Prince Jason, who had just returned from the Army, to check Empress Sidonie’s condition, immediately became pale when he saw the collar on her neck.
“Y-You! What have you done?!” Prince Jason charged forward with the intention of breaking the collar on his bride candidate’s neck.
How could he possibly accept such an outcome? For the girl he was planning to marry to be enslaved to someone besides him had made him extremely jealous and angry.
Nero immediately blocked the Young Prince’s path. The protector had his arms crossed over his chest. It was obvious that he didn’t have any intention of allowing Prince Jason to vent out his anger on the two people who had done this of their own free will.
“Give it up, Prince Jason,” Nero said firmly. “The Empress had already made her decision. This is not something that you can interfere with.”
“How could this be?! Clearly, he used something to befuddle her!” Prince Jason protested. “How can she possibly ask someone to enslave her? This is impossible!”
“Impossible?” the person wearing a black robe said with amusement. “I personally inspected her state of mind. She wasn’t under the influence of anything. This was done out of her own free will and choice. Even if you cannot accept it, you have no choice but to accept it.”
Prince Jason gritted his teeth in anger. The Protectors had already made their stance and even if he threw a tantrum, it would not do anything. It would only make him look like a child that had lost his favorite toy, which would make the others look down on him.
“This is not over!” Prince Jason swore. “His Majesty will still have the final say in this matter.”
The robed man nodded. “This is indeed the case. If you have a complaint, you will have to wait until we return to the Kraetor Empire to voice them out.”
Prince Jason snorted and hatefully stormed off. He couldn’t bear to see the girl of his dreams being embraced by another man. It was something he couldn’t accept, and he would do everything in his power to gain his father’s approval when they returned to the Kraetor Empire.
Evexius watched the Prince go and sighed internally. He had already known about Prince Jason’s strong attraction to the Empress, but he thought that it was only due to the power of her Charm. He then shifted his attention back to William as he rubbed his chin in contemplation.
‘This Half-Elf seemed immune to it.’ Evexius mused. ‘Perhaps, this is also why the Empress favors him.’
While the Grand Archmage of the Kraetor Empire was deep in his thoughts, an internal struggle had been happening inside Sidonie’s mindscape.
< Switch with me! I want to hug darling as well! >
‘You can do it later. Let me stay like this for a little while longer.’
< This is unfair! How can you hog Darling all to yourself? I want some of the action, too! >
‘Why are you so persistent? It’s already a done deal. He can’t back away even if he removed the collar on our neck. It’s our win.’
< …. Well, you do have a point. But, still! >
The Young Empress currently had her eyes closed as she leaned on William’s body. The Half-Elf only thought that she was still feeling weak since she had just been revived not long ago, so he allowed her to cling to him for the time being.
It was at that moment when Evexius approached him with a smile.
“Congratulations to you, William, and to you, too, Empress Sidonie,” Evexius said with a smile. “I’m sure that the grand wedding that will take place a few years from now would be talked about, not only in the Kraetor Empire, but through the entire Central Continent as well.”
William, who heard Evexius’ words, tilted his head to the side in confusion.
“What wedding?” William asked.
“Your wedding of course,” Evexious’ smile widened.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you know? Placing a slave collar on a member of the Royal Family of the Kraetor Empire is akin to putting a wedding ring on their finger?”
William’s body shuddered. He was about to grab the collar from Empress Sidonie’s neck, when the lethargic Empress sprang to life and backed away hurriedly. She then hid behind the back of the purple-haired protector, to prevent William from taking the collar off her neck.
The corner of William’s lips twitched when he saw how agile the Once-Dead-Empress was. He then shifted his attention to the smiling Archmage by his side and was very tempted to slap Evexius’ face.
“What do you mean wedding? I’m not aware of this custom,” William protested.
“Well, you’re not the first, nor will you be the last person to say that,” Evexius replied.
“Um? What do you mean, I’m not the first nor the last person?” William inquired.
Evexius moved close to William and whispered something in his ears. The Half-Elf’s expression immediately changed as he realized that he had been set-up by the Succubus Empress.
“Well, don’t worry,” Evexius patted William’s shoulder. “You’re still young and the wedding has to wait for a few more years. Besides, the Emperor of the Kraetor will have the final say in the marriage. You just need to visit him in the Kraetore Empire and convince him that you have been duped.”
William was about to protest again when he remembered that he still had matters to settle in the Kraetor Empire. Est’s, Ashe’s, and Isaac’s curses could only be lifted after he had a meeting with Lady Astrid’s brother, Aamon.
His base of operation was in the Kraetor Empire, so burning his bridges here would only make things difficult for him in the future.
The Half-Elf just stared at the dark clouds that hung in the sky in resignation. He knew that he still had to explain himself to his lovers about his shotgun wedding with Empress Sidonie who had successfully hoodwinked William by using his conscience against him.
Evexius chuckled internally as he looked at the Half-Elf’s resigned expression. Having a son-in-law like William would be a huge boon to the Kraetor Empire’s prestige. Not only was he the son of the Saintess of the Elves, he was also the son of the Human Hero that had fought off the Demon Invasion.
His lineage was solid, and the merits that he had performed during this war were also noteworthy. With such an imposing resume, it was practically a done deal that William would become a son-in-law of the Kraetor Royal Family.
The only thing that would seal it completely was Emperor Leonidas’ Imperial Decree. As long as that was issued, William wouldn’t be able to escape, even if he grew wings and flew away.
After lamenting his current situation, William sighed and looked at the Empress who was peeking out from behind the purple-haired woman.
Empress Sidonie looked back at William with a teasing smile on her face. However, her eyes were filled with love. This made the Half-Elf sigh once again before walking towards the Bone Dragon that would take him back to the Hellan Kingdom’s camp.
The undead that had escorted William in this endeavor glanced at the Young Empress before following their Vampire Prince back to the City of Gladiolus.
Although they had been dead for thousands of years, they still appreciated the Young Empress’ boldness in ensnaring the only person that managed to win against Malacai’s bet.
Although there were a lot of twists and turns, the war had finally come to an end.
A few years in the future, the battles between the Elves and the Hellan Kingdom would be compiled and sent out to the various Factions, Kingdoms, Empires, and Academies across the entire world of Hestia.
Although many things would be omitted like Malacai’s Scepter, and the Undying Lands, the story would remain true to how the events had transpired. William, along with his lovers, and Empress Sidonie had taken the center stage in this tale.
Many commoners, nobles, and members of the Royal Families wouldn’t be able to keep themselves from praising it and calling it a masterpiece.
It was a classic that would still be talked about thousands of years in the future. A tale that would serve as the first among several sagas of the Legendary Shepherd who had made his mark in the pages of history in a world of Swords and Magic.
