Time continued to pass along with the sounds of spatulas and ladles clashing against pans and pots. The click of a door opening was heard. Arvin had come out of the bathroom and it turned out the man was already neatly dressed, ready in his academy uniform.
Seeing this, Ordion was quite surprised because his husband had finished bathing so quickly. He felt a little disappointed that his guess was wrong and he didn't have the chance to follow and bathe with him this morning because his cooking took longer than expected. However, he understood the situation and decided to ignore his small feeling of disappointment, then focused back on stirring the soup in front of him.
Not long after, another sound of footsteps was heard entering the kitchen. It was Yonna, heading for the bathroom. She looked like someone who had just woken up, yet her aura felt much fresher. She immediately greeted Arvin and Ordion, who were in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Arvin! Good morning, Ordion!" Yonna greeted softly yet full of spirit. Her face looked much brighter than usual.
"Good morning, Yonna!" Ordion replied friendly from behind the pantry counter.
"Good morning to you too, Yonna!" Arvin answered casually while looking at his sister-in-law. "After drinking that elixir, what do you feel?"
Yonna's eyes instantly sparkled. "Extraordinary!" Yonna answered while clenching her hands tightly in front of her chest. "I never imagined that right now I would be filled with overflowing power inside my body!"
Hearing the awe-filled answer from Yonna's mouth, Arvin smiled with relief. His experiment had succeeded perfectly. "That's good! You just need to practice later so that you can protect yourself!"
"Yes, of course, Arvin!" Yonna replied with a burning spirit in her eyes. "I also can't wait to become strong like my brother so I won't always depend on him and also all of you."
Arvin nodded in agreement. He smiled with satisfaction seeing the determined resolve and independence from the beautiful green-haired woman.
"In that case, I will bathe first!" Yonna said while resuming her steps toward the bathroom door. "After I finish bathing, I will help you cook breakfast, Ordion!"
"Yes, Yonna, thank you!" Ordion replied happily as he would get help to finish his cooking faster.
Yonna entered the bathroom. And not long after, from the living room, Allen and Alrain walked side by side toward the kitchen. Both still looked a bit sleepy after passing through a heavy night. Realizing the direction of their steps heading toward the bathroom, Ordion immediately stopped them.
"Don't go into the bathroom!" Ordion exclaimed, quickly moving to block their path in front of the hallway. "Yonna is bathing in there!"
Hearing Ordion's warning, Alrain actually looked very relaxed. The green-haired teenager stepped forward and immediately patted his shoulder.
"It is fine, we will bathe with her!" Alrain replied with a nonchalant, carefree tone.
Allen, standing beside him, also nodded, agreeing with Alrain's words. His face looked very innocent as if what Alrain had just said was the most normal thing in the world.
Knowing the answer from the two of them, which completely disregarded the boundaries of privacy, Ordion was stunned. He could no longer find any words. In the end, he had no choice but to step aside and let Allen and Alrain stroll right into the bathroom.
After Allen and Alrain strolled off toward the bathroom, Ordion, still standing in the kitchen, looked stunned. The red-haired teenager, blinked his eyes, feeling quite bewildered and wondering about the behavior of the two of them, who seemed indifferent to privacy boundaries.
Ordion turned and looked directly at his husband, who was sitting relaxed, waiting for breakfast.
"My Dear, are you all truly like this?" Ordion asked, his curiosity no longer containable. "I mean... are you really used to bathing together with Yonna?"
"Yes, that's right!" Arvin answered in a flat tone, having no intention of denying his third spouse's question. "Since yesterday, I told them to just act as usual so there wouldn't be any awkwardness in this house over trivial matters. It's better for me to take a middle ground to remove the shame of my own mistake, even if my decision was a bit extreme."
"Why is that?" Ordion asked again, his brow furrowing. He grew more curious about what kind of mistake his husband had made.
"Yesterday, I accidentally walked into the bathroom and Yonna was soaking there." Arvin admitted honestly. "Realizing Yonna felt awkward, and then Allen and Alrain were struck with jealousy seeing the two of us bathing together, I had to make a snap decision. I told everyone to bathe together so it wouldn't become a conflict or create an awkwardness that might strain our family's warm relationship."
Hearing that honest confession and logical explanation from his husband, Ordion slowly sucked in a breath and nodded in understanding. There was no intent in his heart to argue, let alone feel jealous. He fully accepted his husband's decision.
He must have thought about the pros and cons of that sudden, extreme decision. Ordion thought in total admiration, trying to imagine if their positions were swapped. If I were him, I would surely be confused about what answer to give to be fair and keep the warmth in this house from vanishing.
I'm so proud of him! he cried out again in his heart, praising his husband's firmness. In such a short time, he could make a decision that prevented everyone in this house from feeling awkward or jealous.
And without realizing it, time passed. Not long after, Yonna emerged from the bathroom. The green-haired woman was now neatly dressed in her merchant guild receptionist uniform.
She immediately approached Ordion in the kitchen. "Go bathe first and let me take over your duties here." Yonna suggested while glancing toward the bathroom door she had just left. "The sun is rising higher, and you shouldn't be late for the academy."
Hearing that logical and sensible advice, Ordion handed his work to Yonna and then hurried into the bathroom to join Allen and Alrain.