Chapter 195: Loki Married Leandra?
Chapter 195: Loki Married Leandra?
The flight back to the Albion Capital was a volatile cocktail of awkward tension, private ecstasies, and heavy, weeping sorrow.
The awkwardness had peaked early. Loki had been forced to drag Opal into a cramped storage closet just to drop his disguise, returning to his true form to finally placate his desperate wife. She had been practically clawing at him, starved for attention after half the Mermaid Kingdom had spent weeks metaphorically riding her unicycle.
The excitement, however, belonged to Frigg. The moment Loki finally shattered his bottlenecks and broke through to the 7th Circle Life magic core, the goddess had unleashed a lifetime of repressed passion, claiming him for an entire, breathless night.
But now, the mood was purely tragic.
As the skyline of the capital began to pierce the heavy clouds, Ariel had finally unlocked her cabin door. Loki found himself sitting on the edge of her berth, holding a weeping mermaid in his arms. He cradled her gently, his left arm wrapped around her tall, statuesque frame, taking in the contrast of her striking pink hair and vibrant blue eyes. With his right hand, he delicately dabbed at her face with a silk handkerchief, carefully avoiding drinking the magical, potent tears of her species.
A few feet away, their infant daughter, Sky Blue, slept soundly in her crib.
"I’m still so sorry about everything, Ariel," Loki murmured, his voice laced with genuine guilt. "I swear, I didn't know she was your mother until it was too late. I just... there are too many women in that maelstrom for me to keep track of. I'm sorry."
Smack.
Ariel swatted his chest, the sharp slap melting immediately into a wet, tearful chuckle. "Stop being an idiot, Loki," she sniffled, wiping her nose. "I’m not angry at her choice. My mother is unmarried, and her husband died ages ago. You were the only logical choice for her. No, I'm just furious with myself—and with Owe-kins—for keeping me in the dark. But I know exactly whose strings were pulled here."
Seeing the grief in her blue eyes harden into cold anger brought Loki a sense of relief. Anger was easier to manage than heartbreak.
"So you really think Leandra deliberately intercepted Owen's message?" Loki asked, thinking back. "To ensure I’d snag you as a lover instead? Honestly, her cryptic parting words support that theory. I'm just glad I controlled myself. I’d hate to have made you the next Alice."
Ariel reached up, poking his forehead sharply. "You became our King, Loki. By royal right, you could have taken me anyway. But I respect you so much more for being honest with me, for not letting me walk into that mistake completely blind. Even if you had taken me... I wouldn't have hated you. I just would have been sad." She looked over at the crib, her expression softening. "As for Sky, I'm keeping the name. It will remind me of my sentimental husband, the one who was so sweet to me for a whole month."
Loki wrapped his arms tighter around her, flashing a playful grin to break the lingering melancholy. "You're my mermaid subject now, Ariel. I have to look out for you. Just... do me a favor and don't tell Owen you kissed me back during the trip. He’s still incredibly sensitive about the other wives."
Ariel’s tear-stained face suddenly twisted into a deliciously wicked, black-mailing grin. "Oh? In that case, to properly punish both Loki and Owe-kins, you have to kiss me one last time as Owen before we touch down. If you don't, I'm telling Owe-kins you’ve been drinking from Sky’s baby bottles."
To drive the threat home, she cupped one of her lush, heavy D-cup breasts, lifting it in a mock tease.
Loki cringed hard at the mental image, which only made Ariel giggle. He had already spent a week kissing her before the ruse fell apart; one more wouldn't hurt. Besides, if it gave her a sense of closure and made her feel like she was punishing Owen for the deception, it was a small price to pay.
Leaning over, he locked his lips with hers. It wasn't a fierce, passionate mating of tongues, but the tender, lingering kiss of a boyfriend and girlfriend saying a final, amicable goodbye. It was an acknowledgment that their time together hadn't been entirely a lie. When they parted, the air between them was clear.
[UUUUUUUUUU—AHHHHHHHHH...]
A deep, haunting melody reverberated through the mist as the clouds parted. In the distance, the expansive tarmac of the eastern airfield loomed on the horizon. Ariel squeezed his arm tightly one last time, a silent signal that their brief romance was officially over.
On deck, Opal stared down at the layout below, her eyes landing on a massive Royal Pavilion tent and the ominous, dark warship parked nearby. Her nose crinkled in immediate disgust.
"King Owen, your 'ex' wife certainly has some nerve, arriving before my cousin," Opal hissed, turning her glare toward Loki, who had already shifted back into the older monarch's skin. "The sheer disrespect!"
Loki kept his mouth shut about confessing the truth to Ariel. As far as Opal was concerned, Queen Alice had merely swooped in to claim her "Loki Sky," sparking a fierce wave of harem rivalry.
Loki offered a helpless, diplomatic smile. "Well, Princess Blue, Queen Camila Dark isn't exactly someone I can boss around."
