Leon slowly opened his eyes inside the capsule device, feeling disoriented for a moment. The only illumination came from a faint, glimmering light seeping in from outside. As he began to move, an electrical crackle filled the silence, and the transparent lid of the capsule finally slid open.
Leon slowly emerged from the capsule device, trying to adjust to the dimly lit room. However, a sudden burst of brightness caused him to squint, momentarily closing his eyes against the sharp light. Amidst this, he heard the melodious sounds of trumpets echoing around him.
“Congratulations, my brother,” came Lily’s cheerful voice from somewhere ahead.
“Congratulations on the victory, Baron of Slumdon Town,” added Freya’s voice.
Leon blinked a few times to adjust his vision and saw Lily and Freya standing before him, each holding a trumpet. As they played, a cascade of colorful confetti rained down, enveloping the room in celebration.
Lily then leaped forward, enveloping Leon in a tight hug. “Congratulations, brother,” she exclaimed.
Leon gently patted her back. “Thanks, Lily.”
He turned his gaze to Freya, who smiled warmly at him. “So, how does it feel to be Lord of the Land in the Kingdom of Dissidia?”
Leon took a deep, steadying breath before answering, “Overwhelmed! So many things are happening all at once, but I can’t deny the incredible rewards I’ve reaped from this game.”
Freya nodded. “Yes, absolutely… You’ve really struck it rich, haven’t you? I can’t wait to hear all your stories.”
The three of them exited the room and made their way to the dining area. It was arranged with an array of mouthwatering dishes, promising a feast befitting their victorious celebration.
“Do you know, Freya deliberately cooked all of these dishes to win you over,” Lily said with a chuckle, teasingly nudging Leon. “She’s just like my sister-in-law. Is it possible that you might get married later?”
Leon lightly tapped Lily on the forehead in response. “What have you two been talking about while I was immersed in the game?”
Freya added, “It was Lily who kept pushing me to marry you,” she said with a sigh. “I think she still can’t tell the difference between professional and personal relationships.”
Lily laughed, “Oh really? Freya… poor you for having to work overtime every day, huh?” she teased, giggling.
The trio then reached their seats around the table, the aroma of the meal making their mouths water.
“Thanks, Freya… I didn’t know you were this good at cooking.”
“Sure! I’m good at cooking outside the game, but don’t compare me to Ivana. She’s beautiful, friendly, and an expert chef,” Freya responded with a laugh. “And don’t expect me to feed you like she did. Keep that imagination far away.”
“No, I’m not interested in that… Being fed by Ivana was enough for me,” Leon replied with a grin.
Freya playfully kicked Leon’s knee from under the table. “Say more sweet things to me this time… I worked hard to cook this dinner.”
“Thanks a lot for the meal, Ms. Freya… I feel incredibly fortunate to receive such special treatment from a talented and beautiful assistant like you… Oh, I’m so happy,” Leon quipped back, it was clear he was playing along.
Lily burst into laughter, hearing their jokes at the dining table.
“So,” Freya said, “now you’re getting richer, and you’ll even receive a new car bonus! That’s compensation for your phenomenal promotion line after creating the Legendary-grade spear.”
“Woah,” Lily laughed. “Yes, that part really stood out, haha. I read so many comments online about that promotion.”
Freya chimed in enthusiastically. “The reward isn’t money, but I think it’s better because finally, your brother, Lily, will have his own car!”
“Leon, you’re finally getting your own luxury car! Can I come with you when you go to pick up the car? Do you know the brand yet… I’m curious about what kind of car you’ll get.”
Leon nodded slowly. “Sure, why not? We can go tomorrow. Is it possible to do it right away, Freya?” he asked, turning to her. “Since tomorrow is Sunday, we can even go for a joyride to test it out.”
“Yes, don’t worry,” Freya replied with a reassuring smile. “I’ve arranged everything. But I’ll be quite busy tomorrow, so I might not be able to join you guys… Then again, maybe you should force me to come as a way of thanking me. Do it!”
“This is all because of your help, Freya,” Leon answered with a smile. “You have brought so many wonderful things into my life. Thank you so much! So, I’m forcing you to join us for the outing tomorrow. You don’t have a choice,” he said, grinning.
Freya smiled warmly. “Sure, I’ll reconsider the offer, especially if you’re insisting,” she giggled.
She continued. “It’s my job to make sure everything goes smoothly for you.”
Lily smirked and nudged Freya playfully before turning to Leon. “What kind of job keeps you here day and night, Freya? Just tell him how you feel! I wouldn’t mind it. After all, wasn’t it just a few days ago you almost kissed him when he fell asleep?”
“Lily, no! That’s not true… You know that was just a misunderstanding, but you still bring it up,” Freya protested.
Freya’s flustered state only made Lily laugh harder. Freya, with a panicked expression, turned to Leon. “Don’t believe a word she says. I swear I didn’t do it.”
“So… Lily… you’re saying Freya was going to kiss me while I was asleep on the sofa? Damn… Freya… that’s practically sexual harassment, you know.”
Freya, now even more irritated, kicked Leon’s leg under the table, this time more seriously and forcefully, causing the table to jolt from her knee. “Shut up! I didn’t do it. Keep your imagination away…”
Seeing Freya’s rosy cheeks and her denial made Leon chuckle, while Lily found the whole situation endlessly entertaining.
After they had finished their dinner, they cleaned up the dining table. Leon took the dirty dishes to the sink and began washing them while Freya disposed of the leftover food and Lily
tidied the table.
Freya whistled softly and then stood beside Leon, nudging him with her shoulder. “You’re not washing them properly. You should be used to this by now, considering you didn’t always
have people doing it for you.”
“Lily used to do this stuff more often, by the way,” he said.
“That’s really irresponsible, huh? Quite a good brother you are.”
“It’s not how you think. I did more of the house cleaning and laundry. We split the chores.”
“A good reason, Mr. Excuses,” she muttered softly.
They both continued washing the dishes together, with Leon occasionally splashing water
onto Freya’s hands. Freya retaliated by splashing water onto Leon’s face.
“What do you know about this kind of chore? You’re rich, right, Freya?”
“Where did you get the idea that I’m rich?”
“From your clothes, your car, your behavior, your intelligence, your demeanor-everything. I
couldn’t even make eye contact with you when we first met.”
“Couldn’t make eye contact with me but enjoyed the bare-skin view of Princess Alora? So
funny,” she said, giggling.
Broken sighed softly. “That was so quick, I don’t even remember anything,” he admitted. “If
only I had another chance…”
“Pervert!” she teased.
“Tell me, how much do you get paid for doing this job? Surely, you can’t afford a luxury car
with this kind of work,” he continued.
“When you’re so rich that you no longer work for money, you start doing things that interest
you. So, no need to worry about me…”
“You remind me of someone I knew when I was a kid,” he said, trailing off.
“Who is that? Your ex-girlfriend? A childhood friend?”
Leon paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. “She was so rich, that’s what she said to me…
Her name was… Fre…”
“Freya?” Freya giggled, then quickly walked away, leaving Leon behind.
“Who was her name again? Freya? No, not Freya…” Leon muttered quietly, then let it slip
from his mind.
After they had finished washing the dishes, they all congregated in the living room, as they had numerous topics to discuss that evening.
Leon sank into the plush softness of the sofa, with Lily sitting to his left. Freya opened her laptop and placed it on the glass table in front of them.
“Alright… now that we’ve filled our stomachs, it’s time to discuss some interesting things!”
Freya began.