Reincarnated in the Astral World

The sun shines on Josephine's mansion, casting a warm and relaxing atmosphere. In the garden, Arthur sits on a wooden bench, with Eve and Margaret sharing his lap and affectionate touches.

In front of them, on another bench, sits Oliver with his cat maid perched on his lap. Both Arthur and Oliver are enjoying making their beloved ones happy, but it's the women who are reveling in it the most.

Eve and Margaret's faces radiate pleasure, yet there's also a hint of embarrassment due to the sounds Oliver's cat maid is making.

"Purr... purrrr... purr..." Myriam is literally purring like a cat in his lap. "Master... this feels so good... purrrr..."

Oliver can't stop smiling proudly, throwing grateful glances at Arthur. His gratitude isn't just for everything Arthur has done for his family, but also because the cat maid has become much more open to intimacy with him after the brutal battle with other nobles.

The fear of losing someone she loves made her realize that life can be quite short, even for those who can live for hundreds of years.

While the cat maid purrs under his caresses, Oliver exhales a relaxed sigh. "I love moments like these… they're so peaceful."

"I like it, too," Arthur admits sincerely.

But Nyx can't help but whisper in his mind, 'You don't really fit in this peaceful setting… you crave chaos and violence, I know it!'

'That doesn't mean I can't enjoy moments of calm, too,' he responds.

'Hmm...' Nyx teases seductively, 'Eve and Margaret's time is nearly up, and my turn is coming. So, will you just pat my head like this, or are we heading to the bathroom so you can ravage my body completely with your D...?'

'Alright, alright, you know me well, hahaha…' Arthur quickly agrees with her.

'You two are talking, aren't you?' Margaret's voice sounds in Arthur's mind, making sure Nyx can also hear.

'Yeah,' he responds.

'Is it about her ears?' Margaret asks, referring to the cat maid.

'Her ears? What's with them?' Arthur inquires.

'You can't stop staring at them,' Nyx quickly points out.

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'Really?' Arthur hadn't noticed that.

'Yep, I noticed too,' Margaret adds. 'Would you like us to have fluffy ears too?'

'And call you 'Master'?' Nyx adds playfully.

'What's gotten into you two??' Arthur is even more confused, though the idea of stroking fluffy demi-human ears isn't too bad, and the thought of the girls calling him Master.

'Hehe~' Nyx giggles in his mind. 'I know it excites you… I can't change my body yet, but Aria could teach Margaret transfiguration magic so she can temporarily change her ears.'

'Can she really do something like that?' he asks expectantly.

'So, you really want that, don't you?' Margaret's voice carries determination. 'I'll work hard to learn that spell, I promise!'

"…" Arthur is at a loss for words. He's simply grateful that the girls are always thinking of his happiness, and he tries to do the same for them.

The affectionate session continues for nearly an hour until Josephine arrives, and Aria joins them too. Margaret heads to the kitchen with Eve and the cat maid to enjoy some sweets, leaving the group alone for a serious conversation.

"How was the assembly this time?" Oliver quickly asks.

"They're even more frightened," she responds, glancing at Arthur and Aria. "This time, no one accepted the title of interim regent. The captain tried to persuade Lord Carman, Lord Lark, and even Dmitri's wife, but they're all too scared to do anything."

"Lord Lark?" Arthur's face takes on a thoughtful expression. "Where do I know that name?"

'That's the surname of that idiotic noble who tried to take Margaret away from you,' Nyx quickly comments in Arthur's mind.

"Right, that guy from the village…" Arthur says, looking at Josephine with a curious expression. "What about the Lark family?"

"Them?" Josephine's eyes gleam with curiosity. "The Lark family was one of the five most influential families in Lakeview for a long time. They were always more reserved than most, but even Emilio respected Lord Lark enough to never cause him trouble…"

"What happened to them?" Arthur asks.

'Your aunt happened,' Nyx remarks in a mocking tone.

"I don't know," Josephine says honestly. "It's a mystery, really; one day, they became even more withdrawn to the point where we don't see their members on the streets anymore. It happened at the end of last year, and since then, they've never been the same…"

"I see," Arthur thinks about his aunt Alicia and talks to Nyx, 'She must have scared them thoroughly, hahaha…'

Josephine notices the subtle smile on his face and becomes even more certain that something bad happened to the Lark family. "Have you met before?"

