Chapter 405 - 405 Catching up and an Annoyance

Avery could tell from the tone of Ciphilolia's voice and her body language that something was going on.There was a hint of exhaustion in her eyes as well, that led Avery to believe whatever information that Regina wanted to give them was not going to be good.

'Well, it's not like we can run away at this point.' Avery thought, glancing back at the hangar where the Dauntless was being stored.

He just had to hope that whatever the issue was, it was not related to him and Jasmine directly. Perhaps Azade was just dealing with some sort of shortage in a staple good or something else along those lines.

Of course, Avery knew that his wishful thinking was just that.

As soon as they were brought to Regina's office, she looked up from her desk, she looked up at them and focused her gaze on Jasmine.

The long sigh and look of frustration on her face was all that they needed to know that their wedding was not going to be smooth.

"Please, go ahead and take a seat you three. I'll be done with what I'm working on soon."

After saying this, Regina turned to Ciphilolia and gave her some instructions.

"I need you to go to my personal meeting room and get things prepared. Make sure that the holoprojector is set up and have it ready with the necessary information."

"I'll get to that right away, chancellor. And I'll make sure to have some invigorating refreshments prepared." Ciphilolia said with a bow before exiting.

Once she was gone, it appeared that Avery, Kasandra, and Jasmine were left alone with Regina in her office.

However, none of them said a word, as Jasmine's mother was clearly engrossed in her work as Chancellor of Azade right now.

'We're also not really alone right now.'

Avery had noticed Kasandra's ears twitch a couple of times and while she avoided turning her head, her eyes glanced over at certain parts of the room.

This was a clear indicator that she had picked something up with her keen hearing, and when Avery focused, he could see the faint outline of seven individuals wearing active camouflage.

'I've gotten a little better at using my ability to perceive the flow of energy thanks to my mother's advice, but it's still difficult.' Avery thought as he lost control just a few seconds in.

The outline of the hidden guards disappeared from his sight, and for a moment, he felt a mild soreness in his head.

Whenever his power had activated unconsciously, it had been a lot stronger and easier to use.

Yet when he actively tried to use it, the strain felt intense and his sight was more muted. The flow of energy did not come out as clearly. It was almost as if there was some sort of haze over his eyes.

Serena had told Avery that this was normal, and that with time and patience, he would get more accustomed to the extrasensory perception that he possessed. Consciously, he was only able to tap into a part of his ability now, but eventually he should be able to wield it more fully.

A little over twenty minutes passed until Regina put down the tablet she had been using in conjunction with her computer.

She exhaled deeply now that her task was done and closed her eyes for just a couple of seconds.

After she seemed to collect herself, she looked up and smiled towards her daughter.

"I'm sorry that took so long and I wasn't able to greet any of you properly. But there was something that absolutely required my attention."

"That's fine, mom. I know that you're a busy person." Jasmine said, not looking bothered in the least.

She had grown up with her mother always being pulled in several directions. Especially after her father had passed away. Right now, Jasmine honestly thought their relationship now was better than it had been before. At least now, her mother was understanding of the fact that Jasmine had her own desires and was not pushing her down the same path that she walked anymore.

"Yes, that's certainly true. But I'd meant to have the entire day free so that I could spend it with you. Unfortunately, in my position, there's always something popping up that I have to deal with."

When Regina had finished a quick chat with her daughter, and greeted Avery and Kasandra, she got up and led them to a more comfortable room.

Instead of a desk and some chairs surrounding it in a crescent moon shape, the room that they were brought to was clearly more for lounging around.

There were ornate and plush couches set up in a formation facing the center of the room, and on side tables next to the furniture, snacks and beverages had already been set up. Courtesy of Ciphilolia who was already waiting in the room.

"Before we move on to business, let's relax for a little bit. I also want to hear about what my daughter has been up to since you all left last time. I've obviously heard bits and pieces, but I'm sure that there are plenty of details that I don't know about." Regina said, turning towards her daughter expectantly.

Jasmine racked her brain for a few seconds as she tried to sort what she wanted to tell her mom, and what she would rather not.

Being a mercenary certainly was not all fun and games, and there were times when Jasmine's life had been on the line.

"Oh, so you were hunting some space monsters in the Etania System. That sounds exciting. It's also what led up to your confrontation with another mercenary group, correct?"

Despite Jasmine's efforts to gloss over the darker and more dangerous side of her work, Regina made it clear that she already knew about what they had been up to. Jasmine was not going to be able to selectively dodge certain parts.

Realizing this, Jasmine told her mother everything, not glossing over how dangerous some of their missions had been.

"I see, I've only received basic reports about some of those incidents. Your life really has become… 'exciting'." Regina said.

She then fixed Avery with a stare and a clearly upset expression.

"You know, it took a lot of restraint on my part to let my daughter go with you. Please try to keep her a bit safer going forward. I know that violence and danger comes with the job but do try to be by her side and protect her whenever you can. She's my only daughter, and I really couldn't bear to lose her."

Avery nodded his head and gave Regina his assurance that he would protect Jasmine to the best of his ability.

He loved her, and they were soon going to be married. There was no way that he would ever let permanent harm come to her if he could help it.

"I'd also like to thank you for sending Azade's Keepers of the Peace to protect my parents. It's thanks to you that they are still alive and not in the clutches of a criminal group that was targeting me." Avery said, lowering his head as he expressed his gratitude.

"Well, it was a bit of a pain to push that through but think nothing of it. I needed to make sure that my daughter's future in-laws were safe. It would have looked poorly on me as well if something had happened to my daughter's fiancé's parents. Especially considering all of the controversy around your wedding already."

Regina's eyes went wide for an instant as she realized that she had just let something she wanted to remain hidden for a bit longer slip.

Her intentions had been to relax and catch up with her daughter for a bit longer, but it was obvious from the looks on Avery's and Jasmine's faces that they wanted to know what was going on with their wedding behind the scenes.

"I knew that there would be some pushback from certain members of Azade's senate, and other major players, but its been worse than I anticipated." Regina said, her lips twisting into a scowl.

"Had his mother still been in charge of the family, things would have been more manageable. Jasmine, I'm sure that you remember Bastion Cuach. He won the recent senatorial race in the district that his family has typically held. His mother was in the position until she recently retired and endorsed her son. And now he's the ringleader trying to get in the way of yours and Avery's wedding. For being just a kid, he's given me quite the headache."

At the mention of the name Bastion Cuach, Jasmine's expression morphed into one of utter disgust.

Years ago, before Jasmine had run away, he had been one of the prospective suitors that her mother had introduced her to. Yet out of all of them, Bastion was the only one that she truly loathed.