The Innkeeper

"Mary, has anything strange happened with the group while I was cultivating?" Lex asked. It was not that he had a bias against Sohee, but that their first meeting was genuinely too awkward. He did not blame her, for she had probably been forced to marry the very elf who replaced her as the heir to such a powerful force. It was only normal for there to be some bitterness and resentment.

Mary, who appeared above Lex, this time dressed as cupid, opened her mouth to speak, but paused. After some hesitation, she simply said, "Velma is very extroverted, as you know. Plus all things related to romance excite her to no end. As a result, she is very good at dealing with such things. She cleared up all the misunderstandings between the group, and now Asami and Sohee at least are good friends. Kenta and Sohee have also decided to work on their relationship, for it won't really benefit anyone if they stay at odds."

She gave Lex an odd look, but then disappeared before he noticed anything. It may not seem like it, but Lex was extremely perceptive, especially when it came to things related to himself. At least that's how he was with the system and all things related to cultivation. Other, simpler things seemed to go over his head.

With Mary's reassurance Lex relaxed, and decided to teleport over and ask them if any of them planned on returning with him. As much as he liked hanging out with the group, this was probably the last time he was going to have an opportunity. After all, he had to use his time wisely and cultivate as much as possible.

When he teleported over to Kenta, the elf boldly declared that he did not plan on returning to Tilaiya for the next few years while he fulfilled his passion for opening up a restaurant. Anyway, he was already married now, so his adopted father could be relieved that there was someone to watch over him and keep him out of trouble. He was not really needed for anything special for a while.

Aoi, likewise, claimed that she wanted to spend some more time here. She was trying to get the turtle to acknowledge her as a student, but the turtle itself was a baby. How could it focus on teaching? All its attention was focused on playing around. Well, that's what Lex thought but he did not say that aloud.

When he approached the three girls, however, he had an odd interaction. Sohee stared at him intently, as if studying him, while Velma giggled a little. Asami, the princess, accepted his offer to return with him. After all, she had disappeared without warning. Although she was enjoying the Inn, she needed to go report to her family and continue with her duties.

After saying farewell to Asami, Sohee glared at Lex once, before turning away. There was definitely something wrong with her.

"How did you get over the awkwardness?" Lex asked, unable to contain himself.

"It was a delicate matter. I could not outright say that I disliked Kenta to her, as that would be insulting her husband in front of her. Yet I had to assure her that I had no interest in him either. Velma made the process easier, and once all the misunderstandings were cleared, we became good friends. Honestly, Sohee is quite nice. She's just slightly cautious because she's lost her position before, and so doesn't easily feel safe with her new circumstances. Once she opens up, however, she's a nice person. 

"You should also take the chance to get to know her. Perhaps you could read her some of the poetry you wrote. That might make her more amenable to you. Though, I don't recommend the one about the Blood Rose."

"Haha, I don't really have much experience writing poetry," Lex confessed. "That was the first time I actually did so. I don't really see myself writing any more any time soon either."

"That's a shame," Asami said simply, and looked at Lex from the side of her eyes. In her mind she could not help but think how apt his poem was. The two could become friends, but not lovers. Their station and destinies lay elsewhere, thoroughly dividing them. He said he only wrote it casually, so then why could she feel the emotions in that poem so deeply herself?

For the briefest of moments, Asami felt weak. But the moment passed, and she collected herself.

"Shall we go?" she asked.

Lex nodded and said, "You only need to think of returning. You will immediately be teleported back."

The two, an elf and a human, a princess and a universal entrepreneur, disappeared at the same time, and reappeared in Kenta's room. Though they journeyed together for this brief period, their paths were ultimately diverging. It was unknown if they would even have the opportunity to meet again.

"I have to report to my family," said Asami, her voice oddly gentle. "Let us part here."

"In that case, farewell. If you come to the Midnight Inn again, you can try looking for me. Although I'm usually busy, I also spend a lot of time there."

The princess simply nodded and walked away.

Lex stood there for a moment and watched her leave. He was not completely oblivious to what was happening, and considering the newfound friendship between Asami, Sohee, and Velma, he could somewhat understand why Sohee was glaring at him. But somehow, the relationship between him and this princess ended before it even began.

Honestly speaking, Asami was indeed very beautiful, and they did seem to hit it off during the short time they spent together. But just because she was beautiful, or just because they got along, did not mean that he would become desperate to be with her. 

Lex scratched his head, but then turned his attention elsewhere. He did not have the luxury to think about romance with danger looming over his immediate future.

The princess, who was walking away, contacted her family and filled them in on what had happened the last couple of days. Before she ended the call, she requested a patch of Blood Roses to be grown in her personal garden - the ones Aoi had altered so that they could grow anywhere. The princess had become fond of them.