Chapter 198: Oh Boy, And His Dog?
Chapter 198: Oh Boy, And His Dog?
The morning sun filtered through the heavy curtains, signaling the arrival of day two of this chaotic first arrival week. I let out a heavy sigh, adjusting the delicate fabric in my hands.
"Loki, please help me with this dress string, thanks," Sylvia murmured, turning her back to me.
As I carefully worked to tie my wife's tight bodice, pulling the laces taut against her skin, I looked at her reflection. "Why don’t you just stay home with Apple today? I can greet the Sky Fortress and Shade for you."
Sylvia turned around, stepping close enough for our breath to mingle. She pressed her soft lips against mine in a brief, sweet kiss, before pulling back to scold me playfully. "Don’t be silly, Loki. You are going to be there as Owen, not Loki. Baihu will greet Shade with me, since she is playing your role, remember?"
I slumped my shoulders, feigning a look of utter rejection. "Oh no, my poor Shade is going to be tricked by my Kyuubi!"
Sylvia smirked, shaking her head at my dramatic display. "Shade will know instantly. That girl always knows you best—she has watched you for ten years, after all. Plus, the other reason I want to be there is to see how you manage to create utter chaos out of absolutely nothing." She let out a soft laugh.
I wanted to laugh along, but a grim sigh escaped me instead. She wasn't wrong.
Click. Creak~
The heavy wooden door swung open, and both Gondul and Skogul walked into the room, their pristine white wings folded neatly behind their backs. Skogul—who was currently being played by Pandora—pouted heavily, her lips thrust out in a distinct whine.
"Master husband, Frigg won’t let me be Valkyrie Queen Gondul! She's making me play Skogul instead. It is totally unfair."
Frigg sighed, smoothing down her own outfit. "Pandora, I have been playing this role for an entire month. I am simply used to it."
I looked at Pandora helplessly, trying to soothe the stoic summon. "Look, Gondul might be the senior of the two Summons of Owen, but Pandora, did you forget that Owen kisses and holds Skogul far more often?"
Pandora paused her protests, her eyes blinking as she processed the information. A sudden smugness washed over her face. "Oh. I hadn’t looked that close in the past, but it seems this role is absolutely perfect for my unique skills and talents."
We all shook our heads in unison at her straight-man comedy routine. Turning my attention to Frigg, I cleared my throat. "By the way, Frigg, I finally mastered my 7th Circle Call Summons spell. Tonight, I will begin the ritual with you and Lana, if you are still up for it?"
Frigg walked toward me, her grey eyes laser-focused on my face. She stepped into my space and wrapped her arms tightly around me, her warmth seeping through my clothes. "My heart now belongs entirely to you, Loki. There will be no complications with the summoner contract. I can feel it right in my gut. I am ready to be yours."
I leaned and kissed the golden-haired Valkyrie deeply on the lips, savoring her taste before pulling back with a nervous chuckle. "Frigg, you just said there will be no complications and that you feel it in your gut... Have you not realized that saying things like that around me is just asking for Fate to slap us both squarely in the face?"
Frigg merely smiled at my perpetual worry. Leaving the bedroom behind, I walked with them into the living room to meet with Lana and Leandra for the official Owen pickup. For the time being, Lana was being kept in the dark about the missing king, strictly to keep her from worrying.
While I held Lana close, giving her plenty of affection and love, the two fake Valkyrie Queens headed out to enter the royal carriage, waiting for Leandra and me to join them. Sylvia traveled in her own separate carriage alongside Andra and Apple, while Lana remained home with my mother and the rest of the children.
Once our carriage hit the open road, I summoned Baihu. With a flash of magic, she shifted into my exact likeness, while I altered my appearance to match King Owen. By the time the carriage doors opened, the illusion was seamless.
After a half-hour ride, we arrived at the royal pavilion and settled into our respective seats. Waiting alongside me in the royal tent was Leandra, Frigg acting as Gondul, Pandora playing Skogul, a visibly pouting Ariel, and Xia Bing—or at least, the current royal monarchs on display. Baihu, perfectly mimicking me, sat comfortably between Sylvia and Camila, acting the part of their lover.
The schedule for the day was tight. First to arrive would be Prince Balder, followed closely by Duke Cross and Marquess Sky with Shade Winter, along with their respective Count members.
A sudden bead of cold sweat rolled down my neck. The "Xia Bing" who had just slid onto my lap wasn't the real Ice Queen at all. It was the smug, mischievous Xia Gu, who had apparently begged my Summons to let her take her sister's place in the tent. Leandra was already looking visibly annoyed at how aggressively clingy the Ice Queen was being.
Because Xia Gu was being completely shameless, both Leandra and Ariel were shooting me deeply aggrieved, jealous looks. Ariel, completely oblivious to the swap, genuinely thought I was a fake king taking gross advantage of Owen's literal wife in my arms.
