Chapter 64: A Family Dinner and a Delicious Pink Dessert

After some time, I finally arrived at the castle, which is medieval in style and surrounded by a wall connected by several towers that serve as observation points and strategic defense positions; it's a mini-fortress.

As I walked through the outer wall entrance, several guards saw me but did not stop me, as almost all the castle guards had been present with the princess during the encounter with the parasites a few days ago.

As I advanced and was about to enter the palace inside the castle, a huge guard intercepted me. He is a very tall man, easily 2 meters in height, his well-trained body is evident, and many battle scars are visible on the exposed parts of his skin, even on his face there is a scar that extends over his nose.

"Mr. Seol Jihu, I am Jan Sanctus, personal guard to the royal family. I am aware of your relationship with the princess, and she has instructed us to treat you with the utmost cordiality. However, at this moment, the princess is attending to some matters outside the castle and will not return for a few hours. I beg you to wait for her or, if your time is limited, I will immediately send a rider to notify her of your visit," said Jan Sanctus with considerable respect in his voice.

"That's fine, I have time right now, I can wait. Meanwhile, I would like to know if the magician Ian is in the castle? If so, can you notify him that I would like to speak with him?" I said.

"Yes, he is in his personal laboratory. I will immediately send a messenger to inform him of your visit, and it is also my duty to notify His Majesty the King about you," said Jan Sanctus, and immediately called two guards and ordered them to notify both Ian and the King.

For my part, I waited calmly. The first to arrive was the guard who went to notify the King. The guard was clearly tired; it was evident that he ran with all his strength both to and from the King to demonstrate how seriously he took his job.

When he returned, he said that the King wishes to invite me to dinner and that the dinner will be in a few hours. I accepted the invitation; after all, I have to wait for Teresa, and I suppose staying for dinner is natural. There are also some things I need to discuss with the King. The poor guard had to go back to inform the King of my response.

A few minutes later, the guard who went to notify Ian about me returned. But this guard, unlike the first, was fresh as a daisy; he clearly took his time to deliver the message and was not alone. An older man with somewhat long and disheveled hair, a thick beard, dressed in a wizard's robe while holding a sorcerer's staff, came with him.

The elder is the Earthling Ian Danzel, a level 4 Alchemist Magician, associated with the royal family of Haramark, and one of the closest friends of Master Jang Maldong. Like Master Jang, Ian is one of the first Earthlings to have entered Paradise, and as he has mostly dedicated himself to research rather than fighting, I can say that he is one of the most informed Earthlings about Paradise there is.

Ian and the guard are still some distance away, walking towards us. It's clear they are chatting amicably, and with my heightened senses, I can hear their conversation. "I'm not joking, that girl had enormous breasts, and every step she took made them jiggle," Ian said, gesturing with his hands to indicate the size.

The guard, completely absorbed in the conversation, responded, "Master Ian, I've never seen a girl in Haramark with breasts as large as you say. I can't believe you; you must be making it up."

"Bah! What do you know about the world? You've never left this small kingdom. I never said she was from Haramark. I'm talking about one of the most famous women from the land I'm from. Her name is Tsunade Senju. Any true man of culture knows her," Ian said, irritated as he spoke about a fictional woman to the poor guard who seemed to be fantasizing about the story.

They finally reached us, and the guard, seeing Jan Sanctus's serious eyes, could only cough and apologize before running back to his post.

Meanwhile, Ian looked at me intently, stood in front of me, extended his hand, and said, "Hello, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is 'Sboobgib Ekil-I,' and what's your name?" he said seriously. Anyone would think his earlier conversation with the guard was a lie, seeing him now so serious and formal. But the name he gave was a play on words, pronouncing "I like big boobs" backward in English instead of giving his real name.

I extended my hand and shook his, saying, "Nice to meet you, Mr. 'Sboobgib EkilI.' My name is 'Drol Merah.' I hope we get along well," I said with a small laugh, as it was simply 'Harem Lord' pronounced backward in English, just like Ian had done.

