Alex, Integra, and Alessa continued to stay at the celebratory banquet that took place after the awards ceremony. Many who had distinguished themselves received medals, Alex was knighted as a Knight of the Faith, and Integra was awarded a new high title. One big plus of this banquet was the truly excellent desserts.
Alex didn't move away from the dessert table for a single moment. Next to him, a whole tower of used dessert plates gradually grew higher with every passing second. Integra, standing nearby, couldn't help but notice what her husband was doing.
Every time she turned away to politely respond to congratulations from people who approached her to congratulate her on her new status and title, the moment she turned her head back to Alex, another plate with a new dessert would already appear in his hands.
"Are you planning to eat all the desserts by yourself?" Integra asked, frowning slightly as she looked at her husband.
"Apparently… yes. And I don't see any problem with that. Desserts exist precisely so that people eat them," Alex replied, shrugging his shoulders and finishing another dessert.
The moment he finished speaking, Alex reached for the next one. Integra, watching this, made her expression as neutral as possible and once again wondered why Alex consumed such quantities of sweets. Looking away from her husband, who was eating dessert with a satisfied smile and discussing its taste with Alessa, Integra swept her gaze across the banquet hall.
All those present kept throwing glances in Alex's direction. Everyone who looked at him had the same question: how much had he already eaten and how much more was he planning to eat. Some noble ladies gathered in small groups were actively discussing Alex and Integra. No matter which way you looked at it, Alex's appearance was impossible to ignore.
The main question that interested all of them was: how had a woman like Integra managed to attract a man like Alex. For many of them, it was difficult to perceive Integra as a woman — she didn't look particularly feminine anyway. Among the noble ladies, these conversations were becoming increasingly lively. However, no one dared to approach Integra directly and talk to her about this topic.
Integra, standing slightly apart, perfectly noticed how the noble ladies were glancing at her and simply swept them with a cold, indifferent look before immediately turning away, deciding it was pointless to waste her time on them.
Alex, thanks to his sharp hearing, heard absolutely all the conversations taking place in the banquet hall and only shook his head, continuing to eat another dessert. He had long grown used to such gossip and saw no reason to say anything. Glancing at Integra, he saw that she also didn't care about these discussions, so he stopped paying attention to them.
"How much longer are we going to stay here?" Alex asked after finishing another dessert.
"You already want to leave?" Integra asked, glancing at the watch on her wrist.
"Pretty much… It's boring here. No matter what world it is — people or gods… events like this are always equally boring," Alex said, slightly rolling his neck to stretch the muscles.
"Is the difference really that small?" Integra asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Everything is exactly the same. Everyone gathers in small groups and shares the latest gossip. For example, that group of women over there…" Alex said, nodding his head in their direction.
"What about them?" Integra asked, shifting her gaze to where Alex had indicated.
"They're discussing how you managed to get me, and also that you're most likely using our marriage as a cover for your true orientation," Alex said in a carefree tone.
Hearing the last words, Integra's gaze became even colder. She calmly shifted her eyes to the group of women. Alessa peeked out from behind Alex's leg and also narrowed her eyes in their direction, believing they had insulted her mother.
Alessa immediately added these women to her personal list of people who would have to face nightmares. Alex himself didn't react to such rumors at all — he simply didn't care. He had never concerned himself with what others thought of him. Alex leaned closer to Integra's ear and whispered a few words to get her attention.
"Repeat that?" Integra asked, not having caught the last words.
"I said, let's go for a walk around London instead. It's too boring here. And the list of people Alessa wants to curse just keeps growing," Alex said, pointing at his daughter, who was staring too intently at the people around them.
Integra looked out from behind Alex's shoulder and lowered her gaze to look at Alessa. She immediately noticed how attentively the girl was watching the people who were talking too much nonsense.
Looking away from her daughter, Integra glanced at the watch on her wrist. Estimating how much time had passed since the end of the official ceremony and how long the banquet had already been going on, she realized there was no point in staying here any longer.
"Fine… But first we need to say goodbye properly," Integra said, lowering her arm with the watch.
"That's better. I urgently need coffee," Alex said with a satisfied smile.
