1216 Welcome to the family, sister

Liam grinned at Shen Yue, scratching his head awkwardly. "Did I not propose to you yet? I have been meaning to do that." But the next second, he froze as the rest of the words dawned on him. "Wait. What?"

He almost choked on his saliva as he sat up straight, looking at Shen Yue with wide eyes. "Marry... both of you?" Liam stammered, clearly taken aback by the suggestion.

Shen Yue nodded, her expression serious.

"Do you even understand what you are saying? Why would you be willing to do that?"

"It's because she loves you a lot. You should have seen her when she heard that you were dead and Crawford was playing around with a corpse, claiming that it was you who had died."

"She is a good friend…" His voice trailed off.

Shen Yue shook her head. "You know it's more than that. Don't be like this. Even you cannot be that dense."

Liam sighed. "Alright. I know but…"

"There is no but. She loves you so much and she is someone who can stand by your side. I am…" Shen Yue paused. "I don't have that kind of strength."

"What are you talking about?" Seeing her bend her head down, Liam gently lifted Shen Yue's chin, urging her to meet his gaze.

"I am not strong, Liam. I… Lately, I feel like I have stagnated. I have still not been able to unlock the class I used back in the tutorial. I am not feeling any connection with the class."

"Hmmm…"

"I think that I am unfit to be an enchantress. No matter how much I try, it's just not matching my personality. I am useless." Tears started to well up in Shen Yue's eyes, but Liam quickly wrapped his arms around her, offering comfort.

"You're not useless, Yue. You are too loving. Your strength isn't just measured by your class or abilities in battle. It's in your compassion, your intelligence, and your ability to see what's truly important. That's what makes you strong," Liam reassured her, his voice gentle.

"If you feel like you have hit a roadblock in your progress, then start from scratch all over again. Rediscover who you are and what suits you best. I will support you the best that I can."

Shen Yue wiped away her tears, a small smile forming on her lips. "You always know what to say, don't you?"

Liam chuckled. "I try. And about marrying Alex… Let's not talk about that for now."

Unexpectedly, Shen Yue shook her head, pretty firmly. "No, Liam. Life is too short. Please accept her. Can you honestly tell me that you do not have any feelings for her after all this time?"

Liam took a deep breath, considering her words carefully.

"Yue, it's not that simple," Liam began slowly. "My feelings for Alex... they are complex. Yes, I care about her deeply, more than I initially realized. But this... marrying both of you... it's not a decision I can make lightly."

He paused, searching for the right words. "I respect and cherish both of you immensely. And if this is something that both you and Alex truly want, I won't dismiss it out of hand." 

"But it's not like she confessed to me. We have never discussed something like this. Why would you be the first to bring something like this up?"

Shen Yue shook her head. "Mmm." She gave a mysterious smile. "I have a feeling that it is going to happen soon."

"What?"

"Alex is going to confess to you."

Liam was speechless.

"And when she does, please accept her confession." Shen Yue continued smiling.

"Stop smiling like an idiot. No, you are an idiot. Which woman would.."

Liam's words trailed off as he looked at Shen Yue's unwavering smile. He was torn between bewilderment and admiration for her incredible selflessness. He pulled her close, once again climbing on top of her.

"Ahhhh! I am still sore!" Shen Yue playfully complained but Liam did not let her go. "Didn't you want a baby? We need to start putting in the effort."

It was Shen Yue's turn to be shocked. "You... you're serious?" She stammered. Liam's face softened into a tender smile. "I think any child would be lucky to be loved by you."

Shen Yue's eyes sparkled with unshed tears of joy. "Thank you, Liam. That's all I needed to hear."

Sunlight began to filter through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the room. The two of them remained silent for a while, simply enjoying each other's presence.

Finally, Shen Yue spoke up, "We should probably get up. Mei Mei will be searching for you."

Liam agreed, and they both started getting ready for the day, each lost in their thoughts about the future.

As they stepped out of the room, hand in hand, they were greeted by the sounds of laughter and chatter from the guild members outside. It looked like a group was waiting to meet with Liam.

