Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

Cecilia hesitated. Indeed, if she really put herself in that shoes... Claire just bought a man's genes with money. You couldn't sell your sperm at a sperm bank for that much.

She had no idea that beneath Claire's beautiful face lay a heart so twisted that she had imprisoned her husband for many years simply because she wanted to avoid seeing him.

“Look at the news from a couple of years ago, Cecilia. In 93, Michael held a concert at the Super Bowl, and countless girls wore wedding dresses or even took off their clothes to express their love for Michael, which led to a media backlash. But that’s just how women are—cruel to those who provide for them, but to the one they truly love, they’re like moths to a flame.” Claire gently held Cecilia’s arm against her chest, her voice soft and sorrowful, as if she were pouring out her heart, or perhaps lamenting.

Cecilia and Siegfried were both moved by her pitiful appearance, while Brunhilde put away her phone and coldly stared at the wronged and pitiful Claire.

“The saying goes, ‘To risk one’s entire life for one’s own pleasure,’ only applies to the child one truly loves. One would be willing to sacrifice everything, even face disgrace and death. So I understand you, Cecilia. Choosing the one you love is certain, and of course, difficult.” Claire gripped Cecilia’s hand tightly, their fingers intertwined, and looked directly into her eyes. “I understand.”

Cecilia thought to herself that I probably wasn't that resolute or drastic, but faced with the sobbing, stunningly beautiful married woman, she couldn't help but soften her heart.

“Yes, I understand… but Mrs. Claire, you feel so deeply because… you have a loved one in your heart,” Cecilia asked curiously.

Claire sniffed before letting go of her hand, then blinked her red eyes and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Uh... this topic is a bit inconvenient."

“What’s inconvenient about it? Mom, you’re not a young person anymore. You’ve been single for so many years. Even if you have a new love interest outside… cough cough, I’m pretty open-minded about it.” Siegfried laughed. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

"What are you saying!" Claire interrupted quickly, subtly shifting her gaze to Brunhilde, whose eyes remained cold and emotionless.

Her mood soured again, and her tone lost its pitiful air as she said, "Anyway, it's unlikely I'll tell you."

"Oh—why is this happening?" Siegfried said in disappointment.

"What, Phil, do you really want me to bring a man home?" Claire looked at her with amusement. "Didn't you like girls? Now you're starting to get interested in boys?"

Valkyrie doesn't shy away from this topic. After all, in an extraordinary society where the proportion of lesbians is even equal to that of men and women, sexual orientation has never been a taboo subject.

Siegfried blushed slightly and quickly glanced at Cecilia. "How could that be? I still need to preserve the purity of the Saintess."

Cecilia blushed and subconsciously moved closer to Claire, away from Siegfried, and whispered, "We're all girls, and those things can't be taken away anyway. Whether we keep them or not... I don't care."

"Hey, there are boys here. You should watch your conversation." Shi Yu Qi Luo, who had been eavesdropping, couldn't help but chime in, glancing at the handsome boy on the balcony.

"It's windy on the balcony, I can't hear you. You guys continue, don't mind me." Brunhilde didn't even look up.

"You can clearly hear me!"

Chapter Fifty-Four: Claire the Serpent of Romance

Cecilia felt an awkwardness about chatting with Claire, a kind of mismatch in their values. To be honest, the Kaslana and Shaniat families didn't need to claim to be paragons of virtue and goodness, but Cecilia could always sense a lurking malice emanating from Claire. It was like a beautiful, venomous snake occasionally flicking its tongue across her face.

It's very gentle, but when you look closely, you can't find the snake's appearance.

She was perceptive, but during the conversation, Claire didn't seem to exhibit anything particularly unusual, even being quite friendly. If anything, Claire's views on love were somewhat...peculiar, but as long as it didn't affect others, Cecilia felt she didn't need to care.

It seems I was overthinking it.

Intuition isn't always accurate. What malice could Claire possibly have towards her? Claire probably only treats her like a daughter-in-law.

"Do you think men are disgusting?" Claire suddenly asked, her voice a little softer.

Cecilia glanced at Brunhilde instinctively, then immediately turned back and saw Claire blinking innocently. "Don't worry about Bubba, Bubba is different."

Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, "It's not disgusting at all; I almost wanted to hug it and put it inside me."

“Sigh, you’ve never really seen a man before.” Claire lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers. “We were just talking about virginity, weren’t we? I’m the conservative type, you know. After I married my husband, I felt that life with him was pretty good, and he still loved me, so he felt he could possess me. I felt that this was something important, so I didn’t really want to give it to him. And then you see, he abandoned me and ran away. It’s something that men care about a lot, and I kept it all, making sure I was clean, but he wasn’t happy about it. Isn’t that disgusting?”

Cecilia was initially stunned, but then she realized how hurtful this was. What had the man done wrong to deserve a wife with such a misogynistic personality?

A wife who can't have sex is worse than a baby; at least the other person doesn't need to eat or poop.

Siegfried couldn't help but complain, "Mom, this is a problem you need to address. If you didn't want to get married in the first place, you should have argued with the family. Why make everyone unhappy?"

"Why should I argue? I may not want a man, but I do want a child," the witch-like wife said matter-of-factly.

The two girls were speechless. Although Siegfried was used to her mother's personality, over the years she had truly forgotten what her so-called father looked like. Claire wouldn't allow that man to interfere in anything in her family, to the point that neither Siegfried nor Brunhilde knew their father at all… This was certainly unfair, but there was nothing they could do. Since they had never met, even though Siegfried and Brunhilde knew their mother was wrong, they couldn't feel any attachment to their father.

Therefore, it is difficult to blame the mother for her twisted thinking.

“But according to Mrs. Claire’s previous logic, you just didn’t like your husband, and later you were with your beloved outside… Although it sounds strange, Mrs. Claire was still willing to give to the man she liked, right? What do you call… a moth-to-a-flame kind of love?” Cecilia teased.

“Hmm, of course.” Claire smiled knowingly, then turned and took Cecilia’s arm, her eyes filled with shyness like a little girl. “It was different when I met the boy I loved. After all, we women are just like that, with our double standards. He’s handsome, cute, and super popular. I was the one who pursued him.”

Siegfried's expression froze. "Mom, you've really had men around all these years..."

Cecilia sighed. Her husband wouldn't even let her touch him, and now she's keeping a lover after the divorce... How tragic. But at least it happened after the divorce. If she'd kept a lover before the divorce, even as the head of the Kaslana family, she would... be too disgraceful to the family.

Although it seems that Mrs. Claire probably doesn't have much of a family reputation.

Cecilia looked back and saw that the white ragdoll cat on the rocking chair had stopped playing on its phone and was calmly looking at a magazine by the moonlight. Cecilia noticed that it was holding the magazine upside down.

She couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed the little Ragdoll cat, though claiming it couldn't hear, was actually quite interested in its mother's revelations, listening intently. She smiled, then looked up to see Brunhilde's expression as she pretended to read the newspaper, but paused slightly in surprise.

The little one's face was extremely pale, his lips pressed tightly together, turning a bluish-gray. Cecilia's heart skipped a beat, but upon closer inspection, she realized she might have been mistaken. Brunhilde brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and turned her head away.

“Yeah, he’s much younger than me, so I definitely had to be the one to pursue him,” Claire continued, her tone cheerful. “I’m a sucker for good looks, and he’s exactly my type. Plus, he’s such a warm person. We live together, and when I’m sad, he’ll hold me in his arms and comfort me. When I’m lazy, he’ll scold me. Sometimes when I’m so busy with work or training that I forget to eat, he’ll bring me breakfast or lunch. He’ll scold me mercilessly for not taking care of myself, but he’ll also watch me eat until I finish… Ugh, so cute! It makes me feel so happy.”

"What about the classic adorable, older, workaholic, mature woman and the aloof, sharp-tongued younger man?" Siegfried said.

Cecilia couldn't help but say, "She's really cute. If I were Mrs. Claire, I would have fallen for her too."

Claire sighed, "And then I couldn't resist eating him. It's a pity that even such a cute child... has an annoying side."

"Huh? What?" Cecilia was taken aback.

She hadn't expected anyone to reject Claire. Even setting aside personality differences, Claire was undeniably a stunningly beautiful and incredibly wealthy woman. Could any man really resist a woman like that?

"What happened?"

Claire chuckled: "Well, I got drunk at a business banquet that time. I'm a girl, so I was worried about something happening and called him to come pick me up."

Cecilia thought to herself, "You're a Valkyrie! You can eliminate alcohol from your body on your own. Are you worried about causing problems? You're clearly just using being drunk to get some young guy to pick you up, aren't you?"

"He helped me into a taxi, and I threw up all over the taxi. The driver was furious and refused to take me anymore. I had no choice but to take me to a hotel."

Cecilia: "..."

The A-rank Valkyrie drank herself to death, hmm.

Claire gently twirled the end of her hair, her smile becoming alluring. "The rest... is inconvenient to elaborate on, right? It's nothing more than spraining my ankle when I came in, needing a massage, lying down to sleep without changing my clothes, being hugged while I was helping her change, and accidentally tripping and falling in the shower without closing the door..."

“Mrs. Claire is truly…” Cecilia remained silent for a long time, “...resourceful.”

"I also had a few drinks with him. The boy's alcohol tolerance was surprisingly good, but he's not a Valkyrie after all," Claire said softly. "The young man was half-drunk and weak, silently untying his embroidered robe."

Cecilia blushed, and when she looked to the side, Siegfried and Shigure Kira also blushed.

The experience and shrewdness of mature women are something young girls can never comprehend.

“But you haven’t said what you hate? How can you hate someone?” Cecilia asked quickly.

