Gamus was the first one to feel them approaching. His expression was calm but that wasn't really the case with his mind.
He had felt the movement of energy when Anom had created his barrier. His first thought was that an enemy had appeared, even though it was an absurd possibility. But then he felt the presence of Anom's aura within this energy, which made him calm his steps.
But the next instant, everything disappeared. The aura and presence of Anom, as well as Loreana, vanished.
Gamus had to probe using energy as he found the presence of a barrier. It was weak enough that he could break it even from a distance. But the strange thing was that no one among those two was at the level of manipulating energy external to them. This made him astonished as he grew even more curious about Anom's origins.
Gamus kept his thoughts to himself, while Crystal and Luna had also discovered Loreana and Anom.
Luna smiled when she saw Anom. The little maid almost looked addicted to Anom's presence as she always had a sweet smile on her face whenever he was around. Anom also liked this cute girl and enjoyed stroking her silky hair.
By her side, Crystal was also happy when she saw Anom, but her face carried a questioning look as she saw Anom coming together with Loreana.
Anom ignored her look as he walked towards Luna and began doing what they both liked – pats.
Crystal would have snorted if it was before, but after Anom had hugged her together with Luna, she only blushed with anticipation. But she couldn't do anything in the presence of her grandfather.
Gamus cleared his throat. "You must have already explained everything to her since you took some time, right?"
Anom nodded along with Loreana, while Crystal and Luna could only make curious expressions.
Gamus didn't keep them in suspense as he continued, "We have decided to agree to the Handler family's wedding proposal." Seeing the girls frowning, Gamus explained the agreement proposed by the Handler family.
Luna covered her little mouth with her hand while Crystal turned pale. Although she knew that the Handler family had proposed some kind of agreement, she didn't know the exact terms. She also knew that her family had rejected that proposal, but now when she heard her grandpa deciding to agree, her first feeling was despair... But it soon turned into resolution as she clenched her beautiful palms, deciding on shouldering this responsibility as a member of her family.
Gamus chuckled when he saw her expression, while Loreana felt bad for her daughter.
She moved her hand over Crystal's head but found it touching Anom's hand instead. She took back her hand in a hurry while Anom smirked at her reaction.
He rubbed Crystal's head to comfort the poor girl. "Silly girl, do you think your family is so helpless that they would have to resort to sacrificing the daughter they love so much?" His words cleared her thoughts as Crystal also realized that her family wouldn't ever do something like that.
Loreana also agreed as she nodded and smiled at her daughter. But Anom's next words made her want to beat him...
"Well, they ARE helpless... But they would prefer fighting with their enemies, instead of sacrificing you... *sigh* such simple-minded people...But don't worry, there's also me!"
Loreana was about to rebuke him but was startled when she saw Gamus shaking his head as though he was also disappointed in his family.
"We are only doing this to buy some time and make them drop their guard... Also, I will go and have a talk with Rudard..." Gamus explained the real reason for his acceptance.
Crystal nodded when she heard his words, her mind now clear of all gloomy thoughts. But she became concerned when he talked about her second uncle. "Are you going to confront him directly, grandpa?"
"Don't worry. He won't." Anom was the one who replied. "Our aim is to calm all the opposing forces... Sadly, your uncle is also one of them. We have to calm the situation first before we can start..." he spoke with a smirk,
"...taking control."
Crystal was still worried, while Luna just admired Anom's confident smirk.
After deciding on their initial plan, they went back towards Crystal's place while Gamus separated from them. He was going to have a talk with Rudard. Visiting right now was not very surprising as the morning was about to descend soon and the top members were used to waking up early.
Anom was walking at a leisurely pace with the three beauties following beside him. The scene of them walking like this in the receding moonlight looked mesmerizing as they each had a different allure. He couldn't help but admire this divine scene.
Moonlight illuminated the adorable features of Luna, making her look like the child of the moon. Although she was already around eighteen years old, her figure was petite, with modest and still developing curves. Her cute face and small figure made her look fragile, making one want to cherish and protect her.
Crystal was a young beauty of twenty years of age. Her slender body dripped with an inviting youthfulness. The curves on her chest and bottom still had some room to grow as they only increased her allure.
Anom then turned towards the mature Loreana. She kept a neutral expression while a bit of exhaustion tried to cloud her beauty. But her charming appearance was not something that could be hidden so easily.
