Chapter 197: You Really Love That Apple?
Chapter 197: You Really Love That Apple?
Long, flowing silver hair cascaded over the pillows, framing a pair of magically bright blue eyes. Her mature, newly filled D-cup figure radiated the undeniable elegance of a noble duchess—a charm so potent it could make any man who loved her succumb to a helpless, one-pump impregnation. No, really. Sylvia Sky had actually made me do exactly that. I sighed inwardly at the memory.
This five-foot-eight-inch former goddess, once known by the name of Idunn, smiled softly as she leaned her weight against my arm. Nestled securely in my grasp was our newborn baby girl.
"Wife, what will you name her?" I murmured, looking down at the bundle. "Will you name her Idunn Sky, perhaps?"
Huff~
Sylvia leaned in, her breath warm against my ear as she teased me gently. It was a complete departure from the stuffy, rigid noble facade she routinely wore in public.
"Don't be silly. That was my last life's name, right?" she whispered. "No, I want to name our daughter after the most important thing between us—the very thing that brought us together across all of our lifetimes."
I blinked, my mind racing through the legends Owen had once shared with me. I thought of the ancient history connecting the god Loki and the goddess Idunn, their wild and free affair after he rescued her from captivity, my subsequent reincarnation to the world of Myst, and the bizarre circumstances of our reunion. Suddenly, a strange, vibrant image flashed vividly in my mind. A fruit.
"Are you... naming our daughter Apple Sky?"
"I love apples, so how could I not love our little Apple?" Sylvia countered with a soft laugh. "Every time I call her name, I’ll be reminded of a certain rogue trapped in my dungeon, singing foreign songs just to break my heart before making it beat wildly again. So yes, she is our Apple Sky. Your first daughter, hmph!"
Mwah~
I planted a warm kiss on my duchess wife’s cheek before gently handing our silver-haired, green-eyed little girl back to her. Even at a glance, I could sense the child's latent power; her magic elements were a rare, potent mix of Air, Life, and Time-Space.
Turning toward the closed bedroom doors, I raised my voice. "Pandora dear? Can you bring in a few fresh apples and a fruit knife? I want to cut some slices for Sylvia... um, and for you too."
Click, creak~
Not even ten seconds had passed before the heavy doors swung open. In walked the tall, striking redhead. With emerald eyes, a stern, commanding expression, and a super-sexy, royal French-maid style attire complete with thigh-high stockings and high-heeled boots, Pandora was the absolute peak of maid perfection.
In her hands, she carried a polished silver tray holding a few flawless apples, small porcelain fruit plates, and a silver paring knife.
Tap.
She placed the tray down on the nightstand right beside me. I looked up at my perfect maid-wife in sheer astonishment. "Wow. How could you possibly know I would need all of this on such short notice, Pandora dear?"
I picked up the knife and began to expertly spiral-slice the first apple as Pandora calmly broke down her flawless deductions.
"First, Sylvia has not had time to eat since delivering the child you put inside her," Pandora stated neutrally. "Second, a flawless maid must always anticipate her master's needs before he even realizes them himself. Finally, my husband-master looked distinctly guilty of something, and peeling apples is a proven way to ease your conscience when face-to-face with your wives."
My hand froze mid-air, amazed by her perception. In reality, the prankster Pandora had simply overheard us mention the name 'Apple' and caught the shift in my emotions through our telepathic Summoner bond. There was already a fully stocked maid cart stationed nearby to assist Sylvia the moment she was ready to eat, but Pandora never willingly explained the secrets of her 'maid magic.'
Beside me, little Apple Sky grew restless and hungry. Sylvia unbuttoned her top, adjusting herself to begin open breastfeeding. Having grown entirely used to seeing Ayala, Angelica, and Ariel nursing their own little ones around me, I was completely unfazed by the casual display of skin.
I quickly and flawlessly finished slicing the fruit, patting the mattress to signal the stunning Pandora to sit beside us. One by one, I hand-fed crisp apple slices to both of the beautiful women.
