"Cooperate for what?" The man asked the same question for the second time, his steps drawing closer to the three of them.
As he stood directly in front of her, Ayunda looked at the man's face, now filled with concern. His clear eyes scanned every inch of her body as if checking for injuries.
"Hehe, it's nothing, bro! Just... cooperation to ensure something like this doesn't happen again," Naura quickly replied, flashing a smile. Though her smile looked more like a corporate employee trying to please her boss, it didn't convince their older brother. Nolan let out a quiet grunt, his gaze returning to Ayunda, who appeared vacant.
"I didn't marry you just for things to end up like this," the man said sternly. "How am I supposed to face your family later, Ayunda?"
"Sorry..." Ayunda squeaked, her head bowing. Even though she knew the words weren't directed at her, they still pierced her heart.
"Sigh." He removed his blazer and laid it on the sofa. "You..." His words trailed off when he saw the girl sitting with her head resting on her hands, her shoulders slumped. Nolan shifted his gaze to Naren, who shrugged.
"Please help your sister to eat. I need to see the doctor first," Nolan said. "She needs to have breakfast first." He said firmly before walking out of the room.
"Is that Ayunda's husband?" Ayunda looked between them, confused.
"Yes, that's your husband," Naura replied, slightly puzzled by Ayunda's question, as though she were asking about a stranger.
"Sis, have breakfast!" Naren placed a thermos of porridge in front of her. "Need me to feed you?"
Ayunda furrowed her brow. "It's my head that's injured, not my hand."
"Yeah, I guess that makes you act a bit strange," Naura said sympathetically. Before she could say more, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed, as if dozens of people were running toward them.
"PRINCESS..."
"Princess, forgive me..."
"It's all Kenan's fault!"
"Yes, it's all Kenan's fault!"
Four men lined up, staring at her with teary eyes. The noise was overwhelming, and Ayunda squinted at Naren and Naura.
"Who are they?" she asked, bewildered.
"PRINCESS..." the four of them shouted in unison, their faces filled with shock.
After being calmed down by the twins, they all stood, trying to appear calm. Ayunda glanced at them one by one. From what she had heard from Naren, these four men were her older brothers. Judging by their disheveled appearances, it was clear that they were all deeply in love with their only younger sister. Ayunda sighed heavily, a growing sense of worry building inside her as she looked back at them. They were all staring at her with such sorrowful eyes.
According to Naura, after Ayunda got married, she cut off communication with all of her older brothers without any explanation. Based on how the original owner of this body had treated them and the way her brothers were looking at her with guilt, Ayunda could only guess that the original owner had been angry and had taken it out on them.
"Nda, this is your older brother Danny, the one you love the most," said the man with mismatched shirt buttons, looking at her with intense affection.
"That's not true, as your older brother, only two years older, Nda is closest to Brother Javier," the light-haired man snorted in disbelief.
The man wearing a cream-colored hoodie moved closer, smiling foolishly. "No need to explain much. This is Brother Rafa, the one you followed every second of your life."
"That's a lie. Your job is to climb mango trees in front of the residence. Our princess is not a monkey like you," Javier sneered.
"Nda, it's Kenan's fault… Forgive me!" Another man said, looking at her with regret.
"Yeah, Ken! If you had managed our family's business well, we wouldn't have had to give our princess to that thief!" Danny said angrily, glaring at the man still wearing his pajamas.
"This is Rafa's fault too! I told him to steal our parents' agreement papers, but he fell asleep in Mommy's room!" the man protested.
"No, the real problem is Danny's fault for being born a man! If he were a woman, it should have been him who married her, not our princess!" Javier said, glaring at Danny, who just gave a tired expression.
"After we get home, Nda should stay with me, so someone can take care of her!" Kenan spoke up, gently ruffling Ayunda's hair.
"Don't stay at Brother Kenan's house, sister Zea is already looking after two kids. You should stay with Brother Danny," Danny added, pulling Ayunda's hand.
"You've got a newborn, Nda doesn't like noise. Staying with Brother Rafa is the best option!" Rafa said, smiling broadly at Ayunda.
"What?! Your apart looks more like a junkyard than a home!" Javier slapped Rafa's shoulder hard. "Nda, you can come watch me compete while getting some fresh air. It's better than staying with a walking log like ironwood."
