My interracial harem of beautiful queens

Chapter 182 Decision

There will be two additional chapters today. Again a reader by the nickname "swcowboy" has donated, for which I thank him heartily!

===

Tired from the journey, Adam wearily entered the mansion. At the entrance, he was greeted by a corridor lined with maids who curtsied as he crossed the threshold. Their gazes were filled with adoration and a love that bordered on fanatical obsession. Their attachment to him made him feel good.

"Welcome home, master!" they exclaimed in unison, bowing.

Their movements were synchronized and extremely graceful. All twenty maids, acting as some kind of commanders, seemed to be connected by a single animation, and upon seeing Adam as the trigger, they immediately activated and showed him profound respect with an elegant and beautiful bow. These were maids who had been trained to perfection, shining brighter than any heavenly star.

"Good morning, ladies. Where is Amarantha and the other girls?" he asked, adjusting his tie. The door behind him automatically closed.

"They are in your study, sir. They mentioned receiving several personal invitations from Duchess Anastasia, Her Majesty Elizabeth, and a letter marked 'confidential.' Please take note of that," a female voice said, filled with seriousness. The speaker's tone was soft and respectful, instantly putting one at ease.

Turning to the speaker, Adam saw Chloe, who smiled gently and curtsied. Recently, she had taken on the responsibilities of Ekaterina, who had to attend to other matters due to an increased workload, other than managing the estate.

"Chloe... thank you for your report. I hope it's not too burdensome for you?" Adam asked with a smile, relaxing his facial muscles. He proceeded forward, and Chloe, seemingly accustomed to this, followed him.

"Everything is fine, sir. I'm handling tasks even better than one could imagine. That's what Lady Ekaterina said, so I think I'm doing quite well," she replied, blushing slightly. Her smile was full of innocence and beauty, leaving Adam admiring her.

"Hmm..."

In reality, Chloe had her own history, which began ten years ago. She was half-demon and half-human. Her mother, who fell in love with a Greater Demon, soon became pregnant and gave birth to Chloe. However, there was a significant problem.

Chloe's mother was a noblewoman, specifically a noble from Avalonia, where there were strict laws against associating with demons. So, when it was discovered that a demon was behind her mother's pregnancy, Chloe's mother and her demon father were in danger. They were on the run, living as nomads, constantly moving from one place to another, fearing discovery and the dire consequences.

They lived this way for ten years until Chloe's mother gave birth to a second child, Chloe's younger sister, Lisa. Although the birth went well, her mother soon passed away because her body struggled to cope with the presence of a creature imbued with magical energy.

"According to her account, that was just the beginning of the tragedy," Adam recalled, his hands in his trouser pockets.

A month later, they were discovered, and they had to flee once more. However, the knights were well-prepared, and among them was someone who had achieved the Middle path (5 sources), making it impossible for them to escape. Their father had to engage in combat, thus diverting the knights and taking the blows upon himself, while young Chloe, along with her little sister, who was still a toddler, started to run away.

Fortunately, the Goddess of Fate did not turn her back on them, and soon they settled in a small village located ten kilometers from the city of Sedyon. This village was inhabited by only twenty people, with Chloe and Lisa being the only young ones; the rest were elderly individuals in deep old age. They were taken in by Mr. Jacob and Mrs. Laventaine.

The elderly folks cared for them as if they were their children, and their love and care were highly valued. Adam arrived there soon after, having learned about valuable resources in the area. That's when he met Chloe, who seemed talented.

He gave them his last name, Harris, which he had discarded. And so, the Harris sisters soon discovered their immense talent in magic. Lisa, the younger sister, had a talent for ice magic, while Chloe possessed both ice magic and a special hereditary demon ability.

Truth's Captive. The ability that earned Chloe recognition from Adam. This power allowed her to see through lies and uncover the truth, but using it consumed 3/4 of Chloe's magical reserves because she wasn't a full demon.

