Chapter 43

---Three Weeks Later, Last Day of Break---

Spending our short break relaxing on my island, the women took full advantage of the hot springs and beauty spa while I did some tinkering on a few projects. When the women were not otherwise preoccupied, I showed them around the underground facilities I had at this location. Letting them see how my beauty and hair care products were made, I gave them a chance to try out anything they wanted too, including items that Mylene had yet to sample. Sampling damn near everything I had, they took their favorite items and jammed as much as they could into their baggage. Watching their poor suitcases reach near critical mass, I felt bad for the maids that would unpack their stuff.

Aside from the items I gave them, Angelica and Clarice took the opportunity to sample new foods. Hoping to discover other great tasting foods, like the Greek meals we had together, they quickly came to realize there was a lot they had yet to learn about food. Feeding them stuff like stuffed mushrooms, lasagna, hamburgers, potato chips, nachos, and pancakes, every new item they tried had them licking their plates clean afterward. Just a few days in, the two of them began critiquing everything they ate like they were amateur food critics. Joining in with them, mealtimes became quite a lot more entertaining as each of us had our own tastes. Enjoying every second we spent together, all of us felt a bit sad when the last day of vacation snuck up on us.

"It is hard to believe that tomorrow we all go back to the Academy again for another dreary semester. I can honestly say that this has been the most fun I have had since I was a young child. Thank you for allowing me to come here and decompress, it was truly needed after all that has happened.", she said, looking down at her iced coffee, "You know…if I am being honest, I am a bit jealous of Lucoa and Roxanne. Not only do you get to live with such luxuries, but you also have a man who treats you kindly and showers you with affection."

"I never thought I would hear a duchess say she was jealous of me, it feels kind of a nice in a way.", Lucoa replied, with a smug smile on her face, "You know, if you want, you could join our group and become his legal fiancées. He needs to have a legal wife during our time here, I would rather it be someone I get along with than some fucking bitch. What do you think about it, Roxanne?"

"I would be okay sharing Victor with them, they are nice people. The two of them treat us like normal people which is all I could ask for.", Roxanne said, nodding her head in agreement.

Looking at one another for a moment, a conflicted expression crept over their faces. Assuming they wanted to take more time to sort themselves out before jumping into another relationship, it did give me hope for the future as they did not immediately say no. Had they done so, I would have had to start looking for a legal wife elsewhere, which would have been quite disappointing. I had come to enjoy their company and did not like the idea of no longer having them around.

"It is a very tempting offer, but I need some time to think it over. I still have some lingering feelings for Jilk that I need to rid myself of and I want to take a step back to improve myself. Most of my life has been spent living for someone else, I want to use this opportunity to live for what I want.", Clarice said, giving me an apologetic smile.

"I feel the same way, I promise to give you an honest answer as soon as I am ready.", Angelica stated, "I hope that is alright, Victor."

"You did not automatically turn it down so there is hope for me yet. Take as much time as you need, I do not want to force you into anything you do not want.", I chuckled, turning to look at Lucoa, "Next time you decide to drop a bombshell like that, I would appreciate a heads up. If they had taken it negatively, it could have ruined our friendship."

"I was just trying to play cupid for the three of you, is that so bad?", Lucoa giggled, "That said, I do promise to let you know moving forward."

"On a side note, what did you mean when you said he needed to have a legal wife during your time here. Are three of you planning on abandoning the Holfort Kingdom?!", Angelica asked, with a worried look, "Do not tell me you were lying during your speech earlier this month…"

Catching Lucoa's slip of the tongue, I let out a sigh and realized I had to let the cat out of the bag sooner than anticipated. Requesting a coffee refill, as my coffee was cold, I clapped my hands to darken the windows. Tapping the tabletop twice to activate the integrated computer, I pulled up a holographic projection of our planet before beginning to speak.

"I was intending to keep this between myself and my future family, but I suppose you should be made aware so you can take this into account about our potential future.", I remarked, taking a sip of fresh coffee, "To begin with, do you three know about the group who created Lost Items and why they are no longer around anymore?"

"If I remember history class correctly, there was an ancient race of humans who built machines to compete with our magic-wielding ancestors. The two groups hated each other because each group believed they were the future of humanity. Their headbutting eventually caused a war that tore our world apart and almost made us go extinct. Just before everything was destroyed, our ancestors managed to wipe them out and returned peace to the world.", Olivia stated, trying her best to recall that dark chapter of our world's history.

"That is partially true, the truth is our world has not always had magic. It was accidentally introduced into our world when a scientific experiment went wrong. Due to the accident, half of the world's population gained the ability to use magic while the other half did not receive any benefits. The rift this created between people ultimately led to a great war as both sides believed they were the future of humanity. After a long and bloody war, the non-magical humans were run off our planet and forced to find a new home among the stars.", I informed them, "My goal is to follow after them and see what is out there."

Taking a second to process this information, a realization quickly came to them.

"Wait, are you saying the people our ancestors defeated are still alive?!", Clarice inquired.

"They are very much alive and have thrived out in space. While we have only reached a population of around seven billion, the human population in space is incalculable. Humanity has covered whole swathes of the cosmos developing into their own unique cultures and groups. I want to go out into space to see what marvels we as a species have achieved, and bear witness to the beauty that has yet to be seen by human eyes.", I remarked, "It will not be easy, but I look forward to the challenges that await me out there."

Left speechless by what they were seeing, I could see a twinkle of curiosity in their eyes. Drawn in by the potential adventurers waiting to be had out there, they had a lot to consider and needed time to process everything. Leaving the photos up for a few minutes, I shut the projection down and undimmed the windows.

"It will be a few years before I leave this planet behind so, please take your time to decide if you want to join me on this lifelong adventure.", I said, glancing over at Olivia, "That includes you as well, Livia. I would love for you to join us as well, as my wife."

Choking on her juice, Olivia quickly snatched a napkin off the table to wipe her face. Looking at me with a confused expression, she evidently had not realized my feelings for her yet.

"Livia, you and I have spent quite a lot of time together during the last semester. I have come to love the caring, kindhearted woman that you are, even if you are a bit of an airhead at time.", I remarked, with a smile, "If I could make you my legal wife here, I would do so in a heartbeat, but unfortunately, I bound by the laws of the kingdom. Once we are free of this world's laws, I swear to make you my full-fledged wife."

"Oh my…", Olivia said, "I…I do not know what to say. Can you please give me some time to think about it?"

"Of course.", I agreed, "And Livia, no matter what you think, none of us at this table think of you as a burden. Everyone here cares a great deal about you, your status does not mean anything to us."

"That is right, Livia!", Angelica seconded.

"Thank you…", Olivia said, as steam began pouring from her head again.

With the heavy topic out of the way, all of us retired to our rooms to prepare for our return trip and the beginning of the next semester.