Aster let Kamryn rest on the bed while he headed for the showers to clean himself up. He wanted to continue his plays with her on the bath but she was on an emotional roller coaster for the day.
She came ringing the bell with her guards and met him. Her arrogance due to her upbringing, distraught from her guard's defeat, despair from comparing her talent with him, hope from seeing Garth, defeat from seeing her secret card being battered into a bird, mental distress from having her soul attacked, viciousness by tricking him into her trap, hate from having her plans continuously file by him, love from the Hate Reversal effect, pleasure from having sex with him, guilt from not informing him of the second trap, happiness from having overcome all those tribulations, and acceptance from finding a lover inside her enemy.
Aster was a bit quick with his bath because he is a man. Men take baths through simple soaping and washing dirt with relaxing water. Women's time in the bath is exponential than that of men's, it is a great mystery for all men regarding what makes women extend their time in the washroom to be quite long.
It is not a general way of things though because germaphobes and exceptions always break the rule. Maybe it is reverse in other regions and such time in the bath might not have any difference at all, regardless of sex and gender. Some people may not just take a bath at all.
'Thinking about baths really makes me realize that people's thoughts wander in unknown territories if they are bored.' He said while waiting for Kamryn to wake up. He really thought that she would be made some sort of slave but here they are, she sleeps soundly while he waits like the compassionate lover he should be.
'System, are there any options other than conquering them and the women will fall in love with me?' To ease his inquiries, the system answered. "Host, whatever the case, they are still your harem member. It all depends on how you treat them and how they interact with you."
'Yep. I get that but conquering them somehow makes me love them as well.' He was sure of himself that he grew cold-hearted and not knowing of love. Yet, situations like meeting the triplets and Kamryn just changed him into some sort of romantic. 'Shouldn't a harem be about benefits and connections? Like how generals and kings marry off their daughters to an emperor for empowering each other. The emperor would only find members of his harem as potential carriers of his offspring and to ensure the continuation of the imperial bloodline.'
"Host, the answer boils down to how you develop your harem. You could be a generic emperor that creates harem for his empire, you could be the talented genius that naturally draws women towards you and loves you well, you could be a douchebag whose harem only exists as a list of women you have sex with but eventually leave them in the morning, you could be a person that trains slaves who would go by the principle life of an S and an M." Aster really thought that the system would stop there but it still continued. "You could also be the loyalist who has only one harem member for life, you could be the fake loyalist who actually forms mistresses behind his wife's back, and you could be one that follows his weird fetishes when forming a harem."
'System, your definition of a harem is quite broad that any form of relationship is actually a harem. Even the culture of monogamy is actually a single-membered harem.' He could only shake his head in exasperation. 'But strangely enough, I get what you're trying to say. A harem and how I interact with them depends entirely on me. I could be a tyrant, a romantic, a douchebag, a pervert, a hypocrite, a control-freak, and all the other known descriptions there.'
His words made sense and also did not make sense for him. 'I could be the benevolent lover to the triplets and Kamryn while I could also be a cold-hearted, cruel guy. Whatever the case, they are my harem members and no other fact could change that.'
Aster was really just rambling at this point to pass the time. He even asked the system of highly existential and philosophical questions like 'can somebody know everything' and 'what is the purpose of life.'
The system would only reply. "Host, this system is not greatly omnipotent to answer the question. Even the creator, who created me and this world does not know the answer because he has gotten low grades on those subjects. If you think about it, things are pretty illogical in this world that nothing is absolute. The true answer to all unanswered questions is bound to be only opinions because the evidence that supports the answer may not be right at all."
Aster somehow felt that the system and its computerized answers are just paraphrasing the popular philosophical quote that 'I know that I know nothing.'
Time passed and the clock on the wall was showing the most prominent time period where the small hand meets the bigger hand. It was twelve noon and lunch is bound to be ready downstairs.
Kamryn was still sleeping with her body facing downwards and he can't help but slap her enticing butt to wake her up. With the slapping sound echoing in the room and the jiggling of her butt cheeks, Kamryn begrudgingly woke up.
Her red suit was still intact by her arms and legs but she was truly naked on the more important parts. She found Aster and gave piercing glares to his direction. "Why were you so violent?"
"It is my punishment for trying to take over my house." He shrugged while thinking of an excuse for himself to punish her. 'There is a first time for everything and she is lucky enough to not get the truly violent treatment I would give to future women who would disagree with my ways.'
Kamryn was truly a brilliant actress as she gave fake tears. "I really thought that the punishment was sex and here you go slapping this sexy lady's butt. I don't want you deforming its unrivaled curves."
"You really are a master in acting." Aster praised while she pulled her into his embrace and gave her a kiss. Kamryn was already done with processing the mastery insights she gained and can't help but ask him after breaking their kiss. "Aster, are you responsible for the dreams I was having in my head."
"Hmmm. It depends. If it is about images about mastering your blood-related skills, then yes. If it is about your sexual wonderland where you are imagining me, then no, because it would all be your fault for being crazy in love with me." He responded to her arrogant act with an arrogant act of his own. 'I really like how she acts all bossy just to not look weak in my eyes.'
Kamryn now knew that the images in her head were courtesy of him. She can't help but wonder about his other mysterious abilities and fall deeper into his trap of being an indescribable enigma.
He fixed the messy red strings that were leftovers of her red suit while leaving the sleeves and the pant parts for style. "You look good in this new suit."
"Hmmph. I am hungry and I don't like showing my nude body to your other women. I need to change to more appropriate clothing" She said while she was back to her strong facade. Aster could only shake his head while thinking of ways to truly change her mind about showcasing her body to other members of his harem. 'Tsk... tsk. You are challenging my authority and capability of handling a harem.'
Kamryn saw the terrifying glint in his black iris and can't help but be docile again. "I was only kidding around, darling Aster. This young lady is open to being the big sister to your women and I can win over their hearts if you choose me as your main wife."
She really knew how to salvage a situation and even accompanied it with a sales pitch that would deliver her a good spot in his future group. He could only shake his head from her antics and handed her a white sleeping robe to cover up the naked parts of her body. Her clothes were all on her space ring downstairs and coincidentally, they needed to eat lunch.
Both of them reached the dining table where they saw the siblings. Soup and rice was the one to fill up their stomachs in this meal.
"Hello!" The little girls greeted the guest as they were taught by their elder sisters to be polite. Even if that guest was weirdly wearing an attire that was foreign to them
"Hello to you as well!" Kamryn was genuinely surprised to see little girls in the household. Before she could continue with her pleasantries, her womanly instincts informed her of trouble as three glares were directed to her.
The exaggeration of forming sparks during a face-off was actually a fact from seeing the display of animosity that Aster is seeing with his own eyes.
Eve was the first one to break the silence. "Who might this big-boobed cow be?"
"Hoho! This big-boobed cow is a lover that Aster just picked up from feinting by your gates, miss Meatless Dumpling." Kamryn reversed the insult and worked on her advantage. They were all equally goddess-like in looks, so he turned to use the triplets' sore spot.
She even crossed her arms right below her breasts and just shook away. It was a move that intimidated the already offended triplets. Her boobs did not make the comical 'boing' sound but they still felt an attack from how it jiggled under the loose robes she is wearing.
"Hmmph! It must only be meat and no substance. You must be a dried-up cow with no milk to show for." The normally timid Plum was actually the one to make a comeback. Aster and her triplet assemble was shocked by her trash talk while Kamryn was thinking of a retort. Only the young ones were clueless as to what was going on.
"Pfft!" Only Aster was having fun from seeing their catfight. 'What an interesting lunchtime this will be.'