"Something like that," he says casually. "Let's just say that a member of their family made a grave mistake."

'So that's it?' Josephine's eyes gleam with admiration. 'Everyone who threatens his family ends up the same way…'

"I heard rumors that the Lark family's main troops recently returned from some mission outside the city…" Oliver mentions.

Josephine glances at Aria and Arthur. "It was on the same day you both arrived in my store."

"We saw a squad of well-organized soldiers on the road," Aria recalls.

"Oh, those ones…" Arthur remembers exchanging glances with the leader of those soldiers. The guy gave Margaret a lustful look, enough for Arthur to want to hunt him down already. "So they're the Larks?"

Everyone can see the murderous glint in Arthur's eyes, glowing like cold blue pearls.

"I doubt they pose any threat to us," Josephine says, feeling a bit sorry for the Lark family.

"Mother?" Oliver looks at her in confusion. "Did you forget where Myriam came from?"

"No, of course not," Josephine responds quickly, then turns her gaze back to Arthur and Aria. "The Lark family always had a particular taste for demi-humans. I had to buy Myriam from them to set her free."

Hearing that, the light in Arthur's eyes grows even darker. "Yeah, I should pay them a visit."

"Well…" Josephine despises nobles like those, but there's a difference between conflict and a nightly massacre. She can only imagine Arthur hunting the Larks down like animals.

"Maybe not tonight," Arthur smiles at Josephine. "I want to spend more time with Margaret tonight."

"A romantic dinner?" Josephine smiles and nods. "I can arrange that."

"Sounds good," he agrees, and she quickly instructs the servants to prepare it.

When night falls, Arthur enjoys that dinner with Margaret, and since they're alone, Nyx joins them as well. After dinner, he doesn't head out hunting and instead spends the whole night with the girls.

The next day is calmer because no noble family was wiped off the map. The guards continue working diligently, and the member of the Assassins' League keeps an eye on Arthur and Aria.

_

While Arthur has a pleasant day in Lakeview, things are far from calm in the northernmost reaches of the continent of Eldioria.

At this very moment, two hooded black knights ride into a stronghold atop a hill. The place boasts high stone walls and even higher towers.

Inside the walls are hundreds of soldiers in gleaming armor that make Lakeview's guard captain look like a beggar. All their armor and weapons bear the same emblem, a golden lion with red accents.

The two knights ride through the stronghold until they reach the main building, where they dismount and proceed on foot. No one blocks their path, and within minutes, they arrive at one of the upper rooms.

*Knock* *Knock*

"General?" One of them knocks respectfully on the door.

"Come in," a strong feminine voice calls from the other side of the door.

The black knights step into the room and find Alicia standing around a large table with a map of Eldioria, various pieces scattered over the cities.

Draven sits impatiently on a large sofa in the corner of the room. As soon as he sees the knights, he quickly stands up. "So? What's their response?"

"My King," the knights kneel respectfully, and one of them rises before walking over to Draven to hand him a letter. "The King of Syntria sent this."

"Let me see," Draven takes the letter and begins reading, a confident and proud smile spreading across his face.

"What does it say?" Alicia asks curiously.

"He wants me to marry his daughter and make her the Queen," Draven replies.

"Oh?" Alicia tilts her head. "How bold!"

"What should we do?" Draven asks her with a curious expression.

Alicia touches her chin thoughtfully. "You should go there personally. He seems willing to resolve this without bloodshed, which would be best for us."

"I won't be forced to marry his daughter!" Draven declares arrogantly.

"Why don't you see the woman first?" Alicia asks quickly. "What if you end up liking her? What do they say about Syntria again? All their women are unparalleled beauties, right? I suppose the princesses must be the finest."

"Humph," Draven scoffs. "I doubt any woman on this continent can claim to be beautiful compared to…" A golden light flashes in his eyes before fading.

"Aria?" Alicia asks, her eyes tinged with pity. "You have to forget about her for now, brother. We need to focus on fixing the mess in our home first."

"I know, I know…" Draven grabs a mug of beer from the table and drinks it all in one gulp to try and soothe the painful feelings in his heart. 'As if I could stop thinking about her… I just want to know what they've been up to… Arthur must look more and more like a grown man… Fuck, I miss them…'