Chapter 325 The More, The Merrier (1)
Chapter 325 The More, The Merrier (1)
The day dawned crisp and clear. The warmth from the twin stars flooded the room, walking Ashton up. Being in contact with sunlight caused a little bit of pain to him. Yet he didn't move from his place.
'The pain is minimal, besides I've already gotten used to it by now. I can't hide from light my entire life, can I? Besides... where will I get to enjoy this view?'
It was one of thousand mornings Ashton had lived through, and yet this morning was extra special to him. How could it not be after what happened last night? Initially, he was scared that everything would be ruined, thanks to Astaroth. But what Astaroth did, led to what was probably the best thing that happened to Ashton in his entire life.
'I should thank him one of these days.'
Ashton still had his arms warped around Anna as she let her head rest upon his naked chest. All his thoughts that weren't about her stopped as if his heart had taken over his head when they were close. The trials, the assassination attempt, everything was long forgotten about. The only thing that mattered the most to him was already in his arms.
The next moment he squeezed her body as if he needed to check she was there with him. He wanted to make sure everything that happened last night was all real and not a dream... and real it was.
Anna was lying next to him, in body and soul. Just watching her sleep so peacefully was a bliss. So much so, he wanted to beat himself up for not confessing her true feelings to her. At the moment, he also doubted anyone else ever felt the way he did keeping her in his arms.
He brushed the red hairs off her face to get a clear look at her, sleeping like a baby in his arms. Although they had been doing some not-so-decent stuff for some time now, what happened last night was different. They had a connection, or at least that's how Ashton felt at the moment.
"By God, I'm one hell of a lucky man, ain't I?" He mumbled after making sure Anna was asleep, but to his surprise, she wasn't.
"Damn right you are." Anna slowly opened her eyes, revealing his reflection in her crimson eyes, before leaning in to give him a morning kiss, "Good morning!"
"I wish all of my mornings were this good," Ashton mumbled and kissed her back.
At this time, there was a knock on the door, snapping the love birds back to reality.
"If it's the twins, I swear I'm gonna do something I'll regret later." Ashton hastily jumped out of the bed and got dressed, all the while Anna keep smiling and shaking her head, "Yeah yeah I heard you knocking the first time. I haven't gone deaf yet!"
Ashton was expecting the twins when he opened the door. Instead, he was greeted by a couple of unfamiliar faces. Well, not entirely unfamiliar since one of them was Leon Zhask and the other was some lady Ashton had never seen before.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of having Commander Zhask greet me so early in the morning?" Ashton asked in the politest tone possible before focusing his attention on the lady, "You might be Lady Otiga. It's an honour to meet you."
Ashton pretended to guess who the lady was, conveniently forgetting that he already used [Detection] on her the moment he saw a new person.
Unlike other Zhask family members Ashton had met so far, Otiga was a woman with a small stature. But felt like she was a bit quick-tempered. Her white hair was closely shaven, giving her a 'warrior-like' look when coupled with the tattoos she had engraved on her body.
She also had mysteriously wide, black eyes and fairly large black lips that complemented her shaven hairs. An excessive foundation was laden on her face, probably to hide her blemishes or scars. She had wide feet, strong legs, and strong arms.
The legs and her back were completely covered with a black tattoo. Which was a bit weird and yet beautiful at the same time.
"Oh my, such a polite gentleman." Otiga replied before turning toward Leon, "Unlike what I have been informed about."
Leon did not utter a word and kept his head low. He was already in a lot of shit for what happened last night, talking back would only increase his problems.
The last time Ashton had seen Leon, it didn't appear he was someone who would care about anyone but himself. But look at him now, behaving like a good boy.
"Please come inside, I believe you have some business to discuss with me." Ashton led them inside, where Anna was waiting, already dressed up and ready to head out and complete some more trials, "This is Anna Swan, my companion from Earth."
Otiga acknowledged her presence with a nod, while Leon did not bother with anything. Anna, on the other hand, didn't do anything and sat next to Ashton when he gestured her to. While the guests took their place across the table.
"I have been wanting to meet the one who manhandled the 'Mountain Lord' of Euphoria." Otiga said with a smile, "No one apart from the first seat holder had ever thrashed Jacklin so badly that he had to spend more than a minute in the hospital. And yet, you did it with such ease."
"It wasn't my intention to hurt him that badly. Sadly he left me no choice but to put him to rest a bit."
Otiga nodded before continuing while pointing at Leon, "Either way, I'm not here to talk about that moron but about the actions of my daughter. I suppose you've already met her along with my son."
Ashton was a bit stunned, If anything, Otiga looked much younger than Leon. If Ashton was told to guess their relationship based on their looks, Leon pretty much looked like Otiga's uncle. Yet, he was her son? It would seem the years had been kind to her.
"Oh... was your daughter behind the attack?"
Otiga nodded her head. She appeared to be disappointed due to her daughter's actions.
"Before you ask, he is already behind bars for unneesarrily attacking a participant as well as using the name of the Zodiac seat holders. Her punishment... wouldn't be merciful. She'll probably be banished from the planet, if not killed." She said without a tinge of emotion on her face.
'Her daughter might get killed and she's... so calm?'
[A powerful person has to often make sacrifices. She probably got used to it by now.]
'How long have you been up for?' Ashton was a bit startled.
[Hm... you might not like the answer. So let's just focus on the topic.]
'You pervert, tell me what did you see!?'
[Nothing new. Now listen to her or I'll trigger some sort of memory loss for you!]