Doesn't that mean that if someone else got their hands on this sceptre and focused on digging for information about him beyond his title as the Emperor of Ababwa, everything could be exposed?
Aladdin's perception of the Oracle's prowess instantly rose higher than it was before. It also made him realise that there were others out there who might be unaffected by his wish.
He pondered if those beings in Greece had seen the ripples in fate as well. He realised that he needed to be careful not to draw attention from them.
He decided to plan a day to ask the Sceptre about Nasira's current situation, Mozenrath, and other potential beings that could be a threat to them.
Silence enveloped the room.
"Fine. I've decided." Suddenly, Jasmine's sharp voice cut through the silence.
She turned to look at him with a stern gaze, devoid of affection or romance. It felt like a verdict.
"If… If I ever wanted to agree to this, then it would be because I decided it, not because fate or anyone else did," she spoke, her voice stuttering and tightening slightly with each word before becoming stable.
"First." Then, she raised a finger.
"No woman enters your life before standing in front of me first. I will choose who is worthy to stand beside me or near what's mine."
Her tone left no room for interpretation.
"Second."
She raised a second finger.
"There's no first wife and 'others'." Her gaze sharpened. "I am not fighting for your attention. I am not sharing scraps of your attention. If we must remain in this relationship together, then we do so as equals."
"Third."
She raised a third finger. Her voice dropped slightly.
"Don't lie to me. There will be no hidden secrets, nor hidden meetings, no quiet additions that I suddenly find out about like a fool in my own palace."
Jasmine's expression hardened.
"If I ever find out about anything… then you've already broken this."
"Fourth."
Her expression and tone softened slightly.
"You do not neglect me. I will not stand beside a man who makes me feel replaceable." She was silent, but only for a brief moment before continuing, "If you ever make me feel like I'm no longer enough for you... Then I will leave and cut away everything Agrabah has with Ababwa."
Finally, her hand lowered.
"And lastly…" Jasmine said, "I'm not agreeing because I'm afraid of fighting against fate or you. This is my ship, and I'll steer it however or wherever I desire. I'm also strong enough to walk away if everything breaks and if there's nothing left for me here."
She leaned in close until her face almost touched his. But to Aladdin, her presence alone felt like a pressure unlike anything he had ever faced.
"…Don't allow that to happen. Because if you ever make me regret that strength of mine."
Aladdin gulped.
Jasmine leaned in closer, her lips almost touching his ear, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You won't have a harem."
"…And you won't have me."
She kissed his cheek and withdrew her face.
"I'll not disappoint you," Aladdin nodded.
"You'd better not," Jasmine replied with a light smile.
"Cheer up. I don't want others to think that I'm intimidating my husband a day after our wedding night," she added.
Her words felt even more terrifying than the previous ones.
"I'm sure Rakim will be happy with this news," Aladdin said, shifting the course of the conversation.
'I'm sorry,' he thought, sighing softly in his heart.
"Yes, this has been his wish for some time now, hasn't it?" Jasmine replied with a sharp glint in her eyes.
"I'll make sure to share the news with him myself. He should know how much I care for the Empire of Ababwa and its imperial lineage."
Aladdin coughed lightly. "Let's focus on the other things I mentioned to you. I want to know your decision on trying out these treasures that I've gathered."
"I never planned on being immortal, but living a long life to take care of the Kingdom of Agrabah just like my father and mother had, surpassing them, and joining them on the other side was something that I sometimes pondered about," Jasmine said.
"I'm not crazy about magic and whatnot, but if it can let me spend every second in this world with you, then I want every second to count. I'll take a few fruits for myself, my father, and my cousins. I'll also be needing the Hand of Midas."
"It will help with the Kingdom of Agrabah's expenses, without taking from your treasure. Even though we're married, our kingdoms are still separate, so I don't want either one to be a burden to the other.
Even though Agrabah was one of the most prosperous nations in the Seven Deserts, it couldn't compare to the Empire of Ababwa. Aladdin was building new infrastructure and magical advancements in Agrabah.
