Chapter 1468 After Story 6 - When That Time Comes, Make Sure To Love Me A Lot
"Everything is so peaceful."
A lady, whose age couldn't be discerned, sipped her tea as she gazed at the scenery from her temple grounds.
The Ainsworth Empire had recovered after the war and was now thriving more than ever.
William had built several teleportation Gates a mile outside the city, which allowed the nations from all over the world to visit his Empire directly from wherever they were, making the Ainsworth Empire the hub of the entire world.
A place where people of different cultures could interact with each other and trade, allowing everyone to prosper.
"Haleth, Pearl, and Erinys are going to give birth soon," the lady said with a smile. "After them, the others will follow and, soon, all of them will give birth to cute and adorable babies."
The lady sighed as she thought of holding the children of the ladies that were part of her persona.
"When all of them had given birth, I guess it will be about time to give Will another surprise," the lady chuckled at the thought of surprising the handsome Half-Elf, who had embraced her just a night ago.
Just as the lady was thinking of how to break the news to the Half-Elf, a beautiful teenage girl with red hair appeared at the corner of her vision.
'In two or three years, Eve will start to bloom like a rose,' the lady thought as she looked at the High-Priestess of the Ainsworth Empire, who was walking in her direction. 'I pity the boys who will try to court her. If James doesn't manage to kill them, William definitely will.'
The lady chuckled internally as she looked at her Disciple, who had grown from a little girl into a young lady who was revered within the Ainsworth Empire and the Demon Continent.
"Master, I'm done with my studies," Eve said as she gave her Master, Ariadne, a respectful bow before sitting on the chair next to her.
"Good," Ariadne replied as she patted Eve's head.
"Master, please stop treating me like a child." Eve pouted. "I'm all grown up now."
Ariadne giggled before she stopped patting the head of her Disciple, who had already caught the attention of all the Princes' of the different kingdoms of the world.
In fact, there had been several suitors and matchmakers who tried to ask for Eve's hand in marriage already, but James and William declined all of their offers, telling them that Eve was still too young to start a romantic relationship.
Naturally, there were Princes' who were quite bold and tried to form a connection with the treasure of the Ainsworth Family personally.
Eve treated these people warmly, which made them bolder, thinking that she was a naive girl who didn't know what love was.
Unfortunately, after she was forced to become Ahriman's High Priestess, as well as participate in the war in the Central Continent, the young lady was similar to a veteran warrior who had seen countless battles.
Although she treated others warmly, and respectfully, as how a High Priestess of a God should do, she was far from naive, and fully understood the intentions of the people who tried to ask her hand for marriage.
The persistent and annoying ones among her suitors were dealt with by the ducklings and the White Goose, who didn't hesitate to bite their family jewels, making these Princes and high-ranking Nobles shriek in pain.
Naturally, they tried to guilt trip Eve, but the Six-Eared Macaque was always there to put a stop to their delusions.
After the Pseudo-God, whose strength was similar to Sun Wukong's, turned them into Monkeys for an entire day, they no longer pestered Eve, and looked for other beauties to prey on.
"Are the preparations for William's third marriage finished?" Ariadne asked in a teasing tone.
Eve nodded. "Invitations have already been sent to the various nations. It seems that the Silvermoon Continent is preparing a grand feast as tribute since their Princess is marrying into our family."
"Hah… it's all politics. Well, I'm sure that William will treat Princess Eowyn with love and respect after they are married."
"I agree. It's too bad that Big Brother is family, or else I would have married him as well."
Ariadne giggled because she knew that Eve was just joking.
"Unfortunately, your future lover needs to survive your Grandpa's and William's extensive screening before you and him will be able to walk hand in hand under the sun," Ariadne stated. "It's not easy being the only girl in the family."
Eve smiled after hearing Ariadne's words. She wasn't really in a hurry to have a relationship with anyone. For the time being, she was fine with her current role as the High Priestess of the God of Shepherds and the God of All Trades, who were two of the five Patron Gods that watched over their Empire.
For the time being, William decided to not make Eve the High Priestess of the Loli Goddess, the Harem God, and the Isekai Specialist, because these three religions might make a mess of the World of Hestia, if they were to become official.
"Master, somehow, you feel different today?" Eve tilted her head as she looked at Ariadne.
Although her Master was strict, she was very kind and truly cared for her. However, the feeling she was getting from Ariadne right now was so casual, it was as if she was just talking to Medusa, Cherry, and Erinys, who had become her best friends.
"I'm just in a good mood today," Ariadne replied. "Don't worry, I will return to being your strict Master in a few short hours, so you'd better be prepared when that happens."