It took him only a few seconds to realize it, and he started laughing. "Well, I knew there was no way a man as cool and powerful as you could be anything less than a man of culture. You and I will get along well. Come with me, let's go to my lab while we chat."

He started walking in the direction he had come from, and I told Jan Sanctus to inform me if Teresa returned or if it was time for dinner, then I followed Ian.

As we walked to his lab, we talked about many trivial things—anime, manga, some video games—and made many jokes. After a few minutes of walking, we finally arrived outside a house that seemed to be his lab. Outside, I saw the golems I had made and left to help clean up the parasite bodies in Arden Fortress. Since the energy I gave them was only enough to operate for a couple of days at most, they were now inert and just stone statues.

When Ian saw me looking at the golems, he said, "They were very helpful in cleaning up the corpses. It's impressive how they worked for nearly two full days without stopping. We brought them back to return them to you. They must be very valuable, though I'd love to study them if you gave me the chance. If we could reproduce them on a large scale, they would be a great asset for labor-intensive tasks."

"I thought Master Jang had told you about them," I said, somewhat confused.

"My old friend knows many things, but magic isn't one of them. When he talked about the golems, he called them objects possessed by the madness of a girl obsessed with magic and didn't go into details, saying it wasn't his secret to tell," Ian said, sighing with regret.

"I see, I understand. Later, I'll give you some notes detailing how to construct them and the specific details of everything my apprentice and I have discovered about them in our experiments. Perhaps if you apply some alchemy to the mix, you might help us improve them," I said, and old Ian's face lit up like a child at a fair.

He opened the door to his laboratory, and we entered. The place looked like a primitive chemistry lab since there was no sign of any technology. Instead, I saw some unfamiliar instruments engraved with magical circuits; I was really curious about them but decided to leave that for later. I took a seat in a chair, and so did Ian.

"Now then, young man, tell me, what do you need from this old man? If it's knowledge about the measurements of the hottest girls in Haramark or the other kingdoms, you've come to the right person. I can give you information on 3 girls for free, but after that, it will cost you. And if you want a sketched portrait, I have those too, but they are much more expensive. You have to understand that in Paradise, there's nothing as sophisticated as cameras and image printing, so any image is limited to drawings, which is why they are very expensive," Ian said jovially.

I couldn't help but laugh, knowing very well that he was not joking. I have no doubt he knows what he's talking about, and I'm sure he really has the images he claims to have, but that is also something I'll have to leave for later. So, I got serious and spoke up.

"I must admit, I'm tempted by that knowledge, but unfortunately, I'll have to postpone it for a time when I have enough money to pay for it. For now, I'll have to spoil the party and stick to business, Mr. Ian. There are some very important things I wish to know about Paradise concerning Earthlings, magic, and other topics, and of all the Earthlings, I feel you are the most knowledgeable," I said earnestly.

Ian noticed my change in attitude, sighed with a hint of weariness, and also dropped his playful demeanor, saying, "It's rare to find a kindred spirit in this place, and I would have liked to talk a bit more about worldly matters before getting down to business, but I understand the seriousness of the situation. So, tell me, what do you want to know? If it's within my knowledge, I'll help you. Jang has told me a lot about you, and during the parasite attack, I witnessed it for myself and I agree with him. If there's anyone who can save this place, it's you, so you have my full support."

"There are many things I'd like to know, but the first for now is about firearms. I understand that if we're talking about Earth's weapons, they might not be capable of harming the parasites, but that's because of the materials, not the idea of the weapon type. I'm surprised that the idea has not been adapted using the resources of this world to compensate for the deficiency and adjust the damage so that they are effective against the parasites," I said curiously.

After all, even in the novel, the lethality of firearms has been demonstrated when some of the parasites themselves biologically have a rifle integrated into their bodies, and they proved to be efficient and lethal even against Claire, who is a level 6 and in the top 10% of the most powerful Earthlings. Surely, with such rifles and improved ones, we could even damage the parasite commanders.

"Firearms, I see where your thoughts are headed, and your doubt is valid, but you're right, it's not that the idea never crossed our minds. The first earthlings had that idea and even tested it, but it was quickly discarded. The biggest problem is the materials.

