Helia's thoughts raced, "Will there ever come a day when he hugs me like that?," while Eve pondered internally, "I can't help but feel envious, but I just need to be patient and wait for my turn."
Helia's gaze met Eve's, and their eyes locked. Helia thought, "I know we're both thinking the same thing – we wish we could be the one he hugged. But it seems we have to wait for our turn, especially you, who has yet to become his wife. I suggest you shamelessly make your way into his life, or you'll end up waiting forever if you expect him to come to you and confess."
Helia's face turned red as she realized Eve could read her thoughts and desires, even though they had just met. Flustered, Helia pretended not to hear Eve's words, quickly lying down and hiding her face behind the blanket.
Eve's giggle rang out beside her as she, too, lay down on her bed.
Soon, they all drifted off to sleep, oblivious to the world outside.
As morning sunlight filtered through the windows beside Lia's bed, Rio slowly opened his eyes, awakening to a new day.
The golden rays painted the room in a warm hue, casting a soft glow on everything it touched. Through the windows, he could see butterflies and elves dancing gracefully around the rainbow trees, their vibrant colors adding an enchanting charm to the scene.
To Rio's surprise, he found himself alone in the room. The beds were neatly arranged, indicating that he was the last one to wake up.
Faint voices drifted in through the partially open door, confirming that there were others in the grand hall.
Upon entering the grand hall, Rio found Nyla instructing Eve on using the magic pot for cooking. He was immediately struck by how stunning Eve looked in one of Nyla's dresses, as opposed to her usual revealing clothing.
The dress accentuated her curvaceous body, hugging her rounded bosom and highlighting her alluring curves. It was a tantalizing sight for Rio, as the outfit seemed to fit her perfectly, exuding a mix of elegance and sensuality. Nyla's big heart and friendly nature in lending her clothes to Eve had resulted in a captivating transformation.
Internally blaming himself, Rio mumbled, "I forgot to buy a dress for her again..." He sighed, remembering that he had intended to purchase new clothes for Eve but had somehow forgotten amidst their recent adventures.
Layla and the others were not present in the grand hall, likely having retreated to their respective rooms to freshen up. Rio followed suit, heading to his room to wash his face and prepare for the day, leaving the two girls immersed in their cooking lesson.
Once Rio had cleaned up, he returned to the grand hall and noticed that everyone had gathered around the couches. Even Eve had joined them, although she appeared somewhat detached from the group. This was because it was her first time eating with others and she wasn't used to living in a group. She usually stayed in her wondrous forest realm alone, so this was something new for her.
After breakfast, Lia and the others left the Wondrous Forest Realm and journeyed further into the Firelands, searching for more beasts to hunt.
During their hunt, Layla quickly advanced to the silver stage within just half an hour. Rio also joined in the hunt, as there were plenty of beasts in the new area.
To everyone's surprise, Rio was able to completely max out his red stage points, becoming the second person in the group to do so. However, he was still unable to break through into the silver stage since he needed to defeat a monarch beast first. Rio's higher strength allowed him to slay the red-stage beasts faster than Nyla, who was also improving with each passing beast.
On the third day, Nyla had finally reached the silver stage.
After they finished hunting, they decided to return to the castle.
With smiles on their faces, having achieved their goal, each of them cast [Astral Recall], and their figures vanished from the Firelands one by one. However, only Rio and Lia appeared in Lia's bedroom as Nyla and Layla had their teleportation point set in Nyla's bedroom, and Helia had hers in her own room.
As Rio and his Wifey materialized in Lia's bedroom, he noticed a sudden change in Lia's expression – her face had turned dark and tense.
"Something is wrong... we need to be careful," Lia warned, her voice laced with concern.
Rio was taken aback by Lia's sudden warning, as he had never seen her act this way before. She carefully made her way down the staircase, with Rio trailing closely behind her. To their surprise, they found the ground floor empty upon arrival.
Rio noticed that Yami and the other maids were nowhere to be seen, and even the guards at the entrance of the Empress's villa were absent.
As they stepped out of the villa, their eyes were met with an unsettling sight. In the middle of the garden stood a woman with silver hair, her back facing the villa. From just the sight of her back, Rio could sense the woman's beauty.
Her silver hair cascaded down in loose waves, almost reaching her waist, shimmering in the sun's gentle rays. Her figure was slender, with curves in all the right places, making her appear both alluring and dangerous simultaneously. He noted that she was similar in height to Lia, but her posture exuded confidence and power.
The sight that truly shocked them, however, was that of Emperor Dylan, bound to a chair directly in front of the mysterious silver-haired woman.
Sensing their presence, the mysterious woman turned around, her face lighting up with a sinister smile. In a sickeningly sweet voice, she greeted them, "Welcome back, Your Highness. How was your trip?"
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[SnowNote]
Can anyone guess who that mysterious lady might be?
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Edited By: TheWhiteSnow
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