I felt really bad lying to her, but I told Deimos that the Demigods had promised to refer us to the research division of the Academy.

“Oh, that…” She looked disappointed. “We already managed to get them working with us.”

Huh? When did that happen?

As she went on to explain how they had leveraged the banquet to make a sales-pitch, I couldn't help but be impressed. They hadn’t told me about the plan so I wouldn't be distracted from my preparations for the duel but factored my victory into their calculations anyway. I felt really flattered that they had so much faith in me.

“Anyway,” I told Deimos. “It’s not all bad, yes? There’ll be more people willing to fund the research if there are Demigods backing it.”

She nodded, cheering up. Suddenly her eyes brightened as she remembered something. “Right! I nearly forgot… Phi-Phi reached Mastery in the Aspect of Darkness. And it was the Princess who helped her identify it.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?!” I exclaimed joyfully.

Deimos nodded with a bright smile. “Uh-huh.”

I laughed out loud. Pressing her cheeks between my palms to make her lips pucker up, I kissed her loudly. “That’s great. She’s been working herself to the ground all this time. I knew it was going to pay off sooner or later.”

I suddenly caught on to an oddity in her statement. “Wait! Did you say Princess Artemis was the one who helped her out? When did you girls get so close?”

Freeing her face from my grasp, Deimos said, “Ya, I was surprised too. Instead of going back to her family, she came with us after the banquet. We ended up chatting late into the night. Next thing I know, I wake up the following morning to hear that Phi-Phi has promoted due to some inspiration she got while talking to her.”

“I thought she’d be more upset about things given how she clearly told me she didn’t want to marry," I muttered doubtfully.

Deimos shrugged. “She is upset… or at least she was. She’s less upset now.” She shook her head. “What I mean to say, is that she’s not too happy about how things turned out, but she’s trying really hard to adapt to the situation. She’s spending as much time as possible with each of us, trying to get to know us. Why, just today she took Ceres to the Palace with her to introduce her to some of the people there. And the day before, she spent the morning training with me and most of the evening at the Academy with Phi-Phi.”

I could see the favourable impression she held towards the Princess in her eyes.

She looked at me disapprovingly. “Master, you should have at least sent a message if you were going to be so late, ya. The award ceremony is tomorrow, you know?”

Yeah. The meeting with the Demigods could have been timed better. I was going to marry a perfect stranger tomorrow. Though, to be honest, I at least have a rather nice conversation with her under my belt and my wives all seem to like her.

That’s more than what I could say about my marriage to Ceres… and look at us now.

I was optimistic. We’d make this work somehow – especially since she was being so proactive.

“One of the Demigods gave me a gift," I said, changing the topic.

Deimos’ eyes lit up with curiosity. “What is it? Show me, quick.”

Smiling at her enthusiasm, I summoned the parcel out of my shadow space and onto the sofa beside us. It was extremely light, barely denting the cushions as it settled upon them.

Getting off my lap, Deimos sat down beside the parcel and began inspecting it from all sides, even rattling it lightly to try and guess its contents. To no avail. Frustrated, she looked up at me with pleading eyes. “We can open it now, ya? Please?”

I wanted to tell her that it was probably for Artemis, seeing how she was the Wind Wolf’s great-granddaughter, but looking at her expression, I couldn't bring myself to reject her. “Sure,” I said. “Just be neat about it so we can put it back in properly.”

Nodding eagerly, Deimos slid her finger along the seam of the cardboard box, causing it to split apart under the effect of the tiny wind blade she had condensed at her fingertip. Cutting the flaps free, she opened the box, revealing the small wooden chest inside.

This was secured with a metallic lock that had a key attached to it with sealing wax. Breaking the seal, she unlocked the box, pulled the latch and flipped the lid open.

Both our eyes widened at the contents.

There, within the box, glimmering softly under the light of the room was a large spindle of yarn. Not just any old thread, but Cloud-surfer silk thread. Just the material we needed for Deimos’ weapon.

No longer held down by the lid of the box, the sky-blue reel of thread was actually floating in the air. The appropriateness of the gift was uncanny. It was like he knew what we wanted.

Now that I think about it, he probably did.

Lara had planned to ask the Lupin family if they had the thread in their treasury so we could buy it. That was probably how Fenrir Lupin knew that we needed it. Now, he had given it to us as a gift. And from the density of the mana contained within the thread, it had at least been spun by a Tier 4 spider.

Deimos drew the reel into her lap, running her hand over it in wonder. I could see the ripples in the air as she channelled her mana into the threads. The string glowed softly and unspooled from the reel, creating twists and loops in the air under her control.

Soon, she was surrounded by fluffy clumps of string that massed together like clouds. They whirled around her, dancing under her control.

Leaning back in my seat, I simply watched her play with the string like a child with a new toy. Her happiness was infectious, and I found my lips curving upwards into a smile.

It was moments like these that I lived for. These snapshots of pure joy interspersed between stretches of struggle and competition. It was moments like these that I had vowed to protect.

Not only for me and mine, but -- upon joining the Circle of Demigods -- also for the Empire.