"Why?!" Edward exclaimed. "You are the most noble member of the royal family. Isn't it only natural for you to live in the palace?"
"But I already have a home outside," Angie said helplessly.
Edward misunderstood his words and shouted again, "What? You're married? Who is your wife? Bring her to the palace as well! But, Your Highness, forgive me for saying this, but with your noble status, no ordinary woman could be worthy of you!"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Angie's head was spinning. "Who told you I got married?"
"Huh? You didn't?" Edward was stunned. "Then how do you have a home outside and refuse to live in the palace?"
"Oh, it's complicated. Don't ask too many questions," Angie replied.
"This... this..." Edward hesitated for a long time, but under Angie's firm gaze, he gave up. "Then where are you living now?"
"I'm living in the Nebel Plateau," Angie answered.
"What? The Nebel Plateau?!" Edward was once again startled. "Isn't that a desolate, uninhabited place? How could you live there?"
Angie felt like Edward was acting like a squeaky toy, always overreacting to everything.
"I think it's a great place. I'm used to living there," Angie said.
"Why don't you move back to the palace?" Edward suggested softly. "If that's too much, you could stay in the Azoth city. I'll arrange a residence for you."
"I like the Nebel Plateau. It's settled. Let's not discuss this anymore," Angie said firmly, cutting off Edward's attempt to continue his argument.
Edward: ...
At this point, Princess Kimia spoke up, "How about this, Father? I'll visit the Nebel Plateau with His Highness. If his living conditions are really poor, we can send someone to build a villa for him there."
After all, all unclaimed land in Azoth Kingdom belonged to the royal family. They could build a house anywhere they wanted.
Edward's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea! A very good idea!"
Kimia added, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with His Highness living in the Nebel Plateau. The climate there is mild and spring-like year-round. His Highness had poor health as a child, so living there could help him recover."
Hearing this, Angie shot Kimia an appreciative glance, and she smiled back at him.
Edward, reminded of Angie's fragile health as a child (which had been the cause of his early death), finally understood. "You're right. Kimia always thinks things through. In that case, the Nebel Plateau sounds like a good place."
With that, Angie finally let out a sigh of relief.
"By the way, we should host a grand banquet to celebrate Your Highness's return!" Edward suddenly exclaimed with excitement. "It'll be a perfect opportunity to announce your return to the people. I'm sure they'll be thrilled for you."
"No!" Angie quickly stopped him. "Please, keep everything low-key. I've only just woken up and don't have the energy for all that."
"I see..." Edward looked disappointed.
Kimia spoke up just in time, "Father, His Highness has only just returned. Let's take things slowly."
Edward realized she was right. "We'll discuss these matters later, then." He sighed deeply and added, "But it's such a pity for His Highness."
Angie: …
I don't feel pitied at all.
Angie found talking to Edward exhausting and mentally draining.
Afterward, Angie accompanied Edward and the kingdom's ministers in discussions that lasted until nearly sunset.
The addition of a new royal family member raised a host of issues, especially when it was someone with such a unique status.
The ministers argued heatedly about Angie's situation, some even insisting that he shouldn't live outside the palace and should be assigned a personal guard.
Others suggested that, since Angie didn't want a grand banquet or public celebration to announce his return, they could simply announce his royal status to the citizens through an online broadcast.
In short, everything was chaotic and extremely complicated.
In the end, all decisions regarding Angie were entrusted to Princess Kimia.
Walking out of the hall, Angie exhaled in relief. It had been a long day.
Kimia followed closely behind him, smiling as she said, "Your Highness, it must have been tough."
Angie gave a wry smile.
At that moment, a head suddenly poked out from behind a nearby pillar.
"Raleigh, what are you doing hiding over there?" Kimia asked when she saw him.
"Hehe~~ Sister," Raleigh said sheepishly as he stepped out. "I just wanted to take a look at His Highness, Angie."
"If you want to see him, just come out openly. Why be so sneaky?" Kimia scolded.
Raleigh scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.
"You must be Prince Raleigh? It's a pleasure to meet you," Angie greeted warmly.
Thinking about how Raleigh was a descendant of his younger sister, Angie felt a wave of affection. He wasn't even that old, but somehow, his mindset had already shifted to that of an elder!
