“Mr. Rhode, how is Lilian?”
The moment Rhode and Marybelle exited the residence, Marlene and the rest who were pacing up and down in the plaza scuttled toward them and asked hurriedly. Anne looked at Rhode with an ashen expression. They clearly heard Lilian’s screams earlier, which was why they were so concerned. Although Rhode informed them that the spiritual rinsing would bring tremendous suffering to Lilian, her spine-chilling and anguished screams were more terrifying than they had imagined, making their hairs stand upright, albeit them waiting in the plaza. Even though they didn’t witness the ritual, it was imaginable how painful the torment was. The always-confident Anne had even turned laden and revealed a hesitant expression for the first time upon hearing Lilian’s blood-curdling screams.
“She’s fine.”
Upon hearing Marlene’s concerns, Rhode let out a long sigh of relief. He was also worried about Lilian’s mental condition. But after his younger sister examined her, he finally felt assured. Although the immense pain exhausted Lilian, her mental health wasn’t impacted to a great extent. Of course, this was the current situation and it was an entirely different topic whether this incident would leave behind any aftereffects. At least for now, the worst scenario didn’t happen, which was a relief for Rhode.
Rhode remembered feeling hesitant and anxious when he tried waking Lilian up after the ritual ended. Upon hearing his calls, Lilian opened her eyes and didn’t seem as dazed and frightened as he had imagined. On the contrary, upon detecting his gaze, Lilian forced a proud smile. In that instant, Rhode realized he had underestimated Lilian’s tolerance. But now, this incident had ended and this was the most perfect ending he could ask for.
“As Lilian was under tremendous pressure and pain, she needs a long rest now. During this period, don’t wake her up; let her have a good rest.” Rhode instructed and nodded at the anxious Sonia. “Sonia, go take a look at her. Remember, don’t startle her. After experiencing extreme pain, she is highly sensitive right now. Any slight movement will terrify her, so you’d better be careful.”
“Yes, Your Majesty Rhode. I’ll go and look after Her Majesty Lilian now.”
After listening to Rhode’s warning, Sonia bit her lip, nodded slightly, and headed toward the imperial residence. Although Anne and Lize also wished to visit Lilian, they eventually heeded Rhode’s advice. Shortly after, the group of young ladies went off to handle other matters in the Void Territory. Since Lilian didn’t require their help for the time being, they were better off handling their own affairs for now.
“Ahem…”
After Marlene and the rest left, Rhode let out a cough, turned around, and gazed hesitantly at his younger sister. Upon detecting his gaze, the younger sister winked, cocked her head to the side, and looked at him with a crafty gaze. In fact, Rhode didn’t say anything wrong. After returning to Grandia, they were immediately faced with Lilian’s issue. Rhode handed Lilian over to the younger sister and discussed the happenings in the Void Territory and Dragon Soul Continent with Marlene and the others for an entire day. Due to that reason, Rhode didn’t arrange lodging for his younger sister. As his younger sister needed to look after and examine Lilian’s condition on the first day they returned to the Void Territory, she spent the night in the imperial residence. Of course, he couldn’t possibly make it a permanent place for her to live in. But in fact, he also knew that this was a tough problem, especially for the other young ladies…
“Is anything the matter, Big Brother?”
“Yes… regarding that, I’ve been busy ever since I’m back, so I didn’t have the time to arrange lodging for you. But… Cough, cough… those elves should have prepared your room already. By the way, where do you want your room to be?”
“Huhuhu…”
Upon hearing Rhode’s rather awkward question, the younger sister chuckled, placed her hands behind her back, and took two steps back.
“Big Brother, you should be clearly aware of my answer. I thought it would be fine for me to sleep in the same room as you? That shouldn’t be an issue, right?”
“Ugh…”
Upon hearing the younger sister’s answer, Rhode couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his eye and force a smile. He wasn’t a fool. He clearly witnessed the craftiness and wit in his younger sister’s eyes. However, this wasn’t anything for him. After all, he wouldn’t change the decisions he made in the past. Besides, it was his biggest consolation for his younger sister to be back by his side. Even though this would cause major displeasure for the other young ladies… since Rhode had already decided to establish this harem, it was his duty and obligation to appease these inevitable sparks, wasn’t it?
