Our First Date Part 2

When we got out of the Coliseum Mini Games, Nilus was waiting for us at the entrance with a two-person carriage. We had a great time playing games.

“Master Paulus, please, let me take the two of you to the restaurant.”

“Thank you, Nilus. Come Antonina.”

“Oh, I have never used one of these before. I usually walk everywhere.”

Nilus took us to the restaurant and we were guided to our seats on the second floor, a big balcony area where our table were.

“Mister Paulus, Miss Antonina, here is the menu. Let me know when you are ready to order,” said the waiter. I grabbed the menu and took a quick look at the plates. I already know what I usually get, but I wanted to give Anto a little time to choose.

“Any recommendations?”

“I really enjoy the canard pineapple with the regular salad and spring rice.”

“Oh, I will order the same.”

“Are you sure? If you look at the menu, you'll find a lot of options to choose from. Don’t worry about the price, I will take care of it.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you ready to order Anto?”

“Actually, to be frank, I’m not a good reader. I didn’t have a proper education, and I don’t understand a lot of these words.” That's when  I noticed she felt entirely out of place. In comparison to the Mini Games Center, she was now shy and quiet among all these people.

“Don’t worry, I got you.”

“Excuse me, waiter. If I may.” I secretly handed him some money for him and the other waitresses and asked if he could take us to a more secluded spot.

“Give me a minute, good sir.” He went out and came back a minute later.

“My good sir, my lady, please come after me. We made a mistake with your table.”

“Ah?” Anto was confused. She took us to a small balcony on the third floor.

“Thank you, this is perfect.” and then, I ordered food for both of us.

“Thank you, Paulus, for doing this for me.”

“Don’t hold back, okay? Feel comfortable.”

“There are a lot of utensils. I will only use the fork.”

“That’s fine.” The waiter brought the food and we ate quietly.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s delicious, I have never tried anything like it.”

“I’m glad.”

“So, as you have noticed, I have high magical affinity, but I lack everything else. I’m not a lady, I barely know how to read, and I started working when I was a kid. That’s why I'm an adventurer now, because it pays the bills. I’m the only child, and I could not go to the Academy because of my parents' sickness. I was about to sell myself as a slave when I got into adventurer’s jobs. I might be pretty and strong, but that’s all I have.”

“Why not get married to get your family out of the problem?”

“My parents did look around for a partner, but no one would think of me as a suitable wife because of all my baggage. Marrying me is just not a good business if you have money.”

She is right. She might be strong, but in today's world, that is not enough. You still need resources to survive. There are probably people waiting for her to decide to become a slave. Anyone would love to buy her, but slaves never know how they will be treated. Selling herself will only bring one-time money to her parents, and if they are sick, that is not going to be enough. She is in a rough spot.

“What do you want from me, Antonina?” She needs help. She took a paper from his pocket and showed it to me.

“This is a covenant to get married. Paulus, please, would you marry me?” It is a contract that she had already signed on today’s date, and my name is on it. This was probably the reason she was late to the date. In the covenant, it is stipulated that she will be the weaker partner and accept any conditions as long as her family is taken care of. Sigh… she is in need. That’s why she went out of her way to help me and go on a date with me.

“Antonina, I will help you out, but we don’t need to get married to do that. Look at this contract. You’re practically giving me your life as a slave.” I took the contract and burned it, “Fire.” Antonina did not look please with my answer.

“Take me home,” she said.

It was a dark night. The streets were empty, and the only sound I could hear was of the horse pulling the carriage. We were both looking outside the windows. The road was in a direction I had never been before. The more we moved forward, the gloomier the street became. This area is the slums in the city. People are lying down in the streets like dead. Most of these people are immigrants from other kingdoms, slaves who are running away from their masters, drug addicts, people who can’t use magic, and people like Antonina. At the end, it’s only one reason. These are people who did not have a chance. People who did not have the same conditions to succeed in life.