I rubbed my temples in sheer annoyance. Playing the part of Owen was becoming a logistical nightmare. Juggling who knew I was Loki versus who thought I was the real king was giving me a massive headache. Angelica, Sylvia, Camila, Baihu, and Andra were all watching my suffering from a distance, thoroughly amused as I tried to balance Owen's real and fake wives without breaking character.
Then came the next complication. Thorin walked over, his eyes darting toward the fake Loki sitting in the distance before settling on me. "King Owen, can I speak to you and Queen Leandra in private for a moment?"
Oh, my fucking god. Thorin still had no idea Owen was actually missing. I caught the sudden glint of pure mischief in Leandra's eyes, telling me she was enjoying my misery way too much.
"Count Sky, I have a moment. Let us head to the back area to speak," I said, pitching my voice to Owen's exact tone.
Xia Gu pouted heavily as she was forced to slide out of my lap. The moment she did, Leandra seized my arm, burying it deeply into the soft, plush pillows of her cleavage with a triumphant grin. The entire tent watched with intense curiosity as Thorin followed Leandra and me into the private rear quarters.
This back room was typically reserved for Owen and his Queens to rest and strategize. I gestured for Thorin to take a seat, but before I could sit down myself, Leandra pulled me down onto a chair and promptly planted herself right in my lap.
Looking into Leandra's face with my single blue eye, I watched her expression shift into a playful, wicked grin. She leaned in close and whispered, "Owen-kun, don’t forget it is motorboat day!"
Squish~
Before I could even register her words, Leandra grabbed the back of my head and shoved my face violently into her exposed, generous cleavage.
My eyes went wide against her soft skin, a cold sweat breaking out across my entire body. Why the fuck was she motorboating my face right in front of Thorin?!
Even though doing something like this to the stunning Leandra had once been a distant fantasy of mine, the reality was terrifying. She wasn't mine; she belonged to Owen, his true love. To force her off, I reached around her waist and dug my fingers into her sides, tickling her sharply.
She let out a melodious burst of laughter, finally releasing my head and looking down at me with a playful, teasing smile.
I cleared my throat roughly, trying to salvage what was left of my dignity. "Cough... Sorry about that, Thorin. What is on your mind?"
Thorin looked incredibly awkward, shifting uncomfortably in his seat before speaking. "Yesterday... Queen Leandra was kissing Loki when he got off the whale. I thought... well, perhaps you didn't let your wife know it wasn't actually you?"
Fuck. Did Thorin really just try to sell me out to my own alter-ego?
Leandra merely smiled, her voice smooth and entirely unbothered. "Thorin-kun, this man right here was the one who actually got off the Pagoda. He traded places with Loki well in advance. How could I ever kiss another man besides my Owen?"
Mwah~
To drive the point home, Leandra leaned down and pressed her lips against mine, delivering a deep, passionate kiss that completely shocked both Thorin and me.
When she finally pulled back, a stunned Thorin stammered, "But... But what about Neptune’s Trident yesterday?"
Buzz~
I put a swift stop to the kiss, knowing the damn elf was enjoying this teasing entirely too much. Reaching into my inventory, I pulled out the gleaming blue metal trident, keeping its massive celestial power heavily suppressed.
"I am the true owner of this trident, not the Loki out there," I said, letting out a rehearsed sigh. "I needed to make Atlantis Blue submit under my rule, so I went and conquered Atlantis myself. Don’t worry, Thorin. Loki and I are entirely on the same page, just like you and I are. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"
Thorin frowned, clearly sensing that something was fundamentally off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. What he failed to realize was that his discomfort stemmed from pure guilt; he still harbored an intense, unrequited crush on the gorgeous elf currently sitting in my lap, and he felt like Loki had utterly one-upped him the previous day.
"Well... is there anything specific I need to do for this meeting?" Thorin asked quietly. "I am meeting my father-in-law, the Duke Marquess, after all. He is arriving soon."
As Leandra affectionately rubbed her hands across my chest, I shook my head, desperately wanting to get rid of Thorin before the friction caused an embarrassing physical reaction. This evil vixen was playing a very dangerous game with my anatomy. While I initially thought she was just torturing me for fun, I realized she was actively using me to push Thorin's lingering affections away for good.
"No, nothing for now," I replied, keeping my composure tight. "I will send word if I need you to do anything... Oh, by the way, have you heard anything about Princess Dianna, or what the Amazons are up to lately?"
Thorin shook his head, his expression falling into a pitiful, dejected slouch. "No. She has completely avoided me ever since the day she and Loki fought. She cut all ties with me over it... And as it turns out, she wasn’t actually pregnant. She was just using me as a tool to get close to Ayala."
Fucking hell?!
