After Francesca left, Javier pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at Liana and the others.
"Why were you all eavesdropping? Sheâs my mother. Not some random girl."
Liana and Gloria exchanged a glance and smiled innocently.
"Itâs nothing, Young Master..." Liana began softly. "We just... wondered how Lady Francesca managed to make your father fall so deeply for her, and remain his favorite among all his wives. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two..."
Gloria glanced away, her voice dropping to a playful, almost shy murmur. "Since... sheâs so good at making you melt... we thought learning from her might... help us melt you, too...?"
Javier exhaled, shaking his head with a faint, fond smile.
"Suit yourselves."
Javier glanced toward all of them and smiled warmly.
"I donât think I want any of you to be like her. Each of you has something special... something that makes me feel... seen. Honestly, i feel happy just to have you all by my side."
He turned and moved toward the door, the girls about to follow.
Until a calm, familiar voice spoke from the hallway.
"Good morning, little brother."
Javier turned to see Aelius leaning against the doorframe, a soft smile on his face.
"Ah... Aelius. Whatâs up?"
Aelius smiled, then offered a polite nod to Javierâs girls.
"Ladies," he greeted, flashing his charming smile. "If you donât mind, may I borrow your âhusbandâ for a moment? Donât worry, it wonât take long."
Liana and Gloria clasped their hands in front of them and bowed gracefully.
"Yes, Prince Aelius."
Javier exhaled, though his eyes were curious. "What is it now, Aelius?"
"Thereâs... something Iâd like to talk to you about. The wedding. But... in private?" Aelius glanced meaningfully toward Liana, Gloria, and the others.
"Fine, fine..." Javier looked back at the girls. "Go on ahead. Wait for me at the wedding hall."
"As you command, Young Master," Liana and Gloria said with another bow, gently guiding Felicia, Mimi, and Delya away.
After making sure Liana, Gloria, and the others had walked away, Aelius turned to Javier.
"How about we walk while we talk?"
"Hah? Youâre being weird. What if someone overhears?"
Aelius just chuckled softly and started walking. Javier followed lazily, both hands tucked in his pockets.
"Liana and Gloria still call you âYoung Master,â huh?" Aelius said as they strolled.
"Yeah... I feel awkward when they call me âPrince.â Iâd rather they just used my name, but they wonât. Said itâs against the rules or something, that theyâll only call me by name once weâre married." Javier shrugged. "But thatâs not important. What did you want to ask?"
He glanced toward Aelius, who was walking quietly beside him.
"Actually..." Aelius began, his voice low. "About the wedding hall... can we do it... there?"
Javier listened quietly as Aelius shared the details.
"Hmm? So you want to choose that place, huh?"
"Yeah... kind of."
Javier exhaled softly. "But if itâs just this, you didnât need to pull me aside. You couldâve talked in front of Liana and the others."
Aelius smiled, glancing around as though checking for unseen listeners. "Umm... Athine doesnât know yet. I want to surprise her. Since you promised youâd arrange our wedding after I agreed to not join the group ceremony... I was hoping..."
"Yeah, yeah... I think we can make that work." Javier nodded slowly. "But something like this doesnât really need to be a secret from them."
"No... I donât want Athine to find out. And you know Liana and Gloria wouldnât be able to keep it if she really pressed them, right?"
Javier chuckled, a knowing grin spreading across his face. "Yeah... Athine is... persistent. And Liana and Gloria... well...letâs just say theyâre great at keeping secrets, but not so great at keeping happy news quiet when theyâre excited."
Aelius smiled and glanced at Javier.
"And... about the wedding ring... could you make something from this?" He handed Javier a small, softly glowing crystal.
Javier took it, turning it over in his palm. "Hmm? You want me to craft a ring now? At the last minute?"
"Please? I know with your magic crafting, you could make it in minutes."
Javier exhaled. "Of course I can, but... why now?"
"Err..." Aelius scratched his cheek, a sheepish smile touching his lips.
"Iâve been trying to find a ring for our wedding, but she just... never felt anything for the ones I showed her. None of them felt right."
"So where did you find this crystal?"
Aelius rubbed the back of his head. "This is the crystal Athine and I used to play with when we were children."
Javier studied the crystal, its inner light shifting like captured moonlight. "Yeah... this is super rare. Even I donât have anything like it. Where did you two even get it?"
Aelius smiled softly. "Even I donât know. Athine said she found it when we were playing in that place... we always kept it with us back then."
He chuckled quietly. "And when I was stressing over finding the perfect ring, since nothing seemed to interest her, I suddenly remembered... back when we were little, she once said she wanted this crystal to be her wedding ring when she grew up."
Javier chuckled, warmth softening his expression. "Well... thatâs a good thing to remember."
"So? How do you want me to craft it?" Javier asked, holding the crystal up to the light and inspecting it closely. "Do you want a gold ring, or a mithril one with this crystal as the centerpiece?"
Aelius smiled. "Can you craft two rings... made entirely from this crystal?"
"Really? You want both rings to be made fully from this crystal? Are you sure?" Javier raised an eyebrow, glancing at Aelius.
"Yes... if you can."
Javier considered the crystal, then nodded. "Of course I can. With a piece this size, I can make two rings and still have enough left over to craft something like a necklace."
"Can... can you really do that?!" Aeliusâs eyes widened with excitement.
"Huh? Of course. Since Iâm using Magic Crafting, thereâs no waste. Itâs not like cutting and forging. I reshape it with magic. I can make it exactly how you imagine."
"Please do that!!" Aelius beamed, excitement lighting up his face.
"Yeah, yeah." Javier chuckled, then tapped the mana talkie in his ear.
"Liana, this might take a little while, but I wonât be too long. Let the others know to wait for me, and grab something to eat in the meantime."
Lianaâs voice came through the mana talkie, gentle and reassuring.
"Yes, young master~"
Javier glanced at Aelius with a small smile.
"Letâs head to my personal workshop."
Aelius nodded, gratitude softening his features. "Okay... Thank you, little brother."
( End Of Chapter )