BXBX NOVEL Chapter 265: To the letter [2/2]
Submitting to your husband\'s authority was not weakness. To me, it meant trust and respect. The Sirens knew how I worked; they didn\'t try to blame me, shame me, or force me to do anything. They simply trusted me.
Trust.
That was what made them so amazing. They trusted that I loved them. They trusted that I respected them. They knew that everything I did was to protect them. The only thing that was non-negotiable to them was that I would fight and die alone.
Knowing what I knew, with so many enemies, it was impossible to keep them out of all the fighting. They would have to fight whether they wanted to or not.
I could put them in cages to keep them safe, but that would create a situation where they would be trampled on when the time came.
Instead, if I raised them to be monsters, they would become the hunter, not the prey. Right. Putting a bird in a cage to protect it only weakens its wings. My girls were not the sort of birds that needed to be caged; they were eagles that were meant to soar.
The best way to prepare them for the coming storm was to get them used to combat. With each victory, their confidence would grow. Similar to what I told the LLG. If they wanted to change their fate, the only way was to take it into their own hands.
However, I became frightened. I have already witnessed the girls all die horrible deaths. And none of them felt like hallucinations. The voices I heard before also remain in my mind.
{E\'en thy beloved kindred art no more! No matter which life, thou hast failed to save any of \'em! Forbear thy resistance! What more could thou even hope to achieve?!}
What if one of my girls died somewhere along the way? Would I be able to handle it? Could I forgive myself? Even Noelle\'s words reminded me.
"It seems you are not convinced. Then let me go one step further. Say you marry them all. Suppose one of them is kidnapped. Would you leave six of your wives defenseless, all to save the one who was taken?"
I was no hero, if my girls and the world were put on a scale, I would abandon the world. But what if the girls themselves were put on the scale? Could I choose which of the Sirens I would allow to die?
My fists began to clench so hard that they bled. Death resonance spilled out of me in waves. My emotions began to become unstable as I wrestled with my inner chaos.
What kind of man would choose to see his women suffer? Yet I had no choice. All because I was too weak. It always came back to being too weak to do anything.
\'If I were a Revenant, could I protect them all? If I had an army, would that be enough? What if I had a country?\'
Suddenly I felt a multitude of hands embracing me. From the back, from the front, my head, my arms, even my legs were cradled in soft flesh.
I felt the heartbeats of seven people resonate with my own. Their warmth drove all the negative emotions away.
No words were spoken, yet I heard them as clear as day.
\'Dearest, do not be afraid. We are not weak.\'
\'Honey, you worry too much. Watch us kick ass!\'
\'Darling, so long as we are together, no one can beat us!\'
\'Master, I would rather die with you than live forever.\'
\'Possum, life without you has no meaning, you are my home.\'
\'My love, let me protect you, this is my only selfish desire.\'
\'Husband, we live and die together. This is the fate I have chosen.\'
"..."
Slowly, the fear, anxiety, and doubt disappeared. This was what it meant to love someone. When you were together, you were at peace. Just as I put their safety above all else, the Sirens did the same with me.
Calming down, I gave each of my girls a tender kiss and spoke the answer they wanted to hear.
"Okay, we will go together. But you all have to follow my words to the letter, understood?"
"Yes!" x7
If people saw my lovers, they would think the girls had won the lottery. While I was thinking about how stupid love makes people act, I noticed that the Sirens were all signaling to each other with their eyes.
Then they crowded around Lilly and took packages of different sizes from her. The boxes were covered with ribbons and colorful wrapping paper. Bella had the smallest while Jasmine\'s was the longest.
\'Was Lilly holding something for them? I wonder what it could be? Come to think of it, I still need to ask about the Caroline thing.\'
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the Sirens stood in front of me with the gifts behind their backs.
"Dear." "Husband." "Darling." "Possum." "Anata." "Honey." "Beloved."
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!" x7
"Huh?"
"Darling, we already knew that your birthday was coming up. It was a great coincidence that Ma also threw the party today!"
"Indeed, it was like fate. How amazing, right husband?"
"Well, statistically speaking, with Honey\'s war coming up, there was hardly any time left."
"You slaggers are too boring! Possum! Open my gift first! You will be grinning like a shot fox, I promise!"
"Master, I am sure you will find mine most helpful as well."
"My love, I had help from Robyn, but know that I also tried to choose the best for you."
"Dear. As I give you this. Know that I have come to claim what is mine as well."
"Ha?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Hmph! That was your promise to me when we went on our date! Please don\'t tell me you forgot? My dearest is not someone so boorish, is he?"
Promise?
I made a promise to Lilly? Apart from my vow that being Formless would be a badge of honor, I made no other promises to her.
Lilly pouted unhappily as she crossed her arms.
"Your gun, dear! I told you I wanted one of those, remember?"
"Ah!"
"So you forgot! Dearest, I am hurt!"
"Ah no, wait Lilly, I didn\'t!"
"Honey, what date?"
"Darling, fess up! What did you do?! Where did you go?!"
"Ugh, give me a break.\'