Although she didn’t appear particularly heavy, Emilia knew firsthand just how deceptive Crystal’s appearance was. Compared to her mother, it wouldn’t surprise her at all if the blonde girl weighed three, or even four times as much.
Emilia hadn’t paid it much attention before, but when she really thought about it, she couldn’t help but find it a little strange. ‘Could it be because of her ability? But Dixie doesn’t seem to have a higher body density, and she has an ‘ability’ as well, right?’
”Princess?”
Looking at Dixie’s confused appearance, the crimson-haired girl quickly shook off her strange thoughts. “Alright, you carry aunty, then, but be careful. If you drop her, I can’t promise to protect you from Crystal’s scolding!”
Dixie pouted as she picked the sleeping older woman in her arms. “I won’t drop her.”
Emilia hummed, but still motioned for Michelle, her ever dutiful ‘maid’, to watch over the two of them closely.
The short-haired girl happily rushed to the knight’s side, clearly delighted at finally receiving a ‘task’. “Leave it to me, princess! After all those luxurious meals, I can now act as a qualified cushion if they fall.”
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With Crystal’s mother tucked in a separate guest room, and Dixie dozing off into dreamland the moment her head touched the pillow, Emilia decided she might as well tuck Crystal into the same bed as well.
Although her blood and fluids could grant them both immortality and youth, the crimson-haired girl preferred not to disturb their sleep if she could.
After all, a good night’s sleep not only helped their bodies remain healthy, but also allowed them to have a better mood the next day.
Plus, she could always play around and have fun with Sam when she returned.
Or so she thought.
Less than an hour after she arrived at home, Emilia received a call from Noelle. “Big sister is flying to the capital? Like… right now?”
”Yeah. Mr. and Mrs. White need someone trustworthy to manage things there until they’ve dealt with something urgent.”
Emilia frowned. “What happened?”
”I’m also not sure, all I know is that they were called by the government. My guess is it should be either because they are displeased with the global situation… or something related to the military. Should we… temporarily stop our plans?”
From the older girl’s tone, Emilia could already tell it wasn’t anything good.
The crimson-haired girl hesitated for a moment before shaking her head in denial. “No need for now, let’s keep going. But if the situation changes, let me know right away, alright?”
Since Oriana’s government has always worked hand in hand with the top corporations for maximum benefits, going so far as to ignore multiple laws, it was unlikely that they would take any drastic steps without reason.
Noelle knew that the younger girl might be worried, so she quickly tried to assure her. “Alright. I’ll continue taking care of things here. And… Sam told me she’ll try her best to return before your event, so don’t worry. I’ll also be there.”
Emilia sighed. “I’m more worried about you working yourself to death. Why not drop by tonight to relax once you’re done with work?”
The gray-haired girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, but her response was still negative. “I’ll sleep in the office tonight. I don’t feel like riding back and forth again.”
Emilia could tell from her guilty tone that the girl probably just didn’t want her to know she wouldn’t fall asleep till like four in the morning, if at all.
She frowned. “Okay, I won’t disturb you, but no excuses tomorrow night, okay? Or… I might do something you won’t like?”
Noelle coughed. “O-Okay, don’t worry. I’ll finish work and sleep on time.”
Emilia rolled her eyes when the older girl hung up in a hurry.
With her physique, it was naturally impossible for the crimson-haired girl to be physically tired, but she still felt a little mentally exhausted. “The government, huh? I hope everything goes well with my sister and the parents. Any guesses what could be up, Cynthia?”
With only silence as her response, Emilia guessed that her partner must be sleeping soundly in isolation. ‘What a lazy bum!’
The crimson-haired girl sighed. ‘I thought I could still have some fun, but looks like I’ll be sleeping alone tonight.’
Emilia had a vague feeling that she was forgetting something, and a few moments later, her eyes snapped open. ‘Wait a minute… isn’t this the perfect opportunity to clear all my dues with Cynthia?!’
Recalling all the past accounts that had yet to be settled, the crimson-haired girl quickly dived into her soul scape, and easily slipped into the now-familiar isolation chamber.
