Still, after things had gone that far, it'd have been rather rude not to spend some private time with Robin. She'd already taken the initiative, after all. Backing down now would've been hard to justify.
So the two spent the rest of the day together.
It wasn't until the next morning that Robin took Sylvia to one of the Family's registration offices.
The Family's structure followed a simple idea: no matter where you came from or what status you were born into, once you joined, everyone became family. Even so, smaller families still existed within that greater whole.
At the end of the day, the Family was still an organization made up mostly of humanoid species, and most people weren't comfortable relying on technology for single-parent reproduction.
Robin hadn't planned on making their relationship this official at first. Both her position and Sylvia's were sensitive within the Family right now. If she rushed to register with Sylvia, it could easily look as though she were borrowing Sylvia's influence to pressure the other Families.
Robin had never cared about the Family's political power, so she'd wanted to avoid even the appearance of such a thing. Otherwise, if the Family heads started overthinking it, she'd only have to explain herself later.
Sylvia, however, had another problem. The jewelry she'd given everyone else had come from system rewards. There was no way she could give Robin something she'd simply bought from a shop.
Some of those accessories still hadn't shown any special properties, but what had happened with Mei and Firefly had already confirmed that the system's jewelry could possess hidden functions.
Besides, even putting that aside, there was another way to look at it.
"Think of it from the opposite angle. Once we're registered, all you have to tell them is that you'll be traveling with me aboard the Express in the future. Wouldn't that do more to put their minds at ease?"
"Mm..."
Robin nodded, her cheeks red. Looked at that way, Sylvia did have a point.
"If anything, leaving our relationship vague right now makes it easier for them to assume I'm backing you in some kind of power grab."
Things weren't like they used to be.
Sylvia now stood behind Robin, and over the past few weeks, every major faction had come to accept that as fact. Even if everything before this had started with a simple "commission," who could guarantee that another commission wouldn't appear the next time Robin needed help?
If Sylvia weren't involved and Robin stood alone, the major Families wouldn't have believed she could seize the position of Family head in the first place.
But Sylvia was involved.
"You're right. Let's register after all."
Robin accepted Sylvia's argument, then promptly marched straight toward the registration office.
--+--
At the same time Sylvia and Robin were making things official...
Dewlight Pavilion.
"What did you just say?! Robin registered WHAT?! Is someone threatening her? Where's Sylvia?!"
Sunday had been sitting around the Pavilion with little to do besides read.
The moment a former subordinate kindly brought him the news, the book in his hands crumbled into scraps.
The Family member who'd come to tip him off saw Sunday's terrible expression and hurried to explain.
"Calm down, I haven't finished yet! The person Robin registered with is Sylvia, the Emanator of Elation."
"...Huh?"
Sunday's entire face went blank.
Wait.
What had he just said?
Robin and Sylvia were married?
Hadn't that bastard registered with a girl named Firefly only a few days ago?!
Damn it! He never should've convinced himself that woman was a decent person!
"I'm going out."
Sunday stood and headed for the door.
The Family member lunged forward, hooked both arms around him, and dragged him back with all his strength.
"Calm down, Brother Sunday! If you go out and pick a fight with an Emanator right now, we're really going to have a disaster on our hands!"
Anyone still willing to come talk to Sunday about things like this had to trust him from the bottom of their heart. This particular Family member had become loyal to him after Sunday saved one of his relatives shortly after he'd joined the Family.
That was exactly why Sunday couldn't be allowed to storm out in public now.
"Calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down?! Robin's such a wonderful girl! Why does Sylvia get to—?! Huh?! How dare she?! Does being an Emanator mean she can just do whatever she wants?!"
Sunday had only recently shed the burden of being Family head, and he still hadn't fully recovered from everything that'd happened. Hearing something this explosive out of nowhere made it almost impossible for him to keep his composure.
The Family member restraining him felt helpless.
He'd come here to ask the former Family head for advice, not to stop him from charging off in a fury.
"But I saw Miss Robin personally leading the Emanator to the registration office. The staff handling it said Miss Robin looked obviously happy, too."
"What?! She was happy?! Sylvia must've put some kind of spell on her!"
"Maybe Miss Robin's just trying to use the Emanator's influence to strengthen her position. After all... Miss Robin can't hold everything together by herself."