"Waaah, originally, all we had to do was do good deeds and not ask why, and everyone could just be happy and joyful, right? But when that child woke up, he wanted to kill me... Even though it was mutual, although I admit I had a few ulterior motives, I truly loved him." Claire said aggrievedly, "It's so unfair, he even pointed a fruit knife at me and called me a promiscuous bastard, even though I only have him, waaah."

"How ungrateful!" Siegfried roared.

Cecilia also felt it was ungrateful. Even if you're truly a noble gentleman, you're still an adult and should be responsible for your choices. However, she didn't say anything, since this kind of thing was indeed dishonorable, and if Claire were a boy, it would be practically illegal.

But Claire is, after all, a stunningly beautiful woman, and the same event can indeed have different levels of harm for men and women.

“Moreover, in order to please that child and make him not reject me, I tried my best to comfort him. I told him that although I have a husband, I have never had an affair, and I have given him everything, hoping that he would not despise me.” Claire sobbed, “But when he heard this, he became even angrier. I don’t understand why, he was so angry that he couldn’t speak… and announced that he was breaking off relations with me.”

"Huh?" Siegfried was stunned. So resolute. The man his mother had fallen in love with outside was so fierce.

Claire underwent in vitro fertilization, and in essence, she could even be considered his first love. But this did not alleviate his anger; in fact, it made him even angrier... Did he really not covet her beauty or her wealth? Completely devoid of possessiveness—could there really be such a gentleman in the world?

Cecilia couldn't help but press, "And then what happened? Mrs. Claire was...abandoned?"

Claire frowned slightly, then chuckled softly, "How could that be? Do you think I'm the kind of person who gives up so easily? If once isn't enough, I'll keep going. I'll make him feel my love. There's a Norwegian proverb that says, 'A queen will only marry the man who pursues her most fiercely,' and there's also a Chinese proverb that says, 'Even a fierce woman can be afraid of a persistent suitor.' I don't care if he keeps pursuing me. I'll pursue him for as long as I want, until I'm completely victorious!"

Cecilia was relieved and sincerely admired her, saying, "Although I cannot agree with your way of doing things, Mrs. Claire's efforts in pursuing true love do indeed make me feel good. I wish you success soon!"

"Hmph, thanks, little Cecilia. My pursuit wasn't entirely fruitless; at least that kid has given up on cutting ties with me. He knows it's hopeless, so he's just being a bit cold towards me now. Hmm, I'm confident! While I'm still a beautiful young woman, I must seize the moment. I'll leave the affairs of the Kaslana and Shaniat families to you younger generation." Claire smiled innocently and adorably. "As for me, I'm off to chase my dreams!"

Cecilia liked this beautiful older sister even more. She bravely pursued her dreams, whether it was extreme sports or the man she liked. She could abandon everything to chase and run wildly... Although it could be considered a kind of selfishness, Cecilia really envied this fearless courage.

Claire watched Cecilia's expression, a smirk playing on her lips. She then looked at Brunhilde, a mocking smile on her face, her mouth opening but no sound escaping.

Brunhilde knew what she was talking about and what she was laughing about.

He gripped his phone so tightly it almost bled.

"By the way," Claire asked casually, "Phil told me you really like Bubu. Hmm, how do you feel about my Bubu? Do you get along well with him? Has he bullied you?"

Cecilia's heart tightened.

She hadn't expected to ask this question and was a little scared. She couldn't very well say that they had gotten along well and that she had taken good care of her son.

But... she hadn't figured out exactly what her relationship with Brunhilde was right now...

She smiled somewhat awkwardly: "Mrs. Claire is asking me? I think Bubu has already told you everything, we have a good relationship."

“I always have to ask the Shaniat family’s opinion.” Claire smiled happily, stroking Cecilia’s hand with eyes that seemed to look at an adorable big cat with affection. “Bubu is our Kaslana family’s mascot, our prized possession. Don’t let Fate’s constant talk about him being a useless young lady fool you; every time we go to the Nordic branch, the girls take turns hugging and pinching his cheeks. If you marry into the family, you can enjoy the privilege of carrying Bubu around every day.”

"It's too heavy, how can I possibly carry it around shopping?"

"Just think of it as holding a large Ragdoll cat. Ragdoll is only 140 centimeters tall, smaller than a typical Ragdoll toy!"

"Madam, if you say that, Bubu will be so angry she'll cry."

"That's true. Let me tell you, Bubu was already this tall when he was eleven, and he didn't change much when he was fourteen. Sigh, bloodline."

"Huh? That's amazing... or that tragic?"

The girls chatted happily, then glanced at the clock and realized it was already 1 a.m., time to call it a night. Shi Yu Qiluo stood up, yawned, and made an excuse to leave first. Her room wasn't in this suite but next door; after all, this presidential suite only had two bedrooms, and Brunhilde had managed to get one by having the hotel immediately convert the study into a bedroom.

They all took turns showering in the bathroom. Brunhilde was the last to go in, and as soon as she looked up, she saw three women's dresses and underwear hanging in the bathroom. The stockings were pure white, black, and iron gray, all made of high-quality and delicate materials.