“… What’s going on, Big Brother?”
Looking at Icy Snow in her pajamas and sitting on the bed with a pillow in her arms, the younger sister blinked and turned back to look at Rhode in confusion. In response to her gaze, he let out a helpless laughter. In fact, even he didn’t know what to say.
In Rhode’s country, there was a tradition of turning over cards in the ancient harem to determine who the emperor would sleep with that night. However, there was no such tradition in the Dragon Soul Continent. Therefore, in his harem, everyone basically came and went freely. In the beginning, because of the lack of tacit understanding among them, they would often visit him at night and accidentally came across one another, which was rather awkward at first. But after a few ‘runs’, members of the harem formed a ‘tacit understanding’ with one another. Even without communication, they knew whose turn it was on a particular night. Fortunately, timekeeping in the Dragon Soul Continent wasn’t the same as on Earth, so everyone managed to get their turn. If it were based on the seven-day system, there was no telling what trouble would arise.
Of course, most of the girls in his harem were relatively easy to get along with. Among them, Lize and Lapis were relatively shy and preferred to communicate with him alone in private. However, Bubble and Anne were the type who preferred to sleep with more people and have fun together. There were many times when several women were in his bed at once, but always with the exception of one: his younger sister.
Canary knew the most about the relationship between him and his younger sister. On the other hand, Bubble also more or less knew about them. And although Marlene and the others had never heard about it from Rhode, after his younger sister’s resurrection, they noticed the feelings between the two siblings through observing their interactions. That was why when Rhode and his younger sister spent the night together, the others wouldn’t disturb them. But it wasn’t too much of a surprise for them, since the younger sister’s identity as the original Void Dragon was something that made the situation rather awkward. This fact alone made others tense up in front of her, not to mention getting into bed with her. Of course, Anne was an exception. But after several persuasions from Marlene and Lize, she stopped heading over to cause trouble.
This was naturally something that Rhode was happy to do. And while he had no desire to rank his harem, he did want to make the others aware of who was less important. His younger sister always came first in his heart, and no one could ever challenge that. He was initially worried that he would have to use some means to make the others realize that. After all, although this would ensure his younger sister’s status, it would also break the hearts of others.
All of them were young ladies. Even if one knew that it wasn’t the truth, one still wouldn’t enjoy hearing one’s partner telling one that “you’re not as good as the rest in my heart”. It was a thin layer of window paper. It was enough that everyone knew it in their hearts. As soon as one talked about it, it would spoil the harmony. And now, since the young ladies around him understood this point, Rhode was also glad to not become the villain. As long as the most crucial key was in his hands, the other issues wouldn’t be a problem.
There were a few exceptions to this, though. For instance, Christie, Bell, and Icy Snow. They had never spent the night in his bedroom. In the case of Christie, whenever he had the time, he would basically be in her room telling her bedtime stories and lulling her to sleep like a dutiful father. Since Bell and Christie lived together, the former was also treated the same way. After all, they were still children and went to bed early every night.
That was why Rhode had to spend plenty of time waiting until they fell asleep before returning to his own bedroom to do what he had to do. On the other hand, Icy Snow was a thoughtful young lady who didn’t need him to worry about her at all. She went to bed early every night, so she was even less likely to spend the night at his side.
But now…
“Ah, Big Sister! I want to sleep with you two tonight!”
Upon seeing Rhode’s younger sister, Icy Snow waved her hand at her excitedly. She was the most familiar with the younger sister apart from Rhode. After all, the three of them grew up together. Moreover, whenever Icy Snow’s parents were away for long periods, she was left in the care of Rhode and his younger sister. During that period, she also often slept with the younger sister, so the relationship between the three of them was really close.
Just that… It wasn’t exactly the same as before now.
Icy Snow didn’t feel like she did anything wrong for wanting to be with the younger sister. On the contrary, she felt like this might be the truth of what Bubble said. After all, Bubble proudly told her that Canary and her had slept with Rhode together.
Maybe it is just like the three of us together now? I sleep with Mom and Dad too, so is this what Bubble meant by husband and wife in reality? Does the three of us sleeping together like a family count as one? But… This isn’t too bad either.
“What’s going on here, Big Brother?”
Upon seeing the excited look on Icy Snow’s face, the younger sister rolled her eyes, before turning around to look at Rhode in silence. Detecting the look in her eyes, Rhode spread his hands apart helplessly.
