Chapter 95- Compromised
"Why this outfit bruh?" It was Ryuuta who could no longer hold back his curiosity as he asked his friend.
Early in the morning, Kei removed all the wards that restrict the cross-realm teleportation before he brought his friends and lovers to the Third realm.
All the other members of the battalion were left to get used to the new surrounding and help those people who were being an ass in the beginning. Those countries that didn't pay heed to the warning of evolution and now were suffering.
Kei neither had the energy nor intention to help them since despite being their guardian, he could only tolerate nuisance to a certain point.
"Ah, this..." Kei paused a bit before he told them the reason for his current appearance, "I am actually the Emperor of a region in the world. Since these people consider humans inferior to them, it would have been a hassle dominating them while wearing a human front. You know what I mean right?"
Ryuuta nodded with a sigh. He has recently fought some broken dimensional bear who crossed the realm somehow. Those beasts were truly despicable and considered humans as nothing but fodder.
As Kei said, if he had adapted his human form to get the leadership, many other rulers would have protested, and if not, they might have killed themselves because of their pride.
"You look handsome tho...this look gives a new vibe." Karen walked up to her husband before entangling her dainty arm with his long one.
"[Move aside]" Suddenly Karen's body froze before it began to unfurl itself from Kei and step away from him.
It wasn't a voluntary action but rather a soporific command that Karen wasn't able to disobey.
The person who just used her Dragon Tongue walked up to Kei and held his hand fearlessly. Well, there was a quite amount of redness spreading over her neck but that doesn't matter. Yuna just claimed what belonged to her.
"What did I tell you about not using your draconic traits needlessly?" Kei asked with his brows rising and eyes turned toward the girl.
Yuna turned her head away but didn't back away and remained holding hands with her beloved.
Kaori could only sigh from the sidelines, watching the farce but she forgot there was a keen observer nearby who could read her emotions fairly well.
"Isn't it sad, General? That to maintain your reputation in Kei's eyes you need to restrict yourself?"
Kaori was slightly startled since she was so occupied with Kei that she didn't notice when Sayaka neared her with a suggestive look on her face. Aoi was also along with her but from her expression, it seemed she was in slight panic about how her friend casually called out for the General.
Kaori's primary concern wasn't Aoi as she asked the blond, "What do you mean?" With her gaze narrowed, Kaori asked Sayaka who soon began to grin upon successfully gaining Kaori's attention.
Matching her senior's pace, Sayaka spoke in her natural tone, trying to hide her mischief, "I mean...aren't you worried about what if Kei-kun takes you for granted since General Kaori always behaves so calmly? In the future, he might not even consider your opinion in matters and you might find yourself compromising all the time."
Kaori's expression remained unchanging yet inside, she was thrown into turmoil. A sense of insecurity to be precise was implanted by Sayaka.
Turning her gaze slowly toward her beloved she found Kei's eyes only darting between Karen and Yuna(Kaori completely discarded the fact that Kei was chatting with Ryuuta and Hana as well. )
Despite how much she tries to act mature and considerate, at the end of the day, she is the first person to realize her feelings for Kei and someone who has known him for the longest time. (She's not entirely aware of how long Yuna and Kei are associated with each other.)
If it only had been just the vampire girl then Kaori was sure to have her spot as Kei's first wife. Not only she was stronger than Karen but Kaori was sure that she looked better than Karen in those kinds of lingerie.
She has affirmed it from Kei after all.
But now this sudden addition of the dragon princess has been making her quite irritated. Kaori accepts that when it comes to intelligence, Kaori is far more collected and mature than the other two princesses but when it comes to beauty...
"Do you have some advice or are you here to just rub salt on my wounds?"
Sayaka was surprised seeing those determined eyes but soon she smiled happily and spoke out those ideas she had preplanned before she even approached Kaori, "Actually, I was thinking that during the trip..."
****
While crossing the passageway that leads to the palace of the Empire, Ryuuta noticed the heavily guarded route which had guards on either side of the broad path that ends at the second entranceway of the majestic palace.
The palace was approximately sixty feet tall. Sayaka gasped audibly witnessing the royal palace. However, it was not just Sayaka who was flabbergasted. No one has ever witnessed such an overwhelming site.
The palace was in a golden shade with four pillars surrounding the main dome. There was a humongous statue of Kei in his current form at the front of the palace. If anything, almost everyone, of course except Kei and Yuna, became conscious about their clothing and appearance when they neared the palace entrance.
"I bet they are around S-rank..." Aoi muttered with her gaze fixated on the falcons patrolling around the palace and the watch towers were occupied by owl-like beasts which had their eyes darting around the place like a hawk finding its prey.
"I have a gut feeling that they would have charged at us the very moment we stepped inside, if not for Kei...." Hana shivered at the thought as she assessed those massive soldiers stationed at the entrance.
However, all their nervousness and anxiety dissipated at once when their eyes landed on the woman waiting to greet them.
"Greetings everyone. Myself, Sufiana, the Empress of the First Empire and the first wife of my Lord."
*****
A/N: - There is a reason why Sufi doesn't attach a surname, about which we will get to know in this arc.
Fluff incoming. Drop a comment if you are excited.