It could be said that common materials are not good projectile material, at least not when facing parasites. To create a projectile capable of damaging the weakest parasites, you need to use at least magical steel, which is an expensive material. With the same amount of magical steel used to make 200 bullets, you could forge a sword or axe.

With 200 bullets, if you are very precise, you can kill 200 of the lowest level parasites, but if you are not so precise, that number decreases. Keep in mind that the bullets will practically be lost and not reusable, not to mention that searching for them to remelt will be an utterly fruitless task. So, let's say that each bullet fired will be a bullet lost in terms of magical steel value.

On the other hand, with a magical steel sword or axe, a warrior can kill hundreds or thousands of parasites before the weapon breaks, and even if it does break, the amount of material that can be extracted to reforge another weapon from the remains will be substantial.

That's why firearms were discarded. If weaker projectiles are used, they do not penetrate the skin of the weakest parasites, and if we talk about the stronger ones, not to mention the commanders, then we would need projectiles made of materials even more valuable than magical steel, which only makes the idea worse. That's why firearms don't work; because of the wastefulness of the materials, and the royal families banned them after seeing their futility against the parasites and their lethality against humans, as it was evident that with common materials, the projectiles were efficient against the weaker humans, and that's why they were banned," Ian said in a tired tone. But I already knew all this from Master Jang; if I ask Ian, it's for another reason.

"You're an alchemist and a scholar; I find it hard to believe that you really didn't find another alternative. No, I can even say with certainty that you found one, but you haven't told anyone yet, isn't it?" I said as I saw him tremble a little at my words.

"You're terrifyingly sharp, my young friend. I'd like to lie to you and say you're wrong, but I guess I'm not such a good liar. It's true, I found an alternative, but it would only be efficient for low and perhaps medium-level parasites. If we're talking about nests, superior species, and the commanders, then it's utterly useless, and if I were to give my alternative to the public, it would be a disaster," he said seriously.

"I understand, if you say that, it will increase the value of the idea of using firearms again, but they will only be useful against mobs of parasites and not against important enemies. If that happened, then everyone would demand firearms again, and in the end, they would only be truly harmful to humans rather than the parasites," I said understandingly.

"It's good that you have foresight; it's just as you say. So, I've kept my discoveries to myself. Only if I manage to develop something useful against the superior nests or the commanders would the idea be worth the risks," Ian said.

Although I have some ideas to improve the viability of the projectiles, they are still just ideas, and my time is very limited at the moment to waste it on something that may not work. So, I will have to discard that for now and leave it for phase 2 of my plan. I have no idea when the Parasite Queen will attack, but I'm sure it won't take long for her to do so. Luckily for me, the fact that the 5 commanders are attacking the Trigol Fortress gives me an indication of the attack, because the moment some or all of the commanders withdraw their attack on the Trigol Fortress, that's when they will surely begin their move against me.

"What about communications? Orbs are better than nothing, but it's very annoying to have to have an orb per contact, not to mention that the parasites learned to disable them, have you looked for an alternative?" I asked with quite a bit of curiosity.

"Originally, we thought of installing a basic telephone communication system using radio waves, but to do so, it was necessary to build many towers and connect them with wiring. Aside from the technology needed to produce so much wiring, the materials for the wiring are copper, and copper is still used as currency here, so the amount of copper needed was substantial. Since there was already a form of communication, the kingdoms were not willing to invest in such a project.

So, the idea was discarded when there was already a functional method of communication. On the other hand, we tried to improve the communication orbs; we only managed to boost the signal to increase the range of communication, but even so, we couldn't prevent the parasites' interference in the communications, and we still haven't found a way to implement interconnectivity. That's why the orbs only come in pairs. If we had more knowledge at our disposal, perhaps it would be possible, but you have to know that the 7 kingdoms were technologically very backward compared to the Empire. If we had the knowledge of the Empire at our disposal, we would surely make great advances and save ourselves many problems, but they were the first to fall even before the first earthlings arrived, it's a complete shame.

