Forbidden Women Only Empire Where NO Man Could Set Foot. [Eden’s Vault]

The loud bang of Euryale’s door slamming shut echoed through the massive treehouse, followed by the distinct click of a magical lock sliding into place.

Out in the hallway, Hyun-woo stood awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Vespera was still clinging to his side like a terrified, six-eyed koala. Her oversized black robes were slipping dangerously low off her shoulders, exposing a generous amount of her heavy breasts.

Ebonara and Stheno were glaring at the dragoness with enough murderous intent that, if not for Hyun-woo standing between them, they absolutely would have beaten the shit out of her. They held back only because Vespera had briefly explained how she had been trapped in a cage inside the Tower for millennia.

Still, she was definitely going to get a beating one way or another. Right now, Vespera was acting like a total child, secretly blowing raspberries at them with her forked tongue because she knew they wouldn’t hurt her while she was safely attached to her "consort."

Vespera didn’t realize it, but Hyun-woo noticed and was laughing internally. Despite her acting like an arrogant, regal Sovereign when they first met, he was happy to see that she was still a big kid at heart.

“So, what do we do now?” Hyun-woo asked, genuinely curious.

Medusa, who had wisely waited safely in the hallway to avoid the crossfire, simply shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. He is really asking these chaotic brats for advice?

Her emerald snake-hair hissed a collective, exhausted sigh. It was truly a wonder how those little snakes reacted so perfectly to their owner’s emotions.

Before anyone could start another argument, Medusa spoke up.

“Are you all quite finished?” she asked, her cool voice cutting through the tension. “If Euryale decides to actually use her authority to throw you out of the tree completely, I won’t stop her.”

“Hey, I wasn’t at fault in there,” Hyun-woo protested.

Medusa didn't care. She knew he had been secretly enjoying the chaos despite what he was saying right now. “And why should I care?” she replied dryly, turning on her heel and starting down the hallway.

A tick mark appeared on Hyun-woo’s forehead. Seeing her casually gliding away with that signature haughty attitude, he simply couldn’t resist.

Smack!

He slapped her bouncy ass.

“Ow!” Medusa jolted, rubbing the spot where he had struck her before whipping her head back to glare at him. She didn’t say a word, but her snake-hair hissed furiously at him.

She quickly turned away again. She refused to react like a flustered child in front of the new dragon. If she wasn't here, Hyun-woo would have had to pay dearly for that, Medusa thought. He will still pay. I just have to decide how.

With Medusa silently taking the lead, the chaotic group was herded down the hallway and into the spacious dining room.

The room was beautiful, bathed in the soft golden light of floating crystals, with a large, polished table grown directly from the living wood of the tree itself.

Hyun-woo sat down on a moss-cushioned bench.

Naturally, Vespera immediately squeezed in right beside him, pressing her soft, naked thigh flush against his leg.

Ebonara hissed, her gem-eyes flashing a dangerous crimson. She aggressively took the spot on his other side, practically throwing her own impressive F-cup chest over his arm to claim her territory.

Stheno just rolled her eyes and sat across from them, crossing her arms tightly under her red tank top.

“Before you guys start fighting again,” Hyun-woo spoke up quickly, trying to defuse the ticking time bomb, “I actually have something for you.”

He reached into his spatial inventory and pulled out a few beautifully wrapped boxes.

“I got these from Pearland before the whole… disaster happened,” he explained with a warm smile. “I’ve been meaning to give them to you.”

He handed a sleek, crimson-wrapped box to Ebonara.

Her eight gem-like eyes widened in absolute shock, the colors shifting rapidly from gold to melting pink hearts. “For me? Oh, cutie pie… I love it,” she purred, holding the box to her chest like a sacred artifact. She hadn’t even opened it yet, but she already adored it. It didn’t matter what was inside. The simple fact that it came from him was enough.

He passed a gold-wrapped box to Stheno, who scoffed. Her cheeks dusted pink as she snatched it from the table. “Tch. Don’t think a bribe makes up for you being an idiot. But… thanks.”

