Chapter 17: The New Resident
A dinner party was held for the rulers of the four nations and their Beloveds. With the Nation of the Spirit King’s recent issues squared away and the original purpose of the meeting concluded, all that was left was for the guests to return to their respective lands.
Ruri had suspected that everyone would cut loose a little at the party, but her fears came to fruition when a drunken Celestine decided to confront her.
“It’s not too late. Give me Master Jade’s dragonheart!”
“It’s impossible, I tell you. I’ve long since swallowed it,” Ruri replied.
“Spit it out!” Celestine demanded.
“Don’t be absurd!” Ruri retorted.
Celestine gulped down her glass of wine and tried to pour another glass, but Ruri stopped her before she could.
“Come on, now. You’re drinking too much, Celestine-san,” Ruri scolded, prying the wine bottle from Celestine’s hands.
Unfortunately, that only made Celestine even more confrontational. “Give that back! You’re not only going to steal Master Jade, but my alcohol as well?!”
“Your eyes are all glazed over! Here, drink this!” Ruri handed Celestine a glass of water, which Celestine obediently took and began sipping.
“This wine has no flavor,” Celestine remarked.
“It’s a new type of wine that’s all the rage nowadays~!” Ruri said, making up a story. Celestine bought it, though, and continued drinking from the glass.
Ruri was overcome with relief now that Celestine had calmed down, but then she noticed that two people had been watching their exchange with smiles.
“Jade-sama, Beast King, would it kill either of you to stop her?”
“Hey, I already babysit her enough on the regular, so cut me some slack today, all right?” Arman replied.
Not even attempting to come to the rescue, Jade added, “And if I were to jump in, Celestine would raise even more of a fuss, wouldn’t she?”
Ruri looked out at the others. Adularia was silently sipping her wine like a refined adult. Meanwhile, Lapis, who was just as drunk as Celestine, was so loopy that he was starting to take off his clothes. Fortunately, Awain scolded him and stopped him before he could.
“Let me strip~!” Lapis cried.
“Will you stop it, you foolish excuse for a son!” Awain exclaimed.
Awain seemed to be having a tough time controlling his inebriated son. Having dealt with a drunken Celestine a number of times now, Ruri sympathized with him greatly.
“Ruri, are you sure you don’t want to drink?” Jade asked.
“I’m going to pass for today,” Ruri answered. “I plan on going into town early tomorrow morning, after all.”
“You never told me that,” Jade said, his brow furrowing.
“Oh, I didn’t? Well, yes, I’m going to buy some souvenirs for everyone waiting back home. I’ll have Ewan accompany me, so I’ll be fine.”
“Why not just have me, your husband, take you instead?”
“Because you seem busy enough with your own business. You still need to broker that deal with the boat, don’t you?”
The purchase negotiations with the Nation of the Spirit King and the Imperial Nation for the Nation of the Dragon King’s ship, a magic tool that Seraphie had crafted, was set for tomorrow. Ruri was trying to be considerate and plan around that, but it seemed to only displease Jade.
“I’ll make sure to buy a souvenir for you too, Jade-sama,” Ruri added.
“That isn’t the point!” Jade insisted.
“Lady Ruri!” Celestine cried. “Are you flirting with Master Jade agaaain?!”
“Ah, here, here. Another new type of wine~!”
Ruri passed Celestine some more water, and Celestine once again began taking tiny sips. Ruri then spent the rest of the night trying to improve Jade’s mood and taking care of the drunken Celestine.
The next day, Ruri went into town with the spirits, Ewan, and a few guards. She’d tried to invite Celestine and Lapis before she left the castle, but they both seemed to be too hungover to get out of bed. Ruri knew she’d made the right decision to not touch a drop of alcohol yesterday.
After Ruri looked around the many stores and bought a variety of souvenirs, she returned to the castle and found an extremely satisfied Jade, Claus, and Finn waiting for her.
Ewan rushed to Finn and presented him with the souvenir he’d just purchased—keeping to his tried-and-true brother complex.
“You two seem to be in a good mood,” Claus commented.
“Welcome back, Ruri,” Jade greeted her.
“Thank you. Judging from your mood, I’m guessing that negotiations went well?”
“They did. We received a request for ten ships from the Nation of the Spirit King and the Imperial Nation.”
“Oh, wow. That’s great!”
“And that’s not all,” Claus added. “Just as we initially planned, we asked the Imperial Nation’s nobles to stop interacting with our nation’s Beloveds in exchange for a price cut. They agreed, so I doubt they will be coming up to you anymore.”
“That is a great relief,” said Ruri. “I wouldn’t be able to handle any nobles hounding me on my own. I don’t have a clue how to deal with those types.”
“We made sure to voice our complaints about how their meddling caused one of our Beloveds to go missing.”
Beryl was not missing, but it sounded more like a complaint if they said he was. They weren’t lying either, since Beryl had left the kingdom due to the nobles’ interference. Judging by how refreshed Jade and Claus looked, they must have really dug into them verbally. It almost made Ruri feel a little sorry for the Imperial Nation’s nobles.
Now that the Nation of the Dragon King’s group had finished its business in the Nation of the Spirit King, they decided to head back home the same way they came—by boat.