"Hold on for five minutes. We'll go to the Queen's representative, say a couple of thank-you phrases, and then we can leave. The rest doesn't concern us," Integra said calmly, looking Alex in the eyes.
When Integra's words sounded, a satisfied smile appeared on Alex's face, which he didn't even try to hide. Attending such boring events where he had no one to talk to normally always gave him an irresistible desire to ruin everything or do something crazy.
Taking Alessa by the hand, Alex followed Integra to pay his respects and say goodbye to the Queen's representative, who was in charge of the banquet in her absence. Approaching the representative together with Integra, she said a few polite phrases and said goodbye.
Alex thought he should also say a couple of words before leaving.
"You had very tasty desserts here. Please convey my respects to the Queen for such an exquisite reception," Alex said with a polite smile.
"It's nice to hear that, Sir Voldigoad. Her Majesty will be pleased to hear your words," the representative replied with a professional smile.
Integra gave Alex a blank look — even in this context, he mentioned sweets again. Alex himself saw no problem with this and considered it right to note what he had genuinely liked.
The next people Integra and Alex said goodbye to were the members of the Round Table. After a short exchange of phrases, Alex, Integra, and Alessa calmly left the banquet hall to go for a walk.
At that moment, Alex was slightly surprised that Integra had agreed to the walk, considering her usually strict and controlling nature. Once outside, Integra lit a thin cigar and lightly pinched the bridge of her nose to relax a little.
Even for her, who had grown up in such an environment, attending such events was very unpleasant. Stopping pinching her nose, Integra opened her eyes and saw a black Impala in front of her, with Alex and Alessa already sitting inside.
"Miss, would you like to go for a ride with the wind?" Alex asked, leaning out of the Impala's window.
"And do such pick-up lines work on modern girls?" Integra asked, giving her husband a blank look.
"How should I know? You should ask Dean about that," Alex said, lazily shrugging his shoulders.
"I think I'll pass. The last thing I want is to talk to a man like that," Integra said, shaking her head slightly.
"Well, suit yourself… Alright, hop in, stop standing there. Time to have a family drive around evening London," Alex said, looking at Integra with a wide smile.
Integra brought the thin cigar to her lips, took a light drag while examining Alex's car, and after exhaling the smoke, walked around the black Impala. Before getting in, she put out the cigar. When Integra got into the car, Alex started the Impala's engine.
A few moments later, the car left the grounds of Windsor Castle. Alex drove with one hand on the wheel and the other hanging out the window, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. Integra sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at the road ahead.
Alessa, sitting in the back, was texting with her sisters, who had immediately written to her when they left the banquet. Alessa was sharing her thoughts about the ceremony, but it all came down to a few words — she had been very bored.
"I want to eat something unhealthy… Alessa, what do you think, should we stop for some junk food?" Alex asked, tapping his finger on the steering wheel.
"If you dare buy something like that and eat it in front of me, I will personally throw both you and that food into the Thames," Integra said, not even letting Alessa answer.
"First of all, burgers are served even in Michelin-starred restaurants. I know this personally. Secondly, even Erina and Alice, who come from the Nakiri family — a family that has been cooking for high-ranking people for generations — also make burgers. And very tasty ones at that," Alex said, giving Integra a blank look.
"Do you even hear yourself, husband? You compared a Michelin restaurant, a family that has been cooking for generations, and fast food. Did nothing strike you as wrong in those words?" Integra asked, looking at Alex with a cold gaze and poking him with her finger.
"Alright, I admit it. I got a bit carried away. Then how about we just get some coffee and take a walk along the embankment like a normal family?" Alex said, turning his head toward Integra and watching her reaction.
Integra looked away and stared at the evening road ahead, illuminated by the headlights. She thought about Alex's suggestion — simply taking a walk and drinking coffee.
Integra remembered how long it had been since she had done something like this. A very old memory surfaced in her mind of when she had simply walked along the Thames embankment with her parents. Turning her head back, Integra looked at Alessa, wanting to know her opinion. Alessa raised her gaze to Integra and nodded slightly, showing she had nothing against a quiet walk.
