, posed a rather awkward question for Kaze.
"E-Eh?? Um… twice, Laevia-sama."
"Heh~ No wonder you said you felt as though she had gotten more physical with you."
"Laevia-sama?"
"Your back has a lot of red scratch marks, Kaze."
"Eh?!!"
The Emperor and Empress laughed when such an embarrassing fact was exposed to Kaze. After all, things got rather intense during mating that Lunaria occasionally 'clawed' at his back to try and suppress her intensified emotions. It didn't help that she was a dragonkin, so clawing felt like second nature to her that neither him nor Lunaria would have noticed it. That said, the marks weren't painful, but rather just residues that acted as proof of their intimacy.
"Kaze, please don't feel bothered by this. The marks will fade naturally."
"N-No, that's the least of my concerns. Laevia-sama, Reginsleif-sama, are you mad?"
"Why would we be mad?"
"Because… of how many times we have already mated?"
Again, his question humoured the rulers as they laughed at his concerns.
"Why would how many times you and Lunaria made love be our concern? Kaze, don't take this personally, but your thinking habits truly are human."
"I'm a… human though?"
"Yes, we get it. It just feels refreshing to know that you are conscious how many times you 'did it'."
The Emperor then took over for his wife, who had been the one talking most to Kaze.
"Kaze, just because we ask what you have been doing with our daughter does not mean we are trying to reprimand you or discover every secret you have with her. It is perfectly fine if you choose not to answer it unless we demand it be told since we too understand it important you have your boundaries. But when it comes to matters like mating, what it tells us is how much Lunaria has opened up about herself."
At the Emperor's words, Kaze had a sudden flashback to what Ash told him before. Due to the trauma along with being assigned a partner she wasn't comfortable with, they barely got intimate at all. It was also true that while much time had passed since when Ash was her fiancée, Kaze was put in a similar situation where Lunaria was still recovering emotionally from having her essence extracted by devils.
In that sense, for her to be able to teach him about mating and actively seek for it definitely showed that she was recovering, whether Lunaria was aware about it or not. For Kaze and her parents, even the tiniest of change compared to the past was improvement.
"I… didn't realize."
"That's quite alright. As her father, it's only natural I come to realize things about my daughter, whom I have been with for more than a century by now. Now that you have become her significant other, you would begin to take note on things about your lover that you previously would not have noticed before."
"Thank you for the advice, Reginsleif-sama. Also, I would like to thank you and Laevia-sama for agreeing with our relationship, as well as for the feast tonight."
"No, no. It was fun seeing you and your friends have a time of their life. The truth is, my wife and I felt guilty for causing you all to get involved with the devil incident. Think of this as a way of us repaying you and the others. Compared to risking your lives, this is secondary."
Kaze and Reginsleif exchanged a knowing smile. Despite their differences in status and race, they were able to hold a seemingly normal conversation without one being pressured by the other. It was mostly thanks to Reginsleif's compassion and Kaze's natural ability to converse with someone like the Emperor after getting to know him a few times. Dating Lunaria had already numbed his senses when it came to her parents, mainly because Kaze knew Reginsleif and Laevia were good people.
"Ah, speaking of which. Kaze, have you and Lunaria decided how you are going to act back in Tristania?" Laevia took this moment to ask him about it. "Because you two are dating already, we still haven't made it nationally known, so I was curious if you discussed the issue of returning already."
"Yes. The conclusion we came to would be to still act like normal. If Lunaria is considering returning to Tristania anytime soon, it would be under the guise that the devil attack was nothing nationally related."
"Mm, I'm glad you have thought that far ahead. You see, my husband and I already have a proposal for the two of you."
"I would like to hear it, Laevia-sama."
"Kaze… would you be willing to get engaged with Lunaria?"
To this, Kaze widened his eyes and gulped nervously.
"Um… Laevia-sama, pardon me for asking. To get engaged would mean we would become fiancé and fiancée, as well as… having our status go public."
"There are a few reasons for our decision. We haven't yet told anyone about it other than you, since we thought it would be best if we hear it directly from the one we are burdening."
"Ah.. Um, please."
"As said, the first reason is correlated to the fact Lunaria would, undoubtedly, be returning to Tristania with your friends to continue her studies. Devil attack, coincidence or not, is not going to deter that girl from following her loved one wherever you go. Plus, Sir Ethan would have tightened up the security over the city after such an attack, meaning that security for Lunaria would be heightened as an effect. Since we can understand that it would be illogical to have you and Lunaria act secretive all the time, we think it would help if it was made public that Lunaria is engaged, but we don't say to who?"
