Chapter 156: Second Wife?

Mira violently choked on her water, the sudden inhalation sending a painful stream down the wrong passage and triggering a series of desperate coughs. The wooden cup slipped from her trembling fingers, clattering against the polished mahogany table as its contents spilled across the smooth surface.

She doubled over, one hand clutching her chest while the other desperately searched for something to steady herself. Her leather-clad shoulders shook with every cough, her exhausted body struggling to recover from the unexpected assault. Apparently, the monsters of Eternal Heaven weren’t the only things capable of threatening her life.

Leon froze, his wooden fork hovering halfway to his mouth. For several seconds, the Vanguard remained completely motionless before slowly turning his head toward his wife, his dual-colored eyes settling on her with an expression that was difficult to decipher.

Snow, however, seemed entirely unaffected by the commotion she had caused. Sitting comfortably across the table, she offered him a cheerful smile before reaching for a cloth napkin. Without the slightest hint of embarrassment, she began wiping the spilled water from the mahogany surface as though nothing unusual had happened.

Mira eventually managed to draw a proper breath, although her face had turned an alarming shade of crimson. She wiped her mouth with the back of her leather glove before staring at Snow with the sort of disbelief usually reserved for witnessing an impossible system notification.

"What... what did you just say?" she wheezed.

Snow tilted her head, her crystalline blue eyes blinking innocently. "I asked when Leon was going to make it official. You know, when he’s going to marry you."

"Second wife?"

Mira nearly choked again.

She looked at Snow, then at Leon, before returning her attention to the white-haired woman. Her exhausted mind desperately attempted to make sense of the conversation, but the words simply refused to arrange themselves into anything remotely reasonable.

"I don’t... I don’t see Leon like that!" she blurted out.

It was an outright lie, and Mira knew it. Unfortunately, being confronted with such an outrageous proposition by the man’s beautiful wife had sent her survival instincts into overdrive. Her first reaction was to deny everything before the situation somehow escalated into something considerably more dangerous.

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his deep voice carrying genuine curiosity rather than irritation.

Mira swallowed, suddenly finding herself under the scrutiny of two individuals who could probably dismantle her entire existence without breaking a sweat.

"I mean, we’re just acquaintances!" she insisted, gripping the edge of the table. "He saved me back in the lower sectors. I owe him my life, but that doesn’t mean I’m trying to steal your husband!"

Her words came out considerably louder than intended.

Mira had spent the past thirty days fighting for survival in a world that seemed specifically designed to kill her. She had faced Elite Sovereigns, narrowly escaped monsters with poisonous fangs, and endured encounters with creatures capable of manipulating gravity itself.

She had learned to anticipate ambushes, recognize hostile intentions, and distrust almost everyone she encountered. Yet, somehow, none of that experience had prepared her for a beautiful woman casually offering her husband to another woman over dinner.

For a brief moment, her eyes drifted toward the sliding bamboo doors. The thought of escaping into the forest crossed her mind, although she quickly abandoned it. Even if she somehow managed to leave the estate, where exactly was she supposed to go?

The man sitting across from her was Leon Wes.

He wasn’t even releasing his Steadfast-tier aura, yet his physical presence alone made it difficult to forget the enormous difference between them. His dark, gold-embroidered draconic garments concealed a physique that had become considerably more imposing since their last encounter, while his shadow-silk mantle rested elegantly across his broad shoulders.

Mira couldn’t help feeling insignificant.

Her equipment was damaged, her body was exhausted, and her current level was nowhere near sufficient to survive independently in the more dangerous regions of Eternal Heaven. Meanwhile, the couple sitting before her possessed enough strength and resources to establish an entire settlement without needing to ask anyone’s permission.

Snow noticed her discomfort.

With a gentle sigh, she placed the napkin aside and rose from her woven silk cushion. Rather than returning to her seat, she gracefully walked around the table and knelt beside Mira.

There was no hostility in her movements, nor did she display the slightest indication of jealousy. Instead, she reached forward and gently gathered Mira’s trembling hands between her own.

