Arvin stared at the handsome yellow-haired youth standing before him with an unreadable expression in his eyes.
As the head of the household, he wanted to ensure that Oliver was truly mentally prepared and capable of following the unspoken rules that governed the ecosystem of his family.
"Now, take off your clothes!"
Hearing the blunt demand requiring him to strip naked in front of dozens of eyes, Oliver instantly widened his eyes, his heart pounding rapidly.
It had never once crossed his mind that such an order would be the very first thing he heard from the mouth of the man he wished to marry.
What?! Oliver screamed inwardly. He wants to see my naked body right here? In front of everyone? How long does this family intend to degrade and humiliate me like this?!
The surge of resentment and shame Oliver felt right now was not without a fundamental reason. Since his very first step in attempting to enter Arvin Vedegra's life, his pride as a prince of the Astoria Kingdom seemed to be constantly trampled on and severely tested.
It began when he was at the capital's east gate. To prove his seriousness, Oliver had to cast aside his pride and shout out his feelings for Arvin out loud, causing an uproar among all the capital's residents.
Then came the second time, when he finally managed to get inside and met Alrain in the mansion's courtyard. There, he was grilled, interrogated, and berated by Arvin's second spouse with sharp words and highly degrading treatment.
And now, the third instance was happening tonight. Arvin's blatant demand to see his naked body, even though there were many people in the room standing by and watching his every move.
However, Oliver realized he had no other choice and there was no turning back. Furthermore, from the very beginning, he was the one who had made the decision to live with Arvin and the others.
In front of Oliver, Arvin simply stood motionless. He stared calmly without doing anything, without applying any additional pressure, as if patiently waiting for the prince to fight his own ego.
Although his hands were trembling slightly, the yellow-haired youth took a deep breath, trying with all his might to fortify his mentality.
He had to be ready to tear down the walls of his pride and stand completely naked in front of them for the first time.
After a few agonizing seconds that felt like hours, Oliver's hands slowly began to rise. His fingers reached for the collar of his silk pajamas and began unbuttoning his shirt one by one in slightly sluggish movements.
The pajama fabric immediately slipped and fell to the floor. The upper half of the youth's body was now clearly exposed to the eyes of everyone watching. Yet, he did not stop there.
Oliver directed both of his hands downward once more. He unfastened his trousers, then lowered them along with his underwear in one slow motion.
Now, the prince's lower body was vividly exposed right before Arvin's eyes.
From his calves up to his shoulders, not a single thread was left covering the yellow-haired youth's body. He stood completely, stark naked.
"Do you feel ashamed after stripping stark naked like this in front of us?"
The flat-toned question Arvin had just thrown out instantly pierced through Oliver's mind. The prince looked up, meeting the blue eyes assessing him.
In a split second, he analyzed the question, analyzed Arvin's gaze, and analyzed the stares of the other spouses, which emitted absolutely no lust or mockery.
An epiphany suddenly struck the youth's mind. He finally realized the intention of the head of the household who had asked him to take off all his clothes.
So that's how it is, huh? Oliver thought, absorbing the realization. Slowly, the shame and feelings of humiliation gnawing at him faded away, replaced by a warmth spreading through his chest. No wonder he wanted me to be naked like this in front of him and the others. He just wants to ensure I won't feel awkward if I decide to enter and live here with them.
Oliver lifted his face. He gazed at Arvin, and slowly, a smile blossomed on his lips. It was an incredibly warm, relieved, and genuine smile.
Seeing such a drastic change in expression and that sincere smile, Arvin was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected Oliver to respond to this psychological pressure with such a sweet, captivating smile right in front of him.
"At first, I did feel incredibly ashamed and humiliated." Oliver answered firmly, his voice no longer trembling. He looked directly into his husband's eyes. "But not anymore! You simply wanted to tear down the dividing wall between us, so that I wouldn't feel awkward and could fully blend in when living with you all here, right?"
Arvin returned the gaze, then offered a faint smile.
"Yes!" he answered briefly.
In his heart, Arvin was truly amazed by Oliver's level of intelligence and analytical skills. The prince's ability to read the situation and understand the ulterior motives of others matched the character profile description in his game perfectly, even though his combat power wasn't as exceptional compared to the others.
From the very beginning, he had considered everything when deciding to make Oliver his spouse. To him, both physical and magical strength could still be forged through hard training. However, the sheer intellect Oliver possessed was an innate talent that could not be bought.
"A-Arvin...?" Oliver called out softly, his tone now sounding slightly nervous.
"Yes, Oliver?"
"Seeing that I am already standing here, stripping away all my pride for your sake, are you... are you willing to make me your thirteenth spouse?"
"Yes, I am willing!" Arvin replied in a very gentle tone, without the slightest hesitation. "But, before that happens... I want you to give me your soul tonight."
The air in the room seemed to freeze. The phrase 'give me your soul' instantly made Oliver gasp. He stared into the pair of blue eyes of the man he had now chosen as his husband with overwhelming confusion. He didn't understand the essence of that mystical-sounding demand at all.
As someone accustomed to logical thinking, only one thing crossed his mind regarding the phrase 'asking for a soul' = death.
"Give you... my soul?" Oliver repeated, confirming his husband's absurd request one more time. "But... what for?"
"You will know the answer later, after you've done it." Arvin replied calmly, reluctant to provide lengthy details.
"Does that mean... I will die tonight?"
"Yes. You will die, and then you will come back to life with your soul bound to mine for all eternity, just like the others." Arvin answered in a straightforward voice.
Hearing such a horrifying and illogical confirmation from Arvin, Oliver fell rigidly silent, reconsidering the concept of surrendering his soul. However, he immediately caught onto a crucial clue. The phrase 'just like the others' that Arvin had spoken so casually was the key.
Oliver glanced to the side, looking at the faces of Allen, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein, who were still standing near the bed.
If Arvin said 'just like the others', didn't that mean all of his other spouses had also gone through the process of death and surrendered their souls to him?