"Eh? You're concealing my identity?"
"It's for the best. By going public about Lunaria's engagement, we can prevent some sort of approach to her. It might not stop the people from digging and snooping around to find out who Lunaria is with, but that can easily be resolved if we simply said that her fiancée is from Aravel. That way, at least the attention would be taken away from you."
"But doesn't that mean we still have to act secretive about our relationship, much more now that Lunaria has a secret fiancée that might make people think she is cheating on if she is seen flirting with me?"
"I know where your concern is headed, Kaze. You are worried that those jealous of you would make a move on you or Lunaria. On the contrary, I think that would be the exact opposite. By now, it is no secret to the people of Tristania that a dragonkin royal was caught up in the attack. With Lunaria returning along with the announcement of a fiancée, the public perception would be that she is willing to continue our relationship with Czech. Your presence by her side is simply a deception."
"A deception?"
"Mm. I'm not asking you to flirt with her openly since that would be suicidal, but at least your relationship with her won't be compromised. If anything, people will guess that you are acting as her bodyguard, designated by Aravel."
"Uhh, wouldn't that role be given to Sera, Rena, or Shoko?"
"It was not publicly made known that their roles were Lunaria's bodyguards in the first place. With the circumstance, my husband and I want to go along with this plan for now. Any changes can be discussed along the line."
"… Alright then."
"The second reason is your age. Humans, compared to dragonkins, live a much shorter life. By getting engaged with Lunaria, you may very well be able to spend more of your life being tied together with the woman you love. That said, I understand this isn't a solid reason since you can argue that being together is defined subjectively, but Lunaria would appreciate it."
"I can live with that reasoning, Laevia-sama. After all, many nobles get engaged to their significant other from the moment they were born as a political marriage of sort."
"Yes, that is the human way of doing things. For us dragonkins, becoming engaged essentially means you have a 99% chance of marrying the person you are engaged to. It might sound like we are jumping the gun here since you just became lovers, but we can tell that you are already the best suited husband for Lunaria. There is no question about it."
"Ah… that does sound like the decision was made hastily."
"Hehe. Do you not trust the eyes of the rulers of a nation?"
"N-No, that wasn't what I meant…"
"Well, this is a decision you and Lunaria would make yourselves. We have no say in it, but merely making it a suggestion. For the third reason, we think it is better appeal for the dragonkins."
"You mean it sounds better if Lunaria and I were engaged rather than simply lovers?"
"Yes. As you know, it is controversial that we are even having this conversation right now, much less inviting you humans into our nation. If we make your relationship public along with the announcement that you are getting engaged, we hope that this would feed the idea to the public that Reginsleif and I are serious about your relationship with Lunaria. Becoming lovers… it is not very comfortable for the public compared to the idea of getting engaged. While becoming lovers simply meant that you are testing the waters, being engaged means holding a certain amount of responsibility for your partner."
"I think I can understand that perspective. Dragonkin culture treats engagement like a factor of honesty and sincerity. For humans, an engagement is not as significant other than the fact that you are bound to someone else, especially in the world of nobles. After all, their fate could easily be altered by having a second or third wife, or husband."
"Ah, you are well-versed in the social hierarchy I see."
"Yes. Lunaria taught me well. Critically thinking this way proves efficient, especially when I could potentially be the future leader of Aravel."
At his words, Laevia and Reginsleif widened their eyes in surprise. Only days ago, Kaze looked like he couldn't believe it that he was in the nation of Aravel, yet now he was already considering the scenario if he truly got married with Lunaria.
"… That is true. Kaze, that is also another disadvantage to you getting engaged immediately. The dragonkin public will… well, take it that we have decided on a heir already."
With a bitter smile, Laevia took a sip of her tea before continuing.
"Kaze, the fourth reason is no simpler than you can think… have a guess."
"The reason for our engagement… for Lunaria's sake?"
"As a parent, how do you think we feel seeing our Lunaria going through her recovery? Every day, I pray to the gods not just for the safety of my family and nation, but also for the fact that Lunaria would one day find happiness on her own. Kaze, with you, Lunaria found her place in the world. We never expected her to take on the responsibility of being the eldest daughter all on her own. Lunaria being a genius, or a prodigy, only worsens the matter because of all the expectations placed on her. Today, actually even a few days before, we observed your interaction with Lunaria and… well, deemed you suitable for her."
