Lord Han held his gaze for a while before turning around, without a word, and walking away.

But Austin remained rooted to his spot.

His forehead began to have several beads of sweat as he watched his father-in-law disappear into the distance.

Meanwhile, Mira noticed that he wasn't trailing behind her anymore, so she turned around and called out, "Darling? Aren't you coming?"

At her voice, Austin gulped slowly before entering the mansion.

Once he was inside, Elena turned around as well, to address Austin's retainers.

"I'm so happy you all arrived safely. I understand that you must be tired and hungry after arriving so late this evening, so please follow Cecilia and she will direct you to where you'll have your meal." Elena said, gesturing to the maid standing behind her.

Cecilia bowed and motioned for the group to follow her.

Leo, Po, and the others bowed and nodded respectfully before heading off.

However, Elena asked Sue and Lily to stay behind because she wanted them to accompany Austin and his wives, who would be having dinner with her and her husband.

A few minutes later, everyone arrived at the dining room.

A large table was laid out with a medley of dishes, giving everyone various choices.

Lina and Mira sat to Austin's left and right respectively, while Elena and her husband sat across from them.

As for Sue and Lily, they both took seats close to Mira as they joined everyone in dining.

While everyone ate, Austin noticed the awkward silence in the room.

Even his wives barely opened their mouths to say anything, which was quite unusual to Austin.

This was because meals with them were always filled with laughter, teasing, and conversations that deepened their bond.

Now, both sisters were quiet and their eyes were lowered, focused only on their meals.

In other words, it was the first time Austin had seen them like this during their time together.

Bringing his gaze to his mother-in-law, he noticed Elena smiling to herself while eating.

From what he could see, it was clear that she was happy and relieved to have her daughters home again.

Meanwhile, Lord Han had a troubled expression on his face.

Of course, it didn't seem like he was troubled by what he had seen today because he hadn't once glanced in Austin's direction since they had begun eating, so Austin knew that there had to be something else weighing on the former Lord of the West's mind.

And Austin could guess what it was.

Lord Han might have noticed some things happening within the territory that disturbed him, but since he was no longer the Lord of the Jade Swallow Estate, and had no authority to act, the thought must have continued to trouble him.

Lina and Mira also understood this when they glanced in his direction, but since there was nothing they could do, they simply remained quiet while eating their meal.

But Austin was not happy with the gloomy atmosphere in the room, so he decided to stir things up a little.

A mischievous grin appeared on his lips when he thought of something to lighten up the mood before everyone decided to head over to their separate chambers.

So, After dinner, everyone relaxed in their seats and sipped from their warm tea, but Austin turned to his mother-in-law with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Mother-in-law?"

"Yes, Your Highness?" Elena replied gracefully as she set her teacup down.

"I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Oh? What is it?"

Austin leaned forward with an innocently charming smile. "Well, since my aunt has already told my wives all the embarrassing stories about me from when I was little... I was hoping you could do the same. Maybe you could tell me a few cute, embarrassing stories about Lina and Mira?"

Hearing this, the twins froze instantly.

Lina's spoon dropped into her teacup with a soft clink, and Mira visibly flinched.

"Y-you're not serious," Lina stammered.

"Oh, I'm very serious," Austin replied with a sly smile. "As your loving husband, don't you think it's only fair that I know some of your embarrassing moments too? Especially if there were pigtails... or potty stories."

Their cute jaws dropped in sync and Elena giggled behind her hand.

Even Sue and Lily couldn't help but chuckle as well, and both ladies were clearly eager to hear what Elena had to say.

"Well, if His Highness insists... I might have a few stories."

"Mother, no, please. Don't tell him anything," Lina pleaded.

"I agree! Please, Mom, you don't have to tell him anything," Mira added.

But Elena only smiled sweetly and tilted her head. "Hmm, let's see... Would His Highness like to know how Lina used to sneak into the stables at night to hug the horses and cry because she thought her big elven ears made her look weird?"

"M-Mom!" Lina squeaked as she hid her now red face behind her palms.

"Oh my, really?" Austin asked as he tried to fight back a laugh.

"Yes, Your Highness," Elena replied cheerfully. "Back then, Mira used to tease her a lot about her ears because they were a bit bigger than most elf girls her age."

"So she went to the stables... to cry?" Austin asked.

"Not just that," Elena continued with a wink. "She would name the horses, call them her new family, and sometimes... she even neighed at them."

"Mom!!!" Lina's ears were now beet red.

From her expression, it was obvious that she wanted the ground to swallow her whole and save her from this embarrassing moment.

Meanwhile, Austin chuckled softly as he tried not to laugh so hard, but his mother-in-law wasn't done yet.

"Oh, and as for Mira…" Elena continued, as she turned toward the blushing swordswoman, who was sitting stiffly beside her husband.

"Mira wasn't any less dramatic than Lina. In fact, when she was younger, Mira went through a phase where she frequently called herself a legendary swordswoman born from a heavenly blade."

Austin's brow lifted in curiosity. "Oh? A heavenly blade, you say?"

"Yes," Elena nodded with a smile that showed that she was clearly enjoying herself. "Mira would always walk around with a wooden spoon. Yes, a spoon and she would challenge random house servants to duels in the courtyard."

Hearing this, Lily let out a snort, while Sue quickly covered her mouth.

Their shoulders trembled as they tried to hold in their laughter.

"Come on, Lily! You can't blame me. I-I was a child!" Mira's face was now redder than even Lina's.

"Is that all?"

"Oh, not at all. Back then, Mira would also tie a sash around her head, stand on the balcony, and shout her 'divine sword technique' names at the top of her lungs. One time, as she yelled 'Moonlight Cherry Blossom Slash!', she ended up slipping on a flower petal and falling right into a water trough."

Hearing this, Lina burst out laughing.

She was now enjoying the moment, and even Mira couldn't hold it in anymore

She broke into giggles after seeing how everyone was laughing as well.

Even Austin was trying hard not to double over from laughter. "Moonlight Cherry Blossom Slash? That's adorable!" He said, and Elena nodded in agreement.

"Believe me, Your Highness. It was epic and extremely cute," Elena said proudly as she continued.

"Mira was soaking wet, shivering, and still talking about 'training under the sacred waterfall.'"

"Mooooom!!" Mira groaned as she buried her face into her hands, but Austin chuckled and wrapped an arm around her before pulling her closer to his chest. "Don't worry, my lady. You're still the cutest heavenly sword I've ever met."

"S-shut up, or I'll stab you," she muttered into his chest.

"Oh no. Please don't unleash your divine technique on my poor soul," he teased and everyone in the room erupted into another round of smiles and laughter.

Even Lord Han couldn't help but smile a little.

Once everyone had calmed down, Elena leaned into her chair and raised her teacup to sip her tea. "So, Your Highness, are you satisfied with their stories?" She asked and Austin replied with a nod.

"Yes, mother-in-law. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Your Highness. It was nice to recall these memories." Elena smiled sweetly and Austin smiled in return.

Everyone else had smiles on their faces, but Lina and Mira were the only ones without a smile.

Instead, both sisters sneakily exchanged glances and a silent nod of agreement.

How dare their husband put their most embarrassing stories out there like that… in front of everyone.

They were definitely going to punish him for what he did tonight.

Later that night.....

The moonlight shone softly through the corridor as Austin strolled down the quiet hallway of the Han mansion with his hands behind his back and a smug little smile on his lips.

He was feeling very pleased with himself for brightening up the mood in the dining room, thanks to his beautiful and playful mother-in-law.

But just as he was passing by a particular doorway, two beautiful arms shot out and yanked him into the dimly lit room.

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