The intensity of their smiles made even Melody, who had Liu Shu on her lap, feel her scalp tingle. There was nothing more terrifying than a calm, serene, yet angered smile.
Liu Shu, still unaware of the danger approaching, blinked in confusion. "U-Um, is there something wrong? I… I just wanted to look pretty for all of you…"
And, with just a simple sentence, the atmosphere that seemed to have gunpowder for air suddenly became as bright as spring. Before Melody could even interject, Liu Shu was snatched away from her lap, making her blink repeatedly.
Liu Shu, now in Verdantia's lap, felt a tight hug as kisses rained on her face. "Isn't that right? My Liu'er naturally went to that place to be prettier, right?"
"R-Right?"
Liu Shu was still confused, but seeing the smiles on her lovers return to normal, she didn't delve deeper. Our World Tree naturally understood that her lovers were a bit peculiar in their way of loving, but since she was not much different, she didn't bother with it.
Cinderielle asked, curious. "Where did you go for your makeup?"
Liu Shu pondered and recalled. "It was Poppy Flower 35 Street, if I recall correctly."
The relaxed atmosphere tensed up again. Still, Verdantia and the other three knew that their lover would not go to a red-light district for such things. So, after feeling their innate jealousy surge, they managed to suppress it and asked, confused. "Why did you go to that street?"
Liu Shu answered, picking a pastry from the table and throwing it into her mouth. "It looked quite animated! In truth, I left my
Harmonixia pouted. "You could also go on an adventure with us, right?"
Liu Shu harrumphed. "The faces of you four are clearly known throughout my entire Empire. Even if no one knows who I am, would they treat me normally?"
Poor Liu Shu didn't know that she got the "VIP" version of a normal person's experience. Still, she harrumphed and said. "So, I didn't want anyone to accompany me. My Avatar can finally leave and interact with my people. If even this Avatar makes people around me kneel and start worshiping, won't it be too boring? It's good if just a few of you know that I am me."
Flor frowned, a bit worried. "At least let us send a few bodyguards; what if something happens to you?"
Liu Shu looked at her, her pure, violet eyes filled with confusion. "What can happen to me? My Empire, while not completely clean of treacherous acts, is extremely safe. I have no enmity and know no one, so there shouldn't be people finding trouble with me, right?"
Verena sighed, looking at Liu Shu full of worry. "What to do? Little Liu Shu is so pure and cute that I just want to keep her in a blank state forever."
Melody nodded, sharing the same feeling. "We should. Look at her big, adorable, innocent eyes. Her words are not wrong, but her cluelessness about herself is just the epitome of cuteness. If your daughter was not hugging her, I would've already snatched her over and rained kisses on her."
Hearing her two mothers-in-law, Liu Shu only had this to say: (??_??)
Ignatia chuckled softly and beckoned Liu Shu over. Of course, when Mommy calls, Liu Shu obeys!
She jumped from Verdantia's lap, and with a few 'dadada' tappy taps, she arrived in front of her. Ignatia picked up Liu Shu, placing the petite girl onto her lap and kissing her cheek. "Just do as you please. Don't worry, we won't reveal anything about you. You can use my tunnels to travel and exit without exposing yourself. Just ask your sisters to carry you around when you are done, alright?"
Liu Shu smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Mommy!"
Ignatia spoke, so no one had anything else to say.
At this time, Fortuna joined the conversation. "Don't worry about Poppy Street. Liu Shu was taken care of by someone entrusted by one of her Lignified children. She just went to a makeup salon, spent time there, and left without contacting anyone else but that girl."
Everyone's hearts settled when they heard Fortuna's words. Flor commented with a smile. "We should invite that girl. Did you like how she put makeup on you, Liu Shu? Or was it uncomfortable?"
"Super nice and comfy!" Liu Shu snatched another pastry, throwing it into her mouth and munching with puffed cheeks. "Violet let me bathe, gave me these clothes, and then helped me with many bottles of makeup! It was quite nice and ticklish!"
Verdantia hummed. "Violet, eh?"
Verena stomped her daughter's foot, smiling at her. "Liu Shu likes her, so she will naturally be taken in by us. Let her be Liu Shu's personal makeup artist."
Fortuna laughed, finding that this entire family was quite in sync. So, she smiled. "The Lignified House already suggested it to her. She should arrive in a few minutes."
"Oh?"
This surprised everyone. For the woman to actually be approved by a Lignified House, this showed that she had absolutely no problems in both character and personality.
