Chapter 261 - To Keep Trisha Safe

Within the Feralle residence, Trisha and her mother sat at the same table. However, the mother didn't seem to be enjoying the moment for some reason.

"Is there a problem, Mom?"

Trisha asked as she was distributing the three cups of tea on the table.

"A problem?"

Trisha's mother was baffled and looked at her daughter, thinking if she was getting played at.

"I... can I have private time with you?"

She looked at Trisha with a serious expression.

"What? What for?"

But before Trisha could finish what she was saying, her mother have already left the table. Trisha then followed her mother.

"Trisha...! What is the meaning of this...!?"

By the turn over the corner, Trisha was met with the angry look of her mother as she whispered.

"What? Tell me."

But Trisha continued to play dumb.

"Why did you bring that man here? Do you have any idea what you're doing? So what? You're friends now?"

Receiving the questions, Trisha just dismissed them.

"There's nothing to worry about. Teren is not that..."

She was going to say that Teren is not dangerous but went against it. Trisha wasn't able to convey it, therefore, she pulled her mother towards the dining area again.

"W-what are you doing...!?"

"Here, see, look, he's harmless."

To prove her point, Trisha poked Teren's cheeks. Meanwhile, Teren was staying silent since that's what he agreed with Trisha when she said he should come over and she will 'make her mother less scared of him'

Since it's for the better, Teren followed her and that leads them to this situation.

"You... what did you do to my daughter?"

Trisha's mother looked at Teren with shock and bitter anger.

"Trisha, can I speak now?"

"Uh... yeah, sure."

Seeing that her mother was more difficult to handle than she imagined, Trisha chose to leave it to Teren.

"I'm here to say that I'm compensating for my actions."

Teren said with a sincere expression but this just made the mother angrier. In her eyes, Teren is just one lying snake!

"Yes! Right! He's apologizing for what he did!"

Trisha supported but this just fanned her mother's flame.

"Oh, can you enumerate what exactly did he do?"

"..."

Trisha was speechless. She didn't know what she was going for. She thought that as long as she shows that Teren could be trusted, everything will turn out fine but... how can she show that Teren can be trusted.

In the first place, does she even trust Teren?

But recalling what happened earlier, Trisha's trust in him did increase.

"I did a lot to her. As you must've already noticed, Trisha's strength significantly increased because I gave some stimulants for her to grow."

Teren tried to smooth his words over but Trisha's mother knew what happens before every Trisha's power up. She got hurt or depressed.

"You tortured my Trisha?"

Trisha's mother trembled as she raised her index finger to point at Teren.

"... yes, that's basically what I did."

Teren agreed which made Trisha's mother gasp before she looked at her daughter who seemed to be doing well with her so-called torturer. There's something fundamentally wrong here, she swears!

But before she could continue thinking of it...

"Mom!"

Trisha immediately reacted and caught her fainting mother. Teren then came to check on the mother's health and have some healing energy for aid.

The two looked at each other and Trisha decided that it's enough.

"I'll put her on the bed to rest. Wait for me there."

A moment after Trisha took care of her mother, she went to neighboring houses. She went to her auntie and said the news.

... after a while, Trisha returned to meet Teren.

"Sorry for being late."

"So, I guess we failed?"

"No, no, that's just the first step."

Trisha waved her hand before joining Teren by sitting on the couch before she asked.

"Since you're apparently no longer in a bad mood... do you know what happened earlier?"

While the two talked about what just happened, in the room where Trisha's mother was laying down, her sister, Trisha's aunt was worriedly sitting on the side of the bed.

When the mother opened her eyes, the aunt immediately asked.

"Tes, what happened?"

"... Tia?"

The two called at each other by their nicknames, implying that they are close. Tes, Trisha's mother immediately remembered what happened, her blood boiled again.

"Trisha... she..."

Tia, the aunt leaned forward to listen to her sister.

"She brought a man in..."

Tes said before fainting out of anger again.

"A... man?"

Tia and the rest of their family clearly knew the 'tragedy' that happened to Trisha. However, in her head, the man was not connected to the one who kidnapped Trisha.

Why?

Simply because why would Trisha bring the man that kidnapped her? Furthermore, Tess said 'a man' not a 'the man'.

