While preparing dinner, Alex was deep in thought about the next day and what was going to happen tomorrow. After Integra mentioned where the event would take place, who would be present, and that both he and Integra would have to attend as representatives of Hellsing, Alex became fully convinced that tomorrow he would definitely be knighted.
At first, when Alex heard from Integra that they needed to go to an audience with the Queen, he had jokingly said that he would be made a knight. But after learning who would be attending the event, Alex could only hope that it would all end very quickly.
Stopping his thoughts about tomorrow, Alex simply sighed at what he would have to go through the next day. After finishing cooking dinner, Alex set the prepared food in front of Alessa and Seras. Before Alex could go to call Integra, she entered the kitchen herself. Seeing that he didn't need to call anyone, Alex sat down at the table and began to eat.
"Lady Integra, how does such an event usually go? You know… the knighting and all that aristocratic stuff…" Seras asked, looking up at Integra.
When Seras asked the question, Integra calmly set down her cutlery, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and then looked at Seras. Alex was also curious about how everything would proceed. But one thing he was certain of was that it would be painfully long.
Even Alessa showed a bit of interest in what was going to happen tomorrow. Seras also showed strong interest in such an event, even though she wouldn't be attending. That's why she was curious about how it would all go, how the ceremony itself would proceed, and what would happen afterward.
"Usually such ceremonies last from two to three hours. The knighting itself takes only a few minutes. But before and after it, there are just endless formalities, introductions, conversations with Round Table members, and obligatory pleasantries. The aristocracy loves to drag out such events," Integra said calmly, taking a sip of tea.
"After hearing that, I want to go there even less. Can't I just leave right after I receive the medal? I don't even know anyone there… Well, except Sir Penwood. And I don't really want to meet the other military ministers… Considering that I was one of the ones who destroyed the British aircraft carrier," Alex said in a lazy tone, his whole appearance showing that he didn't want to go anywhere.
"I know you don't want to. Neither do I. But no, you can't leave immediately after the knighting. It would look strange and rude. It would be seen as disrespect to the Queen and the Round Table. We need to stay at the reception for at least a little while. After the knighting, there will be a reception. Not very long, but important. People will approach you who want to get to know you," Integra said calmly, setting her teacup on the table.
"Ugh… Life sucks. Fine, I'll try to relax… I hope the banquet will have good food," Alex said, shaking his head.
"Try to behave more restrained and not talk too much. Only the Round Table members and the Queen herself know that you supposedly summon monsters. For everyone else, you are my husband and a special agent of the American Federal Bureau," Integra said in a warning tone.
"I'm not a child. I know what to say and what not to say. I'll tell a couple of jokes here, a couple of jokes there, and that's it. If they start asking how I became your husband and all that, I'll start talking nonsense," Alex said, shrugging lightly.
"Don't even think about doing that. I'll take most of the conversations upon myself. All that is required of you is to smile and nod. That will be enough," Integra said in a dry tone, giving Alex a cold look.
Alex just sighed wearily. The only thing he understood from this conversation was that the upcoming event was no different from the Denatus that took place in Orario. And all that was left for Alex to do was what Integra asked, even if he didn't want to.
Seras nodded thoughtfully, understanding how important a social event this was. Alessa gently tugged Integra's sleeve, asking if she also needed to attend. Hearing Alessa's question, Integra thought for a moment and nodded, indicating that Alessa would also have to go.
Hearing Integra's words, Alex tilted his head slightly to the side, wondering why Alessa also needed to attend such an event. Seras reacted with slight surprise, thinking that children weren't brought to such occasions.
"Why does Alessa also have to go to such an event?" Alex asked in a surprised tone.
"I'm going to introduce Alessa as the future heir of Hellsing. If you hadn't taken her everywhere with you, this could have been avoided. But you brought her to the Round Table meeting, and she was with us at the Self-Defense Forces headquarters. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" Integra said calmly, explaining her decision.
"Hmm… Now everything makes sense. It seems everything has fallen into place. At least Alessa will also be going. And I won't have to endure all those people alone," Alex said with a cheerful smile.
