Rather than enjoying a private beach alone, Felix preferred to immerse himself in the festivities with everyone else. He received a message from Emperor, who would be attending the Obsidian Festival in Siesta as a guest. Smiling, he also learned through the forum that Rhodes Island was heading to Siesta as well.
It seemed Herman truly believed that his temporary departure would draw the hidden forces into the open. Not only had he invited Felix and Tomorrow's Developments as security for the event, he had also contacted Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals.
That, however, had little to do with Felix. The business was concluded, and there was still plenty of time before his next operation. Ch'en Hui-chieh had gone to Dossoles on behalf of Wei Yenwu. Along with her, Lin Yühsia, Hoshiguma, and Swire were also heading there to represent Lungmen. Although Ch'en Hui-chieh and Lin Yühsia were now part of Tomorrow's Developments, they still carried the identity of Lungmen. Felix had no intention of stopping them from fulfilling their duties.
"Guess who I am~"
A pair of cool, smooth hands covered his eyes. Felix yawned lightly. "Mostima, you got here fast."
"If I were any later, someone else might have beaten me to you."
Mostima put her hands on her hips, smiling as she took in Felix's tired expression. "Still feeling the aftereffects of diplomacy?"
"Not really. I handed most of the work over to Hoederer and his team. I'm just handling the cleanup now. The real headache is dealing with news from other countries…"
Mostima gently touched Felix's lips. "Alright. It's a rare holiday. Let's not talk about work. You didn't look this worn out before."
"Do I really look that old?"
"Hehe." Mostima laughed softly. "You used to be more impulsive. Now you're calmer. That's part of a man's charm, you know."
Felix stood up and noticed Mostima was wearing a black swimsuit and sandals. "Where are the others?"
"Right here."
Lemuen, dressed in a swimsuit, led Lemuel into the living room. Lemuel was wearing a zip-up jacket, her face flushed. Behind them came Fiammetta, wearing a swimsuit and a baseball cap.
"Come on, Lemuel, there's nothing to be shy about."
"Well…"
Urged on by Lemuen's quiet encouragement, Lemuel reluctantly unzipped her jacket, revealing the swimsuit beneath. It was modest and pure in style, yet it perfectly outlined her slender waist. A small heart-shaped pattern was visible at her navel.
Lemuel covered her face, and Lemuen gently pushed her forward. She stumbled and fell into Felix's arms with a soft cry. Felix immediately felt how warm she was, her cheeks burning from pure embarrassment.
"Brother Felix… I… I like you."
Lemuel's eyes darted nervously as she pressed against Felix's chest, too shy to meet his gaze, her voice trembling.
Lemuen gasped, covering her mouth. "Lemuel, how bold!"
"…Lift your head."
"Huh?" Lemuel looked up, and in the next moment, Felix leaned down and kissed her lightly. Startled by the sudden contact, Lemuel cried out and promptly fainted in Felix's arms.
"…"
Lemuen quickly stepped forward and took her sister into her arms. "Lemuel probably fainted from embarrassment. It was her first time, and there are outsiders here, after all."
Fiammetta silently considered the situation. Should she leave?
She did. Stepping out onto the soft sand, she ordered a complimentary drink, leaned back beneath a parasol, put on her sunglasses, and settled in as if sunbathing.
Lemuel was carried upstairs to her bedroom, having slipped into a self-protective faint. Looking at her sister's adorable yet troublesome state, Lemuen sighed softly. "The path ahead is long and difficult."
Back downstairs, she saw Mostima and Felix already leaning close together. With a soft hum, Lemuen stepped forward to tease them lightly.
The doorbell rang. Felix wiped the faint lipstick mark from his face. Mostima and Lemuen waved with smiles and headed out. Walking barefoot along the white sand, feeling the cool waves of the inland sea roll in, they all felt refreshed and at ease.
Felix glanced through the peephole, then opened the door.
"Your Highness, we've arrived."
