Max and the group walked back toward the city lord's manor. Halfway there, he saw a beautiful figure standing at the side of the road, nervously looking around.
When he saw her, unconsciously, a smile crept up on his face.
Rima, Belen and Leticia were mystified. They followed his gaze to see what could've caused him to reveal such a tender smile and saw an adorable looking young Elvin girl in common clothing.
Immediately, they knew who she saw. They glanced at Max simultaneously and asked, "Is it her?"
"Yes." Max nodded, his gaze still trained on her.
Witnessing this, all three girls felt slightly envious of her because they never saw him wear such a... loving expression on his face for any of them.
Belen and Rima quickly dispelled these thoughts but Leticia couldn't and the thought that Max would stop caring for her now that he had someone who he liked better than them consumed her mind.
Her body started trembling, tears welled up in her eyes, and she felt as if she was falling into a dark abyss.
Whoosh!
Before she could sink in despair, a strong and warm hand appeared, held her by the waist, and pulled her out. As her eyes regained clarity, she saw Max was holding her close to his chest and was looking at her with a worried expression.
Seeing this, she felt happy and relieved and thought, 'Wasn't I just worrying in vain? He isn't the type who would forget me for someone else, right?'
When Max saw her open her eyes, he let out a breath of relief and asked, "Are you alright?"
Leticia came to her senses when she heard his voice and nodded, "Un. I'm fine."
She then said in a barely audible voice, "I'm sorry for not believing you earlier. From now on, I'll never doubt you."
Max was stunned for a moment when he heard this. A moment later, realization dawned on him. It turned out that even after their previous conversation, she was still worried that after Maria became his woman, he would stop caring for her.
Realizing this, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly. The women were just so fickle. No one could understand what they were thinking.
"Don't worry about it." He nodded and then helped her stand up.
When Leticia glanced around, she was embarrassed because realized that she was lying unconscious on the roadside until now and the people around them were looking at them weirdly.
She glanced at Belen and Rima and asked, "H-How long I was unconscious?"
"Not long. Just a few minutes." Rima chuckled and the pointed to her right side.
Leticia moved her gaze to the side and her body trembled slightly. Maria was standing there, looking at her nervously.
She glanced at Max, took a deep breath and greeted her, "Hello. You must be Maria, right? Sorry for that embarrassing display just now."
"N-No, it's alright, b-big sister." Maria anxiously waved her hands and shook her head when she heard Leticia apologize.
"Big sister?" Leticia became happy all of a sudden when she heard Maria call her big sister. She smiled and walked toward, looking at her up and down.
Given her status and personality, Maria would feel pressurized when interacting with people of high status, such as Leticia and the group. On top of that, she knew Leticia was also one of Max's women and she needed her approval to become his woman.
So, when Leticia started looking at her up and down, she felt the pressure multiply by several folds and she almost couldn't handle it and just wanted to run away.
"Hey, you are making her nervous." Rima smilingly berated Leticia and walked up to Maria and patted her shoulder.
Leticia didn't respond and after a moment, she nodded, "Alright, I'll allow you to call me big sister."
Rima couldn't help but laugh and say, "Big sister? She is older than you, you know."
"So what?" Leticia snorted.
"..."
After Rima, Belen and Leticia laughed and talked with Maria for a while, Max interrupted them and said, "Shouldn't we go to your home now?"
Maria nibbled on her lips and hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes. L-Let's go."
Rima, Belen and Leticia glanced at each other when they heard he was going to visit her home. However, they said nothing and simply followed behind them.
After a while, they arrived at the outskirts of the city where ordinary folks lived.
The area was a bit destitute, and the houses here were decrepit. Streets had many potholes and dust was flying around.
Along the streets, a few groups of young children in ragged clothes were playing around, and elderly people were chatting leisurely. When they saw Max and the group, they stopped to look at them.
"Hey, isn't the big sister Maria?" The children recognized Maria walking in front of the group and excitedly ran up to them.
Maria also happily talked to them. She didn't seem as nervous as she was around Max and the others.
A little girl, holding a small wooden doll near her chest, glanced at Max and the group up and down. She blinked her innocent eyes and curiously asked, "Big sister, are they your friends? They look very nice."
Maria glanced at Max and others and shyly nodded, "Y-Yes. They are my friends."
Seeing that some kids were starting to bother Max and the group, Maria said, "Okay, you kids. Go and play somewhere else." Saying this, she led Max and the group further into the street.
After they disappeared from their sight, the elderly people glanced at each and other and fearfully whispered, "They were humans, right?"
"Y-Yes."
...
After a while, the group arrived in front of Maria's house. Her house's condition was better than the neighboring houses, but not by too much.
When Maria saw them looking at her home, she felt embarrassed.
Upon seeing her expression, Max guessed what she was thinking and asked with a smile, "Aren't you going to invite us in?"
"Y-Yes." She became flustered upon being called out and raced up to the door and knocked on it.
Creak~
A moment later, an old man opened the door, and when he saw Maria, he smiled. "You little girl finally remembered us, huh?"
"S-sorry, father." Maria apologized and then glanced at Max and the others.
"Oh? You brought friends?" The old man was surprised.
*****
A/N: Hello guys, let me know if you feel the pace is slow.
Bonus chapter (14/15)
