“That she does. You are the living proof of it.”

  They looked each other in the eyes for a brief moment and Silvia placed her palms on Ast’s chest. He sensed her intentions and pulled her a little bit closer. They both leaned forward and joined their lips in a delicate kiss.

  “This will be the first time in years that I wear an actual dress,” Silvia said quietly. “Perhaps it’s not as bad as I’ve always thought.”

  “I think you look great in it. It really suits you.” Asterios smiled, leaving one more peck on her lips. “Let’s go and meet with your father. I bet your appearance is going to shock him.”

  Chuckling together lightly, they walked through the portal Silvia opened for them. After arriving in her personal chambers, they hastily left the room and headed to the king’s office. Many servants they passed gave them surprised and curious looks and they exchanged smiles now and then.

  Welrond’s reaction didn’t disappoint them either as the king almost melted before their eyes, muttering under his nose something about cuteness, the mirror image of Silvia’s mom, and the world ending. It must have truly been ages since Silvia had donned such a beautiful dress. Asterios remembered her telling him that she wore various versions of her uniform almost everywhere.

  The trio talked about some proper etiquette and how everything would proceed during the banquet, from their arrival to their departure. Asterios had to accompany Silvia during those two instances but otherwise was free to do anything he wished. Of course, he assured Silvia and her father that he wouldn’t just ignore her for the entirety of the party.

  Soon, enough time had passed for the king and princess to head out. Asterios held his arm for Silvia and she entwined her elbow with his, pulling herself close to his side. Welrond grinned at them proudly and led them to the castle’s entrance, where a rich, fancy carriage awaited them. Twelve members of the Royal Division sat atop their winged tigers in two groups of six, one behind the carriage and the other in front. Everyone’s eyes were on the duo behind the king and they were fully aware of that.

  The trip to the mansion belonging to Eugene’s family took only ten minutes, during which Welrond tried to pull Asterios into a casual chat, sneaking a few glances between him and Silvia. They considered telling him about Ast’s mom just to see him panic in the middle of the road but barely held back, imagining his reactions while talking mentally as he remained blissfully unaware.

  As the carriage stopped, someone rushed to open the door for them and held his hand up while bowing low, aiming to assist the passengers in getting out. The king accepted his offer but the sight of another man inside the carriage threw the kind helper off, especially after that additional man helped the princess instead of him, fully taking her in his arms and gently setting her down.

  Entwining his elbow with Silvia once more, Asterios smiled politely at the man who looked way too well-dressed to be a butler. He assumed that this was the head of the family since it would only be natural for the most important person to greet the king. It was clear that Eugene’s father hadn’t expected him from how confused and flabbergasted the man was for quite a while, most likely trying to figure out his identity or their relationship. Or, perhaps, Silvia’s appearance was to blame for it.

  With her husband partially frozen, the lady of the house took it upon herself to lead Welrond, Silvia, and Asterios inside the mansion. They walked into a truly grand villa, the biggest and richest manor Asterios had ever seen. Not that he had seen many of them until recently. But, just the main lobby was as spacious as an entire wing of his family’s residence. It was closer to a palace rather than a mansion.

  After passing through countless massive and finely carved double doors, they stopped in front of the most intricate ones. The noise of an ongoing banquet could be heard from the other side.

  Welrond turned around to face Asterios and Silvia with a wide grin. “I have an idea.”

  The duo exchanged glances and the king stepped closer to Asterios, whispering something to his ear. Thinking his words over for a moment, Asterios nodded as the edges of his mouth began curling up too. Silvia watched curiously as faint crimson flames rolled over Ast’s face and a dark red half-mask materialized over his face, covering his forehead, cheekbones, and nose. With his ferocious vertical pupils and deep crimson eyes full of power, it created a captivating image.

  “There’s no doubt about you becoming a hot topic tonight now.” She chuckled quietly after realizing her father’s intentions. “You look so mysterious no one will dare to offend you.”