"Cough, sorry to hear that," I managed to say, adjusting my position. "Alright, I will look into it as well... Um, I actually need a private moment alone with my wife. Talk to you later, Thorin!"
The moment a thoroughly depressed Thorin walked out the door, I immediately pushed Leandra off my lap.
She stood up, smoothing her skirt as she laughed. "Owen, you really are making me sad, haha. Watching you hug Xia Bing out there was making me incredibly jealous, you know?"
"Sigh... Leandra, I am not your husband," I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Please, don't stress me out like this."
The bright, happy light in her eyes suddenly dimmed, replaced by a profound, heavy sadness. She reached out, her soft palm gently cupping my cheek as she confessed in a quiet, vulnerable voice, "Just for now... please, be my Owen so I won't completely break down. You being here, acting as him, is the only thing keeping me from locking myself away to cry. Just humor me for a bit. Please... just be my Owen for now."
I let out a long, slow sigh. I had completely forgotten the sheer volume of terror and stress she was buried under. Her mind was fragile right now, using me as a temporary emotional band-aid for her missing husband.
Reaching out, I took her hand and gently pulled her out of the room. Her artificial smile returned instantly, her manufactured joy shielding her from the world as she followed me back to the pavilion.
The rest of the day played out exactly as one would expect. Leandra, Xia Gu (acting as Xia Bing), and Ariel engaged in a fierce, comical, petty tug-of-war for Owen's attention—a literal, miniature game of thrones right inside the tent.
When Prince Balder arrived, I played the part of his father flawlessly, offering him plenty of public encouragement and praise that left him beaming with pride. Balder and I later had lunch aboard the Dark Warship, though he looked incredibly confused when he was forced to eat entirely alone, while the Queens and I held a formal, closed-door discussion in the adjoining dining room.
Following my recent Vampire mating-party drama, the South Duke and the northern Sky Fortress finally arrived. Just as Sylvia had predicted, my brilliant Shade instantly noticed that the "Loki" walking around was a total imposter. However, she possessed the tactical awareness not to expose Baihu to the surrounding onlookers.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, my final public appearance as King Owen was wrapped up, leaving a brief window of rest before the Grand Summer Ball commenced in a few days...
Later that night, the atmosphere in the Sky Mansion back garden was thick with anticipation. It was finally time for the real Loki Sky to summon his final, ultimate Summons into this world. Lana, Frigg, and the rest of the inner circle stood gathered in the grass, eager to witness this monumental summoner contract swap.
First, I carefully mapped out the magical array on the ground. I intentionally restricted the circle to a tight, ten-foot diameter, ensuring I wouldn't accidentally pull something massive through the rift, like the Guardian Beast White Tiger or a colossal Dragon.
Satisfied with the boundaries, I sat down cross-legged right at the edge of the pale crimson and emerald glowing circle. I extended my palms forward, channeling my mana. Behind me, Lana stood close, gently squeezing Frigg's visibly nervous, clammy hands.
"Thank you for doing this and being my Summons for so long, Frigg," Lana said with a warm smile. "But even with Loki, we are all still together. Good luck."
Frigg turned to her master, nodding with determination. "Thanks to Loki's love, I was able to evolve to my current state. I will serve him well."
Pandora, Angelica, Sylvia, Shade, Shehuang, Baihu, and the rest of the girls stood in a tight perimeter, watching intently as I began to chant the heavy, intricate spell.
"Frigg, here it comes," I called out, pushing my mana to its absolute limit. "I choose to call my perfect Summons... Call Summons!"
In an instant, the entire backyard garden erupted in a blinding, explosive flash of brilliant red and emerald green light. The sheer pressure of the magic forced the grass outward.
As the smoke and light slowly dissipated, standing dead center in the middle of my restrictive magic circle was not the golden-haired Valkyrie Frigg.
Instead, a monstrous, midnight-black wolf stood towering over the grass.
The giant beast's back reached an incredible five feet in height, making it roughly the size of a small warhorse or grizzly bear, at about 250 pounds.
Wisps of pitch-black, volatile Dark magic actively radiated from its heavily muscled female form, and its glowing, piercing bright blue eyes locked squarely onto me with a look of pure, predatory hunger.
Frigg stared at the massive creature, her jaw dropping as she looked down at her own unchanged hands. "Loki... what did you do wrong?! You didn't even reach me!"
The giant black wolf merely blinked one of its dazzling, intelligent blue eyes. Suddenly, a familiar, incredibly smug voice echoed directly inside my mind.
[My dear husband, don’t tell a single soul it is me. It seems I am absolutely, undeniably your perfect Summons, haha!]
A massive wave of cold sweat broke out across my back and forehead. Out of all the possibilities in the universe, Fate had just slapped me squarely in the face.
I had somehow bound Angelica Cross, the literal Origin Werewolf, as my final, ultimate Summons.