The absolute declaration just uttered by Kylen left Vian, Tania, Ziona, and Anna looking at one another in silence. The four of them were no longer surprised by his deeply ingrained stubbornness.
None of them had any intention of advising him further. They could only sigh in resignation, leaving Kylen to face whatever the future held for his unwavering decision to be bound by the Life-and-Death contract with Arvin, despite the grave risk of sparking a conflict among the royal family members at the palace.
....
....
Time passed swiftly along with the turning of the wheels. The darkness of the night finally arrived. The atmosphere inside the spacious carriage cabin slowly grew utterly silent. The crystal lamps had been dimmed, and everyone in the room had lain down and fallen fast asleep on their respective beds.
However, amidst the silence of the night, accompanied only by the faint sound of the wind outside the window, only two people remained fully awake on their bed.
Arvin was awake because he had to go and pick up Kaydan at the Victoriaz palace. Meanwhile, Kylen was awake simply because he realized his husband was not yet asleep and intended to go somewhere.
"Tonight, I want to pick up Kaydan and bring him straight to the capital of the Astoria Kingdom." Arvin whispered in a very soft voice, explaining his plan so as not to wake Vian and the others. Arvin's hand gently stroked his spouse's hair. "It is better for you to just sleep now, Kylen. Our journey is still long."
Kylen quickly shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.
"No, I don't want to sleep!" Kylen replied in a whisper laden with stubbornness. His hand gripped the hem of Arvin's shirt. "I want to come with you! I want to see with my own eyes who your tenth spouse actually is!"
Arvin could only sigh in resignation. If his stubborn spouse already had a strong desire and set his heart on it, it would be very difficult to persuade him otherwise. But on the other hand, Arvin still did not want to let Kylen accompany him in infiltrating the palace.
"What if we compromise?" Arvin suggested, trying to offer a safer solution.
"A compromise?" Kylen repeated, curiously.
"Yes! You don't need to come to the Victoriaz palace with me. How about you just come to the Astoria capital and wait for me at the mansion with Allen and the others?" Arvin answered, continue his persuasion. "That way, when the two of us return, you and all of them can welcome and see the person directly together at the mansion."
Hearing his husband's highly reasonable logic, the prince's resolve finally softened, and he agreed to the compromise.
Once the agreement was made, the two of them rose from the bed with very careful movements so as not to make a sound. With stealthy steps, they walked toward the bathroom and closed the door tightly.
Upon arriving inside the bathroom, Arvin wasted no time. He raised his right hand forward and began to focus his massive mana flow onto a single point.
Shing...
An oval-shaped dimensional gate radiating a purplish-black glow appeared before the two of them.
Instantly, Kylen's eyes widened. He immediately recalled his husband's words when he was furious at Davin beside the shelter house. At that time, Arvin casually stated that he had copied Davin's spatial magic right when the brownish-white-haired youth panicked and summoned multiple gates to escape from him.
He truly copied Davin's ability. the bluish-white-haired youth said in his heart. He stared in awe at the gate before him. This husband of mine is truly a terrifying monster. He can copy and use someone else's high-level spatial magic in just the blink of an eye.
"Let's go in, Kylen." Arvin invited with his gentle voice, which instantly managed to snap the youth out of his reverie and awe.
Kylen blinked his eyes and immediately nodded in agreement. With their fingers tightly intertwined, the two of them stepped forward, walking into the purplish-black glowing gate.
In just the blink of an eye after their footsteps crossed the gate's boundary, the view of the cabin bathroom vanished, replaced by the quiet and tranquil atmosphere of a bedroom.
On the bedroom's bed, only Alrain appeared to be awake. The youth was sitting leaning back in a state of high alert. Upon seeing who emerged from behind the portal, his tension instantly eased.
Meanwhile, in the next room, Alrain's older brother, Alrian, also immediately woke up from his sleep. He too sensed the mana fluctuation and the presence of two people who had just entered the premises of their mansion.
Alrian quickly woke up Dylan, Arion, and Victor, who were still fast asleep.
"Wake up quickly, all of you!" Alrian whispered while patting their shoulders one by one. "Our husband and Kylen seem to have returned and are in the next room."
Hearing the fifth spouse's words mentioning their husband's return, Dylan, Arion, and Victor's sleepiness instantly evaporated without a trace. The three of them immediately woke up, hastily tidied themselves up, and together with Alrian, they hurried, half-running, toward the next room.
Upon reaching the threshold of the door that had just been swung wide open, the four youths immediately halted their steps. Smiles of relief and happiness bloomed on their faces upon seeing their husband's arrival.
Once everyone on that floor had gathered, Arvin did not want to waste much time in the bedroom. He immediately invited all his spouses to head to the main lounge on the second floor of the mansion so they could converse more freely.
Upon arriving in the lounge, Arvin turned on the room's crystal lamp. The atmosphere instantly became brightly lit. All his spouses were now seated neatly, filling the sofas in the room.
"Alright, I won't beat around the bush and will directly state my main intention for coming here." Arvin said in a serious tone while walking casually toward his sofa, then sitting on it with Kylen immediately taking a seat by his side. "Tonight, I will go and pick up Kaydan at the Victoriaz palace and will bring him straight here to gather with us."
Hearing the direct announcement from their husband, the atmosphere in the lounge instantly became lively. All of them looked extremely enthusiastic and could not hide their immense curiosity regarding the figure of the tenth spouse.
"In that case, what are you waiting for? Go quickly and pick him up right now!" Allen exclaimed in a very impatient tone, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "All of us here really want to see what your tenth spouse looks like!"
The first spouse's enthusiastic words were immediately agreed upon by the others. They all nodded their heads firmly, offering their full support so their husband would depart immediately to complete his mission.
"Very well, if you are all so impatient..." Arvin replied with a gentle smile that warmed their hearts. He then rose from his sofa. "I will be going now."
"Yes, My Husband / My Love / My Dear / Honey / Sweetheart / Darling / My Beloved / My King / My Star / My Huby!"
Allen, Alrain, Ordion, Alvein, Alrian, Kylen, Dylan, Davin, Arion, and Victor answered the brief farewell in unison, each calling him by the special term of endearment they had established.
Arvin chuckled softly. He smiled very happily hearing the enthusiastic, unison response filled with such immense love from his ten spouses.
And once again, the blue-haired youth raised his hand. He focused his mana and created an oval dimensional gate whose path led directly and locked precisely onto the coordinates of Kaydan's room inside the Victoriaz palace.
"I will be back with him!" Arvin said as he slowly stepped toward the glowing gate.
Within seconds, his figure was swallowed by the gate, then disappeared completely from the sight of everyone left in the lounge, leaving them in a flutter of enthusiasm waiting for their new family member.