"A walk along the embankment?" Integra asked for clarification, leaning back in her seat.
"Yeah. The most ordinary walk. The most ordinary date: holding hands, drinking coffee, and all that," Alex said, nodding slightly and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
"You know… Compared to your suggestion to try fast food, a simple walk is probably the only normal idea you've proposed," Integra said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"As I understand it, in your case that means 'yes'," Alex said, chuckling lightly and turning the wheel.
"Coffee and a quiet walk… Yes, that sounds acceptable. Even good," Integra said, nodding and confirming Alex's words.
Seeing Integra relax and lean back in her seat, Alex smiled and turned the wheel again to head toward the embankment. Thanks to his walks with Seras, he knew places where there weren't many people and one could enjoy a quiet stroll.
Humming a melody, Alex lightly tapped his fingers in rhythm, while Integra closed her eyes to shake off the remnants of fatigue. But the more Alex sang, the more Integra paid attention to him. Continuing to listen to the song, she opened her eyes just as Alex began singing even louder.
"Show me the Champion of Light. I'll show you the Herald of Darkness. Lost in a never ending night. Diving deep to the surface," Alex sang, nodding his head to the beat of the song.
Integra looked at Alex with a blank expression while he paid no attention to her gaze and fully enjoyed the drive and the song playing on the radio. Realizing that Alex wasn't going to stop, Integra simply sighed and let him do whatever he wanted.
She had nothing against him singing. She even thought he had a pleasant voice that was nice to listen to. The only downside for her was that it wasn't the genre of music she preferred. Closing her eyes, Integra began listening to the lyrics of the song, and they seemed quite strange to her.
"Why is this song so strange?… It sounds like the story of some person," Integra asked, opening her eyes and looking at Alex.
"Because it is. This song is about the writer Alan Wake, whom I saved in Bright Falls. He got trapped in a trap he had set for himself. In his quest for freedom, he became the hero, the villain, and the writer of his own story," Alex said, gently rocking his head from side to side.
"It was in your file. I remember… But in this song, some magical Clicker is mentioned. What is that?" Integra asked, nodding and recalling Alex's file that she had read to understand him better.
"I would call it a magical artifact that absorbed Alan's light of hope. You could say it's the main weapon against darkness… Here it is. Just don't press it," Alex said, reaching into his inventory and pulling out the Clicker.
"Interesting. How can this broken clicker possess any power?" Integra asked, examining it from all sides.
"Because Alan himself wrote it that way," Alex said in a thoughtful tone, looking at Integra.
Integra stopped examining the clicker and turned her head toward Alex, giving him a look that said she wanted to hear the whole story, not just fragments. Noticing her gaze, Alex sighed and began telling her what had happened to Alan Wake and what consequences it had brought.
Integra listened attentively, only occasionally asking questions to clarify details or things that seemed strange to her. Alessa, who had been busy chatting with her sisters the whole time, finally paid attention to her parents.
Because she had been too engrossed in the conversation with them, she had missed most of the dialogue, and all she knew was that they were going for a walk along the embankment. Hearing Alex talk about some writer, Alessa listened for a bit and quickly lost interest, since she already knew this story.
By the time Alex had told most of what Alan Wake had gone through, the black Impala had reached the embankment. Finding a place to park, Alex turned the wheel and pulled into the parking lot.
After parking, he turned off the engine and looked at his clothes, then shifted his gaze to Integra and Alessa. Alex realized they were still wearing formal attire with orders, and such outfits definitely weren't suitable for a simple family walk.
"We need to change. Otherwise we'll stand out too much," Alex said, looking at Integra and Alessa.
"Excuse me, but I don't carry spare clothes with me," Integra said, giving her husband a blank look.
"There's no need to worry about that. That's what magic is for," Alex said, giving a thumbs-up with a smile.
Integra gave Alex a blank look and sighed, nodding slightly. Alex smiled and snapped his fingers. In that instant, the clothes on him, Integra, and Alessa changed. Alex was now wearing his usual outfit consisting of a black T-shirt, black jeans, and a light black coat.