  “And in turn, no one should bother you, Princess,” Asterios replied with the proudest and most noble tone he could muster.

  “Perfect.” Welrond rubbed his hands. “It’s time to steal the show, then.”

  Eugene’s parents hastily slipped through the impressive gate and shushed everyone down, announcing the arrival of King Welrond and Princess Silvia. She and Asterios smirked at each other when the man stuttered a little after realizing that no one had even asked for Ast's name, thus he wasn’t included in the speech.

  Then, the two decorative wings opened inwards and the king walked forward first, shooting one last grin at the duo behind him. His entrance was met with instant applause and continued on as he slowly descended the long, wide steps leading to the main floor while waving to the sides. The hall was so big that it had three stories and multiple balconies beside the bottom level.

  When he disappeared from their sight, Asterios glanced at Silvia and she nodded at him with a gentle smile. Careful to watch his every step, he led the princess through the open gate with confidence. The very moment they reached the top of the descending stairs, the entire hall literally froze. All the clapping noise disappeared in an instant.

  Asterios ignored the intense stares boring into them and guided Silvia down with a straight, serious face. Their regular, quiet steps were painfully loud in the completely silent air. Everyone was so shocked either because of him or the princess’ choice of attire that people barely breathed.

  As he and Silvia reached the flat midsection of the stairs where Welrond waited for them at the short plateau, the man of the house and his wife sped past them to the very ground and started desperately clapping while nudging the closest people. Soon, the noise echoed through the hall again.

  “I’ve never shocked the crowd this much in my entire career. This night is going to be something.” The king chuckled when Asterios and Silvia stopped next to him. “Are your friends here?”

  “I’m pretty sure I see them next to the table by the third pillar on the left. Look. Someone is waving at us,” Silvia answered him.

  As his daughter’s remark reached his ears, Welrond was in the middle of placing his foot on the next step while looking in the opposite direction and gesturing at the gathered nobles with a charming smile. When his gaze followed her instructions and found the described area, his smile faltered, and not only it.

  Asterios and Silvia watched how the bewildered king slipped on the fancy carpet and lurched forward. Somehow saving himself from falling face first, he rushed down the stairs while waving his arms around for added stability and almost crashed into the ground at the very bottom. His face immediately snapped back up to Asterios with his eyes so wide they threatened to jump out of their sockets. A single question was clearly visible in his startled expression.

  Why is she here?!

  With a great deal of focus, Asterios managed to show only the faintest smirk and shrugged, signaling that he had no idea. But, it was obvious that the king didn’t buy his lie even for a second. Thankfully, Welrond chose to concentrate on salvaging his crumbling image and awkwardly assured the first nobles that had come to his side that he was fine. His eyes kept jumping to Kindra’s whereabouts the entire time.

  Silvia tugged on Ast’s arm and he continued guiding her down the stairs in silence again. Everyone had stopped clapping as they held their breaths while watching their respected ruler plunge down the flight of stairs. Though almost everyone’s attention was now on the king, one young, handsome man standing next to the hosts of the banquet with a glass of wine in his hand seemed to concentrate solely on each step Asterios and Silvia took.

  They reached the main floor too and curtsied at each other with their heads. As they exchanged smiles, Silvia leaned in and placed a tiny peck on Ast’s cheek before letting go of his arm and heading off to the side. The noise of glass breaking hit his ears and Asterios turned towards the source. Eugene’s parents were frantically prying the man’s closed fist open, which was dripping with red wine, and most likely blood. His eyes were wide as saucers and his skin white as a sheet.

  Asterios smiled wryly to himself.

  It would certainly be an eventful night.

  Chapter 4

  The Dance

  Shortly after Silvia walked away from Asterios, the guests began regathering their wits from witnessing the entrance of the royal family, and one mysterious, unexpected man by the princess’ side. Welrond continued assuring the hosts that he was fine while Silvia began exchanging polite greetings with some noblewomen. Asterios couldn’t help but notice the quick, sneaky glances they kept throwing at him, definitely curious about his identity and relationship with the king’s daughter.

