Stella hugged her hands around herself and bowed her head as she tried desperately not to cry! Twenty years! Stella had held this guilt inside her heart for twenty years, and she felt it eating her slowly from the inside! But the moment she heard her prince say those words to her, it was as if all the guilt and shame slowly began to melt away again. Stella felt true happiness for the first time in years, and she rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hand while speaking.
"I still had a bit of doubt a few minutes ago, but now I know you are truly the King’s son. That wisdom of yours isn’t something that can be forged."
Jason raised a brow in amusement before he chuckled calmly. This was the first time anyone would call him ’wise’, and he was a little embarrassed by it, but he was glad that he could help her get over her guilt. Jason put his hand around Gina’s waist when he heard her moan something in her sleep, and he smiled lovingly at her before he turned back to Stella when she asked.
"My prince, is this woman your first wife?"
Jason nodded, and he said that they were getting married soon. Stella glanced away for a moment and bit her bottom lip before she turned back and asked.
"I don’t know if you are aware, but I believe she might be..."
"Pregnant? Yeah, we know."
Stella let out a small sigh of relief when Jason said this. Stella was able to figure out that Gina was pregnant from the moment she laid eyes on her because of a passive skill she had called [Life Detection], but Stella had been hesitant to say anything because she didn’t want to ruin the surprise of them finding out on their own. But now that she was sure that Jason knew, there was something else Stella was curious about.
"I’m sorry if this sounds rude, my prince, but how many wives do you have?"
Jason was a little taken aback by the question since this was literally the first time anyone would ask that, but he eventually answered that he had two.
"My other partner is the Priestess of Radagan."
"Oh, I’ve heard of Radagan. They are a world of mighty dragons and wyverns led by their Priestess. She’d make a fine wife. But... why just two...?"
Stella hadn’t intended for her tone to be so disappointed at the end, but Jason could pick up on it easily, and he asked if there was something wrong with having just two wives. Stella seemed hesitant to say anything, but she eventually decided that it was better to just come out and tell Jason.
"I... I don’t know why the King didn’t teach you about this, but I understand that you didn’t grow up on Avaran, so maybe he wanted you to grow up in the culture of your home world. But our royal family is made up of three smaller families. The main family which is made up of the current King of Avaran and his wives and children, the second family are the cousins and siblings of the king who have his blood but are not part of the ruling family, and the third family are those who marry into the family or are adopted by the royals. And one of our most concrete laws is that every male member of the main family must take at least five wives by the time they are of age. The Avaran gene is very strong, so the race of the women you choose does not matter. What I am trying to say is that, as the Prince and possible next in line to the throne, you are also mandated to have five wives or more. And... and now that our race has been decimated, I believe we need to keep to that tradition more than ever before to help us replenish what was lost."
Jason couldn’t believe his ears, and at that moment, he was glad that Gina wasn’t awake to hear this. Gina would’ve tried to tear Stella’s mouth off just for suggesting something like that. Jason could understand the desire to replenish their race since he knew that many people had died in the war, but he wasn’t the sort of person who went around looking for women to sleep with just for a reason like that. That just wasn’t who he was. If he found a woman who could fit in his life without causing any issues with his other women, then Jason would have no problem accepting her, but he wasn’t going to ruin his peace just for the chance to have more women in his bed.
But Jason blinked as a thought came to his mind, and he looked at Stella curiously and said.
"Hold on, are you trying to offer yourself to me as my wife?"
Stella’s cheeks immediately grew red as she recoiled in shock, and she waved her hands!
"No! No! I wouldn’t dare! I’m just a disgraced soldier, I don’t even have the right to ask for something like that! Although if you asked, I... I – no! Just forget that! Uhm, what I’m saying is that I can help you! I know the laws and traditions of Avaran and I also have extensive knowledge of battle and homemaking! I can kill any species of animal you wish for, and I can cook them just as easily! I’m also skilled at espionage, and I have extensive knowledge of the Primordial Expanse! I can be of great help to you if you want to travel –"
"Stella, stop. Take a breath and tell me exactly what you want to say."
Stella looked into Jason’s eyes and saw how serious he was, and she swallowed before taking a deep breath and sighing calmly. Stella stood and walked towards Jason before taking a knee in front of him and bowing her head.
"I know I am lacking and undeserving, but I would be honored if you would grant me the privilege of following you from this moment forward. I don’t care what position you grant me. Nanny, guard, slave. It does not matter to me. All I wish for is the opportunity to serve a member of my royal family once more, and to guide you in the ways of our people."
Jason hummed calmly. In truth, Jason had already expected something like this to happen eventually. Right from the moment when Jason learned that Stella was really an Avaran, he had already been curious about what made her end up in a world like this, and after hearing her story, he realised that she didn’t truly want to be here. Stella had only stayed in this world because she thought that there was nothing left for her out there. She thought that the world and her king had been killed. So once Stella saw that Jason was the son of Richard, it was obvious that she would be interested in coming with him. Jason’s eyes narrowed seriously, and he spoke.
"I don’t know the exact reason why you want to follow me. But you should know that I am the youngest son of the youngest wife of my father. I have many brothers above me who will also be vying for the throne, and the chances of me becoming king are very slim. So if you intend to follow me because you think it will allow you to become close to the future king of the Avarans, then there’s no need for all this."
Jason searched Stella’s eyes for any form of hesitation once he was done talking, but he was surprised when he didn’t see even the tiniest hesitation in her eyes.