"..."
That struck Sunday with surgical precision.
His rage vanished.
"Let go of me."
"Huh? I-I'll let go if you swear you won't run outside again."
"..."
"I swear."
"All right, all right. Just don't do anything reckless. All of us brothers and sisters are keeping an eye on things. If Miss Robin really is being forced into something, we'll step in and demand an explanation."
The Family member laughed twice and released Sunday. This version of him felt a little unfamiliar, but somehow more human than before.
"..."
Sunday let out a quiet sigh.
In the end, this was still his fault.
Not only had he failed to provide his sister with a safe place to shelter, but now she had to maneuver and struggle for influence just to protect his life.
"Please find an opportunity to take a few of the sisters and check on her. Your abilities should be enough to tell whether Robin's been mentally influenced."
"Leave it to me. I already arranged that before coming here, so you've got nothing to worry about."
The Family member thumped his chest, then added, "Still, I've privately spoken with members of the Astral Express before. If I'm being truthful, I think Miss Robin probably did this of her own free will."
"..."
Sunday silently clutched his chest.
Enough, brother.
That really wasn't what he wanted to hear right now. Couldn't the man at least give him two days to recover before reporting that part?
--+--
Elsewhere, the IPC trio received the news as well.
Sylvia wasn't the unknown figure she'd once been. Then again, even before this, the attention surrounding her had never been low. The difference was that now, everyone was watching much more closely.
"Well, well. Penacony's biggest star has tied the knot with the Astral Express's Emanator of Elation. What a mess."
Aventurine lounged lazily against the sofa and laughed as he read the report in his hands.
"If I remember right, our esteemed Emanator registered with some younger girl named Firefly not long ago, didn't she?"
She really was loyal to her own desires.
Thinking that, Aventurine turned toward Topaz on the sofa across from him.
"Director Topaz, you've been doing business with our new Emanator for so long. How come you never managed to close that deal?"
"If you don't know how to speak, I suggest shutting up."
Topaz couldn't even be bothered to look at him. Nothing good ever came out of that man's mouth.
Jade glanced at Aventurine.
"Give it a rest, Aventurine. More importantly, after today, our great star's words will carry considerably more weight in Penacony."
The three of them were still here, but it wasn't because of the Charmony Festival.
It was because of Penacony itself.
Three IPC envoys had nearly died on Penacony, and the culprit had been the head of one of the Family's major branches. That alone gave the IPC enough justification to send a force and demand answers.
Then, right at this delicate moment, news like this arrived.
It was hard not to read more into it.
Was the Family trying to find powerful backing through an indirect route?
Or were they using this marriage to warn the IPC that they weren't helpless prey to be pushed around?
Topaz closed the light screen in front of her and rose to face Jade.
"I'll pay Sylvia a visit and see where she stands."
"All right. I'll leave it to you. As a Nameless, Sylvia shouldn't normally take a position on something like this, but she is an Emanator of Elation..."
If Sylvia were only a leading figure among the Nameless, Jade wouldn't have doubted her neutrality.
The Nameless were fundamentally neutral. Or perhaps it was more accurate to call them a faction devoted to justice, but gentler about it than the Galaxy Rangers.
But there was always a catch.
Sylvia had received a mask from Aha THEMSELF in front of everyone.
There was no disputing that she'd become an Emanator of Elation, and that complicated things.
The Nameless could be trusted.
A Masked Fool required caution.
When both titles belonged to the same person, it became much harder to predict which way she'd move.
Topaz nodded to Jade, called Numby over, and prepared to leave the lounge.
Watching her stand, Aventurine suddenly spoke again.
"Come to think of it, wasn't Penacony originally supposed to gain another Emanator of Elation?"
He looked toward Jade.
The farce had already ended, yet the second Emanator who was supposedly meant to appear had never emerged. The Fool's mask had vanished as well, and the Family hadn't offered any explanation.
Jade gave a soft laugh.
"Who knows? The Family hasn't said anything. Maybe some lucky soul picked it up somewhere."
"Something that important couldn't really have been lost, could it? If I remember right, that mask belonged to Miss Sylvia too. I wonder what excuse the Family plans to use when they have to explain that."
