The atmosphere inside the bedroom was silent, yet it also felt incredibly warm. The moonlight peeking through the gap in the window curtains served as the sole natural light source, as if acting as a silent witness to the warmth occurring between the two youths.
His embrace felt so tight, as if he were afraid Arvin would disappear if he loosened his grip even slightly.
"Kaydan..." Arvin called out with a very gentle voice, breaking the silence between them. "How much longer are you going to hug me like this?"
Hearing that question, Kaydan merely shook his head slowly, reluctant to let go of the embrace that provided a sense of safety and comfort he had never felt before.
"Kaydan, once you are out of this rotten place and come with me later, you can hug me as much as you want until you feel truly satisfied." Arvin coaxed patiently, his voice incredibly soft and sincere. "But for now, my time is very limited. I must quickly move to the palace treasury room."
Kaydan slowly loosened his embrace, then looked up at Arvin's face with eyes full of questions.
"Do you... do you wish to destroy this kingdom by taking all of its wealth?" Kaydan asked for confirmation, feeling awestruck by the scale of his husband's audacity.
"Yes, I do indeed want to destroy this kingdom!" Arvin answered coldly, without the slightest hesitation. His eyes glinted sharply. "Did I not tell you earlier? This kingdom greedily covets the Vedegra territory. They intend to seize my gold mines. Naturally, I will not stand by and let that happen!"
Hearing that logical and highly calculated explanation, Kaydan nodded in understanding. He completely let go of his embrace, stepping back slightly to allow his husband to stand up from the edge of the bed.
Kaydan, too, did not want to just sit idly by. He also stood up from the bed, hardening his resolve to accompany and guide Arvin to the royal treasury room, just as they had agreed.
Seeing the determination in his tenth spouse's eyes, Arvin smiled. "Climb onto my back." He said gently, slightly bent his body in front of Kaydan. "If you are on my back, my disguise magic will—"
Before the sentence could be finished, Kaydan had already moved. With an incredibly enthusiastic and agile motion, the gray-haired youth immediately leaped lightly onto Arvin's back, wrapping his arms tightly around his husband's neck.
Arvin was slightly surprised by the very swift reflex, then offered a faint smile. "You truly obey my words without the slightest hesitation, huh?" he joked softly.
"Of course!" Kaydan answered softly right into Arvin's ear. "Because I am your tenth spouse. Even though we are not yet officially bound by a Life-and-Death Contract right now, in my heart, I have absolutely made my choice to be your life partner, My Light."
Arvin, who was just about to move, instantly halted.
"Why did you suddenly call me by that name?" he asked in confusion, slightly surprised by the new nickname bestowed upon him.
"Because you are my light!" Kaydan answered, his voice flowing with happiness and pure sincerity. "When I was so deeply devastated, tormented by the slave seal, and kept walking aimlessly in the darkness of despair... you were the only one who came and gave me a brilliant light. You are my source of hope."
Kaydan rested his chin on Arvin's shoulder. "In my eyes, you are my light, and you will always shine brightly in my heart forever! I beg you... I hope you never leave me and let me drown alone in that darkness of despair ever again, My Light."
Hearing the poetic explanation and such deep hopes from his tenth spouse, Arvin's heart warmed. A happy smile was clearly etched on his face.
"I would never be willing to leave a spouse who is strong, smart, and cute like you, Kaydan." Arvin said gently, offering a soothing promise. "Forevermore, I only want you to continue being by my side. Supporting me in my every step, and loving me unconditionally until the end of our time."
"Yes, My Light!" Kaydan replied with overflowing enthusiasm, his embrace around Arvin's neck feeling even tighter and more protective. "I swear on my life, I will always be by your side, supporting all your plans, and loving you with utmost sincerity forever!"
"Yes, I trust you completely." Arvin replied gently, ending their emotional moment. "Now, hold on tight. Let's start the show!"
The gray-haired youth nodded in agreement.
Feeling that his spouse was hugging him tightly, Arvin activated his invisible magic, cloaking himself and Kaydan on his back until both of their forms vanished perfectly without a trace.
Once their forms vanished, Arvin walked to the door, opened it, and then closed it back.