Ruri looked back at the great tree, visible from the harbor, then boarded the ship. The journey back home was peaceful—no pirate raids this time around—except...
“Wow, I never thought we’d ever meet again,” said Gibeon as he held on to Ruri’s hand. “This must be fate. I bet you feel the same way. We must be soul mates, bound by destiny to cross one another from our previous lives.”
Gibeon’s grip made Ruri desperately want to escape reality.
“Why are you here?” she asked.
“Well, because we’re both bound by fate, of course,” he replied.
“No, that’s not what I meant. Weren’t you kicked out of the nation?”
“Yep, and I’m currently out of that nation, as you can plainly see.”
“Uh, well, true enough,” Ruri said, admitting that he was indeed out of the Nation of the Spirit King because he was on their ship traveling to the Nation of the Dragon King. “Wait, are you coming to the Nation of the Dragon King? Why?”
“Mr. Dragon King invited me on this trip to his kingdom, and I accepted because I don’t really have anywhere else to go. Plus, not only was I flattered by the king’s feverish attempts at seduction, but I also realized that the Nation of the Dragon King is where you’ll be, Ruri. So, basically, I’m your bona fide husband-approved lover.”
“You are not!” someone shouted as they chopped Gibeon’s hand with theirs, breaking his grip on Ruri. That someone was Jade, and he was glaring daggers at Gibeon. “I simply suggested that you come to our nation if you had nowhere else to go. I certainly did not feverishly seduce you, nor do I recall ever giving you permission to touch Ruri!”
“Oh, come on, no need to be bashful. I totally appreciate and get how you feel, Mr. Dragon King. But I’m into women, personally. Sorry.”
“Wait a second. What kind of misconception are you trying to spark up?! I have a wife and her name is Ruri!”
“Don’t you worry. I’ll make sure to satisfy Ruri as her lover just fine.”
“To hell with you!” Jade exclaimed, having run out of patience. He drew his sword and swung it at Gibeon, but the young man casually avoided the strike.
“So you want me to entertain not only Ruri, but yourself as well, Mr. Dragon King? My, I’m even getting men to fall head over heels for me. It’s really not easy being such a heartthrob,” Gibeon said in a playful manner. He took out a mirror and entranced himself with his reflection.
A vein popped on Jade’s forehead as he watched this vain display. “I’ll kill you...”
“Please calm down, Your Majesty!” Finn interjected, stopping Jade.
“Enough of your games, Gibeon!” Claus scolded.
As Jade struggled with Finn and Claus, his sword went flying toward Gibeon.
“Ah! Look out!” Ruri shouted.
However, the sword bounced right off Gibeon as soon as it touched him. Everyone looked on in disbelief as Gibeon casually explained, “I have the blessing of the Spirit of Light, so something like this won’t injure me if I just put up a barrier.”
A villainous smirk drew across Jade’s lips. “So I see. Then I can play with you without fear of holding back. Try not to die.” He picked his sword up from the ground, assumed his stance, and sprung at the young man.
“Wha?! No, no. I don’t wanna!” Gibeon grimaced as he fled.
Jade gave chase, and Finn and Claus gave up trying to stop him. It ended up being a lively voyage back home.
When Ruri returned to the Nation of the Dragon King’s capital, she visited Euclase’s office with Jade and Gibeon.
Euclase greeted them, saying, “Welcome back, Your Majesty. And you as well, Ruri.”
“Yes, thank you. Here you go, a souvenir for you, Euclase-san,” Ruri said, handing Euclase lipstick that was popular in the Nation of the Spirit King.
Euclase happily accepted it. “Why, thank you.”
Euclase, with their sweet smile, was a dazzling beauty. There was no way that Gibeon wouldn’t be moved when faced with such a beautiful person. He knelt before Euclase and took their hand with a debonair expression.
“A pleasure to meet you, O beautiful madame. I am Ruri’s lover, Gibeon, officially approved by Mr. Dragon King, but I wouldn’t mind becoming your slave of love if you so desire.”
“I see you’ve brought home yet another weird fellow, Ruri,” Euclase remarked, shooting a disappointed look at Ruri.
“It wasn’t me this time. It was Jade-sama,” Ruri declared, pointing to Jade as if telling Euclase to direct any complaints to him.
“His Majesty?” Euclase repeated.
Jade made a very sour expression as he explained, “I may have had a tiny lapse in judgment. I would return him if I could, but he’s been exiled and deported from the Nation of the Spirit King, so that isn’t a viable option.”
“Exiled and deported? What on earth did he do to earn that?”
Jade went on to summarize the incidents in the Nation of the Spirit King, the events leading up to Gibeon’s deportation, and the sympathy Jade felt for him as he persuaded Gibeon to come with him back home.
“Your Majesty, I know he is a former prince, but do you not think that bringing back a criminal was a rash decision?” Euclase questioned.
“Yes, it was. And I wholeheartedly regret it now,” Jade admitted.
Gibeon buried his face in hands, hiding from the verbal shellacking they were giving him. “You’re terrible. It’s not like I wanted to live that way myself.”
