Confused and frustrated. That was exactly how Arvin felt right now, a heavy weight pressing against his chest from his inability to satisfy his four spouses.
The rippling sound of the water slowly faded, replaced by a heavy silence.
Arvin leaned his back against the edge of the tub. His mind was racing, dwelling on the series of demands from the four people he loved so much. His expression went blank, and his empty gaze stared straight up at the bathroom ceiling clouded with steam.
I'm so pathetic! Arvin cursed inwardly, feeling utterly helpless. The thing I fear most in this world is losing their smiles and their happiness. But right now, I'm the one making them feel disappointed.
Seeing the drastic shift in his husband's expression, Allen, who was closest to him, instantly realized his mistake. Arvin's silence and hollow stare felt like a slap to his core. He realized that their sudden demands had placed an overwhelming mental burden on the person who always tried to give them the world.
"My Husband, you don't need to dwell on what I said earlier." Allen said softly, reaching out to touch Arvin's cheek to ease his troubled mind. "Please forgive me. My selfishness made you overthink about that magic book to the point of stressing you out."
Hearing Allen's sincere apology, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein flinched. They suddenly realized their own mistakes, aware that they had pushed Arvin too hard to find the cloning magic book.
"My Love, I'm truly sorry for making you overthink and feel guilty about that magic." Alrain said in a deeply regretful tone, moving closer to his husband's side. "Please don't think about it anymore. I beg you, I don't ever want to see your cold expression from that era again."
"My Dear, I don't want to lose your smile just because of my words." Ordion pleaded, his eyes looking at Arvin with profound guilt. "I'm sorry for joining in and pushing you this far."
"Honey, I'm sorry too!" Alvein said full of regret, bowing his head. "As a subordinate you just saved, and as your spouse, I crossed the line by pressuring my master like this. Please punish me so I can atone for my mistake!"
Hearing their sincere apologies and seeing their regret-filled faces, Arvin looked at them one by one. Slowly, a gentle smile graced his lips, a smile brimming with absolute affection.
"I'm the one who should be apologizing to the four of you, not the other way around." Arvin said, his tone laden with guilt. "I decided to build a harem. But with my limitations, I can't even make all my spouses completely happy. I'm the one you should blame, you shouldn't be apologizing to me!"
Allen didn't reply with words. The pink-haired youth simply moved forward and wrapped his arms tightly around his husband's body in the water, pouring all his love and understanding into the embrace without needing to say a thing.
Alrain quickly joined in, hugging his husband from the left. Ordion didn't hesitate either; he moved to sit on his husband's lap and wrapped his arms tightly around his neck. Meanwhile, Alvein hovered low just above the water and embraced his husband from behind.
"Forgive me for not being able to touch and caress the four of you all at once due to my own limitations." Arvin said regretfully, returning their embraces as best as he could. "But honestly, just feeling the warmth of your embraces like this makes me so incredibly happy."
Hearing those heart-fluttering words, the four of them hugged him even tighter, as if they never wanted to let go.
"Don't worry about it anymore, My Husband." Allen whispered softly against his ear. "We will face everything and look for that book together! And for now, the four of us will learn to hold back and patiently take turns making love to you."
Allen slowly pulled back from the hug. Beneath the warm water's surface, he reached out and gently grasped Arvin's shaft, which was still standing rigid. He looked into his husband's eyes, his gaze burning with desire yet grounded in deep understanding.
"Tonight is my turn!" Allen declared, setting an absolute rule for their intimate schedule. "Tomorrow night is Alrain's turn, the night after that is Ordion's, and the night after that is Alvein's. We will divide it fairly."
"Yes, I will take turns serving the four of you with everything I have." Arvin said sincerely, feeling a massive wave of relief and gratitude for the extraordinary understanding his spouses showed him.
....
....
The night deepened. The Vedegra mansion grew quiet and still. However, that peaceful silence didn't apply to every room.
Currently, inside a spacious bedroom, Alrain, Ordion, and Alvein were lying in bed together. Meanwhile, Arvin and Allen had moved to another room to make love, ensuring they wouldn't disturb the others' rest.
"Hey Alrain, I have a question." Alvein said, staring at the ceiling and breaking the silence of the night. "Why didn't our husband and Allen just make love in here with us?"
"If they did it in here, my sexual desire would spike uncontrollably." Alrain answered with brutal honesty, shifting onto his side. "Just seeing him naked in the bath takes everything I have to hold back my lust. Let alone watching him make love to Allen right in front of me. I definitely wouldn't be able to hold myself back. I'd end up begging Allen to switch places so I could be the one taking our husband."
That blunt and overly honest answer left Alvein speechless. He couldn't deny the logic behind it at all. After all, he himself struggled to contain his own burning desire when he saw Arvin's naked body earlier.
"Come on, don't dwell on it. Our turn will come soon." Ordion chimed in from the other side of the bed, trying to ease the rising tension in the room. "For now, we should just close our eyes and sleep. Don't you have to go to the academy with us tomorrow morning to start your first day as a student, Alvein?"
"Yes, you're right, Ordion." Alvein replied softly. "But I'm not sure if I can fall asleep tonight. To be honest, during those thousands of years trapped in the ruins, I never slept at all. The only reason I slept so soundly yesterday was because our husband was gently stroking my hair."
"Then close your eyes and just imagine our husband lying beside you, stroking your hair just like yesterday." Ordion suggested, offering a soothing solution to the fourth spouse. "Use your imagination. I'm sure you'll fall right to sleep."
"Okay, I'll try it right now!"
Alvein closed his eyes, calming his racing thoughts, and tried to visualize the comforting warmth of his husband's hand gently running through his hair. Soon enough, his breathing steadied. He slowly drifted away on his own imagination before finally falling into a deep, peaceful slumber.
Seeing their husband's fourth spouse who had successfully fallen asleep peacefully, Alrain and Ordion threw faint smiles at each other. Both let out relieved sighs, then also closed their eyes before finally drifting into a deep sleep.