"I'm glad you were able to understand such an obvious thing, husband. Only unlike Alessa, you must attend such an event," Integra said in a sarcastic tone.
Alex just rolled his eyes, stirring his coffee. His desire not to go to such an event grew stronger with every moment. But the thought that it would all last only an hour and a half calmed him down a little. Integra, seeing that there were no more questions and the topic of the upcoming event and ceremony was exhausted, finished her tea and stood up from the table to return to her office and continue working.
Left in the kitchen were Alex, Seras, and Alessa. While Alex washed the dishes, Seras watched him do it, resting her cheeks on her hands. Alessa was busy texting her other mothers, asking them how she should behave at such events.
Despite the fact that Alessa was quite smart and perceptive, this would be her first time. After all, even her sisters had never attended such events. Alex finished washing the dishes and sighed heavily once again.
"Why are you sighing? Do you really not want to go to such an event that much?" Seras asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"It's just that all such events are very boring and monotonous. I've had to attend similar events in Orario and Valhalla. The only difference is that in this situation I won't be able to beat up anyone who gets too arrogant," Alex said, wiping his hands with a towel.
"Have you really done that before?" Seras asked cautiously, staring at Alex.
"Oh yes. Gods sometimes forget the simplest truth: the one who hits harder is right, and they need to be reminded of that. Especially the gods in Orario," Alex said in a carefree tone.
"You're not going to hit anyone, right? Really?" Seras asked cautiously with a strained smile on her face.
"No, of course not… And stop asking stupid questions. Let's go watch a movie instead. That's much more interesting than all these talks about the upcoming ceremony," Alex said, ruffling Seras's hair.
"Papa… Mama Hephaestus, Mama Hestia, and Mama Brunhilde say that you shouldn't maim anyone if there are marriage proposals… Whatever that means," Alessa interjected. She had been silent until then.
Hearing Alessa's words, Alex's eyelid began to twitch strongly. He had forgotten about one obvious thing that he had simply overlooked. But soon Alex quickly calmed down. He knew that Integra would most likely directly send away anyone who even thought of steering the conversation toward that topic, and he wouldn't even need to do anything.
Sighing once again, Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering that not that many people would be present at the upcoming event. Therefore, he wasn't worried that something like that could happen. And he was sure that those who knew what Hellsing represented wouldn't even think of such nonsense as a political marriage.
Shaking his head to drive away unnecessary thoughts, Alex picked Alessa up in his arms. She continued typing on her phone, replying to messages, and together with Seras they left the kitchen.
Alex, Seras, and Alessa went down to the basement, where Seras's room was, to calmly watch a movie. Descending into the basement, Alex, still carrying Alessa, entered Seras's room. But upon entering, Seras remembered that she still slept in a coffin, and there was no television or even a computer in her room where they could watch a movie.
Seras looked at Alex in embarrassment, since she had been the one who suggested going to her room. Alex looked at the embarrassed Seras and chuckled lightly, taking a bed and a television out of his inventory to connect his phone to it. Seras stared at the items Alex had pulled from his inventory.
The first question that popped into her head was why Alex carried a whole bed and a television with him. At the same time, she had another question — how many and what kinds of things were actually in Alex's inventory.
While Seras was lost in questions, Alex had already climbed onto the bed and connected to the television to turn on a movie. Seras snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of the movie. Blinking, Seras looked at the wall, then at the bed where Alex was lying.
Alex patted the spot next to him, inviting Seras to lie down beside him. Seeing Alex's gesture, Seras decided it was better not to ask questions about everything she saw and simply accept some things as the most ordinary part of her life. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Seras quickly took off her shoes, and her clothes dissolved into black mist that quickly turned into short shorts and a tight tank top.
After changing, Seras climbed onto the bed and crawled over to Alex, resting her head on his shoulder. While choosing a movie to watch, Alex wrapped his arm around Seras's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. Seras made herself more comfortable, resting her head on Alex's chest and watching as he selected a movie.
