"…Huh?"
Mark stayed completely still, buried under four women who showed no sign whatsoever of wanting to let go of him.
"Listen to me carefully, Master," Aria said against his neck, not loosening her hold. "I don't know what kind of people your parents were, but they were wrong… they were wrong about everything."
"Aria—"
"We're your family now," she continued, her voice trembling. "And we would never see you as a disappointment… never."
"It's true, you're everything to us, my lord," Alice said from behind him, with a warmth that rarely came out of her. "And we're not going anywhere."
"You can try kicking us out if you want," Ely added with a watery laugh. "But that won't change even a little bit what we feel for you."
"Each one of us loves you in her own way, Master," Rose said calmly, still holding his hands between hers. "And that love is unconditional… we love you for who you are, period."
Mark looked at them, one by one.
