Noan was a little surprised to hear what Noralia said, but then he shook his head and replied, "Aunt Noralia, are you certain that Lylia loves ? Isn't this just a misunderstanding?"
Noralia looked at him suspiciously, then nodded and said, "Lylia is my daughter. As a woman, I naturally understand a woman's heart. And besides, she's my daughter—so I know exactly what I'm talking about."
Noan found it a bit hard to believe. He knew that there wasn't any romantic relationship between him and Lylia.
They had only t a few tis, and even then, their conversations lacked emotional intimacy—just a few brief exchanges about resource trading.
Noan could easily accept Lylia. After all, he was a man, and having another beautiful and wealthy woman wouldn't be a bad thing.
But he wasn't the kind of scoundrel who ignored what the woman herself truly felt.
Ack! But when he thought of Maya, he really *was* a scoundrel.
Even so, he could use everything he had to make it up to her.
But with Lylia… what if this was all just a misunderstanding?
Seeing Noan hesitate, Noralia frowned and said, "Noan, do you know that Lylia sacrificed one of her lives just so you could survive today?"
Noan looked at Noralia in confusion and asked softly, "Aunt Noralia, could you explain a bit more?"
Noralia sighed, then began to explain:
"When a Lord loses their territory, they only have two options."
"Either beco a rogue Lord, wandering from place to place like a ghost… or beco soone else's slave, with your life in their hands."
"However, because Lylia cos from a great noble family, she had access to a third option—a way for her to beco a Lord again, even if her territory was destroyed."
"It's called a 'Backup Core.' It's essentially the Lord's second life. But Lylia gave up that second life… to help you escape from the 'Distorted Point.'"
Noan was stunned upon hearing that, his eyes widening as he stared at Noralia.
At that mont, he suddenly realized that the ssage from the System saying he could possess a second territory was all thanks to Lylia.
He… was living on her second life.
Noan lowered his head, his heart filled with countless emotions, as if he were adrift on a boat at Point Nemo, unable to see any shore.
"I…" Noan stamred, "Aunt Noralia, I *can* accept Lylia's love—but I want to be sure, one more ti… whether she truly loves or not."
"If she truly loves , I will never break her heart. However, I don't feel any romantic affection for Lylia right now, and I'm afraid this might hurt her feelings."
Noralia nodded upon hearing that. "Don't worry. Feelings can develop over ti. You're a man, after all—accepting a woman's love will always be a bit easier for you."
"However…"
At that mont, Noralia suddenly looked toward Vylyss, who had remained quiet since they arrived.
She resembled a flawless porcelain doll, the beauty that made anyone who saw her want to possess her by any ans.
"What's your na?"
Vylyss tilted her head and looked at Noralia. She had no concept of human politeness or etiquette, so she could only respond as best.
"I am Vylyss."
Aside from her Master, she owed no deference to anyone.
Seeing Vylyss so proud and aloof, Noralia didn't feel offended or angry. After all, with beauty like that, she had every right to be proud.
"Vylyss, would you be jealous if my daughter were to beco Noan's lover too?"
Vylyss smiled at Noralia's question and gently replied, "No. The more won my Master has, the greater his power. That would only make prouder."
Hearing Vylyss refer to Noan as 'Master,' Noralia was startled. Her gaze shifted with suspicion between Vylyss and Noan.
Had the younger generation beco so bold that they used such titles now?
Seeing Noralia's confusion, Noan sighed and explained, "Aunt Noralia, Vylyss is my girlfriend, but she's also my Hero."
"Ah!" Noralia imdiately understood why Vylyss addressed Noan as 'Master.'
So… everything made sense now. It wasn't unusual for a Lord to fall in love with their Hero.
In fact, most Heroes with human-like forms beca lovers of their Lords.
Even the Lords married their Heroes and let them live in the city like ordinary citizens.
But… this was the first ti Noralia had ever seen a Hero this beautiful.
She couldn't even detect anything unusual about Vylyss—it was as if Vylyss truly was human.
However, this might be a good thing. There would be no rivalry within the harem—after all, Vylyss was Noan's Hero and would never betray him.
Because of that, she surely wouldn't make things difficult for Lylia if both loved Noan.
After all, in this world, it wasn't uncommon for a man to have many won—or the reverse, for a woman to have multiple n.
As long as you were strong and wealthy, you could have anything you wanted.
"Aunt Noralia, may I ask what exactly happened between Lylia and when we were young?" Noan asked curiously.
Noralia wanted to say sothing, but she decided against it. "If you can't rember, then it's best to let Lylia remind you. I hope that from now on, you'll take care of her—don't let her suffer like this again."
"This…" Noan was taken aback.
This was the first ti he had seen a mother so willing to let her daughter freely pursue love.
At first, he'd thought Noralia would hand him so money and ask him to stay away from her.
But… everything had gone too smoothly—so smoothly that it made Noan suspicious.
Looks like he'd watched a bit too many TV dramas.
"Hahaha…" Seeing Noan's expression, Noralia laughed and said, "Surprised? At first, I didn't want Lylia to love you either. But seeing her in so much pain made think about myself… about my own life…"
As Noralia spoke, she gazed off into the distance, her eyes clouded with mories of sothing sorrowful. "I once wished to love soone, too. But in the end, it was just a dream of mine."
"But Lylia is different. I hope she can pursue the love she wants. I don't want her to be like , left only with regret."
Noan tilted his head and looked at Noralia. She was still so beautiful. She appeared radiant under the sunlight pouring through the window, carrying the aura of maturity and quiet sorrow.
"All right, Master, you should go see Lylia. Don't keep her waiting," Vylyss suddenly said, gently pushing Noan forward as she spoke.
"This… wait a mont, Aunt Noralia is still here," Noan sighed. He felt like Vylyss was even more eager than he was, as if she had been waiting for this mont for a long ti.
Noralia watched the scene unfold and gave a faint, lancholic smile. She guided Noan toward Lylia's room, then returned to her seat.
"You don't get jealous?" Noralia looked at Vylyss and asked once more.
Vylyss smiled and replied, "I won't be jealous. I hope Master will have even more won."
"Master is alone. If I can help him build a big family, wouldn't that be even warr?"
Hearing Vylyss's words, Noralia was a little surprised, but she chuckled and said, "You're a strange one… but you're not wrong either."
…
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Um…"
Lylia heard the knocking and slowly opened her eyes, feeling a dull ache.
She had no idea how much she'd cried over the past two days—she only knew that every ti she finished crying, she would fall asleep. When she woke up, she would cry again. Even holding it in was useless; the tears would still co.
Although Lylia had told Noralia that she could accept being Noan's second wife, in her heart, the pain remained.
And the fact that Noan didn't rember their past only made her feel more hopeless.
Eventually, she sank into such negative thoughts that she beca depressed.
"Mom?"
Hearing the knocking, Lylia said tiredly, "I don't want to eat right now. I'll eat later."
Knock! Knock!
The knocking ca again, but no voice responded to her words.
She frowned, puzzled, and said again, "Mom, I'm really tired, I…"
Knock! Knock!
Lylia sighed, dragging her weary body toward the door.
Crack!
She opened the door slightly, revealing a small gap, and said weakly, "Mom, I said I—Heh! Noan?!"
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