Aventurine was more than happy to stir up trouble from the sidelines.
He even raised his brows at Topaz on purpose.
Topaz ignored the bait and merely smiled.
"Watch those little schemes of yours. If you make her angry, I won't be able to save you."
"Oh, come on. I'm only giving you a friendly warning."
Aventurine watched Topaz leave and gave a helpless shrug.
His colleagues were great in every other way. They just weren't daring enough.
Once Topaz had left, Jade tapped the table and drew Aventurine's attention back to her.
"All right. Topaz will handle contact with Sylvia. Aventurine, you're coming with me to meet the Alfalfa Family's representative."
They'd originally planned for all three of them to go together today.
With this new development, though, they had no choice but to split into two groups.
As for what ultimately happened to Sunday?
Jade couldn't have cared less.
He could die, be exiled, or even remain the Family head. It made no difference to her.
He wasn't her colleague, so Jade had no personal stake in his fate. She only cared about how much value Sunday could bring the IPC in its negotiations over Penacony.
There was also the Stellaron the Family had packaged as something "brought by Zephyro."
Anyone who knew the truth understood that it was merely an excuse the Family had invented to shift the blame.
It wouldn't work well as direct evidence.
As a weapon in the court of public opinion, however, it could still be useful.
--+--
Aside from the IPC and the Family, no outsiders knew that Sylvia and Robin had registered their marriage.
Afterward, Robin's entry in the system updated.
[Target: Robin]
[Affection: 82 (Fondness)]
[Relationship: Legally Married]
[Rewards: One Gold Pull, One Pair of Newlywed Accessories]
The rewards were the same sort as usual. Sylvia left the pull alone for now.
As before, the system-generated accessories appeared inside one of her clothing pockets.
It was a pair of braided wrist cords.
Pale blue and white strands were woven together, with a dark, star-shaped crystal threaded through each one. When Sylvia looked closely, starlight seemed to shimmer inside the crystal, as though a tiny galaxy were slowly flowing through it.
They overlapped somewhat with Firefly's bracelet, but Sylvia figured there was no problem wearing a cord and a bracelet together.
With that thought, she tied one of the cords around Robin's left wrist.
"This is...?"
"A keepsake. Don't you like wrist cords? If you untie it, I think you could wear it as a necklace too."
Robin shook her head and ran her fingers over the soft cord.
"I just thought you'd choose something more elaborate."
"You already wear plenty of little accessories. Something simple won't draw as much attention."
Robin was a performer, and the freedom of the Dreamscape let her indulge her own tastes. Every public appearance saw her dressed to the nines, while still making sure nothing hindered her movement.
If the system had produced something that looked too expensive or lavish, Sylvia really would've struggled to find a good way to give it to her.
"Hehe~"
Robin smiled.
Her lowered gaze fell on the other cord still in Sylvia's hand. She naturally reached out, took it, and tied it around Sylvia's wrist.
Rather than wandering around, Sylvia and Robin found a park and sat down to rest. They were also waiting for someone from the Family to contact them.
No matter how they looked at it, something this significant should've prompted at least one inquiry from the Family.
"By the way, are you going to keep traveling with the Astral Express after this?"
Robin was curious about Sylvia's next move.
Sylvia nodded.
"Probably. But before that, I need to make a trip to Herta Space Station."
"Is something urgent happening?"
"Yeah. There's a bit of trouble."
Sylvia nodded. She had no intention of lying, but she also wasn't going to tell Robin about the Lord of Silence.
She didn't want to risk drawing her attention toward Robin.
Mei was the only person who knew about the Lord of Silence. If it truly decided to act, Mei was also the only one who could stand against it.
"All right. Be careful."
Robin could tell Sylvia didn't want to explain further, so she guessed it involved matters at an Emanator's level and tactfully stopped asking.
"Don't worry. It's not that dangerous. We're just a bad matchup, so I need a little help."
The moment Sylvia finished speaking, both her phone and Robin's rang one after the other, cutting their conversation short.
They glanced at each other's screens.
Topaz had messaged Sylvia asking to meet.
Madam Maeven had sent Robin an invitation to a tea party.
"Hehe~ Looks like we've both got invitations."
Robin covered her mouth and laughed.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL