MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 681: Progress

”Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words? Is this how you managed to charm my daughter into a relationship with you?” Klaus finally spoke, his voice breaking the silence that had lingered between them for so long.

Anthony, who had been quietly staring at the vast mural before them, simply smiled at those words. He could sense the subtle shift in Klaus’s emotions, an almost imperceptible softening, but he chose to say nothing of it.

After all, today might very well be the greatest trial Klaus had ever faced in his entire life.

”Some people have indeed told me such things,” Anthony replied with measured calm. ”But no, that is not how I charmed your daughter. She is far too special to fall for mere words or empty flattery. If it were otherwise, I am certain that all the others who have tried approaching her throughout her life would have succeeded by now.”

Klaus’s lips curled faintly at the edges. He knew there was truth in Anthony’s words; his daughter was far too intelligent and discerning to fall so easily for men. She had inherited both her brilliance and her perceptiveness from her parents, traits that had shielded her from the shallow charms of lesser suitors.

’But it seems your own words somehow did work,’ Klaus thought to himself, though he kept the thought locked tightly within his mind. He did not voice it aloud.

The silence returned once more, both men standing side by side, shoulder to shoulder, their gazes fixed upon the mural etched into the wall before them. It was an ancient depiction of an age-old war, a clash of civilizations long since reduced to dust.

But, despite the stillness, the silence did not seem awkward. To the both of them, it felt... peaceful. So they did not speak. They simply stood there, their breathing calm and even, the weight of their respective thoughts filling the air around them.

As the moments blurred by like distant echoes, Anthony finally spoke again, breaking the quiet that had settled between them like morning mist.

”Any relationship advice?” he asked softly.

It was a surprising question, even to himself. Normally, Anthony would never ask anyone for relationship advice, not even his own father or mother. And yet, here he was, asking Klaus.

Perhaps it was because he truly did not understand how Klaus and had managed to remain so powerfully bound together, their love unblemished despite the endless time they had shared. He could not help but wonder how they had done it.

Many have married in the name of forever, in the name of eternal love, swearing oaths beneath starlit skies and promising to stand together until time itself decayed... and yet, they had still gone their separate ways just a few years down the line.

Anthony, despite all his bravado, was not delusional.

He often called himself the protagonist of a story and even talked about the so-called ”author” of his life from time to time, but even he knew reality was not so forgiving. He was not foolish enough to think there would never be at least a single disagreement, a single fracture, between him and his beloved Vega.

Although he had received the relationship as a sign-in reward from ???, it did not mean that ??? would go out of his way to preserve or protect it.

People are often given gifts, but it is up to the recipient to decide how they will safeguard, nurture, utilize, or squander them.

The effort was his alone to make.

Whether the relationship was destroyed or cherished had nothing to do with ???.

Klaus’s eyes drifted from the mural at last, his deep black gaze landing upon Anthony for a fleeting moment before returning to the mural. His expression remained unreadable.

”Learn to apologize,” Klaus said at last, his voice calm, almost gentle. ”Even if you are right... or wrong.”

Anthony gave a slow nod. He did not need Klaus to explain further. As a man who had once lived a full life as a single individual, he had read numerous articles and discussions online about relationships and their many pitfalls.

He understood what Klaus meant.

But before he could reply, Klaus continued, his tone steady and measured.

”Do not go around seeking relationship advice from others,” he said. ”Not all relationships are the same. A solution that worked for a friend of yours does not mean it will work for you. You must learn how to navigate your own relationship as time goes on... because no one else will be able to do that for you.”

Klaus paused briefly, as though contemplating whether to continue. Then, with quiet gravity, he added,

”You can think of it like being a pirate... or like the relationship between a pirate and the sea.”

Anthony remained silent for several moments, turning Klaus’s words over in his mind. Although this was his first relationship in both his past life and this one, and though he had done well so far, he was far from perfect. He knew that.

Yes, he had read books and articles, absorbing as much theoretical knowledge as he could, but Klaus was living experience. Klaus was the embodiment of wisdom forged in fire, a man who carried unknown centuries of love and hardship within him.

’It seems that even though he has not yet approved of me being with Vega, he is still offering advice... for her sake. For her happiness,’ Anthony thought to himself with a small mental nod.

’It is... a form of progress,’ he decided.

And indeed, to him, it was progress. After all, what father offers relationship advice to the man dating their daughter, especially when they have only just found out about it?

Such advice is usually reserved for and after the wedding ceremony, when the father is resigned to the union.

Anthony smiled faintly to himself at the thought.

Though he could sense that if he gained Amara’s approval, he and Vega’s path would be almost fully secured, that did not mean he planned to ignore or sideline Klaus. He was not that kind of man. He was not reckless, nor arrogant.

Besides... with the kind of unfathomable power Klaus possessed, who could say what would happen if Anthony ever displeased him? For all he knew, Klaus might decide to kill him later on through some unimaginable means, without even lifting a finger.

Better not to test that theory.

”Wipe that smile off your face. I gave you advice, do not think it means I approve of you,” Klaus spoke at last, his tone even, his eyes never leaving the mural.

”I know,” Anthony replied quietly as his smile vanished in an instant, the air between them returning once more to that calm, heavy silence.