Integra's formal attire changed to a black fitted jacket, a thin turtleneck, and slim trousers with low-heeled shoes. Alessa's dress changed to her usual dress that Wednesday had worn as a child. When her clothes changed, Integra looked down to see what Alex had dressed her in. Seeing her new outfit, she nodded slightly, showing that Alex had chosen the right option.
"Good choice," Integra said calmly after finishing checking her new attire.
"What did you expect? That I would dress you in a dress or a skirt?" Alex asked, getting out of the Impala.
"If you did that, you'd end up at the bottom of the Thames," Integra said, getting out of the car after him.
"You're so strict. Where's all the love? Or at least the phrase 'if you really want it, I'll wear it for you'," Alex said in an exaggerated tone, lifting Alessa into his arms.
"The fact that I'm your wife doesn't mean I have to be any less strict with you. And it definitely doesn't mean I have to wear something I'm uncomfortable in just to indulge your desires," Integra said calmly, taking Alex's arm.
"But you didn't say a single word that you don't love me. That means love wins," Alex said with a wide smile.
Before Integra could respond to Alex's words, he immediately kissed her on the cheek. Exhaling through her nose, Integra placed her palm on Alex's face and pushed him away. She wasn't going to deny that she loved him. But she definitely wasn't going to say it out loud and saw no reason to do so if she had already shown him her feelings.
Integra preferred to express them through actions rather than words. Still holding Alex's arm, she made it clear that she was waiting for them to start the walk and continue the conversation they hadn't finished. Hearing her, Alex continued the story from where he had left off — namely, how he had arrived in Bright Falls with Emmett.
Even during the walk, the topics of conversation between Alex and Integra mostly concerned work. But this didn't stop them from enjoying the stroll, especially Alessa, who sat calmly on Alex's shoulders with a serene expression, her hands on his head while texting with her sisters.
During the walk along the embankment, a light cool summer breeze was blowing, and lanterns along the path illuminated the way. Despite the time, families, groups of friends, or people hurrying to catch the bus were also strolling along the embankment. Alex continued walking beside Integra, holding her hand and telling her about what he had already managed to do.
Integra herself was enjoying this calm walk, especially the fact that she didn't have to think about work and many other things related to Hellsing. At that moment, she felt like an ordinary woman who had gone out for a walk with her husband and daughter, rather than an aristocrat and head of a secret organization who had received the highest order from the Queen of England just a few hours earlier.
"Are you going to get coffee?" Integra asked, lightly tugging Alex's arm to get his attention.
"I wouldn't say no to coffee right now. I got so caught up in talking that I even forgot about it," Alex said, chuckling lightly.
"Just get normal coffee. Not from a machine and not that paper garbage they sell here," Integra said, looking around to find a place where they could buy coffee.
"There's a café nearby where Seras and I usually drink coffee. We can go there. Do you want to get coffee and continue the walk, or should we drink it inside the café?" Alex asked, turning to head toward the café.
"We'll drink it inside. We're not in a hurry," Integra said without turning her head, continuing to walk beside Alex and hold his hand.
Alex nodded with a smile and led Integra to the café he visited with Seras. When they approached, Integra first evaluated the interior and the number of people inside. Seeing the calm, cozy interior and quiet atmosphere with soft music playing, Integra nodded slightly, showing that such a place suited her. Before entering, Alex lowered Alessa from his shoulders.
Once inside, he led Integra and Alessa to a quiet corner of the café where they could sit peacefully and continue their conversation. Taking a table, Alex went to order coffee for himself and Integra, as well as bitter cocoa for Alessa. While waiting for the coffee to be prepared, Alex looked at the display case with desserts. After thinking a bit, he ordered a few more desserts for himself, Integra, and Alessa.
While waiting for the order, Alex looked around — after all, this wasn't his first time here. He liked such quiet places where no one made noise. He and Seras had accidentally stumbled upon this café, where people came to relax and read books in silence. Taking the order, Alex returned to their table.
"Interesting place. Quiet and cozy, and no one makes noise," Integra said when Alex approached with the order.
"People come here to read, not to make noise. That's the whole charm of this place," Alex said, placing the coffee and dessert in front of Integra.
