The night grew deeper, blanketing the land. The atmosphere inside the house felt so peaceful. Almost everyone, from the hundreds of students, the teachers, the coachmen, to the guard soldiers, had fallen into a deep sleep due to exhaustion after traveling a long distance. The sounds of soft snoring and rhythmic breathing filled the halls of the first and second floors.
However, the tranquility of the night did not apply to Arvin.
The blue-haired youth merely lay staring at the ceiling of the room. His eyes were wide open, radiating alertness. His mind was not calm at all. For some reason, his protective instincts kept throbbing, thinking about the condition of Yonna, whom he had left at the capital mansion with two strangers.
Feeling that he wouldn't be able to close his eyes, Arvin finally got up from the bed slowly with very careful movements so as not to wake anyone.
Arvin's footsteps did not produce the slightest sound as he walked past the rows of students' beds, until he finally went out through the main door.
Allen, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein, who were sleeping around him, realized that their husband was no longer in bed, but the four youths chose to keep their eyes closed and not talk about it.
Now, Arvin stood at the front porch of the house; the gust of the cold night wind directly hit his face. He looked up, staring at the dark night sky. Gloomy clouds gathered thickly up there, and occasionally flashes of lightning struck, illuminating the sky for a moment before it returned to darkness.
I wonder if she is doing okay? Arvin muttered in his heart, followed by a long sigh that exhaled a thin vapor into the cold air. It seems I should return briefly to the capital to check on her condition there.
Without wasting time, the youth closed his eyes. He focused his mana and visualized in great detail the layout of his mansion's living room in the capital.
In just a matter of seconds, a golden magic circle emitting a bright glow appeared beneath his feet.
Zap!
Arvin's body instantly disappeared from the house's porch without a trace, teleporting through space and time toward his mansion in the capital of the Astoria Kingdom.
Inside the house, right on the bed Arvin had just left, Alrain slowly opened his eyes. He was fully aware that his husband's presence had suddenly disappeared from the porch.
It seems he returned to the capital and is checking on my sister's condition there. No wonder he suddenly went out of the house. Alrain thought with a faint, warm smile. His heart felt deeply touched seeing how much his husband cared for his family. He then calmly closed his eyes again.
Meanwhile, inside the quiet mansion in the capital, Arvin appeared right in the living room of the ground floor. Inside that extremely dark and dead-silent mansion, he began to step up the stairs leading to the second floor.
However, just as his foot stepped into the second-floor hallway, the main bedroom door opened swiftly.
Yonna immediately came out of her room with an alert expression after sensing the presence of someone who had suddenly breached the mansion.
Yonna's eyes narrowed in the darkness, but when the shadow stepped toward the moonlight peeking through the window, she immediately recognized the figure who had entered the mansion. Realizing who had come, Yonna instantly lowered her guard and let out a long sigh laden with relief.
"Good heavens, Arvin... I wondered who came sneaking in here late at night like this." Yonna said softly while stroking her own chest.
Seeing his sister-in-law's quick response, Arvin smiled gently. He felt very relieved because Alrain's sister was doing fine and had not lost her alertness.
"I'm sorry if I startled you. I just wanted to check on your condition." Arvin replied, explaining his intention in a whispered voice. He then poked his head slightly toward the open bedroom door. "Where are your two friends? Can I see them for a moment to make sure?"
Yonna nodded in understanding. She stepped back and invited Arvin to enter her room.
Upon arriving at the edge of the bed, Arvin narrowed his eyes. Under the dim light of the night lamp, he saw two unfamiliar women sleeping very soundly on the mattress, their chests rising and falling rhythmically.
Good grief... Arvin thought, shaking his head slightly in disbelief at what he had just seen. How could the two of them still be sleeping this soundly when Yonna suddenly stood up quickly to approach me outside the room? Their alertness is an absolute zero.
After ensuring there was nothing suspicious about the two women, Arvin turned and looked at the beautiful woman standing next to him.
"Have you been doing okay while I wasn't here?" Arvin asked, confirming once again.
"I am doing very well, Arvin." Yonna whispered, answering the head of the family's question, a proud smile etched on her lips. "Thanks to the magic and mana control training you gave me every afternoon, I can now detect the presence of other people up to the limits of the mansion's gates with my wind element. That is why I could immediately realize your arrival earlier."
"Thank goodness if everything is fine." Arvin said, rubbing his chest in relief.
Yonna smiled very gently at him. The care and protection given by her brother's husband were truly real and felt very warm. Her heart fluttered. Then, driven by a pent-up emotion, the green-haired woman suddenly stepped forward, bringing her face closer to Arvin's.
"Arvin... can I really not become your spouse?" Yonna asked in a very soft voice, almost like a whisper of the wind, yet full of hope.
Hearing that question, the blue-haired youth's facial expression did not change in the slightest. He shook his head slowly, remaining firm in the stance he had drawn since the beginning.
"I will never marry a woman, Yonna." he whispered firmly, looking straight into the woman's green eyes. "But, it would be a different story if you were born a man. If you were a man, I would certainly be happy to accept you as my spouse so that you and Alrain would never be separated."
Yonna did not answer the rejection. She fell silent for a few seconds. Instead of backing down, she gathered her courage to grip Arvin's hand tightly.
Without saying anything, she pulled the youth's hand, forcing him to follow her out of the room.
With a confused feeling and a furrowed brow, Arvin simply gave in and followed the green-haired woman's footsteps down the hallway before the two of them finally entered the third bedroom, which functioned as a guest room.
Upon arriving inside, Yonna let go of her grip. She asked her brother-in-law to sit on the edge of the bed.
Not wanting to complicate the situation, Arvin complied and sat on the edge of the mattress, waiting for what his sister-in-law actually wanted to talk about in private.
However, what happened next successfully made the air in the room feel as though it had stopped flowing.
Without the slightest hesitation, Alrain's sister suddenly raised her hands and took off her nightgown, letting it fall to the floor. Not stopping there, Yonna took off her bra, then slipped off her panties. In just a matter of seconds, she was now standing completely stark naked under the dim light of the room, right in front of Arvin who had been watching her.
There was no blush on Arvin's face. There was no heavy breathing. His gaze remained as calm as the surface of an ice lake.
"Why are you getting naked like that in front of me?" Arvin asked in confusion with a truly flat tone of voice. Not a glimmer of interest or lust radiated from his eyes upon seeing the curves of a very seductive naked woman in front of him.
Instead of feeling embarrassed, Yonna actually lifted her chin slightly, looking into Arvin's eyes searching for an opening.
"Am I beautiful, Arvin?"
"Yes, you are indeed beautiful. Very beautiful!" Arvin answered honestly, providing an objective assessment like someone evaluating a work of art. "Then what does your beauty have to do with you getting naked like that in front of me?"
Yonna bit her lower lip, taking a step closer. "Does this body of mine... not attract your interest in the slightest to sleep with me?" she asked again, her voice trembling slightly as it mixed despair and courage.
Arvin was quite surprised by that very bold, frontal question.
What the hell is she talking about? Arvin cursed inwardly, finding the absurd situation he was experiencing completely incomprehensible. Why did she suddenly get naked and ask me to sleep with her? Is she crazy?
Arvin stared at Yonna with cold eyes.
"No!" Arvin answered firmly, his voice cutting through the silence of the guest room. "I have told you many times, Yonna. No matter how beautiful your face is, no matter how perfect your body is, I will never be interested in marrying, let alone touching a woman. It is better if you just marry my younger brother later. I am absolutely certain he will love you sincerely and give you the happiness you seek."