When Klaus and his mother returned to the room, he noticed that Danny and his other male friends were not there. This made him smile slightly. Clearly, his friends were men of culture. He looked around the room, his smile lingering. Then his eyes landed on Hanna.
As soon as they did, memories of a young woman who had ignited her soul to buy time for his mother and him when they were being chased by the ten masked figures flooded back. That young woman looked just like Hanna, though a bit more mature.
But she still looked like Hanna. In his memories as Fruity, he learned that this woman had been his mother's close friend, protector, and even his babysitter. They had been very close.
Her name back then was Haniva, and she used a bow, just like Hanna. Klaus recalled how close they had all been—him, his mother, and Haniva. He knew Haniva never loved anyone besides his mother and had been deeply loyal. So, seeing someone who looked just like her standing there stirred emotions in Klaus that he never thought possible.
Without hesitation, Klaus walked over to Hanna and, without saying a word, hugged her tightly. It was a warm hug that caught everyone off guard. Even Hanna was taken aback, but Klaus didn't bother explaining.
"Thank you for everything," he whispered into her ear. Hanna's body shuddered at his words, for reasons she didn't fully understand.
Breaking away from the hug, Klaus looked between his mother and Hanna. "Mom, from today onward, Hanna is my big sister. I want you to shower her with love—the kind that only a mother gives to her children."
Hanna's body shuddered again, and then, as if a dam had burst, tears began flowing down her face. She didn't know why, but Klaus's words made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time—genuine love.
"It's alright, Hanna. You're part of my family now. My mother will be your mother, as it should be," Klaus said gently. His mother looked at him for a few moments before smiling. She, too, had felt a strange but strong attachment to Hanna the first time she saw her. She was happy to welcome her as family.
Hanna is an orphan. Her parents had died when she was just seven, so being included in a family now meant everything to her. Klaus's mother came over and hugged her. Seeing how overwhelmed Hanna was by her tears, she led her away to a quieter room, leaving Klaus alone with the other women.
"Well, ladies, who's going first? Or should we do this together?" Klaus asked with an amused smile, glancing around the room at the remaining damsels.
There were seven heaven-defying beauties in the room, each one staring at Klaus with unreadable expressions. Well, except for the War Goddess—he could tell she was holding herself back from smacking him on the back of the head.
His body was actively healing, and the wound on his shoulder had already stopped hurting. One of the passive skills he had awakened, [Overlord Healing], made sure of that. As long as he had spiritual energy, even a damaged heart could heal.
'Oh my, I'm going to see him naked.'
'Am I supposed to be naked too?'
'Oh no, this is bad. This is very bad.'
'Why am I overthinking this? I can just run away, and he can't catch me.'
Lucy glanced at Klaus, who seemed to hear every chaotic thought running through her mind. Her heart raced as she caught him staring at her.
"Don't overthink it, Lucy," Klaus said calmly. "It's just a bath. You're my woman now, and I respect your boundaries. So don't worry—I won't do anything you don't want me to." His words soothed her, even as her mind struggled to calm down.
"Okay," Lucy replied softly. She stood from the bed and led Klaus to the bathroom. Her heart raced like she was in a marathon, but she did her best to appear calm.
The last time she spent the night with Klaus, she had woken up the next morning holding something rather hot, long, and thick in her arms. That morning, she had been so flustered that when she left, her cheeks were as pink as the color pink itself.
It was her first time experiencing something like that, and for the past few weeks at the academy, every morning when she woke up, the memory resurfaced, making her blush again and again. It was overwhelming.
Now, as she prepared to take the next step—from touching through clothes to seeing him naked—Lucy felt like she was on the verge of losing her composure. Her mind was flooded with nervous excitement, and the idea of seeing him bare only made it harder to stay calm.
Back inside the bathroom, Klaus looked at Lucy with a look that seemed to say, 'You're handling everything yourself, missy.'
Lucy appeared to understand. She gently began removing the bandage from Klaus's chest. The wound had healed, but the mark remained. It would take a few days to fully disappear. As she looked at his abs, she silently gulped.
With a deep breath, Lucy reached for his shorts. Like peeling a delicate flower, she carefully began to remove them. Suddenly, his pants came off, and when the "weapon of mass destruction" appeared, Lucy's heartbeat nearly stopped. She swallowed hard, her nerves on edge as she stared in shock.