Chapter 620: Peaceful Moment

CH620 Peaceful Moment

***

Alex quietly stepped out of the mansion into the garden.

He bent down almost theatrically, brushing his fingers across the grass and flowers, taking in their scent for a moment longer than necessary.

Afterwards, he walked over to a large tree overlooking the garden and unceremoniously dropped down against its trunk.

His hands locked behind his head, one leg crossed over the other.

’Yes... this is nice,’ Alex thought. ’Life shouldn’t always be at full speed.’

’Sometimes, it’s good to stop... and enjoy the moment.’

A faint smile touched his lips.

’Though, it’s still not quite as good as resting beneath Lord Bonsai’s crown. But this will do.’

Before he knew it, he drifted off into slumberland.

—

Poke...

A light sensation brushed against his chin.

Alex’s eyes slowly opened.

The first thing he saw... was a beautiful face hovering above him, watching with quiet amusement.

"Why are you poking my face, milady?" Alex asked, catching the wandering finger.

"You looked so peaceful... I couldn’t resist, Master," Udara replied,

Her smile soft, yet carrying a subtle, teasing edge.

For a brief moment, Alex froze.

Then his gaze flickered around.

The guards who should have been patrolling the area were nowhere to be seen.

’...I see.’

He looked back at Udara.

Without warning, he pulled her gently into his arms and shifted their positions beneath the tree.

"Do you admit your mistake?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Udara replied innocently.

But her smile only deepened.

Alex felt a surge blood rush through his body down his nether regions.

He knew what she was doing but he didn’t bother putting up his guard against it. However, it seemed his mind was too strong.

Though his body fell prey to Udara’s antics, his mind was still incredibly clear, yet he chose to indulge the moment.

Leaning closer, he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

Udara responded without hesitation.

From a soft gentle kiss, the movements became increasingly rough... passionate.

Eventually, surprisingly, it was Alex that accepted defeat first, pulling back to catch his breath.

"You’re unusually bold today," he said, studying her enamouring expression.

Udara tilted her head slightly.

"Do you dislike it?"

Her smile lingered, playful and provocative.

Alex narrowed his eyes slightly.

Then, as if accepting a silent challenge, he leaned in once more.

And the quiet battle of lips and tongues between them resumed.

Alas, he had underestimated the ’novice’.

Before he realised it, the situation had reversed, and he found himself pinned beneath her.

The longer their playful struggle continued, the more Alex found himself losing ground—

And the more Udara’s presence began to overwhelm his senses.

’No... I can’t lose like this,’ he thought.

So, he resorted to a trump card.

His hands, which had been holding her in place, began to wander— tracing along her form with deliberate intent.

Then he struck, pinching at two particularly sensitive spots.

"Ah—!"

Udara gasped, her composure breaking as she instinctively pulled back, one hand moving to her bosom.

A faint blush spread rapidly across her cheeks.

Alex seized the opening immediately, reversing their positions and pinning her down.

"See?" he grinned, victorious. "If you’re not ready to get burned... don’t play with fire."

He was about to press his advantage, when suddenly, both of them sensed something and froze their movements.

Without a word, they quickly separated, straightening their clothes as if nothing had happened.

Only then did a thought cross Alex’s mind.

’...Wait.’

’We’re husband and wife.’

’Why are we acting like we got caught doing something wrong?’

Just then, Eleanore stepped out into the garden.

Her eyes lit up when she spotted them and she began walking over.

But after a few steps, she paused.

Her gaze flickered between the two.

A knowing smile slowly formed.

"What were the two of you doing?" she asked.

"We were... sparring," Alex replied smoothly.

He casted a teasing glance at Udara.

Udara’s blush deepened instantly, spreading all the way to her ears.

She stomped hard on Alex’s foot before turning away, hiding her face.

Eleanore’s smile widened.

"Oh? I didn’t know you had it in you. Making your move out here in the open..."

She winked.

"Should I get some pointers from you?"

"Or perhaps I should inform big sister Zora?"

Udara immediately grabbed her arm.

"Please don’t!" she pleaded. "I’ll die of embarrassment."

Both Alex and Eleanore burst into laughter.

