"Old man, I'm planning on getting married to Pepper soon. You and Mother should come and attend!"
Since his Father and Mother had returned, the long-broken family was no longer just Artoria and himself. Tony wanted to add a member to the family. He and Pepper had already chosen a date. Originally, he had no plans to get married, but now, seeing his Father and Mother acting all lovey-dovey, Tony really couldn't stand it. He immediately called Pepper, and amidst her surprised expression, officially proposed to her. Their relationship was thus settled. After setting the date, Tony reluctantly came before Howard and spoke to him with disdain.
"Oh!...What's with that look on your face, kid?"
Howard, who had been reading the newspaper, only let out a sigh. But when he looked up and saw the look of disdain on Tony's face, his temper flared up instantly. Sure enough, raising a son wasn't as good as raising a daughter. It was one thing for this stinking son to annoy him every day, but he dared to show disdain to his Father? What a bastard. How could such a bastard compare to his precious princess? Thinking of this, Howard's gaze towards Tony also became very disdainful.
This gave Maria, who had brought over some fruit, a headache. These two Father and son were at it again. This situation had always been the same between the two, only now it seemed more serious. The two were truly Father and son; that stinking temper and the way they looked down on people were exactly the same. She was worried that the two would start fighting. Despite Howard being several decades old, his temper was still as explosive as it was when he was young.
"Alright, you two stop bickering. What a wonderful thing."
Maria stepped forward to soothe her old man and spoke to the two. This was a very good thing. Holding a grand wedding under these circumstances would be a good thing for Tony and the world. After all, the Hydra incident hadn't passed long ago, and everyone was still in a state of high tension, fearing that the enemy might pop out from somewhere and deliver a dose of poison. If this wedding were held successfully, allowing everyone to relieve their nervous mood, the people of the world would understand that peace had returned, and things could return to normal.
"Has this been communicated to Artoria yet?"
Looking at the invitation on the table, Maria said to Tony. It looked like it would be a month from now. If they prepared thoroughly, basically all the friends she had contacted would be able to attend. Although her daughter was her little sweetheart, her son was like an appendix—superfluous when things were fine, but painful when something went wrong. Still, he was a piece of her own flesh, and Maria still attached great importance to him.
"I haven't notified her yet. After notifying you, I will go notify my sister."
With Maria stirring things up like this, Tony had no interest in staring down Howard, this old man, anymore. He eased the emotions that had been flared up by Howard, and then said to his mother. He had originally wanted to send it to Artoria first, but after thinking about it, it was better to see his parents first. Although he was somewhat reluctant to see Howard's old face, thinking he was always trying to mock him, he was his Father after all. He would give one to his parents first, then go find his dear sister.
"You go notify Artoria first. We will definitely be there. Remember to dress handsomely, my child."
Maria lovingly adjusted Tony's slightly crooked tie. She felt very emotional in her heart. When they left Tony and Artoria's side back then, Tony had just reached adulthood not long before. Now, reappearing in front of her child, no matter how she looked at it, she could recall that youthful face from back then.
"Alright, Mother."
After hearing Maria's instructions, Tony turned and left without even looking at Howard. Sure enough, Mom was the glue of the family, capable of reconciling discordant family members. No matter how unhappy Tony was with his Father, and no matter how much Howard couldn't stand Tony, under Maria's authority, they both extinguished their anger.
"I guess this counts as a mutual defeat!"
Artoria, who was being discussed by Maria and the others, was currently looking at the two women lying on the ground unconscious with a headache. Now, both women were covered in injuries, and their clothes were so damaged that they could barely cover their private parts, exposing large patches of skin. Saturday was squatting on the ground, "poking" the faces of the two women again and again, as if very interested, but also as if taking revenge. Artoria didn't know what the meaning behind Saturday's behavior was.
"A smell of sulfur. To actually run into a volcano to fight... I don't know what you were thinking, Gaea."
Picking the two up by their waists—with Artoria's strength, carrying the two was like child's play—but the smell on them made Artoria frown. That pungent sulfur smell was not particularly pleasant. In an instant, Artoria knew where the two had gone to fight. Although she didn't like this smell, Artoria still didn't throw them out. After thinking about it, Artoria decided to take them to take a bath first.
"Artoria, I've come to invite you to my wedding... Sorry for the intrusion."
When Tony arrived at Artoria's house, he walked straight in. He saw Artoria in a bathrobe alongside two other'Sleeping Beauties' also wearing bathrobes. His expression became complicated for a moment. Finally, he turned his head, left an invitation, and said that while facing away from Artoria. Clearly, he had misunderstood, thinking Artoria was prepared to 'enjoy' these two beauties. Although he had heard rumors that his sister was a lesbian, he hadn't expected to bump into it today. While he didn't know how his sister came to like girls, Tony still decided not to interfere with his sister's orientation. He left with a heavy step, filled with surprise.
"So sudden, but, Brother, you misunderstood~~!"
At this moment, Artoria wanted to die. I clearly didn't do anything, so why should I suffer such injustice? They had fainted on their own, and their bodies were covered in a lethal smell of sulfur. Out of kindness, Artoria didn't want the maid to die doing these things, so she helped clean them herself. She even kindly helped them put on bathrobes and placed them in the living room to let them dry off. But she hadn't expected him to come over. Which maid let him in? I'm going to fire her.
"Better clear up the misunderstanding first! But Big Brother is getting married?"
In an instant, Artoria's head was a mess. Should she go explain first or offer congratulations? Having both things happen at once was truly a headache. Since Tony knew, he should help her keep the secret. Even though she hadn't done anything, she still needed to be grateful for her brother's protective nature.
"You two have really ruined me."
"Mm... truly sorry."
As Artoria said this with a sigh, a soft, glutinous voice suddenly came from the side. Artoria paused and turned her head to look, meeting Galacta's eyes full of appetite. Although she had fought Gaea to a draw, she had inherited the Planet Devourer' powerful physique, recovering faster than Gaea. She originally needed to sleep a while longer, but because she smelled a 'fragrance,' Galacta 'woke up from hunger.' It couldn't exactly be called hunger... because she was hungry every day; she was attracted by the scent of 'food.'
"Sorry, I really couldn't help it."
"Mm~?"
A beautiful face instantly enlarged in Artoria's field of view. Something soft and fragrant covered Artoria's lips. Artoria felt the strength in her body being'sucked away' in an instant, unable to move at all. Because of Galacta's actions, the two were forced to embrace in an 'ambiguous' posture.
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