Chapter 354: 354. Don’t play with fire! - 2

"I don’t love her just because she’s beautiful or charming," William continued firmly. "If that were the case, I would have fallen for her the moment we first met."

"I lived beside her for months. She taught me many things, and during that time we truly came to understand each other."

"At first, I never intended to make her mine. But as time passed, I realized that we share a very similar nature."

William looked directly at Tamasya now.

"Tamasya cares deeply for her people and those close to her. When I realized that, I began respecting her more and more because I’m the same."

Then he looked back toward Anastasia.

"You know me, Mom." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Tamasya and I met each other during the loneliest periods of our lives."

His expression turned distant for a moment as old memories resurfaced.

"I started running a sweet shop when I was twelve years old. I lived alone for two years while handling every problem myself, thugs, thieves, headaches, and everything that came my way."

A faint chuckle escaped him afterward.

"And when I first met Tamasya... she felt the same. having been isolated in the prison of gods alone for thousands of years."

"It was like looking into a reflection of myself, desperate for warmth and someone’s company."

"She was alone, too. Carrying every burden by herself."

William smiled faintly.

"When two lonely people begin living together, they naturally become each other’s support system. They find comfort in one another without even realizing it."

By now, both women standing before him had moist eyes.

The entire day had been emotionally exhausting for them. They had spent hours arguing like rivals while suppressing frustration, worry, embarrassment, and exhaustion.

William’s words became the final push that broke through their emotional walls completely.

"Mom," William continued gently, "I know you only want what’s best for me."

"And honestly, if you stop focusing so much on our age gap and old customs..."

He slowly looked toward Tamasya.

"...then you’ll realize that she’s one of the best women who could ever take care of your son."

Tamasya felt her heart shake violently.

She had never expected feelings this deep from William’s side.

If she were being honest, a small part of her had always believed that one of the reasons William confessed to her was because of her appearance. Shadow had often told her that her face and body would naturally attract men, so she had subconsciously assumed that physical attraction played a significant role in William’s feelings.

But now she realized just how wrong she had been.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she immediately stepped forward and raised her arms, wanting nothing more than to hug him and drown him in kisses.

But before she could embrace him again, William gently stopped her hands.

Even Anastasia looked surprised by that reaction, though she wisely chose to remain silent.

The irritation he had suppressed returned to William’s eyes once more. He looked at both women carefully before speaking again.

"I hope both of you understand something clearly now."

His voice turned colder.

"I did not enjoy tonight’s little test at all. You can’t treat me like a pushover just because you feel like I am younger or inexperienced enough to mind about these things."

"If you ladies get into an argument, sort that out yourselves. Take my help if needed, but never try to make me look like a fool like that. You cannot play with fire and expect not to get burned."

"I am a young man, and I do feel the urge to mate with my woman; you cannot just try to measure what I feel about her with the amount of lust I show, nor can you just use it like a medium to sort your own arguments; that is a serious way of undermining me here!!"

William spoke with a raised voice, making both women realize their faults. Then his gaze slowly lowered toward Tamasya.

The intensity inside his eyes made her instinctively lower her head slightly, unable to meet his stare anymore. The bold and teasing woman from earlier had completely disappeared.

"Mom," William said calmly, "if you ever send Tamasya into my room like that again..."

A dangerous smile slowly formed on his face. "...then I won’t let her leave for at least a week."

Tamasya’s face turned bright red instantly. Meanwhile, Anastasia visibly stiffened in alarm.

"So, unless you want grandchildren running around the palace soon, please don’t test my patience again. I am already tired of waiting for so long; don’t test my self-control anymore."

Afterward, William gently lifted Tamasya’s chin before leaning close to her ear. His cheek brushed lightly against hers as he whispered, enough that only she could hear.

"Don’t try something like that again unless you’re prepared for the consequences."

His voice became lower and more dangerous. "Next time, I’ll leave you unable to walk for a month."

Tamasya nearly stopped breathing.

"And for tonight’s offense..." he continued with a faint smirk, "...I’ll thoroughly punish you the next time you jump onto my lap like that."

His whisper turned softer still.

"I swear, Tammy, you’ll end up begging me to stop."

Before either woman could recover from those words, William snapped his fingers. In an instant, both Anastasia and Tamasya were teleported beyond the doorway through the Blink spell.

The doors slammed shut immediately afterward under the force of his spiritual energy. Tamasya hurried away with an utterly embarrassed expression, her face still burning red from her words.

Meanwhile, Anastasia stood outside for a few moments in stunned silence before slowly swallowing nervously. For the first time, she truly felt the overwhelming and unhinged maturity hidden beneath her son’s appearance.

Even so, part of her still believed he had been unnecessarily harsh and rude toward her.

In the end, she merely pouted to herself before walking away in the opposite direction from Tamasya, knowing fully well that the poor Tamasya would not mentally recover from this humiliation anytime soon.

Inside the room, William let out a long breath before grimacing.

"Sheesh... these women are too bad."

"I’m going to see my Sera. Only she can heal me now with her gentle voice."

The next instant, his figure disappeared into the Domain of the Infinite.