Thank you [rinxez] for your gift - Massage Chair and capsune (^_^)
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The party at the estate lasted nearly two more hours.
It was past ten at night before most of the reporters finally left under Meira’s arrangements. The guests also said their goodbyes one by one, though every single one turned back to glance at Erik several more times. Some even tried to find an opportunity to approach and chat, which kept Elowen clinging to his arm from start to finish. The moment any woman drew even slightly closer, she tightened her grip as if the most precious thing she’d just received was about to be snatched away.
Only when the garden finally fell quiet did Elowen let out a breath of relief.
Erik turned to look at her. "What are you doing?"
"Hm?" Elowen immediately put on an innocent face.
Erik glanced down at his arm. "I’m about to lose all feeling in it."
Elowen blushed slightly. Instead of letting go, she only loosened her hold a little. "I’m just worried you’re tired."
"And squeezing my arm like that helps me feel less tired?"
"Yes."
Elowen answered with such absolute certainty that Erik didn’t know what to say. Meira, sitting across from them, watched his expression and laughed.
The main event was over. In the lakeside rest area, only Erik, Elowen, Meira, and Sarna remained. The handmaidens had retreated to a distance, leaving drinks and a few desserts on the table. The atmosphere finally felt like a family gathering.
Elowen still hadn’t stopped looking at her ring. She clung to Erik’s arm while holding up her left hand beneath the glow of the crystals floating overhead, smiling before tilting her hand to admire the stone from a different angle.
Sarna watched for nearly five minutes before speaking. "If you keep staring like that, the ring still isn’t going to sprout another crystal."
Elowen lowered her hand. "Jealous?"
Sarna had been drinking water and nearly choked. "Jealous of what?"
"Your eyes just now were very telling."
"I just think you look a bit silly."
"You were staring even longer than I was."
"I was looking at the ring."
Elowen blinked. "What’s the difference?"
Sarna silently turned away, but the tips of her ears had already gone red. Elowen’s smile only grew brighter at the sight.
Erik sat beside them watching the two bicker, shaking his head in helpless amusement. Compared to the Trial Space, the feeling right now was completely different. There were no monsters around, no smell of blood, and he didn’t need to stay tense scanning every direction. The garden held only the sound of a fountain, the hum of insects in the bushes, and three women sitting beside him.
Erik leaned back in his chair. The scene suddenly felt a little unfamiliar, not because of the estate or the expensive things surrounding him, but because he was truly sitting among a group of people waiting for him to come home.
In his previous life, Erik had never known who his parents were. His childhood was tied to an orphanage, a room with too many beds, and meals that always required standing in line. Every holiday, he would watch his friends get adopted one by one or have relatives come to visit. Erik once thought that as long as he grew up, earned enough money, and bought a house, that hollow feeling would disappear.
Later, he really did have a job, money, a house, and even a fiancée he once considered family. In the end, all of it went up in flames. Erik died right inside the home he had once wanted to live in for the rest of his life.
He gazed quietly at Elowen. The silver-haired Succubus was arguing with Sarna, but one hand still rested on his arm. Meira sat across from them, watching her daughter with a helpless smile. Sarna acted annoyed on the surface yet still reached over to push the plate of pastries Elowen liked in front of her.
Erik let out a soft breath.
’The past is the past.’
One woman who betrayed him didn’t mean every woman was the same. He didn’t want his past to turn him into someone who only knew how to doubt. Whoever was sincere with him, he would remember. Whoever treated him well, he would treat well in return. Simple as that.
Erik looked across at the other two. "Meira. Sarna."
Meira turned at once. "Hm?"
Sarna also raised her head slightly. "What is it?"
Erik reached into his spatial bracelet. Two small boxes appeared on the table.
Elowen, who had been eating a pastry, paused. "You bought more things?"
"Mm." Erik picked up one box and held it toward Meira. "This is for you."
Meira looked at the box in his hand, then raised her head. "For... me?"
"Mm." Erik found the question a little odd. "You don’t like gifts?"
"That’s not it." Meira quickly shook her head, though her eyes remained fixed on the box.
Erik placed it directly into her hands. "I didn’t know what style you like, so I just picked something fairly simple."
