Seraphina and Obsidianis were sitting on Liu Shu’s sides on a wooden bench with a comfortable cushion beneath. At this mont, Liu Shu’s body was tangled with complex emotions to the point that she was sweating and her eyes were misty.
Her sowhat ragged breath, unusual for a World Tree’s Avatar, showed just how much conflict was brewing within her.
Seraphina and Obsidianis both understood more or less what was happening thanks to Tempestria and Cinderielle, who spoke to them as representatives of the current wife group.
“Liu Shu, look at .”
Seraphina’s voice was firm, reassuring, and full of gentleness and care when she spoke. Liu Shu looked up at her, not knowing what to do. Seeing her expression, Seraphina’s and Obsidianis’s hearts felt as if a claw were squeezing them.
However, they were partly glad, because her current struggle ant that Liu Shu loved them, but she just couldn’t bring herself to admit it due to her loyalty.
Seraphina grabbed Liu Shu’s hand together with Obsidianis, stiffening the girl. “Liu Shu, we love you. We dearly do.”
She didn’t mince her words. Currently, what Seraphina and Obsidianis needed to do was not make a breakthrough in the relationship, but give Liu Shu reassurance.
Obsidianis squeezed her hand, attracting Liu Shu’s gaze, and she smiled gently. “We also know that you love us.”
“N-No… I—”
“Shhh…” Obsidianis gently silenced her with a reassuring squeeze. “Listen to us, Liu Shu.”
Liu Shu gulped, her heart beating strongly to the point that she felt slightly lightheaded, and her legs felt weak. It was not the pleasure type of pounding, though. It was anxiety creeping up like poison ivy.
However, Obsidianis and Seraphina didn’t back down here. Right now, the important thing was to set the facts straight so that the confusion disappeared and they could deal with the rest of their emotions later.
First, make her aware.
Then, slowly get her accustod.
Finally, gradually progress their relationship.
Until now, Seraphina and Obsidianis had been doing it the other way around, and this was like placing the cart before the donkey.
Seraphina leaned closer, taking a handkerchief and gently drying Liu Shu’s sweaty face. “We won’t ask you to answer our feelings right away. We promise that, although we are truly impatient to receive your love, we won’t impose on you.”
These words were quite reassuring. Although they were telling her to her face how things were and that her feelings had already betrayed her, Liu Shu actually felt slightly calr with their presence.
After all, while she felt guilty, her growing affection for them was undeniable. Seraphina’s and Obsidianis’s reassurance felt like cool balm spread over a wound.
Obsidianis leaned down, approaching Liu Shu and making her eyes widen. For a second, many images flashed in Liu Shu’s mind, but Obsidianis did neither. She just pressed her face against Liu Shu’s. “We are not here to make you suffer. We are here because we want to get to know you. We want to occupy a little corner in your heart. We want your beautiful athyst-colored eyes to shine with happiness when you look at us.”
Having her left side of her face pressed against Obsidianis stabilized Liu Shu’s feelings.
Seraphina also leaned down, rubbing against her right side. Liu Shu stiffened. “Let’s go slowly and get to know each other more. We’ve been together for eight years already, haven’t we? I believe we’ve shown you that we are not people you should fear. So, please, do not be on guard against us.”
Liu Shu’s body was gently hugged by them, and both Sylvans looked at her with soft looks. Looking at these faces as her Avatar was hugged, Liu Shu fell into a slight trance.
Her feelings, thanks to their words, were much calr. However, being calr ant being more aware of her surroundings. Seraphina’s elegant, flowery scent and Obsidianis’s bewitching, sweet scent tickled her nose, and her heart began pounding again.
This ti, it was not nervousness but a clearer, more familiar emotion.
Her trembling stopped, and her cheeks began blushing again. Looking down, Liu Shu spoke with a soft voice. “I… I don’t know.”
Even when they spoke as such, Liu Shu couldn’t just nod and agree. Still, the fact that the previous knotted feelings managed to calm down spoke volus. Clearly, their words were effective.
“Since I’ve been a small tree…” Liu Shu spoke, looking at the two hands that held her. “I’ve always felt sowhat… different.”
Liu Shu knew that she was not a normal World Tree. She might’ve been unaware a while ago, but be it her species evolution or her odd behaviors, Liu Shu ca to understand that she was much more… human than other World Trees.
This didn’t an that her World Tree's particularities were not there. It was just… on so emotional aspects… Liu Shu’s reactions were closer to those of a human than a World Tree.
For example, right now. Any other World Tree wouldn’t have made that much of a fuss when getting new lovers. They would’ve either accepted them or ignored them completely. World Trees didn’t really fixate on these emotions, making their relationships sowhat pure and straightforward.
Liu Shu continued, her hands squeezing and playing the two beautiful hands she held. “Because of that… my emotions have not really developed as usual. My desire to find my mother, my desire to make friends, my desire to create a loving family, even my ability to feel empathy… I feel these emotions that most World Trees would either ignore or look at lightly with much more profundity.”
She didn’t speak without basis. Being connected with dozens of World Trees, Liu Shu understood how her species usually behaved.
Seraphina and Obsidianis listened silently.
