"Dammit, Leyvi! You can't blame this prince for thinking like that!" Dastan snapped back, his ears tinged red from embarrassment. "At that time… ugh, forget it!"
He suddenly remembered that Leyvi must have deliberately said it like that to provoke a reaction from him, like many times before, so he restrained himself. He wouldn't fall for it again.
Leyvi raised his eyebrow. Oh? He didn't take the bait this time.
Anda blinked at the exchange, her lips quirking as she watched the two bicker. This prince? She stifled a laugh, finding it amusing. What a weird way to refer to yourself.
But then her eyes narrowed slightly as she got a better look at Dastan's face. Wait a minute. He looks familiar. That face! Isn't he Tamina's fiancé? So he was with Leyvi all along! What a coincidence!
Coincidence? Anda frowned slightly. It felt too suspicious to be a mere chance. Now aware of higher powers, like divine beings such as the Goddess of Fertility, this coincidence seemed dubious. Could someone be manipulating their lives behind the scenes?
Anda sighed inwardly. Whether there was some higher power pulling the strings or not, it made no difference. There was nothing they could do about it anyway, even if it were true. She decided to push the thought aside for now and focus on the present.
Her attention returned to Dastan. Didn't Tamina say her fiancé was an extremely difficult person to deal with? Anda studied him carefully. He certainly seemed very arrogant, but it wasn't unbearable. There was no unpleasant scent leaking from him either, which meant he wasn't harboring any negative emotions toward Leyvi. That was a good sign.
Still curious, Anda activated her Heavenly Fragrant Harmony Body's ability. She took in a subtle whiff of his existence, and almost immediately she pulled the ability back. The scent of his karma was heavy and unpleasant, thick with the blood of many innocent lives. Yet this did not surprise her. It was only natural for a crown prince.
Even Tamina had admitted she was the only person he treated kindly, while everyone else only ever experienced the more vicious side of his personality. Anda sighed lightly. As long as he had no ill intentions toward Leyvi, she decided it was not her concern.
What did surprise her, however, was how Leyvi and this supposedly unreasonable crown prince seemed to get along so well. It was almost baffling.
"Alright, let me introduce you all. This is my wife, Anda. This is Dastan, and this is his beast tamer, Tantan," Leyvi said with a grin.
"Right, this prince is the crown prince of the Howling… wait a second. Dammit, Leyvi! This prince is not her beast tamer. It's the other way around!" Dastan caught himself mid-sentence, his face twitching with frustration.
"Hahaha! Am I really wrong, though? You always act according to her whims," Leyvi teased, his grin widening.
"Hmph! This prince is simply being a responsible beast tamer, prioritizing her happiness. Isn't that right, Tantan?" Dastan countered, puffing out his chest.
Tantan nodded proudly and gave Leyvi a sharp side-eye. With a smug air, she rubbed her tail affectionately around Dastan's neck, as if flaunting their superior relationship.
Anda watched the exchange with amusement. So this demonic squirrel didn't seem very fond of Leyvi. The subtle scent she exuded was laced with irritation. Clearly, Leyvi must have been teasing her often.
"Eh? Isn't that Brother-in-law Victor?" Anda said with mild surprise, her gaze shifting to the quiet figure standing behind Dastan, deliberately keeping himself out of the spotlight. I see. So Selene's brother ended up with Leyvi too. That's good. At least Selene wouldn't have to feel sad anymore.
Personally, Anda didn't particularly care whether Victor had survived or not. But for Selene's sake, she would certainly prefer that he had, and thankfully, he did.
"Hahaha! We ran into Brother Victor over a month ago. He did well surviving on his own, using his disguising technique to stay safe," Leyvi said, giving Victor a nod of approval.
Hmph… I don't feel flattered at all, even when you praise me. Coming from a tall guy like you, it feels more like an insult. Victor complained silently, his expression neutral.
"Really? That's impressive," Anda responded with a slight smile. She had rescued more than a few helpless people during her journey, yet from the sound of it, Victor hadn't needed saving at all.
In truth, Anda had been convinced Victor would not survive this Mystic Realm expedition. His lack of fighting ability was glaring. But it seemed she had underestimated the different ways one could survive in such a deadly place without brute strength.
