Inside the lounge, the youths sitting on their respective sofas could only remain silent, staring at Arvin's back as he stood facing the large glass window.
Not a single one of them spoke. Yet, from their gazes, it was crystal clear that they deeply understood and grasped the urgency of the situation they were currently facing.
Those who had chosen to become the spouses of an Arvin Vedegra, whether they possessed the memories of the great war from that era or knew absolutely nothing about it, shared a single, unified resolve.
Deep within their hearts, they undoubtedly yearned to stand beside Arvin and assist their beloved husband in preventing that tragedy from repeating itself.
Before any of the youths could voice their thoughts, Arvin, who had been staring outside the mansion all along, suddenly pivoted his body. He then looked at the faces of his spouses one by one.
However, there was something different about his gaze. For the first time in front of them, Arvin looked conflicted by a sudden doubt that had crept into his mind after uncovering the greatest secret regarding his soul's identity.
Silence lingered for a few seconds before Arvin finally spoke.
"Now that you know the truth, that I am not the original Arvin Vedegra, do you still consider me your husband?"
The question that slipped from Arvin's mouth was like a spark dropped into a pool of oil.
The gazes of all the youths in the lounge sharpened simultaneously. The atmosphere, previously filled with empathy, instantly turned tense. It was as if they genuinely could not accept and felt insulted by what their ears had just heard.
"What?!" Allen suddenly exclaimed in a rather loud voice. His eyes, which usually looked at Arvin with tenderness, now radiated anger. "Why are you questioning something like that to us?"
Allen then raised his right hand and showed the white Life-and-Death contract symbol engraved on the back of his hand.
"Answer me! What is the meaning of this symbol?!" Allen challenged, his tone trembling from overflowing emotion. His eyes stared straight into his husband's blue eyes. "Do you consider our marriage to be nothing but a game?!"
Arvin was stunned. His mouth slightly opened, but no words came out. His eyes were glued to the white Life-and-Death contract symbol permanently etched onto the back of Allen's right hand.
At that exact second, as if slapped by reality, Arvin realized how foolish his recent question had been. He had questioned something that, in the end, made his first spouse furiously angry.
"Forgive me for questioning that." Arvin said, his tone sincere and laden with regret. He lowered his gaze for a moment. "I do not consider this a game in the slightest. I merely wanted to ensure if all of you were still willing to accept me, someone whose soul is not—"
"So what if the soul residing in that body is not the original Arvin Vedegra's soul?!"
Allen immediately cut off the sentence in a much firmer voice, absolutely refusing to let his husband finish the doubt-filled sentence.
"Now I am the one asking you! Was it you standing before me right now, or the original Arvin Vedegra, who chose us to be your spouses?"
"It was me, after my soul transmigrated to this world, who chose all of you to be my spouses."
"If it was indeed you who did it, then why did you ask us such a ridiculous, disappointing question?!"
What happened next was Arvin falling completely silent. He truly felt regret. As a consequence of his unguarded words, he could clearly see that not only Allen, but the other youths in the room were also staring at him with angry and disappointed expressions.
"My Love, all of us in this room are already bound to you, both physically and spiritually." Alrain suddenly said, expressing what was currently in his heart. "Especially for me, Allen, Ordion, Alvein, Alrian, and Kylen. The six of us are already bound by the Life-and-Death contract with you. Regardless of which world your soul comes from, for all eternity, we are a married couple in the eyes of the Gods!"
"He is right!" Ordion chimed in with a firm tone. "How could we, who are bound in such a sacred marriage with you, suddenly think about leaving you just because of that issue! Regardless of whose soul is inside that body, in our eyes and in our hearts, we only have one husband! And that is you standing before us right now!"
Ordion's straightforward and passionate statement was instantly met with simultaneous nods from all the youths in the lounge.
Alrian, who sat next to Alvein, also voiced his heart.
"If you truly love us, please... be the you that we have known all along." the green-haired youth pleaded, his tone softening yet demanding certainty. "Didn't you once say that you wanted to always see us smiling at you for all eternity? Then why are you making us sad with a question like that?"
Hearing the sentences thrown by his spouses one after another, Arvin was increasingly at a loss for words. A suffocating sense of guilt gripped him. He realized he had made a fatal mistake by doubting their feelings.
Arvin knew he had to immediately fix his mistake and change the mood of his spouses before their disappointment worsened.
The blue-haired youth looked at the faces of his spouses in the room one by one. He saw their expressions showing annoyance, disappointment, and frowns.
Seeing those expressions, Arvin's memories were suddenly thrown back into the past. The frowning faces of his spouses from back when he had not yet mastered cloning magic to divide his time fairly crossed his mind again.
To Arvin, losing the smiles from the faces of the people he loved was the most terrifying thing in this world. He absolutely did not want to see that terrifying thing happen again solely due to his own foolishness.
All the doubts that had momentarily plagued him vanished instantly. His posture straightened once more, radiating the dominance and aura of a leader just as before.
"You are right! I will change my question." he said in a straightforward tone. "Do you want to always be with me and live this married life as my spouses for all eternity?"
The question that had just slipped from Arvin's mouth successfully changed the expressions of all his spouses. Those who had previously shown gazes laden with annoyance and disappointment, had now completely shifted into gazes full of absolute loyalty.
Not a single youth in that lounge did not want to continuously be by Arvin's side, the person they had chosen with all their hearts as their husband, for all eternity.
As if their souls were connected on the exact same frequency, all the youths in the room answered their husband's question simultaneously.
"Yes, My Dear Husband / My Love / My Dear / Honey / Sweetheart / Darling / My Beloved / My King / My Star / My Light / Huby / My Dawn / Lovely, I do!"
After giving their answer in unison to their husband, the youths then smiled broadly. Smiles that were so sincere, warm, and enchanting.
Warmth instantly surged within Arvin's chest. How happy he was hearing the answer that came from their mouths. And that happiness multiplied as he saw his spouses smiling broadly at him.
Their smiles are my most precious treasure in this world.