The cool wind was lightly caressing his skin, a refreshing touch against the backdrop of the warm sunlight that filled Fuyu with a comforting sense of well-being. He was outside, gazing up at the clear blue sky where clouds drifted lazily, while mentally reviewing the cultivation arts Vasana had taught him. This revision was critical, spurred by the profound reason he'd given her for his diligence: his unwavering commitment to his sister and mother, and his refusal to leave them vulnerable when he inevitably achieved transcendence.

"Fuyu, help..." A sudden, hurried voice shattered his concentration. It was Lara. Fuyu's eyes widened as he saw her sprinting towards him. She crashed into him, hugging him tightly, and buried her face into his shoulder, clearly distressed.

"Huh... what happened...?" Fuyu was startled by her desperate and vulnerable state. A moment later, another, distinctly annoyed voice reached them.

"Lara, stop causing trouble! I'm not going to eat you alive. I simply want to talk to you. Are you going to be this insensitive and create a fuss for me?" Nula's tone was sharp, indicating she was certainly not in a good mood. Despite the reprimand, Lara remained silent, clinging to Fuyu, which only further aggravated Nula.

"Fuyu, help me..." Lara whispered faintly into his ear. Fuyu, confused, looked at Nula and calmly asked,

"What is the matter, Mother...?"

"Hah... she's just being difficult. I am merely trying to have a discussion with her. Lara, I told you to come here; I want to talk, and stop involving him in your antics." Nula spoke softly to Fuyu but scolded Lara, leaving Fuyu unsure of how to proceed.

"No! No! I'm already tired of you saying the same thing! I told you I haven't found anyone yet, so just leave me alone! I don't want to marry!" Lara finally shouted back. Fuyu realized this was the recurring issue he'd been hearing about for some time. Her outburst seemed to annoy Nula even more.

"You... I said I just wanted to talk! And why on earth don't you want to marry? If you can't find someone yourself, then let me find someone, but you reject that too! Today, I want a proper answer from you, or else I am going to marry you off somewhere without your consent!" Nula declared, walking closer to them.

"Ahhh... noo... I don't want to marry..." Lara repeated, the agony of her mother's pressure evident in her voice.

"Then just answer why you don't want to marry," Fuyu gently interjected, hoping to resolve the conflict. Nula, already at her wit's end with Lara, turned to Fuyu.

"Fuyu, let me handle her. You go inside; you don't need to worry about her, she's merely throwing a tantrum." Nula ordered. Fuyu hesitated for a moment but then nodded at Nula, deciding to comply. He had no genuine interest in the argument and needed to focus on revising his cultivation technique. He stood up, gently pushing Lara away. But before he could leave, Lara clutched his hand from behind.

"Please don't leave; help me," Lara pleaded with moist eyes, her voice softer than ever. Fuyu was genuinely puzzled about how he could possibly help her; it seemed like a matter entirely up to her.

"Huh...? What can I help you with? Mother is asking why you don't want to marry; just tell her the reason, and everything will be fine..." Fuyu said reasonably.

"If I told the truth... would you truly let me go and leave me alone?" Lara asked, looking warily at Nula.

"Yes, just tell me the real reason you're refusing to marry, instead of beating around the bush," Nula agreed, supporting Fuyu's suggestion. Lara stared at her mother for a beat, swallowed nervously, and then, finally, confessed.

"Th-that's because... I... I... love Fuyu..." Lara admitted, her breathing heavy and her heart pounding. Her face was flushed crimson from the confession made in front of her mother, making it impossible for her to meet anyone's gaze.

"What...?" Nula asked, narrowing her eyes. She hadn't fully grasped the implication, though her instincts screamed that something was terribly wrong; she wanted to ignore the feeling.

"Yes... I... I love him, and I only want to marry him, no one else!" Lara suddenly declared with all her might. She lunged forward and pressed her lips directly against Fuyu's in a kiss.

"WHAT?!" Lara's sudden, bold move stunned both Fuyu and Nula, their eyes widening in shock. Nula watched Lara kissing Fuyu right in front of her, and a surge of extreme anger washed over her. She stormed towards them. Lara ended the kiss, her face now heavily blushing.