"I didn't ask for dessert… I don't like sweets, if you haven't noticed yet," Integra said, raising her gaze to Alex.
"This is a dark chocolate dessert, it's not sweet. If you don't like it — I'll finish it… Alessa, sweetie. Your cocoa and dark chocolate cake," Alex said calmly, placing the cocoa and dessert in front of his daughter.
"Thank you, Papa," Alessa said, nodding and continuing to look at her phone screen.
Integra lowered her gaze to the dessert in front of her. Sighing, she realized she had already made concessions to Alex by agreeing to the walk and entering this café that matched her taste.
One more small concession wouldn't make the situation worse. Raising her gaze, she saw that Alex was already drinking his coffee with a satisfied expression and eating his dessert while humming a silly melody again.
"Wasn't the amount of desserts you ate at the banquet enough?" Integra asked, giving Alex a blank look.
"There's no such thing as too many sweets. In any case, I only eat to taste the flavor. My stomach is literally a black hole that breaks down everything that gets into it. I don't even get nutrients from food," Alex said, shrugging lightly and putting another piece of cake in his mouth.
"Well, now it's clear how you manage to eat so many desserts," Integra said, taking a sip of coffee.
Alex grinned and gave a thumbs-up. Seeing this gesture once again, Integra exhaled through her nose and lowered her gaze to the dessert. Lightly twirling the dessert fork between her fingers, Integra broke off a small piece of the dark chocolate cake and brought it to her mouth.
Not feeling any sweetness in her mouth, only chocolate bitterness, Integra nodded slightly, evaluating the taste. But even so, her opinion about desserts didn't change. After eating a few more pieces out of politeness, Integra pushed the dessert away from herself.
"You didn't like it?" Alex asked, tilting his head to the side.
"The taste is decent, and as you said, it's not sweet… But I don't eat desserts. You can finish it," Integra said, honestly expressing her opinion.
"Well, at least you didn't throw the cake at the person who made it," Alex said, chuckling lightly and pulling Integra's dessert toward himself.
"In your eyes, am I exactly that kind of woman?" Integra asked, setting her coffee cup down on the table.
"In my eyes, you're cute. Strict, but cute," Alex said with a smile.
"Only you have the courage to call me cute," Integra said, shaking her head.
"My dear wife… I have twice found myself at the center of an explosion that destroyed an entire galaxy… True, one time I did it myself, but that's beside the point. I had the courage to blow up an entire galaxy. So courage is not something I lack," Alex said in a cheerful tone, looking at Integra with a playful gaze.
"Are you boasting about what you did right now? Or did it just come up?" Integra asked, resting her cheek on her hand.
"Yeah, I was boasting… Although blowing up an entire galaxy does look cool… And all that remains afterward is simply nothing. Just darkness and emptiness all around. Not a single speck of cosmic dust, not a star's light, absolutely nothing," Alex said in a thoughtful tone, raising his gaze to the ceiling.
Integra looked at Alex as he spoke about things that were too distant for her. Integra understood that Alex was powerful, but she couldn't fully comprehend the extent of his power. After all, she looked at him from a human perspective. But listening to Alex's words, she realized that destroying an entire galaxy had caused him no problems at all.
And by human standards, that was simply a colossal scale. Sighing, Integra decided not to fill her head with thoughts about Alex's power and simply continued drinking her coffee. Noticing Integra's behavior, Alex tilted his head slightly to the side.
"Do you want to take a walk on the Moon?" Alex asked with a light smile.
"No, thank you. I'm fine on Earth. I'm not in the mood to go into space right now. And I don't even want to think about how I would breathe there and how that works. Or is that what a family walk looks like in your understanding?" Integra said, giving Alex a blank look.
"Pretty much. My little princesses even went with their grandpa to a universe that has an entire world dedicated to an amusement park. For ordinary people, a vacation is a trip to another country or city. For us, a family vacation is a trip to another universe. It's the same thing, just the scale changes," Alex said, raising both hands to show the scale.
"If you look at it that way, then yes. Only the scale is still very large. Don't you think?" Integra said, accepting Alex's point of view.