Moments later, the massive summoning circles of their floating temple began to fizzle. The gigantic, Bubbles, vanished back into his Summons Space with a pop, and the colossal structure touched down onto the airfield with a soft, resonant thud.
Ariel held her baby proudly in her arms, stepping into her role as Queen as she walked at Loki's side. A step behind them, Opal followed, her lower lip still pouted in a profound sulk.
The moment they crossed the threshold of the royal tent, Loki felt the familiar, hum of his summoner bonds snapping into focus. Camila and Angelica were already inside. But the first person to intercept him was the formidable First Queen, Leandra.
Even without her traditional attire, she was an imposing sight, standing at a staggering six-foot-seven inches thanks to her two-inch wooden geta. Her long blonde hair was swept up into her signature, high ponytail, and she wore her favorite red kimono, beautifully embroidered with cascading white cherry blossoms. Her blue eyes were a turbulent mix of anxiety and deep sorrow, though a flicker of profound relief crossed her features when she realized he had maintained his cover.
Bypassing Ariel entirely, Leandra threw her arms around him, pulling his disguised form into a suffocatingly tight embrace. Then, she did the unthinkable.
Mwah.
Leandra leaned down, crashing her lips against his in a deep, desperate kiss. Loki could feel her entire body trembling against his chest as hot, wet tears spilled over her cheeks, scalding his skin.
Panicking, Loki project his voice straight into her mind. [Leandra, please, stop kissing me! This feels incredibly weird... I mean, it doesn't taste bad, but the guilt is killing me, okay?!]
Across the tent, Thorin was actively burning a hole through Loki with a lethal glare. To Thorin, it looked like Leandra was simply confused, throwing herself at her rightful husband, and the man’s jealousy was practically radiating off him in waves.
Leandra finally pulled back, resting her forehead against Loki's, her voice dropping to a ragged whisper that only he could hear. "Lana's prophecy... her dream came true. Owen met with the Emperor. A tombstone has already been erected at the exact coordinates mentioned in his final letter. I only verified it today." Her grip tightened on his shoulders, her eyes pleading. "Loki, I need you to be Owen just a little longer. Please. Just until I can discover what really happened to my husband."
Loki's single exposed blue eye contracted violently. The news hit him like a physical blow. When the hell had Nuo Fu fought Owen? And how had the Emperor managed to keep this entire operation completely hidden from Hao Hun?
Before he could process the political fallout, a heavily pregnant woman stepped forward to greet him.
"Hello, Royal Father. It is good to see you returned safely," Lana said. Her nine-month belly preceded her as she stepped into his space, wrapping her arms around him and planting a affectionate kiss on his cheek. She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a mischievous whisper. "Silvia's water just broke before I got here. You might want to hurry home for the birth of your technical first child, hehe."
Loki's eye widened further. He realized with a jolt of adrenaline that Leandra hadn't told a single soul about Owen's official disappearance yet.
Nearby, Frigg—still disguised as the warrior Gondul—blushed furiously, intentionally averting her gaze from her master, Lana. A massive, knowing smirk spread across Lana’s face. She could read the post-coital aura on Frigg from a mile away.
Turning to her companion, Lana teased, "Gondul, please take me home. This pregnancy is exhausting, and I want to hear all about your little excursion with my father."
Loki forced a kingly smile, playing along with the theater. "My second Queen, Gondul, please escort her back to her chambers so she can rest. I will handle things here."
The next to approach were Feng and Vali—the two absolute scum buckets of the Balder Kingdom. Standing in perfect, practiced unison, the two sycophants bowed their heads low.
""Welcome back, Father.""
Loki sharpened his gaze, analyzing Vali’s micro-expressions. The boy looked genuinely shocked to see "Owen" standing alive and well. But more importantly, Loki’s mana perception flared. The kid had made an absurd jump in power.
"Vali," Loki said, injecting Owen's deep, authoritative cadence into his voice. "I leave you alone for a short trip, and you’ve already broken through to a 7th Circle Death Healer? Astounding."
He then turned his gaze toward Xia Bing’s son, offering a casual, cutting comparison. "Feng'er, if you don't start training with some real dedication, your brother is going to leave you entirely in the dust. Still, it's good to see you've reached the 7th Circle as well. Good job."
Leandra immediately snagged Loki's arm, subtly steering him away from the two treacherous princes. "Just keep playing the part," she whispered urgently against his shoulder. "The moment we get into the royal carriage, I’ll find an excuse to send Loki Sky home so you can be there for Sylvia, alright?"
Loki offered a brief, playful poke to her nose, nodding silently.
As they moved deeper into the grand pavilion, the gathered nobility dropped to their knees in a massive display of fealty. After spending weeks dealing with an entire kingdom of mermaids kneeling before him—both in court and in the bedroom—the grand display didn't even make his eyelids twitch.
"Everyone, rise," Loki commanded, waving a dismissive hand. "And Queens Alice, Bianca, and Camila Dark... you know better than to bow to me."
