Chapter 75: The Weight Of A Broken Crown
[One Hour Later.]
"Wow, is this Boss this good?!"
"I don’t believe this, these foods are so good-looking."
"Even five-star hotels don’t make this type of food."
"My mouth is watering just by staring at it."
"That’s why the Boss forbade us from the Kitchen, he is a chef god!!"
"Yes, we will only taint the Madams with our useless cooking."
"I so want to have a taste."
"The Madams are truly enjoying life, the Boss is so romantic."
The maids all murmured to themselves, staring at the delicacies on the table. The aroma alone was intoxicating, a perfect blend of spices and perfectly seared meats that seemed almost magical. Asher had spent a whole hour preparing all sorts of food imaginable, filling the whole table; the speed wasn’t even heard of. His Agility and SSS-Rank precision had been entirely repurposed from slaughtering dungeon bosses to perfectly dicing vegetables and managing a dozen boiling pots simultaneously.
Sara stared at the food on the table, a small frown on her face. Her sharp eyes analyzed the absolute perfection of the spread, perhaps sensing the unnatural efficiency behind it.
"Seems you went all out." Juliana muttered to herself, pulling a chair back, and sat down beside Kelly, who was already tearing through the food, not slowing down one bit. The primal, ravenous hunger that possessed Kelly completely overrode any sense of high-society etiquette; she ate like a survivor who had just escaped a famine.
Asher simply nodded his head. Juliana was back to her Gangster side, her posture relaxed but carrying a subtle, dangerous edge, so he switched on how to handle her. He knew from experience that saying or doing the wrong thing now would fire her up, which would hurt him later on; he didn’t want that. Navigating the shifting personalities of his household required just as much tactical calculation as fighting the Sorrowful Priestess.
He turned to Sara, who was staring down at the food on the table; after some seconds, she looked up at him, then back at the food again.
’Maybe she wants to ask about my advancement...’ He thought, his mind racing to interpret the silent, heavy gaze of his second wife. Then, a sudden realization hit him, reminding him of all his loot:
’Oh right.’
Asher raised his hand, and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a pile of equipment, and evolution stones appeared before them, including spirit stones, falling on the ground, right beside the dining table. The dimensional storage released its haul, flooding the lavishly decorated dining room with the blinding, neon glows of artifacts.
"....?!"
The whole room was in stunned silence, staring at all the grades, then turned to Asher in shock. The sheer volume and rarity of the dungeon drops were enough to fund a mid-sized guild for a decade.
"WOW!! So many pieces of equipment!!" Juliana stood up, instantly forgetting about the food. The gangster within her was immediately drawn to the absolute power and monetary value radiating from the pile of magical gear.
Kelly on the other hand completely ignored him, just stuffing her face with food. To her, a celestial-tier sword held absolutely no value compared to a perfectly roasted piece of meat.
"All for you guys." Asher gestured the equipment to the three with his hand. He smiled, his mind calculating the hidden mechanics of his cheat. If he could get rewards from all these, he would be set for life; maybe he might even gain more Mythic-Tier equipment through the system’s multiplier.
But the next moment:
{Warning Master.}
{Wife Sara: -25% Affection.}
{Current Affection: 40%.}
{Loyalty: -30%.}
{Current Loyalty: 40%.}
{Warning Master.}
’WHAT?!!!’
Asher screamed inwardly, his face instantly turning pale. The catastrophic drop in stats hit him harder than any physical blow in the dungeon. He turned to Sara, seeing her glaring at him; her eyes were so cold he felt a shiver run down his spine. The warmth that had been slowly building between them over the past few weeks had been instantly shattered. He wanted to say something, to explain himself, but he sat frozen, watching as she pushed the food back, stood up with her book, and walked away.
"....?!"
Everyone instantly sensed the atmosphere, well, except Kelly, who continued chewing happily. The maids practically stopped breathing. They all turned to Sara, who walked towards the elevator; they watched as it closed shut, sealing her away behind metal doors.
’What happened?! What did I do wrong?!’ Asher stood up, his mind short-circuiting as he failed to comprehend the sudden hostility.
"Continue eating!" He said, rushing towards the stairs, leaving the priceless dungeon loot glowing uselessly on the floor.
{Warning Master.}
{Note: If Three Wives’ Affection reaches 0%, System will be destroyed, and everything gained from the system will be taken back.}
{Please remember this, Master.}
’Shut the fuck up!! What did I do wrong?!! Why did she suddenly get angry, and both Affection and Loyalty dropped!! I just showed, and offered her the equipment...’
Asher froze, as he reached the second floor, the sudden, horrifying realization finally piercing through his thick skull. He watched as Sara walked inside her room, and closed the door shut.
’It can’t be!!’
He rushed towards the door, stopping before it. He tried to open it, but it was locked from the inside. He couldn’t knock, or scream, even ask; because Sara wouldn’t hear it. The physical barrier of the door was nothing compared to the absolute wall of her deafness, cutting off all conventional avenues of frantic apology. And he would never barge inside; using his SSS-Rank strength to shatter her lock would only violate her sanctuary, and that might make things worse.
He sighed, and moved to the side, resting his back on the wall, sliding down in utter defeat.
’I am such a fool!!’ He yelled inwardly, and without hesitation, he slapped himself hard, injuring himself in the process.
SLAP!
Asher sat on the ground, his back resting on the wall, blood on the side of his lips. The physical pain was a necessary grounding mechanism, a punishment for his own blindness. He finally got why Sara was angry at him.
Sara wasn’t like his other wives; Kelly didn’t care about equipment or anything related to it, while the current Juliana loved them, but Sara was completely different. She was once an Awakened, standing at the very peak of their society, commanding respect and wielding immense power.
Offering her equipment now was no different from opening up her wound with a blade. To a crippled warrior whose energy core was shattered and who could no longer wield the very weapons that defined her existence, parading high-tier loot in front of her wasn’t a gift. It was an agonizing, mocking reminder of the strength she had lost and could never reclaim. He was so focused on the return and the system’s mechanics that he actually forgot about Sara’s situation.
’I am truly a bastard.’ He thought, staring at the ground, his fist clenched in rage at his own insensitivity.
Sara was angry, and not only that, she hasn’t had her dinner. At the very least he should have waited, let her enjoy the meal he poured his soul into, and brought out the equipment after she was comfortable. Asher was furious with himself, realizing that commanding the system was easy, but understanding the fragile human hearts bound to it was the true trial.