He slid a dark green box toward Medusa, who looked at it with genuine surprise. Her cold exterior cracked just a fraction, and her emerald snakes gave happy little wiggles. “Hah… Thank you. This is… very thoughtful of you.”

Silence fell over the table.

Vespera, who had been watching the exchange with wide, expectant golden eyes, slowly realized there were no more boxes left in his hands.

Her gaze shifted to Hyun-woo’s empty palms, then back to the others who were happily admiring their gifts. Her lower lip began to tremble.

The majestic, apocalyptic Ancient Sovereign looked like she had just been told Christmas was canceled. She pouted, her midnight cheeks puffing out as she stared at the table. Surprisingly, she didn’t say a word. She just squeezed Hyun-woo’s arm a little tighter, her six eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Hyun-woo’s heart felt heavy. Say what you want about her being overly clingy, but seeing her up close—despite her being very naked—she was a heartbreakingly beautiful woman.

Well, I didn't even know she existed when I bought these! he thought defensively.

“Uh, Vespera,” Hyun-woo said softly, gently patting her head.

Almost instantly, she leaned into his touch and started giggling in pure contentment.

Is my hand really that comfy? he wondered.

He brought his other hand over to Ebonara, who had been glaring daggers at Vespera, and started gently patting her head, too. Ebonara’s glare melted away, and she immediately began purring in deep, rumbling contentment.

Guess I have magic hands, Hyun-woo concluded. He was enjoying their blissed-out expressions more and more, so he just kept petting them both.

“Ahem.”

Someone coughed loudly, snapping him out of his monster-girl hypnotism. He had been feeling strangely happy just seeing them so relaxed, but the sharp sound broke the spell.

The one who demanded his attention was Medusa. She was watching the whole display with a cold, piercing gaze, clearly pissed off.

Across the table, Stheno was looking quite sour, too. How dare he leave me out like this? [AN: you know she is still not there, but little by little she is getting there.]

Before Medusa could scold him, Hyun-woo noticed Stheno’s darkening expression. Knowing exactly where her thoughts were spiraling, he called out to her.

“Stheno.”

When she looked up, she saw him smiling and tapping his lap.

She understood immediately. Blushing furiously but entirely giddy, she hopped up and hurried over, sitting down directly on his lap.

“Were you getting jealous over there?” he asked, his voice teasing, like he was talking to a pouting child.

He brought his left hand—the one that had been patting Vespera—over to Stheno and started gently stroking her head, focusing specifically on petting her sensitive golden snake-hair.

On the other hand though, when Vespera felt the petting stop, she pouted again. She didn’t say anything; after all, she had promised not to fight his "collection." But it still didn't feel good to be ignored.

Stheno, on the other hand, was in heaven. Her forked tongue did lazy, content flicks as he massaged her scalp. Yes, magic hands are the absolute best.

Before Hyun-woo could melt back into the cozy moment, another loud, pointed cough resonated through the room.

What are you doing, cough person? Hyun-woo thought in annoyance. This is just too addictive to stop.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pinch on his left side. It was Vespera. She was officially jealous now.

Before he could bring his hand back to soothe the dragoness, he heard a terrifyingly calm voice.

“Will you just stop it already?” Medusa said.

She was incredibly jealous. From her perspective, she was sitting all alone on the other side of the table while the other three got to enjoy his affection. And nobody had asked her if she wanted a head pat. She distinctly remembered how warm she felt when she was alone with him. She missed that feeling, even though it had only happened once.

Fuck you, Hyun-woo, she thought, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

“Ah… oh… I’m sorry,” Hyun-woo stammered, hastily retracting his hands from all three of them.

This, in turn, earned him aggressive hisses from both Ebonara and Stheno. But with one sharp, commanding glare from Medusa, Stheno quickly backed down. Ebonara just huffed. How dare she ruin my good time, the scorpion grumbled internally.

“Oh, right. I was talking about…” Hyun-woo trailed off, turning to look at Vespera. “I didn’t have a gift for you because we just met two days ago. But actually… I was thinking.” He glanced down at her slipping robes, which were barely holding on to her massive curves. “You can’t keep traveling everywhere half-naked. How about we go get you some proper clothes?”