For the next half-hour, the room remained quiet save for the sounds of eating and nursing as I gave a detailed breakdown of my misadventures over the past month, focusing heavily on what had transpired at the eastern airfields. When my tale finally concluded, Sylvia could only shake her head, a tired, exasperated "I knew it" expression gracing her lips.
Regaining her composure, the sharp duchess side of Sylvia took over. She analyzed the political weight of the situation cleanly. "Whether Owen is alive or dead is no longer the primary issue. The issue is that Owen cannot return to us at this pivotal moment, and it is entirely clear the Emperor believes him to be dead. Therefore, we must form our strategies on the assumption that Owen is no longer alive or reigning as the King... Pandora dear, can you bring in Loki's inner circle so we can discuss our next moves?"
Fifteen minutes later, the babies had been safely moved to the nursery under the watchful eyes of my mother, Andra, and the other estate maids.
Back in the master bedroom belonging to Sylvia and me, a large, formidable group of women assembled. Ayala and Celia were there—my two newest wives whom I had married just before my departure for what was now the Neptune Kingdom. Camila, Lisa, Angelica, Baihu, Shehuang, Ku Mu, and Bianca had all gathered on exceptionally short notice, ready to pass the vital details along to our peripheral members.
If anyone wondered how Camila and Bianca had arrived so fast, the answer lay in my abilities; I had summoned Camila and Xia Bing directly, and Camila had brought Bianca along in her capacity as Owen's former mother and a former sovereign herself.
Once everyone settled, I was forced to retell the shameless story of King Neptune's plunder of the sea all over again, followed by a sober explanation of Owen's sudden disappearance. We explicitly chose not to bring Lana into the room; she was currently resting with her mother, and her advanced stage of pregnancy did not need the added stress of Owen's vanishing act.
Before the meeting could proceed any further, Ayala refused to let me speak until I dropped my pants. I was forced to display my newly acquired, shimmering blue-silver Merman tail to the entire room, prompting a barrage of relentless fish jokes at my expense.
Celia chimed in, breaking rigid maid protocol for a rare moment of lighthearted teasing. "All Elven men are strictly warned against sleeping with Mermaids, and now Loki has proven exactly why it's good advice! It seems that if you overdose on Mermaid fluids and insatiable desires, you actually become one of them, haha!"
I pointed a stern finger at the cheeky High Elf to contradict her words, but deep down, I grumbled. Damnit, she was probably right.
Ku Mu, my gorgeous Dryad lover, leaned forward to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand. "How can we definitively confirm whether King Owen is dead or alive?"
"A Secret Realm collapse is a highly unpredictable thing," I explained, shifting back into a serious mindset. "Most realms, when they rupture, violently spit their foreign visitors back out into the main world of Myst. However, there are several dangerous variables to consider."
I held up three fingers to break it down for them.
"First, being shunted back to Myst doesn't guarantee you'll land where you entered. You could be dropped literally anywhere on the globe, even far beyond the grand oceans. Second, if the realm merely seals shut rather than collapsing, any invaders inside are simply trapped, cut off but entirely alive. Lastly, and much more rarely, the entire plane collapses completely, causing the intruders to perish instantly into the void."
Lisa nodded in thought. "King Owen hasn't returned yet because if he had landed anywhere accessible, Gondul or Skogul would have been able to be summoned by him and bring him back, even from a remote corner of Myst."
Sitting gracefully with her beautiful legs crossed, Bianca took a slow sip of plain tea. A sagely, knowing smile played on her lips as she stated a cold fact.
"I cannot see the specifics of Owen's future, but I can confidently tell you that Owen cannot die until after Lana Balder's son is safely born. It involves a strict prophecy I am not permitted to fully disclose, but it dictates that certain reincarnated souls cannot perish until all designated souls are present on Myst at once. Lana's son is the absolute last one waiting to walk this world. Only after that child draws his first breath can Owen truly die."
Baihu blurted out the sudden realization, though it didn't matter since every woman in this room was someone I loved and trusted implicitly. "It's those specific souls trapped in the void, right? The ones Loki, Shehuang, and Taki Tsuki talked about—the Norse and the Greeks! They are all being born onto Myst simultaneously!"
