“Big Brother!” Brianna jumped into William’s arms as soon as he stepped out of the flying carriage.
William held the little loli in his arms and patted her head. “You shouldn’t always do this. Your image of being the temporary Great Chief of the Northern Tribes will diminish if others were to see your current expression.”
Brianna took a few steps back as she stuck out her tongue. William could only shake his head in helplessness as he helped Wendy and Ian disembark from the flying carriage. It took them three days to reach the Third Peak of the Kyrintor Mountains from the Armstrong Duchy.
“How long are you going to stay here, Big Brother?” Brianna asked after William and his entourage settled inside the living room of the Great Chieftain’s residence.
“We will stay for a while,” William replied. “There are some things that I must take care of before meeting with your Sovereign.”
Brianna nodded in understanding. She knew better than to pry into the affairs of her Big Brother, especially when it had something to do with their Sovereign, that protected the entirety of the Kyrintor Mountains.
“You can stay here for as long as you like, Big Brother,” Brianna patted her chest with confidence. “I am the one that calls the shots here right now.”
William smirked as he playfully rubbed Brianna’s hair with his hand. “You sure talk big now, huh? Fine, I’ll accept your hospitality and stay here for a while. By the way, how are the Tribes?”
“All of them have already relocated here. At first, they were reluctant to leave their ancestral lands. However, they changed their minds when I told them that it was the order of our Sovereign.”
“… You sure know what words to say to your people.”
Brianna giggled as she closed her eyes to accept William’s act of spoiling her rotten. Prince Ernest sighed beside Brianna because he had already come to terms with his Fiance’s and William’s close relationship.
Ian and Wendy also didn’t mind this show of affection because they understood that William only saw Brianna as a little sister and not as a lover.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” William said with a smile. “Can you give us a room with a large bed? I’m planning to share the room with Ian and Wendy.”
Brianna tilted her head as she looked at Ian and Wendy. She could understand why William would like to share the same room with Wendy, but she didn’t understand why Ian would also join them as well.
‘Am I just overthinking things?’ Brianna thought as she nodded her head to acknowledge William’s request. “We have a room just like that, Big Brother. It has a bed big enough to fit six people. Afterall, the Warriors of the Northern Tribes usually have two or more wives.”
Brianna suddenly remembered the event that happened not long ago.
If William hadn’t appeared in the Kyrintor Mountains back then, Brianna’s uncle, Connal, would have married Princess Aila and a few other ladies from the different tribes after the Bride Selection Ceremony.
Also, Brianna would have also been forced to marry the second Prince of the Anaesha Dynasty, who had been turned to ashes by William during their duel.
“I’ll have your quarters prepared right away, Big Brother.” Brianna stood up. “For now, I’ll let you talk to Ernest. I’m sure that the two of you have many things to talk about.”
Brianna didn’t wait for William’s reply and left the living room. She also ordered her maid servants to follow her as they prepared William’s, Ian’s, Wendy’s, and Dave’s lodgings.
“You’d better take care of her properly, Prince Ernest,” William said as he faced the Youngest Prince of the Hellan Kingdom. “I’ll make you sorry if you make her cry.”
Prince Ernest gave William a curt nod before asking about the affairs of the Hellan Kingdom. William didn’t hold back any information because the Youngest Prince had the right to know.
Prince Ernest showed a rare expression of anger when he heard that his Big Brothers had been in cahoot with The Organization that was responsible for the war and the Continental Spell, that turned the adults into crystal statues.
The Youngest Prince didn’t doubt William’s story because he knew that the Half-Elf wouldn’t waste his time to fake a report just to frame his brothers.
“Where are they now?” Prince Ernest asked after a brief period of silence.
“They’re no longer in the capital,” William answered. “According to credible sources, The Organization took them back to their Headquarters. Right now, Est and the Son of the Prime Minister are handling the affairs of the Capital City of Gladiolus.”
Prince Ernest nodded his head. He was quite familiar with the two people that William had mentioned.
