At night, moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, spilling into the room. Irene was dressed in a pink nightgown that revealed her snow-white, long legs, the hem fluttering gently with a touch of dreaminess.
At that moment, a pair of hands wrapped around her from behind. Feeling that solid chest, she relaxed her body slightly and leaned back against him.
"When did you get back?"
"Just now!"
Acnologia gently picked her up and placed her on the bed.
"Those two guys have hidden their presence well, or perhaps they've changed it; even I can't catch their scent anymore."
For the past month, he had been searching for those two dragons without pause, finally tracking them to a snowy peak before the trail went cold—all traces of their presence had been erased.
Irene let out a soft chuckle. "It seems they've learned to be afraid!"
Acnologia's hands wandered restlessly over her body as he asked, "How are things on your end? Did you find Zeref?"
"I found him. He said the Eclipse Gate isn't in the physical world; it should be hidden in a different dimension. As long as they dare to bring it out, he can destroy it from afar."
"Then we can rest easy about that."
"He also asked me to pass a message to you, saying he will keep his promise and hopes you'll remember to help lift Mavis's curse."
At this, Irene felt a slight worry. "That curse was devoured by you; how does it feel?"
A curse that could torment the Black Wizard Zeref for so long was likely anything but simple.
Since ancient times, 'God' has been a title of supreme status. If that Ankhseram God truly descended, he would likely be an existence that could rival or even surpass the dragons.
"Curses also fall under the category of energy, and there is no energy I cannot devour. I have already mastered this strand of God Power; while this power is novel, it is not superior to Dragon Power."
Acnologia did not believe that the curser was necessarily stronger than the cursed. Whether one was strong or weak had to be determined by actual power.
He continued, "That Ankhseram God does indeed exist, but not in the same world as us. Whether he will descend in the future is hard to say."
Irene pushed aside her thoughts, her mind becoming hazy under his touch as her desire rose. "Alright, at a time like this, let's not mention such spoilsport things."
Her long hair was scattered haphazardly across the pillow, with a few strands resting gently on her cheeks, adding a touch of enchanting allure.
"But it's been a month..."
Under the moonlight, her skin appeared even fairer, radiating a faint, warm flush.
As their eyes met, they could both feel their heartbeats quickening, and the air was filled with a heated atmosphere.
Acnologia couldn't agree more; indeed, "business" came first right now.
After casually discarding their clothes, the two figures quickly moved from kissing to intimacy, and the room was filled with the sounds of moans and movement... After the night passed, Irene's fingers rested gently on the quilt, slender and soft, carrying a hint of lazy beauty.
The person beside her had already vanished. She put on some casual clothes, stood up, and walked to the window, pushing it open to let the fresh air and warm sunlight fill the entire room.
"What a beautiful day!"
Irene took a deep breath, as if trying to inhale all the afternoon's tranquility and laziness into her lungs, then sat in the rocking chair by the window, swaying relaxedly.
She picked up a glass of red wine, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
Ever since learning that the entire Magnolia Town was their property, they had moved into the town's largest and most luxurious house the very next day, which was only a kilometer away from the guild.
"Come down and eat!"
Erza's call came from downstairs. Irene drained her wine in one gulp and walked down leisurely.
"What time is it? Don't you ever look at the clock?"
Erza looked helpless. What kind of eccentric mother would make her daughter cook? This was just too lazy.
As for her dad, he was decent at grilling meat but knew nothing else. If it weren't for her, these two would have starved to death sooner or later.
"Good morning, baby!"
Irene enthusiastically hugged Erza and gave her a kiss, then looked at the delicious-looking food on the table, her eyes lighting up. "Your skills are quite good!"
"We were just waiting for you!"
Acnologia had been sitting there waiting for a while, and he smiled as he gestured for the two of them to take their seats.
"Let's eat!"
None of the three were refined people. Although Irene had once been a queen, she was used to this now. They dug in immediately, and in less than ten minutes, the food was swept clean.
Acnologia let out a burp and slumped motionlessly in his chair, giving Erza a thumbs-up. "You've got the skills of a royal chef. Whoever marries you in the future will be truly lucky!"
Erza curled her lip; when she got married in the future, she would make her partner cook too. She wanted to lie back comfortably just like her mom.
She looked at her lazy mother and asked, "How did you rent this house?"
Irene lay on the sofa with a comfortable smile. "Didn't I tell you? A friend gave it to us."
"Did you guys resort to highway robbery?"
Erza's face darkened. Not a single word out of her parents' mouths was the truth; she didn't believe that ridiculous reason for a second.
She was more inclined to believe these two had snatched it from the original owner.
"It really was a gift!"
Seeing Erza's skeptical expression, Acnologia explained, "Four hundred years ago, I met the King of Fiore at the time in the Human Alliance. He hoped I would settle in the kingdom, so he deeded the entire Magnolia Town to us."
"About two hundred years ago, the kingdom began to develop. They thought Irene and I might be gone, so they rented it out on our behalf, which is how it slowly grew into the Magnolia Town of today."
"After Irene and I arrived here, King Toma returned it to us, including two hundred years' worth of rent."
If one were to talk about wealth, they were no longer less affluent than the Heartfilia Family.
Erza was beyond shocked. So that's how it was.
Didn't that mean she was a wealthy second generation?
Happiness had come a bit suddenly!
She suddenly thought of something and said hurriedly, "Wait, doesn't that mean the rent for Lucy and the guild is actually being collected by our family?"
Irene snapped her fingers and said with a smile, "Bingo!"
Erza was somewhat speechless. "Lucy is suffocated by her rent every day. You're in the same team, yet you don't even think about easing her burden. How can you have the heart?"
These two were too wicked. Poor Lucy had been paying rent for so long without even knowing who the real landlords were.
Acnologia laughed. "Lucy's family has money, and she can earn it herself. Why pity her? She might even be enjoying it."
Irene also covered her mouth and giggled. "Pressure is motivation; that's the only way to work hard."
"If the Heartfilia Family goes bankrupt in the future, she would have to adapt early, wouldn't she?"
Erza: "..."
She didn't think Lucy was enjoying it at all. In the end, it was just these two's twisted sense of humor; they just liked finding amusement at Lucy's expense.
After the family of three rested, they began to change their clothes, preparing to head to the guild.
Irene rummaged through the wardrobe and specifically picked out a breezy dress for Erza, holding it up against her. "How about this one?"
Erza looked at the pink dress, feeling a bit uncomfortable. "My old clothes were fine."
"You don't understand fashion at all!"
Irene looked at her with disdain. Wearing that worn-out armor all day long, she didn't have a lick of femininity.
After more rummaging, she selected a black Gothic Lolita dress. Once Erza put it on, her temperament immediately rose by more than a level.
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