Chapter 218 Augeus Portinari
Beatrice folded her arms and looked at the small plane in the center with a complicated look. "Well, that's it. My home and where I was born and raised, the Ancestral Plane of the Portinari Clan."
Dante stood beside her and held her shoulders gently, giving her some comfort. That look in her eye was enough to tell that she had her best and worst memories here, making her feel bittersweet about it.
The shuttle easily entered the plane shield for the entire floating mass, and Dante was introduced to its inner workings more intimately than before. He saw that it was only made up of one large manor in the center, along with a relatively extravagantly decorated grounds that ended where the plane did.
Looking at it like this, Dante was amazed. This should be the fourth time since he first transmigrated to the Eternal Universe almost 8 months ago that he felt this feeling of wonderment and extreme fantasy once again.
The first time was looking at space through the porthole of the dreadnought when he was negotiating with Beatrice, the second time was when he first saw the Eternal Academy from space, a floating mass of activity and wonder while the third time was when he stood in front of the behemoth that was the home universe's Zero Gate that couldn't be seen with the naked eye whether you looked up, down, left, or right.
While this experience was similar to the second one, the Eternal Academy was huge and busy, with many spaceships. The feeling of fantasy it gave was one of grandeur, development, and progression, a true advanced technology vibe.
While this one was small, homely, and detached from the universe. It was like a caricature, or a piece of elite concept art which gave the feeling of being alone in the void, cut off from the rigors of society while enjoying one's luxury.
The shuttle parked in front of the door, and Dante walked out with Beatrice. The door was opened by an elderly woman who had azure-colored hair and bright indigo eyes, as well as a rather tall frame despite her age.
When Beatrice saw her, her eyes lit up with affection. "Aunty Zest!"
The housekeeper called Aunty Zest chuckled fondly and hugged Beatrice tightly, gently stroking her hair. "My darling Bea, you're back. I've missed you so much."
"I'm sorry for being away so long, I…" Beatrice began to explain, but the older woman smiled knowingly and placed a finger on her lips.
"No need to explain to me, my dear. I understand." She affirmed, nodding to Beatrice who looked relieved and touched.
"And who is this handsome young man? Is he your soulmate that you've told me about?" Aunt Zest turned to the silent Dante who watched everything with a smile.
Dante stepped forward and greeted her respectfully. "Hello, auntie, I'm Dante Alighieri. I am Beatrice's soulmate and hope to become her husband officially."
Aunt Zest shook Dante's outstretched hand firmly and glanced at him kindly. "Hello, dear Dante, and from what I've heard about you from Beatrice, that should not be a problem."
"Especially if you are able to achieve what you claim, this family's indebtedness to you will be limitless." The Elderly Housekeeper added with a pointed look.
At this, Dante's smile faded as he nodded seriously. He had faith in Quantum Entanglement and the being behind it. Its power was likely beyond his capability, so it should easily be able to manifest the reality-bending power to allow the Nirvana Fire of a Phoenix to work in reality on Beatrice's mother.
If not, he would have to wait and acquire Quantum Healing before taking Beatrice's mother into the Magus World and reviving her there then bring her out and heal the inevitable quantum poisoning.
Dante could not make any promises and did not dare to, so with the mood a bit heavy, he and Beatrice were led into the opulent and surprisingly traditional manor that lacked technology and was mostly styled in the ancient European way.
Aunt Zest and Beatrice walked through the place very familiarly while chatting about recent events while Dante quietly followed along, listening in but not interjecting. Eventually, the group was brought to the main dining hall where there was a lavish table set with food.
It was not very long, only about the length of a king-size bed with enough seats for about 8 people at most. At the head of the table and already seated was a handsome man with lush black hair that reached his chin, sharp and neatly trimmed mustache as well as a goatee.
His features were pristine and slightly aged, with a little bit of crow's feet at the corner of his eyes, but his body was extremely well-built. Even seated like this, Dante could tell he was easily over six feet in height and more muscular than himself.
He wore a purple-colored gentleman's suit along with white gloves that held a glass of wine within, swirling it slowly. His bright amber eyes lifted and passed through Aunt Zest, going through Beatrice - where they softened greatly - then came to lie on Dante.
Immediately, Dante identified this man as Augeus Portinari, Beatrice's father and his father-in-law. His first impression of the man before he spoke was positive, and he easily related him to Dracula from that Castlevania Netflix show in terms of looks.
Heck, the two were almost 1 to 1, minus the long canines and the pale skin.
His second impression was that this man immediately saw through him. Aunty Zest might not have seen it, and Beatrice already knew since he told her, but this man who had been the head of one of the most powerful clans in the entire universe immediately sussed out that Dante was a young man of limitless ambition and had begun the path of conqueror.
Just by sharing eye contact, Dante knew that he knew, and he was also letting Dante know that he knew. A small smile played on Augeus Portinari's lips, one of both amusement and appreciation, while Dante's expression darkened slightly and became serious.
He couldn't help but glance at Beatrice askance and complain in his heart. Never believe a girl's description of her father when he loved him dearly; she would describe that man as a soft puppy when he was actually a behemoth monster.
The moment she walked in, Beatrice's eyes filled with tears as she rushed over to the head of the table.
"Papa!" She cried as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his rather thin cheeks.
"Oh, my sweet Darling Bea, Papa has missed you!" Immediately, the noble-looking man's stern face changed into one of indulgence and love as he hugged Beatrice back and spoke in a disgustingly honeyed voice.
Dante's expression changed to one of skepticism and disbelief while Aunty Zest giggled knowingly, as if used to this scene. Dante was hit by two heavy blows, firstly seeing this mature and domineering looking man act so silly and then seeing his sadistic and evil Beatrice acting so babyish.
To be honest, the latter shocked him more than the former because he had seen what Beatrice could do and knew her well.
The two spent some time hugging and crying about how much they missed each other before Beatrice reluctantly sat in a seat beside?her dad. She then seemed to remember Dante and became embarrassed immediately.
She glanced at him and saw his dumbfounded expression, knowing that he had seen her darkest side and would probably tease her greatly in the future. Beatrice's forehead became black as she pictured dark days ahead, taking L's at Dante's hands.
Meanwhile, Augeus did not feel ashamed and simply glanced at Dante neutrally, even having a hint of superiority in his eyes. Yes, I coddle my daughter and act like a baby to her, what are you going to do about it, boy?
"Err, papa, this is Dante. I've told you about him." Beatrice finally introduced with a difficult tone.
"Haha, yes, I've heard much about him. Young Dante, my name is Augeus Portinari, and I am Beatrice's father, as you might have noticed, and also your soon-to-be father-in-law." Augeus laughed casually and reached out to shake Dante's hand, to which the young man did so with respect.
"Yes, sir, it's an honor to meet you. I am also very excited to have your recognition as Beatrice's partner and future husband and will make sure not to disappoint you." Dante responded seriously.
Augeus raised an eyebrow with amusement. "Disappoint? I think you mean the opposite."
Dante was slightly confused while Aunty Zest smiled playfully. Meanwhile, Beatrice seemed even more embarrassed as she opened her mouth to explain but could not find the words.
Seeing Dante's confusion and Beatrice's embarrassment, Augeus immediately understood. He took a sip of his wine and smiled while waving his hand to the exquisite dishes.
"Let's dine while we talk, lest the food go cold."
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