"Phew! That dream again. What are you trying to tell me, Master?"
Woken up once more by that desolate scene, Artoria sat up in bed, drenched in sweat. It had been three consecutive days. Every time, she saw a lonely figure standing on a mountain peak, looking down at the undead and demonic beasts. That purple shadow was so lonely, as if she were the only one left in the world. Then, Artoria would see various people with weapons fighting, their attention entirely focused on their opponents.
Just when Artoria thought it was over, the purple... Master's face appeared before her. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Artoria woke up, completely failing to hear what Master was saying.
"She couldn't be trying to tell me her age, right!"
Artoria thought optimistically as she prepared to go back to sleep.
"Mmm~!"
She continued to hold a fragrant, soft body. This Miss Sharon had a very pleasant talk with Artoria yesterday. After a delightful dinner, she noticed Artoria had no immediate intention of going with her. To complete her mission, she actively climbed into Artoria's bed... cough! She actively stayed behind. Using the excuse of their families being friends for generations, she decided to 'exchange ideas' with her sister Artoria. Sharon was two years older than Artoria—referring to her age in this world, of course.
The two of them had drunk two dozen bottles of red wine of unknown origin last night. The alcohol content was similar to white liquor. After drinking, Artoria was a bit hazy about the specifics. Did anything actually happen? Regardless, her head hurt now. Even with the semi-awakened Dragon Factor in her body, Artoria was this drunk, let alone Sharon. Sharon was now lying there like a beautiful doll, motionless. If Artoria couldn't hear that strong heartbeat, she would have thought she'd kicked the bucket.
Holding the soft, fragrant girl, the magic in Artoria's body circulated automatically, and her headache vanished, leaving her feeling refreshed. She used her magic to help Sharon clear the alcohol from her blood; otherwise, she would probably have slept for over a week.
"Why aren't you with your'sister'? What are you doing here at my place?"
After lying on those breasts for a while longer, Artoria found it a bit uncomfortable. She got up to wash her face and start a new day. She'd let Sharon lie there; sleeping for three days wouldn't kill her, she'd just be a bit weak upon waking. Planning to scrounge a couple more tubes of Pym Particles from Hope, Artoria went to Hope's lab. Unlike the mess from last time, Hope had tidied up quite well. In a corner, Artoria even saw a yellow battle suit with wings. Seeing Artoria arrive, Hope looked happy, but then she remembered something and pulled a sour face, speaking unpleasantly.
"Oh~! What's with the heavy smell of vinegar? Are you jealous?"
Hope's sour tone made Artoria smile slightly. They had played together for over a decade since they were children; how could someone like Sharon, who just appeared, wipe out their feelings? Artoria opened her arms and gave Hope a big hug. Even though Hope was tall for a Western woman, Artoria was taller. Due to the posture, Hope's entire head was buried in a place men dreamed of, except there was no air there. Hope tilted her head back to avoid suffocating. Artoria's behavior made her very happy.
Her efforts to nurture her relationship with this girl hadn't been in vain. It was so nice to have such a darling.
The two of them embraced like that. However, since they hadn't closed the door, their actions were seen by the guys outside.
"I won the bet this time. Our boss is definitely a lesbian. Look, even Dr. Hope has fallen."
"Here, take your ten cents. I didn't expect the 'preference for women' to be contagious. Do all the members of the stark family like beautiful women? Then don't I have no chance? Our boss is such a beauty; I really wish her orientation were a bit more normal. I'm such a good guy."
A relatively clean-cut and handsome man said this, sounding both narcissistic and incredibly dejected. He also wanted to get some'special attention' from his goddess boss, but it seemed there was no Hope. Little did he know that someone behind him had already recorded everything for a certain brother. Young man, I suspect what awaits you isn't a beauty's care, but a brother's'special attention.' The cement and the fish in the bay are lonely and need company.
"No, you still have a plan. Go to Thailand for surgery, I'll support you."
Of course, his bad friends gave him a terrible suggestion that made his face turn red with anger.
"Yeah! We support you."
Sometimes the idiots on the periphery of the lab were quite entertaining. However, they didn't have the right to enter the lab; otherwise, they wouldn't be making wild guesses. But Artoria wouldn't explain, and neither would Hope. Hope was now eager to create more gossip about herself and Artoria so everyone would know Artoria was hers. Would she explain? The answer was definitely no.
"Alright, stop acting like a child and acting spoiled. Really."
When her inner tsundere side kicked in, Hope could only push Artoria away with a bit of disappointment. Anyway, the days were long, and there was plenty of time to win Artoria over. She was a beauty too; she didn't believe Artoria wouldn't be moved.
"Alright, give me some more Pym Particles. I was going to study them, but I ended up spilling them."
"You didn't spill them on yourself, did you?"
"No, of course not."
Artoria spoke guiltily. Not only did she spill them on herself, but it was also in such a significant spot as her chest. Hope glanced at Artoria and took out two more tubes of Pym Particles. She could get her hands on this stuff whenever she wanted now and didn't care at all; she only restricted it because she was afraid Artoria would be reckless.
"Let me know if you need more. Don't use it on humans."
"Yes, yes, yes, understood."
Having obtained what she wanted, Artoria listened to the precautions from Hope for a while before leaving the lab. She glanced at the 'idiot' assistants who were pretending to be busy and left without saying anything. None of these people could imagine the immense wealth inside the lab. Even if someone wanted to take it, her lab wasn't just for show. Inside was a security defense system designed by Hope, Maya, and Helen Cho. It wasn't just to defend against external enemies, but also against internal theft.
That was why she allowed these ordinary people who hadn't been hypnotized to enter. She also had a security system specifically prepared for Mystique among the Mutants. That one was hard to guard against, but if one were careful, her weaknesses could still be found. This was Artoria's preparation.
She had too many secrets. If someone hadn't been hypnotized, they couldn't come into contact with her secrets. There were things even her close sisters didn't know, and she wouldn't let them know. Everyone has their own privacy.
Especially since knowing too many of her secrets would increase the danger. Not only might she develop murderous intent herself, but she might also have many enemies in the future. If people with ulterior motives found out, it would be trouble.
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