CHAPTER 264: FAILED MANIPULATION

"I’m not proud of how I used to be. But I’m trying to become a better version of myself every single day. I’m doing my utmost to become someone who deserves having four incredible, beautiful, terrifying women like you call me their partner. That’s all I’ll say in my defense. If you find it lacking, I understand."

Luna rolled her eyes again, clearly unconvinced, but Aria’s lips parted slightly. She studied him in silence.

Several more seconds passed. The fire crackled. Nyx stirred the pot as a bewitching grin adorned her lips. She was quietly listening in on the conversation from a distance, enjoying being a silent observer for once.

And then, just as Kaiden began to worry his moon princess wouldn’t respond at all...

Aria smiled.

That soft, glowing, unbearably tender smile always hit Kaiden’s heart as a critical hit.

"I understand," she replied to his words gently. "Your strong drive for self-improvement was one of the things I admired about you the most. It’s one of the reasons why I fell for you so fast."

Her fingers grazed his forearm, stroking softly as she looked deep into his eyes.

"The first time I met you... It was at the gym, remember? Titan Training... You weren’t trying to impress anyone by signing up for a membership. You trained religiously with immense discipline and limitless passion. Even when I offered myself as your trainer, you turned me down despite visibly being conflicted. You did so because of your desire to achieve the best possible results, which you believed could only be done if Liam were your trainer. I was... really impressed by that."

She suddenly nodded to herself, voice gaining quiet conviction.

"So no matter what the Chaos Gremlin might try to say and manipulate me into thinking," she began while shooting Luna a not-so-subtle look, "Kai is the most awesome man in the world. He’s always been, and always will be. No matter what."

Then, her cheeks pinkened with longing. "And if I could go back in time... I would find you sooner. I’d help you on your journey of self-improvement earlier. I wouldn’t mind at all if you don’t slip on the banana as a result of my interference and we miss out on this fantasy journey... Just you and me, doing our best to live a normal life full of mundane joy. We could start our own gym business, have beautiful children, and grow old together... I..."

She sighed with dreamy eyes. "I’d love that."

Luna stared at the woman with her jaw twitching. She realized her attempts ended in critical failure. Kaiden had successfully parried the jabs she tried sending his way by agitating Aria and teaming up on him together.

Kaiden didn’t even know what to say.

"Ughhh!" Luna groaned, flopping backwards dramatically into his lap again. "You win, Kai. She Aria’d too hard. I can’t beat that."

She lay there pouting until her ears suddenly perked.

*Schlick.*

Luna blinked.

*Schlick.* *Schlick.* *Schlick.* *Schlick.* *Schlick.*

Her head slowly turned left... and then jolted back in disbelief.

"Seriously?" she blurted out.

There, just next to her and Kaiden, Bastet was sitting with one hand inside her panties, eyes half-lidded with an euphoric expression and a lip between her teeth. Her other hand was bracing the ground to support her toned, tanned body that was trembling violently while her tail thrashed behind her like an excited whip.

She was ’sometimes’ even the most dignified member of the group... But now, the felinid was currently nothing but a bitch in heat.

Bastet didn’t even acknowledge Luna and the words she threw her way.

Instead, it was Nyx who cackled from across the fire. "She’s been like that ever since Kaiden silenced you two earlier. The second his big, strong hands came down on your heads and you shut up instantly, she melted like wax."

"I-it was..." *Schlick.* Bastet’s voice came breathless between furious finger movements and slutty, wet sounds. "The hottest thing I’ve seen in my life..." *Schlick!* *Schlic!.* *Schlick!* "Now I understand..." *Schlick.* "Why women like watching Master’s videos so much..."

Luna turned her head away and grumbled, "Am I the only normal one in this group?"

"Oh, come on, even you don’t believe that..." Nyx said before standing up. "No person who cuts down monsters with your manic grin can be considered normal. Also, did we forget about your large dildo collection, about which you used to rave fanatically when you were single, to strangers like Anna in the sex toy shop you worked at?"

She chuckled under her breath, shaking her head in amusement. "Then we have the overly possessive woman with a switch that makes her go between icy bitch and bubbly girlfriend with almost no in between, the hopelessly submissive kitten who is also a real dominatrix on the battlefield as she scorches all her enemies to smithereens, and me... Well, I’m most definitely normal, but I know you’d bring up the fact that I’m a ’cuck’ for liking to see my boyfriend grow his harem and do it with other women, so... Let’s just agree that we’re all special~"

Kaiden decided to pretend he heard none of the pink-haired beauty’s statements. That was for the best.

Nyx then summoned a bout of magic and, with a flourish of her fingers, made five plates hover into the air.

"Alright, food’s up!"

The steaming plates danced through the air and landed gently in front of each of them with perfect synchronicity. Though Bastet ignored it for now.

Nyx plopped down right in front of Kaiden and Luna with a proud grin.

"One day of dungeon hunting, near-constant battle, creepy whispering walls, hungering curse, and undead trying to eat us alive... But you know what? I had a lot of fun."

She took a bite, chewed for a moment, and her expression turned heavenly. "Mmmm! Even ration-grade dungeon food tastes amazing when you cook it just right."

Then, her pink eyes shifted their attention from the plate before them to Kaiden.

"So..." she began slowly as a grin began creeping up her lips. "It’s that time, isn’t it? Time to share our status windows. Who wants to go first?"