To conclude, it's not like the earthlings who have entered Paradise are the most studious and scientific. Most of those who have come are ruffians, and the few of us who are educated didn't really specialize in sciences on Earth, but in commerce, history, business, and other things. It was only to try to investigate some things that interested them that the larger groups like Sinyoung brought one or two true experts, but they mostly have been chemists and biologists for their private research, and even that was only to look for ways to profit on Earth instead of developing and saving Paradise," Ian said with quite a bit of sadness in his voice.

At his words, I could only sigh internally; there's not much to work with, I suppose I'll have to put my hopes in Arbor Muto. In the novel, he's described as a genius in Magical Engineering from one of the duchies belonging to the Empire; I'll have to pay him a visit soon.

"I see... One last thing, you're an Alchemist, right? Tell me what you think of these objects," I said and presented him with 2 flasks, one is the last [Special Competition] that I have left from the Neutral Zone, I know it's a divine replica made by the 7 goddesses and possibly I won't be able to discover anything useful, but the second flask contains the [Tears of Psychi] which are authentic and not a divine replica.

He took both flasks and carried them to one of the tables, placing them on a platform with several carved magical circuits. He chanted a short spell, the carved circuits on the platform lit up, and Ian's eyes brightened a bit. When he saw the flask of [Special Competition], he just sighed and shook his head, returning it to me and saying it was a magical replica of a [Special Competition] and, apart from using it as a consumable, it couldn't be used for anything else.

But when he evaluated the flask of [Tears of Psychi] using the same method, his eyelids opened wide and his pupils dilated for a moment, showing how astonished he was.

"It's authentic! It's real! Hahahaha, I can't believe it, this is a true miracle boy, this is a real treasure. Tell me, what do you want me to do with this? With my current ability, it's possible to study it, and I have a 50% chance of completely unraveling its formula, but in the worst-case scenario, the other 50% is that I fail and this element is lost forever," he said excitedly, his hands trembling as he held the flask.

"How long would it take you?" I asked seriously.

"Mm, a week, but it's a gamble, and even if I successfully unravel it, you have to know that the element will be lost, and if the materials are very scarce, it might be impossible to recreate it even if I have the formula, so it would be impossible for me to return such an object to you if that's the case. To be honest, it would be better if you used this element on yourself instead of wasting it for its recreation," Ian said with enthusiasm, but at the same time, regret.

"This element was made by a man who wanted to save a girl's dream; this element is the crystallization of the purest will there can be, and its existence is a miracle. I am one of those who believe that miracles are earned through effort and hard work. If we already have a miracle from that man, then let's take it to the next level. He did it for the future and the dream of that girl, you will do it for the future and the dreams of the residents of Paradise. If you fail, then there will be no loss; it was not meant to be.

But if you succeed, then that man who failed to save the girl's dreams will have contributed to saving the dreams of all the residents of this world, and you will be the one who helped him do it," I said, and Ian was moved by my words, carefully storing the flask in his storage bag.

"Alright, you've inspired me. I must give my all to achieve another miracle. If we're lucky, I may succeed, and the necessary elements to recreate this object won't be so scarce," Ian said excitedly and bid me farewell as he kicked me out of his laboratory.

I would have liked to see the process, but seeing Ian so animated and focused on the task, I didn't want to distract him and let him kick me out. I walked back to the palace; it was getting dark, and it seemed that Teresa had not yet returned, or maybe the guards had not notified me. When I arrived at the entrance of the palace and saw them acting somewhat nervous, I realized it was actually the latter. I suppose Teresa returned and ordered them not to notify me so she would have time to get ready.

After about 20 minutes, a maid who didn't see me came out but told the guards to notify me that the princess was ready and that she, along with the king, were waiting for me in the throne room for an audience.

Jan Sanctus guided me to the entrance of the audience hall and left. I entered the hall and saw several guards positioned around the room, and at the end was King Prihi Hussey seated on a throne, with Teresa standing next to him in a pink bell-shaped dress. She looked beautiful, but at the same time, it gave a somewhat surreal feeling when she has pink hair and eyes and is wearing a pink dress; it's definitely an image that might only be seen at a cosplay event on Earth.