“Brendan is very capable,” Prince Ernest stated. “He was raised by his father to take his place the moment he retired from service. As for Head Prefect Est…”
Prince Ernest’s expression softened when he thought of the one that led the First Years of the Magic Division.
“He is a good choice to lead the people in the absence of the Royal Family,” Prince Ernest commented.
The Young Prince then looked at William with a serious expression before asking a question.
“Can I go back to the capital? Maybe I can help ease their burden,” Prince Ernest asked. “My presence will also pacify the survivors. Although I am not as popular as my older brothers, the citizens will still recognize me as their Prince.”
William rubbed his chin as he pondered Ernest’s suggestion. It was true that having the Young Prince return to the capital would give the Citizens some peace of mind. After careful consideration, William told Prince Ernest that he would think about it.
The only reason why he didn’t say Yes right away was because of the threat of The Organization. Although they had pulled back the majority of their forces from the capital, they could still return at any time, which might put Prince Ernest in danger.
Prince Ernest also understood this, so he didn’t force this issue. The reason he proposed such a thing was because he was feeling useless. Brianna was currently responsible for taking care of her Tribe, while he, on the other hand, had nothing to do but accompany her.
This sense of helplessness, and not getting any news from the capital, was making Prince Ernest feel depressed. It was as if he was sent to a foreign land to act as a hostage, never to return to his own Kingdom again.
—–
Nighttime inat Asgard…
Wendy opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar room. This was not the first time that she had a dream like this and had gotten used to it. Her face reddened in expectation as she waited for William and her adult self to do the deed.
What she didn’t know was this night would be different from the ones she had experienced in the past.
William came out of the shower room with only a towel covering the lower half of his body.
Wendy almost drooled when she saw the adult William’s lean and toned body that still had a few water droplets sticking to it. This was the body of the man that had made her face turn beet red, countless times in the past.
“What’s wrong?” William asked. “You’re surprisingly quiet today?”
Wendy turned her head to look behind her, expecting to see her adult self, but what she saw was her own reflection in the full body mirror inside the room. She then turned to the side, expecting to see the Valkyrie Captain sitting on one of the chairs inside the room, but it was empty.
A dawn of realization fell on Wendy at the same time that William’s hand caressed the side of her face.
“Are you sick?” William asked in a teasing tone. “Why are you acting so meek right now?”
Wendy’s body shuddered as she immediately took a few steps back. She then raised a hand in an attempt to keep the silver-haired man at bay and prevent him from coming close to her.
“W-Wait! Something is wrong here!” Wendy exclaimed. “Y-You’ve got the wrong Wendy!”
“What are you talking about?” William frowned. “What do you mean, I’ve ‘got the wrong Wendy’.”
“L-Listen! It’s not what you think! I mean, I am Wendy, but I am not the Wendy that you are looking for!”
“… What nonsense are you talking about?”
“I mean, I am not the Valkyrie Captain Wendy that you married!” Wendy exclaimed. “I’m not her!”
A soft chuckle escaped the Silver-Haired William’s lips. Of course he knew what Wendy was talking about.
Although the hair-color he had right now was Silver, the one inside the body was none other than William who had used the power of his Incubus Job Class to enter Wendy’s dream.
He was curious to find out what Wendy was dreaming about right now, so he entered her dream to take a peek. To his surprise, he found himself in the same familiar setting where he would usually make love to the Adult Wendy in his dreams.
‘From her words, this means that this is not the first time that she has been here,’ William mused. ‘Interesting.’
William watched as the Adult Wendy, who used to beat the crap out of him, looked at him with caution.
His goal was to only take a peek at Wendy’s dream, but the current scenario opened up a possibility to him.
‘What if…’ William thought as he gazed at the beautiful lady in front of him. ‘Well, I’ll find out soon enough.’
William smiled sweetly and his smile made Wendy shudder. It was the smile of a Wolf that was about to eat a snow-white rabbit that had unknowingly wandered close to its lair.
Clearly, tonight would be a different night for the two of them.