Only in dreams was it possible to count on them to take no account of being by his side.
The love he received from Marlene and the rest was unquestionable. But they weren’t masochists who were willing to sacrifice themselves without asking for anything in return. If Rhode were to favor one and discriminate against the other, it was imaginable what would happen to him in future. In the past, there was no main mistress in his harem, with Canary being in charge. And now, with the return of his younger sister, Canary would have to pass her responsibility over. Perhaps Canary might not be too bothered by it, but it was tough to speak for the rest.
But this was also Rhode’s responsibility.
It seemed like Rhode would need to stress over the issues of his harem in future… Perhaps he should make Lapis concoct a potion that could tonify his body in order to prevent over exhausting himself…?
But as a Void Dragon, this method of death would be truly amazing.
“No problem, I’ll get someone to make arrangements now.”
Even though several thoughts cropped up in his mind, Rhode eventually nodded. This had always been his instinctive habit. No matter what his younger sister demanded, he would always nod in agreement. This was the same in the past, present, and perhaps future…
At that moment, Rhode heard an extremely familiar voice.
“Ah, Leader! I knew you two would be here. How is Lilian doing?”
Upon hearing this voice, Rhode turned around and saw Mini Bubble Gum and Canary walking toward him. Following closely behind them were the original Mini Bubble Gum and Canary. Just like Rhode had been when he first arrived in the Dragon Soul Continent, Mini Bubble Gum and Canary were flabbergasted as they witnessed the floating city of Grandia. Bubble No. 2 volunteered to be their tour guide, bringing them around Grandia and only returning now. Of course, their rooms were already selected. As ‘sisters’, Bubble chose to live with her projection who ‘shared vile habits’ to experience for herself the life of living in a ‘dormitory’. On the other hand, Canary chose a relatively remote and quiet room. It seemed like even though she walked out of the shadows, the experiences she had couldn’t be forgotten that easily. But just like Mini Bubble Gum, Canary had her projection by her side, so at least Rhode wasn’t that concerned about her.
“Lilian is fine now. But she is exhausted and needs to rest. Don’t disturb her if you’ve nothing important.”
“Alright, I got it.”
After listening to Rhode’s words, Mini Bubble Gum nodded in agreement. Even though she was worried about Lilian, they seldom interacted, after all. Due to that reason, Mini Bubble Gum thoughtlessly led the rest for a fun tour in Grandia while Lilian was undergoing her treatment. Upon hearing that Lilian was no longer in danger, the little fellow naturally had nothing more to worry about. She blinked and gazed at Rhode’s younger sister who stood beside him, before shifting her gaze back to Rhode and narrowing her eyes. Judging from Mini Bubble Gum’s expression, Rhode’s heart sank. He understood this little fella’s dirty tricks better than anyone. Whenever she revealed this expression, he knew that she was definitely plotting something crafty. And indeed, Mini Bubble Gum let out a mischievous laughter and said to Rhode.
“By the way, Leader. You are free tonight, right?”
“What about it?”
Upon hearing her question, Rhode couldn’t help but twitch his brow. He wasn’t a fool. Judging from her tone of voice, the words ‘bad intentions’ were written all over her face. But before he responded, Mini Bubble Gum continued.
“Since you have nothing on, why don’t you come over and have fun with everyone? Big Sister Canary will be around too. They finally came to this new world, so don’t you think you have the duty to help them ‘familiarize’ with the environment, such as checking to see if the bed springs squeak loudly or not? After all, there aren’t Simmons mattresses here.”
“…”
Even though Rhode expected this from her, he couldn’t help but hold his forehead upon hearing it for himself. He turned to his younger sister, who brought upon a gentle smile as though she had no opinion of it. Mini Bubble Gum followed his gaze and clapped her hands gently.
“Oh, how about you join us too? I guarantee it will be fine.”
“Sure.”
Facing Bubble’s invitation, the young lady standing beside Rhode nodded with a grin. Then, she looked at Rhode who stood blankly on the spot.
“No problem, I accept your invitation,” she said.