"Shall we watch another horror movie or a comedy?" Alex asked, resting his chin on Seras's head so he could see the screen of his phone.
"After all those creepy places you've already visited, do you still want to watch horror movies?" Seras asked, turning to Alex.
"How should I put this correctly…" Alex said, lightly stroking his chin.
"What exactly?" Seras asked, sitting up cross-legged and looking at Alex.
"Even though I've seen things that would drive anyone else insane, I just like watching these kinds of movies. It's like watching a zombie movie in a world where zombies exist. It's the same thing, but the feelings are different," Alex said in a cheerful tone.
"That was a very stupid answer. It's like watching a movie about a haunted house while living in a haunted house," Seras said, folding her arms across her chest and looking at Alex.
"And you're already starting to understand how it works. Especially if we watch a movie about vampires while I'm in the basement with two Nosferatu," Alex said cheerfully, showing the screen of his phone.
"No, not that! I don't want to watch a movie about vampires!" Seras shouted, trying to snatch the phone from Alex's hands.
Seras attacked Alex to take the phone away from him. She definitely didn't want to watch a movie about vampires, since her life already had more than enough things related to vampires. And she definitely didn't want to watch a movie about vampires on top of that.
Alex sharply raised his hand above his head, moving the phone farther away from Seras's reach, and wrapped his legs around her waist to prevent her from grabbing his phone. Seras stretched with all her might to reach Alex's phone and take it. Alex and Seras began fighting over the phone, and the only one who was inconvenienced by this was Alessa, who was lying nearby, holding her own phone in her hands.
Seeing that her mama and papa were fighting over the phone, Alessa, without changing her expression, calmly stood up and moved to the edge of the bed so she wouldn't accidentally get hit. Right now it was more important for her to chat with her sisters, who had shown interest in completely different things.
And just a few minutes into the struggle for the phone, Alex was hanging upside down from the edge of the bed while Seras lay on top of him, trying to reach the phone. Seras was slightly sweating from trying to take the phone from Alex, and her clothes were a bit disheveled.
But even in that state, Seras wasn't going to stop trying to take the phone from Alex. It was no longer about Alex wanting to turn on a vampire movie — it had become a matter of principle: to take the phone from him. Alex was still smiling, not letting Seras reach his phone. And when his head was almost touching the floor, he saw a pair of female legs next to him.
"I recognize these legs," Alex said, looking up.
Seras hadn't noticed that someone else had appeared next to them and took advantage of the moment while Alex was distracted to grab his phone. But at the same moment, they both fell off the bed together. Seras sat on Alex's stomach with a victorious smile, holding his phone in her hands. But at that same moment she noticed that someone else was there with them. Turning her head, Seras saw Alucard in her sixteen-year-old form.
Alucard looked at Seras with an amused gaze, scanning her from head to toe. Under such a look, Seras began to feel a little nervous and quickly adjusted her disheveled clothes so that her underwear wouldn't be visible. Continuing to smile and not hiding the amusement in her eyes, Alucard shifted her gaze to Alex, who was lying flat on the floor at her feet.
"My beloved, I didn't know my legs interested you so much that you're even willing to lie at them," Alucard said in a cheerful tone, crouching down next to Alex's face.
"I just fell off the bed…" Alex said, turning his head.
Alex turned his head and looked at Alucard, who had crouched down beside him. He was pleasantly surprised that she had changed her usual outfit for a dress. At that moment, Alucard looked like Rory's twin sister, considering the style of clothing and appearance.
But when Alucard sat in such a position next to his head, he could see her underwear, which didn't embarrass Alucard at all. In fact, it amused her when she noticed where Alex's gaze was directed. Continuing to smile, Alucard slightly lifted the hem of her dress to show more. At that moment, Seras's face turned bright red when she saw what Alucard was doing.
"Well? Do you like what you see? Surprisingly, your other women are quite knowledgeable about this, especially about your preferences," Alucard said, continuing to slowly lift the hem of her dress.
"Master… Stop! Aren't you ashamed to show your underwear like that? You're not alone here!" Seras shouted with a reddened face.