And the moment they climbed down the stairs, the first person to stand in front of them was…

"I still can't believe that you are real." Alex beamed at Liam, her eyes lighting up with unmistakable joy. She quickly glanced at Shen Yue, giving her a brief nod, before returning her attention to Liam.

"Hey, Alex," Liam greeted, a bit awkwardly as the conversation he had upstairs with Shen Yue was still fresh in his mind. To make matters worse, this girl appeared at his doorstep not even an hour after Shen Yue told her that she would.

"How are you feeling now?" Liam asked as he walked to the living room.

"Oh, that. I am fine." Alex then awkwardly fidgeted with her hands before taking a deep breath and opening her mouth again. "I need to talk to you about something important."

"Huh? What happened?" Liam gulped. Shen Yue's prediction was proving more and more accurate by the second.

Alex awkwardly tucked a few errant strands of her hair, before shooting a glare in the direction of other guild members. 

Shen Yue couldn't control her laughter and almost burst out laughing. She then felt bad and helped out the poor girl by ushering everyone out of the house. 

Now only Alex and Liam remained inside.

"Ummm… Ummm…" Alex suddenly lost her nerve as she started to stammer, her confidence wavering under Liam's attentive gaze. "I... It's just that... I've been thinking a lot lately and..."

Liam, sensing her discomfort, gently urged, "It's okay. Take your time." He then quickly added, "Do you need help with some dungeon?" He wanted to see if he could change the awkward subject.

Alex took another deep breath, summoning her courage. "Liam, I've known you for a long time, and I… My feelings for you have changed. I... When I heard that you were dead, I… Liam. I love you."

The confession hung in the air, and Liam's heart skipped a beat. Shen Yue's words echoed in his mind. He hesitated, not knowing what to say.

"I am sorry. I know that you have Shen Yue. I just… I just needed to tell you how you feel. I will regret it for the rest of my life if I let go of another day without telling you how I feel."

Even though Alex was hesitant initially, once she spilled it out, her words started to flow and she poured out everything in her heart.

Liam remained silent, fully hearing her out.

Once Alex finished, a silence enveloped the room. Liam looked at her and smiled calmly. "Alex, thank you. I'm touched by your feelings. It means a lot to me that you care so deeply," he finally said. "You are one of my closest friends and someone whom I care for deeply too."

Alex stared at him for a moment before bending her head down in defeat. She clenched her fists as her eyes started to moisten. 

She already knew that this was the response she was going to get. What else did she expect? She just wanted to be done with this so that she did not have to regret it ever again.

Alex managed a small smile. "Thank you, Liam. That means a lot." Not wanting to break down in front of him, she hurriedly turned around to leave when she abruptly bumped into someone.

"Shen Yue…" Alex's face changed as she felt extremely guilty and disgusted with herself for falling in love with someone who was already committed. That too, she betrayed someone kind like Shen Yue. She had no excuses for her behavior. 

"I am sorry." Feeling a sinking stone in her stomach, she hurriedly began to get out when Shen Yue gripped her hand tightly, not letting her take another step outside.

"Liam, you are hopeless!" Shen Yue sighed in exasperation.

"No. No. It's not his fault. It's all my fault." She hurriedly tried to explain, not wanting to implicate Liam in anything.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yue offered a gentle, understanding smile. "It's okay. You don't have to feel guilty about your feelings," she said softly, her tone comforting.

Alex's eyes widened, surprised by Shen Yue's calm demeanor. "But, I... I confessed to Liam. I shouldn't have..." Her voice faltered, filled with regret.

Shen Yue stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Alex's shoulder. "And I will respond to your confession. He loves you too. He told me so himself."

Alex was confused. Before she could understand what was going on, Shen Yue tossed one more bomb in her direction. "He agreed to marry both of us. Welcome to the family, sister."

Alex wordlessly turned from Shen Yue to look at Liam. She had no idea what was going on and had never expected her day to take a turn like this.

Meanwhile, Liam, "..."

***** END OF VOLUME *****

Author's Note: Hi everyone, thanks for your constant support and motivation, especially with the slow release rate. I hope you all enjoyed this volume. Looking forward to sharing the rest of the story with you all!

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