“Come, this is my home. Let me introduce you to my parents.” We stop at a small room made out of earth magic. It was a single room, with no floor but dirt, a table and two chairs, and two elderly people lying in old blankets. On the table, a candle lit up the room. I could see her adventurer’s garment in a corner. I could not hold my tears.

“Give me a minute, Antonina, I’m gonna ask Nilus something.” I stepped outside, trying to hold my tears.

“Master, we should go. This is not the place for us to be in.”

“Nilus, take this money and bring food.”

“Yes, master.”

I went back in to see Antonina comforting her parents, who were asleep.

“Sorry, they fall asleep, maybe I can introduce you to them some other time.”

“Nilus will bring some food for them.”

“You don’t have to. In fact, you can forget about me. I will figure something out.”

“Are you sure you want to get married?”

“Let’s talk outside.” We went outside. The night was getting cold.

“It’s not what you think. This is not me trying to force you into marriage to help my parents. I have seen you for almost two years working hard, always giving a smile, always patient with people who treated you like trash. Every Friday that I got to see you at work, I thought that if he could do it without magic, then I certainly make it in life. However, look at me, where I live, and the condition of my parents’ health, any suitable husband would reject me, no doubt. I’m just a nice carapace who happens to have magic.”

Antonina is right. Sure, she has a strong magical affinity, but there is absolutely no gain from marrying her. Would my Dad allow me to marry her? Unless…

“Nilus will come and pick you up tomorrow, come to my house, and bring your parents and anything you want to have with you. We will talk about marriage. However, I need to think now. I’m not sure my parent will agree.”

“Master, here is some food.”

“Thank you, Nilus. Antonina, here, take this food. I have things to tell you, but we will talk tomorrow.” I hold her left hand and kiss it.

When I was about to leave, she held onto my hand and pulled me closer, locking her arms around my neck, closing her eyes, and kissing my lips. Her lips were soft and warm.

“I beat you at the games, remember? I got my prize,” she said, taking her lipstick from my mouth. I just smiled and left.

…

“What do you think, Father?”

“She only wants to help her parents?”

“When they recover, they can work for you. They are both nobles, know how to read, write, and do math. They were just unlucky and got sick.”

“I asked the adventurers’ guild about her. In her first job, she killed a stray wolf on her own. Not only that, she killed it and saved the materials because she knew how valuable they were.”

“Mom, I'm telling you. She is beautiful and strong. What else can I ask for?”

“She lives in the slums. What if she kills you or hurts you in some way? What if she wants to hurt our family. This is not how marriages work. The head of the household decides what's best for the family.”

“Mom, she’s the only person I know who treats me with so much love. She is not trying to take over the family.”

“Son, we don’t belong with those kinds of people. I will never accept her as my daughter.”

“Dad, you are the higher end. You are the one that have the final say. I’m begging you.”

“Your mother is right. We cannot risk her taking over the family business because of how strong she is. I will allow your marriage, but you will have to renounce your inheritance. Are you willing to take that step for her?”

“Okay, but let me keep my job until I find something else. Also, I'm taking my tools and the money I have made.”

“Of course, son. I will give you anything you need. I will look for a place for you to work, too. And I will take care of her parents. Once she proves she has no ill intentions, you two come back to be part of the family business.”

“Then, I agree.”

…

“So, then you two got married? After the first date?”

“Yeah, we went through the official ceremony. She evidently beat me, so she is the head of the family. However, I’m okay with that. She would never make any reckless decision without letting me know.”

“So, if I'm not mistaken, when you get married, you have a duel with the person you marry, and the one who wins is in charge of the family and makes all the important decisions.”

“That’s the law since after the Second Great War.”

“Do I have to ask for your permission when I fall in love with someone to marry?”

“Cato,” said Dad with a smile, “Your Mom and I will look for a suitable husband for you, and your Mom has the final say. You don’t need to worry about anything.”

I don’t like that one beat.