Chapter 124: A Few More Moments | 100 GT Bonus

Elias gently shook Stella’s shoulder, and after a few moments, her crimson eyes slowly opened.

For a moment, she simply stared at him, still deep in sleep and seemingly unable to understand what was happening. Then her expression softened, and she whispered, "Husband..."

Before Elias could respond, Stella snuggled closer, tightening her arm around him while rubbing the side of her face against his chest like a sleepy puppy.

"Stella, my wife, we have to stand up," Elias said awkwardly as he glanced toward Natasha, who was standing beside the bed and looking down at the two of them with a deep frown.

"I do not want to," Stella answered, her voice slurred from sleep.

"But you have to," Elias pressed as he tried to free himself from her embrace.

"No," Stella muttered, tightening her arms around him even more as though she intended to become one with him.

Elias’s expression darkened as he tried to think of a way to escape her grip, but there was simply nothing he could do.

Stella’s strength was extraordinary, and her sleeping embrace was surprisingly stubborn; every attempt to pull himself away only caused her to cling tighter.

However, there was something he could do.

Elias let out a deep sigh, and his expression gradually softened into peace. Instead of struggling any longer, he moved his hands behind Stella’s head and back, embracing her in return.

Then he slowly and gently patted her back while activating Angel of Comfort.

"Calm down, Stella," he whispered.

The change was immediate.

Stella’s tense body relaxed, and her grip loosened slightly as the warmth of his words reached deeper than mere hearing. Elias continued, and the words formed naturally within his mind without him needing to think about them.

"I am not going anywhere, love... I will always be beside you. Protecting you from that voice."

Stella’s breathing gradually became slower.

"No matter what that wretched voice tells you, remember that you have your sisters and me..."

"We will always care for you, always love you, and wait for your delicious cooking," Elias continued softly.

"I never stop thinking about any of you, and not once do I think of leaving you."

Stella pressed her head against his chest, her hand and leg still resting on him, but they were pinning or restricting his movements no longer.

She was simply lying there in comfort, her mind and spirit becoming peaceful beneath the warmth of his words.

Elias brushed her crimson hair with his hand and whispered, "Let’s get up."

"Just a few more moments..." Stella mumbled, her voice low yet calm.

"Of course," Elias said, patting her back with a gentle smile.

As usual, Natasha stared at them in confusion because she had not heard a single thing he had said.

More accurately, she could not hear it.

However, it was already getting late. Breakfast would be served in half an hour, and they were still lying on the bed.

Of course, they could simply ask the maids to delay the meal. They were the masters of the household, after all, and could do whatever they wanted, but Natasha did not want that.

Changing the daily schedule over something like this felt wrong to her, and she wanted everyone in the household to maintain the same routine.

She stepped closer to Elias and Stella, then grabbed both of them by their wrists before lightly pulling on them.

Elias, who had already been watching her, smiled in amusement, while Stella raised her head and stared at Natasha in confusion.

"Big sister? When did you come here?" Stella asked, her expression dark.

Elias looked at Stella with an amused smile and said, "I do not think she heard that."

Stella’s eyes widened before she rose from the bed, folding her legs beneath herself.

She struck her palm with her fist and nodded.

"Right! Big sister cannot hear."

"Ah-huh," Elias nodded as he glanced toward Natasha.

"She wants us to stand up," he explained.

The next instant, Stella rolled off the bed and landed neatly on her feet. She then walked toward the door while crossing her arms over her chest, her brows furrowed in a surprisingly serious expression.

"Why are you still lying in bed then?"

Elias was left speechless by how shameless she was.

"Get up. We are getting late for breakfast because of you, husband," Stella said as she left the room, and just before disappearing through the doorway, she winked at Natasha.

Natasha’s eyes widened slightly, clearly having no idea what had just happened.

Elias could only laugh at Stella’s antics before rising slightly and sitting at the edge of the bed.

Seeing this, Natasha frowned and stepped closer.

However, the moment she reached him, Elias suddenly grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down onto his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her, closing his eyes.

Natasha was completely stunned.

Everything happened so quickly that she had no chance to react before Elias’s Mental Whisper resounded inside her mind.

*[Let me rest for a few moments... please...]*

Natasha did not know how to react to his sudden request, and after a moment, she simply decided to let him be.

She leaned against him quietly.

Though inwardly, she was happy that her husband had sought her out for comfort.

For the next few moments, he continued to hold her and felt as though something inside him was being completed or filled, like water drops filling a pot.

He couldn’t understand what that strange feeling was for a while, but when he let go of Natasha a few moments later, he understood.

’So using Angel of Comfort makes me yearn for comfort... and the most comforting thing in my life is embracing Natasha during the nights; I did it without hesitation.’

He smiled at Natasha, stood up from his bed, and walked to his wardrobe while thinking, ’This can become problematic in the future.’

He took out a velvet shirt and dark pants before he turned around and walked toward the door.

[I will be back soon,] he said as he exited.