Bianca merely smiled, refusing to verbally confirm or deny what I had just pieced together. I couldn't help but pout at her silence.
Angelica reached out, her fingers gently lifting my chin as she looked at me with a mix of genuine care and dark amusement. "Husband, what is wrong?"
I ran a hand down my face, casting a look of mock blame toward Bianca. "Had I known I literally couldn't die yet, I could have messed with the Emperor so much more!"
Bianca immediately corrected my reckless logic. "Perhaps the very reason the Emperor isn't dead right now is due to the exact same cosmic protection shielding you?"
My eyes widened in realization as the heavy truth struck me like a physical blow. "Damn... that shameless bastard learned about this prophecy. He's been openly executing death-defying feats without a care in the world, knowing he's completely protected by luck, fate, or cosmic intervention. Dang!"
Bianca stood up, leaning over me to press a gentle, reassuring kiss against my lips before nodding seriously. "And that is precisely why he was eventually overcome by his Heart Daemon and ceased to be entirely human. If you were to operate with that same reckless disregard, you too would devolve into a monster just like him. Do not play recklessly during this final month, Loki, or you too will succumb to madness in your pursuit of a higher realm."
A cold sweat broke out along the back of my neck. Going carelessly against the trajectory of fate or cosmic alignment was a dangerous game that no mortal should ever play.
I also came to a chilling realization: all of my previous 'lucky' brushes with death while desperately assimilating more magic elements weren't just luck.
It was fate forcing me to survive. Which meant that after my son was finally born, I would actually be vulnerable enough to accidentally kill myself if I wasn't careful. Yikes.
Re-focusing our collective energy, we began hammering out structural plans as a group. We had to operate under the assumption that I would need to play the role of King Balder for the entirety of this upcoming, tedious Summer Council. To pull off the deception flawlessly, we devised a method utilizing Baihu's specialized Light magic; we would project a highly convincing illusion of Loki Sky moving about in the open, allowing me to seemingly exist in two places at once.
We resolved to implement the strategy first thing tomorrow when Blade Balder arrived at the airfield.
Camila and Bianca both stood up from their seats, smoothing down their clothes. Camila offered a casual wave. "I will leave Loki to you ladies tonight. I’ll see him tomorrow. Bye..."
Ku Mu stood up right alongside my two reluctant Summons, preparing to depart. "We will head back to handle the Demonic Sect side of things and break the news to Wan Meidi. Then we'll send back Yin Meng, since her baby is due around the same time as Lana's, haha."
After seeing them off at the door, I turned back to the remaining women in the room. Celia and Lisa stood up next, offering knowing looks.
"Shade is scheduled to arrive tomorrow," Lisa noted smoothly. "So we will defer our time for now and let Sylvia have some of your precious attention tonight."
Angelica smirked, pointing a finger directly at Pandora. She looked at me with the cunning, predatory smile of a true Origin Werewolf. "Pandora can easily pretend to be Skogul for you, which means she can leave the room tonight, haha. As for me? I am absolutely staying to take my turn."
Pandora let out a mock gasp, speaking in a flat, hilariously betrayed tone. "Angelica... protecting you from the shadows all this time has only led to my immediate betrayal. Master, kiss me! I am deeply saddened!"
As Pandora puckered her lips with her green eyes closed tight, I leaned in and happily kissed the dramatic actress. Ayala merely shrugged shamelessly, a massive grin splitting her face.
"Loki desperately needs an Amazon-style shower to wash off the literal smell of the sea," Ayala declared pragmatically. "And after I clean him out—I mean, clean him up—I will leave him to the two of you."
Sylvia let out a soft sigh, looking at Angelica in a state of playful defeat. "Fine. You get him until midnight. After the clock strikes twelve, I get him entirely to myself until the morning."
Angelica stepped forward, shaking Sylvia's hand firmly to lock in the terms. "Deal!"
I raised my hands in mock surrender, letting out a laugh that echoed through the room. "I really am nothing more than a fish on your chopping blocks!"