David and Niala returned home in near silence, mulling over Caleb's grandiose plan.

  There was no questioning the mayor's true intent: to make the town, and thus himself, richer. Riverwall would be getting the infrastructure improvements as long as they lived here, and even if he couldn't find a way to tax the eventual mana crystal exploitation, the town would still benefit from the economic windfalls.

  No, this was nothing but a risk-free gamble on his part; calling out to their hearts for the native's plight, in return for potentially gaining more, at the risk of their lives.

  If David found the whole idea a bit ruthless, if pragmatic, Niala found it disgustingly manipulative.

  And yet...

  They reached their home, coming in through the garden door. Niala headed upstairs, her ears and tail limp, which meant she was conflicted. David followed after his girlfriend and, at the top of the stairs, grabbed her hand, dragging her over to the couch, where he sat down and patted his thighs, looking at her.

  She smiled and sat on his lap, curling up and letting his big, warm arms envelop her as she burrowed her head into his neck and sighed contentedly.

  They remained like that for a few moments, his hands gently stroking her, giving her the time she needed to unscramble her thoughts from her emotions.

  She shifted in his embrace. “What do you think we should do?” She asked faintly.

  “The right question is: are the natives our problem?” He countered, speaking softly.

  He felt her tense up for an instant. “...I want to say it is, but you're going to say we're not responsible for anything about them, aren't you?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I know you care, it's your nature, and I don't want to take that away from you. I just want to make sure you understand that it's a choice, not a responsibility.”

  She shivered a little before nuzzling his neck and giving him the tiniest of nibbles. Her voice was low and warm. “That's why I love you, you know? It's like when I insisted on helping figure out the town's disappearances. You knew I was being stupid, you didn't agree with it, but you understood I cared, and you gave me your help. I think that's when I really fell for you...”

  “Not stupid. Just... self-sacrificing. I didn't like it at first, but now, I think the world needs more Nialas in it, and I just want to protect you, so you can do more of what you're best at: helping people.”

  She went still and didn't answer. After a while, he felt his neck getting damp in spots.

  “...David,” She murmured.

  “What is it, kitten?”

  “...Carry me to the bedroom.” She whispered.

  It took him a second.

  Then, he bolted upright, Niala meeping in the process, and marched to their bedroom, closing and locking the door behind him.

  She proceeded to express her feelings for him, past what words could achieve.

  He was reminded that there was no treasure greater in the world than the trust and love of a woman.

  They lay in bed, her body draped over his as she lazily traced patterns with one of her blunt claws on his chest.

  She rubbed her face against him a few times. “David?”

  “Hmm?”

  “The wedding. When do you want to have it?”

  He opened one eye and craned his neck to look at her. Her big, bright amethyst eyes were looking back at him, her brows angled downward.

  He smiled. “As soon as you want, kitten.”

  She puffed her cheeks. “I'm asking you!”

  He chuckled, and then thought for a second. “We'll have known each other for an exact year on the 52nd of spring. Why not then?”

  She blinked, began to smile, before her mouth turned upside-down, and she ended up staring at him with suspicion in her eyes.

  He quirked a brow. “...what?”

  “Are you suggesting it so it's easier to remember our wedding anniversary and the first day we met?”

  “Aren't you happy I remember the day we met?”

  “I- I am! But! I also know you!”

  He grinned and planted a kiss on her forehead. “52nd of spring it is, then!” He affirmed.

  “David...” She lamented.

  “No, no, you're right, it'll make it easy to remember both dates! Thank you!” He added, beaming her a smile.

  She pushed herself up on her arms and moved forward, planting her face above his. “David!”

  His smile didn't leave his face.

  She pouted. “Take this seriously!”

  The smile on his face grew a bit larger. “I am taking this seriously! I can't stop smiling because I'm seeing your face, and I'm imagining it under a wedding veil, and it's making me happy.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  She froze, then blinked, her face turning red, and then hid her eyes behind her bangs. “...Sorry,” she murmured.

  He chuckled and pushed her to the side, rolling with her to land up on top of her as she meeped in surprise.

  He stared into her wide-open eyes, lowering his face down to hers, his lips finding hers, and stealing a long and passionate kiss, which she leaned into, closing her eyes as their breath mixed.

  He came back up for air, locking gaze with her. “Fifty-second of spring, we're going to get married.”

  “Fifty-second of spring. “ She repeated, a smile winning over her face.

  She pulled her arms around his neck, her eyes mellowing, turning sultry. Her voice was full of passion.

  “Show me how much you love me.” She whispered.

  He grinned, kissed her once more, and told her how much he loved her, without using a single word

  She was reminded that the greatest gift in this world was a man's trust and love.

  They eventually ran out of energy, dragging themselves off to a shower, a change of clothes, and a quick dinner spent under the grinning glances of Linzy. Niala managed to only blush a light pinkish tone, while nothing the goblin woman did could even begin to affect David's smugness.

  That evening, they began hashing out their wedding plans. With both of them wanting to keep it simple, the details were mostly locked in by the time they retired for the night.

  David's mother, Agatha, might have objected to a small ceremony back when they had visited her, but it was their wedding, and they both wanted to keep it small, and so it would be.

  They would invite close friends and family only, just about twenty people. They would be wed under the authority of the Order of All Saints, the only church which did not differentiate between the saints, instead preaching inclusiveness and respect for all faiths. Being the closest thing to a universal religion that the continent as a whole had, it was also one of the most popular.

  After the small ceremony at the town's humble chapel, they would welcome everyone in their home for a feast that David and Niala would prepare in the days leading up to, but would be cooked by hired help.

