Aster returned to the inn and when he arrived at the door of the room, he had a bad premonition seeing that the lights were on, he opened the door and saw Alice and Aria sitting next to each other on the bed and looking at him, there was an awkward silence that lasted for a moment until Aster spoke.
“Why are you up ladies?”
Alice had a smile that was not a smile when she replied.
“Well, it seems that a certain someone decided to go out and leave us behind without saying anything so Aria and me were discussing how should we punish that person, right Aria?”
Aria nodded.
“Yes, and we reached the conclusion that this person is going to sleep in the floor tonight so he doesn’t ever do something like this again”
Aster felt a bit weird, “you two never agree on anything… and now you allied each other just to mess with me”, he thought.
He approached the bed to sit between those two and try to convince them with some hugs and caresses but this time Alice didn’t move to give him space, Aster sighed and tried to explain himself.
“I… didn’t want you two to be in danger that’s why I went alone bu…”
Before he could finish Alice interrupted him in an agitated tone.
“Didn’t you think that we will be worried about you!!!”, after Alice spoke Aria added more fuel to the fire.
“Do you think we are weak little girls who can’t do anything to help?”
Aster knew he was wrong this time, Aria and Alice are not decorations nor trophies they are his precious girls and he didn’t give them their place, it is not like they wanted him to ask for permission before doing anything but leaving them behind without a word and going alone was the same as saying that he didn’t trust them, besides Alice was really worried when she woke up and Aster was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing that they were about to cry his heart clenched, he used his hands to caress their faces before speaking.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t want to worry you, it’s not that I don’t believe in you, in fact both of you have a higher cultivation than me it’s just that I didn’t want you two to be in danger but now I understand that the way I acted was wrong, I will never ignore your opinions again and if there is danger, we will face it together, okay?”.
Alice suddenly stood up and threw herself at him, they both fell to the ground and she hid her face in Aster’s chest while saying in a broken tone.
“What would mom and I would do if something happens to you?”.
Aster stroked her hair.
“I’m sorry sis”
Aria also stood up and she also lay down with him while using his arm as a pillow, she mustered her courage and looked at him in the eyes.
“You told me that you will be with me forever so… your life is not only yours anymore”.
Alice rose her face to look at Aria, she was surprised hearing her saying something so bold but she could understand her, after all that has happened Aster has become Aria’s emotional pillar so if he were to disappear, she would probably break.
The same applied for both Lilia and Alice, Aster acted as if he wasn’t aware of the weight he had on their lives and that made him feel worse, before he unconsciously didn’t take this world’s danger seriously maybe because of the sword on his mind or maybe because of Lilia’s backing but now after being taught a lesson by Kayla Rein he decided to start taking things seriously.
“I… don’t want to think what would mom do if I were to die”, he imaged Lilia with a devastated crying expression and he felt as if a knife was stabbing his heart, “it is not like I didn’t appreciate my life before but now… it looks like I’m not allowed to die no matter what”, he thought.
He shook his head while sighing.
“I can’t believe I fell into such a cliché situation about not killing an enemy and being bitten in the ass because of that.
Aster originally wanted to tell Alice and Aria about what he discovered after interrogating the assassin but he didn’t want to speak about that right now so while patting their heads he said.
“Let’s go back to sleep, tomorrow we will have a long day”.
The three of them stood up, luckily Alice and Aria decided to forgive him this time so they accommodated on the bed with Aster in the middle, Alice and Aria clung to him as if they were afraid of him leaving again, Aster kissed them in their foreheads before closing his eyes to sleep, the rest of the night went by without any problems.
After some time, he felt movements which made him wake up, he opened his eyes, and saw Aria stretching her arms, her beautiful silhouette made Aster want to tease her so he silently approached and hugged her from behind before whispering in her ears.
“Good morning my dear Aria, where are you going without waking up your husband?”.
Aria’s attitude towards Aster seemed to have undergone a fundamental change due to the events of the previous night because this time although she looked somewhat shy, she didn’t blush like she normally would every time he hugged her instead of that she happily answered.
“Good morning, Aster… I will go to my room to change my clothes but I will return so we can go and have breakfast together”.
Aster was happy seeing her accepting his advances so he smiled before letting her go, of course not without kissing her cheek first which made Aria tremble a bit, Aster was delighted by her reactions, even if she was older than Alice her shyness made her really cute.
“Hehehe I really love teasing her”, he thought.
“It’s ok, I still have to wake Alice and then we will go to the Fragrant pavilion, ok?”.
Aria nodded and left the room.
Aster then turned to see his sister who was still sleeping and he licked his lips, “well now I only need to wake the sleeping beauty”, he thought.
He then gently fell onto the bed and placed Alice on top of him before kissing her, seeing her eyelids tremble almost imperceptibly, he smiled as he began to caress her ass with his hands, he bit one of her ears before whispering to her.
“If you don’t wake up, I might end up eating you”, he then tightened his grip on her ass and almost immediately he heard her sweet voice.
“Hmmm ♥, who wakes someone like this? you pervert brother”.
Aster kissed her one more time, he then licked her neck a bit before replying.
“Next time try to say it without that smile on your face… you succubus sister”.