Chapter 94: Unspoken Obligations

"How long do you think it’ll take Mei to talk things over with her dad and the king? How many days are we staying here?" Sheila mused, lost in thought.

"Hmm... who knows? All we can really do is wait. Besides, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, we can use the time to explore the city. There’s plenty of sights to take in, right Cleo?" Luna asked.

"Spot on. I want to try all the local food, and it looks like there are plenty of bookstores here to stock up for our library back home," Cleo replied, crossing her arms with a satisfied nod.

"Even though I’ve been here often, I’ve never actually had the chance to just wander around. This seems like a great excuse to sightsee," Aria added.

"Alright, it’s settled then! While we wait for Mei, we enjoy ourselves," Sheila declared.

"Kyuuu... kyuuu!" Gina raised her tiny paws happily. "Yay... sightseeing with mommies!" her chirp meant.

"Hey."

Sheila, Luna, Cleo, and Aria turned toward Dion, who sat slumped between them with his arms crossed and his head hanging low.

"What’s wrong?" Luna asked.

"Why are we having this entire conversation in a bath? And why am I even in here? Don’t any of you feel even a little self-conscious about us bathing together like this?" Dion grumbled, visibly annoyed.

The five of them were currently soaking in the private hot spring tub inside their room, completely naked. Dion kept his eyes tightly shut because the clear water offered zero concealment for Luna, Cleo, Aria, and Sheila’s bare bodies. His face burned bright red like a ripe tomato.

"Oh... so you like what you see, huh? Hehehe," Luna teased, playfully striking a pose.

"Sigh... I thought something was actually wrong. We’re engaged and practically married at this point, so why are you still acting so shy?" Cleo added, flicking her long wet hair back.

"You overthink everything. Just relax... my... hus...band," Aria teased with a flick of her hand.

"Come on, just enjoy the perk! When else do you get to share a hot spring with gorgeous girls like us, hahaha!" Sheila laughed, slinging an arm around Dion and pulling him close.

"Ugh... fine," Dion muttered. "The real problem is, this is the first time since I got transported to this world from Earth that I’m seeing a woman’s full body again... Sure, I bathed with Luna before... but back then she was completely flat everywhere, and now things are very different... Ugh... this sucks, my mind is going places," Dion complained to himself in his head.

"Stop overthinking everything and just relax," Luna said, wrapping her arm around Dion’s. The action only amplified his misery as he desperately tried to flush out dirty thoughts, painfully aware of her bare chest pressed against his arm.

"Yeah, Daddy... just relax like Mommies," Gina’s voice echoed in all their minds.

"And since when did you start calling me Daddy instead of Master?" Dion asked.

"Um... am I not allowed to? I want to have a daddy and a mommy... is that bad?" Gina projected, looking utterly heartbroken.

Seeing the cute, pouting face in front of him, "sigh," Dion let out a heavy breath and stroked Gina’s head.

"Whatever, call me whatever you want," Dion surrendered limply.

"Yay! Daddy!" Gina cheered, leaping forward to hug Dion.

The four girls pressed even closer to Dion, chatting casually among themselves while completely ignoring his desperate struggle to maintain his sanity. Dion looked up at the sky. Darkness had set in, and stars were beginning to dot the night. He looked back at the cheerful, carefree faces of Luna, Sheila, Aria, and Cleo.

"We’re missing one," he thought in his head. "Mei should be right here with us... Ah, what am I even thinking... but for some reason, that bad gut feeling just won’t go away," he added.

***

Meanwhile, inside the royal palace’s council chamber, Haruto and Mei arrived for an audience with King Kenzo. They knelt on one knee before a sheer privacy screen.

"Rise and be seated," Kenzo’s voice sounded.

Haruto and Mei raised their heads, shifting from their knees to sit cross-legged on the floor. Mei kept her eyes glued to the ground.

"Haruto, have you explained everything to Mei?" Kenzo asked.

"I have, Your Majesty. I explained everything from the very beginning up to her current situation, along with the evidence," Haruto answered.

A brief silence filled the room. Mei could make out two silhouettes sitting behind the screen. Suddenly, one of the figures, looking like a young boy, pulled the screen aside. Mei’s eyes widened at the sight of King Araki, who sat propped up weakly, his legs covered by a heavy cloth blanket. Beside him stood a ten-year-old boy with dark eyes, short jet-black hair, and handsome features that bore an unmistakable resemblance to King Araki.

"Mei, meet Kenji, your younger brother," Kenzo introduced. "Kenji, greet your elder sister."

Kenji stood up, walked over to Mei, and sat directly across from her. Both bowed their heads in polite greeting.

"Sister Mei, I’m Kenji. It’s a pleasure to meet you," Kenji said with a warm smile.

"Um... yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Kenji," Mei offered a strained smile, thoroughly bewildered by the sudden reveal.

