Mushoku Impact

Though she was supposed to oversee a class early that morning, Reida ended up sleeping in a lot later than usual. When she finally awoke, she felt more refreshed than she had in a very long time, not just because of the burdens she had unloaded the previous night but because Paul was still there when she opened her eyes.
Catching Reida staring at him, a smile developed across Paul's face as he said, "Good morning, bedhead. Enjoy your rest...?"
Coming to her senses, Reida pushed herself to a seated position, asking, "What do you intend to do from now on?" as she attempted to fix her hair. She ordinarily didn't bother with such things, but hearing Paul refer to her as 'bedhead' made her think her hair was a mess.
"Mmm...I'll probably meet with the King and see what he has to say. After that, there's someone I want to meet up with at the Royal Academy. Think you can arrange a meeting...?"
Snorting through her nose, Reida retorted, "I'm the Water God, not your Secretary." before eventually asking, "Who is it? Another woman?" a few seconds later.
Shaking his head, Paul explained, "It's Philip Boreas Greyrat. The Lord of the Milbots Region advised me to lend him a hand if I got the chance..."
"Hmmm..."
As she had spent the last seventeen months in the Capital, Reida had a basic understanding of the circumstances surrounding Philip and his older brother, James. The latter had been unable to produce an heir, so he was trying to make use of an ancient law that would allow him to claim Philip's first two sons as his own. It was a law that was generally only enforced if the Lord's children died during a campaign, but that didn't prevent James from making promises and lobbying to have the Royal Court take his side.
After collecting her thoughts, Reida remarked, "I'm surprised. Based on your past comments about Nobles and politics, I figured you would try to avoid getting entangled with the affairs of others."
Shrugging his shoulders, Paul retorted, "What can I do? Back then, I only had to worry about keeping myself alive and growing stronger. Now, I've got kids, people who rely on me, and all sorts of things to worry about..."
Hearing Paul mention their children ahead of his other concerns, Reida's expression softened ever so slightly. She had been, and still was, a pretty terrible mother. Since most of her kids were forced on her, she never truly saw them as her own. Her children with Paul were also an accident, but at least she had a choice.
"How were they? I couldn't stay long after their birth, and I haven't seen them since I left them in the care of your parents."
Though he was a little surprised to learn that Reida hadn't at least tried to check on the twins, Paul chose not to question her as he answered, "Aria is a Blessed Child. We're not sure which Blessing she has received, but it grants her tremendous strength. As for Aiden...he possesses a remarkable intellect. As ridiculous as this may sound, I can see him becoming a Saint-Ranked Mage within the next three to five years..."
Adopting a slightly skeptical look, Reida asked, "Are you serious? I don't know much about the Magical Community, but you won't find more than a twenty or so Saint-Ranked Magicians in the entire Kingdom. You're telling me our son has the potential to reach such a Rank, and as a child...?"
With all signs pointing toward Aiden being the same otaku who incarnated as Rudeus in the original series, Paul nodded his head, explaining, "I know how ridiculous it sounds, but he was able to learn Beginner-Ranked Water, Earth, and Fire Magic without a teacher. His reserves are also several tens of time that of an average person, and he hasn't even begun puberty..."
Though most of her children possessed inordinately strong physiques, allowing them to excel in swordsmanship, this was the first time Reida was hearing about one of her children excelling in Magic. She knew Paul wasn't the type to embellish things like this, so a toothy grin developed across her face as she said, "Well, I'll be damned. I knew you were a little monster, but I didn't think I'd pop out two more after sleeping with you. I guess we have good compatibility, huh...?"
Without waiting for Paul to respond, Reida moved to rise from the bed, a faint yet still discernible rosy hue coloring her cheeks that compelled her to face away as she added, "Anyways...so long as you're in the Citadel, it will be easy to arrange a meeting between you and Philip. Swordsmanship is compulsory for Nobles until graduation, and you're pretty famous as the youngest Sword and Water Saint in history. Getting you in as an assistant or guest lecturer should be pretty easy."
Since Paul had courteously washed her body before she fell asleep, Reida grabbed her clothes and began donning them. She could feel Paul's eyes roaming her body, primarily focused on her ass, but didn't mind it in the slightest. Rather, knowing he was looking, she took her time pulling up her snug, extremely form-fitting black pants before saying, "For now, we should head over to the Silver Palace and arrange a meeting between you and the King. I'm assuming you received a summons, but I should be able to secure you a private audience using my position as the Water God. Just don't do anything that would require me to kill you, okay...?"