Meira slowly opened the lid. Inside was a silver bracelet woven from multiple thin strands of metal, its center set with a pale blue crystal smaller than a fingertip. It wasn’t equipment, just a piece of jewelry whose price was hardly worth mentioning compared to everything Meira had spent on Erik, yet she stared at it for a long time.
Erik found that a bit puzzling. "It doesn’t suit you?"
Meira immediately looked up, shaking her head faster than usual. "No. It’s beautiful."
"Good, then." Erik leaned back. "You’ve helped me a great deal. The equipment before, the hospital, the situation with Felyn, and letting me stay here."
He smiled faintly. "I know those things probably don’t mean much to you, but they do to me. I remember every one of them. So, thank you."
Meira’s hand trembled slightly.
Meira had heard countless words of thanks from patients, subordinates, and partners, but rarely from a man she had proactively spent resources caring for. This society considered that a Succubus’s duty; a man agreeing to let her look after him was already a form of acceptance, and whether her sacrifices were ever acknowledged was something almost no one mentioned.
Meira once thought she was used to it, until Erik said something very simple.
’I remember every one of them.’
Her nose stung at once. Meira bowed her head to look at the bracelet, and a teardrop fell onto the lid of the box.
Erik was slightly startled. "Meira?"
She immediately turned her face away. "It’s nothing."
"Are you crying?"
"I’m not crying."
Elowen leaned over from beside him to peek at her mother. "Mom, you’re obviously crying."
"Hush."
Meira’s voice was still perfectly steady, but her green eyes had turned red.
Erik didn’t know how to react for the moment. Before he could say anything, Sarna noticed the remaining box being pushed in front of her.
Her entire body went stiff.
"This one’s yours." Erik said.
Sarna looked at the box, then at him. "Mine?"
"Mm."
"I can’t accept it."
The answer came so quickly that Erik frowned. "Why not?"
Sarna tightened her hands on her knees. "I’m just a bodyguard."
"So?"
"I..."
Sarna’s voice caught. Elowen was Erik’s Partner. Meira was the head of the household. She was just someone who had grown up beside Elowen, serving as both bodyguard and driver. Back in the car, Erik allowing Sarna to come close was already something she didn’t dare think too deeply about. Now he was buying her a gift, but Sarna didn’t know what standing she had to accept it.
"You don’t like it?" Erik asked.
Sarna immediately shook her head. "That’s not it."
"Then take it."
"But I don’t have the standing to..."
"You’re Elowen’s friend." Erik cut in.
Sarna went quiet at once.
He looked at her. "You two grew up together, right?"
Elowen, sitting next to him, nodded immediately. "That’s right."
Erik continued: "Meira treats you as part of the family too."
Meira wiped the corner of her eye and said: "She’s always been family to me."
Erik nodded. "Then that settles it."
Sarna blinked. "Settles what?"
"I’ll be living here from now on too." Erik spoke as though it were the most natural conclusion in the world. "You’re family to them. So to me, you’re also family."
Sarna froze completely. The words that followed barely registered in her ears.
’Family.’
That single word kept repeating in her head. Sarna wasn’t a Partner. There was no Contract. Erik hadn’t even said he would truly take her in. But he had given her a place she had never dared ask for: not a servant, not a bodyguard, but family.
Sarna lowered her head, her black hair falling to partially cover her face. Erik pushed the box closer. "Take it."
A long moment passed before Sarna reached out with both hands to accept it. "Thank you."
Her voice was much quieter than usual.
She opened the box. Inside was also a silver bracelet, but the metal formed a smooth band, its center set with a very small black crystal. Under the light, the stone’s surface revealed a faint purple sheen. Sarna looked at it for a moment, then gently slipped it onto her wrist. The jewelry didn’t match her usual black suit at all, but she had no intention of taking it off.
"I’ll take very good care of it."
Erik laughed. "Just wear it."
Sarna turned to him. "What if it breaks?"
"Then I’ll buy another one."
She stared at him. Erik casually reached for a pastry on the table.
"No need to treat it like a treasure."