Mei looked up at Kenzo, who was gazing at her with a frail smile. She sank back into a kneeling posture and bowed low, then opened her mouth.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty..."

"Call me Father. I am your father, and no matter what happens, I will always be your father," Kenzo interrupted gently.

"Um... alright... Father... I promise... I will serve this kingdom faithfully and stay within its borders... even if it means leaving everything behind to fully embrace my place as your daughter," Mei declared, bowing her head in total submission despite the heavy sorrow written across her face.

Silence fell over the chamber once more as her words hung in the air. Kenzo then turned his gaze toward Haruto.

"Haruto, did you inform her of the actual reason she was summoned here?" Kenzo asked.

"As for that... I only provided the general context... that it was time for Mei to return and fulfill her duty to the realm," Haruto replied, bowing his head.

"Sigh... why didn’t you just lay it out plainly?" Kenzo shook his head, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

Watching both of her father figures exchange words, Mei grew even more confused, utterly at a loss regarding the true purpose of her summons.

"V-Very well, Your Majesty, I shall explain now," Haruto bowed.

"First, allow me to explain the current state of the world to Mei," Kenzo interjected, raising his palm.

Silence descended again. Mei turned to look at Haruto beside her, and Kenji watched closely from across the floor.

"Let me detail the situation in Minatheras," Haruto began.

Haruto laid out everything, starting from how he discovered the capital of Minatheras was nearly leveled after they captured Mei and the others, up to the events of today—where he had lost complete contact with the Shadow Hand operatives stationed in the capital. Mei listened in sheer shock; having been at Mageford during the fallout, she knew nothing about the state of the capital.

"Father... you’re saying undead appeared in the capital, and as of today... all contact has been cut off?" Mei asked, stunned.

"Correct, Mei. The reason I personally investigated the area was because I heard rumors of an attack on the capital of Minatheras. But what I actually witnessed... was a massive horde of royal guards and castle staff turned into walking corpses under someone’s control. Then, when I returned home this morning, I received news of an incident inside the palace, after which all communication went dark," Haruto explained.

"Wait... so when you wrote that letter to me...?" Mei asked.

"I wrote it because I knew you would easily recognize our covert operative sent specifically to reach you," Haruto answered.

"So... you wrote that letter only after finding out about Minatheras," Mei realized aloud.

"Correct. And that is precisely why you were summoned here," Haruto confirmed.

"Haruto is correct, Mei. I was the one who summoned you, because I have a crucial duty for you as my successor," Kenzo interjected.

"What kind of duty... Your Majesty... I mean... Father?" Mei asked, her confusion deepening.

"I need you to act as the royal representative of the Eredor Kingdom and become the empress to the king destined to rise in the heart of the Dark Forest, forging a firm alliance for our realm. I know this is a heavy burden, but I am confident you will accept," Kenzo stated.

"You can do it, Sister!" Kenji cheered encouragingly.

"But... wasn’t I brought back to assume my role as a princess and rebuild our state?" Mei asked, blinking in disbelief.

"And that is your duty as a royal princess. I will send an official envoy to the master of the Dark Forest to arrange your marriage, and the Kingdom of Eredor will pledge its full support to his campaign against the darkness," Kenzo explained smoothly.

"So... Father... you want me to marry... Dion?" Mei stammered, completely floored.

"Oh... so his name is Dion. Precisely... marry him as the official representative of this royal bloodline," Kenzo confirmed.

Tears instantly welled in Mei’s eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She had fully prepared herself never to see her friends or Dion again, expecting to be confined to the palace for life. Yet the duty assigned to her was the very path she was already walking, one that aligned perfectly with her own heart. A wave of overwhelming relief washed over her. Kenzo then turned his full attention back to Mei. Sitting upright, his eyes remained fixed on her.

"So, Mei, do you accept this task? As for the throne, Kenji will succeed me, even though he is only ten years old, with Haruto assisting him as head of the Shadow Hand," Kenzo explained.

Mei remained silent, her head bowed as tears ran down her face, but a radiant smile broke across her lips as she pressed her hands against her chest. Even without a spoken answer, the king understood her response and gave an approving nod. But then, he added one more instruction.

"He is currently in the city, correct? Tomorrow, bring him to see me in private."

Mei snapped her head up, her teary eyes locking onto Kenzo. The smile instantly vanished from her face.

"Father... you want to meet... Dion... in private?" Mei stammered nervously. "Oh no... how on earth am I going to bring Dion here... without letting the others find out?" Mei panicked in her head.

Meanwhile, inside the inn’s hot spring tub, "Achooo!" Dion suddenly sneezed. Luna, Cleo, Sheila, and Aria all turned to look at him.

"Bless you," all four said in unison.

"Thanks," Dion replied, rubbing his nose. "Uh... see? My bad gut feeling is only getting worse. Damn it, what is going on?" Dion grumbled in his head.