When Teresa noticed I was looking at her, she smiled mischievously and waved at me. I returned the greeting, but then turned my attention to her father on the throne. He had well-groomed hair and beard, unlike Teresa, his hair is blonde, and as I know from the novel, it's actually Teresa's mother who was the authentic member of the royal family, and the King reached his position by marrying her.

"Are you the earthling named Seol Jihu?" he asked with a neutral voice and calm tone. His untrained physique gives the impression that physical activities are not really his specialty, and he is more likely oriented towards the management, political, and economic development of the kingdom, which justifies why Teresa had to step forward regarding military matters.

"Yes, my name is Seol Jihu, it's an honor to meet you, Your Majesty Prihi," I said respectfully while making a slight bow.

King Prihi laughed and said, "An honor, eh? It's been a long time since an earthling greeted me that way with genuine intent. I appreciate the gesture, but it's not necessary. I've heard long ago that earthlings are masters of their realms, while their kings exist to serve the people who have the right to choose or remove them from office based on their performance. That's why I respect your culture, and for a long time, customs of servitude etiquette have been abolished in the palace and in our royal customs, so you can address me however you feel most comfortable."

At his words, I nodded and said, "Then again, it's a pleasure to meet you, father-in-law," I said, and I saw a slight twitch in his right eyebrow, while Teresa was struggling to contain her laughter, and the guards around the room became nervous.

The king sighed and whispered quite low, "Of course, just another shameless earthling like Ian, it was a mistake to expect otherwise even if it was my daughter who chose him."

Then he composed himself and looked at me intently and said, "First, I would like to express my gratitude for your heroic acts. I have heard what you have done for my kingdom."

At his words, I just nodded slightly, accepting his thanks. I really don't feel like I have to say or justify anything at this moment; that would only sound like a hypocritical and presumptuous exchange on my part. The king seemed pleased with my performance, and Teresa was just smiling.

"I'm glad of your prompt visit. You see, my daughter kept bothering me about wanting us to meet and formally introduce ourselves, and to be honest, I also wanted to meet the person who was able to steal my daughter's heart. I must say there were too many suitors for a long time, but she always rejected them, and apart from that showed little interest in the opposite sex, adding to that her personality, I was already worried that perhaps the kingdom would not have the chance to meet its successor-"

"Dad! Don't say those things in front of my boyfriend; he just recently entered Paradise, and if you say things like that, he'll get the wrong impression about me," Teresa intervened with a rather loud voice that interrupted the king, and judging by how he was rubbing his ear, I can say she almost left him deaf.

The king just shrugged and whispered almost inaudibly, "The only one lying and giving a false impression is you, wearing that dress. We all know you hate dresses and prefer armor. It's the first time in 8 years you've worn a dress, and the first time in my life I've seen you wear one voluntarily."

Fortunately for the king, it seems I was the only person who could hear him, because if Teresa had heard, she surely would have retaliated. Then King Prihi used both hands to slowly rise from his throne and said, "Well, we've gotten past the formalities, I suppose it's a good time to move on to dinner, after all, I invited you to a dinner. How could I let my son-in-law and the hero of Haramark starve while we get lost in trivial formalities?"

With the king finally dropping his serious act, Teresa sighed in relief and simply ran towards me, throwing herself into my embrace and kissing me. It still makes me laugh a little that this girl is so impulsive and doesn't hesitate to take the lead. For my part, I returned the kiss and told her, "You look beautiful in that dress, but the choice of pink color combined with your hair and eye color makes you look like a girl who only exists in tales and fantasies from where I come from."

"Really? That rascal Ian told me that pink dresses were common for women in your world," she said annoyed, and in her eyes, you could see the promise of revenge against Ian.

I found it amusing and told her, "Pink bell-style dresses are quite common and popular on Earth, but women with natural pink hair and eye color don't exist on Earth. If a woman has pink hair on Earth, it's immediately assumed she dyed it, but you're the first woman in my life I've seen with natural pink hair and eye color, and combined with your dress, believe me, Ian really hit the mark with the choice to make you look like a princess straight out of a fantasy tale."

