Anom felt awkward as he stared at Loreana. He didn't know if it was right to invite a woman inside his room like this, as he did not understand the customs of this world. And this unpredictable world was filled with so many variations, so the customs might differ according to race and area.
'I should try to understand my surroundings better next time.'
Meanwhile, Loreana didn't say anything as she just nodded and started walking towards the door.
Anom looked at her back and couldn't help but focus on her rhythmically swaying buttocks. Her light blue dress soaked in the moonlight, along with her soft-looking curves made her look like a water fairy.
Suddenly he broke out of his daze when he saw Loreana about to turn around. He quickly followed after her as they both entered the building.
It was dark inside the room when Loreana did something and the room became bright.
Anom saw her touching a pattern engraved on the wall near the door. It was just like a light switch and it made the beautiful white crystal, embedded in the ceiling, shine.
He looked around and saw that they were currently in what looked like a hall. There was a sofa and some chairs arranged around a wooden table. The floor was furnished with wood, while the walls had some intricate flower patterns painted on them, which did not look feminine at all.
Seeing him looking around, Loreana explained, "This is the living room. Those stairs lead to the bedroom on the second floor. There is also a kitchen and some other rooms, but you don't need to worry about those things. I will send a servant to take care of your needs." She paused and gestured towards the chairs with a smile. "Shall we?" She walked forward and seated herself on a chair.
Anom did the same and sat on a chair across from her.
Seeing him remaining silent, Loreana joked, "What? You don't have to be so nervous. Well, I guess it's normal to get nervous in front of your future in-laws on the first meeting."
But Anom said something which didn't fit with the mood she was trying to create.
"Your daughter's life is in danger."
Loerana's smile disappeared as she stared at Anom, trying to understand his point.
"It was! But now that she is back with her family, she's safe," she said.
But Anom shook his head, "You're wrong. I think you and your husband should be clearer than Crystal, about the Handler family's attempt to suppress your family. Do you think they will stop attempting to harm Crystal and force you just because this is your home? …You should be worried instead of being relieved. Tell me…Have you thought about the meaning of Crystal getting harmed within her own home?"
Loreana tried to process what he was saying and it made little sense to her. "What do you mean by getting harmed in her own home? I know that the Handler family is powerful, but the best they can do is send some spies or bribe some servants. But even that can't cause any harm to my family, as all the servants serving the important members of the family are trained loyally and have little to no contact with anyone on the outside. And my daughter is safe as her room is near my husband's and my room… We have already increased the security around the mansion since the Handler family started acting suspiciously." She paused then asked. "Do you still think that Crystal is in danger?" her face was filled with confidence in her family's strength and she didn't think that the enemy would be brave enough to attack someone from her family at their own place.
Anom sighed inwardly and changed his mind to tell her about his traitor theory, as she would not believe him and might even throw him out.
But he had to do something as he had promised Crystal that he would help her family.
"How about we make a bet?" he asked as he thought of an idea.
"What kind of bet?" Loreana asked curiously, as she found him weird for asking about making a bet all of a sudden.
Anom smiled but didn't say it right away. Instead he asked, "Do you think anyone will visit Crystal at her place to ask about her well-being?"
Even while finding the question odd, she replied, "Of course. You have seen how much everyone in the family cares for her. Most of the members will either visit her personally or send their servants if they are busy." Crystal was loved by everyone and Anom saw that from their interactions with her. 'But that's where the problem lies…'
"Will they bring any gifts with them?" He continued, asking questions which Loreana couldn't make any sense of. Still, she replied, as she wanted to see what he was up to as it was related to her daughter's safety.
"…Yes. They might bring some medicine and tonic from their own collections to help Crystal heal faster. Even though they know that I will be providing Crystal with the best medicine available in the family treasury, they will still go to show their affection."
"Then that's it!" Anom clapped as he stood up.
Loreana was bewildered, "What is what? How does that have to do with any bet?" She started to think that maybe Anom was messing with her.
But before she could say anything, Anom spoke. "These visits are the perfect opportunity if someone wants to harm Crystal." Loreana was about to say something but Anom interjected, "I'm not accusing anyone from your family. Let's assume that no one from your family will do it intentionally, but they might end up getting used up by your enemy."
"How?" Loreana calmed down after hearing what Anom said, but she still didn't think that it would be that easy.
