Frustration

After confirming his suspicions about Aiden being a reincarnator, the relationship between him and Paul appeared to, at least on the surface, improve. Before, there had always been an awkward tension between them as Paul didn't really know how to be a parent, and Aiden typically just did his own thing. Now, though he was more than a little upset by his inability to continue playing innocent around the girls from the IOF, Aiden and Paul could speak with one another without issue.

"Stinking father, how much longer are you going to keep showing off? Are you trying to make me jealous, huh? Well, it's working...!"

Seeing Paul enjoying a lap pillow from Ei after an intense sword exhibition, a tiny vein appeared on Aiden's left temple. A few days prior, he had been able to guilt the violet-haired woman into letting him sit in her lap and hug her. She had grimaced when he nestled his face between her breasts and rubbed his cheeks against them, but she hadn't chastised or tried to stop him.

"Calm down, brat. Unless you go out of your way to ruin your body, you're bound to be just as attractive as your mother and me when you grow up. Stop coveting what others have and focus on making yourself worthy of the things you want to obtain..."

Rising to a seated position, Paul softly thanked Ei for letting him use her thighs before turning to meet Aiden's slightly resentful gaze as he added, "You've seen how loose the morals of this world are. With your talent and looks, countless women will want a piece of you. Just remember that not everyone has good intentions. If you become the Princess' Guardian, for example, you can be sure that many of the women who approach you will be assassins. Now, pick up your sword..."

"Tch..."

Though he clicked his tongue, Aiden still listened to Paul and raised his wooden sword. He initially didn't have an interest in swordsmanship, but Paul had shown him the Water God Style's ability to cut through and even deflect Magic back at the caster. It was also a purely defensive style, so Aiden was willing to learn a bit if it meant he could improve his physique and protect himself...

...

..

.

Having inherited her father's keen eyesight, Aria silently observed the stance training between Paul and Aiden through a window on the third floor of the Estate. She would ordinarily be told to stay away from the windows of the second and above floors, but things were different now that she had trusty companions.

While Ghislaine hovered nearby, Aria sat atop the transformed Ganyu as she assumed a form roughly the size of a large dog. Paul had asked all of the girls to keep Aria safe, but she didn't really like Jean, Venti, Xinyan, Ei, or Eula. As a result, it had fallen upon Ganyu and Ghislaine to babysit and keep her company.

Feeling a little excluded, Aria looked towards Ghislaine with a slight pout on her face as she asked, "Father and Onii-chan no like Aria...?"

Shaking her head, Ghislaine's maintained her usual deadpan despite mimicking Aria's way of speaking as she answered, "Paul and Aiden boys. Aiden becomes strong to protect Aria."

Scrunching up her face, Aria countered, "Aria strong. Onii-chan weak but smart."

Instead of denying Aria's claim, Ghislaine nodded her head before stating, "Aria too strong. Need delicacy and control. Then you become strongest."

"..."

Though she puffed out her cheeks, Aria didn't refute Ghislaine's words. Instead, she returned her attention to the scene outside, her eyes barely blinking as she burned the image of each stance into her mind...

...

..

.

"How much longer do you intend to stay? I understand your desire to be with your children, but tensions are already beginning to increase in the Capital."

Before answering his Father's question, Paul took a moment to savor the taste of the whiskey in his mouth. Diona's cocktails were the best, but he was far fonder of whiskey's fiery and rich kick than the tart, almost rotten taste of wine.

Exhaling a contented sigh, Paul enjoyed the sensation of warmth filling his body before replying, "We'll be leaving soon. I just wanted to give Aria the chance to spend more time with Ghislaine and Ganyu..."

Though it was only for a brief moment, a flicker of desire flashed across Amarant's eyes as he suggested, "You could always have them stay and look after her. That girl with the horns has always gotten along well with Valentine. As for that beast woman..."

"Father..."

Without needing to release his bloodlust, Paul was able to quell Amarant's nonsense with a sidelong gaze. In response, the man adopted a wry smile as he averted his eyes and stated, "They are remarkably beautiful women. Once you reach the Capital, you'll need to be very careful..."

Nodding his head, Paul muttered, "I am well aware..." before finishing off the contents of his glass. When he was finished, he placed it on the table next to him and revealed, "I am considering marrying Reida..."

Blinking in surprise, a look of faint disbelief marred Amarant's expression as he advised, "You should reconsider. As things stand, you still have the option of being adopted into one of the other Houses via marriage. If you marry the Water God, that path would no longer be open to you. There is also the matter of her other children. I cannot recall his exact age, but her eldest son should be around twenty years your senior. I can't imagine him being too pleased about having his inheritance robbed from him by a man young enough to be his son..."

"That's...a very fair point..."

With his Father's reminder, Paul recalled that Reida had basically lived an entire life before their fateful encounter. The Vision he had gifted her had all but halted her aging process, but it didn't change the fact that she was well into her forties. There was a literal two-generation gap between them as she was already a grandmother by the time he had inadvertently, albeit with tremendous effort, knocked her up...