  Remaining still at the bottom of the stairs in the very center of the hall wasn’t the best course of action in terms of not attracting even more attention so he started heading towards the spot where they had seen his mother and the others. No one stopped him. People actually stepped away to clear his path quite often. He could easily hear them whispering about him and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

  Without any obstructions, he located Kindra and the girls by the same table they had spotted them. Miria noticed him approaching and immediately abandoned any further thoughts about stuffing herself with the attention-craving cakes she had been consuming and rushed at Asterios with a blinding smile.

  “Master! You are finally here!” She jumped into Ast’s arms and they spun around for a brief moment, chuckling and giggling together.

  Setting the panthergirl down, he smiled at Miria warmly and took a good look at his energetic mate. He could feel how expectant she felt while gazing into his eyes with a pretty blush decorating her bright cheeks.

  Her usual adventuring outfit Miria had replaced with an adorable but very elegant babydoll dress made of slick, ruby satin. Two thin straps ran over her exposed shoulders, upholding the entire creation over her slim and well-toned body. A simple, darker belt coiled around her waist and narrowed the material a little bit, emphasizing her enviable figure even more. The smooth skirt ended shortly below her waist, barely reaching the middle of her thighs. She looked incredibly charming yet mature and Asterios couldn’t help but show a dazzling smile at such a sight.

  “I truly thought you can’t get any cuter but it looks like I’ve been wrong,” he complimented her and lifted Miria’s chin to place a delicate peck on her lips.

  “Thank you, Master.” She giggled, rubbing her cheek into his lovingly. “Miss Kindra chose it for me. She said that it was literally made for me and that you would definitely love it.”

  “I certainly do. You have to be careful, though. With how lively you usually are, you might show a bit more than you intend to.” He chuckled while scratching behind her ear.

  More rosy shade spread over Miria’s face and she turned her gaze away, still sneaking occasional, bashful glances back at him. “If it’s you, you can look as much as you want, Master…”

  They smiled at each other warmly and Asterios wrapped his arm around Miria’s waist. She gracefully turned around and leaned into his side, taking one more peek at his face.

  “That suit looks really good on you too, Master. And the mask is so enchanting and mysterious. It makes me want to kiss you on the lips.” She giggled quietly. “Come, look at everyone else’s dresses! Miss Kindra picked something for all of us! I can’t wait for you to see Tina or Grea!”

  He let her drag him forward with a soft chuckle and they soon stood in front of all his companions, including Kindra. As for his mother, she clearly hadn’t picked anything as eye-catching for herself as she had for Miria, but she still wore a beautiful, simple gown of cream color with long sleeves. An emerald corset wrapped around her waist and a few folds of green material ran down her dress. Overall, a rich merchant look was definitely what she had been aiming for.

  After Asterios and Miria reached them, Tina was the first person to hesitantly step forward. She kept her delicate hands clasped together over her belly while stealing timid glances at him. Kindra had dressed her into a light blue dress with the top section made of semi-transparent mesh, covering her shoulders and extending slightly onto her arms in the form of very short sleeves. It connected beautifully to the solid fabric that covered her bust, waist, and thighs as her skirt reached her knees. She had her hair done into a bun, revealing more of her slender neck, similar to Silvia. With sparkling azure earrings, she too looked like a real princess.

  Then, Selene arrived by her side and Ast’s eyes wandered to the vulpine lady. The mature vixen still had an eastern-themed dress on herself, but Asterios recognized more elements popular in the Demon Continent on it than in her own realm. It appeared as a white, extremely tight and well-fitting one-piece with no sleeves, but included covered shoulders and a high collar, decorated in sapphire patterns. It hugged her amazing figure like a wrapping, stopping shortly below her waist. It was so narrow from top to bottom that all her charms were alluringly stretching the durable material, creating an extremely tempting sight.