"Heh, so I look great?" she said as she did a little twirl to let me see her completely.

"Well, it's a matter of taste, but if I had to say, you look great in your knight princess armor, but with the dress, you look charming," I said, and she blushed a little.

"Alright, Ian is saved for this time," she said while laughing and hiding her slight shyness, then took my hand, crossed our arms, and told me to hurry to the dining room as we had fallen far behind her dad.

We arrived at the dining room; the table is relatively large, but not as much as one would expect for a royal palace. I suppose it was made with the intention of not being so large as to separate the family too much while they eat. Seeing that the king sat at the head of the table, Teresa immediately sat to his right, and they indicated that I should sit to the left of the king, which would leave me facing Teresa, instead of sitting at the opposite head where an honored guest would normally sit if etiquette were observed.

In this way, we could talk comfortably while eating more familiarly rather than formally. Then there was the food; I wouldn't describe it as extravagant delicacies, and I'm familiar with such delicacies from the Neutral Zone, but even though it wasn't anything extravagant, all sorts of quite appetizing common dishes were placed on the table, and it's evident they were prepared with considerable effort and appreciation. The chef definitely respects and appreciates the royal family a lot, and it's clear to see from the food.

As we began to eat, King Prihi asked me some questions about myself, my life on Earth, my family, and everything a father wants to know about his daughter's boyfriend, but luckily he did it in a relaxed and considerate manner. At no point did he intend to make me uncomfortable or make me feel like he was looking for some hidden intention in me, so I answered everything with great joy and honesty. He wasn't at all upset to know that I have several lovers; that's not something unusual in Paradise.

When he finished satisfying his curiosity, it was my turn. "What was Teresa like when she was little?" I asked with quite a bit of curiosity.

For the first time that night, the king put on an expression of deep thought and concern, then turned his gaze to Teresa, who just smiled slightly, but I could see her playing with a knife and fork on the table while smiling at the king.

The king just nodded in response to Teresa's reaction and said, "She was a charming young lady and a true model of royal etiquette," his words were incredibly monotonous, like when you go and read the description of something you don't understand.

Teresa was happily smiling at her father's words and stopped playing with the fork and knife. I just laughed internally at her antics, then the King sighed with resignation and continued, "Well, she was like that, I suppose, when she was 1 or 2 years old and had no idea about anything, and any child dressed properly by their parents could be described in the same way. But then the years passed, and my little precious princess turned into a seeker of adventure and conflict.

She would escape from etiquette classes, tear up dresses, force the guards to teach her to fight, and often sneak out of the castle to go on adventures. Once she went so far as to escape the kingdom itself and got lost in the desert for several days. It was fortunate that we could find her before she died of dehydration, but she was so stubborn and persevering that she survived by drinking her own—"

The king could not finish his words before a knife was embedded in the back of his chair right above his head. The frightened king ducked his head and looked at Teresa reproachfully, and she just smiled and said, "It seems my father is tired, just look at how he's nodding off. He must have had a long day. I better accompany him to his room so he can rest, lest fatigue takes its toll on his body and he ends up dying of exhaustion."

"No, it's fine, I can go alone. If you want your father to give you privacy, there's no need to try to kill him; you could have just said so. And if what you're trying to do is silence me, that won't change the fact that sooner or later he'll see your true colors just like now, my dear daughter," said the king amusedly as he stood up.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, my young son-in-law. I can only wish you luck and happiness, but if you'll accept a friendly piece of advice, I'll tell you that you still have time to escape," he said as he lifted a tray from the table and covered his face with a speed greater than one would think possible with his untrained physique. But it seems that's something he's practiced to mastery, as not a second after covering himself, a fork was embedded in the tray, and the king retreated at great speeds to the exit of the dining room. The maids standing in the dining room just laughed lightly without any concern, as if this scene were quite common, and only two of the maids went to accompany the king.