The one who had stirred the waves was the Northwind Witch, Qalaiša. She bowed slightly to Felix. Unlike Mostima and the others, Sarkaz truly possessed innate talent.
Knowing the history of the Sarkaz, Felix could not help but wonder where their nourishment came from. Could it be that their aura absorbed too much of the body's vitality, causing Sarkaz to mature more slowly, be lighter in build, and appear more slender than other races?
Behind Qalaiša stood Mudrock. As Felix nodded to the two of them, he suddenly felt a sharp glare. Following it, he found W staring straight at him. She was wearing a bold white swimsuit, two red ahoge twitching atop her forehead. When she noticed Felix looking over, she turned her head and snorted, clearly upset for some reason.
"Your Highness is staring for rather a long time," Qalaiša said with a knowing smile, which only made W glare at him even harder.
"W's swimsuit looks great," Felix said calmly. "Of course, all of yours look beautiful and suit you very well."
"I'm satisfied with that answer."
Seeing Felix step aside, Qalaiša smiled, her cheeks faintly flushed. "From now on, you should pay more attention to me." She then took Mudrock, whose face was also slightly red, and led her inside. W remained at the door with her arms crossed and said in a sullen tone, "From now on, you should pay more attention to me too."
"W, you've become more straightforward."
Felix reached out and rubbed W's head. She froze in place, struggling to suppress her embarrassment. A moment later, she let out a small yelp and bolted into the villa, disappearing in an instant, clearly too shy to stay.
"…"
Felix looked at Ines, who was covering her mouth and chuckling, and felt somewhat at a loss. "That swimsuit… you helped her pick it out, didn't you?"
"Given W's personality, do you think she'd choose something that sentimental on her own?"
Ines's smile faded as she returned to her usual composure. With a faint smile, she asked, "May I come in?"
"Of course."
Felix gestured her inside. Ines glanced at him a few more times, her eyes carrying a trace of contemplation and deeper meaning. It left Felix slightly puzzled.
Sarkaz meeting Sankta should have led to conflict, and it did.
W pointed at Mostima and shouted, "Mostima, I know you were Felix's first woman. I challenge you!"
"Hehe. What kind of challenge?" Mostima remained calm. She had seen many people like this before. To her, W was just like Lemuel, a cute little sister. She looked at her with the indulgent gaze of an older sister watching a mischievous child.
"Beach volleyball!"
W glanced toward the nearby court. "You're not trying to dodge the match, are you?"
"Let's warm up first. Lemuen, want to join?"
W looked around, then suddenly grabbed Ines's arm. "Ines, help me."
Ines sighed, feeling both helpless and slightly exasperated under Mostima's subtly amused and probing gaze. To be honest, she had never thought of herself as Felix's woman. Her position was closer to that of the white-haired Liberi who had been drinking iced sweets earlier. So why had Mostima assumed that from the start?
I've always just been a subordinate, haven't I?
With mixed feelings of confusion and resignation, Ines took off her slippers and stepped onto the court. Seeing Mostima holding her staff, her eyelids twitched. "Wouldn't using Originium Arts be a bit unfair?"
"Eh… haha, alright." Mostima set aside her lock and key under Lemuen's speechless stare.
"Huh? We can't use them?"
W sounded disappointed. She then pulled two small shock grenades from her chest, leaving Ines utterly speechless.
Thus began a truly formal and fair game of volleyball.
The doorbell rang again. Felix went to open the door and found the group that had first set out with him on this journey. Senomi and Mandragora stood side by side. Susie held Rafaela's small hand. Behind them were Degenbrecher, Carnelian, and Avdotya.
"Brother Felix, we're here!"
Senomi and Mandragora laughed as they rushed over. Back when they were still little girls, Felix might have been able to lift them both at once, one on each side. But now they were fully grown and well cared for. It was… quite something.
"Those swimsuits suit you very well."
"Hehe, thank you, Brother Felix." Senomi gracefully showed off her tropical lace-patterned swimsuit, twirling lightly in front of him and displaying her charm.