What was even harder to hide was her luscious body, covered in a loose dress and a loose unfastened robe. But this attire allowed her breasts a lot of space for free movement as they undulated. Her waist and hips were another appealing sight as they swayed, filling one's mind with sinful thoughts.
Anom realized that the way she was walking right now was different from her usual elegant style. Maybe because it was exhausting to always walk like that, besides feeling comfortable right now, made her drop her pretences.
Crystal had already noticed Anom's gaze and felt both joy and shame when she saw him admiring her curves. But then he started admiring Loreana, which made her frown.
She got closer and asked in a whisper, "What are you doing?"
Anom already knew what she meant but he didn't withdraw his gaze as he replied, "Admiring this scene of three beauties walking together, which many would die to witness once... I would have captured this moment in a painting... if only I knew how."
Crystal blushed when she heard him calling her a beauty, but then she realized that his words also included her mother. And what was more...
"She's a child, you pervert!" Crystal whispered angrily when she saw him admiring Luna.
Anom looked at her and asked calmly, "Do you know her age?"
"Of course, she... uhh... has been with me since I can remember." She sighed as she realized that she had always seen Luna as a little sister. Luna's petite appearance only made her look more like a little girl.
"The next month will be her eighteenth birthday." Crystal muttered as she looked at Luna.
Anom also smiled and, for the first time, felt like celebrating someone's birthday.
Luna soon noticed them looking at her and smiled.
But her smile was directed only at Anom, which made Crystal grit her teeth.
She wasn't sure if she was angry at Anom for making her friend fall for him or jealous of her friend for having such sweet interactions with him.
It didn't take long for them to arrive outside Crystal's house.
But before they entered...
"Let me take care of him." Loreana spoke as she pointed at the tree, behind which was Guloi, lying unconscious.
Anom nodded. "Let me help you."
Anom dragged the unconscious Guloi towards the place he was initially standing at.
Loreana then made the girls go back to Crystal's place. Anom nodded at her as he hid himself behind the trees.
She took a deep breath as her whole bearing changed. She turned back to being the wife of the head of the house.
A slight kick was enough to make Guloi regain his senses. He groaned while rubbing his eyes, which opened wide when he saw Loreana in front of him.
He stood up quickly and bowed. "Greetings, Madam."
Loreana had a cold expression on her face as she asked, "What are you doing here?"
Guloi felt the anger present in her voice and shivered.
"M...Madam, I-I was just passing through here..." He stammered. Even though the only person he respected was his master, he still feared Loreana, who was known for her strict discipline. Besides, he was there to keep an eye on Crystal, which he was sure Loreana had no idea about. But he still feared her suspecting his presence, which might make him fail the mission given by Rudard.
She didn't respond to his reply and just looked at him coldly.
Guloi shivered as he hurriedly bowed and left the place after greeting her again.
He was still not sure of the reason he was lying on the floor, as he didn't remember anything besides the slight pain he felt before fainting. He just hoped his master would not blame him.
Anom came out of the shadows as he looked at Loreana with an admiring gaze, making her unnerved.
"What is it?" She tried to keep her voice calm as she asked.
"...It's amazing how you can maintain so many different images... I personally like it when you act as a gentle mother..." Then he chuckled. "But your fierce look with the aura of authority is also stunning."
He smiled, expecting to enjoy a flustered and angry look... but his smile froze as Loreana's expression turned downcast for some reason.
"I'm sorry if I said anything inappropriate!" He apologized hurriedly.
Loreana just shook her head with a sad smile. "Don't mind it. I just thought about something... Let's go."
Anom followed her as they made their way towards Crystal's house.
Both of them kept silent as Anom kept remembering her sad smile. It made him feel uncomfortable while an urge to comfort Loreana was soaring inside of him. But he wasn't sure how to approach her.
They were passing through the yard when…
Loreana felt her hand being enveloped by a bigger and warmer hand.
She turned and found Anom looking at her with a gentle expression, causing her to panic.
Loreana tried to shrug off his hand. "What are you doing? I'm your mother-in-law. You should think about how wrong it is for you to do so." She wanted to get angry at him for doing something like that, but her body wasn't obeying her, as it wanted the warmth that only the man in front of her could provide. This only made her feel more guilty towards her daughter.
Just when she tried another weak attempt at freeing her hand, Anom spoke.
"Why do you have to think of it the wrong way? You can think of us as friends... And I don't want to do anything you don't like… So tell me if you feel uncomfortable with anything I'm about to do." Saying that, he pulled her in his arms once again.