Seeing his son fall silent, Amarant decided to give him a bit of advice, not as Paul's Father, but the Lord of the Milbots Region. It kept him awake at night knowing that his proud and capable first son had been reduced to the status of a peasant, so, after a moment of deliberation, he suggested, "Once you've reached the Capital and had your audience with the King, you should seek out Philip Boreas Greyrat. His eldest brother, James, the Heir Apparent of House Boreas, has been unable to produce an heir even after taking in three mistresses. The odds of a succession battle occurring once Philip graduates from the Royal Academy are extremely high."

Though his upbringing allowed him to guess where the conversation was headed, Paul furrowed his brows as he asked, "And? What does that have anything to do with me...?"

Understanding that his son was playing dumb, a moderately exasperated sigh escaped Amarant's throat before he went on to say, "If you intend to support the Princess' ascent to the throne, you will need the backing of at least three of the Great Houses. House Eurus has all but publicly declared its intentions to support the First Prince's claim, so you will need to secure the favor of the other two if you want to clear a path for Princess Ariel and your children..."

"Old man..."

Ignoring the faint bloodlust radiating from his son, Amarant narrowed his eyes as he said, "Philip has always been a clever boy. If you help him in the succession battle, he would readily invite you into House Boreas once his wife births a daughter."

"..."

Though he had accurately anticipated his Father's words, Paul was still left speechless. The man was, quite literally, suggesting a marriage between him and a girl that hadn't even been born yet. Paul knew there was a very good chance that said girl would be Eris, his favorite heroine from the series, but that was only a small consolation. After all, even if he liked the original Eris, there would be a seventeen-year age gap between them in terms of age. Such gaps weren't particularly uncommon, even in his previous world, but Paul still found it unbelievably fucked up...

Understanding his Father was just trying to help, Paul eventually shook his head and muttered, "I'm just going to pretend this conversation never happened..."

Adopting a serious expression, Amarant insisted, "You should consider it. I know that woman of yours is cooking something up in the East, but the Asura Kingdom is still your motherland. The plans you've suggested have you intrinsically interconnected with the politics of this Kingdom. Without roots of some kind, the King's trust in you is bound to wane. In the 'worst case' scenario, he may even pressure you into marrying the Princess..."

As he had come up with the idea of marrying Reida to avoid such an outcome, a beyond-exasperated sigh emanated from Paul's throat before he muttered, "I fucking hate politics..."

Though he grunted in approval, Amarant wasn't done trying to convince Paul, stating, "Despite your physical appearance, everyone that matters knows you're just a thirteen-year-old boy. If your information is correct, Princess Ariel will be born around the time you turn fifteen. The current Queen Consort is roughly twenty-three years younger than the King, so he is unlikely to view the gap between your and the Princess's age as an issue. Rather, if it means securing a powerful ally and strengthening the bloodline of the Royal Family..."

Forcing a smile, Paul countered, "Isn't that what Aiden is for? He has already agreed to become the Princess' Guardian, so there is a good chance they will produce offspring at some point..."

Shaking his head, Amarant's tone became firm as he said, "You know as well as I do that things are rarely so cut and dry. Aiden might be just as prodigious as you, but he has yet to prove himself. If your timeline of the Princess' birth is correct, Aiden will be, at most, five years old at the time. If you were a King looking to secure the future, who would you choose to control. The successor to the Water God and the youngest Sword Saint in history, or a child just beginning his studies...?"

"..."

Before Paul could respond, Amarant offered the correct answer, stating, "If the circumstances allowed, you would choose both." in a firm tone. He didn't mean Paul, specifically, but anyone in the King's position.

Unable to refute his Father's words, Paul reached for the nearly full bottle of whiskey at his side, inadvertently snapping off the top as he attempted to pop the cork with his thumb. He ended up getting a pretty nasty cut on his finger, but it was already beginning to regenerate as he muttered, "So you're telling me my options are to marry girls that are even younger than my literal children...?"

Snorting through his nose, Amarant grabbed his own glass as he retorted, "Remind me, son, who was it that recently proposed the idea of marrying the Water God? That woman just turned 47 around three months ago. She is 34 years your senior, yet you didn't so much as flinch as you suggested marrying her..."

"That's..."

"It isn't different if you view the situation objectively. You only see it that way because you consider yourself a mature person capable of making responsible decisions. While I can understand your apprehensions about being engaged to a girl much younger than yourself, it is only a matter of time until they mature. By then, issues such as an age gap won't matter in the slightest. Also..."

Adopting a serious expression, Amarant gazed directly into Paul's eyes as he added, "If Philip didn't agree to marry his daughter to you, he would invariably agree to marry her to someone else. In that regard, would she not be better off marrying someone who genuinely cares about her well-being rather than a Noble who only views her as an outlet for their sexual desires...?"

Hearing his Father's words, the image of Darius, one of the most infamous and disgusting villains from the original series, entered Paul's mind. If not for the timely intervention of Ghislaine, the then nine-year-old Eris would have been kidnapped and forced to become his sex slave. With Ghislaine currently following him around like a loyal pup, the chances of her coming into the employ of House Boreas were near zero percent...

"Fuck my life..."

...

..

.