They knew all too well— If Zora got wind of this, she would milk it relentlessly.

Alex was usually her favourite target, but Udara and Eleanore were far from exempt.

And Udara, in particular, was far too easy to tease.

Even after beginning to come out from her shell, following the Heaven–Earth trials, she still stood no chance against the Ice Empress’s merciless teasing.

"Don’t laugh," Udara muttered, lightly hitting Alex’s shoulder. "This is your fault."

The three of them lingered in that warm, familial moment for a while.

’Too bad Zora isn’t here,’ Alex thought. ’That would have made it complete.’

In this life, perhaps his greatest fortune wasn’t power, but the fact that his wives genuinely got along.

It spared him the usual chaos and drama that often came with polygamous marriages.

"Where’s Zora?" Alex asked. "I haven’t seen her since I came out."

"She went to the city’s administrative building with Silver, Havel, and Sergeant Lopota to handle some permits for our expansion." Udara replied.

"Permits?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "What do we need permits for?"

Eleanore stepped in to explain.

"We’re expanding the shop, so we need a larger space.

"The Mercenary Association also advised us to establish a guild building. So big sis went to see if she could secure a property large enough to handle both."

Alex nodded slowly.

BloodIron City had a distinct advantage over most settlements— Its multiple oasis.

For reasons Alex still didn’t fully understand, the city was able to house five separate oasis within its city limits— each supplying one of its five districts.

However, this abundance didn’t mean total freedom.

Water was still tightly regulated, leading to other related constraints.

One of the most notable was population control.

Rather than directly limiting the number of residents, the city administration controlled the number of buildings.

Which, in turn, controlled how many people could live in the city.

After all, without shelter, no one could stay.

It was an indirect but highly effective system.

You couldn’t simply construct a new building —or even renovate an existing one— without official approval.

Permits were required.

But like any bureaucratic system, it came with its own share of bottlenecks... and corruption.

Navigating it required experience.

Fortunately for the Fortuna party, Zora was more than capable of this.

Alex exhaled softly and nodded.

"If you are already expanding the business, then can I assume we have already caught the eye of the smaller fish?" he asked.

"We have," Eleanore smiled. "I was just about to inform you."

"We’ve established a cooperative relationship with the Jadewell Merchant Company."

"We recently sent over the product you suggested, and the company’s chairwoman, Lady Rosa Mercier, has invited us for a meeting this afternoon."

Alex nodded, then turned to Udara.

"Have we verified the information?" he asked.

"As much as possible," Udara replied. "There’s about an eighty percent chance that Baron Luth Belloc’s intelligence is accurate."

"So even if it’s off," Alex pressed, "it won’t be by much?"

"Yes," Udara confirmed.

"Good." Alex nodded.

He turned back to Eleanore.

"When are you leaving?"

"In half an hour," she replied. "I’d like to arrive early—perhaps establish a few additional connections before meeting Lady Mercier."

Alex raised a hand slightly.

"Don’t overextend. Let things develop naturally. We don’t want it to be obvious that we’re targeting them."

Eleanore waved him off lightly.

"Relax. It’s just a business meeting."

Then, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

"Do you two want to come along?" she asked. "Or would you prefer to continue where you left off?"

"I think we should con—"

"We’re going!" Udara cut in sharply.

Before Alex could get another word in, she grabbed Eleanore’s arm and began pulling her away.

Alex chuckled softly.

’Still thin-skinned,’ he thought.

His gaze drifted upward to the sky.

’But she’s improving.’

’It won’t be long now.’

A small smile formed on his lips.

—

Half an hour later, Alex and his wives set out for the meeting with a modest escort of four guards.

As they travelled, Alex couldn’t help but glance at Udara.

The seductive woman from earlier was completely gone. In her place stood –or sat— his ever-composed, stoic Shadow Guard.

He almost laughed.

He wanted to tease her, but a subtle, pleading glance from her stopped him.

Alex smiled inwardly.

’Fair enough.’

’It’s more fun teasing you in private anyway.’ He thought inwardly as he accepted her plea.

—

A few minutes later, after travelling through BloodIron’s wide and surprisingly clean roads, their carriage arrived at the Jadewell Merchant Company’s private quarters.

***