"Master, I actually like the current you right now," Eve said honestly as she smiled at Ariadne. "I hope that you are always in a good mood!"
Ariadne giggled at the young beauty's reply, which made her pinch Eve's cheeks.
Suddenly, Eve's Master raised her head towards the sky and saw a Half-Elf flying in their direction.
A playful thought appeared inside her head as she looked at William who was about to land beside them.
"Good afternoon, ladies," William said as he patted Eve's head before sitting on the chair next to her. "Can I join you girls for an afternoon snack?"
Eve glanced at her Master, and Ariadne simply shrugged as if saying that she didn't mind having more company.
"Are you perhaps running away from one of your lovers?" Ariadne asked in a teasing tone. "It must be nice being popular."
"I'm not running away," William replied with a smile. "I am simply doing my best to ensure that I am looking after all the ladies who love me."
"Oh? Then what are you doing here?"
"It's because one of my girls is here."
Ariadne arched an eyebrow after hearing William's words.
"What do you mean?" Ariadne asked. "Are you telling me that you are making moves on my Disciple?"
William smirked and looked at Ariadne. "You know, I've always wondered why your face changed every time I saw you, and would forget about it as soon as I took my eyes off you. Now, I understand the reason why."
Ariadne picked up her tea cup and took a sip as she looked at William with an amused expression on her face.
"What did you understand?" Ariadne asked.
"You're similar to Nisha," William replied as he gave the Oracle a knowing smile.
Ariadne's body froze after hearing William's words. A few seconds later, she placed her cup on top of the table and was about to refute the Half-Elf's words, but before she could do that, William had already sealed her lips with his own, making Eve's eyes widen in shock at the unexpected scene.
Half a minute later, the Half-Elf pulled back and returned to his seat, leaving a dazed Ariadne, and a dumbfounded Eve frozen where they were.
"Eve, can you leave the two of us for now," William said. "I'd like to talk to your Master in private."
Eve nodded and hurriedly left the scene. What she saw caught her completely by surprise, and for some reason, she didn't want to be there when William talked to her Master.
"You know, what you did back then was mean," William said when he was sure that Eve was already a good distance away from them. "You were the one who first offered me blood, after I became a Half-Vampire.
"Naturally, I shouldn't have forgotten what your blood tasted like, but since I was weaker than you back then, you erased this memory from my head. Now that I am stronger than you, this memory came back, and I realized that your blood, and the blood of my carefree wife was similar."
Ariadne pretended that she didn't hear William's words, as she continued to sip her tea.
"Cathy, don't you think it's time for you to come clean?" William asked. "Nisha is Nyx's Avatar, while Ariadne is your Avatar, right?"
A sigh escaped the Oracle's lips as she placed her tea cup back on the table.
"How did you know?" Cathy asked. "You only drank my blood once, and I make sure to only descend into Ariadne's body when you're not around."
"My senses encompassed the entirety of the Ainsworth Empire," William replied. "I was with Erinys just a few minutes ago when I felt your Aura. Since she was with me, it was impossible for you to appear, which was the piece I needed to connect the dots together."
"I knew I should have left when I had the chance," Cathy rubbed her face with both of her hands. "Just so you know, I can only descend into this body once a week. I can't always use Ariadne as my vessel because, just like Nisha, she also has her own thoughts and way of life. I'm just borrowing this body for a while."
William nodded. "I understand, but I wish you would have told me this beforehand."
"Mmm, I was planning to tell you when everyone had given birth," Cathy replied. "But, you ruined my surprise."
Cathy glared at the Half-Elf, but the latter only chuckled at her displeased expression. Clearly, he was finding joy in ruining his Ninth Wife's plans.
"Last night, we weren't able to spend a lot of time together because you can't stay in that merged state for a long time due to Haleth, Pearl, and Erinys being pregnant," William stated. "Next time you descend into Ariadne's body, make sure to give me a heads up so we can spend some time together."
"You will need to ask for Ariadne's permission first," Cathy replied. "Afterall, this is her body."
"I know. I'll ask her later."
"Good."
Cathy stood up from her seat and hugged William from behind.
"I look forward to the day when I can give birth to your baby as well," Cathy whispered in William's ears. "When that time comes, make sure to love me a lot, okay, Papa?"
"Okay," William replied before turning his head to the side to kiss Cathy's lips.
Although there were some twists and turns along the way, the Half-Elf was happy to know that his wife, who could not always be with him due to her current circumstances, was always watching over him, and continued to help him in more ways than one.