Hearing those words, Vivian leaned closer to him, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder as they walked slowly along the lantern-lit path back toward the palace.

The night air was cool and fragrant with blooming night flowers.

"We just need to wait three months, huh? Then, how much time are you going to spend there? A week, two?" she commented softly, her voice carrying a note of quiet hope.

Aestrea hesitated for a moment, then gently shook his head.

"It might be much longer than that... unfortunately."

Vivian slowed her steps, eventually stopping completely on the path. She turned to face him fully, her deep black eyes searching his face with growing concern.

"What do you mean?"

Aestrea sighed softly and took both of her hands in his, holding them gently but firmly.

"Arcadia is not a normal world. The concept of time there is completely distorted. According to what Horae told me, a single second inside could equal an entire day here... or even longer. A week there might be years outside. There’s no way to predict it accurately. Once I step through that portal, I might be gone for a very long time from your perspective."

Vivian’s expression shifted instantly.

Her eyes widened in horror, the calm and elegant mask she usually wore cracking completely. Her grip on his hands tightened almost painfully as her lips trembled.

"Don’t go..." she instantly pleaded.

"Please... don’t go." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The words came out raw, vulnerable, and desperate. Tears welled up in her usually composed black eyes, threatening to spill over.

"I can’t... I can’t do it again, Aestrea. I already waited more than ten years for you in the lower realms before. Ten years of not knowing if you were alive or dead. Ten years of waking up every day, wondering if I’d ever see you again. It almost killed me. I can’t... I can’t wait years or decades again. I won’t survive it."

Her voice cracked on the last words.

Drip...

A single tear finally escaped and rolled down her cheek.

Aestrea was taken aback by the intensity of her reaction.

He had known she carried deep emotional scars from their separation, but seeing her like this, the always graceful and gorgeous Vivian breaking down in front of him, struck him harder than he expected.

He pulled her into his arms without hesitation, wrapping her tightly against his chest. One hand gently stroked her long red hair while the other rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"I’m sorry," he whispered against her hair.

"I didn’t realize how much it still hurts you."

Vivian buried her face in his chest, her shoulders trembling slightly as she fought to hold back more tears.

"I know you have to go. I know it’s important. But the thought of waiting again... not knowing when, or if, you’ll come back... it terrifies me. I don’t think I can endure another long separation."

Aestrea held her closer, resting his chin on top of her head.

His own chest felt tight, mainly because he understood her fear perfectly.

If their roles were reversed, he knew he wouldn’t be able to bear waiting ten years, or even one, for any of his lovers either.

"I won’t ask you to wait like that again," he said quietly.

"I’ll find a way. Even if time flows differently inside Arcadia, I’ll carve out moments to send messages or signals back. I’ll make sure you know I’m alive. And when I return... I’ll come back as fast as possible. I promise you that."

Vivian stayed silent for a long moment, simply clinging to him. The night wind rustled the leaves around them, and the distant sound of crickets filled the quiet garden.

Eventually, she pulled back just enough to look up at him, her eyes still glistening with unshed tears.

"You better keep that promise," she whispered, her voice shaky but determined.

"Because if you disappear for decades again... I really will come find you myself, even if I have to break reality to do it."

Aestrea smiled softly and wiped the tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"I believe you. And I won’t make you go through that again. You’ve waited enough for me in this lifetime."

Rustleee...

Aestrea held Vivian tighter, his hand gently stroking her long red hair as she trembled slightly in his arms.

He spoke softly but with absolute conviction.

"If needed... I will bend time itself inside Arcadia," he murmured against her temple.

"I’ll make it so that a thousand days there equals nothing more than a single second here in the Divine Realm. I won’t let you wait again. Not for years. Not even for months. I swear it on everything I am."

Vivian pulled back just enough to look up at him, her black eyes still glistening but now filled with a fragile hope.

"You really mean that?"

"I do," Aestrea said firmly. "I’ve broken worse rules than I have before. If the planet resists... I’ll force it. For you. For all of you."

Vivian searched his face for a moment, then let out a shaky breath and nodded, pressing her forehead against his chest once more.

"Okay... I trust you."

They stayed like that for a while longer, soaking in each other’s warmth under the moonlight, before finally continuing their walk back toward the palace.

The night felt lighter now, the tension between them eased by his promise.

As they approached the grand entrance of the palace, the doors burst open.

"Master!!!"

"Papa!!"

"Aestrea!!"

A wave of beautiful women came rushing out like an excited storm.

Lumi was the first to reach him, literally launching herself into his arms with a joyful squeal, wrapping her slimy body around him tightly.

"We missed you so much!!" she cried, nuzzling into his neck even though he had only been gone for a few hours.

Christina was right behind her, throwing herself against his side and hugging him fiercely.

"You left without saying goodbye properly! I was waiting for you all day!"

Zeva and Yara appeared next, both trying to act cool but failing miserably as they pressed close, each grabbing one of his arms.

"Tch, took you long enough," Zeva muttered, but her cheeks were slightly pink.

"Yeah, we were bored without you," Yara added, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Rose and Violet came more shyly but still hugged him tightly around the waist.

Alaine, ever the devoted maid, bowed deeply but had a bright, happy smile on her face. Isabella, Lilith, Mia, and Maria all swarmed him too, creating a chaotic, loving pile of bodies around him.

Even Chaerin, who usually tried to act mature, ran up and hugged him tightly around the middle.

"Papa... welcome home."

Aestrea stood there, completely surrounded by his girls, a rare, genuine smile spreading across his face as he wrapped his arms around as many of them as he could.

"I was only gone for a few hours," he said with a soft laugh.

"Few hours is too long!" Lumi protested, squeezing him harder.

Christina nodded vigorously, burying her face in his chest.

"Exactly! You need to stay with us more. We get lonely."

Vivian watched the scene with a warm, amused smile, standing slightly behind Aestrea with her arms crossed.

"See? This is what happens when you disappear, even for a short while."

Aestrea looked at the chaotic, affectionate mess of women clinging to him and felt his heart lighten even further.

After the heavy conversation with Vivian, this overwhelming love and warmth was exactly what he needed.

He kissed the top of Lumi’s head, then Christina’s, then gently ruffled Chaerin’s hair.

"I’m home."

"Welcome home~!!" the girls chorused happily, their voices overlapping in a joyful mess.

Yara, still clinging to his left arm, smirked and nudged him with her elbow.

"What’s up with that depressive ’I’m home’? You should be happy! We’re all here giving you our full attention, you know. Act a little more excited, damn it."

The girls burst into laughter around him. Even the usually shy Violet and Rose giggled softly. Mia playfully poked Aestrea’s cheek.

"Yeah, yeah! Look at this face. So serious all the time."

Aestrea shook his head with a helpless smile, though the corners of his lips were clearly fighting not to curve upward too much.

"Let’s go eat..." he said, sighing in mock defeat.

"I’m starving."

"Damn right! We were waiting for you, dumbass!" Zeva grumbled, though her tone was full of affection as she bumped her shoulder against his.

"We’ve been smelling dinner for the last hour and didn’t touch anything until you got back."

Christina hugged his waist tighter, looking up at him with bright pink eyes.

"Alaine made all your favorites! We told her you’d be back tonight, so she went all out."

Lumi, still wrapped around him like a koala, nodded enthusiastically.

"There’s honey-glazed ribs, starlight soup, and the big chocolate cake I helped mix! Well... I mostly licked the spoon, but still!"

The group laughed again as they practically dragged Aestrea through the grand halls toward the large dining room.