Davis and the others headed back to Natalyaâs room. The floor above was where Edgar Alstreim and his family lived for safety purposes, and it seemed that they already knew about Claire being pregnant since he knew with the Solitary Soul Avatarâs sense that the only one to enter Claireâs abode in the past year was Edgar Alstreim.
His mother also seemed to want them here, so he didnât say anything to it. Moreover, it would be easier for him to protect them if someone targeted them.
Davis was traversing the floor when he suddenly saw a small figure pass by. However, that small figure was no longer small but a bit grown-up than he had last seen. He blinked before his expression became fairly astonished.
"Tia, itâs been a long time since Iâve seen you..."
Tia jumped and shivered as she became stiff like a cat whose tail had been stepped before she turned back to look. Her facial features became more refined and elegant to Davis and the others.
A beautiful face that could also be called charming and sweet. Her blonde hair was braided over her head before the hair above her nape was not tied down, letting it free fall almost till her waist. Her purple eyes shone like a gem that instantly attracted all of their attention.
"How cute..." Evelynn couldnât help but giggle before she took a step forward.
"Ah!~"
However, Tia scampered to run away as she let out an endangered squeal.
Evelynnâs lips twitched as she saw her escape, the smile on her face freezing solid.
"Am I that scary?"
Davis couldnât help but chuckle as he consoled.
"Donât feel bad, Evelynn. Tia is a shy girl. She probably got startled and nervous of seeing four of us."
Evelynn smilingly shook her head before they didnât bother about the little Tia who had escaped. They soon arrived before Natalyaâs living space, all the while Fiora followed them while remaining silent and obedient. None of them talked, forming a solemn atmosphere that inwardly frightened her for some reason.
It made her feel that Davis mightâve already known about her thoughts. Nevertheless, it was just a short walk that those feelings quickly faded away as Natalya smiled at her, looking kind of happy. Once they reached Natalyaâs room, Evelynn suddenly spoke.
"Husband, I just remembered that I have some things to take care of, so Iâm afraid that I would not be able to enjoy this time of leisure with you."
Davis blinked as he looked at her before he understood, "Alright, take care of yourself. Hopefully, I wonât be away for long..."
Evelynn gently smiled, but she pursed her lips before she tip-toed and planted a lovable kiss on his lips before smiling, "Iâll see you later then..."
She turned around and left.
Fiora blushed as she saw them kiss, but when she glanced at her elder sister that she looked heartened and content, she could not believe her own eyes. That adamant elder sister was really okay with sharing her man with a woman. She knew of it before but to see it with her own eyes made her deeply realize that.
"Letâs go in, Natalya..."
Natalya nodded as she used her key, which in the form of a stone, to unlock the door open. As they entered, an icy feeling became apparent to Fiora as she began to feel colder. They walked inside before she saw that the room was decorated with plenty of items, statues, and other materials that seemed to be made from yin-attributed and ice-attributed materials.
To Davis and Evelynn, who entered before, it wasnât even worth mentioning as these items were the same as not being there as the chillness didnât affect their bodies, but for Fiora, her Body Tempering Cultivation was low, and her Essence Gathering Cultivation was also not up to par to defend against the chillness.
However, that didnât mean that it was harmful to her. She just felt the chill more clearly that she couldnât help but wrap herself in an embrace. In addition to feeling herself warming up, she couldnât help but feel odd.
Why was she in her elder sisterâs room when they were about to spend time in leisure when they should be outside, roaming the city and the skies?
âCould it be... a board game again...?â
Fiora couldnât help but feel bored just at the thought of it.
Once they arrived inside, Davis and Natalya looked at each other.
"Natalya, your big sister is so considerate..."
"Mhm... This is why I love big sister... Sheâs so sweet and understanding of us..."
They exchanged soul transmissions, both knowing that she left to give Fiora some space to breathe. With Natalya, it might still be fine, but with Evelynn there, Fiora would inevitably be scared and wouldnât know how to better articulate her thoughts.