"To be honest, we have already considered marriage," Reginsleif admitted with a dry laugh. "It might sound too much for you, so we took a step back and decided you get engaged with Lunaria for now. As much as we don't seem like it, we are thinking from the perspective of her family more so than because we are the rulers of the nation. In the world of politics, there was no way a marriage like this would fly without a reason. In Aravel, anything can happen as long as you show you have heart and courage. Kaze, what is your reason for courage?"
Reginsleif's words took Kaze back to when he shielded Lunaria from the Tauzenpod. Courage was found when he had to protect someone, even more so now that he had nearly lost Lunaria once. The same applied for the rest of his friends, but simply amplified with Lunaria since his heart belonged to her. A reason for courage… Kaze already had an answer.
"Well, think about it for the time being," Reginsleif leaned back into his chair after a short pause. "We aren't expecting an answer anytime soon, but one before the end of the 2 weeks would be great. Whether you deny or accept the offer is up to you since there is no drawbacks, but the answer, right or wrong, lies with you and Lunaria."
"… Actually, I have a separate concern, Reginsleif-sama, Laevia-sama."
"Please, let us hear it."
"Um, I think Lucentia could be in love with me too."
"Lucentia? Not Lunatea?"
"E-Eh? Lunatea?"
"Oh? How interesting. Dear, perhaps we overstepped our boundaries."
"Hehe, that could be true. You learn something new every day."
"Um… Laevia-sama?"
"Kaze, whatever happens, happens. Your concerns about Lunatea and Lucentia, whether you think true or not, can only be confirmed by confronting them directly. My husband and I won't interfere."
"… Alright. Sorry for springing that on you suddenly."
"Don't be. If anything, I think that this is rather amusing. Lunaria, Lunatea, Lucentia… a potential harem?"
"P-Please don't joke like that, Laevia-sama. We haven't even confirmed that Lunatea and Lucentia likes me."
"Hm~ let this old woman fantasize. To be honest, I would feel relieved if you date those two too."
"Laevia-sama?!"
"Lunaea and Luniel also certainly wouldn't mind getting along with a fine lad like yourself, Kaze. I heard from our daughter that your performance in bed exceeds her expectations, so you would do well even with all our daughters combined."
"Reginsleif-sama?!!"
Thankfully for Kaze, their talk ended there. Since they had already exceeded their expected meeting time, they quickly wrapped up the rest of the topic.
"Kaze, hold up," Laevia, standing in the doorway of her bedroom, stopped Kaze from leaving. "If Lunaria asks anything about the engagement that you don't know the answer to, feel free to consult us anytime. Ilesta or Tuarle would be able to guide you directly to us."
"Yes, Laevia-sama. Thank you for providing references to us," Kaze bowed to the Empress.
"That said, remember not to oversleep. You have a busy day tomorrow."
"Yes, Laevia-sama."
"Also, tell Lunaria not to stay up too late. That girl tends to oversleep."
"Yes, Laevia-sama."
Kaze could only smile and listen to Laevia's words. More often than not, he felt that Laevia acted like a mother more than an Empress in front of him. There was nothing wrong with it, it simply filled Kaze's heart with warmth he could only have hoped to get.
"And Kaze…"
"Yes?"
"If you are worried about sex, remember that cumming inside is fine."
"Laevia-sama?!"
"Hehe, I'm just joking. Good night, Kaze."
With a sigh, Kaze shook his head and headed back to Lunaria's room. It felt as though Laevia was also starting to take advantage of his innocence and make fun of him, more so than he would have liked.
On the way back to the room, he noticed a figure walking towards him down the hallway.
At first, Kaze couldn't care less about it, thinking that it was one of the maids or guards walking past. His suspicion was only further confirmed when the figure looked feminine upon their distance getting closer. Albeit her strange outfit, her body covered in what looked to be white robes or cloth, Kaze only thought it to be a maid heading towards the Emperor's room.
It wasn't until she walked past him that it clicked.
She was the same female figure that Kaze thought he had seen back at the chapel.
Turning around to apprehend her, Kaze was only met with a mysterious smile before everything turned black.