The girl continued, "How did your memories get unsealed? I thought I wouldn't be able to undo them unless I forcefully made Grandfather do that..." Layla's tone turned slightly cold as she spoke the second part.
Rio had received answers to his questions one after another, but he was still reluctant to reveal what she needed to know the most.
"I'm afraid to tell you the truth," Rio hesitated.
"Are you worried that I will leave?" Layla inquired.
"Not that... I know you cannot leave me... I just don't want to hurt you with the truth," Rio admitted.
"So, is it Nyla?" Layla had already heard the rumors, so she assumed it must be about her that Rio was hesitating to share.
Just now, they had a discussion about him having a wife, so she connected the dots and came to a conclusion.
"She is one of them," Rio replied with a forced smile.
Layla's eyes widened at his words. She had thought the rumors were false and that there was no such thing in reality. However, she had never imagined that there was not just one girl, but more than one involved.
She left his lap and sat beside him on the couch, deep in thought. Her face lost its glow slightly upon hearing this, as she considered how she would have to share him with others.
Rio felt a pang of pain upon seeing the faint sadness in her eyes, which she tried to hide, but he knew how she was truly feeling as he saw how she withdrew from his lap.
In the end, he decided to tell her the whole truth.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke, "When I first went to the Land of Asura, I was transported to the Asura Castle. There, I met the Emperor of the Asuras, who asked me to marry his beloved daughter."
Layla's tone turned sharp as she spoke, "Rio, now is not the time for jokes. Please tell me, what is it?." She was not in the mood for playful banter and needed to hear the truth from him.
The girl's emotions swirled within her as the thought of sharing the boy with others weighed heavily on her heart.
It wasn't even her doing that they had been separated, and sharing your most cherished person with someone else was a burden no one would willingly shoulder. Her love for him was immense, but she was also a human with feelings, making it natural for her to experience sadness.
Unlike Lia, who had grown accustomed to polygamy due to her cultural upbringing, Layla struggled with the concept. Even Lia, despite her familiarity with polygamous relationships, still felt the sting of bitterness when it came to sharing Rio with another woman, even if that woman was her own sister, Helia.
"Sorry, Layla, but I'm not lying. My wife is the Asura Empress, and she's aware of you and our past... So, knowing this, can you still accept me for who I am now?" Rio asked sincerely, his eyes seeking understanding as he shared what she had initially believed to be a joke.
Layla's mouth hung open as she gazed at his face, still thinking he was just joking and might admit he was lying. But as she continued to look at him, it didn't seem like he was lying.
Sharing one's own partner with someone else required immense courage, and she couldn't come to accept it so easily. Rio could see all the conflicting emotions in her eyes. But the person she had to share him with was the Empress of their enemy's race.
However, as she kept thinking and waiting, a fear began to haunt her.
"Wouldn't the whole human race come after you, Rio, if they find out?" Layla asked.
"Asura race is very powerful, even if they come after me they would only lose... Moreover, Lia is strong enough to kick your grandfather's ass, and thanks to her blood, I was able to break the beast soul seal he placed on me..." Rio confessed.
Layla was dumbstruck upon hearing all of this. Her heart was filled with various conflicts as she pondered it all.
As they were talking and Layla was struggling with her emotions, a voice resounded in their minds, "Layla, I'm Eve, Rio's partner... Just think of it from this perspective...
If Rio had never met the Empress, he wouldn't have had the chance to unseal his memories, nor would he have met you today at the tournament or been able to defeat you. The boy in front of you is only at the black stage; the reason he is so strong is his wife, Lia...
So, you should focus on the positive aspects of how her presence helped you meet him again. Just imagine if he were weaker; he might have been killed by all the people who wanted him dead.
Keep in mind that his being transported to the Asura was also a fabricated plan by someone among you humans, but I diverted his destination to his destiny..."
Now it was Rio's turn to be taken aback. He learned that someone among the humans had wanted him dead and had tampered with his teleportation capsule, intending to send him to the Asuras to be captured.
He hadn't known that someone else was behind it, and Eve had kept this information from him. However, she decided to reveal it to Layla in hopes of easing her burden.
Layla was equally astonished upon discovering that Rio was only at the black stage since she had lost to him even while at the peak of the red stage. But the revelation that someone from the human side had orchestrated his transportation to the Asura realm was another shock for her.
She felt certain it couldn't have been her grandfather because if he had known, he wouldn't have allowed her mother to adopt Rio. So who could be targeting Rio's life?
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