Chapter 95: A Late-Night Audience

A few hours later, "Snore... snore... snore." Dion, dressed in a kimono-style nightgown, lay flat on his back in his room. Luna and Aria flanked him on either side, Cleo was sprawled on the far end next to Aria, and Sheila lay star-shaped beside Luna. They all wore matching nightgowns, while Gina slept peacefully on Dion’s chest.

While everyone was sound asleep, the room door slowly creaked open. A shadowy figure slipped inside, moving swiftly behind Dion. The shadow crouched down and gently shifted Gina off Dion’s chest and onto the mattress beside him.

"Dion... wake up... Dion," a voice whispered.

"Uh..."

Dion opened his eyes and gasped, startled to see Mei’s face hovering upside down right above him. Before he could open his mouth, Mei’s hand moved like lighting to clamp over his lips while raising her index finger to her own mouth, signaling him to be quiet. Dion nodded, and Mei released her grip.

"You’re back, Mei?" Dion whispered.

"I need your help. Can you come with me right now?" Mei whispered back.

"Huh... at this hour of the night?" Dion whispered, thoroughly confused.

Mei didn’t answer, simply nodding her head. "Snore... snore... snore." Both of them turned to look at Sheila, who was snoring loudly right next to Luna. Dion looked back at Mei.

"What about the others?" Dion whispered.

"I’ll tell them tomorrow. For now, just come with me, hurry," Mei whispered.

"Okay... okay... let me change first," Dion whispered back.

"No time, let me wait outside," Mei whispered back.

"Huh... but I’m wearing the inn’s nightgown," Dion whispered.

"Uh... fine, hurry up, I’ll wait outside," Mei whispered back.

Mei slipped out of the room like a shadow. Dion sat up in bed, moving with extreme caution so as not to wake Gina, Aria, or Luna beside him. But just as he tried to swing his legs out, Aria suddenly grabbed his ankle.

"Uh... total mess," Dion thought in his head, staring at Aria’s hand locked around his ankle.

He crouched down and painstakingly pried Aria’s tightly clamped fingers off his ankle one by one. Once free, he took a step, only for Cleo to suddenly sit bolt upright and stagger around, nearly giving him a heart attack on the spot.

"Mercy... how do they even sleep?" Dion complained in his head.

He approached Cleo, gently guided her back down onto the futon, and straightened her open robe. After that, he quickly changed into his clothes and stepped out of the room. Mei was already waiting in the central living room, sitting cross-legged beside the coffee table. A letter sat on the table before her, which she had apparently written for the rest of the group. Dion looked at Mei again.

"Alright, where on earth are we going?" Dion asked.

"Just follow me and trust me. I promise it’s nowhere dangerous," Mei replied, standing up.

"Hmm... fine then," Dion conceded.

The two stepped out of the suite and walked out of the inn. The streets outside were dead silent under the cover of late night. Mei led Dion down the road toward what she claimed was her house, but as they drew nearer, Dion grew increasingly suspicious.

"We’re going to your house?" Dion asked.

"Yes... my house," Mei answered curtly.

"Then why are we heading straight for the palace? Don’t tell me your house is the actual palace," Dion noted.

Mei didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed Dion’s hand and pulled him along to quicken their pace. Suddenly, Dion sensed movement in their surroundings. He spotted several dark silhouettes darting between the unlit, pitch-black buildings.

"Are we being watched?" Dion asked.

"Well... it is the palace after all. Security is naturally tight," Mei stated.

"So it is the palace?" Dion pressed.

"Uh... yeah, it is. Look, stop asking questions for now and just follow me," Mei snapped in frustration.

"Okay... okay... fine," Dion surrendered.

They entered the palace grounds, and Mei immediately guided Dion into the royal audience chamber. Stepping inside, Dion was shocked out of his mind to find King Kenzo and Haruto waiting in front of a privacy screen, with a low table set with four cups of tea between them. King Kenzo appeared to be personally brewing the tea while Haruto waited in silence. As Mei and Dion took their seats, the king offered a cup of tea to Dion, then passed a second cup to Mei. Mei bowed, took her cup, swirled it slightly, and took a sip. Seeing this, Dion picked up his cup and downed the entire thing in one gulp, making Mei’s eyes bulge in shock.

"It’s quite alright," Kenzo smiled gently.

"Uh... very well, Father," Mei replied.

"So... what is this all about?" Dion asked, completely out of the loop.