They planned to bring in skilled experts from far and wide for their knowledge and insight. The wealth needed to finance all of this was immense.
The only way to negate all these expenses was with the Hand of Midas.
"Okay," Aladdin nodded in understanding. He could create gold through transmutation himself, so he saw no reason not to hand over the Hand of Midas to Jasmine since she had no magical skill.
He only needed one fruit for himself, Abu, and Rakim, and since he knew the location of the Tree of Renewal, he could go there to pluck another batch of fruits whenever he felt like it.
"First of all, you need to have this for your well-being." Aladdin removed one of his golden rings from his left hand and wore it on Jasmine's left index finger.
"This ring is capable of negating curses. I created it out of caution for the Hand of Midas, so I don't get overwhelmed by the side effects of using it if that happens."
She nodded with a smile. "I'll make sure nothing happens to it and return it when I'm done."
"You can keep it. I'll strengthen the ring when I grow stronger and give you several more for your own protection, since you have no magical potential," Aladdin responded.
"Hey, I don't have the luxury to sit around and meditate all day to learn magic. Who said that I don't have any magical potential? You wouldn't even be able to stand toe to toe with me if I had taken my classes very seriously," Jasmine retorted with a silly expression.
Aladdin chuckled. "Fine. I won't stand a chance."
He summoned the magical artefacts out of his storage ring.
Seven fruits from the Tree of Renewal, a golden goblet, and the Hand of Midas appeared, floating in the air between them.
Aladdin created a small sack out of thin air and packed the fruit into it. He removed another gold ring from his right hand. This ring was a multi-dimensional storage ring connected to the Empire of Ababwa's treasure vault, allowing its wearer to summon or store treasures within it.
The ring could also store magical energy used to power it, allowing an ordinary human without a trace of magic to use it. But it needed to be recharged after several uses, depending on the items placed in and taken out of it.
It also had a small pocket dimension within to store items.
He had created this ring because he couldn't store the entire nation's wealth in his personal ring, so he only took what he needed and left the rest. He decided to give one to Jasmine and create another one for himself later.
After explaining the function of the ring to her, Aladdin wore it on her right hand.
Jasmine looked at the two beautiful gold rings with mesmerising milky white gems shining with shifting colours depending on the angle of light, and she was pleased with how beautiful they looked.
She stretched out her right hand and touched the Hand of Midas, willing it to enter the multi-dimensional storage ring.
Instantly, space warped around it, and it vanished. She touched the sack of fruits, storing them in the ring as well.
Aladdin grabbed the golden goblet. He channelled his magical energy into it and stirred it gently.
A surge of water so clear that one could see the intricate engravings on the goblet underneath it appeared from the bottom and flowed upward until it reached the top of the cup.
Aladdin stopped stirring.
He brought it to his lips and tasted the water.
It was fresh, cool and soothing...
Aladdin felt a wave of magical energy flowing through every fibre of his being. His muscle cramps, headaches, and tiredness washed away as though they had never been there before.
In an instant, Aladdin felt as though he had been reborn.
From this day onward, he was functionally immortal.
This meant he could no longer die from ageing or disease, unless through events caused by external factors.
But with this, he could study and reengineer this phenomenon to become a true immortal.
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Author's Note: One of the challenges I faced in writing this chapter was making Jasmine accept the idea of the other destined women entering Aladdin's life. I knew the romance between Aladdin and Jasmine was perfect... or nearly perfect.
It was a challenge I had undertaken to see if I could write an amazing couple dynamics, considering how often webnovels struggle in making romance feel believable or fairytale-like.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Tbh I want to watch an animated power fantasy starring Aladdin and Jasmine as a couple. If only Disney would hire me, or if I could make this a reality myself.
We can only dream. But that's why I'm writing.
I overestimated my ability to juggle multiple novels at once while keeping up with Webnovel's strict update schedule. Now, I've not only missed the daily update word count limit, but I'm also exhausted. I think I'll just stick with Patreon. To whoever read my original novel, thank you for your feedback and attention. I'm going back to the drawing board.
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Thank you for reading this far.