Though her words may have sounded casual, Reida's expression revealed how serious she was. If the King ordered it, she would have no choice but to cut down Paul on the spot. As unlikely as such an event was to occur, it was still a possibility.
Seeing Reida concerned for him, Paul's expression softened into a tender smile as he said, "Relax. I said it before, right? I'm not actually an enemy of the Kingdom. If the First Prince wasn't such a massive cunt, the entire Asura Kingdom would have benefitted from the changes Ningguang and I intended to introduce. We want to make this world a better place, not flip it upside down or fuck it sideways."
Sensing no falsehoods in Paul's words, the majority of Reida's concerns were alleviated. She had followed Ningguang's advice to a tee, but nearly two years had passed since then. There was no way of knowing just how much things had changed since her last encounter with the white-haired vixen...
"Good. As for those lasses you brought along with you, it's better if they stay here for the time being. I don't need to tell you what kind of people the Nobles in the Silver Palace are. Even the King might be tempted if he caught a glimpse of that woman with purple hair..."
With Reida having completed her reverse strip-tease, Paul had already risen from the bed and started to get dressed. In response to her words, he just nodded his head and said, "Yeah, I wasn't planning to bring them along. If something did happen, Ei would probably slaughter everyone in the palace. At her current level, even you wouldn't be able to stop her..."
Since she had sensed the blade-like aura emanating from Ei's body, Reida didn't immediately challenge Paul's assertion. She knew Ei and the others weren't ordinary girls, but for the sake of keeping at least a few of Paul's secrets, she had never inquired about the specifics. She knew they had a connection to the Elemental Visions, but had no idea Ei was the source of her own Vision's power.
"I'll have to confirm that for myself later. For now, go and say whatever you need to say to those girls. When you're ready, I'll be waiting for you at the Hall of Memories, the place where I gave you a good beating."
Though he had healed mere minutes after Reida's beating, Paul made a show of rubbing his face as he teased, "You should go easier on me next time. You wouldn't want your man to have a face like a pig, would you...?"
Snorting through her nose, Reida was tempted to say it would better match his character, but, in all honesty, she found Paul to be one of the kindest and most considerate people she had ever met. He was a huge pervert, but he showed genuine consideration for his partners. After last night, that truth was now firmly ingrained into both her mind and body...
Leaving Paul at a momentary loss for words, Reida muttered, "Whatever..." before fastening her sword to her belt and adding, "Outward appearances aren't the only thing that matters. So long as you were still you..."
Though he could hear her say something, Paul couldn't make out the final few words of Reida's statement. Immediately after she was finished, she departed the room with determined steps. As a result, he wasn't able to see the surprisingly maidenly look on her face, a brilliant red hue coloring her cheeks as her final few words echoed in her mind...
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After meeting with the girls and having Ei promise she wouldn't go full nuclear if something happened to him during his visit to the Silver Palace, Paul made his way towards the Hall of Memories. However, before he even reached it, he heard the sound of a man shouting, followed by the deep and dignified voice of Reida saying something in response.
"The fuck...?"
Making his way toward the disturbance, Paul found Reida standing with a deadpan expression on her face as a fairly tall man with auburn hair and greenish-blue eyes towered over her, shouting, "At least pretend to have some dignity left! How can you-"
Seeing Paul enter the chamber out of the corner of his eyes, the man's eyes blazed with fury as he said, "You...!" in a venomous tone. Before he could speak further, however, Reida promptly punched him in the gut with enough force to send him crashing into the wall, a 'Guk!' sound emanating from his throat as he hunched over and held his stomach.
"I'm tired of your shit, Vuldar. You're nearly thirty years old, but get your ass kicked by your younger sister. Stop acting like you have any leeway to represent the interest of the Citadel. You're just a brat riding my coattails."
With an expression that looked like he had swallowed a giant turd, Vuldar glared back at both Reida and Paul. In response, she stepped on his pride even further by promptly pulling Paul's collar and planting a big, wet kiss on his lips. Paul was briefly surprised by this, but that didn't stop him from grabbing her ass as Vuldar stared daggers at him.
Though she held the kiss for several seconds, Reida eventually gave Paul a firm push, saying, "Don't get carried away..." in a severe tone. She didn't particularly mind him grabbing her ass, but she didn't want him doing it in front of her sons. They had some pretty extreme mommy issues, so there was a good chance Vuldar would try to kill Paul the first chance he got.
Turning back to her son, Reida narrowed her eyes as she declared, "I've said it a thousand times before, and I'll say it a thousand times more. The only way I'm stepping down from this position is if someone defeats me. I have no interest in you or your father. If he's that desperate for a mistress that matches his standing, he'd have more success greasing the palms of a pig farmer. Now, get the fuck out of my sight."
With tears building in the corners of his eyes, Vuldar grunted, "You...you'll regret this..." before pushing himself to his feet and hobbling off. Since he was going in the direction they were about to head, Reida pulled Paul off to the side for an impromptu makeout session. The sounds they produced caused Vuldar's eyes to turn red with fury, but Reida was more concerned with easing her frustrations than worrying about her man-child of a son...
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"Want to talk about it...?"
After boarding a carriage headed for the Silver Palace, Paul waited for a few minutes before broaching the subject of what happened back at the Citadel. Reida had been in a lousy mood ever since, so she was currently using his lap as a pillow after Paul assured her it would help.
Exhaling a sigh, Reida surprised Paul by muttering, "Pat my head..." before eventually going on to explain, "About a year after I arrived in the Capital, the man that had taken me in, Earl Erland Edvard Greenbull, did just about everything in his power to get me pregnant. He seemed to believe that if I bore him a child, I would have no choice but to become his mistress. For a while, he even tried to convince me...eh, forget about it. That's something that happened more than thirty years ago; I don't feel like talking about it, and I seriously doubt you want to hear the specifics..."
While continuing to run his fingers through Reida's hair, Paul hummed in affirmation before responding, "You're probably right...still, if you feel the need to talk, I'm here to listen. The Gods know you have a lot to get off your chest..."
Though it probably wasn't the most sensible or sensitive thing to do at the moment, Paul punctuated his words by sliding his hand into Reida's top. Her breasts had a peculiar firmness to them, but they were still soft and smooth to the touch.
"..."
Resisting the urge to smack Paul's hand, Reida remained silent for a short while before asking, "Have you thought about becoming my successor? If you do, it will go a long way towards putting the King's mind at ease..."
Bringing a faint smile to Reida's face, Paul answered, "I intend to give it a shot. However, so long as you have a Vision, I can't see anyone removing you from the position. I don't know how much, but I can tell you've gotten stronger since our separation."
Though she still had her head in Paul's lap, Reida nodded her head as she replied, "You're damn right I did. At my current level, even that bastard of a Sword God might not be able to defeat me."
Imagining how her next encounter with Gal would go, a vicious smile developed across Reida's face. If she had a list of the people she most hated, Gal would easily make the top three. Their status and affiliation with the Asura Kingdom made it difficult for them to do battle, but she had dreamed of wiping the smug look off his for the past twenty years.
"Mmm...just promise me you won't die. I won't tell you not to do anything reckless; that's half the fun of life. Just make sure to come back in enough pieces to put back together."
Raising and lowering one brow each, Reida gave Paul a side-long stare as she retorted, "You're way too weak to be worrying about others. At least get to the rank of Water Emperor before you start spouting sappy shit and giving people advice..."
Though she was secretly a little happy about Paul's concern, Reida didn't like being looked down on. She knew that wasn't Paul's intention, but she was still the Water God. She would never have gotten this far if not for an inordinate amount of pride. In fact, back when she was still an Emperor, before inheriting the name Reida Reia, she was known as The Lion's Pride, Katalina.&nbsp;
Interpreting Reida's words as concern for his well-being, Paul just smiled and replied, "Looks like I have another goal to reach..." before reclining his head back. As he did, Reida waited for a few seconds before asking, "How much longer do you intend to keep groping me...?"
Adopting a noticeably broader smile, Paul softly replied, "For as long as you allow it..."
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After nearly half an hour, the carriage Reida and Paul were riding in was forced to stop and stage outside a massive, silvery archway. This gave Paul his first close-up view of the Silver Palace, a colossal structure that was constructed almost entirely of bricks that had been heat-treated with rare minerals such as Mithril and Orichalcum. These were what gave it its renowned silvery hue, but their most important function was inhibiting the use of Magic.
Freeing Paul from his thoughts, Reida gave him a light yet crisp-sounding smack to the back of the head as she said, "Stop gawking and stay close. If you get caught wandering around without an escort, getting thrown in the Dungeon will be the least of your concerns. Also, until you meet with the King, it's best not to speak. It's a pretty well-known saying, but in the Silver Palace, the walls have more than just ears."
Demonstrating his understanding, Paul elected to nod instead of verbally responding to Reida's words. He knew the First Prince and his Faction of fucknuggets would have been informed of his arrival by now. The former was known to never leave the Silver and Concubine Palaces, so there was a fairly high probability he would pull something during one of Paul's visits to the Palace.
Returning an approving nod, Reida told Paul to stay within three meters of her before leading the way into the Silver Palace. Their passage garnered the attention of pretty much everyone they passed, but as Reida's status even permitted entry into King's bed chambers, no one attempted to stop them. Many even saluted her outright, standing off to the side of the halls to allow her free passage.
After wandering about for what felt like a literal hour, Reida showed Paul to a room guarded by a group of heavily armored Knights. They were the first to stop and ask them what their intentions were, but Reida shut them down pretty quickly by informing them it was none of their business and that she was carrying out the will of the King.
Though they clearly weren't happy about Reida's response, the group of Knights still allowed her and Paul entry into what appeared to be a giant library or some kind of museum. The flanking walls were slightly curved and lined with massive bookshelves that extended nearly 10m to a ceiling decorated in a manner reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel. There were large and intricate murals covering the entire ceiling while skeletons of various monsters, rare artifacts from ancient civilizations, and even a taxidermied dragon decorated the floor space.
Speaking for the first time in more than an hour, Paul muttered, "Wow..." as his eyes roamed the massive room. In response, Reida offered a curt nod before explaining, "This is the King's Gallery. It's where he displays all his most valuable, private possessions. You're free to roam around, but don't even think about stealing anything. Also, make sure not to touch the crystal display cases. They're enchanted to burst apart and mince anyone dumb enough to try and remove them."
Raising his brows, Paul asked, "I can look around? I would have thought most of this stuff was off-limits."
Shrugging her shoulders, Reida replied, "It is. However, the King enjoys people taking an interest in his collection. So long as you don't damage or try to steal anything, he shouldn't mind. Besides, we're going to be here for a couple of hours, and I'd rather you not get handsy while we're in the Palace."
Blinking in surprise, Paul parroted, "A few hours...?" before furrowing his brows as he added, "You could have mentioned that sooner. I told the-"
Interrupting Paul's words, a somewhat incredulous look marred Reida's face as she asked, "Weren't you supposed to be smart...? What, did you think the King would come running over the moment he heard about your arrival?"
"..."
Taking advantage of Paul's silence, Reida went on to explain, "This is a hell of a lot faster than if you had shown up for a formal audience. The King only rations around an hour of his schedule to audiences, so you would have had to wait between 2-3 weeks before being allowed to see him. Don't complain about a few hours."
Resisting the urge to say he wasn't complaining, Paul remained silent for a few moments before shaking his head and expressing, "You're right. Sorry if my words came across as impatient or selfish..."
Exhaling a faint sigh, Reida suppressed the sudden pang of guilt she was feeling, crossing her arms as she replied, "Well, so long as you're aware of it..."
Feeling a little awkward, Reida abruptly turned away and added, "There's a reading lounge near the back. I'm gonna go take a nap." before walking off. She wasn't used to people apologizing or admitting her faults, so she never knew how to react when Paul expressed his sincerity.
Following the raven-haired beauty with his eyes, Paul briefly considered if Reida's words were an invitation to join her or a warning against it. In the end, he decided the safest thing to do was grab one of the thousands of books present before making his way over and sitting on the opposite end of the sofa she was occupying...
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After nearly seven hours of waiting, Reida abruptly raised her head from Paul's lap, stating, "He's here." before quickly rising to her feet. Paul was a bit slower to rise due to his leg falling asleep, but it was nothing his Touki couldn't remedy.&nbsp;
As Paul followed in the direction Reida had hastily departed, he could hear the profoundly deep voice of a man stating, "No need for formalities." before asking, "Where is he?" in a curious tone.
Answering in Reida's stead, Paul revealed himself before bowing low and respectfully as he said, "Water Saint Paul Greyrat humbles himself before the Great King of Asura. It is a tremendous honor to finally meet with Your Majesty in person."
Adopting a toothy grin, King Ansalem gave Paul an appraising look as he repeated, "No need for formalities. I make a concerted effort to ensure no monitoring occurs within this place. Speak freely."
Though he bowed his head even lower in response to the King's words, Paul eventually raised his head and stood ramrod straight. He knew that the King's words were just another formality. If he actually spoke freely, it would be an extreme faux pas.
Nodding his head in approval, King Ansalem stated, "It's good that you haven't forgotten your place. Though you may have had your status and title stripped from you, nothing can change the fact that you were born as the First Son of House Notos."
Gesturing toward the room Paul and Reida had just emerged from, King Ansalem declared, "Attend me." before bypassing the duo and entering ahead of them. As he did, Paul and Reida made sure to lower their heads, not as a sign of submission, but respect. Then, as if they had practiced it in advance, they raised their heads at the same time and entered into the lounge to find the King holding up the book Paul had been reading.
Without needing to confirm the duo was paying attention to him, King Ansalem remarked, "Records of the Chaos Era..." before half-turning to ask, "Does Saint Paul have an interest in Antiquity...?"
Lowering his head, Paul replied, "Your Majesty has supposed correctly. While it is not my primary interest, one of the books I read in the past stated that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. I would never refer to myself as a scholar, but I make a concerted effort to know where humanity has come from so that I can better understand where it's headed..."
Adopting a broad smile, King Ansalem's eyes appeared to twinkle ever so slightly as he remarked, "Well said. It's no wonder that son of mine feared your potential. With that manner of thinking, the Milbots Region may have become an independent nation in the future..."
Though he wanted to refute the King's words, Paul could easily imagine Ningguang annexing the Milbots Region if the Royal Family kept getting in her way. The King seemed to realize this as well, his smile gaining a hint of ferocity as he abruptly inquired, "Paul Greyrat...are you a threat to the Asura Kingdom...?"
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(A/N: Short chapter, but I felt like I would ruin the ending if the scene abruptly changed. Hope everyone enjoys it.)
"You okay...?"
"Be quiet...I'm trying to think..."
"Mmm...well, don't hurt yourself..."
"You..."
Though she didn't put any strength into it, Reida rewarded Paul's cheeky comment with a kick to the side of his face. What she didn't expect was for Paul to grab her ankle, playfully musing, "Don't mind if I do..." before gently biting down on her pinky toe.
"..."
As Paul began to pepper to foot with kisses, Reida rolled her eyes in a dramatic fashion, remarking, "You're helpless..." with a faint smile on her face.&nbsp;
Adopting an even cheekier smile, Paul countered, "I told you at the start, didn't I? There isn't a single spot on your body that is profane. Though I'd rather avoid eating your ass, I intend to love every inch of you..."
Feeling a pang in her heart and a sour feeling spreading through her nose, Reida closed her eyes and turned her head away from Paul. They had just concluded the most tender and passionate session of lovemaking she had ever experienced, but, before that, she had given Paul a cursory account of her past.
Though she currently held the title Water God, making her one of the most powerful and well-respected people in the world, Reida's rise to the top hadn't been easy. She was born a simple peasant to an ailing mother who worked in the Red-Light District of a city known as Roa. Rather than her father, the first adult male she could recollect was a man who nearly killed her. From there, things only got progressively worse until she was eventually tossed out into the streets and left for dead.
Were it not for the 'kindness' of a complete stranger, treating her body with Advanced Healing Magic and delivering her to an orphanage, the woman everyone revered as the Water God would have died before she had the chance to pick up a sword.
Unfortunately, Reida quickly learned that genuine kindness was a rarity in the society she had been born into. The orphanage she was dropped off at turned out to be a facility where children were selected to be groomed into 'pets.' Their humanity was gradually stripped away from them as they were taught to think and behave like animals.
Though she had repressed the memories from that time in her life, Reida would periodically remember being dragged around naked on a leash, being forced to eat from a bowl, and suffering severe beatings whenever she broke character or tried to resist. And those were the more 'pleasant' memories.
Upon realizing that she couldn't be trained easily due to her aggressive nature, Reida went from being a pet to a 'fighting dog.' She was forced to fight in a small, circular pit where people would gamble on the outcome of matches. Unlike the majority of fighting dogs, however, Reida was part of a small number of fairly attractive girls that were used to entertain guests in between higher profile matches. They would be dragged into the arena completely naked and pitted against grown men that completely dwarfed them in size, the crowd cheering as they were forced to endure countless indignities.
What the organizers never expected was for Reida, barely even six years old at the time, to actually put up a fair amount of resistance against her assailants. She would invariably lose, suffering a fate even worse than the other girls, but regulars at the gambling pit could see she was improving with each successive match.
Against all expectations, Reida gradually became a crowd favorite, so much so that a betting pool opened to determine when she would get her first win. Over time, people had even started to boo her opponents until, one fateful day, someone tossed a wooden sword into the pit as Reida was on the verge of a loss.
Though she had never wielded a sword before, Reida was able to turn the tables on her opponent with fierce attacks rivaling those of a wild animal. Her victory was ultimately declared null and void due to interference from the crowd, but that singular taste of victory was enough to turn Reida into a completely different person. Hearing people cheer at her triumph rather than jeering at her shame had awoken something slumbering deep within her, a desire to become the strongest.
Shortly after her victory in the underground fight pit, Reida found herself dolled up, bound, and muzzled before being introduced to the man that would become her adoptive father, captor, and swordsmanship instructor. The indignities she suffered at his hand were carved deep into her body, but, even now, Reida still respected him as, no matter how he treated her behind closed doors, he took her education and training very seriously.
In the span of five years, Reida went from a feral girl who could barely speak to one of the few who could read and write. She also learned how to carry herself with dignity and respect, even if she was still used as an outlet for sexual desires. By then, that aspect of Reida's life had become completely normalized, so much so that she didn't even bat an eye when her adoptive father would ask her to entertain his 'friends.'
What brought Reida's world crashing down was when her father sold her to one of those very 'friends' after an incident where she had offended a group of Nobles who were envious of her strength and skill. If not for the timely intervention of another Noble, a righteous young man who became Reida's first love, she would have had both her hands and feet cut off.
After being forced to leave her home, Reida soon found herself passing through the gates of the wealthiest and most prosperous city in the entire world, the Capital of the Asura Kingdom, Ars. There, quite a lot happened, but the most important events were her enrollment in the Royal Academy, her brief captivity at the hands of Gal Farion, the birth of her children, and her prolonged tenure as a 'relief girl' for the social elite.
Though there were countless roadblocks on her path to the top, including several attempts to force her into wedlock, Reida managed to persist until she ultimately found herself in the coveted position of Water God. Shortly after that, the details of her past began to fade into obscurity as nobody in their right minds could believe the daughter of a prostitute could climb to the position of Water God. More importantly, the only person Reida was beholden to at that point was the King, so, for the first time in her life, she was free from the machinations and desires of others, free to choose who she gave her body to rather than having it claimed by others.
Unfortunately, as was often the case for female swordswomen entering into their forties, Reida's condition had already begun its gradual decline. She could no longer push her body beyond its limits. Instead, she had no choice but to refine her skill, tirelessly sharpening her techniques against others in a vain attempt to compensate for her waning strength...
And then she met Paul...one of only three people who had ever managed to touch her heart. Unlike the other two, however, Paul seemed relentless in his efforts to penetrate the walls of her heart and fill the void that had existed there since Reida was a child...
Interrupting Paul's gradual progress up her left thigh, Reida's voice was barely a whisper as she muttered, "I'm not sure I can ever love someone else...I've spent every meaningful moment of my life in pursuit of a single goal. After all this time, I-"
"See? This is what I was talking about. People like you&mdash;no&mdash;people like us aren't good at thinking, Reida. The harder we try to figure things out, the more we hurt ourselves in the process. Instead of focusing on things neither of us could ever fully understand, we should focus on the things that actually matter. This exact moment, and each moment we share from here on..."
Punctuating his words, Paul planted a kiss on Reida's lower abdomen. He would have kissed her lips, but his position didn't allow it. This ended up being for the best as tears began to build in Reida's eyes as she covered them with her forearm. Her emotions were in complete and utter turmoil, but the two most prominent among them were relief and happiness...
It had taken the better part of forty-six years, but Reida had finally found someone she could bare more than just her body. The void in her heart, something Reida once thought impossible to fill, suddenly seemed a lot smaller...
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Chapter 132: MI132: Relief : Frustrations