"Steal him?" Snow repeated, her thumbs brushing lightly against the callouses covering Mira’s knuckles. "Mira, you couldn’t steal Leon even if you tried. He’s a Steadfast entity. He goes wherever he wants, and nobody gets to decide that for him."

Mira stared at their joined hands.

"Then why would you ask something like that?" she whispered.

Snow raised her head, meeting the player’s silver eyes with an expression of genuine sincerity.

"Because I saw how you looked at him in the courtyard earlier. You were practically trembling when you realized he was the one and standing right in front of you."

Mira’s expression faltered.

She hadn’t realized anyone had noticed.

After spending so much time wandering through the dangerous sectors, constantly fighting for survival, she had almost forgotten what it felt like to encounter someone she could genuinely depend on. Seeing Leon again had brought an overwhelming sense of relief that she hadn’t been able to contain.

She had rushed toward him without thinking, throwing her arms around someone who represented the closest thing to absolute safety she had experienced since entering Eternal Heaven.

Snow had seen all of it.

"I love Leon," Snow continued, her voice becoming noticeably softer. "I love him with everything I have. He’s my partner, my protector, and the person I want standing beside me regardless of what happens in this world."

Her fingers gently tightened around Mira’s hands.

"And because I love him so much, I want him to be happy. I want him to have everything he desires, not because I feel obligated to give it to him, but because seeing him happy makes me happy too."

Leon watched his wife quietly.

Although he was accustomed to Snow’s affectionate nature, there were still moments when her straightforward declarations caught him off guard. Her devotion was never something she attempted to conceal, and she had never been particularly interested in conforming to the expectations of their former world.

"The duty of a wife is to make her husband happy," Snow continued, her expression becoming unusually serious. "And Eternal Heaven isn’t exactly a place where people can afford to be unnecessarily miserable."

She briefly glanced around the estate.

They had built something extraordinary here. A sanctuary surrounded by powerful defensive formations, supplied with resources, and protected by individuals who possessed the strength to survive the increasingly dangerous environment.

"Look around, Mira. This place is our home. We’ve built a family here, something worth protecting. If there’s another woman Leon genuinely wants by his side, why should I stand in the way?"

Mira remained silent.

"Besides," Snow added with a small smile, "any woman Leon loves is someone I want to know. If she becomes part of our family, then she’ll have my support too."

The words left Mira thoroughly speechless.

Snow’s perspective was considerably different from what she had grown accustomed to back on Nexus. Under normal circumstances, most women wouldn’t casually encourage their husbands to marry someone else, much less personally approach the prospective bride and offer their approval.

But Eternal Heaven wasn’t Nexus.

The world they had entered was a brutal environment where strength determined survival, and isolation could easily become a death sentence. The people who managed to establish genuine bonds and dependable alliances possessed an advantage that went far beyond individual combat strength.

Snow understood that better than most.

She wasn’t simply being generous. She was also recognizing Mira’s potential and the value of having another capable woman within their circle. The silver-haired player had survived an entire month in dangerous territories without the backing of a powerful guild, reaching the Peak-Initiate tier through her own efforts.

That alone was an impressive achievement.

More importantly, Snow had seen the way Mira looked at Leon. There was trust there, perhaps even affection that the woman herself hadn’t fully acknowledged. Rather than allowing those feelings to develop into an uncomfortable rivalry, Snow preferred to address the matter directly.

Of course, there was also the undeniable fact that she genuinely liked Mira.

"Besides, I’m not asking you to steal him from me," Snow said, her playful smile returning. "I’m offering to share him. If marrying you would make Leon happy, then you already have my approval!"

Mira’s face immediately heated up again.

She slowly turned toward Leon, whose expression remained as unreadable as ever.

The Vanguard had been listening to the entire conversation without interrupting. His mind had already processed Snow’s intentions, separating her emotional reasoning from the practical considerations underlying her proposal.

He understood his wife’s personality better than anyone.

Snow wasn’t making this offer out of insecurity or some misguided attempt to prove her devotion. She genuinely believed that expanding their family was something worth considering, particularly if it meant bringing another capable individual into their increasingly formidable circle.

Leon then turned his attention toward Mira.