Sarna looked at her wrist, her eyes slowly reddening. If it breaks, there’ll be another. That meant after today there would still be tomorrow, and after this gift there could be a next time. She could really keep staying by his side.
Just as Sarna bowed her head trying to hide her expression, Meira finally stood up. Erik looked up at her. "Something wrong?"
Meira walked around the table and stopped in front of him. Erik thought she was about to say something, but two soft arms wrapped around his head, pulling him into a gentle fragrance.
"Thank you." Meira’s voice shook slightly.
Erik didn’t have time to react. His face was drawn into the full bosom beneath her white dress, and his vision went dark immediately.
"Meira..." His voice came out somewhat strained.
But Meira only held him tighter. "Let me hold you for a moment."
Elowen’s eyes went wide from beside them. "Mom."
Meira didn’t let go. "Mm?"
"You’re hugging my husband."
"I know."
"Then why aren’t you letting go?"
Meira finally looked down at her daughter. There was still moisture at the corners of her eyes, but the smile had returned. "He just said I’m family."
Elowen opened her mouth to argue, but after thinking it over, she couldn’t find a reason.
Erik was still trapped in Meira’s embrace and eventually had to pat her lightly on the waist. "I’m about to stop breathing."
Meira flinched and released him at once. "Sorry."
Erik took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and looked at the mother and daughter with a helpless expression. "Is everyone’s goal today to hug me until I suffocate?"
Elowen immediately turned away. Meira also blushed faintly. Only Sarna kept her head down, the corner of her mouth curling up ever so slightly.
The atmosphere around the table grew lighter. It was a little while before Meira remembered the matter of moving.
"Erik, about moving here..." She paused briefly. "What are your thoughts?"
After everything that had just happened, Meira wanted him to stay even more. She also recalled that Erik had previously declined because he hadn’t opened his Heaven Gate yet and didn’t want to be entirely dependent on their family. Now he had not only opened his Heaven Gate but had also reached Black Iron Rank 5.
He looked at Elowen, Sarna, and Meira in turn, then thought of Felyn still lying in the hospital.
After a few seconds of thought, he nodded. "Alright."
Elowen spun toward him at once. "Really?"
"Mm."
"You’ll move in?"
"After I sort things out at the old apartment."
Elowen nearly grabbed his arm again, her eyes lighting up. "I’ll send people over tomorrow to help!"
"No need for that many people."
"Then Sarna can go."
Sarna nodded. "I can do that."
Meira smiled as well. "I’ll have someone prepare a room."
Erik watched the three of them react and laughed. "I’m still keeping the old apartment, though."
Elowen paused. "Why?"
"I’ve lived there for a long time." Erik shrugged. "Besides, having a place of my own isn’t a bad thing."
Meira didn’t object. "Of course."
Just as the mood was at its best, a handmaiden suddenly hurried over from the corridor. She stopped outside the rest area and bowed.
"My lady."
Meira turned. "What is it?"
"A letter was just delivered to the front."
"A letter?"
The handmaiden presented a white envelope with both hands. The moment Meira saw the golden metal insignia at the center of the seal, her expression changed instantly.
The smile vanished. Her green eyes narrowed.
Elowen noticed right away. "Mom?"
Meira didn’t answer.
Erik looked at the envelope. "You know the sender?"
Meira was quiet for a few seconds before speaking. "Yes."
Her voice had turned far colder.
Erik reached out and took the letter. The insignia on it was simple: a golden crown placed atop a figure-shaped emblem. He broke the seal and unfolded the paper inside.
Only a few lines.
[Dear Lord Erik.]
[The Council cordially invites you to attend a private meeting tomorrow.]
[The specific time and location are noted below.]
[We have certain matters regarding your recent public conduct that we wish to discuss.]
Erik read it through and raised an eyebrow slightly. "The Council?"
Elowen looked at the insignia on the envelope. The joy that had been on her face instantly gave way to tension. Sarna also straightened up, her hand instinctively moving to the weapon at her hip.
Erik looked at the three women. "Who are they?"
No one answered right away.
Meira stared at the letter in his hand. After a long moment, she finally let out a slow breath.
"The people I hoped you would never have to meet."
The smile on Erik’s face gradually faded.
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