Initially, Adam wanted to steal this ability through his powers, but he soon decided to leave it be since the girl had shown attachment to him and, later, complete devotion. For him, it was more advantageous to have subordinates than to be a one-person army.

This marked the beginning of her splendid life. The village Adam visited was soon improved, and the elderly folks received a youth-restoring elixir that not only extended their lives but also rejuvenated them and cured all their ailments. Now, Mr. Jacob and Mrs. Laventaine had a house in the city, in one of the most luxurious districts, living a good life.

This was Adam's way of compensating them and a reward for preserving such a vital asset for his city.

***

After a few minutes of silence during which Adam was lost in his thoughts, they reached his study. Following proper etiquette, Adam first let Chloe enter, which she greatly appreciated.

Inside his study, Adam found Amarantha and Anna, who were studying together.

"Sup girls," he greeted them cheerfully, closing the door behind him.

The women's reactions were intense. Amarantha, using teleportation, appeared in front of him and began inspecting his body, as if searching for wounds or issues. Anna, timidly approaching him, like a kitten making its first contact with a human, slowly but surely reached him and took hold of his sleeve, lowering her head.

"..."

No one said anything that significantly increased the tension in the room. However, following basic etiquette, Chloe moved to a corner and refrained from openly staring at them, deciding that it was no longer her concern. At the same time, as Amarantha examined his body, Adam observed them.

In particular, his field of vision caught Anna's pale and emaciated body, which appeared so fragile that any careless gust of wind could break her. And he didn't like it. Even without using his magical glasses, Adam could still see radical changes in her magical energy and life force. The situation was not promising.

Judging only by her life force, she had only five months left to live. Such sudden changes made him deeply frightened. Even with an artifact that could help her, Adam still panicked, and his face noticeably paled.

His sclera turned black, and his eyebrows furrowed. His heartbeat was so rapid that its sound could be heard with the naked ear. This distracted Amarantha, who looked at him with concern and asked in her tender, beautiful voice, "What's wrong? You look tired, and your sclera turned black. Are you angry?" It was clear from her behavior that she had long understood the language of his body. The anger emanating from his heart was not directed at anyone specific, but it unquestionably expressed his concern and irritation. It suddenly occurred to him that Anna had brought herself to this state.

"No, nothing..." he replied, taking a deep breath, and his magical energy passed through his internal organs like an electric current, causing a reaction in his body, which rapidly restored damaged parts, and soon he came to himself.

Meeting Anna's gaze, who was looking at him with concern, gently stroking his wrist, he smiled gently and embraced them both. This action, despite its cuteness, aroused suspicion in the women that something bad had happened. However, they did not bombard him with questions and decided to simply trust him.

At the same time, Chloe didn't know where to cast her gaze...

***

An hour later, when Adam finally came to his senses, which took a considerable amount of time, he sighed and comfortably settled in his chair, looking at Anna. From his gaze, she understood that he had noticed something was amiss.

"You did figure it out, didn't you?" she said, smiling bitterly and tilting her head down, avoiding direct eye contact in every way. "Please understand... even if you promised me that you could give me a second heart, I can't allow myself to become a burden on your shoulders. Initially, my mission was to give the nymph race a child, and nothing more. If I can't even do that, then..."

"Anna," Adam abruptly interrupted her. His voice was low, and it was clear that he was not in the mood for a calm conversation. However, upon hearing his tone, he decided to amend it and speak more calmly. He sighed and regulated his breathing before continuing, "You keep insisting that you're useless and just wasting our time, but you look at our sincere feelings as mere support. I think you should understand that we're saying this not out of politeness but because it's what we truly believe."

"He's right. I know you genuinely regret your actions, and I'm sure we can overcome the trials that will come our way in the near future. Please, the most important thing is not to give up. If you give up, how can we help you?" Amarantha said, supporting her husband's words. Her eyes narrowed, which looked somewhat aggressive, but the tears in the corners of her eyes indicated her sincere concern.

Anna remained silent and only bowed her head even further. Adam sighed when he heard her quiet sobs.

To be continued...