"Who are you calling a ironwood?"
The four men turned to see a tall man in a shirt, and they immediately turned their faces away, returning to look at their sister with gentle expressions.
"You, thief!" Javier muttered, but his voice was still loud enough for everyone to hear. Ignoring the stares of the others, his grin widened as his eyes met Ayunda's.
"So, who will Nda choose?"
"Ayunda is married, in case you forgot," Nolan said, walking toward the group of men. His eyes scanned all four of them. They were Ayunda's brothers, but given their behavior ever since he married Ayunda, his head was ready to explode.
"Don't worry about it..."
"Can't you live on your own?" Ayunda mumbled quietly.
Kenan, standing closest to her, overheard and tried to think rationally. He cleared his throat and looked at Nolan smugly. "How many rooms do you have in your house?"
"I don't allow married people to stay in my house," Nolan replied indifferently.
"As your brother-in-law, it's my choice whether I want to live with my brother-in-law!" Kenan said shamelessly.
"Exactly, consider it your chance to devoted to your brother-in-law," Danny added.
"Your wives might not agree, and it's definitely not comfortable for them to stay at someone else's house," Nolan responded flatly, his tone making anyone who heard it frustrated. Realizing the conversation would go nowhere, Kenan urged his brothers to leave for a discussion.
"Sister Zea won't agree," Rafa said seriously, looking at Kenan.
"I have a newborn too," Danny murmured. "Only Rafa and Javier can stay with the princess."
"You two need to look after our princess!" Kenan said decisively. The four men then returned to the room.
"Okay, it's decided. Rafa and Javier will stay with Nda. I'll only be at ease if two of us are taking care of her."
"Yeah, even though I have a match, I'll try to be with you," Javier added.
"Don't worry, as your only unemployed brother, I have 24 hours a day to take care of my dear princess," Rafa said confidently, ignoring the disgusted looks from behind him, still smiling widely.
Ayunda, who hadn't even touched her porridge yet, sighed heavily.
"It's okay, Princess. Even though I know you must be sad that Brother Kenan and Brother Danny can't stay with you every day, you can visit us whenever you want," Danny said soothingly, though his voice sounded a bit annoyed. Ayunda just nodded.
"Booo, oh my god!" A high-pitched voice suddenly interrupted their attention. Realizing she had become the center of attention, the woman with curly hair quickly covered his mouth.
"Ah, why didn't you tell me if you was surrounded by all these handsome guys?" The man dramatically tossed his hair, his flirtatious eyes scanning everyone in the room.
Ayunda quickly regained her composure. "Who are you?"
"Oh myyy."
"We're your friends," the woman replied, looking at Ayunda with clearly eyes.
Nolan cleared his throat. "Ayunda… temporary amnesia."
"How's that possible?"
Ignoring the others, the man tossed his hair again as though he had long hair. "OMG." His eyes locked with Ayunda's. "I am, Daisy. This one next to me is Riska."
Riska, who had been mentioned, stepped closer to the bed. "We've known each other since our first year of college," Riska said. "Sorry, if I'd been more careful, you wouldn't have gotten hurt like this," she said with genuine regret, looking at Ayunda with guilt.
"Oh my god, you're so naughty calling me Dewa. My name is Daisy, call me Daisy," the man teased, slapping Riska's arm lightly.
"Sorry. I've told you so many times. As long as the thing down there is still hanging, your name is Dewa. De-wan-to," Riska whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Better than calling you Wanto, right?" she added, playfully pinching the man's arm, making him rolled his eyes. Riska noticed the confused looks between them, she cleared her thoriat awkwardly
"Since your family is here, we'll come back tomorrow," Riska said.
"Ish, why the rush? You were the one who said that you were curious about how her husband would react to Yundai," Dewa grumbled as he was dragged away, afraid that his mouth would slip even more. Riska quickly covered his mouth, "We'll definitely come back tomorrow!" She said.
After they left, Nolan realized the scene had felt like an unexpected commercial break in a televition serial. At least he felt a bit more relaxed now, especially since the four of his brothers-in-law were finally quiet. He looked at Ayunda again, only to find her untouched porridge. With a sharp look, he calmly said,
"Eat."