CHAPTER 216: UNMISTAKABLE TENSION

Well.. This is awkward. Coco thought as she kept a forced smile on her face.

The table was tense, the air between her and the other two mediators thick with animosity, mostly it was because of the silver haired mediator, but still, the air around them was suffocating.

Zaque’s and Quizen’s departure had left the three of them alone together, the silence between them awkward and uncomfortable.

The silver haired mediator loathed his wife and it was quite clear to ever who would walk past their table, his body language closed off and hostile— every look he cast in her direction held a mix of anger and disdain, his face not betraying his contempt for her.

Coco, for her part, was wary and uncomfortable, but she kept a smile on her face as her gaze darted nervously between the mediator and the doorway.

Alhai was clearly not happy about the situation and that much was obvious, a scowl etched onto his face as he fidgeted in his seat with his arms crossed in his chest, his eyes darting around the room, anywhere but at the woman opposite him.

Heiren, who doesn’t feel as much animosity towards Coco as Alhai, sat stiffly on his swat.

Coco and Alhai sat across the table from each other, the silver haired mediator’s body was tense and his expression guarded, but their wife, on the other hand, may have a forced smile on her face, but she looked almost relaxed.

"Alhai, look away from our wife. That’s not how a husband should look at his wife." Heiren called out to the third husband, his eyebrows furrowed.

The mediator in question was barely restraining himself from snapping at the woman, his jaw clenched and his shoulders tense, his gaze fixed on her like he was waiting for an opportunity to attack.

"Let him, Heiren." Coco raised a hand and waved at him dismissively, "I don’t mind."

The brown haired mediator’s face twisted into a frown, the corner of his lips curling down as he shifted his gaze towards Coco, clearly displeased with what she had just said.

I already know that. Heiren thought, staring at Coco, making his displeasure known to her.

Which is why it makes me.. Upset..? Annoyed? I don’t know. He added to his train of thoughts, looking away from his supposedly wife and glanced at the third husband, catching Alhai huffing through his nose with still a scowl on his face.

Heiren doesn’t know why he felt like his heart was being squeezed at how Alhai treats Coco so he called out the third husband, making him stop.

Thankfully, when he saw that Alhai stopped showing his hostility towards Coco, his heart stopped throbbing— slowly coming into its usual rhythmic beat, but with an underlying sense of heaviness covering it.

He felt perturbed.

The fact that Coco has shown no care about how badly they treated her ever since she told them that she was someone else has been nothing, but unsettling.

She acted like everything is alright, that everything is normal— the yelling, the scowls, the sneers, the harsh words, and the hatred that was thrown at her, everything seems to be acceptable for her.

That fact alone made Heiren distressed, and he doesn’t know why.

Heiren’s gaze darted to the table, racking his brain for anything that would make the air around them more breathable.

"Since we’re waiting for Joachim, Zaque, and Quizen.." Coco spoke up and caught the attention of the two mediators before her, "Would you like me to get the two of you something to eat? Or to drink.. Maybe?"

"Don’t bother." Alhai said, his gaze snapping up to her with his eyes squinting into a glare.

Coco tilted her head and merely flashed him a smile. "But I want to bother. Besides, I’m sure the two of you haven’t eaten anything for afternoon snacks so I want to get the two of you something."

"Well, you’re not wrong.." Heiren mumbled, looking straight at Coco’s eyes.

Today was supposed to be the cleaning day so they were cleaning their rooms and folding their clothes— clothes that had been washed, dried, and bought inside a day prior— before proceeding to clean the first floor.

So, snacks for the afternoon were postponed and would be served tomorrow afternoon instead.

Actually, afternoon snacks weren’t even a thing in their household because they were too broke and drowning in debt to buy extra ingredients that Zaque could use to bake some bread.

If it weren’t for Coco working and giving them money, then they wouldn’t be able to experience such a luxury.

Wait.. Now that she mentioned it.. Didn’t she invite us here because she paid her debt off today? Heiren ceased his train of thoughts as he snapped his attention back to Coco, his eyes wide in realization.

"How did you manage to pay off your debt today?" Heiren asked, his question earning him the attention of the third husband and Coco.

"I’ve had enough money with me for the past couple of days." Coco blinked and answered his question truthfully, "I would have paid off all of this two or three days ago, but I was occupied. I only had the chance to do it today."

"Does that mean that you paid all of the amount of money that you owe from the inn’s owner?" Alhai asked, joining the conversation hastily.

"Yes?" Coco turned to Alhai and answered his question with a smile, "I’ve paid the first half two weeks ago and then paid the second half today which makes me a free woman with no debts starting tomorrow."

"Is that why you’re going to the main city? Because you’ve paid off your debts?" Heiren mumbled the questions, a sense of dread forming on the pit of his stomach.

"Yes." Coco answered without missing a beat, "I think it’s time for me to explore this world, don’t you think? I’m done with one of my goals after all."

For unknown reasons, the answer leaves them devastated.