"Ahhh! When did I become such a gigolo!?" I cried out. Adel and Sophie giggled while Iena blushed.
"Alright. So, for now, we will just take things slow. But Iena…. About Diablo…." I probably shouldn't continue this conversation, but I still felt like I should say something.
"It's okay…. Master…." Iena took my hand and knelt down and kissed the top of it, flipped it over, and then kissed the palm. I tilted my head to the side since I did not understand this gesture. I knew it was something similar to what a knight would do, but this was different, and I was not sure what it meant for a demon. "A kiss is like a proposal and seals the deal between a demon couple for marriage. What I just did is a symbol of devotion. It means my body and heart are for you to do as you please with. It's the final step in a demon marriag.... "
"Iena!" Diablo's voice roared out, causing Iena to grow stiff. "Why did you go and tell her!?"
"I…." Iena lowered her head. I sighed as I pulled her behind me and looked at Diablo. "Don't yell at her."
Diablo's lips pursed, but he stopped glaring at her. He then bent down on one knee as well and took my hand and kissed it just like Iena did. "Even though we are bound by a contract, this is different. This means you own our everything. Including our hearts."
Diablo stood up and turned around, took two steps before pausing: "What you decided to do is now up to you. Whether you keep things as they are or go a step further, we will both abide by your decision."
I watched as Diablo walked out of the room with a blank expression. I think I really just did something irreversible. Did he not want me to know because it would put a heavy burden on my shoulders? Did he not want me to think I was forced to be with them? While I was lost in thought, both my hands were taken by Adel and Sophie, who kissed them the same way as Diablo and Iena. What the hell! You are not even demons!
"You two!" I yelled out, only for them to stick their tongues out at me. I sighed and turned to look at Iena. "Don't worry about it. He doesn't really blame you. He was probably hiding it for my sake."
"Mmm… He can be very strict at times but also very soft, especially towards you." Iena had a depressed look, but that was not much I could do about that. I had no idea such a thing was part of demon culture, never mind it being a marriage thing. But why did Diablo seal the deal? Did that mean he liked me in such a way?
"I am sorry, Iena, I really didn't know…." I felt like I should apologize.
"It's fine. I know you didn't know, but I decided, since I actually did not hate it, that it was fine, and I felt that since you are my master that if I was with you, everything would work out. While I do like His Highness, I also know my chances of being with him are also very slim. I also could have dodged your kiss, but I kind of blanked out and allowed it to happen. So this is also my fault as well. I also could have kept quiet about it all as well. But I still made my decision as sudden as it was.
But do not worry. Even if you only wish for us to be master and servant as we are now, I do not mind. I will always follow by your side. Demon culture is strange, but this is just how we are. I even hesitated to follow through with the last part just now because I was unsure of what to do. But I did not dislike the kiss or you, so I decided to go through with the final step. I should be the one to apologize to you." Iena explained as she blushed. I smiled and reached up and patted the top of her head. This girl was quite strange indeed. She is too spontaneous. Marriage is not something you just jump into! But I guess demon culture is like this... At least, it is not something you can formally say is legitimate in this world.
"While I did wish I knew about all of this beforehand, it has made me understand one thing...." I looked at the other girls and continued: "All of you listen. I will say this once. Love is not something that can be easily acquired in a day or two. It may take time, but this just means I will need to try to foster this feeling from now on."
"Faith, you mean?" Adel's eyes showed a bit of expectation.
"From this moment on, we can all be considered to be in a relationship. Every one of you, including Diablo. Whether or not I can fully fall in love is another story. This is because I have never fallen in love with anyone. I only know what familial love is but not love between two people who wish to start a family together. This is all new to me, so let me take things slowly…." This was the answer I have finally decided upon. Now knowing that demons had some weird cultural habit where kissing someone was sealing the deal in a proposal, I might as well give it a try and see where this all leads. Maybe…. Maybe this will change the futures I have seen in my dreams. But really... how come my first relationship is starting off with four people?
With my father now rescued, it was time to head back to the capital. We had already been gone for a few months, and I needed to catch up on my classes. I missed a lot which means I will need to get notes from someone so I can catch up. Before I left, I did set up a teleport in my bedroom in a corner with a barrier around it that would only allow my family to use it. It was the best place in the house since it was the only room not used. My brother had already built an addition for Leo, my baby nephew, for his bedroom.
Now I just needed to set up a connection point in my house so that my family could come and visit me at any time or would have a place to escape to if things went wrong. I also changed the runic equation a bit to have a method of destroying the other access point if something does happen. But this was for emergency use only.
We did not rush back. While we did travel faster than most, we still took another three months to return. We had a long journey this time. But luckily, everything turned out okay. My father just needed to rest, and he would be back to his top form within a year. My family will now be only a teleport away, so I can see them anytime I want, and they can come see me at any time. Things were much better than before.
But as soon as I stepped foot through the door of my estate, Jen was there to greet me with a message: "Faith, the Dean asked me to tell you to see him right away. Something has happened."