“So… What I want to say is… C-Can we…”
Liu Shu’s mouth felt a bit dry. After all, her mind had already realized that these two were here today with her lover’s permission.
She was in the back garden behind Red, Green, and the others. So, it was impossible for Cinderielle and her other lovers not to know what was happening here.
‘What do I want to say here…?’ Liu Shu fell into another montary daze. ‘Can we… what?’
Even if she had “permission,” so to speak, she still felt a touch awkward.
Hearing Liu Shu go silent, Seraphina and Obsidianis looked at each other with sowhat helpless eyes. Still, they were understanding. To be honest, they had co today with expectations of either scaring or straining their relationship with Liu Shu.
In their minds, making everything clear was more important than making Liu Shu feel uncomfortable, regardless of the consequences.
Obsidianis spoke up, her tone gentle. “How is living within your ?”
“Y-Yes?” Liu Shu blinked, looking up sowhat confused.
Obsidianis chuckled, her attractive and charming voice making Liu Shu’s face heat up. “I was asking, how is it to live in the ? Is it difficult? After all, you can’t properly feel the environnt over there like before, right?”
Liu Shu looked at her dark eyes, and knowing her intent, her heart felt as if she had tasted a sweet candy. She stamred a bit. “I-It’s… alright.” Liu Shu started, and she smiled a bit stiffly. “I can’t really feel the wind in my leaves anymore… but in truth, by the ti I created my , I had already beco a bit too big to be swayed by wind.”
As she spoke, she felt her body relax, and her tone beca much softer and more natural. “It’s a bit… of a sha. I think that as I grow, I feel less and less connected to nature. Odd, isn’t it? Shouldn’t a World Tree beco increasingly interconnected with Nature? In truth, that was only true up to a point. Now, I am changing from a being to a celestial body.”
Seraphina chuckled. “That’s quite an accurate description. What’s your current height?”
“I am…” Liu Shu, feeling that she was a bit too big, blushed gently. “1,423,531 ters tall. Or, well, I am 1,423 kiloters tall. Basically… around a third of the Moon’s size.”
Obsidianis muttered. “No wonder we can’t really see you anymore with our bare eyes. You’ve beco too large to be observed.”
Liu Shu nodded. Her body, even on Ceperet’s surface, was now sticking out quite prominently. Thanks to atmospheric refraction, she was seen almost across 70% of the globe.
Seraphina comnted, curious. “So… is Ceperet still connected with you? From what I know, worlds develop together with their True World Trees. However, you are in a , right?”
“Ah. Well, I have many of my roots materialized in Ceperet and the other worlds and Moons I’ve considered habitable. That way, the world will benefit from my progress.”
Liu Shu explained, feeling quite happy that they were asking her about her real self. She looked at Seraphina, her eyes sparkling. “By now, my energy is starting to perfectly mix with the world’s core. This will set in motion a chain of events that yields new tals, mines, and other resources. The passive essence around my roots is also a good fertilizer, which eventually affects the entire ecosystem.”
Obsidianis sighed. “Sadly, Seraphina and I have never really delved into professions. We’ve always focused on increasing our strength and forcing others to pay.”
“Pfft.” Liu Shu laughed. “How does that work?”
Obsidianis smirked. “Well, if you are talented, powers scramble to give you resources so that you beco loyal to them. So, you just need to appear, stomp on their geniuses, and they then give you things.”
“Well, I can’t bla those powers.” Liu Shu chuckled. “I also am quite eager to nurture my talents so that they don’t escape my grasp.”
Seraphina spoke teasingly. “Don’t worry about us. We promise that we are easy and cheap to keep. We will be obedient and loyal just for a few benefits~.”
Liu Shu was amused and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “What kind of benefits? Honestly, taking two Star Emperor-level powerhouses has been quite burdenso. More so when my powerhouses are still stuck.”
Obsidianis humd at that. “Ascension Willow Lake, right?”
“Yeah.” Liu Shu didn’t hide it. “I am still maxing out so of my skills. Since it also involves Verdantia and the others, I want to be ticulous this ti around. You see, for this lake…”
Seraphina leaned back, feeling relaxed now that Liu Shu’s mood had finally stabilized. Listening to Liu Shu speak about her own matters with such a lively expression, she felt that the past eight years had truly been… wasted.
‘We were too hasty.’
Their aroused emotions, seeing a World Tree as attractive as Liu Shu, Seraphina and Obsidianis honestly rushed their approach.
Moreover, knowing that Liu Shu had other wives, a sense of urgency and unease clouded their judgnt.
Their jealousy and obsession pushed them to want to beco the sa as Verdantia and the others as quickly as possible. Hence, they just pushed, pushed, and pushed, almost asphyxiating Liu Shu with their advances.
‘Thankfully… Cinderielle talked to us. Isn’t it easy and comfortable this way? Getting to know each other, naturally getting close… what’s the rush? The journey to beco hers should also be savored.’
Liu Shu, feeling much at ease, talked with them for the rest of the day like a happily chirping bird. While there was still tons of work until the day Liu Shu truly accepted them, Seraphina and Obsidianis finally felt that their step forward landed firmly.
That afternoon, as the sunset’s glow gently coated Liu Shu, Seraphina and Obsidianis felt she looked more beautiful than ever before.
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