Kylen's complaint, which sounded so sincere yet full of desperation, successfully startled Dylan, Davin, and Arion. They turned toward the young man with expressions that were difficult to decipher.
For Dylan and Davin, who had long been "cast away" and considered dead by their families, they felt a sense of relief instead. They no longer had to shoulder the suffocating burden of noble protocols.
Meanwhile, for Arion, every word that came out of Kylen's mouth regarding noble rules sounded both alien and terrifying. He felt grateful to have been born a commoner, despite having endured immense suffering. However, curiosity began to pique his interest as he thought about the man who had just become his husband.
"But there's one thing that's been bothering me." Arion said softly, breaking the silence in front of the bedroom door. "Arvin is a high-ranking noble from a Duke's family, one of the pillars of the Astoria Kingdom. Why does he seem completely indifferent to his noble status? He moves as if those rules never even existed."
Arion's question left Kylen and Dylan speechless; they felt a mix of confusion and envy toward the freedom Arvin possessed.
"The Vedegra family is truly unique." Davin answered, his voice calm yet filled with conviction. He began to step away from the master bedroom door he had just peeked through. "At least from what I've observed, the Vedegra family allows their descendants to seek out and choose their own spouses."
Davin paused at the top of the stairs, looking back at his companions. "When we follow him back to the Astoria Kingdom and meet his family in person, perhaps we will get a much more definitive answer."
"I hope so..." Kylen, Dylan, and Arion replied almost in unison, their voices carrying a blend of anxiety and hope.
The four of them then walked slowly down the stairs before heading to the living room, where Allen and the others were still gathered.
The atmosphere in the living room felt warm, but Allen's presence, watching them with a meaningful smile, made them feel a bit awkward.
"Well?" Allen asked casually, leaning back against the sofa. "Have you seen for yourselves the process of their union in there?"
Kylen's face turned beet red, yet he tried to remain as composed as a prince should be. "Yes. We saw it. Yonna... he looked so happy and fulfilled while making love with Arvin."
"Arrgghh....!!!!" Arion suddenly let out a small shriek and slumped onto the sofa in total resignation, startling the others. "Remembering what I just saw is sheer torture! I am the ninth spouse... that means I still have to wait four more turns before I can finally bind the Life-and-Death contract with Arvin! Why does time feel like it's moving so slowly?"
Seeing Arion's blunt behavior, Alrain, who had been silent until then, suddenly leaned forward. The green-haired youth's face turned incredibly serious, his sharp gaze piercing Kylen, Dylan, Davin, and Arion one by one.
"I'm glad you're enthusiastic. But there is one thing I must emphasize, and don't you ever forget it!" Alrain said, his tone low but heavy with emphasis. "In this household, there are boundaries that no one must cross. Our prideful shafts are only to be touched by our husband! And just so you know, the four of us have never dared to touch each other's shafts, even though we are very close and often naked together. I hope you will never disappoint us or our husband by violating that."
Kylen, Dylan, Davin, and Arion glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at Alrain with gazes full of self-respect.
"What kind of person do you take me for, Alrain?" Kylen snapped, sounding a bit offended. "Just so you know, this is the first time I've ever fallen in love with a man! From now until forever, only Arvin occupies my heart and mind!"
Kylen then pointed his finger at Alrain, his eyes flashing with determination. "I admit you are very handsome and cute, but look at me! I have absolutely no interest in you or anyone else here!"
"I feel the same way!" Dylan added with a firm voice. "Since the moment Arvin helped me, I've given my entire heart to him. Even if there are thousands of handsome people out there, nothing can rival our husband's charm."
"This is the first time I've felt truly alive because of someone." Davin added with a deeper tone. "There's no way I would betray a man who so easily melted my heart, something hundreds of others failed to do for years."
"Don't you dare doubt my loyalty!" Arion stated firmly, his eyes welling up as he remembered how Arvin had cut off his leg to free him from the slave curse. "He is my savior! I would never betray my hero. In my eyes, there is only him. I just want us all to live in harmony within this one big family."
Hearing such sincere loyalty flowing from them, Allen, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein breathed a sigh of relief. They smiled at one another, realizing that Arvin had not made a mistake in choosing these people as his spouses.
"Good, then!" Allen said casually, taking a sip of his cold tea. "After you officially marry him later, you should immediately ask for immortality from our husband."
Kylen, Dylan, Davin, and Arion furrowed their brows, confused by the sudden direction of Allen's conversation. "Ask for... immortality? What do you mean?" Dylan asked, bewildered.
"Because the four of us are immortal humans. And perhaps, Yonna has also been made immortal by our husband." Allen explained flatly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "We will not age, we will not fall ill or succumb to poison, and we will not die. Arvin gave this to us so that we could be with him forever."
Kylen and his three companions widened their eyes. A long silence blanketed the living room. Allen's words sounded like a fairy tale that was impossible to believe. Seeing the overwhelming doubt on their faces, Alvein felt it was time to show them something.
"It seems you need physical proof before your brains can accept it." Alvein said, standing up from the sofa.
The silver-haired youth closed his eyes for a moment. Slowly, his form began to change.
Kylen, Dylan, Davin, and Arion were stunned as they watched Alvein's human ears lengthen and turn pointed. Shortly after, from behind his back, two pairs of exquisite transparent wings emerged, shimmering like dragonfly wings under the sunlight streaming through the window.
"W-What... what kind of creature are you?!" Arion cried out in shock, his voice trembling.
"I am from Fairy race." Alvein replied with a bright smile, flapping his wings gently as he hovered in the air of the living room, looking down at them. "But listen to my request. Never reveal my identity to anyone in the outside world. My true form is a grand secret that I only show within the safety of this mansion."
Kylen, Dylan, Davin, and Arion were completely rooted to the spot, never imagining that a being considered a mere myth had become part of their family and was currently flying freely right in front of them.
A few moment later, Alvein slowly folded back his shimmering transparent wings, letting them fade and disappear into his back without a trace. With a calm sigh, his pointed ears also shrank, returning to the shape of normal human ears.
The silver-haired youth descended to the floor and immediately sat back down on the sofa casually, as if the fairy race form he had just shown was not something extraordinary.