"Shame? What is that? Can you eat it? Morality, shame — none of that matters. Every century, moral norms continue to change. And human morality doesn't apply to us, especially to my beloved. So calm down, Police Girl," Alucard said in a lazy tone, giving Seras a blank look.
"Don't drag me into this, Carmilla. And lower your dress. Of course I don't mind… But Alessa is still here. Even if she's busy chatting with her sisters," Alex said, raising his hand and pointing at Alessa.
Alucard lazily shifted her gaze in the direction Alex pointed and saw Alessa sitting with her back to them, her whole appearance showing that she didn't care what was happening. Alessa only turned her head for a moment when she heard her name, then turned back. Alessa saw that another one of her mamas had appeared and tilted her head slightly, not understanding what was going on.
All this time she had simply paid no attention to everything happening just a couple of meters away from her. Alessa looked at everyone and just shrugged, wondering why they had called her. But hearing no continuation, Alessa simply shrugged again and turned away.
Right now her sisters were in another world and traveling together again, and she was interested in watching that. Alex was still lying on the floor while the view of Alucard's underwear was right in front of his eyes. Alucard and Seras both saw that Alessa had simply ignored them and turned away.
"It seems she doesn't care what's happening nearby… So, my beloved. Do you want to see more?" Alucard asked, lightly shaking the hem of her dress.
"I can already see everything perfectly… But I would prefer to get up from the floor. Of course I don't mind when someone sits on me. But, Seras… please get up," Alex said, chuckling lightly.
"Oh, sorry. I'll get up now," Seras said, quickly starting to get off Alex.
But the moment Seras quickly stood up from Alex's stomach where she had been sitting, her legs got slightly tangled in Alex's T-shirt, and she began to fall forward. Losing her balance and starting to fall forward, Seras hit Alex in the face with her knee, then sat on his face.
At that moment, Seras fully felt the pain in her knee and began rubbing it with tears in her eyes, not even noticing where she was sitting. Alucard, on the other hand, burst into loud laughter, clutching her stomach. Hearing Alucard's laughter, Seras turned her head, and it immediately dawned on her where she was sitting. Seras looked down, and her face instantly turned bright red.
Seras quickly slid off Alex's face with a face bright red from embarrassment. Alex just wearily stared at the ceiling, thinking about eternity. Not only had he received a knee strike straight to the nose, his T-shirt was torn, and to top it all off, Seras had sat on his face. And what was important was that loud laughter from Alucard was coming from beside him — she was genuinely amused by the current situation he found himself in.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to… It's just… I just got caught on your T-shirt…" Seras said in an embarrassed tone.
"It's okay… It was a rather strange experience. But I'm not complaining. Everything happens for the first time," Alex said, snapping his fingers to repair his torn T-shirt.
"Did you like it?" Seras asked in an embarrassed tone, looking at Alex.
"No, that combination definitely didn't appeal to me. If every time my T-shirt gets torn and I get hit in the face with a knee, then I'd rather refuse," Alex said, standing up from the floor.
"You could have just said no, you idiot!" Seras shouted with a reddened face, kicking Alex in the leg.
Alex deftly dodged, not letting Seras attack him. Seeing that she couldn't hit Alex, Seras climbed onto the bed and hid under the blanket to conceal her embarrassment. Alex chuckled lightly and shifted his gaze to Alucard, who was standing next to him. Noticing Alex's look, a mischievous smile appeared on Alucard's face, and she slightly pulled down the top of her dress just enough to show a little and tease Alex.
Alex looked wearily at Alucard and clearly understood what she was getting at. Alucard lightly beckoned Alex with her finger, showing that he should lean closer. Alex leaned toward Alucard, and she began whispering in his ear. After finishing what she needed to say, she bit his earlobe.
"Shall we watch a movie?" Alex asked, looking into Alucard's red eyes.
"I'm not interested in that. When you're done playing normal family with Seras, come to me. We haven't finished what we were doing yesterday," Alucard continued whispering in Alex's ear.