After ensuring everything was safe, he began walking down the palace hallway, following the directional instructions whispered by Kaydan from his back.
His footsteps were incredibly calm and soundless that night. His shoes did not produce the slightest noise as he passed through the palace corridors with towering pillars and a width large enough for a horse carriage to pass through.
So, this is what the actual interior design of the inner Victoriaz Kingdom palace looks like? Arvin thought in awe, his eyes observing the marble pillars and luxurious carvings on the walls. In the game, players were not allowed to explore further into the private areas of this palace. Seeing it in reality like this, the design is very luxurious and also complex.
While continuously walking down the corridor, Arvin's gaze slowly sharpened again. His feelings were enveloped by a cold rage as he recalled the Victoriaz King's foul plan to invade the Vedegra territory.
Soon, you will not have a single penny of funds to finance your military forces, let alone manage this kingdom! Arvin threatened inwardly with deep hatred. I also don't care about what will happen to your financial system and your people later! To prevent your barbaric act of wanting to colonize my territory, I am forced to destroy your economy by seizing all the wealth in that treasury room.
A few moments later, Arvin finally halted his steps. Now, before him, towered a double door made of thick metal, engraved with the symbol of the Victoriaz Kingdom's greatness.
"My Light..." Kaydan whispered very softly into Arvin's ear, then he turned his head toward a small wooden door located somewhat in the corner on the right side of the main room. "Do you see that small wooden door on our right? Inside that room is where the key to open the treasury room's double doors is kept."
Hearing that information, Arvin immediately changed the direction of his steps toward the door. While walking, he activated his detection magic to its maximum level, sweeping the entire surrounding area, including behind the treasury room's double doors and inside the key room.
The result made him frown slightly.
This is strange! Why isn't there a single guard's life presence around this room? Arvin thought, feeling suspicious of the overly lax security system. Is this kingdom so careless as to leave the main access to the treasury room completely unguarded by elite forces? Or are they too overconfident in their security system?
Without a second thought, Arvin grabbed the handle of the wooden door.
Click!
The handle refused to turn. The sturdy wooden door was locked tight.
Feeling he had no other choice, Arvin activated wind magic which instantly blocked the spread of sound in the corridor, forming a fairly wide soundproof dome. And then...
Crash!
Arvin shattered the wooden door with one hard strike using his wind magic.
Even though the sound of the explosion was contained by Arvin's soundproof dome, the loud crash and the breaking of wood still echoed terrifyingly in Kaydan's ears.
The gray-haired youth panicked immensely. His heart felt as though it stopped beating for a moment. He was terrified that the loud commotion that had just occurred would attract the patrolling soldiers and all the palace inhabitants to come surround them.
However, Arvin simply strolled casually past the remains of the shattered door, completely unaware of the extraordinary panic Kaydan was feeling right now.
Upon stepping inside the room, Arvin was stunned. Before him hung hundreds of keys possessing the exact same shape, color, and engraving in every corner of the room's wall boards.
"The keys all look identical." Arvin said, unable to hide his surprise at seeing the simple yet troublesome security trap. "Which one is the real key to open the treasury room door?"
"The real key is not hanging on the wall. The real key is stored inside drawer number three of the desk in the corner of this room." Kaydan replied, already knowing the exact location of the secret.
Arvin walked toward the desk Kaydan mentioned, but his brows furrowed in confusion. "How do you know something so important? Aren't you just their slave? It's highly unlikely they would let a slave like you know the whereabouts of the key to the royal treasury room."
"In the past, when we were little, I was asked several times to accompany Prince Lionias to fetch the key because he didn't want to go to this place alone." Kaydan answered casually, recalling his childhood spent as the prince's errand boy. "And since I was a slave bound by an absolute seal, I could never leak the secret of the key's hiding place to anyone."
The gray-haired youth smiled behind Arvin's back.
"But now, I am free!" he continued explaining with a tone full of victory and relief. "For you, my husband and my hero, I will not hesitate in the slightest to help you. What I want right now is just to get out of here quickly and start a new life with you forever."
Hearing such absolute and unconditional loyalty, Arvin fell silent for a moment.
"If I asked you to surrender your soul... would you be willing, Kaydan?"