Chapter 769: An Afternoon for Three

The dining room remained chaotic for almost another hour, with each woman eager to remain in Nikolai’s focus.

Maybe that’s why nobody seemed particularly eager to leave, despite most of them having their own duties, children or preparations waiting elsewhere. Even Sarah, who had entered complaining about several missed meetings, eventually gave up after Nikolai pulled her onto his knee and fed her half a pastry until she stopped talking about work.

Eventually, however, the gathering began to thin.

"Then I’ll head out now, babe. Kiss me. Mwah!"

Nikita disappeared first, after one of the maids informed her that Elizabeth woke up crying after her nap. immediately started howling for her mother. Selene followed soon after with Leonid, while Kumiko winked at Nikolai after eyeing the younger women who seemed most eager for his attention, before she carried Hikari upstairs to sleep.

Amphitrite waddled away under strict orders from Leona to lie down before the mermaid decided carrying twelve children somehow didn’t match her ideas of glamour.

Zara dragged Sarah somewhere with a suspicious smile, and Nikolai deliberately chose not to ask.

’Some things are better left unknown.’

He remained at the table with a cup of coffee, leaning back in his chair as the warmth and noise slowly faded. Maybe now was the only chance he got to look around properly. There were three women left sat closer to him than before.

Clara sat with her legs tucked beneath her on one of the large chairs, slowly picking apart the remains of Anya’s stolen pastry while pretending not to stare at him between bites.

Anya touched up her makeup while sitting beside her, occasionally peeking at him with her beautiful chromatic eyes. Unlike her partner in crime, she didn’t hide her emotions or pretend to do it accidentally.

Her crimson eyes remained fixed upon Nikolai as she rested her cheek against one hand, while the other rolled an empty glass between her fingers.

’...’

Lunaria quietly sat on the opposite side near the window, gazing out at the blood moon.

Her long white hair fell almost to her waist, shimmering beneath the afternoon light, while one hand remained unconsciously pressed against the slight swell of her stomach. Her silver eyes followed something outside the window, yet Nikolai could tell from the occasional twitch of her ears that she was listening to everything behind her.

Nikolai’s fingers stopped around his cup.

’Ah.’

It wasn’t that he’d forgotten them.

These three were who he promised dates and time along with before things became hectic, though even Amphitrite deserved more attention too. He couldn’t excuse his failure as a husband, but then again... here was a chance. Right?

Anya had arrived later than most of his wives, and because of how loud she could be, Nikolai unconsciously assumed she would simply force herself into his attention whenever she wanted it.

Clara was always around when he came home; she would hug and kiss him whenever she wanted. But maybe because she called him Brother and crawled into his bed whenever she thought she could get away with it.

He’d started to take them for granted... somehow Nikolai had started treating those little moments as if they were enough.

Lest he forget Lunaria...

His eyes carefully observed the beautiful hybrid, a woman much like himself now after losing everything and yet. Lunaria rarely complained. At least to Nikolai, she would never complain or ask him to change.

’Maybe that’s another factor, its my fault.’

Though he wanted to shake it off and doubt that fact, Nikolai just couldn’t do so.

He could easily blame Alucard, the Blood Moon, his position as Patriarch or the constant disasters that seemed to appear whenever he managed to relax for a few hours. Yet none of those things changed the fact that these women chose to remain beside him, and he had been the one repeatedly telling them there would always be another day.

Another date.

Another night together.

Another chance once everything calmed down.

’And now I’m three days away from attacking that fucking island.’

Nikolai took another sip of coffee before placing the cup back onto the table. The faint clink of porcelain immediately caught all three women’s attention despite how poorly Clara tried to pretend otherwise.

"Alright."

"Hm?" Anya tilted her head while Clara and even Lunaria suddenly focused on him.

"Why are you three still sitting so far away?"

There was a brief silence before Anya glanced down at the small distance separating them, then back towards Nikolai with an expression that made it obvious she thought he was being stupid.

"What do you mean, we’re literally beside you?"

"Anya... do you not understand me?" He asked with a smile.

"Ah?"

Her chromatic eyes brightened like the blush across her cheeks as she smiled back at him.

Clara was much easier to understand. The moment those words left his mouth, she abandoned whatever dignity she possessed and slipped from her chair, quickly circling the table before Nikolai could even finish leaning back.

"Brother!"

"Oi—"

Her small body landed across his lap with enough enthusiasm to almost spill the coffee.

Nikolai caught her waist while Clara immediately curled into his chest as though she had simply reclaimed the position she deserved.

"Hehehe..."

"You were waiting for that, weren’t you?"

"Ehehe~ maybe?"

Anya, who stood halfway between her seat and his lap, clicked her tongue. "Tsk...!"