Mandragora, dressed in a one-shoulder swimsuit, showed off her mature figure without the slightest hesitation. She was the boldest of them all, planting a quick kiss on Felix in front of everyone. Senomi immediately said she wanted one too. Susie followed suit, saying she wanted one as well. Rafaela, watching her three older sisters, thought for a moment, then raised her hand and softly said that she wanted a kiss too.
Rafaela covered her head afterward, puzzled as to why her sisters' kisses had been on the lips or cheeks, while hers had landed on her forehead.
She was led into the villa by Susie and Avdotya. Before leaving, she looked back once more. Sister Degenbrecher waved to her, and Rafaela smiled back. Feeling reassured, she followed Sister Susie toward the beach. There, they discovered that the volleyball match had grown extremely intense. The sand was covered in footprints and ball marks, along with shallow craters left by people jumping and landing.
"W-what exactly happened here?" Susie blinked as she watched the volleyball tear through the air like a cannonball, her eyes almost unable to keep up.
"Isn't this kind of game exciting?" Mandragora was eager to join in. "Senomi, let's go too!"
"Alright!"
W narrowed her eyes when she saw the four newcomers. She had heard that Felix had four remarkable younger sisters, three of whom were especially capable. Now that she saw them in person, she felt a sudden surge of fighting spirit. Holding a volleyball, she pointed at Senomi and the others. "Perfect timing. Let's have a match!"
"I don't mind. How should we split the teams?" Senomi asked confidently, hands on her hips.
W bit her nails, glanced at the smiling Mostima across from her, and gritted her teeth. "Me, Ines, Mostima, and Lemuen on one team. You're the other."
"Sounds good." Mandragora was fearless. Susie tried to protest, but she was dragged onto the court before she could finish speaking.
The intense volleyball battle began once more. Spectators included Qalaiša, Mudrock, and Avdotya, who was not particularly athletic. They sipped their free drinks through straws as they watched this clash of power.
Back in the entryway, Felix had already been kissed so many times it was hard to describe. Degenbrecher wiped her lips and said calmly, "Seeing Kazdel become what it is today fills me with pride. You've worked hard these past few days… though you may still have a rough few nights ahead."
"Ha." Carnelian licked her lips and laughed softly. "He seem to understand. Let's go in first."
The two Caprinae sisters left, and Felix finally let out a sigh of relief. He went to the bathroom to wash his face. As he was drying off, the doorbell rang again. He opened the door, towel still in hand.
Standing outside were Loughshinny, Yelena, Shining, Nearl, and Angelina. Wearing a one-piece swimsuit, Angelina shyly hid behind Yelena.
"That swimsuit suits you very well." Hearing the familiar praise, smiles bloomed on their faces. Loughshinny and Yelena leaned in for a kiss, and Angelina felt her head spin. She was quickly dragged away by the blushing Shining and Nearl.
The doorbell rang again.
This time, Texas and Lappland stood outside. The two Lupo leaned in as if catching a scent, sniffing lightly at Felix's neck. Lappland grinned. "Your Highness, having so many women must be troublesome, huh?"
"You're not one of Felix's women. Why are you worrying about it?" Texas said as she pulled Felix into a brief embrace, leaving her scent behind.
Lappland's grin widened. "Can't I be?"
As she spoke, her tail brushed teasingly against Felix's calves.
Texas and Lappland exchanged a look, each letting out a soft hum as they continued their playful back-and-forth.
After lingering for a while, Lappland even boldly asked for a kiss, then deliberately provoked Texas by walking inside first.
Texas was clearly unhappy, and the result was predictable. The commotion in the entryway lasted for quite some time before Texas finally wiped her lips and left, satisfied.
The doorbell rang again.
Opening the door this time, Felix found Platinum, Siege, and Natalya, standing outside.
The doorbell rang again.
When the door opened once more, Nian, Ling, and Shu were standing there.