“Come on, don’t look at me like I’m scum… I don’t want to do this either. After all, Little Icy is still young…”
“Is it? But it isn’t like you… haven’t done it with someone around her age.”
“Say, can we not talk about this…”
Rhode had no choice but to throw up his hands in surrender at his sister’s jealousy, which was like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. After all, siblings were connected by heart (a phrase that couldn’t be more appropriate for the two of them). He knew that his younger sister was teasing him, so he didn’t say anything more to defend himself, but quickly told her the whole story of this matter instead. And after listening to his grumbles, his younger sister also showed a helpless look.
“So that’s why you brought her here?”
“Yeah, I’m more relieved that you’re here… If it were Anne and Bubble, it would be a different story. How about you go and explain to her what ‘husband and wife in reality’ is all about?”
“Why don’t you do it?”
Upon hearing his words, the younger sister glared at him. Rhode spread his hands apart in a righteous manner in response to her question.
“If I were to tell her, it would be considered sexual harassment to a certain extent, I guess.”
“That…”
Upon hearing his response, the younger sister was stunned. She turned around and looked at Icy Snow who was excitedly hugging her pillow and scanning Rhode’s large bed. She looked like she was having a sleepover at a classmate’s house. Besides, she really was unaware of what that whole thing meant. Upon seeing her innocent and anticipative look, the younger sister gaped, but nothing left her mouth. She simply shook her head in despair.
“Okay then… Looks like I don’t have a choice, Big Brother.”
Of course, the younger sister couldn’t possibly tell Icy Snow the truth. This situation was as though a little girl dressing herself up as a princess and looking forward to a trip to Disneyland, only to be told that the so-called fun trip was actually them heading to a nightclub to drink, dance, and chill.
How can someone do something so cruel?
At this thought, the younger sister sighed and looked at Icy Snow with a gentle smile.
“Alright, let’s head to bed.”
The young lady said.
The dark night sky replaced the extinguished magical glow that enveloped the bedroom with bright moonlight spilling through the windows. Looking out of the window, one could clearly see the beautiful white moon hanging above. The most important thing for Rhode wasn’t the beautiful night scenery, but the two people sleeping beside him right now.
Icy Snow wore a white nightgown and lay between Rhode and his younger sister. She closed her eyes and had a calm and satisfied smile on her face. After all, she was just a child. After lying down on bed, she fell asleep in just a few minutes and looking at her sleeping face, Rhode and his younger sister were deeply touched. It was especially so for Rhode as he felt like he had neglected her too much in the past.
Icy Snow was different from Bubble and Canary. She was a great daughter who was attached to her family. Bubble hated her family with a passion, while Canary had broken off all ties with her parents. However, Icy Snow didn’t suffer the same bitterness and hatred as they did. Even though she knew that she was just a projection and not her true self, she still missed her parents; it was just that she never mentioned it. This time, the reason why she made this request to Rhode was perhaps because she wished to recall the homely warmth.
At this thought, Rhode couldn’t help but let out a sigh. It seemed like he had been so busy all this while that he neglected her feelings. But now, this was also a form of compensation to her.
“Being together like this reminds me of something that happened a long time ago, Big Brother.”
Focusing on Icy Snow’s sleeping face, the younger sister whispered to Rhode. She smiled and reached out her hand, gently tidying her hair that appeared to be a bit disheveled. Upon hearing her sigh, Rhode withdrew his gaze and nodded in agreement. That’s right. They, as siblings, together with Icy Snow, made him reminisce his years with his younger sister as children. Thinking back, their relationship wasn’t this close at first, as a matter of fact. Back then, he disliked his younger sister, but everything changed after they eventually grew up. He was surprised that after all that happened, it was as if they were back to square one…
“While being nostalgic is a sign of old age, I do miss that period of time… Honestly, I had no idea that things would turn out this way…” Rhode chuckled softly, before shifting his gaze to the sleeping Icy Snow who was sandwiched between them. At that moment, she turned over and leaned into the younger sister’s embrace as if she were a small child. Looking at this scene, Rhode showed a bitter smile. “This feels like we’re a family of three…”
“Family of three….”
Upon hearing these words, the younger sister’s face suddenly became a little grim. As close siblings, Rhode naturally knew that this sentence reminded her about Christie again. One had to admit that women had maternal instincts, not to mention that Christie really was the younger sister’s child. Although she felt a little regrettable that she couldn’t give birth to Christie herself, Christie was still her flesh and blood, after all. Looking at Christie’s life, though there was nothing unsatisfying about it, the younger sister still expected her to receive the happiness and warmth of a normal family as well.
