Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Dion continued walking around to inspect the room, with the others trailing closely behind while keeping a watchful eye on him. Arriving at the door that had previously looked like a massive chunk of rock, Dion was stunned to see the stone exterior crumble away, revealing a sturdy door made of iron and crystal. Dion raised his hand and touched its surface, the door split down the middle and slid open.

"Whoaaaah," Luna, Cleo, Sheila, Aria, and Mei gasped in unison.

"Kyuu?" Gina asked, perched on Dion’s shoulder.

"Yeah... looks like it’s just like the previous pyramid," Dion said.

They stepped inside, and sure enough, the adjacent room closely resembled the chamber in the Mageford pyramid. However, the machinery here appeared far more complex, covered in intricate runes. A larger stone pillar stood in front of the central podium, and its iron plate featured a palm impression connected to a circuit-board-like metal slab beside it.

"Okay... so the function of this pyramid is roughly the same... except it’s three times larger than the one in Mageford," Dion noted.

"Because this is likely the control mechanism used to fly all of Xandor, just as that other pyramid was built to levitate Mageford," Aria analyzed, standing beside Dion.

"Hmm... nothing’s happening," Sheila said, placing her palm onto the handprint molding.

"Hey! Sheila, don’t touch anything!" Cleo shouted.

"Sorry... sorry... I was curious," Sheila replied, raising her hands with a sheepish grin.

"If something goes wrong, we’re in big trouble... and that goes for you too. Please, just look around and don’t touch anything," Luna said, wrapping her arms around Dion’s arm to keep him grounded.

"Yeah... yeah... I know," Dion replied.

"Kyuu?" Gina asked, smiling as she pointed a paw at her own nose.

"That means you too, don’t touch anything," Dion warned her.

"Kyuuu," Gina slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

Sheila then glanced over at Mei, who was standing quietly with her head down. She nudged Cleo beside her, prompting Cleo to turn toward Mei, which quickly caught Aria’s and Luna’s attention as well. Seeing everyone staring at Mei, Dion turned to look too.

"What’s wrong, Mei?" Sheila asked. "You’ve been quiet this whole time... Is something on your mind?"

Mei looked up to see Dion, Gina, Cleo, Aria, and Luna all watching her, then met Sheila’s gaze. She kept her hands behind her back, her fingers clutching the scroll so tightly her knuckles turned white. Seeing how serious everyone looked:

"Um... may I speak with everyone for a moment?" Mei asked.

At her request, everyone nodded. They returned to the previous chamber and sat along the top edge of the long conference table, as there were no chairs available. Mei then pulled out the scroll and handed it to Dion. Dion unrolled it, and Aria, Sheila, Cleo, and Luna immediately crowded around him to read along. Their eyes swept from left to right down the page, and their relaxed expressions quickly turned tense.

"Huh... Mei is the daughter of King Araki?" Luna asked.

"Wait... does that mean you’re a royal princess too?" Sheila asked Mei.

"Please read it carefully," Mei replied, pointing to the letter.

"It says here you’re the king’s illegitimate child, but since the king has no lawful wife, he has no legitimate heir either. It also mentions that the third prince isn’t his biological son either... which means you’re technically the princess of the Eredor Kingdom, right?" Cleo asked.

"Good grief... so we’re literally a group of royal princesses here?" Aria asked.

"Yep... and we’re marrying the king of the Xandor Kingdom. Isn’t that right, sweetie?" Luna said, wrapping her arm around Dion.

"Haha... real funny. Please don’t joke like that," Dion said, shaking his head. "So what do you plan to do now, Mei?"

Mei paused for a moment, looking seriously at Dion, then scanning each of the girls one by one, before landing on Gina perched on Dion’s shoulder. Turning her focus back to Dion:

"Dion, please allow me to return to my kingdom briefly. I promise I will come back here, but I need to confirm this matter for myself over there," Mei stated.

"Hmm... I see... Well then, alright..."

"We’re coming along!" Luna, Aria, and Sheila interrupted in unison, throwing their hands up enthusiasm.

Dion, Gina, and Cleo turned to look at the three of them, whose eager expressions clearly clashed with Mei’s face, which practically screamed that having them tag along was a terrible idea.

"Don’t tag along! This is Mei’s personal business, she needs to handle it herself," Cleo scolded.

"What’s wrong with you, old hag? Don’t be like that to our friend and family," Aria snapped.

"Call me ’old hag’ one more time, and I will burn you alive," Cleo hissed in annoyance.

"Oh yeah? Just try it, I’ll hurl the fire right back at you," Aria challenged.

"Enough... why are you two arguing already? Mei, is it okay if they come along?" Dion asked.

"Um... truth be told, I wanted to speak with my father in private... to ask what actually happened and why he wrote a letter like this. But according to the operative I caught yesterday, my father is currently in Minatheras," Mei explained.

"See? Did you hear that? Mei wants to speak with her father, Haruto, in private," Dion told Luna, Aria, and Sheila.