  David wanted his soon-to-be wife's food for their wedding, but he absolutely didn't want her to be cooking on the day of their wedding.

  After the feast, the guests would be housed where they could, though they suspected that Cornelius, Angeline and Mahala would sleep in the Alchemical Star, while the Wardenfels would probably travel with the Wardenfel family airship, mirroring the All Brews. The only other guests who would need a room would be David's adoptive family, Batty, and mistress Yrlemagne. The rest of the guests would be Leandro, Marshalla, Karline, Linzy, Jordo, and, per David's desire, Leviathan.

  They did expect there to be some awkwardness from David having two families attending, but he said that if the Wardenfels started up trouble, he'd boot them out without a second thought.

  For decoration, they'd hire someone in Riverwall. They'd heard that the local seamstress doubled as an event planner. She would surely have wedding-themed ornaments.

  Jordo would probably demand to do what he had been built to do, so serving guests would befall him.

  And that was it. Nothing grand. Just a small ceremony, a good meal, and some time to enjoy the occasion.

  The only other minor point to resolve was what to wear, but there again, they weren't looking for anything outrageous. Niala's dress would be done by Yrlemagne, David suspecting the she-elf wouldn't allow anything else, while he would just find the best tailor in Bellharbour and get a suit tailored.

  They fell asleep talking about their honeymoon, thinking about their honeymoon, and then dreaming about their honeymoon.

  The dreams ended up a bit more steamy than their discussion.

  The next morning, Violet was loaded up with David's tears for fuel, a bunch of invitations, and sent on her way. They would take the autocar to Bellharbour on the morrow, to go get their measuring done for their wedding clothes, and personally deliver the invitations to their friends there.

  And then, by mid-morning, they sat down and turned their thoughts back to Caleb's proposition, having asked Jordo to weigh in.

  They explained the Mayor's scheme to him, and his eye glowed brightly, showing his excitement.

  “I believe it is a wonderful idea, Sir and Madam!”

  David quirked a brow. “You do?”

  Jordo dipped his head. “Of course! While I would have never suggested such a course of action, the prospect of giving the Luminous Reign a new life brings my magimechanical heart great trepidation! Second only to seeing Sir and Madam recognized as the illustrious personage that you are!”

  Niala's ears wiggled. “You... think highly of us, Jordo?”

  “Indeed, Madam! You and Sir have demonstrated, time and again, that you embody core values of the Luminous Reign: honesty, integrity, moral strength and the desire for enlightenment!”

  David frowned. “In Niala's case, I agree with you, but I'm not-”

  Jordo held up a hand. “Sir, my apologies, but I will not let you belittle yourself, not in this regard. Before you argue that you are none of those things, should I point out that your chosen profession was one where you helped people? How you value knowledge as a useful tool? The discomfort you feel when faced with injustices?”

  David blinked, sinking into his couch. He glanced at Niala, only to find her staring back at him with a huge smile on her face.

  “I... uh... I mean...” He sputtered.

  Niala uncoiled and hung herself around his neck, rubbing her face against his cheek. “Just accept it, trumpet! You have a big, giant, loving heart! You just like pretending it's a prickly ball!”

  He looked away from the buzzing catkin and back to Jordo, sighing. “Fine. Let's move on. You think it's a good idea, but what about the complications? Even if we do declare fealty to the crown and pass all our powers over to an administrator, people will still come at us, thinking we can do something for them, try to work an angle...”

  Jordo nodded. “Of course, Sir, but as an important individual, you will have an entourage, whose job will be to keep the riff-raff away and filter out the valid claims. And...” The golem leaned forward, trying to whisper.

  “There is also a second, maybe more important value to becoming foreign dignitaries.”

  Niala stopped rubbing her face against David's and angled her head to look at Jordo. “Really? Which one?”

  Jordo dipped his head. “Diplomatic immunity.”

  She tilted her head. “What do you-”

  David cut in. “We're doing it.” He affirmed.

  She pulled her head back and looked at her boyfriend, ears wiggling. “We are?”

  “Yes. I understand what Jordo means. If we're from a foreign nation, then the crown can't claim you as a weaver.”

  The golem's eye flashed. “Exactly, sir. Madam Niala's nature being revealed would no longer be under threat of being forcibly enrolled at the Library.”

  Niala's ears perked upward. “Oh... and, since you'll be the king of a new nation, and I'm marrying you, then I'll be the queen.” She deduced, smiling.

  David's brows rose. “Huh, I'm not going to be a king, I'm going to be-”

  Jordo clapped his hands. “A scion as king! That would be marvellous!”

  David glowered at the golem. “I don't want to be a king!”

  Niala's face melted. “I can't be a queen?” She asked plaintively.

  “What? No! I mean, yes! You're already my queen! But I'm not going to declare myself king! It would b-”

  “It would require proper study or the Luminous Reign's continuation protocols, but I believe we might find that information at the knowledge repository you described, from Mayor Caleb's recount.”

  David brought up a hand. “I don't want to be king!”

  Jordo tilted his head. “Well, I do believe that the Reign had, in times past, an imperial prince. While the title was abolished, it could be reinstated.”

  Niala's face lit up. “I can be a princess!?” She gasped, staring at David with amethyst stars in her eyes.

  “...” He shifted his gaze from his girlfriend, to Jordo, and back to her, both of them staring intently at him.

  He let his head hang.

  “Fine, I'll call myself a prince if you want to be a princess...”

  “My Prince Trumpet!” She exclaimed, squeezing herself into him and raining kisses on the side of his face.

  He stared blankly ahead.

  It's just not fair that Princess Kitten sounds endearing.