The overwhelming anxiety and intense fear of rejection had blinded the prince's logic, causing him to unconsciously interrupt the conversation between Arvin and King Galeo in the room.
Even though his heart was now beating fiercely, Kylen gathered the courage to look directly into his father's face.
King Galeo, whose words had just been forcefully cut off, instantly shifted his gaze away from Arvin. He stared at his fifth son with a piercing glare.
"Without you having to shout to tell me, I already knew, Kylenciel!" King Galeo stated firmly, his voice laden with absolute authority. "If you two didn't truly love each other, there is no way you would have dared to hold hands so openly when you came to see me in the throne room earlier!"
Hearing the harsh reprimand that simultaneously laid his feelings bare before the entire family, Kylen's previously flaring courage instantly shrank.
Unable to utter a single word in response, Kylen slowly sat back down in his chair. He immediately bowed his head, hiding his face that was now flushed bright red from enduring such intense embarrassment.
"And one more thing, I do not appreciate you suddenly interrupting someone else's speech like that!" King Galeo reprimanded sternly, refusing to let the breach of etiquette slide. "Wait for your turn if you wish to speak! Do you understand, Kylenciel?"
"I-I understand, Father. I apologize."
Observing the interaction between the father and son, Arvin completely understood his spouse's impulsiveness. He knew exactly that, at this moment, Kylen was overwhelmed by the fear of rejection from the King.
"I fully comprehend the consequences of every word I speak, Your Majesty." Arvin replied without a shred of hesitation, seamlessly picking up where his sentence had been cut off. "Aside from the fact that this proposal was his request, I truly love your son. If it were not for my feelings for him, I would never have been willing to travel such a long distance just to meet you in this palace."
The straightforward and bold answer coming from the descendant of the Vedegra family spontaneously rendered King Galeo speechless. However, behind that silence, the political logic of a leader began to spin rapidly in his head.
The King was acutely aware that this proposal was a massive opportunity, as well as a double-edged sword, one that would never come around a second time. It was an offer that no ruler in their right mind would ever squander.
If I give my blessing and the two of them marry, a remarkably solid diplomatic relationship between the Vedegra family and the Flamort Kingdom will undoubtedly be formed automatically.
However, King Galeo did not merely think about the benefits. He also considered the detrimental consequences that would occur if he were to reject the proposal.
If I reject, or even fiercely oppose their marriage, Kylenciel will certainly rebel and choose to run away to live with the person he loves. the King thought. He cast a brief glance at Kylen, who was still looking down. Even from just a mere glance, I can feel very clearly just how deeply my son loves this young man.
Having finished calculating all the possible outcomes in his mind, King Galeo refocused his attention back on Arvin.
"Do you truly wish to marry my son, even though he is a man just like you?" the King asked, wanting absolute certainty.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I am absolutely certain!"
"Then, what is your main reason for choosing him?" King Galeo pressed further.
Arvin did not answer immediately. He glanced at Kylen for a fleeting moment before finally looking back at the King.
"Aside from the fact that he is so cute, your son is fundamentally a great person, Your Majesty." Arvin answered honestly. "For example, when he realizes that he has made a mistake, he does not hesitate to apologize openly to others, even if those people are merely commoners."
Hearing the sincere words of praise coming from his husband's lips, Kylen's face, which was already flushed, now burned a deeper shade of crimson. An overwhelming sense of embarrassment and a burst of immense happiness instantly collided and intertwined within his chest.
For Kylen, there was nothing in this world that felt more blissful than an honest acknowledgment from the man he loved so dearly, especially when that acknowledgment was spoken loudly right in front of his entire family.
However, Kylen's emotional reaction was in stark contrast to the reactions shown by the members of the royal family.
Around the table, they looked utterly shocked, even leaning towards disbelief at what they had just heard. To them, Kylenciel was a prince widely known for his closed-off, selfish, and incredibly stubborn nature.
Hearing the blue-haired youth now describe Kylen as a humble figure who dared to openly admit his mistakes to commoners was simply absurd. To their ears, Arvin's declaration just now sounded like a ridiculous lie.
"Are you truly telling the truth about my son, Young Master Arvin?" King Galeo asked, making no effort to hide his doubtful expression.
"That is indeed the reality, Your Majesty." Arvin answered swiftly and calmly. "If you do not believe my words, you may ask Delvian, Tania, Ziona, or Anna directly to confirm it. They are eyewitnesses who personally saw everything Prince Kylenciel did."
Hearing his name called out as a witness, Vian, who had been sitting in silence all this time, immediately spoke up.
"I can assure you that every word Young Master Arvin said is the absolute truth, Your Majesty!" Vian chimed in with a highly respectful tone.
King Galeo turned his head toward the son of the Mossard family. "But, how is it possible for that boy to change so drastically and suddenly, Delvian?"
Receiving indirect permission to speak, Vian began to recount the series of extraordinary events that he and his friends had experienced during their journey, leading up to what occurred in the Victoriaz Kingdom.
With clear articulation, Vian started his story from the moment their lives were hanging by a thread. He described in vivid detail how their group was completely surrounded by dozens of Forest Grizzly monsters, to the point where the six soldiers escorting their journey were completely overwhelmed. However, Arvin suddenly appeared out of nowhere and annihilated the dozens of monsters in the blink of an eye.
Vian then continued to explain how the Flamort Academy delegation finally decided to join the Astoria Academy delegation's convoy for the sake of safety until they arrived in the Victoriaz Kingdom.
"It was during that journey," Vian recounted honestly, "that the change in Kylen's attitude first became apparent. The prince, who usually always kept his distance, was suddenly sticking to Arvin at all times, as if indirectly declaring to everyone that Arvin belonged to him."
Vian's story continued to flow smoothly. "On the very first day the tournament began, right in front of hundreds of pairs of eyes, Kylen openly declared himself as the sixth spouse of Arvin Vedegra."
"However, the absolute proof of Prince Kylenciel's change in attitude occurred not long after that, Your Majesty." Vian continued, looking into the King's eyes with utmost earnestness. "During the match, his magic briefly slipped out of his control and nearly harmed the spectators. Instead of taking shelter behind his noble status, he did not hesitate in the slightest to bow his body deeply and apologize with pure sincerity to all the audience in the stands for his negligence."
The members of the royal family appeared visibly stunned, yet they continued to listen intently to the story being delivered by Kylen's childhood friend.
"And what amazed me the most was that Prince Kylenciel was willing to take the initiative to apologize first when he got involved in a fierce argument with two female students from the Astoria Academy." Vian recounted. "He did that openly in front of many people, right after Allen, who is Arvin's first spouse, stepped in and wisely clarified the issue that had caused the misunderstanding."