It's clear that Teresa and her father have a rather unique relationship. Though the hierarchy might be a bit damaged, it is evident that as the last living members of their family and given the struggles they've faced to keep their kingdom running, they behave more like an old pair of colleagues than father and daughter at times. But that's the point; they only act this way around people they trust. The fact that the king behaves this way in my presence shows he has truly accepted me as his son-in-law.

As the king left so quickly, I did not have time to say goodbye, but it seemed he was more concerned about leaving unscathed than the farewell.

"Well, I guess this is a good time for dessert," Teresa said, pretending nothing had happened.

"Of course, I still have room for dessert," I replied enthusiastically.

"Good, but I have to warn you, my dear, once you taste it, you'll never forget this dessert," she said with a seductive tone in her voice.

"I see, it sounds like a very special dessert. Now, I'm full of expectations," I said, giving her body an interested look.

"Alright, let's go to my bedroom!" she said excitedly as she stood up and walked out of the dining room, swaying her hips provocatively.

I followed her and said, "This dessert sounds more and more tempting, especially if we need to go to your bedroom to eat it, Teresa."

"As I said, it's a very special dessert. It was personally made by my father and mother. Depending on where you eat it, it will make for a unique experience," she said playfully.

"What kind of dessert is it, and what is it called?" I asked, playing along and feigning innocence, though I already had an idea from the novel of what dessert she was referring to.

"It's not fun if I tell you in advance what kind of dessert it is, but I can tell you its name," she said, leaning in close to my ear and whispering sensually, "it's called 'Teresa Hussey'."

We arrived at her room; it was large but not as luxurious as one would expect for a princess's room. There were no feminine decorations, but rather a lot of sets of armor and weapons adorning the walls. When Teresa saw me studying her room, she became quite embarrassed and, to divert my attention, she said, "Sit on the bed, put this blindfold on, and wait patiently, my dear. No peeking or moving, wait for me to have your dessert ready."

She blindfolded me. It wasn't necessary to remove the blindfold, with my [Sensory Perception] active I could sense everything happening. After blindfolding me, Teresa hurried out of the room and returned a few minutes later with a tray. On the tray was a small pink ice-cream cake.

She eagerly placed the tray in front of me and said, "My dear, your dessert is ready. When I count to three, you can take off the blindfold."

Then she began her countdown, and when she finished, I removed the blindfold and saw both her and the dessert. She clearly expected a reaction from me because of the joke, but I just laughed and said, "The dessert looks very appetizing."

She laughed mischievously and said, "Yes, you have to try it. I can assure you it's very sweet and smooth. My mom and dad invented and prepared it exclusively for me on my sixth birthday. I can confidently say that besides me, you're the only other person who will try this dessert."

Then, with a spoon, she took a small portion and fed it to me. I didn't resist and ate it. The dessert was exactly as Teresa had described. It was soft and delicious, with a strawberry flavor.

After we finished eating it together, she was quite happy and asked me playfully, "Dear, how was the dessert? Was it tasty? Did it meet your expectations?"

"It's definitely a tasty dessert, and I couldn't get enough of it. I'll have to keep 'eating more of Teresa Hussey,'" I said, grabbing her by the waist and beginning to kiss her. She responded passionately.

We continued kissing for quite a while as we undressed each other. I was very careful in helping Teresa take off her dress, as she was eager to tear it off in her haste.

Once we were naked, we resumed our kissing and foreplay. Both of us were ready to take it to the next level, and we didn't hold back. Despite it being Teresa's first time, she wasn't at all careful and let herself be completely swept away by passion.

Even when I took her virginity, she showed more enjoyment than pain. I suppose this is a clear sign that she's used to pain from all her training and battles, and her great physical endurance was further evidence of that. Despite it being her first time, she was able to keep up with me for a couple of hours of intense activity.

We stopped because she was exhausted. It was quite intense for her first time, but we were both happy and satisfied. She even said to me, "Where have you been all my life?" I just laughed, kissed her, and said, "I was training to prepare myself. Without enough training, I would not have been able to fulfill my duty to my dear princess knight."

Then we had a happy pillow talk before she fell asleep, and with nothing much to do and feeling quite satisfied, I also fell asleep.