"Um, are you fine, Madam?" Asked Alexander lightly as he glanced at Azalea, who was shedding tears while staring at the carousel in her hands, which she had yet to activate.
Azalea was most likely fine; if I had to guess, she must be reminiscing her past with Lavender, which I also do sometimes; I just no longer cry… Usually.
"Y-Yes, A-Alexander. I-I'm just s-surprised and happy… T-To think, a-after so long, L-Lavender still had this." Replied Azalea softly, tears streaming down her cheeks as she inspected the carousel while Alexander watched with a slight smile.
While Azalea continued to observe the carousel within her hands, the doors were once again opened, though this time, several servants pushing carts full of trays entered, and the smell they brought was rather appetizing.
"Quiet." Said Violet sternly as she narrowed her eyes while eyeing everyone at the table, causing the room to quickly descend into silence.
The servants stopped at different spots beside the long table and began unloading the trays onto the dining table, placing a few of them directly in front of us as well; once they finished, they promptly turned around and exited the room one by one, and when they all left, only then did we began speaking once more.
"Thank you, Goddess Eywa." Said everyone respectfully as they clasped their hands and bowed their heads.
Glancing at the royal family, I turned and looked at Lazuli, who had already lifted the cover off her plate, only for her to promptly cover it once more when she saw the food. Rubbing my face, I wanted to tell her to at least eat some of it so she didn't seem disrespectful, but before I could, Violet suddenly called me.
"So, Alexander, do you mind answering some questions for us?" Asked Violet lightly as she removed her cover and grabbed her utensils while raising her head and glancing at Alexander, who was doing the same.
"Not at all, Queen Violet." Replied Alexander with a faint smile as he took a bite, only to nod in agreement while enjoying the delicious yet vegan food.
"Your relationship with Grandaunt, could you go more into detail?" Asked Violet curiously as she looked at Alexander, who nodded and cleared his throat.
"Master found me when I was a newborn and has been taking care of me ever since her unfortunate passing; so although she's my Master, she's also like a Mother to me as well." Stated Alexander lightly with a bitter-sweet smile as he looked at the ceiling before shifting his focus back to Violet, who nodded before snapping her fingers.
"If that's so, do you mind explaining this?" Asked Violet as she gestured to her right, where two servants held a long white wedding dress that had clearly been ripped in several places, along with a brown and green tux in the same condition as the dress.
"Eh, isn't that the outfits you and Father wore when you got married?" Asked Amaryllis with a raised eyebrow as she looked at the outfits before shifting her focus to Violet and his husband, prompting them to both nod.
"Yes, it is, but these outfits were within the space pouch Alexander had handed to us. So, that can only mean a few things… Grandaunt happened to get married to an unknown man, or… Alexander here isn't telling us the whole truth about his relationship with Grandaunt." Replied Violet with a nod as she glanced at Amaryllis before narrowing her eyes and eyeing Alexander, her words snapping Azalea out of her daze.
"Lavender got married, t-to who!?" Exclaimed Azalea loudly as she looked at Violet before glancing at the marriage outfits, only for her eyes to widen while finally settling on Alexander, who had focused on his food.
"Mhm, this food is absolutely splendid." Said Alexander with a smile as he stuffed his mouth full of food, only for Iris to grunt.
"Hmph, it is rude to ignore the Queen's words, let alone the act of lying to her." Said Iris firmly as he folded his arms and eyed Alexander, who wryly smiled before lowering his head and sighing.
"W-Well, you see, when Master passed away, I-I didn't only lose my teacher and Mother, but also my, um, first wife." Said Alexander awkwardly as he winced towards the end while avoiding eye contact, though his words shocked Azalea and the older generations.
"I suspected, but still… I don't really like it." Muttered Dahlia with wide eyes and a slight frown as she folded her arms while eyeing Alexander.
"Was it an official marriage?" Asked Camellia, Violet's sister, her words causing Alexander to awkwardly shake his head while several sighed in relief.
"The first marriage wasn't official, as you can see; Master and I got very… Unhinged towards the end. However, a few days later, we had an official marriage ceremony, and a miniature statue of Goddess Eywa's likeness was watching over us." Added Alexander, his words causing everyone to groan while Violet sighed deeply.
"Wait, if that is true, wouldn't technically make him our… Uncle-in-law?" Asked Aster with an uncomfortable expression as she glanced at Alexander, only for Azalea to suddenly laugh with joy.
