The morning sunlight began to creep shyly through the gaps in the window curtains, bringing a warmth that signaled the arrival of a new day. On the king-size bed, the occupants' eyelids slowly began to flutter open.
Alvin, Allen, and Arken stretched slowly. The first thing they saw upon opening their eyes was Kazien's peaceful face, still asleep beneath them. On the other side, Erica also blinked repeatedly, adjusting her vision to the morning light.
Without a second thought, the three fiancés immediately performed the ritual they usually did to Kazien before bed and after waking up.
Mwah!
Three affectionate kisses landed simultaneously on Kazien's lips.
Kazien opened his eyes slowly, revealing a warm, soothing smile.
"Good morning..." they greeted in unison with husky morning voices that sounded sexy.
"Good morning to the three of you too." Kazien greeted gently.
On the other side of the bed, Erica felt awkward witnessing the morning ritual. Her face flushed as she realized just how close her face was to her cousin's.
"G-Good morning, Brother Kazien..." Erica greeted nervously, her voice a small squeak.
Kazien turned toward Erica, maintaining his gentle smile. "Good morning to you too, Erica. Did you sleep well?"
Erica just nodded stiffly, still too shy to answer with words.
The lazy atmosphere was instantly broken when Alvin suddenly sat up with full energy.
"Alright! Today is an important day. Allen and I will cook breakfast first so we have energy!" Alvin exclaimed while stretching his muscles.
"I'm coming too! I want to learn how to cook!" Arken chimed in suddenly, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. He had only been pampered so far, but seeing Alvin and Allen so skilled in the kitchen made him want to contribute so he could become the ideal wife for Kazien.
"Okay! Good spirit! Let's go to the kitchen now!" invited Allen.
The three of them got off the bed, walking out of the room together while joking about the menu they would make. The door closed, leaving Kazien and Erica alone in the spacious room.
And that was when Kazien's splitting magic was deactivated.
Poof!
The three clones of Kazien that Alvin, Allen, and Arken had slept on turned into puffs of black smoke and vanished, leaving only the one real body, the body that happened to be the one Erica was sleeping on.
Realizing this, Erica hurriedly sat up on the edge of the bed, tidying her messy hair.
"I want to take a bath first. What are you going to do, Erica?" asked Kazien as he sat up and rubbed his face.
"Y-You go ahead and bathe first, Brother. I'll take a bath after you finish later." Erica answered without turning her head.
Kazien nodded, then stood up. He walked casually toward the bedroom door, followed by Erica behind him. Upon reaching the living room, Erica turned toward the sofa to wait for breakfast, while Kazien continued walking toward the main bathroom on the first floor.
Erica sat on the sofa, but her mind drifted back to the events of a few seconds ago when she woke up. Her eyes stared at Kazien's back as he slowly walked away.
I don't know what actually happened here. thought Erica in confusion. Her face slowly heated up again.
Earlier, when she had just opened her eyes and was still lying on Kazien's body, she felt something. 'Something hard' pressing against her crotch area.
Why was his shaft erect? Erica asked herself, a mix of curiosity and embarrassment raging in her mind. Didn't Brother Allen say that Brother Kazien wasn't interested in women at all? But why did his body react like that when I slept on top of him?
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Kazien was completely unaware of his cousin's internal struggle. He continued enjoying his shower time, pouring water over his body and soaping up while humming happily.
His heart was blooming. Kazien couldn't wait to go to the Adventurer's Guild with his three fiancés to carry out their first mission as a team.
However, his peace didn't last long.
Creak!
The sound of the bathroom door opening without a knock made Kazien startle. He turned quickly toward the door.
His eyes widened.
"A-Aunt Elisa?!" shrieked Kazien in shock, even though soap suds still covered part of his body.
In the doorway, Elisa stood without a single thread on her body. The woman walked in casually as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
"What is it, Auntie? Why did you just walk into the bathroom without clothes like that? I'm still showering here!" protested Kazien, his face starting to heat up.
Elisa flipped her wet hair that was damp from the steam. "I just want to shower quickly so I can hurry up and take care of the academy registration and adoption papers for the two of them. If I wait for you to finish showering, it will get too late in the day."
The reason was very logical and pragmatic, typical of Elisa. There was no seductive tone in her voice, purely time efficiency.
Hearing the reasonable excuse, Kazien sighed in resignation. He shifted his body slightly. "A-Alright. Go ahead, Auntie."
Kazien tried to act normal, allowing his aunt to shower with him, although inside he was screaming because he wasn't used to such an intimate situation. Especially with his own aunt.
Elisa noticed her nephew's awkwardness. She smiled amusedly seeing the stiff Kazien.
"Just relax, Kazien. Just think of me as your own mother! After all, your father is my biological older brother! We are blood-related!" said Elisa casually as she began rinsing her body under the shower next to Kazien.
"I-I'm sorry, Aunt Elisa. I'm just not used to showering with anyone other than my own mother, my fiancés, and all my brothers and sisters." Kazien answered honestly, his eyes trying to focus on the tiled wall in front of him.
"Hahaha. No need to overthink it. You're so funny. Come on, continue your shower!"
Kazien nodded and tried to refocus on cleaning himself.
A few moments later, after their bodies were clean of soap, Elisa invited Kazien to soak for a while in the large bathtub filled with hot water.
Now, the two of them sat soaking in the tub filled with warm steam. They sat side by side, enjoying a brief moment of relaxation before the busy routine began.
Silence enveloped them, only the sound of rippling water could be heard.
"Hey Kazien..." Elisa called out suddenly, breaking the silence. "You said your blood could multiply a person's strength, right?"
Kazien turned, slightly relieved that the topic had shifted to something serious. "Yes, Aunt Elisa. That's correct. Besides drastically strengthening a person's physical and magic power, the person who drinks my blood will also become ageless. Their cell regeneration will be repaired, so their lifespan becomes much longer than that of ordinary humans."
Elisa's eyes instantly sparkled upon hearing the word 'ageless'. For a woman, those words were more tempting than gold or gems.
Without warning, Elisa shifted her body in the water, moving closer to Kazien. The water rippled gently as the woman closed the distance between them. She stared at her nephew's face intently.
"Ageless, you say?" whispered Elisa, her face now only a hand's breadth away from Kazien's.
Kazien froze. The scent of soap mixed with his aunt's natural body scent pierced his sense of smell.
Ba-thump! Ba-thump! Ba-thump! Ba-thump!
Kazien's heart suddenly raced wildly, pounding hard against his chest cavity. He could see water droplets flowing from Elisa's hair, down her slender neck, and continuing down toward her chest exposed above the water surface.
Cold sweat began to trickle down Kazien's temples, mixing with the hot steam.
Why? Kazien thought in panic. Why am I getting nervous like this in front of my own aunt?
His brain tried to find a logical reason.
Is it because her face looks so much like Allen's?
Indeed, as mother and son, the resemblance between Elisa and Allen was identical, only Elisa was the mature female version.
Or is the incident where I was captivated by Sister Selena happening again? Do I have a forbidden attraction to my own family?
Kazien gulped harshly as Elisa leaned her body even closer, as if examining the pores of Kazien's face for signs of a lie.
Or... is this purely because of my aunt's unique aura that is so captivating?