“Big Brother?”
“Hmm?”
Upon hearing the younger sister’s voice, Rhode responded. Although his younger sister hadn’t spoken yet, he already knew what she wanted to say. Sure enough, he soon heard the younger sister speak after some hesitation.
“Well… Next time, let Christie sleep with us, okay?”
“Sure.”
After hearing her question, Rhode smiled, reached out his hand, and held his younger sister’s soft hand over Icy Snow. Frankly, Rhode also thought it would be nice to have a quiet night like this once in a while. Although it was true that ‘wild nights of intimacy’ did help relieve fatigue, for Rhode, he still wished to have peaceful nights sometimes too. At this thought, he closed his eyes and relaxed himself.
Tomorrow would be a brand new day. The battle against Chaos would continue, but at least for this night, he would be able to get some rest, wouldn’t he?
The night passed uneventfully, and when he opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.
Icy Snow obviously felt satisfied to sleep with Rhode and his younger sister. She blushed when asking Rhode if she could come over to sleep with him more often in the future. Rhode naturally promised her. And of course, he didn’t desire Icy Snow in that respect. After all, he wasn’t a beast who pushed down anyone who stood beside his bed.
It was especially so since he and Icy Snow were so close with each other. Moreover, with her personality, he didn’t want her to think too much about her parents. In fact, he kind of regretted how he projected her in the first place. After all, she was still a well-behaved child and very attached to her family. He didn’t think too much about it when he summoned her. Now that he thought about it, he realized he didn’t consider the situation too carefully. So as compensation, he naturally wouldn’t refuse this small request from her.
After fulfilling her wish of ‘sleeping together to become husband and wife in reality’, Icy Snow was satisfied. Of course, with her character, it was impossible that she would proudly announce it to Bubble. Besides, Rhode also didn’t want her to tell anyone about it. After all, although he had a clear conscience, just like how his younger sister said sarcastically… It wasn’t his first time doing it with a young lady who was almost the same age as Icy Snow…. If others learned about this, perhaps they would think otherwise.
After a quiet and peaceful night, Rhode once again threw himself into his busy work. The appearance of the Chaos Eye made him increasingly vigilant. He dispatched Lesa to the border defense of the Void Territory to fill the gap between Bubble and Icy Snow. And while Icy Snow was obviously welcoming of Lesa’s arrival, Bubble looked a bit bummed out. It was apparent that she was frustrated and bewildered by the lack of response from the indifferent Lesa. But at that point, Rhode couldn’t care less about Bubble’s feelings. After all, the integrity and unity of the defensive line was of paramount importance to him.
Shing———!
In a flash of white light, Rhode stretched out his right arm. Along with this action, the 10 holy sword cards transformed into pillars of light that spread out in all directions with him in the center, before transforming into a huge circle. At the next moment, the 10 pillars of light that erupted from the holy sword cards burst deep into the clouds. A colorful array of lights emanated from the pillars, interlacing and overlapping to form a beautiful barrier. The colorful brilliance flickered rapidly and along with explosive radiance, the barrier disappeared swiftly, and the 10 pillars of light that erupted from the cards also vanished as well.
“Looks like you’ve familiarized yourself with them a lot more now, Big Brother.”
Quietly watching as Rhode summoned the cards back into his hand, the younger sister said with a smile. Upon hearing her words, Rhode, however, frowned and shook his head.
“No, it still isn’t enough.”
Although Rhode was close to success in the proficiency of the holy sword cards, he wasn’t satisfied with the result. Because up until now, he still hadn’t been able to properly grasp the connection of the 10 holy sword cards. He became really efficient at using the three types of attributes individually. But whenever it involved using the 10 cards at the same time, it remained a tough challenge for him. And the problem with that lay in the most important card of all.
Heart Piercer——Karin.
In the beginning, Rhode was puzzled as to why there was the ‘human’ attribute in the holy sword card deck. But now, after using the 10 holy sword cards to construct a barrier at the same time, he finally understood the importance of Karin. She was like the most important bridge to communicate and balance the three respective attributes. Once his grasp and usage of Karin were incorrect, the three attributes would clash and erupt, causing the entire barrier to fail.
What exactly went wrong? Rhode couldn’t figure it out. He tried really hard to be in tune with Karin and could also feel that she was responding to his adjustments and doing her best as well. But in the end, the results were still unsatisfactory no matter what. In that case, where exactly went wrong?