"Maybe you should stay with us after all. Despite everything, you're still part of the family… I told you, spending time together is more interesting than just sitting and staring at the wall in an empty basement," Alex said, placing his palm on Alucard's cheek.
"If that's what you want so much… then I'll play along a little. But I don't promise anything. It all depends on how you behave, my beloved," Alucard said, running her finger across Alex's lips.
Alex smiled and took Alucard by the hand, pulling her onto the bed with him. Before Alucard ended up on the bed, her dress changed, turning into the same outfit Seras was wearing: black short shorts and a tight tank top.
Seeing that Alucard had even changed her clothes made Alex a little surprised. But what made Alex's eyelid twitch was that he noticed Alucard's underwear was missing, and she wasn't hiding it. Alucard noticed the expression on Alex's face and a wide grin appeared on her face as she pulled down the top of her tank top just a little to tease Alex.
Sighing, Alex lay on his back and stretched lightly, trying to act as if everything was fine. Feeling someone lie down next to him, Seras peeked out from under the blanket and saw Alex. At that moment, Seras quickly crawled out from under the blanket and lay down beside him. Alucard, unlike Seras, lay on Alex in such a way that he could see everything while she lay on top of him.
Seeing this, Seras decided to pretend she saw nothing. Turning on a random movie, Alex reached out to stroke Alessa's hair to get his daughter's attention. Alessa turned her head again to see what they wanted from her. Alex pointed at the movie, but Alessa showed the screen of her phone, indicating that she was watching something else. Seeing what Alessa was watching, Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Your sisters went to Haru again?" Alex asked, looking at the screen of Alessa's phone.
"Yes. They said that this time Haru has to win. Has she never won before?" Alessa asked, nodding slightly.
"I wish I could say yes. But unfortunately… Haru has never won a single race yet… I hope she can win this time. She trained so hard," Alex said, shaking his head slightly.
Alessa nodded slightly and turned away, tucking her legs under herself to continue chatting with her sisters and watching what they were doing. Seras and Alucard also saw what was happening on Alessa's screen. Alucard only showed a bit of interest in the horse girls, while Seras was strongly impressed by what she saw.
Seras turned to Alex and poked his cheek with her finger to get his attention. When Alex turned his head, Seras began asking him what kind of world this was where there were horse girls who participated in races. Alex briefly explained what kind of world it was. But even that was enough for Seras to feel strong surprise.
Seeing the surprise on Seras's face, Alex stroked her hair and continued watching the movie. Or rather, Alex wanted to continue watching the movie, but Alucard had other plans. She quickly got bored with the movie and found another way to entertain herself. The moment she moved, Alex immediately stopped her and pointed at Alessa. Hearing the noise behind her, Alessa turned her head again and thought that her father and both mothers were going to make noise again and disturb her.
So Alessa jumped off the bed and decided to go somewhere where it would definitely be quiet. Without saying a word, Alessa left Seras's room and headed to her mother Integra's office. The moment Alessa left, a wide smile appeared on Alucard's face.
"Now you can't defend yourself by using Alessa," Alucard said, turning to Alex.
"Seras is still here," Alex said, clearing his throat dryly.
"Yes… I'm still here," Seras said, nodding.
"Then let her join…" Alucard said, running her nail across Alex's T-shirt and cutting it.
"What am I supposed to join?" Seras asked, swallowing hard.
"Something more interesting, you stupid Police Girl," Alucard said, turning her head toward Seras.
Dozens of different ideas immediately flashed through Seras's head, and when it got to the very last one, her face turned bright red. But by that moment, Alucard had already pulled off her black tank top, sitting on Alex's stomach.
When Seras came to her senses and saw what Alucard had done, her face turned even redder, and she couldn't utter a word at what was happening right before her eyes. Alucard, however, paid no attention to Seras — her gaze was fixed on Alex, whose hands she was holding in place so he couldn't escape.
"What?! Here?! Now?!" Seras shouted, her eyes wide open.
"If something doesn't suit you, you can leave. No one is keeping you," Alucard said, giving Seras a lazy look.
