Chapter 148: Matryoshka Doll-Style Concern
"Sis... a marriage contract!?"
Great Seele, running behind Stelle, who was charging forward with her flaming spear, nearly tripped on the villa steps upon hearing those two words drift out from the open doors, almost transforming into a quantum projectile and plummeting inside.
Luckily, Seele, quick as a flash, caught Great Seele's head as it plunged forward and down. Then, with practiced ease, she activated "auto-battle," handing over control of her body to White Seele, while her own consciousness assisted Silver Wing and Caelus in their thinking.
"What's this about a marriage contract!?" x3
The synchronized questions erupted from the mouths of the three.
They were March 7th, so shocked she sprayed milk, some splattering onto Caelus's face, as she abruptly stood up from her seat, her face a mask of bewilderment.
Stelle, the Star Core spirit, whose disheveled hair made her look like a female ghost escaped from a horror movie set, yet whose delicate, pretty face was filled with ecstatic delight and goofy infatuation.
And Great Seele, who had nearly fallen and, after being caught by Seele, stumbled frantically into the living room, her gaze strange and incredulous.
Eyes filled with various implications darted back and forth between the two Bronyas and Caelus, the three of them (March 7th, Stelle, and Great Seele) feeling completely different emotions.
Under the gaze of three pairs of eyes—shocked, infatuated, and sharp—Bronya didn't have the presence of mind to consider the meaning of those melodramatic gazes.
She felt guilty, like a thief caught in the act. Her face flushed, she subconsciously took a step back, turning her head and averting her gaze.
"It's a long story."
Compared to the Rand Duck, who was still on pins and needles from last night's crazy antics, Silver Wing showed not a hint of awkwardness.
Not only was she not nervous, she was practically laughing out loud inwardly.
As the saying goes, some people put on a mask to actually take off a mask; she had even changed identities, allowing her to be even more unbridled.
No matter what, it was "parallel world Bronya's" business and had nothing to do with Caelus.
Time to play~
Time to play~
"The marriage contract was established by me with Caelus when I was acting as Grand Guardian in Bronya's stead."
Silver Wing nonchalantly threw out words that made March 7th, Stelle, and Great Seele's expressions change repeatedly.
"No!"
Bronya, who had been silently hanging her head in shame, abruptly lifted her head, stepped forward, and stood in front of Silver Wing, declaring:
"The marriage contract was established by me and Caelus."
Silver Wing, using her identity, had done so, so much for Belobog. Bronya felt that, at the very least, she should willingly take on this "black pot."
"Don't be like that, Bronya. I'll take responsibility for my own actions; I'm the one who set up the marriage contract."
Silver Wing pulled Bronya back slightly and stood in front of her.
"We are one person from different worlds. Since you used my identity, that means it was 'me.' The marriage contract was established by me."
Bronya stepped forward once more, blocking Silver Wing, but she didn't see the fleeting smile that flickered at the corner of Silver Wing's lips.
"Huh?"
"Huh???"
March 7th, Great Seele, and even White Seele, utterly bewildered, all stared dumbfounded at the two "Ducks," who seemed to be fighting over who was responsible for the marriage contract.
Seriously?
What in the world was happening?
"Wait, wait~!"
March 7th held her forehead, feeling her smart little brain getting overloaded, her big eyes turning to the other main character:
"Caelus, what exactly is going on?"
"Well, this..."
Caelus feigned a posture of organizing his thoughts, taking off the Tarakudo Mask from his face. All the Shadow Servants—whether serving him and March 7th or cleaning the villa rooms—receded into the shadows.
On a side note, the fact that Caelus had obtained the Oni Mask and could thus command the Shadow Ninja Soldiers was something Bronya had known about since the first day she met Silver Wing.
Aside from instructing Caelus not to let the citizens of Belobog see the shadows, Bronya had no other opinion.
"Let me explain."
Before Caelus could begin explaining, Silver Wing immediately seized the spotlight and the right to speak. How the matter sounded coming from "Bronya's" mouth was different from how it would sound coming from Caelus's.