"Oh right, what about you, Anda? Why are you here? I thought we'd find you at the mansion. We were heading there, but then I saw you waiting here," Leyvi asked, tilting his head curiously.
"Eh?" Anda blinked a few times, then turned her gaze upward toward the lone celestial cloud hovering in the sky. Her expression shifted into visible confusion.
What is going on? How come Leyvi doesn't know? Wasn't this whole meetup arranged by him and Senior Lapin? If they didn't plan this together, then how did Leyvi even know about the mansion? The mansion was on the opposite side of the island, far beyond the range of his spiritual sense.
Nothing was adding up.
Noticing Anda's stunned look, Leyvi followed her line of sight and spotted the strange cloud hovering lower than any natural cloud should. Frowning slightly, he extended his spiritual sense toward it. It carried a small round plant nestled comfortably on its surface.
"Strange… how is this cloud carrying a plant? Is this some kind of treasure cloud?" Leyvi asked, his curiosity piqued.
Anda's eyes returned to her husband. His confusion only deepened hers. If Leyvi didn't know about the cloud, how had he found her here so precisely?
Before she could voice her thoughts, Leyvi vanished from her sight in a flash. With a powerful leap, he soared into the sky and landed squarely on the cloud's surface.
"Hahaha! Anda, look at this! I can stand on it! This thing really is a treasure!" Leyvi's laughter echoed down from above, his excitement as bright as ever.
Below, Dastan, Victor, and Tantan stared in surprise at the magical cloud. Of all of them, it was Tantan whose eyes sparkled the most. She was already daydreaming about soaring through the sky, riding on its fluffy surface like some legendary mount.
In her entire life, she had never once believed flight was possible. Birds and other winged creatures, according to ancient tales, had once been able to fly. But not anymore. For her, the idea was beyond magical.
"Senior Lapin! What is going on? Why doesn't Leyvi know about you yet?" Anda shouted up toward the floating cloud.
"Kekeke! Human Anda, this is the real surprise I prepared for you. Instead of asking me, you should ask your husband how he found you so easily." Lapin's voice echoed cheerfully, though his real body on the Sky Island was grinning with pure amusement. This was far too entertaining for him.
As he spoke, Lapin gently lowered the celestial cloud toward the beach, its fluffy edges glowing faintly as it descended.
The group on the sand gawked as the cloud moved with clear intent.
"What the heck! The cloud can talk too?" Dastan exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Tantan's jaw dropped. "A talking cloud! It really is a treasure! Master, let's bring one home too!"
But Leyvi was already leaning forward, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Amazing! Anda, do you know this cloud? Wait, it was floating above you earlier. Is this a treasure you found? And is that voice just now the treasure spirit?"
Anda turned toward Dastan and the others, waving for them to follow. "Everyone, let's get on the celestial cloud first. We can talk on the way to the mansion."
Without waiting for an answer, she leaped gracefully onto the cloud, landing beside Leyvi.
Earlier, Lapin had told her that this particular celestial cloud had evolved differently from normal ones. It could no longer merge with others of its kind, but its growth had made it large enough to carry several people at once.
"Celestial Cloud? So that's what this thing is called?" Dastan muttered as he followed, leaping up and landing lightly on its surface. Victor arrived a moment later, his movements more subdued.
The cloud began to rise again, ascending smoothly before gliding forward at a leisurely pace toward the mansion.
"Hmmm… it feels great being high up in the sky like this. I miss flying." Leyvi took a deep breath of the cool, thin air, a faint smile on his face. Anda clung to his arm, her grip warm and unyielding, as if still afraid he might vanish again.
"So, husband," she said softly, tilting her head to look up at him. "How did you find me if Senior Lapin never met you?"
Leyvi blinked. "So this artifact spirit's name is Senior Lapin?"
"Kekeke!" A light, mischievous laugh rippled through the cloud beneath them. "That's right! My name is Lapin Blanco! I am the artifact spirit of this magnificent treasure cloud! And this little mistletoe riding along is my assistant. Her name is Mistletoe Misty."