He appeared to be crying, but everyone knew they were crocodile tears. Nonetheless, there were parts of his story that deserved their sympathy.
“Well, he seems to be sorry for his actions, so why not hire him to work in the castle?” Ruri suggested, figuring that it would be better than letting him out to cause problems. Still, Ruri in no way trusted Gibeon.
Gibeon, on the other hand, was ecstatic about Ruri’s suggestion. “Ruri!” he cried. “You truly are my soul mate! Leave it to me. I will do my best as your lover!”
Gibeon approached Ruri with his arms extended, but Jade stopped him just in the nick of time. “Ruri doesn’t need a lover while I’m around. And I would never allow such a thing in the first place! You’re to perform odd jobs for Euclase!”
“Huh? But I’d rather be Ruri’s lover~!”
“Absolutely not! Ruri is mine!”
“They say that no girl likes a possessive guy. You need to be open-minded enough to allow her at least one lover,” argued Gibeon.
“She doesn’t need one!” Jade screamed in a rare display of open hostility.
Jade was essentially a pacifist, but that didn’t seem to apply to insects clinging to his mate. Meanwhile, Ruri wished that Jade would release her from his extremely tight embrace.
In the end, it was settled that Euclase would take Gibeon into their care. Gibeon complained until the bitter end, but he appeared to be satisfied to work with such a beautiful young lady. Ruri decided to keep quiet about how that beautiful young lady was actually a beautiful young man. It was likely that Gibeon would lose all motivation to work if he were to find out.
After pretty much pushing Gibeon off on Euclase, Ruri and Jade went to Jade’s office. Quartz was there, sitting in Jade’s chair and taking care of Jade’s kingly duties in his stead.
“Welcome back, Jade, Ruri,” Quartz greeted them.
“Thank you very much for taking care of things while I was away, Master Quartz,” Jade said.
“I was surprised to hear the Spirit of Light say that she was going to the Nation of the Spirit King, but I assume everything turned out fine?”
“It did. In fact, we solved our issue thanks to her help.”
“I’m glad to hear that. But what’s this I hear about Ruri bringing back a lover?” Quartz asked with a teasing smile.
Jade’s mood immediately went downhill. Ruri wondered who’d told Quartz, but then she saw the Spirit of Light already in the room, sipping tea on the couch. She’d apparently filled Quartz in to a certain degree while Ruri and the others were talking in Euclase’s office.
“You’ve made quite the interesting acquisition. I’ll go say my regards later,” Quartz said.
“It’s not interesting at all,” Jade grumbled.
“Even so, Ruri seems to be just fine with it. Ha ha ha,” Quartz joked with a chuckle, but Jade found it to be no laughing matter.
“That reminds me,” Jade said, looking at Ruri with a dour, criticizing glare, “you did say that guys like him were your type, didn’t you, Ruri?”
“Aah, that’s no good,” Quartz remarked. “At times like this, you should have a nice, nuanced discussion with each other. In the bedroom.”
Jade nodded at Quartz’s advice. “So I see. A nuanced discussion...” he repeated.
Ruri felt that she was in danger for some reason and slowly started moving back. “Wait, wait, Jade-sama. You’re not supposed to touch me until the tuning is over.”
“Yes, that’s right...”
Jade grasped Ruri’s hand to keep her from fleeing. When he did, she felt something warm flow into her. She realized that Jade was sending mana into her for the dragonheart tuning, but it seemed different from usual. She could feel her chest getting hot, then the heat collected in one spot, making her wince.
Jade panicked and asked, “Ruri, what’s wrong?”
“Oh, could it be...” Quartz started. He was the only one remaining composed and the only one knowledgeable about what was happening.
The heat that had built in Ruri’s body suddenly started to die down. Jade was relieved to see Ruri up and about as if nothing had happened, but both were equally confused by what had transpired.
Quartz suddenly clapped his hands and said, “Congratulations, Ruri, Jade. It seems you’ve finished the tuning process.”
“Is that what just happened?” asked Ruri.
“You should have proof of it somewhere on your body,” Quartz explained.
“Somewhere?”
Ruri was checking her hands and her face when Jade took her hand and guided it to her neck.
“Right here, Ruri,” Jade said.
Ruri touched her neck and felt something hard. She pulled a hand mirror from her pocket space and saw a scale the same color as Jade’s eyes there.
“A scale the color of the dragonheart appearing somewhere on your body is proof that the tuning process is complete,” explained Quartz.
“Oh wow, so this is what that means?” Ruri mused, looking at the scale in adoration...until Jade suddenly scooped her up.
Ruri’s eyes widened as Jade looked at her with a virile smile. “If I recall, the agreement was that I could kiss you once the tuning was done, correct?”
Ruri’s face sagged as an unbelievable feeling of dread sank into her.
“Master Quartz, I’d like you to act as interim king for a little while longer, please, if you would,” Jade said.
“That’s just fine. Leave it to me,” Quartz replied with a thumbs-up and a smile stretching from ear to ear.
Jade flashed a smile of his own in response and walked off toward his quarters with Ruri in his arms.
The following day, when Ruri was finally set free, she made a mental note to never make Jade jealous ever again.
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