Chapter 39: Unexpected Event

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Unexpected Event

Mars looked at the four of them for a long while before allowing a smile to grace his lips. "Aren’t I lucky? Waking up with four beautiful women standing at my door. I am damn poor, alright, but I am living the dream of many men."

"And of many women, dare I say?" Alice added.

"Well, what do people say? Count your blessings," Moon drawled, approaching him in her usual crop top, her belly left bare. "But tell me, sweetheart, who is the most beautiful here? I am not counting the old hag."

"The old hag still has many men chasing after her, don’t you know?" Alice replied with a smile. "Many, even. Some of them dearest Mars’s age. I have heard this generation loves older women."

"Not Mars," Solaris chimed in, glaring at Alice. "He doesn’t love old women."

’Well, says who?’ Mars thought, his lips twitching. ’Who doesn’t love older women? That’s the ultimate path to Bliss!’

"I am pretty sure he does," Alice insisted, not caring about the anger slowly rising inside Solaris.

"We are not here to talk about this," Willow said, annoyed by all this useless talk. "Can you all focus?"

"Indeed," Moon said, now standing right beside Mars. "We are here to ask you who is the most beautiful, and of course, whether you are okay."

"Why wouldn’t I be okay?" Mars replied, wisely ignoring Moon’s first question. "I will soon get ready and go to the Sun God’s Church. I just need... privacy? Or do you want to see me naked?"

"I am not the kind to refuse such a proposal," Moon said immediately.

"Why not? I don’t mind letting my eyes feast on you a bit," Alice followed, smiling just like Moon, but worse.

Willow’s lips twitched. "Get a grip, Mars."

"Fucking pervert." Solaris snapped her head away, but her ears were slightly red.

Mars laughed, waving his hand gently at them. "I am not surprised by Moon, but please, Lady Alice, how old are you?"

"Old enough to still ride a man very well."

Mars and his three wives coughed awkwardly at her words, which made Alice cackle.

Only then did she realize they were all virgins.

"Stop changing the subject, Mars. Solaris already told us," Moon said, seeing through his attempt. "We know this is the day your mother passed away."

"Yes," Willow said. "We wanted to make sure you are okay."

"I didn’t take you for women who cared about such things. I am surprised," Mars said, his heart warming, though he was unwilling to show it.

"You are our husband. Of course we care," Moon replied.

"I don’t care," Solaris muttered.

The others gave her a ’bitch, be for real’ look. After all, she was the one who had told them the date, for the sole purpose of comforting Mars.

An action that had surprised Moon and Willow a lot.

And honestly, Mars didn’t even need them to tell him why they were here in the first place.

He had known it the moment he felt their emotions towards him, and the moment Alice asked if she could accompany him.

It was the first time, besides Aunt Mari, that anyone had checked on him on this day.

Now four people were doing it, each in their own way.

’I found myself in this situation unwillingly. But hey... it’s not too bad, is it?’ Mars smiled, and seeing it, the women understood that he was okay.

And that was all they had wanted to know.

"We will let you get ready, dearest. Come to the kitchen afterwards. I have breakfast ready for you," Alice said, and left the room.

Willow soon followed, after giving Mars one last glance.

Solaris was next, her eyes lingering longer on his face, then on how close Moon was to him. She clicked her tongue in obvious dissatisfaction before going out.

Only Moon remained, looking at Mars with her purple eyes glistening like pearls.

She grasped his face, and Mars allowed her to turn it towards her own.

"Tell me, sweetheart, what have you done?"

"Hm? You need to be more precise than that, I am afraid."

"To this sun bitch, I mean," Moon whispered, narrowing her eyes. "What have you done to her to make her act like a maiden in heat around you?"

"First, I have done nothing. Second, Solaris is acting just like before."

"No way. Even the way she curses you now is tamer. And the way she looks at you, or even at me whenever I am close to you, is completely different." Moon giggled, amused, yet not quite. "All of it makes me think that maybe she has fallen for you."

"That’s not it." Mars shook his head. "And I am in a better position to tell."

"Because of your gift?"

"Yes."

"Ah, I expected you to lie."

"You are my wife," Mars said, and with a burst of confidence, he grasped Moon’s waist and pulled her close. Moon yelped in surprise, but her grin immediately deepened even further. "If I can’t trust even you, then who am I supposed to trust?"

"Sweetheart, you are getting more confident day by day," Moon said, brushing his lips with her finger and feeling him tremble. She chuckled, then added, "But I want more of this. And I have the perfect idea. It’s a game, sweetheart. A game to ease your heart on this day."

"I usually like games. But I don’t think I like your type of games."

"Oh, but you must." She grasped his right hand, still on her waist, and placed it straight on her breast. Mars flinched in shock, about to pull away. But Moon was stronger than him, and she held him with such strength that he couldn’t move an inch.

Mars’s heart began to race, and his eyes widened as he looked into Moon’s bright purple eyes, feeling a sudden spike in her emotions.

’Oh no, please, not today!’

"I don’t like the fact that you are closer to that bitch Solaris than to me, sweetheart. Every time I see her laughing and training with you, I just want to kill her, and kill you at the same time."

"That’s... that’s quite extreme, Moon."

"Do you love her more than you love me?"

"I pride myself on being just. I love you all equally."

"You are lying." Moon’s smile widened, and Mars’s heart grew cold. "You prefer Solaris, and after Solaris, you prefer Willow. I am not stupid, Mars. I know people. I have lived in a house where I constantly had to know who loved me and who didn’t. So I can see it..."

She reached out with her free hand and grasped Mars’s cheek, pinching it. The smile was still on her face, but empty and poisonous.

"...you are wary of me."

[The Seed of Calamity is on the verge of progressing...]

’Fucking hell!’ Mars began to freak out. ’What the fuck is wrong with her?!’

[You have three wives, Consort Fox. Not only one or two. You must show them equal attention if you wish to keep them from losing control. Their emotional stability is not as strong as you think.]

And as if to prove the System’s words:

[The Seed of Calamity has progressed by 1%.]

Which meant Moon’s progression was now at 24%.

And if she reached 25%...

’...this must be a joke.’

"Why are you wary of me, sweetheart?" Moon asked, her mana going wild. "Why, when I am the one who has been the most welcoming of all? Are you taking all this for granted? Are you ignoring all the effort I have been making—!"

Mars didn’t let her go any further.

Desperate situations called for desperate measures. So he curled his left hand behind her head and drew her face close to his.

Without much thought, Mars pressed his lips against Moon’s, and the world felt as though it had stopped at that exact moment.

DING!

[You have received a Special Quest!]

[Description: Play the Calamitous Game of Moon and win.]

[Reward: Gacha Pull]

[Failure: ...Get ready for another Episode.]