Yet the vampire’s gaze remained fixed upon the arm Nikolai wrapped around Clara’s waist, making her jealousy so obvious that even Lunaria’s lips curled slightly.

Nikolai could never have missed this reaction, and he opened his other arm, patting his large, muscular thigh.

"Are you coming over or not?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you’ve been staring at me for the last twenty minutes."

"I was looking at your ugly shirt."

"Then you don’t want to sit on my lap and cuddle?"

Anya’s expression immediately became awkward as she shuffled closer ever so slightly, with a bright red hue on her tanned cheeks.

Clara giggled into his chest.

"She’s embarrassed."

"I’m not embarrassed!"

"Then come here."

"Tsk..."

Despite the complaint, Anya stood from her chair and walked towards him. She paused for barely a second before lowering herself onto the armrest beside Nikolai, only for his hand to catch her waist and drag her down against his other side.

"W-Wait!"

"You took too long."

"Idiot!"

Anya struggled enough to make her displeasure believable, but the moment Nikolai loosened his grip, she shifted closer herself, pressing her shoulder into his chest while carefully fixing the skirt she’d almost flashed everyone beneath.

Clara immediately looked across him.

"You’re blushing."

"Shut up."

"Your ears are red too."

"I said shut up!"

Nikolai chuckled before kissing Anya’s temple.

Her anger and sharp tone vanished like a sandcastle in the wind.

Her lips remained parted for a moment while those strange, beautiful eyes flickered towards him, and Nikolai felt a faint ache of guilt when he realised how surprised she looked over something so small.

’Yeah... I’ve definitely fucked up.’

His gaze moved towards Lunaria.

She still sat alone.

Unlike the other two, she didn’t look jealous or expectant. Instead, she watched the scene with a soft smile, almost as if seeing Nikolai giving Clara and Anya attention was enough to satisfy her.

He didn’t like how Luna would be so passive.

"Lunaria."

"Hm?"

"Come here too."

Her silver eyes widened slightly.

"I’m comfortable."

"That’s not what I asked."

"Darling, unless you’ve somehow grown another lap, I don’t think... eh?!"

Nikolai suddenly stood.

Clara squealed and grabbed at his neck while Anya almost fell backwards before he caught both women beneath their thighs.

"What the fuck!?"

"Brother?!"

Clara and Anya no longer sat on his lap, but rather... he held them up with his arms, his hands resting firmly between their buttocks, cupping them in place. Anya’s cheeks flushed bright red as she let out a cute sound, while Clara began rocking her hips like an evil fairy.

Lunaria stared at him with twitching lips.

"You want me to sit there...?"

"Problem solved, no?"

Anya slapped his shoulder.

"This isn’t solving anything!"

"It is for me."

"You shameless bastard..."

Yet she wrapped her arms around his neck anyway.

Nikolai carried both women around the table before stopping in front of Lunaria. He lowered Clara and Anya onto the nearby sofa, ignoring their complaints, then reached down and offered Lunaria his hand.

"Come on."

She glanced at his palm.

"Where?"

"I don’t know yet."

"...How reassuring."

"But I’m spending the afternoon with the three of you."

He was prepared for Lunaria’s face to become glum, and yet... her smile grew as she beamed. "Really?!"

"Us?"

"Mhm."

"All afternoon?"

"If you’ll have me."

Anya snorted from behind him.

"Look at this bastard acting polite after neglecting us."

Nikolai glanced over his shoulder.

"I can still change my mind."

"No, you can’t."

"She’s right!" Clara immediately added.

Lunaria laughed softly.

"Apparently you’ve already been claimed."

"Seems like it."

She finally placed her hand into his.

Nikolai pulled her gently from the chair, but rather than letting go once she stood, his fingers slipped between hers as she leaned closer to his face, whispering.

"I’ve missed you so much, Kai."

Then she tilted her head and asked. "Where are we going?"

"Hmmm..."

Nikolai thought about it.

He didn’t want another bedroom; taking them upstairs for sex was appealing, but he didn’t want that. Not yet, anyway.

If he took these three upstairs immediately, it would become exactly what most of his relationships had slowly become whenever they found spare time: sex, exhaustion, then another emergency before they actually spoke.

"How about we go outside?"

"Outside?" Anya blinked.

"Hmmm, is that okay?" Lunaria added.

Clara’s face fell.

"That’s it?"

Nikolai squeezed her cheek.

"What were you expecting?"

"A bath."

"Why?"

"Because baths lead to sex."

Anya immediately nodded.

"She’s got a point."

"...You two really are corrupted."

"By who?" Anya asked with a smug grin.

Nikolai chose not to answer.