"Y-you too, Your Highness, Angie."
Compared to Kimia, Raleigh was much more reserved.
"Your Highness, is it true you've lived for 500 years?" Raleigh asked in a small voice.
"To be precise, I've been asleep for 500 years. My physical condition is the same as it was before I slept," Angie answered.
"That's amazing! No wonder Nikola could achieve something like that!" Raleigh's face lit up with excitement.
Raleigh was a huge fan of Nikola, which is why he had been obsessed with inventions and research since childhood.
Angie chuckled. As expected, pushing everything onto Nikola was the right move—no one would doubt it, and there was no way to verify the truth.
Raleigh then turned his gaze to Diancie. "Are you Diancie?"
Diancie nodded. "That's correct, Prince Raleigh."
"You're so beautiful," Raleigh couldn't help but compliment her.
"Thank you," Diancie graciously accepted his praise. "You're quite handsome and adorable yourself, Prince."
Being a boy of less than ten years, there wasn't much "handsome" about him, just lots of "adorable."
"R-really?" Raleigh blushed deeply at Diancie's compliment, his face turning beet red.
Seeing this, Diancie covered her mouth and giggled.
"Can I shake your hand?" Raleigh asked, still bashful.
"Of course, it would be my honor, Prince," Diancie agreed readily, extending her right hand to him.
Raleigh was thrilled, wiping his hand vigorously on his clothes before shaking hers.
In his mind, Diancie's connection to Nikola made her like an extension of his idol, so shaking her hand was as if he were shaking hands with Nikola himself.
After the handshake, Raleigh stared at his hand, grinning foolishly, which made Angie, Diancie, and Kimia all laugh.
Angie smiled and said, "Raleigh is so pure and innocent."
Hearing this, Kimia's smile faded, and she let out a long sigh. "He's just too innocent."
"Ah! Your Highness, Angie, you haven't left yet?"
Suddenly, a voice called out.
"Perfect, I have something I'd like to ask you."
Angie turned his head and saw a middle-aged man with long purple hair slowly walking out of the hall.
"And who is this?" Angie looked toward Kimia for an answer.
Kimia's expression turned slightly cold upon seeing the man. "This is Alva, the Minister of Defense and a leading expert in arrcane science in our country."
"Greetings, Your Highness," Alva bowed slightly to Angie.
"Hello, Mr. Alva," Angie nodded in response.
Raleigh was delighted to see Alva. "Alva, you're here!"
"Your Highness," Alva bowed slightly to Raleigh before nodding to Kimia, "Princess."
Angie, curious, asked, "Mr. Alva, is there something you wish to discuss with me?"
Alva glanced at Diancie with a fiery gaze before turning to Angie and saying, "I wanted to ask you about Sir Nikola. After all, you were one of the few who met him personally, and I'm sure you must have had the chance to converse with him. I was hoping—"
Before he could finish, Angie cut him off. "I'm sorry, it's getting late, and I should be heading back. Otherwise, I'll run out of time."
Angie didn't like the way Alva looked at Diancie, so his first impression of the man wasn't favorable.
"Well… alright then," Alva's expression stiffened slightly. "I'll seek your guidance another time, Your Highness."
With that, Angie bid farewell to Kimia and Raleigh.
"Your Highness, I'll escort you," Kimia offered.
"Alright," Angie nodded before turning to Raleigh. "Raleigh, see you next time."
Raleigh waved enthusiastically, "See you next time, Your Highness, Angie."
Kimia escorted Angie back to where the dining car was parked. Angie firmly refused Kimia's offer to either drive him back or have a guard escort him. Instead, he drove the car himself, with Diancie and Swablu's Dad, slowly departing from the palace.
Once outside, Angie found a secluded spot, stored the dining car in his system's inventory, teleported Diancie home, and then flew away from the Azoth City on Swablu's Dad.
By the time Angie arrived home, the sun had just set. He saw Munchlax sitting all alone on the front steps, looking rather dejected.
"Munchlax, what's wrong?"
Upon hearing Angie's voice, Munchlax's head shot up, and a bright smile spread across its face. It rushed over to Angie and gave him a big hug.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~" *
Master, you're back! I missed you so much!
