When Dalia and Rya came out of their room, the crew couldn't help but stare at them. The two of them were so beautiful wearing those elegant gowns. Rya thought she would hate getting ogled like this, but she enjoyed it a lot more than she would have liked.

'W-Whatever! I'm too hungry to care that I'm stuck in a dress!' Rya told herself. She noticed Quinus' golden eyes staring at her.

'What the hell is wrong with me!? I can't stand being stared at by all these people, and I definitely can't stand it when Quin is the one doing it! He makes me feel... Nervous? Why would I be nervous? Is it because of how he looks at me? Is it because I'm wearing this stupid dress?' Rya thought to herself.

"Whoa! Dark Elves are more dangerous than I thought. Especially in a dress!" Quinus said in a flirty tone.

'It's because my body is practically spilling out of this stupid thing! I've already given up on trying to hide it,' Rya thought.

Percy immediately went to check Dalia's appearance.

"Y-you look beautiful in that dress, Lady Dalia," Percy said sheepishly.

"Oh? You still seem just as nervous as ever, young one," Dalia said in a teasing tone, causing the young man's face to turn red.

"Ah... yes well, I guess so," Percy said awkwardly while he scratched the back of his head.

Dalia sniffed the air and had an annoyed look written on her face.

"Is there something wrong?" Percy asked her.

"Yeah! Where's the old one with the cooked meats? You know, the one with the gray hair?" Dalia growled.

"You mean, Sir George? He took the food to the dining room after we saw you naked... I mean, you weren't wearing clothes... Well, what I'm trying to say is... Oh, forget it," Percy stuttered.

"Oh yeah. We should eat now. It's been a long time since I ate some good grub," Dalia said happily as her tail wagged back and forth.

"Y-Yeah, let's go," Percy said nervously.

Rya and Quinus agreed with them, and Percy led the group to the dining room, where the servants had snacks out for them on a large table. Sir George was waiting for them in the large room. Dalia practically bolted towards the table with all the meat. The servants had a disgruntled look on their faces as they watched the Wolfkin running around the table. They thought such a race should be kept outside with the other animals.

"I don't know what his highness sees in these beasts. Either way, she has no manners," the butler muttered to the other servants.

"We'll have to bear with it." whispered the servant.

"Here you go, sir," the servant said as he handed Quinus a plate of food.

"Hmm," Quinus hummed as he grabbed a piece of food and observed it. He was making sure that the food wasn't poisoned or anything. When he decided the food was safe, he took a bite.

"Hm. Not bad. But it could use a little bit more seasoning," Quinus said while he ate.

With that out of the way, the four of them found places to sit and they all grabbed plates of food. Dalia and Rya were scarfing down the food like a pair of rabid dogs, while Sir George stood guard.

"This is delicious!" Dalia said between bites.

"Yeah, you're right. Although, it could use a little bit more flavor. Like salt, pepper, and other spices," Rya replied.

"I mentioned it to the butler. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll improve the food quality next time," Quinus told them.

Once Rya's hunger pains started to fade, she had a few things on her mind. So she turned to Quinus and asked, "May I please ask a question?"

Quinus put down his fork and gave her a nod, "Sure. Go ahead."

"So now that the Dungeon Core has been taken care of. What's next?" Rya asked.

"Well, I would like us to return to the capital, as soon as possible. So, I can tell my father the news about my cousin's betrayal. Sadly, my uncle isn't going to take this lying down. Marcus is his only son... And I believe his aim was to get Marcus on the throne. So he could be the next King of Fiafyr, by ridding me... Alaric is a smart man but he's also a bitter man who thinks he deserved the throne over my father. I just hope that we can avoid any more conflict with him. But that's a fool's hope," Quinus explained.

'Oh-boy... The evil cousin and uncle trope... Haah... And here I thought I could relax in Quin's castle and find a way home... I might be getting into political crap... Yay,' Rya thought sarcastically.

"Yeah, we leave here as soon as possible, your Highness," Sir George agreed.

"What about the Black Rose Merc?" Percy asked.

"Hopefully we can deal with them later. For now, let's focus on getting the kingdom back to normal." Quinus said.

"Hmph! If I pick up his scent, I'll hunt him down for what he did to my Alpha... and for Beta as well!" Dalia said proudly while pointing at her nose.

"If you find his scent then count me in, Lady Dalia. He made me look like a fool. I won't forgive him for that," Percy added with a sinister grin.

"Oh? When did you become an assassin, Percy?" Quinus said and rolled his eyes. But then he remembered who his mother was and decided to keep his mouth shut.

"It's part of my job as a ranger to deal with your enemies, my Lord," Percy explained.

"Just don't get yourself in trouble Percy. Otherwise, Sir George will have to look after you again," Quinus stated.

"But the old one got knocked out cold in the labyrinth?" Dalia remarked as she took a bite out of a chicken leg.

"Hey! That was a one-time thing! No one can take on a cave troll alone and live to tell the tale!" Sir George yelled in embarrassment.