"Isn't this good news?"

Tia asked herself. Since Trisha was able to move on from being kidnapped and even found a romance, how could that be so bad?

"Oh... Tes, you're too possessive of your daughter! Don't overreact like that."

Thinking it was just a parent thing over their child, Tia chuckled as she properly fixed the blanket. Afterward, she went out to meet the man that Trisha brought over. During the night of Trisha's frenzy, her family was unable to see Teren's face properly.

Probably because it was still relatively darker as dawn approached or because he was badly beaten up by Trisha that he was recognizable.

Thus, when Tia went to meet Trisha, she saw Teren and found... nothing special about him. He looked average... something that Trisha was far from, he doesn't look charismatic, and he only has a face that couldn't be called ugly or handsome.

When Tia saw this, she was a bit disappointed and then intrigued. How did this man get the heart of the Feralle Family's treasured girl?

She then walked in and the two looked at her. Even though they already noticed her staring, they pretended not to.

"Aunt, this is Teren."

Expecting that her aunt already know who Teren was, she carefully introduced.

"Teren, this is Aunt Tia."

"Hello, Auntie."

Teren then stood up to offer a handshake.

'A handshake? Well, isn't he proper?'

To both Trisha and Teren's surprise, Aunt Tia accepted the handshake with a smile.

"Good to meet you, Teren."

"... Aunt Tia, I'm surprised you're accepting of Teren."

Trisha straightforwardly said.

"Well, I'm not like your mother."

Tia smiled at her niece and gave a vague answer which made Trisha confused. Wasn't her aunt like her mother? For as long as she can remember, her aunt and mother were always on the same page so what's happening now?

Trisha felt danger.

"Coincidentally, Aunt Tia, we'll be going now."

Trisha signaled Teren which made Aunt Tia raise her eyebrows.

"What? Leaving already? But I want to learn more about Teren."

'There it is! I knew it!' 

Trisha thought and went on defense.

"No, really, Aunt Tia, we have to go."

"Where?"

"To his house."

Trisha said, thinking she should be revealing her stance at the same time. By saying this, she should be suggesting that she's on his side, thus, no matter the words, she wouldn't be swayed.

However, Aunt Tia received this differently.

"What?"

She said so in shock.

'They are already at that stage?'

"How long has it since you two met?"

"... about a month ago?"

Trisha remembered the time that she only knew Teren as the Hat Guy. She can't believe that only a short time had passed. Well, considering what Teren did to her, it's no wonder that she felt like that one month is more than that.

"Just a month ago?"

Aunt Tia was surprised once again.

'They escalated too much. Is Trisha that type of girl or is this Teren the guy who has his ways with women?' thinking about this, she then realized something, 'Wait... but that was before Trisha was kidnapped.'

Aunt Tia then pieced the puzzle together and got to the conclusion.

'So their relationship escalated when she was at her lowest! This Teren, maybe I underestimated him. I know Trisha is strong but she still needs help. Is he the reason?'

He's the reason but the other way around.

The misunderstanding has settled within Aunt Tia's head. So she whispered to ask Trisha-

"Do you have protection?"

'Aunt does really worry for my sake.' Trisha slightly put her defense down, thinking that Aunt Tia was still suspicious of Teren which no one can blame her for doing so.

"Don't worry, Aunt Tia, I don't need protection."

Trisha tried to ease her aunt's worry but it had another effect.

"You don't need? No! Young girl, you're still too young!"

Trisha sighed after hearing her aunt's scolding.

'I'm already mature enough to think for myself. But I don't think saying it to her will have any effect.'

"Hold on, I'll go get something before you two go!"

Aunt Tia hurriedly went. As if this was her own house, she knew the nook and cranny and was able to easily find the 'protection'

Soon after, she returned, took Trisha's hand, and secretly placed the 'protection' in her palm.

Thinking that this was a secret talisman or something. Trisha looked at what Aunt Tia gave her.

It was condoms if that wasn't obvious...

Trisha clenched her hand and nodded.

"Alright, Aunt Tia, I'll use them whenever I need them."

'Although I don't think I would be needing these weird plastic talismans, I just have to accept it to ease aunt's worry.'

As 'mature' as she thinks she is, Trisha haven't seen a condom before.