"Brother-in-law, what are we going to play? Please, Iâm sick of board games..." Fiora suddenly uttered, causing both of them to turn their heads towards her.
"..." She blinked.
Did she say something wrong or interrupt their romantic moment as they were looking at each other?
Davis couldnât help smilingly shake his head. This girl, no, this woman had dared to give her innocence once to him to help save her elder sister from a crisis, but here she was, asking that they should play something else instead of board games.
He couldnât help but feel that she was adorable, finding her cute.
Did her confused mind not think that they could be here to be intimate? Or did she eliminate that option knowing they wouldnât do something like that while she was here?
His lips moved, "Natalya, tell your little sister about what you told me..."
Natalya pursed her lips before she nodded her head amidst Fioraâs confused gaze. However, before she said anything, she secretly locked the door with her icy concealment arts as the key-rock flew, embedding itself on the door before locking it. It then disappeared somewhere else.
Davis couldnât help but imperceptibly nod in approval when he saw that, but Fiora was none the wiser. She didnât know that the door was locked and remained curious as well as confused.
"Fiora..." Natalya spoke, "I told my husband about the feelings you hold towards him. I brought you here to bring a conclusion to that matter."
Fioraâs expression froze. The temperature around her that she felt dropped even more, but that was just her delusion as the temperature remained the same, cold as it was before. She began slightly shivering under both their gaze.
"What are you saying, elder sister...?"
Fiora tried to smile, but her cheeks betrayed her as they twitched, "Youâre teasing me, right?"
Natalya shook her head, "Enough, Fiora. You didnât say anything to me about my husband after we last talked about him in Ethren City. However, I took it as my responsibility to tell him about your true feelings. Otherwise, I fear that you might do something worse than me."
"W-What? I have no such-"
"At the present, I have already confirmed that you still have feelings towards him. Actually, I could feel that it had gotten stronger when I saw you make yourself small in front of him, even becoming shyer. You were not like that before, but now, youâre acting as if you had seen your idol."
Fiora looked as if she was about to cry as her eyes became moist, "Elder sister, stop..."
"No, you stop hiding your feelings." Natalya trembled, "I canât bear to see you saddened."
"..."
Davis looked at them, feeling although it was short, the feelings that crashed were intense as they could be. Perhaps, Fiora didnât have the courage to tell him her love for him. No, he knew that she was a brave girl who ventured out to save her elder sister over the back of her parents. Sheâs a courageous soul.
However, no matter what, the man she came to like, the man she fell in love with was her elder sisterâs husband. That probably put a stop to her thoughts in wanting to tell him her true feelings because it was considered immoral in some cases. However, it wasnât rare to see a man marry two sisters in the cultivation world, so it was pretty much acceptable, so he felt that Fiora and Natalya could cross it.
Regardless...
"I have certainly heard about your feelings from Natalya. You know, she even went as far as let me know about your feelings, knowing that it might inadvertently affect our relationship in a bad way. Iâm rather interested to see your response after all this mess."
Davis indifferently uttered as if he held no emotions towards Fiora.
"Brother-in-law... I..." Fiora shook, feeling pressured.
"You still dare to call me brother-in-law? Is this the kind of feelings you should have towards your brother-in-law?" Davisâs voice became solemn as if he berating.
"I... Iâm sorry for being a bad woman..." Fiora lowered her head as tears fell plunged towards the surface.
These words, these words were precisely the reason why she didnât want Davis to know about her feelings. Falling in love canât be helped, but since the person she fell in love with was her brother-in-law, it couldnât be helped that the other party would be sickened at her.
It was over as she felt like she could never raise her head again in front of her brother-in-law.
Natalya shook on seeing her little sister cry, but she didnât say anything, hardening her heart.
"Bad? Thatâs debatable but if you have those feelings like love towards me, stop addressing me that way. Call me by my name, Fiora."
Fiora shook as she raised her head, looking at Davis in disbelief.
Those words, what did it mean!?