This was the apocalypse; there was no leisure, no room to linger or idle. Even so, they had assud Kisha would at least remain at the base like the rest of them.
Who would have thought she was the type who couldn’t stay in one place for long?
In the end, all they could do was collectively sigh.
"No need," Duke replied calmly. "She already has everything covered. What she needs right now is complete silence so she can focus on her task. She’ll co around when she has ti."
He politely declined Ethan’s enthusiastic suggestion, fully aware that Ethan only wanted to spend more ti with his newly found sister. Duke could tell that much was genuine. Having spent enough ti with the Evans brothers, he understood their temperants well.
But even so, if he ever had to choose sides, he would always choose his wife’s.
Duke knew that Kisha had yet to truly open her heart to her biological family, and that this wasn’t sothing that could be rushed. Forcing it would only make her feel stifled and pressured. So all he could do was draw a gentle boundary, letting the Evans brothers know where she stood.
At the sa ti, this would also show him whether their desire to reconnect was sincere or rely driven by montary guilt. If their enthusiasm faded with ti, if they eventually returned to doting on the other sister as before, then it would be far better for Kisha to keep her distance from the start.
Giving them a chance only for it to be squandered, only for Kisha to be hurt, even unintentionally, was sothing Duke would never allow.
"Oh..."
Ethan’s earlier enthusiasm faded, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. But the disappointnt wasn’t directed at Kisha; he knew better than that, but at the unfortunate timing. Even so, he understood he couldn’t force it. Pressing his lips together, he managed a polite smile.
"Then... will you be training with us again?" Ethan turned to Duke as he asked. Ever since Duke and Kisha arrived at the hidden base, they had rarely trained alongside the others, so no one had ever seen their full routine. All they knew was how terrifyingly strong the two of them were.
And that was exactly why Ethan and the rest wanted the chance to spar with them, to exchange pointers, or even just ask how they had beco so powerful.
"I won’t be," Duke replied evenly. "I’m only here on business. You can go back to your training, don’t mind ."
He knew that the longer he stayed outside, the more ti continued to pass inside Kisha’s territorial space, and he had no intention of leaving her side for long. Besides, the sooner everything was arranged at the base, the better. With more and more people certain to arrive for trade, they needed to be fully prepared ahead of ti.
By now, Ethan could tell that Duke was in a hurry, so he stopped pressing the matter. He stepped aside and watched as Duke briskly headed into the building. Not long after, Duke sent word for his bodyguards to gather in the conference room for a eting.
Ethan, anwhile, returned to training with Dracon Felix and his n. He walked back to the training area, where Dracon was in the middle of lifting weights, sweat rolling down his body.
"What’s wrong?" Dracon asked when he noticed Ethan’s distracted expression.
Over ti, the two of them had grown closer. Ethan’s experience as a forr Major General and Dracon’s background as the head of a bodyguard agency gave them plenty in common to talk about, especially when it ca to defense strategies for the hidden base and improving the trainees’ combat effectiveness.
"Nothing," Ethan said with a small sulk. "I just wanted to check in on my sister, but apparently she’s busy sowhere, and Duke wouldn’t say where she was."
"That’s understandable," Dracon replied calmly. "As a military man, you should know better than anyone that one’s location is the most critical information not to leak. Now that Duke is your sister’s husband, her security level has gone up several tiers. She’s an even bigger target than before."
There was a faint note of reverence in Dracon’s voice as he continued, "Luckily, the two of them are strong, stronger than any of us combined."
How could he not feel that way? Duke and Kisha had long since beco role models to them all.
Hearing Dracon praise his sister, Ethan couldn’t help it; his usually stoic expression cracked into a faint grin, a trace of pride slipping through. The sight annoyed Dracon just a little.
"Show-off..." he muttered under his breath before turning back to his weightlifting, determined not to let his muscles shrivel from lack of strain.
Later, they would still head out for a supply run. Although there were no imdiate signs of their reserves running low, especially now that both the crops and livestock were thriving, to the point that having at and vegetables at every al already felt like a miracle, they knew better than to grow complacent. Preparation was always the safer choice, so they never stopped restocking and steadily expanding the supplies in the warehouse.
"By the way," Dracon added, suddenly rembering, "I heard your other sister, lody, wants to join the supply run later. What do you think?"
The thought had nearly slipped his mind. If he truly forgot and lody showed up unannounced right before departure, Dracon wouldn’t even know how to explain it to Ethan, especially since Ethan wouldn’t be joining them this ti.
He still needed to patrol the base periter, check whether any traps had been triggered, and monitor the zombie activity nearby in case their numbers were increasing.
"What?!" Ethan bristled instantly.
Unlike Kisha, who was practically a war goddess, lody was the complete opposite. She couldn’t even properly protect herself. What could she possibly do outside the base?
Yet, as the thought lingered, Ethan hesitated. Lately, he had noticed changes in her. She no longer complained the way she used to, nor did she act like a sheltered princess who needed constant pampering. It was as if reality had finally struck her, hard, and she’d begun to understand her place in this world, trying in her own way to be useful. None of them had stopped her, either.
But a supply run was different. Out there, one mistake could an serious injury, or worse.
"No," Ethan said firmly. "She’s not coming with you."
"I figured you’d say that," Dracon shrugged. "But she won’t listen to . You’re the one who needs to talk to her."
With that, he went back to his own training, clearly washing his hands of the matter.
Ethan’s expression darkened. Without another word, he turned and headed inside the building to look for his sister.
anwhile, Duke had already gathered his people in the conference room. He made sure no outsiders were present, only the Winters’ bodyguards. Every single one of them had been to Kisha’s territory space before, so Duke had no reason to withhold any information. Besides, they were all bound under Kisha’s slave contract anyway, which made discretion a given.
"I called all of you here today because I need manpower to build an employee dormitory and a villa in my wife’s territory space. This isn’t sothing I can entrust to outsiders." Duke’s voice was calm but firm as his gaze swept across the room.
"Anyone who takes part will receive resources such as Spiritual Spring Water, Spiritual Crops, Scarlet Honey, stamina boosters, and other materials that will help you grow stronger." He didn’t bother explaining every detail. They would understand once they agreed.
Although they were his subordinates, Duke treated them like brothers. He never liked forcing anyone to do sothing against their will. Their loyalty ca from choice, not obligation, and that was a line he was careful not to cross.
Sure enough, the mont his words fell, agreent spread through the room. Even without knowing all the specifics, they had already made their decision.
"Master, count in. I’ll work hard," one of them said without hesitation.
" too, Master. It’s been boring staying here, just training all day," another added with a grin. "Doing so construction might be a nice change of pace."
"Master, leave the registration to ," Eagle said, stepping forward and subtly motioning for the others to quiet down before everyone started talking at once. "I’ll gather everyone who’s willing and have them ready to follow you."
Duke nodded. "Alright. I’ll leave it to you." Then he paused, his expression turning more serious. "By the way, how’s the situation at the base? Any changes?"
"So far, Master, nothing to report," Eagle said, standing straight with both hands clasped behind his back. "Since we’re located deep in the forest, there are hardly any zombies around. If any appear, it’s usually just a few, like lost hikers who turned. Aside from that, most attacks co from mutated animals. Fortunately, the entire hidden base is protected by a barrier, and we’ve set traps outside it, so the place is secure."
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