"Everyone here is a hero who saved Belobog, and I won't dwell on your historically significant contributions. What I want to talk about are the Great Crops and Hundred Flavored Mushrooms obtained in the Overworld and the Underworld."
"I know that, under normal circumstances, cultivating these on a national scale would require a substantial patent fee."
"Currently, Belobog has already moved away from the credit point system. Even if it hadn't, it would be extremely difficult to produce that amount of money given the current situation."
"Although Caelus said he could provide them to Belobog for free, I couldn't in good conscience accept such a weighty gift."
Silver Wing, with words that freely shifted through eighteen different emotions—including determination, resolve, and subtlety—explained the entire sequence of events.
During her explanation, Silver Wing took all the responsibility upon herself, claiming that Caelus only agreed to the marriage contract because she badgered him relentlessly. She also brought up the opinions of Belobog's political circles and its ministers.
Her straightforward words allowed both March 7th and Great Seele to understand and follow the logical chain.
Therefore, both fell silent.
Great Seele might not have grasped the magnitude of that patent fee, but March 7th clearly understood its weight. A regular company employee working from the First Amber Era until now might only be able to scrape together a fraction of a fraction of the change.
The all-knowing Dan Heng had looked it up and found that the patent rights for the Great Crops were under Caelus's name.
When March 7th learned this, she was utterly amazed. After Caelus explained, she only felt the profound shock of a universe-level rich lady!
Theoretically speaking, the Nameless, especially the current Trailblaze companions, were all kind-hearted people. Caelus providing it to Belobog for free, March 7th thought, wasn't a big deal.
But after seeing the amount Silver Wing quoted for the patent fee, March 7th gained a clearer sense of the situation's reality.
"That's so much money!"
"Enough for the entire Express crew to use for a very, very long time!"
Caelus's action was equivalent to donating all that money to Belobog. Thinking this, March 7th immediately felt Caelus was truly amazing!
One must know that their little F5 squad usually used the Express's funds, and even Himeko-sis's allowance.
So much money—if she were to donate it, her heart would definitely ache. She'd be stuck in "Kulusi Little March" form for several days.
However, from beginning to end, March 7th hadn't really considered the feelings of the "recipient." Now that Silver Wing expressed her resolve not to let her helpful friend suffer a loss, March 7th could understand.
She felt Silver Wing made a valid point, but wasn't marriage a bit too...
In contrast to March 7th and Great Seele, whose faces had turned grim, Stelle was the only one who finished listening with an excited expression.
"Oh, oh! I totally get it!"
Stelle clapped her hands, acting like a child who had just heard there would be a wedding feast. Her eyes sparkling, she stared at the two "Ducks": "So, so, when are we getting married?"
"Me, us?" Bronya was rendered speechless by Stelle's question, her face odd.
"Of course! Caelus-bro and I are one person, so Caelus-bro's wife is my wife. You agree, right, A-Qi wife~?"
As for last night, when that pervasive shared sensation overwhelmed her, causing her to lose half a night's sleep again, it was nothing compared to the current matter. Besides, last night was indeed very comfortable.
Stelle-baby decided to let Caelus-bro off the hook.
If it were normally, March 7th would surely laugh and give Stelle two punches, along with a retort like, "Just because she's a pretty girl, does that make her your wife?"
However, Stelle's words left March 7th feeling vaguely irritated and melancholic. She was so anxious she scratched her ears and cheeks.
If Caelus really married Bronya, would he stay in Belobog and not continue his trailblazing journey?
If Caelus stayed, would Stelle stay too?
Thinking this, March 7th couldn't be happy at all. She truly couldn't bear to part!
Whether it was Caelus, Stelle, or the wonderful life of not having to clean every day, with the versatile Shadow Servants—she had only just begun to enjoy it all.
"Ah?!"
Several seconds later, Bronya finally seemed to realize something, standing frozen in place.
Right, Stelle and Caelus's relationship!
She had completely forgotten to consider that before!