Vespera sniffled, looking up at him through her thick, dark lashes. “Clothes?”

“Yeah. A present from me.”

Ebonara’s tail flicked aggressively. “I can take her,” she volunteered with a dangerously sweet smile. “I know exactly where to dump—I mean, drop her off.”

“Absolutely not!” Vespera shrieked, her regal voice cracking. She wrapped both arms around Hyun-woo’s neck, burying her face in his chest. “I will not go anywhere with these barbaric women! They will leave me in a ditch! I will only go if my Consort comes with me!”

“Who are you calling barbaric, you overgrown lizard?!” Stheno snapped, raising her fist to bonk Vespera on the head, though she stopped at the last second just to scare her.

“Okay, okay! I’ll go with her!” Hyun-woo quickly intervened, shielding Vespera from the angry Gorgon and the seething Arachnid. “I’ll take her shopping. Just… everyone calm down.”

Seeing this, Medusa sighed and stood up smoothly. Her silk robes cascaded down her flawless figure. “Do you even know where you can get clothes that might actually fit her?” Her eyes flicked pointedly toward Vespera’s massive chest.

“I was hoping you could take us,” Hyun-woo said, giving her a pleading smile.

“You are shameless, asking for something without offering anything in return,” Medusa replied haughtily. “But fine, I will accompany you. It will also give Ebonara and Stheno a chance to cool their heads.”

Ebonara looked ready to protest, but Medusa shot her a paralyzing glare. “You and Stheno are going to clean up the mess you made upstairs.”

Stheno and Ebonara opened their mouths to argue, but wisely shut them. They knew if they pushed Medusa right now, they would be in far more trouble than a ruined living room.

Still, Ebonara crossed her arms and pouted, shooting Vespera a deadly glare. “Fine. But bring him back in one piece.” Despite knowing how absurdly powerful he was, she still constantly worried about her cutie pie.

“Don’t worry,” Medusa said smoothly. “Hold onto me.”

Hyun-woo placed a hand on Medusa’s cool, scaled shoulder, while Vespera clung tightly to his other side. According to the strict rules Mother had set, Guardians were heavily restricted in their teleportation, but they were permitted to travel freely within their own designated territories.

In the blink of an eye, the trio vanished.

The sensation of teleportation was like falling backward through a cool, rushing river.

“So,” Medusa spoke calmly as they materialized and began walking down the immaculate streets of the Emerald Bastion. The city looked completely different now bathed in bright, bustling daylight. “A dragoness for a consort. You certainly have a talent for collecting dangerous things, Hyun-woo.”

“It wasn’t exactly on purpose,” Hyun-woo laughed nervously, acutely aware of Vespera’s soft skin pressing against his side.

Despite the female citizens of the Bastion staring openly at the half-naked, fully black woman being exceptionally cozy with the exact same man who had been on a date with Mistress Stheno just last night, he continued. “But she was a prisoner. I couldn’t just leave her.”

Medusa glanced at him, her slit-pupil eyes softening. The coldness she showed the rest of the world always melted away when it was just him.

“That kindness of yours is going to get you into terrible trouble one day. But… I suppose it is also why we tolerate you.” She distinctly remembered how he had saved them from Poseidon without asking for a single thing in return. She turned her head away to hide her face, but her emerald snakes betrayed her, reaching out to brush affectionately against his cheek.

“Emerald Bastion is our city,” Medusa continued, regaining her composure. “The boutique we are visiting is strictly for high-end Guardians. Let’s hope they have something strong enough to contain her… assets.”

Vespera huffed proudly, pressing her chest firmer against his arm. “My assets are perfectly majestic, thank you very much.”

Petty, Hyun-woo thought, fighting a smile.

Around them, the towering, elegant architecture of the Emerald Bastion gleamed brilliantly under the soft daylight.

Medusa led them right to the doorstep of her favorite boutique. The massive display windows sparkled with enchanted silks, exquisite fabrics, and lightweight armor.

“Here we are,” Medusa said, a rare, genuinely warm smile gracing her lips. “Let’s get this brat dressed.”