Angie hadn't returned all afternoon, and when Diancie was suddenly summoned away, Munchlax had been left home alone and was terribly worried.
Even though Diancie had come back to explain what happened, Munchlax couldn't help but worry until its master returned.
"Alright, alright!" Angie patted Munchlax's back soothingly. "I'm back now, aren't I?"
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Munchlax affectionately rubbed its head against Angie.
Just then, Diancie stepped out from the house.
"Munchlax, there you go again, acting all clingy with your master!"
Munchlax blushed and let go of Angie.
Diancie shook her head, exasperated. "You'll never grow up, will you?"
"Munchlax~"
Munchlax scratched the back of its head, grinning sheepishly.
"Come on, let's head inside."
Angie held out his hand, and Munchlax naturally took it as they walked toward the house together.
As they entered, Angie asked, "Is Komala not home again?"
Hearing the name Komala filled Munchlax with frustration. When Angie had sent Munchlax back home, Munchlax had wanted to ask Komala about Angie's whereabouts. But Komala, preoccupied with sleep, didn't make a sound and just rolled out the door. Munchlax had tried chasing after it but couldn't catch up.
Too infuriating!
Seeing Munchlax gesturing angrily, Angie couldn't quite understand what it was trying to say, but he still smiled and comforted it.
"Alright, no need to be upset. I'll make you something delicious for dinner."
Upon hearing the word "delicious," Munchlax immediately forgot all about Komala.
Hand in hand, Angie and Munchlax walked into the house, only to be surprised by the presence of Kirlia.
"Kirlia, what are you doing here?"
"Kirlia~ Kirlia~"
Kirlia happily greeted Angie.
After Diancie explained the situation, Angie found out that shortly after he had left that morning, Kirlia had come over to the shop to help.
Kirlia felt indebted to Angie for helping Gardevoir and her baby, and since there was nothing else it could do to repay him, it decided to lend a hand at the shop.
Angie asked, "If you're here, who's looking after Gardevoir?"
"Kirlia~ Kirlia~~"
Kirlia gestured as it explained. They are lived near Delphox, who was helping take care of Gardevoir and the baby. Thanks to the Pokéblocks Angie had given them, Gardevoir was recovering quickly and could now move around freely, so there was no need to worry.
Kirlia also mentioned that it had asked Fletchling's Dad to help with the egg.
Fletchling's father often helped others hatch eggs, so everyone was used to it, and it could speed up the hatching process.
"I see…" Angie said with a smile. "You've worked hard. Why don't you stay for dinner tonight, and you can take something back for Gardevoir as well? It's good to mix up the meals occasionally, beyond just Pokéblocks."
Kirlia seemed hesitant.
Munchlax, noticing this, hugged Kirlia tightly.
"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"
Just stay! My master's cooking is really delicious, much better than mine.
Munchlax, being the expert at giving puppy-dog eyes, left Kirlia with no choice but to agree in the end.
Angie subtly gave Munchlax a thumbs-up.
Munchlax cutely blinked at Angie in return.
When Angie and Munchlax headed to the kitchen to start dinner, they were immediately shocked by the sight inside.
"What… what is going on?" Angie asked, looking at Munchlax and Diancie.
The kitchen was piled high with piles of Salveyo weed, water bamboo, various wild berries, mushrooms… and many other things Angie couldn't even recognize.
Diancie explained, "These were all delivered by Pokémon this morning."
They were gifts from the Pokémon of the Nebel Plateau, who had heard about how Angie had saved Gardevoir and her baby and wanted to show their gratitude.
Poliwag knew that Angie liked Salveyo weed, so they had specially gathered some and brought it over.
Marill and Azurill, knowing Angie liked water bamboo, had gone out of their way to peel some. This plant was abundant in Nebel Lake, growing in large patches.
In before, no one even realized it could be eaten.
The berries and mushrooms were also gathered as tokens of appreciation.
"You all are just too much…"
Looking at the kitchen, overflowing with gifts, Angie felt genuinely touched. He had only saved one Gardevoir, yet the entire Nebel Plateau's Pokémon community had come to thank him.
In the end, true sincerity is always met with true sincerity in return.
"Alright, let's start putting this away first, or we won't be able to make dinner," Angie called out.
It was a sweet burden to bear.