The way Stelle and Caelus usually pranked and bickered with each other, rather than seeming like "one person," to outsiders, they seemed more like twins who loved each other so much they often fought, making her overlook their true relationship.
"This..." Bronya was at a loss for words for a moment.
A... three-person marriage contract?
Silver Wing had long anticipated this, but still offered a smile. Then, she adopted the graceful and intelligent demeanor of an older sister and rubbed Stelle's cheek:
"Right now, it's just an engagement. As for actually getting married, you might have to wait two more years~"
"Aww, still have to wait that long?" Stelle lowered her little head in disappointment.
At the same time, Caelus noticed the change in March 7th's expression and gave the girl's smooth forehead a light flick.
"Don't worry, I couldn't bear to leave you and everyone else. I won't be staying on Jarilo-VI."
"Really?"
The gloom on March 7th's face was replaced by joy, but that quickly morphed into hesitation: "But if that's the case, then Bronya will..."
Bronya's resolute voice made March 7th pause.
"Why, though?"
March 7th didn't quite understand. She decided she'd ask Himeko-sis and Uncle Yang later. After all, such a big matter definitely couldn't be kept from everyone.
Great Seele and White Seele remained silent.
Great Seele understood why Bronya did what she did and couldn't say anything to object. After all, she made this decision for the sake of Belobog.
Everyone in the city would benefit from it.
But... but what about Natasha?
Natasha and Caelus clearly...
Great Seele's intuition told her that both Natasha, who had actively kissed Caelus, and Bronya, who had actively entered the marriage contract, held a certain degree of affection for Caelus. While it might not be love, it was definitely positive goodwill!
On one side was her good girlfriend, on another was Natasha, who was like a sister and a mother to her, and on yet another was her good brother. Great Seele didn't know what to do.
How could such a matter be left for just Bronya and Natasha to bear?
Moreover, there was another important matter...
Great Seele turned her head to look at Seele, who was hanging her head. Her cheeks looked slightly baby-fat, and she usually exuded a quiet and well-behaved aura.
But at this moment, the girl's eyes were dimmed, her angelic face wore a troubled expression, and her somber demeanor was incredibly piteous.
"Seele, are you okay?"
Due to their identities as parallel world counterparts and Seele's previous words, Great Seele truly regarded Seele as her closest family, even considering her a younger sister.
After the decisive battle, Seele didn't follow Stelle and Caelus, but had stayed with Great Seele, and their bond grew increasingly intimate.
Great Seele understood Seele more and more. Therefore, she knew that this "self" might harbor special feelings for Caelus.
To put it directly, Seele might be in love with Caelus.
But now, hearing that the object of her affection was engaged to Sister Bronya, what would Seele think?
Great Seele was extremely worried!
White Seele was also extremely worried!
For someone she had met after emerging from the Sea of Quanta, Caelus indeed held a very important place in Seele's heart. But Seele also cared deeply for her "parallel world self" (White Seele) who had lent her body.
In Great Seele's eyes, White Seele was silently brooding, and in reality, she truly was.
[The other me, are you okay?]
White Seele was worried and trying to comfort "parallel world Seele." Being constantly in Seele's first-person perspective, she knew even better that Seele might harbor special feelings for Caelus-bro, that she might love Caelus-bro.
Especially the act of immediately handing over her body to her after hearing about the marriage contract, from Seele's perspective, was undoubtedly "herself" (Seele) evading something she couldn't bear to face.
White Seele didn't know what to do. She could only do her utmost to comfort "herself" and accompany "herself."
Great Seele and White Seele formed a matryoshka doll-style of concern.
[I'm... fine...]
White Seele heard it: a lost, slightly choked voice, from the "self" deep within her heart.
The innermost doll, Seele, simply couldn't suppress that welling joy, and finally, she could only wipe her small hand across her face.
"Personality Mask, activate!"
Unlocking the seals between their minds, a perfectly measured mix of loss, deference, sadness, bitterness, and love for Caelus-bro, were perceived by White Seele.
White Seele's small face instantly grew even more troubled.
Great Seele, looking at White Seele, also grew even more troubled.
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