''Yes, I will.'' Maria's reply to Alex's selfish wish was immediate, and no hesitation could be felt from the Ice Empress.

''Thank you, love,'' Alex said and planted a kiss on Maria's forehead.

''You welcome, dear,'' Maria responded with a smile.

''Were you having a nightmare earlier? Your face looked pale, and your heartbeat accelerated for a moment; you were frowning. I was worried.'' Alex suddenly brought this up; this happened when she had that dream.

''It was not a nightmare but a dream. A weird dream.'' Maria responded while staring at the stars looking down on them from their thrones.

''A weird dream? Like the one you can't remember?" Alex asked because when she said she had a weird dream, it was only the explanation he could think of. When you have a dream, and you cannot remember it, it's called a weird dream.

''Yes, I can't remember what exactly happened inside my dream. The only thing I can say for sure is that there was someone inside this dream which is dear to me.'' Maria explained, and Alex nodded; he went silent as if he was contemplating something, and finally, when he opened his mouth again, what he said made Maria's body shudder.

''Maybe this important person was your future daughter.'' It was unknown why Alex came up with this ridiculous thought, but when Maria said something extremely important, dear to her, he could only think of this.

For a moment, Maria felt like she was about to remember something important, but unfortunately, she still failed in the end. She almost became frustrated; however, she could perfectly control her emotions.

''Maybe, maybe not. Let's stop dwelling on this and talk about you.'' Maria said, trying to change the subject, and knowing this, Alex decided to play along.

''You want to know what I'm planning to do with Saeko, isn't it?" He asked. He was sure that it was precisely what Maria wanted to know, and this assumption was not wrong, for his question. Maria nodded.

''As you have noticed, her father sent her with a goal in mind. Currently, you are the hottest topic in the world. You singlehandedly defeated an empire. This kind of person is extremely rare, and many will want you. Letting his daughter accompany you is a ploy to secure a position beside you. What are you planning to do knowing the emperor's intentions?'' She probed, and Alex replied instantly.

''I have already asked Saeko if she wishes to accompany us, and she said yes. Once we live, she will follow us. Such a talented girl must be put into use. Her talent isn't less than that of Gracier. Her father plans to use her, and I'll let him do that but not how he wants. At least not in this world may be our relationship will develop in the next world. What matters right now is to have talented people surrounding me. This fight is not a fight I can't win alone. I need manpower; I need stronger comrades, and Saeko has the potential to become one. I'm not going to lose this opportunity.''

''I see. I knew you would think like that, but I just wanted to hear it from you. It's a good thing that you know this. I'm not against your decision; I will fully support you. We all will.'' Maria made this promise.

''Thank you. I guess it's time for us to head back, don't you think?"

''Yes, but there is one thing I want to remind you. In a few hours, I'm sure the emperor, Saeko's father, will invite us after Sakuya successfully inherited their founder sword. And the emperor will want to talk to you. It is probably related to what you did in the Holy Crux empire. The other empires have already decided; they are already dividing the empire, but it will not happen until you have your shares. I hope you will not go easy on him?"

''Don't worry, I'll not. I already have a plan in mind. If this world were our last destination, I would have made the Holy Crux empire my own.'' Alex said something unexpected. His words, especially the end of his sentence, left Maria speechless. In the past, Alex wouldn't have talked as he did now. From this sentence alone, one could see his desire to have his own kingdom. It may not happen right now, but Maria did not doubt that in the near future, Alex would have his kingdom; they would help him achieve this goal if he told them.

''Let's go back,'' Maria said, and Alex nodded before using void steps. They reappeared inside Maria's room. She immediately went to bed with a happy smile on her face.

The following morning everyone sat around a big table, and they shared breakfast.

Right after they ate their breakfast, a meeting was held. Except for Noire, who Alex sent after coming back to assist Lilith and others, those present here, together with Saeko, participated in this meeting.

''Alex, what is your plan from now on? We have accomplished our objective here. What are you going to do?'' It was Maria who asked this question. Sakuya, Gracier, Luna, and Saeko waited for Alex to answer as they were curious.

''Let's enjoy our stay here for a little bit to clear our minds.'' He told them what plan he had. He wanted to use this opportunity as a vacation to chill.

''Great, I missed my hometown, and this empire reminds me of Japan. I heard there would be a festival soon. Is that right?" Sakuya asked Saeko, smiling after learning that Alex would stay for a while; she would use this opportunity to bid farewell to her father and those she cherished.

''Yes, only three days left. Let's go together.''

''Yay!" Gracier was overjoyed; she would be experiencing her first festival with her brother and others.

Knock! Knock!

''Master, the emperor sent someone to call you all to the palace.''

Suddenly there was the sound of someone knocking on the meeting hall's door, followed by an announcement.

Alex nodded, and the group decided to head to the palace to meet the emperor.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!

Report chapter

Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter