“Is it about Eileen coming back for the holidays? Does Sister Falin still have… that idea?”
Faon said this, but in truth, his mind had been dwelling on it ever since his conversation with Yeye.
No matter how strange it seemed, this was a choice Falin had made after careful consideration; perhaps like him, she had been thinking about it ever since reading that letter.
That was likely why she told him later in the form of a joke.
Based on his understanding of his sister-in-law and his wife’s worries, if Eileen noticed any issues with her sister’s health, she might truly stay behind and refuse to leave.
His wife’s concerns were not without merit.
Having already reached a certain “level of corruption,” he found himself unable to refuse immediately.
He even felt an impulse to discuss it with Yelei.
“It’s… more or less that,” Falin’s expression became a bit unnatural, though she was getting used to the feeling of lying.
“Actually… on top of that, I have another idea. I want Xiaoye to pretend to be me and take a faster transport with Husband to arrive first. Then, Sister Yelei can accompany me at a slower pace. This way, I can rest in between, Husband won’t have to worry about my health, and we can prevent any problems if Eileen sees through the situation.”
By the end, Falin hardly knew what she was saying.
The shyness and strangeness of talking nonsense with a straight face were much greater than she had imagined.
But if she didn’t do this, Eileen truly wouldn’t find a way to complete the special commission.
“…Taking photos was relatively easy to finish.”
The biggest obstacle was letting her return to her hometown alone; it required Eileen to notice something unusual during the visit, all while ensuring her husband didn’t find out beforehand.
Rather than saying it was too difficult, it was simply impossible to complete otherwise.
Faon opened his mouth as if to speak, hesitated, and finally shook his head.
“That won’t work, will it?”
Seeing his wife waiting for his reasoning, faon sighed helplessly and organized his thoughts.
“First of all, even if Miss Yeye and Sister Yelei are willing to help us, they are my friends. We can’t use them like that, and Sister Yelei might not even agree. Secondly, they just took a day off; it won’t be easy to ask for a long leave. This isn’t their family business—to put it bluntly, it has nothing to do with them. Furthermore, even if the pace is slower, I don’t recommend Sister Falin making such a long journey… especially staying overnight during the trip. Without me by your side, I really can’t feel at ease.”
Even if he could understand his wife’s intentions and her reasons for the proposal, he still couldn’t get past that hurdle in his heart.
Currently, he felt strange… there was a faint sense of anticipation in his heart.
Most of it was the expectation of returning to his hometown with his wife, mixed with other feelings he couldn’t quite describe.
As for why he didn’t say Yeye might not agree, faon knew that by saying those words in front of the Adventurer’s Guild, Yeye had already consented.
Moreover, she had been in a “leave of absence” state these past few days, so continuing the leave was somewhat justifiable.
After listening to her husband, Eileen (Falin) didn’t answer immediately.
She had indeed been too impatient, and her husband’s points were very valid.
To make him believe her without realizing she proposed this just to complete a commission, she had to solve these issues first.
Seeing his wife fall silent, faon took her hand and spoke as gently as possible.
“I’m sorry… Sister Lin, was I too harsh? I know you’re worried about Eileen. I think this method actually makes sense, it’s just hard to pull off. If we actually did it, we wouldn’t know how to thank them. Besides, I don’t want to hide your health issues only for it to cause a real problem.”
“How else can we thank them… by using you, Husband.”
Eileen mocked herself internally but didn’t say it aloud.
Facing her gentle and considerate husband holding her hand, she smiled and said, “No, the fact that you said all this means you’ve seriously considered it. That means… you’ve already agreed to the idea, haven’t you?”
After speaking, Falin specifically winked at faon.
Faon hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
“If Sister Falin doesn’t come with me to pick up Eileen, she might sense something is wrong immediately. It really might go as you said—she might stubbornly stay to take care of you and refuse to go to the Magic Academy.”
He then added, “Actually, I think it’s fine if she doesn’t go. I can teach her quite a bit of magic knowledge myself.”
“That won’t do. Husband still has work, and I hope the usually quiet Eileen can make some friends at the Magic Academy,” Falin shook her head.
Then, she used her old trick, speaking with a grin: “I feel like every time I mention this, Husband gets flustered. That doesn’t fit the status of a Great Hero. Could it be you’re afraid of doing something to betray your wife?”
Faon didn’t deny it immediately as he usually did.
After a moment of silence, he said, “I won’t.”
“Then that’s that. If Husband feels embarrassed, just let me, your wife, handle the talking. Since you’ve agreed, right? I’ll be responsible for handling Sister Yelei’s side.”
Falin coaxed and deceived her husband into compliance.
By constantly leaning against him, her passive skill [Soundless] began to take slight effect.
Faon felt something was off about his wife; ever since returning home, he felt he had become… more prone to overthinking.
“It’s fine, there are still a few days left. Maybe Husband will think of a better way by then? Hee hee.”
Seeing the timing was right, Eileen threw out another line.
“That’s true,” faon nodded and dropped the subject.
Departing a day early would be fine; with his physical stamina, even a night of exertion wouldn’t affect him much.
Just as the stew was finished, the sound of knocking and Yelei’s greeting rang out together: “Miss Falin, as agreed, Yeye and I are here to intrude.”
faon turned off the fire magic and prepared to open the door.
Eileen gave him a gentle push.
“Alright, Husband, go entertain Sister Yelei and Xiaoye first. A small task like plating the food should be left to me.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Faon asked instinctively.
“A small thing like this is no problem. Don’t look down on your wife, Husband. Go on.”
Falin said with a smile.
Hearing faon leave the kitchen and the sound of the three of them chatting in the living room, Eileen eavesdropped for a moment.
Sensing they wouldn’t come in yet, she divided the thick stew into four portions, evenly ladling them into four plates.
Before taking out the [Enhancement Potion], she felt apprehensive as she usually did when doing something bad.
Habitually glancing left and right, she began pouring some [Enhancement Potion] into the three plates intended for her husband and the sisters.
The amount she poured for the two sisters was significantly more than for her husband.
First, she was afraid her husband would notice; second, giving him too much would be meaningless.
After pouring, she stirred each plate with a small spoon and sniffed them, finding that the color and smell remained unchanged.
Falin breathed a sigh of relief.
There was still plenty of [Enhancement Potion] left, enough for her to add some for everyone over the next few days—and enough for herself.
Just then, before she had time to put it away, Yeye’s sweet voice sounded from behind her.
“G-good evening, Sister Lin. I heard from Mr. faon that you were plating the food, so I… I came to help you.”
Falin hurriedly tucked the [Enhancement Potion] into her Puppet Master card and turned around with a smile.
“Good evening, Xiaoye. Where are your sister and my husband?”
“They… they are chatting outside. Is my sudden intrusion… going to trouble you, Sister Lin?”
Yeye felt Sister Falin’s smile was a bit unnatural.
“Was she bothered by her coming in?”
“No, no, I’m happy Xiaoye came to help. How about this… let’s carry them out together.”
Falin shook her head and spoke with a smile.
“Okay,” Yeye replied with a smile.
Hearing the answer, she didn’t think further about the previous awkwardness.