Looking at the petite girl in black gauze snoring softly on the massive nest of red cushions, though, Emilia quickly lost the will to ‘punish’ her.
”… How can she look so cute?”
Squeezing her partner’s chubby little cheeks, Emilia sighed. “Forget it. I’ll have my fun with you when you’re not resting.”
The ‘sleeping’ raven-haired girl gulped, and then froze, hoping against hope that her movements weren’t noticed by her villainess.
Emilia narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re not sleeping at all, are you?”
”I-I’m asleep!”
”…”
”…”
Cynthia meekly opened her eyes and shrank back in regret. “… Sorry. P-Please don’t hit me.”
Emilia rolled her eyes in exasperation as she plopped down next to her, pulling the startled girl into her lap. “You really like to test my patience, don’t you?”
Cynthia was just about to open her mouth when she felt the crimson-haired beauty bite her left earlobe playfully, and froze.
What’s going on? Was the punishment still coming?
If so, what was the point of abandoning her pride to act like a baby?!
The raven-haired girl was instantly furious at being ‘deceived’, and was just about to shoot herself in the foot when Emilia sighed, the crimson-haired girl’s hot breath brushing against the back of her neck.
She pulled Cynthia deeper into her embrace and snuggled into her nape affectionately. “Noelle told me that Mr. and Mrs. White have been called by the government to discuss something tonight. What do you think is going on?”
Cynthia took a few moments to process the fact that she had just narrowly avoided angering her partner when she’d already ‘succeeded’, and it was only then that Emilia’s words entered her ears.
”Wait… the government called them so late at night?”
Emilia hummed, feeling a little amused as she thought about how Cynthia didn’t even realize she was being teased, since her brain was already overloaded with too much information.
The raven-haired girl frowned, her mind spinning rapidly as she considered the situation. “From what I recall, the government of this country didn’t really interfere much in the matters of the big corporations, as long as they continued making more and more money. I don’t see any reason why things should have changed from the original timeline?”
Emilia nodded. “Could they be concerned about the Black Tiger’s recent losses? But… didn’t they not do anything when the White Deer suffered much worse in the original timeline?”
Cynthia sighed. “The Black Tiger then had the hero on their side, and the ‘world will’ was also at its full power. Naturally, as long as they have a positive impression of him, the ‘world will’ would be able to intensify that feeling, making many things work out in their favor. That will never be the case for us.”
Emilia frowned, but even after she considered things like that, it didn’t make sense. “Wait… could it be because we interfered with political matters before, so they’re more wary of us now?”
Cynthia blinked. “You mean with Bianca’s father, and that whole fiasco before?”
The crimson-haired girl nodded, and the two of them sank into silence.
If things really developed in an unfavorable direction, it was possible that all her plans would have to be put off for later.
It may not cause her to fail, but Emilia still didn’t like the feeling of the situation spiraling out of her control. “Although they all assured me not to worry… I think it might be best to keep a closer on this matter.”
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Meanwhile, in the capital of Oriana, Mr. and Mrs. White had already been escorted to a private meeting chamber by a robust man in black.
”Please enter, Mr. President is waiting.”
The couple nodded as they confidently stepped into the somewhat dimly lit room, and the door was gently closed behind them.
There was only one man waiting for them in the room, no bodyguards, assistants, or secretaries.
The capital of the Oriana country was called the Red Plum City, but most people ‘affectionately’ called it the ‘Bloody Red’ instead. Naturally, such a name wouldn’t be given without a reason.
Under such circumstances, to say that the president didn’t even go to the toilet without protection would still be an understatement.
This was because although the Oriana country had managed to grow rapidly in the past few years thanks to its radical policies, the government itself had gathered a lot of negative attention and hate, both domestically and internationally.
Not a single year went by without a top government official being the target of a high-profile assassination attempt, though very few succeeded in the end.
The man that the couple was facing right now was the one who had survived a majority of those ‘attempts’, and also the one who single-handedly controlled most of the high-level decisions of the Oriana country.
In front of him, although they didn’t have to be nervous, even Mr. and Mrs. White had to tread with caution.
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