Anom shrugged. "You can control your own family, but you have no control over the outside world, and I think most of the gifts will come from the outside. Do you have full confidence that none of those gifts will contain any kind of impurity?"
Loreana thought about his words and realized, although absurd, they made sense. She knew how deeply the Handler family hated her Safaira family… Now that Anom had raised such a possibility, she couldn't ignore it as it was related to her daughter's life.
"…Then I will just tell her to not use or consume anything from the items she'll get. Then we won't have any problems." Loreana replied, even though she doubted the chances of something like that happening.
"Ma'am, I think now I understand the reason Crystal is so carefree when it comes to the matter of her family." Anom sighed. "You are an intelligent and strong lady yourself, but when it comes to the matter of judging someone from your own family, you turn hesitant or just trust them blindly… Well, it won't be useful if keep talking like this. Let us discuss our bet. I would bet that someone from this family, maybe a servant or a member, will try to harm Crystal tonight and… your opinion is that they won't, right?"
Loreana nodded. That was what she wanted and the possibility she believed in… Maybe.
Anom continued, "But our main aim is to save her from any type of harm. So you must prepare for whatever danger you can think of." Anom finished speaking and began to think of possible scenarios they might need to deal with.
Suddenly, Loreana stood up. She said with a smile, "You said I'm an intelligent and strong lady, right? Well, I don't know about being intelligent, as that will be proved wrong if what you said turns out to be true… But I can say for sure that I'm strong. At least stronger than you." She looked at Anom with a teasing expression. "My daughter told me about your skills. But I need to see it for myself. So, what do you think? You won't mind fighting against an old lady like me, hmm?"
Anom chuckled, "Just turn off the lights then I'll show you my skills."
'Damn! That came out wrong.'
"Ahem, I mean, uh… you should have heard from your daughter that I specialize in stealth, speed and sneak attacks. And if we fight right now, I would be forced to use all of my skills… and I don't want to hurt you." Anom explained.
Loreana giggled. "Quite the confidence you got there. Alright, let's turn off the lights. Then you can show me your skills." She laughed at the end of her sentence as she waved her and hand turned off the lights.
Anom realized that this gentle and kind-looking lady was really dangerous. Both in wits and in skills.
When she had waved her hand to turn off the lights, Anom saw a blue glow leave her hand and hit the pattern on the wall. It was so fast, if not for his high perception, he wouldn't even have detected it.
'Is this the Assimilation Realm?'
He really wanted to know, but now was not the time.
As soon as the lights went out, Loreana realized that Anom's presence had vanished.
She was surprised, as she had accepted his condition thinking that he was just an ignorant young man. Loreana wanted to teach him some humility but didn't expect his skills to be so good.
'But that's good. He would make a good son-in-law,' Loreana thought as she began to focus on her senses and gather the energy in her body, ready to defend.
She quickly turned after hearing a sound behind her. But it was gone the next moment, becoming quiet once again.
Thud!
Another sound was heard, but before she could turn around, she froze.
Loreana felt something cold near her neck. Although it wasn't touching, she was sure it was something sharp.
"What do you think now, Ma'am? Are you satisfied with my skills?" Anom chuckled but he was cursing inwardly. 'Damn it! Why does it sound so wrong whenever I say it to her?'
Loreana waved her hands, turning the lights back on. Anom moved back and sheathed his blade as he stared at her with a smile.
Loreana sighed. "You're good." Suddenly, her expression brightened as she asked, "So, what do you think about becoming my son-in-law?" She liked this young man who had saved her daughter's life and was still worrying for her safety.
"Sure. Why not?" Anom just shrugged. "But only if she smells as good as you."
Loreana smiled happily after hearing his reply but his last sentence caught her off guard, making the mature beauty blush.
"You little villain. What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" She scolded angrily, but her blushing face made her look cute.
Anom admired the cuteness of this mature and sexy mother as he started walking towards the wooden table near the chairs.
He picked up a cup and filled it with water from the water jug that was on the table.
Loreana thought Anom was thirsty but he turned, walked in her direction and offered it to her.
She looked at Anom with a confused expression, asking for an explanation.
"Drink it."
"… I am not thirsty." Actually she was, but she wouldn't take it from this stinky kid who made her confused and embarrassed.
Anom stopped smiling and looked at her seriously.
"This might save your daughter's life."