Chapter 262. Everyone
Even though Charles felt a twinge of guilt, he had decided not to hide the truth any longer. Anna was his wife; it was a fact he had no intention of changing. No matter what he would have to deal with down the road, he would face them head-on.
Receiving Charles' straightforward and honest response, Elizabeth showed no signs of feeling betrayed. Instead, she let out a sigh of relief.
Tucking the cascading strands of silver hair behind her ear, she replied, "That's great news to hear. Since you admitted it honestly, I will be frank as well. Actually... It's the same for me."
"The same for you? What do you mean?" Charles was confused. Things didn't seem to be following the pre-imagined scenario he had conjured in his head.
Elizabeth stood up and left the room. Soon, she returned with a petite, pretty young girl in tow. The girl was just 1.5 meters tall, and SHE obediently clung to Elizabeth's side.
Charles instantly recognized her—she was Charlie's daughter. Compared to three years ago, she had matured, and her beauty had blossomed.
Elizabeth leaned down and landed a peck on the girl's lips as if to declare something significant. She then turned to Charles and muttered, "I love you, Charles. But since you never agreed to marry me, I—"
"Wait, hold on," Charles stopped her before she could continue. "Let's not talk about that yet. I'm more curious about when did you change your preference and start liking women?"
Elizabeth shook her head and explained, "Charles, I didn't change my preference. I've always liked women. My preference changes whenever I'm with you."
Charles' gaze flickered between the two women, and an indescribable expression appeared on his visage.
"Are you... angry?" Elizabeth asked cautiously.
"I... I'm not angry," Charles replied as he retracted his gaze.
In the first place, his relationship with Elizabeth had never been a purely romantic one. Much of Elizabeth's affection toward him probably stemmed from gratitude for her current island that he had given to her. Rather than love, Charles felt that their connection was more like a bond of sexual convenience.
Elizabeth liking someone else couldn't really be considered a betrayal toward Charles, especially considering that he had Anna.
Hearing Charles' response, Elizabeth landed a gentle pat on the girl's bottom and said, "Since you don't mind, that's really wonderful. Darling, call everyone in and let Charles meet them. We're all family now."
"Everyone?" Charles felt that his mind was struggling to keep up.
It didn't take long for Charles to know what everyone meant. Various beautiful women, some with an innocent charm, others with a striking allure, entered the room. They numbered eight in total, and each bore a distinct appearance. The only similarity they shared was the same faint hostility toward Charles.
They either stood or seated themselves in the available chairs. A delicate fragrance typically belonging to young women filled up the room.
Charles cast a glance at Elizabeth. For a moment, he suddenly felt out of place sitting down opposite them; he thought he should be standing or sitting with those women.
"Charles, how many do you have?" Elizabeth asked with a hint of curiosity.
The corners of Charles' eyes twitched. He didn't want to compete with his own woman in this aspect. "Don't tell me you have other men as well, do you?"
A faint smile crossed Elizabeth's lips as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around Charles. "Actually, I'm not really into men. It's just you. From the moment I laid my eyes on you, I felt that you were extraordinary and really wanted to try being with you."
Looking at the women before him, all beautifully dressed up with strikingly alluring faces, Charles felt that Elizabeth's words about liking him actually sounded slightly superficial and perfunctory.
For governors, succumbing to carnal desires was a common temptation that many couldn't resist. Just that Charles himself had never considered going down that path.
Seeing Charles silently observing her women without a single word, Elizabeth slightly furrowed her beautifully arched eyebrows together.
"Sorry, Charles. Though I love you, they are my wives. I can't share them with you. In the same way, you wouldn't want to share your wife with me either."
Charles had to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. Currently, he was unsure how he should react in this situation; it was his first time facing it, after all.
"Why? Are you angry?" Elizabeth asked softly, still holding Charles.
Getting no replies, Elizabeth continued. "I thought you would understand me. Yes, I love you, but I also love them. It's just like how you love your wife, but also me as well."
"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," Charles said as he removed her hands placed around him. "I... really should leave now."
Charles then stood up and walked through the fragrance emitting from the crowd of young women and headed for the door.
He returned to the main hall to see that the banquet was nearly over.
Putting his hand to his mouth, he blew a loud and clear whistle to draw the attention of his crew.
"Back to the ship, we're setting sail for the Albion Isles."
Though the crew couldn't understand Charles' urgency, they complied since he had given the command.
"Hey! Charles! Didn't you say you were not angry?" Elizabeth called out as she followed him out into the main hall. Apparent anxiety painted her visage.
"I'm not angry, I just can't really wrap my mind around this situation. Let's take some time away from each other to cool off," Charles replied with a sour expression, and he quickened his steps.
"Charles!" Elizabeth cried and embraced him from behind.
Charles tried to struggle out of her grasp but hadn't expected Elizabeth to be much stronger than he had expected. It seemed that she had inherited her Haikor grandfather's strength.
The two stood frozen on the street. Meanwhile, the Narwhale crew on their way back to the ship watched the scene with much amusement.
"Mr. Charles seems to be in trouble. Should we go and help?" a crew member asked.
A tipsy Feuerbach let out a burp before shaking his head.
"You can't help with this. It’s something he has to deal with on his own."
Lily scratched her cheek with a tiny paw as she squatted to the side and watched. Soon, some grilled squid snacks appeared in her hands.
"Lil' Lily, can your mice dig a hole? Tunnel under them to hear what they are saying." Feuerbach suggested mischievously.
Just as Lily cocked her head to brainstorm a plan, the two figures in the distance separated and walked away in different directions.
A windy breeze blew past the docks. With a complicated expression on his countenance, Charles stretched out a hand as if wanting to do something but then withdrew it.
"That's it, then. I'm leaving now. You should go back, too," Charles said.
Elizabeth stood where she was and waved slightly with a faint smile on her visage.
Charles ascended the ladder toward the deck of the massive battleship. Feeling her gaze on his back, Charles slowly exhaled. He felt that their relationship had become even more complicated.
Under the curious eyes of onlookers, the fleet from Hope Island slowly departed from the docks. Both the islanders of Elizarles Shores and the fleet crew speculated about what had transpired between the two governors.
However, only Charles knew that there had been no argument, just a rational discussion. To be honest, he didn't want to break up with Elizabeth either, even if they both slept with someone else. After all, there weren’t many people he could be this intimate with throughout the entire seascape.
1. Dude, that term is called friends with benefits. That's what you and Elizabeth are all along.
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