"Forgive me for disturbing your rest at such an hour. My name is Kenzo Araki, King of Eredor. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Dion Von Oswald, King of the heart of the Dark Forest," Kenzo introduced himself with a respectful bow.

Hearing Kenzo’s words, Dion immediately knew something was off. As his bad gut feeling flared to an all-time high, he turned to look at Mei.

"King of the heart of the Dark Forest? My territory? I’m no king," Dion protested.

"Um... not yet... but you will be," Mei interjected casually.

"Uh... whatever. What is the real point of this meeting?" Dion asked.

"I, on behalf of the Kingdom of Eredor, wish to offer our royal princess, Mei Sion, to you in marriage, so that our realm may form a permanent bond with you," Haruto answered on Kenzo’s behalf.

"Mei has informed us that you are already engaged to her, so we are here tonight to make it official and bestow our blessings upon you both," Kenzo added with a warm smile.

Dion froze on the spot, his jaw practically dropping to the floor. It instantly dawned on him that this was no ordinary meeting, this was a formal sit-down with his future father-in-law. Naturally, his mind flashed straight back to his past life on Earth.

***

Marcus sat across from an elderly gentleman, staring in sheer disbelief at the document laid out on the table before him.

"What is this, sir?" Marcus asked.

"It’s a prenuptial agreement. You want to marry into our family, so these are our terms. As you know, ours is a prominent family with substantial business assets, so we can’t just let anyone join our lineage recklessly. I trust you understand," the old man replied smoothly.

"Dad... don’t be like that. Marcus is working really hard right now," Tessa defended, standing up for Marcus.

"Fine, I agree. I’ll sign it. I don’t care about the family fortune, I just love Tessa," Marcus declared.

"Wonderful, my boy. I’m glad we share the same understanding," her father replied warmly.

"Wait... why is there a clause stating you’re allowed to use my name as a loan guarantor if necessary?" Marcus questioned, catching a specific line.

"Oh, that’s only if needed, purely a formality. Don’t worry about it," the father-in-law brushed it off.

"Alright, I get it," Marcus relented.

Blinded by his love for Tessa, Marcus didn’t care anymore and signed the contract without having a lawyer review it first. In the end, his name was repeatedly used as collateral for his in-laws’ home mortgage, Tessa’s younger brother’s car loan, business credit lines, and even a luxury yacht. Everything was registered under his name, leaving Marcus suffocating under immense debt as they routinely dumped the monthly payments onto him.

***

Snapping back to the present, Dion immediately raised both hands in a defensive gesture, leaving Mei, Kenzo, and Haruto completely baffled.

"Before I sign anything... I want my lawyer to review every single document first!" Dion blurted out loudly.

Dead silence instantly fell over the room, Dion’s words hanging awkwardly in the air. Kenzo and Haruto exchanged bewildered glances, while Mei simply facepalmed, shaking her head in second-hand embarrassment. Dion quickly realized his blunder, there were obviously no lawyers in this world, and nobody here had the slightest clue what a lawyer even was.

"Okay... my bad, slip of the tongue... So... what were you saying? You want to marry Mei off to me?" Dion pivoted, trying to change the subject.

"Precisely. Rest assured, the royal family will ask nothing of you in return. On the contrary, we will lend our full support to your battle against the coming darkness," Kenzo assured.

"Huh... battle against the darkness?" Dion asked, thoroughly confused.

"There is an ancient prophecy handed down through the five royal families of the five kingdoms. First, Gemmeth will journey northeast toward the seal located there. Second, upon arrival, the seal will shatter, awakening the latent power hidden within. Third, these two events signal that darkness has arrived, poised to consume the world, and only the King and his Dragon who forge the Kingdom of the Skies possess the strength to resist and destroy it. Fourth, the King, as the savior of the realm, will ultimately decide the fate of the world," Kenzo explained solemnly.

"Huh..."

Dion was completely stunned, turning to look at Mei, who looked just as floored as he was.

"We in the Shadow Hand only possessed half of the prophecy, so it’s only natural that Mei is hearing this part for the first time as well," Haruto clarified.

Dion stood speechless. He knew with absolute certainty that the first part of the prophecy had already come to pass, and the second part was bound to happen next.

"Damn it... my gut was totally right... Whenever she starts moving, something crazy always goes down... Damn it... damn it... my retirement just got pushed back even further," Dion grumbled in his head with a completely blank expression.