While Amaryllis was laughing at the cost of my misfortune past, I observed the room to pass the time as I waited for her to regain some level of control, but it ended up taking much longer than I expected.
"Princess, I can assure you it is not THAT funny." Said Alexander blandly with a deep sigh as he took bites of the appetizer while glancing at Amaryllis, who had started crying from laughing so hard.
My words fell on deaf ears as she continued to laugh, though, from the sounds of things, she was finally beginning to calm down, which helped to ease the annoyance slightly. After another minute, Amaryllis had finally stopped laughing and was wiping her tears with a handkerchief, though whenever she glanced at me, a chuckle would escape her lips.
"Haa, have you laughed enough?" Asked Alexander as she stared at Amaryllis, who quickly covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter before taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"I would like to apologize, Alex, for my insensitive behavior." Said Amaryllis apologetically as she lightly bowed toward Alexander, who rolled his eyes while dismissively nodding.
"It's fine, I don't really care. Though, no way in hell am I actually believing you're apologetic." Remarked Alexander lightly as he shook his head while glancing at Amaryllis, who was biting her lip, using pain to suppress her laughter.
"S-So, what were we speaking of before, Alex?" Asked Amaryllis lightly as she brushed her hair behind her ears while glancing at Alex with a fond smile, causing him to shrug his shoulders.
"I don't know, someone spent nearly five minutes laughing, and I forgot." Replied Alexander while eyeing Amaryllis, who pouted in embarrassment though she didn't attempt to refute him.
In the end, neither of us managed to remember what we were talking about before this; I actually did remember, but I didn't think it would be a good idea to bring up the topic of stairs around Amaryllis, not after I just sacrificed myself to make her forget about it.
However, thankfully, we were saved from the growing awkwardness as the doors slowly opened, allowing a beautiful Dryad woman wearing a suit to enter while pushing a cart.
'Not all women can pull off suits, but when they do, damn, do they look good.' Thought Alexander as he watched the Dryad woman, appreciating her beauty while she approached them.
While dreaming of Yuki, Michelle, and Lazuli wearing a suit, the woman had unloaded several plates of food onto the table and was now walking away.
'Master, don't you dare– And he looked.' Said Trina firmly as she narrowed her eyes at Alexander, only to lower her head in defeat while sighing.
'Damn, she's wearing that suit good.' Mused Alexander with a faint smile as he looked at the Dryad, only for the doors to close, leaving him alone with Amaryllis.
"Did you like her?" Asked Amaryllis with a frown as she eyed Alexander, who glanced at her with a raised eyebrow before shaking her head.
"No, I just thought she looked really beautiful in that suit; after all, not every woman can pull that off. Why, you ask?" Replied Alexander lightly as he grabbed a handkerchief and copied Amaryllis, stuffing it into his shirt.
"You were staring at her for a rather long time." Said Amaryllis calmly as she eyed Alexander, who shrugged his shoulders while grabbing his utensils.
"It's not every day you see a woman in a suit." "Hmm, I suppose that is true." Remarked Alexander and Amaryllis, respectively, as the former didn't hesitate to dig into his food while the latter joined him.
Unfortunately, after some thinking, I concluded none of my lovers had the correct body type to pull off a suit. Yuki was too muscular and voluptuous, Michelle was also too curvy, and Lazuli was the opposite; she was a little too short and lithe. Of course, that didn't stop me from wanting to see them in suits; I personally just think they couldn't correctly pull them off, though I dearly hoped I was wrong.
'Hmm, Vanye, now she could definitely pull off a suit. Oh, what I wouldn't do to see her sexy ass in a suit.' Thought Alexander with a faint grin as he licked his lips while his imagination went wild.
"What do you think of the food?" Asked Amaryllis lightly as she looked at Alexander, snapping him out of his trance while he nodded.
"Great. It's very flavorful, and I really like the hint of lemon." Replied Alexander with a faint smile as he cut his steak into smaller pieces while taking bites, causing Amaryllis to look in disgust before smiling.
"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying it." Said Amaryllis as she shook her head, averting her gaze away from Alexander's food while focusing on her own.
"When do you plan to leave? In a few weeks?" Asked Amaryllis curiously as she looked at Alexander, who raised an eyebrow before shaking his head.