"Fuyu... I love you... please marr—" Lara was about to complete her confession and proposal, but before she could, Nula's hand swung out and tightly slapped her directly across the cheek. The clear imprint of Nula's fingers appeared on Lara's right cheek. The pain was too much for Lara; her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she broke down, covering her bruised cheek with her palm.

Fuyu was in complete shock, not only from Lara's confession and kiss but also from Nula's violent reaction. While he was still reeling, Nula raised her hand again, ready to strike. Lara flinched, instinctively covering herself for the incoming blow. But before Nula's hand could touch Lara again, Fuyu pulled Lara into his embrace and stopped Nula.

"Mother, stop," Fuyu said. Nula's hand froze in mid-air.

"Get away from her, Fuyu! Let me slap some sense into her. She has crossed a limit," Nula said in a loud, shaky tone. Her eyes glittered before tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Mother, I understand, but we can talk this through; there's no need to hit her," Fuyu attempted to reason.

"What is there to talk about? Even if there is something, let me teach her a lesson first!" Nula cried out, completely dissolving into tears. Her hand slowly lowered, and she clenched her fist near her chest.

"Something really isn't right..." Susan rushed toward them, having heard the loud commotions coming from the backyard. She hurried over and asked what had happened. Fuyu simply told her to take care of Mother before he quickly ushered Lara inside, dragging her along. Susan, still unaware of the full story, tried to calm Nula down, holding her as she wept uncontrollably. Nula sank to the ground with Susan's help. Susan asked what had transpired, and Nula slowly, while weeping, recounted everything. Susan was speechless, unsure of how to respond.

"Nula, I understand your feelings, but you shouldn't have slapped Lara. I thought you were always so good with the kids, but how could you do something so foolish?" Susan questioned.

"Yes, I... I know, but I couldn't control myself. I shouldn't have reacted like that, but she made me. And—and I didn't want to hurt her, but what she said just... made me," Nula explained the deep-seated reasons for her reaction. She clarified that if Lara had confessed her love for Fuyu at a normal time, Nula might have merely scolded her, tried to guide her to the 'right path,' or possibly even allowed them to marry. However, in their current dire circumstances, with their survival precarious and everyone worried about how they would manage, Lara's sudden confession was a shocking burden. Fuyu was already struggling to figure out how to care for them, and now Lara was adding more pressure.

Nula listed several reasons, but the one prominent reason she did not tell anyone was the profound wave of unease that washed over her when she saw Lara kiss Fuyu in front of her. She couldn't help but be enraged seeing Fuyu in that... intimate moment. It was likely a sign of her own slightly possessive nature towards him.

While Nula was crying and Susan was comforting her, Katty arrived and observed the scene. She walked towards them and asked her mother what had happened. Susan told her to listen silently, not to make a noise, and under no circumstances to say a word about this to Manu or anyone else. Katty nodded, taking in the entire situation. She was genuinely surprised that Lara had confessed to Aunt Nula.

"She sure has guts to do so. I probably could never be able to do that... Hah..." Katty sighed inwardly. After listening to the entire conversation, she felt Nula's actions were justifiable; the underlying problems were real. Yet, she didn't believe Nula had acted entirely correctly either.

"Aunt Nula, I don't think your beating is going to have any effect on Sister Lara. Although I'm not sure, I've seen her wild and mad side, so I guess even if you need money to marry Manu, I don't believe Sister Lara is going to marry someone else just because of this. But anyway, we can't be certain. Well, I really want to talk with Sister Lara now," Katty thought.

Susan then helped Nula inside, but not before scolding Katty, saying, "You see what happens to families if you refuse to do what your mother chooses, so never disobey her orders."

Hearing her mother's words, Katty rolled her eyes internally. "Mother, you can't control me. Should I tell her everything she does with him? Guess no... I will use that method if needed, but now I want to meet them." Katty thought before heading inside where Fuyu and Lara were.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.