"Hahahaha, so you're my Brother-in-law?" Asked Azalea with a smile as she looked at Alexander while heartily laughing, causing him to nod awkwardly.
"I mean, technically, yes, but by that same logic, I'm also your nephew since Lavender is also a mother to me." Replied Alexander lightly as he glanced at Azalea, who dismissively waved her hand, ignoring his words.
"Since you're not blood-related, your marriage status comes first." Stated Azalea with a faint smile, causing Alexander to nod while shrugging his shoulders, deciding not to argue with her.
"Hmph, this is highly unprofessional of Aunt to marry a young man she raised her own disciple." Said Dahlia with a frown as she scoffed while glancing at Alexander, who sighed with a nod.
"That is why I didn't say anything." Said Alexander softly, though his words hardly seemed to phase Dahlia as she rolled her eyes and ignored him.
"Our opinion on the subject matters not; what's done is done, and Grandaunt has left us; we couldn't reprimand her if we wished. Though I strongly feel none of us would dare do such a thing anyway." Remarked Violet lightly as she waved her hand, ending the topic while causing Dahlia to scoff before descending into silence.
"Um, if you all don't mind, may I ask a small question?" Asked Alexander lightly, his words causing everyone to raise an eyebrow before Violet nodded.
"Depending on what it is, we may or may not answer it." Said Violet, her words causing Alexander to nod as he took a final bite and finished his food.
"I was told by Master that you all dislike humans, but that doesn't really seem to be the case. You all have been treating me rather well." Said Alexander curiously as he gazed at everyone, his words causing them to look at each other.
"That is true; while we're not as bad as the Elves, we're not exactly a fan of you humans or Demons. The main reason we've been treating you well is because you held a royal medallion and revealed yourself to be Grandaunt's disciple, and now you've also turned out to be her husband. Whether we like it or not, you're officially family." Said Violet firmly as she eyed Alexander, only for Aster to open her mouth and voice her thoughts.
"However, I don't know about the others, but I will say you're very appealing, Alexander. I don't know what it is, but you're quickly growing on me." Stated Aster softly with a faint smile as she looked at Alexander, who smiled in return.
"Speaking of this, who is the woman beside you?" Asked Dahlia as she eyed Lazuli, who hadn't touched her food since the beginning.
"Oh, she's my lover; her name is Lazuli." Replied Alexander proudly as he looked at Lazuli while everyone subtly frowned at his words.
"Polygamy is frowned upon in this kingdom, but I suppose it must be fine where you come from." Said Iris lightly with a solemn expression as he looked at Lazuli and Alexander, who raised an eyebrow only to nod in understanding while glancing at Violet.
"Oh, I see. Well, if it weren't for them, I would probably still be depressed from Master's death." "Them?" Said Alexander and Amaryllis, respectively, as the former nodded while reaching into his pocket, revealing a photo.
"Oh, my wife and other lover are back home in the Mezcla continent. My wife is an Oni, and my lover is an Elf; I intend to marry them both when we return home, so I'm actually really eager to do so." Remarked Alexander with a joyful expression as he showed Amaryllis the photo of Michelle and Yuki.
"Eh, where is the Oni?" Asked Amaryllis in confusion as she squinted her eyes, unable to spot Yuki's figure, only seeing a large blue background.
"Oh, was my finger covering her again?" Muttered Alexander softly as he moved his fingers, revealing Yuki's face, causing Amaryllis's eyes to slightly widened.
"She's huge." "Yeah, I know, but that just gives me more of her to love, so I'm not complaining." Stated Amaryllis and Alexander, respectively, as the latter stored the photo back into his pocket with a smile, only to awkwardly cough.
"S-Sorry about that; I-I tend to get carried away whenever I speak about my women." Added Alexander while sheepishly rubbing his head as he gazed at everyone, who either ignored him or calmly nodded, seemingly unbothered.
"Can you speak about L-Lavender?" Asked Azalea as she looked at Alexander, whose eyes shone brightly.
"Can I? I would love to; just don't blame me when I speak too much." Said Alexander with an eager smile as he mischeviously looked at Azalea, who chuckled with a smirk.
"Heh, try me." Said Azalea provokingly, her words prompting Alexander to grin as he didn't hesitate and began speaking about Lavender.