Through his telepathic summoner link, Loki felt a wave of dark amusement ripple back from Camila. The Vampire Queens weren't bowing to King Owen; they were bowing to their Living Regent. The private inside joke was almost cute.
Loki nodded to various dignitaries, but his eyes quickly locked onto Angelica. The Princess of the Cross Clan was lounging elegantly in a velvet chair, her long, flawless legs sexily crossed as she sipped a vintage wine. She was staring at him like a predator eyes a prime, juicy steak.
"Princess Cross," Loki greeted, inclining his head. "This welcoming ceremony would have felt entirely hollow without your presence, even if our circumstances have shifted."
Angelica’s plump, crimson lips curved into an amused line. She pointed a manicured finger toward Opal, who was still hovering nearby. "Oh, don't flatter yourself, King Owen. I didn't come all this way to greet you. I came to pick up my husband's wife. Opal, wrap it up. We need to leave. Sylvia is currently in the middle of delivering another spectacular child for our incredibly talented husband."
Ouch, Loki thought. Talk about a public burn.
Slap!
Before Loki could even blink, Opal marched right past him and delivered a stinging slap directly across his royal cheek.
"King Owen, that is for daring to flirt with me during the entire journey back! And also for flirting with my mother and grandmother! Humph!" she snapped, turning on her heel and storming out after Angelica.
Leandra stared at Loki's bewildered expression, her heart aching for him. Assuming Opal simply didn't know the truth and was taking out her frustrations on Owen, Leandra reached up, her soft fingers gently rubbing the red, swelling mark on his cheek.
With Opal and Angelica vanishing into a flash of teleportation magic, the next figure to approach stepped out from the shadows of the tent. She was visibly intoxicated, her cheeks flushed a deep, seductive crimson, and she was loosely cradling a Life Bottle brimming with Loki's pure blood. She swayed on her feet, radiating pure, unadulterated mischief.
It was Alice. Her golden eyes flared with a dangerous, hungry light. It had been far too long since she had last seen her master.
Without heels, all three of the Vampire Brides stood at an imposing six-foot-one inch, their ethereal beauty amplified by their matching golden eyes and cascading blonde hair. While Alice and Bianca shared identical, breathtaking E-cup figures, Camila easily dominated the room with her massive, jaw-dropping G-cup assets. Loki Sky was a terrifyingly lucky man.
"It is good to see you in high spirits, Alice," Loki said, keeping his composure.
Alice looked like she wanted nothing more than to rip his royal robes off, pin him to the floor, and drain him dry in front of the entire court. Subduing her predatory hunger with a visible effort, she forced herself to deliver her rehearsed lines.
"Our son, Blade, arrives tomorrow," Alice purred, her voice dripping with hidden promises. "He will be joining us for lunch on board the Dark Warship. This is a mandatory segment of our formal treaty negotiations. Do I make myself clear, Owen?"
Loki broke into a sudden cold sweat, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. If it weren't for the fact that his new baby girl was currently being pushed into the world, he knew for a fact he would have been dragged onto that warship right now to serve as the main course.
He gave a tight, nervous nod. "Of course. Just... try to ensure I don't end up on the menu, haha."
The sudden, synchronized glow of mana in the eyes of all three Vampire Queens left absolutely no room for interpretation: he was definitely the main dish. With a collective, lingering look, the Dark Vampires turned and exited the pavilion.
Finally allowed to take a seat, Loki sank into the central throne, sandwiched uncomfortably between Leandra and Alice's remaining presence. The sheer awkwardness of the situation was suffocating.
Leandra leaned in close, the scent of her perfume washing over him as her lips brushed the shell of his ear. "I wore this specific kimono because I know it's your absolute favorite," she whispered, her voice a low, dangerous purr. "It’s going to look incredibly suspicious if Owen isn't instantly rubbing my legs or diving face-first into my chest. At the very least, put your hand on my thigh, or someone is going to realize you're an imposter."
Loki swallowed hard. Biting the bullet, his naughty right hand slipped through the silky flap of her red kimono, his fingers pressing against the smooth, warm skin of her thigh. He absolutely refused to dive into those legendary, towering breasts in front of an audience, but a little thigh contact was a manageable compromise.
Shatter!
The sharp explosion of glass echoed through the immediate area. Thorin stood a few paces away, his knuckles white as the wine glass in his grip disintegrated into shards, dark red alcohol pooling over his hand.
Loki had been completely oblivious to the fact that Thorin had spent the last several weeks aggressively hitting on Leandra. The First Queen had reached her absolute limit with the man's advances, and she was happily using Loki to grant herself a few public privileges—both to maintain the ruse and to utterly break Thorin's spirit.
But before Thorin could lose his mind and compromise the entire operation, a massive atmospheric pressure wave hit the pavilion.
Whoosh—BOOM!
The distinct, thundering roar of a specialized magical engine cut through the air as a massive shadow fell over the airfield. The Ice Palace’s premier flying vessel, the Blue Luan, had officially breached the airspace.
Queen Xia Bing had arrived.