"No. tomorrow." "T-Tomorrow!?" Said Alexander and Amaryllis, respectively, as the latter loudly exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes. I've been away from my family for nearly a month, and I'm starting to miss them; besides, I've also promised to marry my two lovers when I return, so I'm quite eager to leave." Remarked Alexander with a nod as he wiped his mouth while glancing at Amaryllis enthusiastically, causing her to furrow her brows.
"Lover's huh? How many women are you in a relationship with?" Asked Amaryllis softly as she shifted her focus to her food while side-glancing at Alexander.
"Three, though I'm looking to make it four." Replied Alexander with a faint smile as he glanced at Amaryllis, only for him to wince a moment later.
'Are you freaking stupid, Alexander!?' Thought Alexander with a twitched expression as he looked at the ceiling before glancing at Amaryllis, who was deeply blushing.
"I-Is t-that s-so." Muttered Amaryllis with a faint smile, one that caused Alexander to sigh deeply.
Deciding it was time to put my foot down, I took the final bite of my stake and looked at Amaryllis, whose blush only deepened when she caught sight of my face.
"I do not like you, Amaryllis." Stated Alexander, his words causing the smiling Amaryllis to suddenly stiffen.
"There is no point in denying it; I can see it clearer than day. You're clearly romantically attracted to me, Princess, and while I feel really honored, someone as beautiful as you would be interested in me at all. I do not feel the same." Declared Alexander solemnly, his words causing Amaryllis to bite her lip while lowering her head.
There was a long, awkward moment of silence, but eventually, Amaryllis started to move as she set her utensils down while removing her handkerchief.
"I-I'm not really hungry anymore." Said Amaryllis softly as she stood up while swiftly approaching the entrance, prompting Alexander to follow right behind her.
Opening the door for Amaryllis, I silently followed her and scooped her into my arms just before reaching the stairs, where I quickly leaped down the stair; reaching the bottom, I gently set her down, prompting her to weakly thank me while continuing to the exit, ignoring everyone and everything.
"Princess." Said the guard respectfully as he opened the carriage door and deeply bowed.
"R-Return home." Ordered Amaryllis lightly from within the carriage, causing the guard to nod before raising his head and glancing at Alexander, who closed the door for him.
"I'll walk." Said Alexander with an awkward smile, his words confusing the guard, though he simply nodded before pulling himself onto the front of the carriage and grabbing the reins.
'Haa, well, that went about as expected; though she should get over this quickly, I'm probably just a fleeting crush or whatever.' Thought Alexander lightly as he rubbed his head while walking beside the carriage, garnering many looks from passing Dryads.
___
___
"Thank you for your hospitality, Queen Vestalis. However, I must get going; I've got a family to return to." Said Alexander respectfully as he and Lazuli bowed to Violet, who nodded before waving her hand.
"That isn't really necessary since we're technically family." Violet awkwardly as she glanced at Alexander, who nodded.
Having already said my farewells to everyone else, we gave one final bow before turning around and leaving the throne room; Azalea wasn't present; she'd promised me not to leave her room until I'd left the kingdom, which I hadn't even asked of her to do, but it is much appreciated since it will save me from being questioned about the potion and what not.
As for Amaryllis, I hadn't seen her since yesterday. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is; I did leave a note for her, so hopefully, she'll read it.
"You ready, Lazuli?" Asked Alexander with a faint smile as he tightly held Lazuli's hands, causing her to lightly nod.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused on the barrier that surrounded the Dryad Kingdom; once I believed myself to be ready, I mobilized my mana and used [Mass Teleport], causing a weird sensation to envelope both Lazuli and I as we vanished from the palace.
"Oh, I fucking love space mana!" Said Alexander loudly with a smile, his words prompting Lazuli to nod in agreement, only for him to suddenly lunge at her.
"Now that we're out of the Kingdom, we're going to make sweet, sweet love." Said Alexander with a grin as he held Lazuli down while whispering into her ear, causing her to lustfully smile.
"I've been waiting for you to ravish me." Said Lazuli seductively as she blew her hot breath into Alexander's ear, causing him to seal her lips with his own while practically ripping her clothes off.