  Finally, as the last person out of Ast’s mates, Grea showed herself. To his surprise, she looked the most nervous and uneasy out of everyone, including the more sheepish girls. He grew a little worried that they were forcing her into an uncomfortable situation too much, but the girls sensed his thoughts and quickly reassured him, asking Asterios to take a good look at her.

  And, there certainly was what to look at.

  Most of Grea’s crimson skin was fully presented to the world. She wore a glistening, pitch-black cocktail dress that left almost nothing to the imagination. Her front was covered only by a loose piece of material that hung off her neck like a shawl, with cleavage so deep it ran past her belly button, almost plunging into her pelvic area. Grea’s full breasts poked their round shapes from the sides as the black cloth flowed over them like thin curtains. At her waist, the material turned into an actual dress and reached the very ground, dragging slightly over the floor. A long cut revealed her delicious left leg and it was obvious that her entire back was completely exposed until her very bottom too, just like her front.

  Miria unwrapped herself from Ast’s gentle hold and stepped aside. Asterios shot her a warm smile and turned his attention to the fidgety demon lady in front of him. Extending his arms ahead, he placed his hands on Grea’s waist and pulled himself closer, forcing her to look straight into his face. The scarlet skin of her cheeks was as dark as never before due to the intense blush plaguing them.

  She showed a slightly wry smile. “I’ve never worn anything like this… It’s certainly amazing but I don’t think I have the body to actually wear such a thing…”

  “Grea, Grea, Grea…” Asterios shook his head and leaned forward, joining their lips in a passionate kiss. “You have no idea what you are saying. This dress looks so good on you that I don’t know how to compliment it even, really. You have the perfect body for this. So beautiful, alluring, hot, and sexy. Just looking at you makes me a little bothered.”

  Grea’s slightly uneasy expression slowly changed into a more confident grin. “Does it really?”

  “See for yourself.”

  He brought their bodies even closer and Grea’s palm pressed into his chest. She trailed it down while looking Asterios in the eyes, soon passing his belt. Her grin grew even more as she stumbled on a slight bump down there, which emanated quite some warmth. Nibbling on her lower lip while looking up at him, she brought her lips close to his ear.

  “I’m not wearing any bra or panties underneath,” she whispered in a sultry tone and giggled quietly.

  “Don’t play with fire,” Asterios growled back at her and they stepped away, increasing the distance between them a bit.

  He was glad to see Grea regaining her usual confidence and boldness. It would be tough to enjoy the evening knowing that one of his beloved women wasn’t comfortable partaking in it. Thankfully, he had somehow managed to wash Grea’s insecurities away, bringing the teasing beauty out again. He only hoped that it wasn’t a mistake, but he would see about that very soon, most likely.

  “You all look just staggering,” Asterios said, meeting the eyes of all the women. “And that includes you too, Bryn.”

  The Valkyrie standing behind all his mates smiled gently and nodded her head after they stepped aside to let her and Asterios see each other better. Bryn had gotten rid of her armor but her general apparel remained quite similar to what she usually wore. A very short leather jacket covered her top, ending shortly under her impressive bosom, showcasing her slightly muscular stomach. Panty-styled bottom barely hid her most intimate parts as a magnificent tail cape flowed down from her belt. Everything was pure white, of course, with rich, golden details. With her beautiful wings, she looked even more angelic than the actual angels from all the stories.

  “Thank you, Master,” she replied softly. “Your apparel is very fitting too. The word was… manly, right?”

  He only got to nod as his answer before Kindra slipped under Bryn’s armpit and hugged the Valkyrie around her delicious stomach, showing a proud grin.

  “They all look dazzling, don’t they?” She giggled. “They are ready to steal and break hearts tonight! You better show them proper care and attention or they might find someone else!”

  Miria huffed playfully and pushed herself into Ast’s side. “No males come even close to Master! Nothing is going to change my mind!”