Alan was slightly puzzled by Queen Agatha's choice of venue for their meeting – not in the royal palace, but at a street-side teahouse.
However, the teahouse was adjacent to the palace, ensuring a quiet environment. There were no other patrons, only guards and Royal City Order Officers patrolling nearby on horseback.
Soon, Alan arrived and entered the teahouse, which exuded an aura reminiscent of a royal garden. Queen Agatha was seated at the far end of a long white table.
Alan, upon seeing this, smiled and walked towards her, taking a seat directly opposite the queen.
At that moment, Queen Agatha suddenly rose and approached Alan. With a flicker of magical light, she conjured a white porcelain plate with a delicate pastry on it.
She gracefully moved to Alan's side and placed the pastry in front of him. Then, leaning on the table with one hand under the sunlight filtering through the window, she tilted her head, her cascading hair framing her face.
She regarded Alan with a curious, reserved, noble, and lively smile.
Queen Agatha's demeanor combined the fullness of a mature woman with the freshness of a young girl.
This seemingly contradictory blend of attributes coexisted harmoniously in her, captivating any man with just a glance.
"Sir, as the general of the Beaconburg paladins, may I know your name?" she asked. "I noticed you at the city gates. You have very beautiful eyes, and…"
Queen Agatha's voice, soft and lyrical, whispered near Alan's ear, like a melody. Her eyes held a frozen intensity, as if time itself had paused in that moment.
"Indeed, this is quite a unique reception," Alan remarked with a smile. He picked up a spoon and sampled the pastry from the white plate.
After a brief taste, he nodded approvingly. "Delicious."
He then looked up at Queen Agatha. "Is this truly the work of the Queen herself? With such skill in pastry making, you could open a confectionery that would be renowned across the continent for centuries. Should you ever decide to do so, I would certainly be honored to visit."
Alan set down his spoon, his smile still lingering. Queen Agatha rose from her seat, walked back to her own place, and sat down again.
"This is the first time I've hosted a foreign guest. This teahouse is actually my private retreat, where I come to relax and unwind. The dessert you just had was indeed made by me, but the upcoming dishes are prepared by the royal chefs. I hope they won't disappoint you."
She paused briefly before continuing, "And about the question I asked earlier… May I know the name of the Beaconburg general?"
Alan smiled. "My name? It's Alan," he replied calmly.
He then turned his attention to the exquisite dishes being magically served. Each dish was steaming hot, freshly prepared.
The ingredients were extraordinary: rare species, magical beings, and medicinal fruits with special properties to enhance magical energy and mental power. These ingredients were natural, posing no adverse effects on humans.
Even ordinary people without any extraordinary abilities could feel a significant boost in energy upon consuming these dishes.
A frail individual could grow stronger, and someone with a basic understanding of magic could rapidly advance in their magical comprehension.
In summary, these dishes were not only aesthetically pleasing but also greatly beneficial to one's physical and magical prowess.
Although the dishes weren't personally prepared by the Queen, their rarity alone made them a remarkable delicacy. Alan tasted some and remained noncommittal.
These dishes, while excellent in the context of the Human World, paled in comparison to those of the Divine Realm in terms of the rarity of their ingredients.
However, the dessert personally made by the Queen was infused with her unique magic, capturing a special sentiment akin to the sweetness of first love – a culinary technique not even attempted by the gods of emotion, magic, or cuisine in the Divine Realm. Thus, Alan had a particular appreciation for that treat.
"Your name is the same as the Almighty God Alan... interesting, and quite fitting," Queen Agatha remarked.
Alan simply smiled, offering no further comment. After all, there were many named Alan in the continent, especially since the Almighty God Alan had never prohibited the use of his name before ascending to the Divine Realm.
Additionally, some of Alan's fervent admirers had named themselves or their offspring after him as a gesture of devotion.
Queen Agatha seemed to understand it in this light as well. She pondered for a moment, then looked up at Alan, resting her cheek on her hand and admiringly said, "The new paladin general of Beaconburg, your visage does indeed resemble the legendary Almighty God Alan. No wonder you share his name."
"Tell me, General Alan, do you have a consort?" she inquired further. "How do you view me, Queen Agatha?"
As she spoke, her gaze lingered on Alan, filled with anticipation and lingering interest.
"You're considering a union?" Alan asked, momentarily taken aback.
"If you don't already have a consort," Agatha responded with a coy smile, "then it just so happens that I am in need of a husband." Her words came forth spontaneously.
As a queen, one of the twelve most powerful individuals on the continent and the strongest magus of her kingdom, Agatha had grown accustomed to speaking her mind directly, often getting whatever she desired.
This habit of forthrightness was evident in her interaction with Alan.
Alan raised an eyebrow at her proposal and replied noncommittally, "And what if I already have someone I am fond of?"
The mention of a potential rival momentarily dimmed the light in Queen Agatha's eyes. Then, with a surge of excitement, she stood up, leaning forward across the table with her hands planted firmly on its surface, and asked eagerly, "Who might that be?
The former leader of Beaconburg, Vina, or the current deputy leader, Elizabeth, or someone else?"
Alan simply shook his head without giving a direct response, which only added to Agatha's anxiety. She quickly moved around the table towards Alan. In a bold move, she placed one hand on the table, while the other reached out to caress his hair.
Then, she leaned in and pressed her lips to Alan's in a spontaneous kiss.
Alan did not resist. Queen Agatha, undoubtedly, was an epitome of beauty, like a magnificent work of art.
Among the pure-blooded humans of the Human World, she could easily be considered one of the most beautiful.
Even compared to mixed-race or other species' beauties, her charm was not diminished. Next to the angels and goddesses of the Divine Realm, Agatha lacked only in divine aura but matched them in beauty, with an added touch of vivacity and spirit.
After all, many beings in the Divine Realm, though majestic and lovely, were formed of divine energy rather than flesh and blood, lacking the genuine soulful essence present in Agatha.
Alan did not reject the queen's advances but responded, "You're so certain that I am the one destined for you?" he said with a smile.
The queen, who had just kissed Alan, did not speak but leaned in for another kiss, even extending her tongue towards Alan's mouth.
Alan did not show any signs of refusal, sensing her genuine passion and impulsiveness.