Flor was somewhat confused. "Why is such a good girl in that profession?"
Even if Fortuna said "makeup salon," they all understood that the true profession of the girl who attended Liu Shu was most likely a courtesan.
Fortuna answered softly. "She was working there of her own will, finding it quite thrilling and novel. In truth, the girl's talents are not high, and she decided to just live languidly. Aware of her own looks, she chose the path of least effort to make a decent living." She added. "Now, though, it seems that her session with Liu Shu enlightened her on what she wants to truly do, and she was thinking of leaving even before that Lignified child spoke to her."
Since it was the woman's choice, no one said anything. While they, as people from a high upbringing, somewhat felt that such professions were not "up to par", they didn't have a problem with those who practiced them. It was more of an "I wouldn't let my child do it, but if you do it, I won't look down on you."
And so, a few minutes later, they noticed a cautious and confused woman walk into the backyard of their house. Once they looked, many couldn't help but be surprised. 'Heavens, those curves are exaggerated, aren't they?'
Even Verdantia, who was extremely confident about her measurements, couldn't help but show a bit of shock.
Moreover, while the woman's proportions were extremely curvy, they were not disproportionate. One could even say that she was the perfect "large" size before it started to look too large.
Harmonixia muttered. "She must've been popular."
Tempestria gently bumped her. "Don't speak nonsense. The girl must be nervous, so don't mention it."
Harmonixia reacted and nodded.
Meanwhile, Violet almost felt her legs failing. 'Branches above, Lady Flor, Queen Ignatia, Madam Melody, Madam Verena, Lady Cinderielle…'
She began naming each and every superpower in her mind, and she almost fainted. 'I truly got entangled with the royal family, didn't I?'
As she walked forward stiffly, her ears almost ringing out of nervousness, she heard a sweet and clear voice call her. "Violet! Come, come!"
That voice was like spring water, making her entire existence relax. When she looked over, she saw Liu Shu sitting on Ignatia's lap, waving at her cutely. The girl still had her makeup, and while a bit of it had faded due to the time that had passed, most of it remained intact.
"Lad—" Violet paused, and then recalled the advice the Lignified House gave her. So, internally gritting her teeth, she showed a teasing look and chuckled. "Little Beauty, you really surprised me. I didn't know that you were such a big shot!"
Violet saw that the subtle look that Liu Shu had started to give her when she first began talking had changed, becoming extremely bright and happy. Liu Shu jumped down, running toward her with a smile. "Hehehe. Surprised? Surprised? Let me reintroduce myself, then. I am Tianlan Liu Shu, or, well, her Avatar! Nice to meet you, Violet!"
Violet's heart almost exploded when she heard the "Goddess's" sacred name, but seeing Liu Shu act so amicably, the sensation of fear, uncertainty, and trepidation vanished, giving way to resignation and acceptance. So, she sighed and pinched Liu Shu's soft cheek. "Do you know how scared I am right now? I feel that my legs are going to give up on me at any time. I swear that if someone makes a big sound right now, I will faint right away!"
Liu Shu laughed, her pearly laughter making everyone present smile.
Verdantia and the other three looked at their interaction and then smiled softly. They naturally understood at first glance why Liu Shu became so fond of Violet. Moreover, Violet was just a few decades old, not being older than 30 years. Therefore, they took her as a junior.
Remember that Harmonixia and the others were basically 150 years old. A 30-year-old was too young in their eyes.
"Oh! By the way, here!"
Liu Shu pointed at the ground.
With her gesture, vines grew out, creating a comfortably sized wooden basket. Then, space twisted above the basket, and a few berries fell into it. These berries were Breakthrough Berries and the like, which could push people's innate Tiers up every 10 years.
"With these, you should be able to become a B+ Tier talent within 40 years! Also, your Cycle Completion rate should be boosted to 70% as well. And these here are for a boost in attribute bonuses and affinities. These over here are a few healing berries I germinated, just in case. They should also be quite nice to create tea to purify your body and make you feel quite nice…"
Liu Shu felt something out of place and then looked up. Violet was still smiling, but her expression was incredibly stiff. A second later, the poor woman, who had an extremely common background, couldn't hold on and directly flopped onto the ground, fainting.
Bewildered, Liu Shu began to shake Violet. "What's wrong? Violet? Hey, Violet! Why did you suddenly faint? Hellooo, can you hear meeee…?"
Flor and the others sighed, taking a sip of their calming tea. 'Welcome to the family, Little Violet.'