"He's a lot stronger than he looks, Lady Dalia. That's all I'm going to say on the matter." Percy defended his partner and former teacher.

"Alright. Alright. I'll take the young one's word for it, old one," Dalia said as she waved her hand in a dismissive manner.

"I'm not old!" Sir George growled.

Quinus just shook his head before he chimed in, "Just don't get yourself in trouble Percy."

"Ah! No worries my Lord. I never take any unnecessary risks." Percy smiled.

"Erm... So, Quin, what about your engagement with that princess?" Rya asked Quinus with an eyebrow raised.

'Was it a bad sign that he cheated on his fiancee with me? Goddess, what was I thinking!?' Rya thought with a frown.

Quinus sighed. "Well, I never met her before. It's an arranged marriage set up by the Alliance through our Prime Minister. The Princess is from the third highest-ranking member of the Divine Three, Prince Dreyand Stoneworthh. All I know about her is her name, Hilda Stoneworthh... My parents weren't happy with the idea. Especially since I have a Demi-god vein. But politics never goes as one hopes. I don't know if I can love someone from the Divine Three," Quinus said with a pained expression on his face.

"Oh... Then will aiding me cause a war with the Alliance?" Rya said awkwardly.

"No... They should worry about me starting a war with them. Especially if they keep up their Crusade of purging all the other races." Quinus answered flatly.

'Holy shit, Quin! He would go to war for me? I'm not sure how I should respond?' Rya thought while she blushed.

"I-I appreciate the sentiment, Quin. I'm flattered really, but the Divine Three are my problem. And I don't like the idea of throwing your people into war on my behalf." Rya told him.

Quinus sighed, "I fear they are looking for a reason to invade us, and if not the Divine Three, then it's the Kingdom of Marn to our north. I want things to be peaceful, but it seems the Gods are hell-bent on causing more strife and suffering."

"I'm sorry, Quin. I had no idea," Rya apologized.

"You shouldn't apologize," Quinus said with a smirk before he looked up at the ceiling, "All things considered, I wish we could do things peacefully. But it seems most kingdoms respect those that are stronger than them. I find it tiring when people try to use me to further their own goals. I would much rather have a peaceful life, creating things to help my people, and raise some kids... Hopefully, they have a bit of dark elf in them," he finished, as he looked back at Rya with a smile.

Rya blushed hard as she was speechless. She didn't know what to say, so she just kept quiet.

Quinus turned to her "My apologies for being so blunt with you, but I really don't like the idea of dealing with politicians. I would rather be a simple engineer. Maybe then I won't have to deal with politics and everything else." Quinus said sadly.

'Huh? An engineer? That's unexpected. What kind of engineer?' Rya thought.

"I never knew you wished to be an engineer my Lord?" Percy said surprised.

"Yeah, I liked building things back in--I meant when I was alone. But that's not in the cards, for this life," Quinus replied with a sigh.

"Uhh... So, what kind of engineering projects were you working on?" Rya asked.

"Nothing of importance... Come now. I think we should call it for tonight." Quinus looks to the servants to take away the plates.

'I never knew all the troubles on Quin's mind.' Rya thought.

"Alright then, Rya... Would you like an escort to your room?" Quinus said as he got up from the table.

Quinus walks over to Rya, who's sitting across from him. When he is next to her, he kneels down, so he can look into her eyes and takes her hand. Quinus kisses her hand gently. "Thank you for saving me," he said with a smile.

Rya's heart raced. 'He makes it so hard to deny him! Fuck!' Rya thought while trying to keep what little composure she could muster.

"It was nothing, really... I just...." Rya said quietly.

"You're a hero to me, Rya," Quinus whispered.

'GODDESS! If I stay by him any longer, I'm going to fall for his charms.' Rya thought.

"I-I'm fine Quin. I can get back to my room myself. Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow." Rya said politely as tried to pull her hand back, but she was having a difficult time because Quinus had a firm grip on her.

"Of course. You should get some rest," Quinus replied.

When he released her hand, Rya stood up quickly, so he couldn't pull her hand back to him.

"Goodnight, Quinus," Rya stuttered as she tried to keep her composure. She needed to leave before her heart exploded.

"Goodnight, Rya," Quinus whispered.

Rya wanted to run out of the room as fast as she could, but she walked calmly to hide the blush on her face.

'Damn him! Damn, his handsome face! Why am I falling for him?! I'm a guy, Dammit!' Rya thought angrily as her body heated up. She walked over to Dalia and grabbed her by the shoulder. The wolfkin had a satisfied smile from eating all this food and was completely unaware of Rya's internal struggles.

"Whoa! Alpha, can't I stay?" Dalia whined as Rya grabbed her by the arm.

"You need to clean up again. Your hands and face are covered in grease. The servants will have trouble cleaning up your mess. Besides that, I want to go to bed." Rya said with a fake smile.

"Fine!" Dalia grumbles. "Good night, young one."

"Goodnight, Lady Dalia," Percy said with a bit of blush on his cheeks.

The five of them finished up before they left the dining hall and headed towards their bedrooms.