"Tell that to the dwarves of Erebor, whom we befriended during our vacation," Alex said, folding his arms over his chest.
"Should I know who they are?" Integra asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If you're interested, I can show you and tell you what Erebor looks like. It's a very beautiful kingdom," Alex said with a smile, looking at Integra.
Integra thought for a moment and nodded slightly, showing she was ready to listen. Alex smiled and took his phone out of his pocket, beckoning Integra closer. Seeing Alex's enthusiasm, Integra moved closer and leaned lightly on his shoulder. Even Alessa got distracted from chatting with her sisters and climbed onto Alex's lap.
Alex began by telling her about Erebor itself, while showing photos of the mountain. Seeing the tall, vast mountain reaching into the clouds, Integra was strongly impressed. But when she saw the photos of the dwarves standing next to Alex, Integra became intrigued by their appearance.
Alex showed photos of the halls of Erebor, including the mountains of dwarven treasure. While Alex continued talking about Erebor, Integra realized the scale of vacations in Alex's family. But hearing how he had defeated a dragon with a golden brick made Integra look at Alex with a blank gaze. Alex cleared his throat lightly and continued the story.
"And we still haven't seen all the halls. Erebor is much larger on the inside. And I haven't even been to Moria yet," Alex said, continuing to show photos.
"Indeed… The scale is impressive. The architecture of the buildings is amazing," Integra said, nodding.
"There are many amazing places in that world. But we didn't have time to visit all of them," Alex said, shaking his head.
"Are there any that Mama Wednesday and Mama Alucard would like?" Alessa asked, looking up at Alex.
"It's hard to say. Wednesday likes gloomy places, not dirty ones. The same goes for your Mama Carmilla. They would like the places from the world your Mama Zhang Ya comes from more," Alex said, shaking his head.
Alessa nodded, accepting the answer. While Alex was answering Alessa's question, Integra looked at the watch on her wrist to check the time. Seeing what time it was, Integra tugged on Alex's sleeve to get his attention.
Alex turned his head, and Integra tapped her nail on the watch, showing that it was time to go home. Alex nodded and stood up from the table, leaving a tip. Leaving the café, Alex and Integra lit cigarettes and looked up at the evening sky.
"Did you like it? Or are you going to say that we could have had exactly the same walk at the manor?" Alex asked, looking at Integra.
"No, everything was fine. It was a rather pleasant walk… I'll even say I'm grateful to you, husband. It's been a long time since I truly rested… I needed this," Integra said, exhaling cigar smoke.
"And most importantly — this won't be the last time we go out for a walk like this. We'll have many more opportunities to repeat it," Alex said with a wide smile, lightly bumping Integra's shoulder with his own.
"Yes… You're right. This won't be the last time. And here's my gratitude," Integra said, kissing Alex on the cheek.
"Whoa. Today really is a day of miracles. What's next? Are you going to hug me yourself? Whisper words of love in my ear?" Alex said in a surprised tone, looking at Integra.
"Don't count on it. At most, you can expect something at night. But you won't hear a single word of love from me. I prefer to show, not say," Integra said, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Alex gave Integra a dry look, covering Alessa's ears with his hands. Even if Integra didn't say what would happen when they returned home, Alex still didn't want Alessa to hear it. In response to Alex's look, Integra blew smoke into his face and walked forward, sending him an air kiss in her own style.
Shaking his head with a smile, Alex placed Alessa on his shoulders and followed Integra. As soon as Alex caught up with Integra, she took his hand without any issues. Returning to the car in silence, Alex considered it a pleasant date with Integra. And what pleased him was that Integra had also enjoyed this family date.
To be continued...
(Next up, we have a date with Alucard, and then we'll move on to other events and a return to America. And now, onto other things. As I understand it, it's best to show the Black Bullet plot after the end of this world's plot. So, from now on, it'll just be The Cabin in the Woods and Outlast. Or a few other little things, if I think of them. But something will happen, or we'll already be moving toward the end of this world. I don't know yet. I'll think of something while I'm eating. Peace, love, and what-where-when.)
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