"But... I’ve never been to Eredor before. I wanted to see what their metallurgy looks like," Aria said, pouting.

"Same here... I’ve never been either. I wanted to observe their social structure and learn from it," Luna added glumly.

"There’s no way I’m letting Mei go unaccompanied," Sheila chimed in, equally deflated.

"The truth is, you guys just want to go sightseeing because you heard Eredor has amazing, unique street food, plus the scenery there is great for a vacation, am I right?" Cleo pressed.

Caught red-handed by Cleo, Luna, Aria, and Sheila lowered their heads with flushed red cheeks, looking away awkwardly.

"Is it really like that over there?" Dion asked Mei.

"Um... yeah... pretty much," Mei answered.

"Alright... let me pack, we’re going!" Dion said enthusiastically.

"Kyuuuu!" Gina cheered in excitement, raising one paw in the air.

"Slap!"

Cleo smacked the back of Dion’s head so hard he immediately clutched it with both hands. He turned to glare at Cleo behind him.

"What was that for?!" Dion yelled.

"Remember, we still have a whole lot of problems to deal with right here!" Cleo snapped.

"She’s right, Dion. Just let me go on my own. Besides, I’m not leaving today anyway. I’ll head out in two days, because according to my father’s subordinate, my father won’t be back for another two or three days," Mei said.

"Uh... fine then. In two days, right?" Dion clarified.

"Yes... and I will definitely return," Mei promised.

"Alright then," Dion agreed.

"Wait... so we’re not going at all?" Luna asked.

"Yeah... are we really staying behind?" Aria asked Dion.

"Leaving in two days wouldn’t be a problem either," Sheila added, looking at Dion.

"We’re not going. Cleo’s right, we still have plenty of business to take care of in this domain, and a lot of things need to be coordinated," Dion stated.

"But my sister is the one doing all the work right now. We’re basically just waiting for the investigation results from those ruins," Luna pointed out.

"Besides, those ruins are right along the path to Eredor, right? There’s no reason for us to just sit around here," Aria added.

"Like they said, I don’t need to elaborate any further," Sheila said casually, gesturing toward Aria and Luna.

"Hmm... they actually make a good point. Come to think of it, since the ruins we want to investigate are right nearby... it might actually be a good idea for us to go," Cleo murmured, lost in thought.

Dion turned to stare at Cleo standing beside him, his eyes filled with sheer disbelief at what he had just heard. Cleo glanced over at Dion.

"What?" Cleo asked.

"What’s wrong with you?! Earlier when I said let’s go, you hit me! Now you’re the one who wants to go! Stop being so indecisive, and stop hitting me out of nowhere, that actually hurt!" Dion snapped in annoyance.

"Oh... fair enough... please forgive your beautiful first wife," Cleo said, giving him a playful wink.

"Hah?! First wife?!" Luna, Aria, and Sheila shouted at once.

"Since when is there an order?! If we’re going by order, I’m first because Dion is my fiance!" Aria argued angrily.

"In your dreams! I’m first! I’ve been with Dion since we were kids! Fiance or not, you weren’t with him every single day, so don’t talk nonsense!" Luna retorted fiercely.

"Among barbarians, we don’t use numbers, everyone holds equal status!" Sheila added.

As Cleo, Aria, Luna, and Sheila engaged in a loud, echoing debate that filled the room, Dion slowly backed away toward Mei, who was standing quietly off to the side.

"You... aren’t joining in?" Dion asked.

"No... because numbers mean nothing to me. No matter what happens, you are mine and I am yours—no rank or number can ever change that," Mei replied smoothly.

"Oh... okay," Dion responded stiffly.

The two stood in silence, watching the nonsensical debate unfold as it grew increasingly heated with dramatic hand gestures. Mei then turned her head toward Dion.

"Thank you," Mei said softly.

"For what?" Dion asked, caught off guard by her sudden gratitude.

"For letting me return home. I truly want to find out the truth about my origins," Mei said.

"There’s no way I’d stop you. Besides, it looks like all of us are coming along anyway, since those ruins sit right along the road heading there," Dion replied.

Mei went quiet for a moment, lowering her gaze. Dion observed her closely; he knew full well she had requested to go alone so she could have a private conversation with her father. Reaching out, Dion gently placed his hand on top of Mei’s head.

"You don’t need to worry about us. We’ll be right there, ready to back you up if you need help. You just focus on handling your own business over there, and don’t stress about us," Dion said softly.

"Thank you, Dion," Mei replied with a subtle smile.

Suddenly, Mei spun around and pulled Dion in "Smoooch!" she planted a kiss directly on Dion’s lips. Dion’s eyes widened in instant shock, while Gina covered her face with both of her tiny paws.

"Hey! What do you think you’re doing, Mei?!" Cleo, Aria, Luna, and Sheila yelled in unison before rushing over to drag Dion and Mei back into the chaos.

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