Seras was shocked by such words from Alucard and even wanted to object about the fact that this was her room and that she had come first, and that it was now her time with Alex. Alex himself was trying to prevent Alucard from doing what she had in mind right now because Seras was nearby.
And he understood that even if Seras was nearby, Alucard wouldn't care — after all, she had already said that moral norms didn't apply to her, and she had no intention of following them. If she wanted something, she would do it. With difficulty pushing Alucard off him, Alex sighed with relief. But Alucard wasn't going to give up — she lightly licked her lips, and her red eyes sparkled slightly.
Continuing to smile, Alucard leaned toward Seras and began whispering in her ear. Alex saw Seras's face begin to redden, then become determined. Alucard smiled like the devil himself when she managed to win Seras over to her side. The color of Seras's eyes began to shift from her rainbow color to red. But soon Seras's clothes dissolved into black mist, and she was left in just her underwear.
"Now we can continue, my beloved. There are no more spectators, only participants," Alucard said, moving closer to Alex and climbing onto his lap.
Alex shifted his gaze from Alucard to Seras, whose eyes had turned red. And he understood that he would be staying in the basement much longer than he had expected. In the end, Alex managed to leave the basement closer to midnight, and only because he was allowed to.
The only thing that pleased Alex was that the ceremony and the event itself were scheduled for the evening, and he would have time to relax. Alex entered Integra's room but didn't see Integra herself — instead, he heard sounds coming from the bathroom.
Realizing that Integra was currently taking a bath, Alex lazily fell onto the bed face-first into the pillow. Some time later, Integra herself came out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel and wearing a nightgown. Seeing Alex, Integra immediately noticed the bite marks on his neck. Integra walked over to the bed and slapped Alex on the back.
"What happened?" Alex asked, only turning his head.
"I hope there won't be these marks on your neck by tomorrow's ceremony," Integra said, pointing at Alex's neck.
"You don't need to worry about that… Did you finish all your work so quickly?" Alex said, lazily waving it off and looking at Integra.
"Your clone did almost my entire day's workload. That gives me time to sleep and prepare," Integra said, sitting on the edge of the bed and continuing to dry her wet hair with the towel.
"How productive I am… I'm proud of myself. Would you like a massage before bed?" Alex said, smiling slightly.
"Wasn't that enough for you?" Integra asked, giving Alex a blank look.
"When I say massage, I mean massage," Alex said, rolling his eyes.
"Fine. I don't mind. Just don't let your hands wander. If the massage is good, I'll reward you," Integra said, hanging the towel on a chair.
"Only if you don't fall asleep," Alex said with a smile.
Integra simply nodded and lay down on her stomach, tucking her hands under her head. Alex sat on Integra's back and began giving her a massage. Within moments, Integra felt a very pleasant sensation of relaxation. From this pleasant feeling, Integra closed her eyes to fully relax, enjoying the massage.
And just a couple of minutes later, Integra fell asleep from the pleasant sensation of the massage. Noticing that Integra had fallen asleep, Alex carefully stood up and covered her with a blanket. Stretching lightly, Alex laid his head on the pillow and began to fall asleep. Some time later, Integra suddenly opened her eyes. She hadn't expected the massage to be so pleasant that she would even fall asleep. Sitting up, Integra noticed that Alex had even covered her with a blanket. Turning her head, she saw the sleeping Alex.
Carefully moving closer to him, she ran her palm across his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she thought that she wasn't going to change the character she had built over many years, but that didn't prevent her from showing tenderness to the one she had chosen as her husband. Before falling asleep, Integra took Alex's hand and placed it on her stomach, and only after that did she begin to fall asleep.
To be continued...
(God, how I love it when they call me from work and ask me to come to the office, saying it won't be long. And then I had to sit in the damn office for four whole hours. And all because the documents that were supposed to arrive didn't. How I simply love it when that happens. Okay, now let's get down to business. Next up we have the knighting, which I'll try to cut short. Then a few little things and we'll move on. I'm going to go eat. Peace, love, and Why Are You Running!)
Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter