Mothers and Daughters Who Compromised for Power (Continued)

Hinata Hanabi bit her lip, her ample breasts rising and falling, their curves plainly visible. But in the end, she said nothing more.

She hadn't slept with Li Ke. Unlike Hinata, she didn't know what he was like, nor had she developed the same dependence on him that Hinata herself hadn't even noticed.

But Hanabi knew Hinata was right.

Now that things had come to this, the best way to handle it was to accept it.

"Uh, I'm sorry, Hinata... I really didn't expect this. At first, I thought Tsunade had come to see me, and then... I'm sorry. I wasn't firm enough."

Li Ke awkwardly came over to Hinata, scratching his head, unsure what to say.

At its core, it was these little girls who had overestimated themselves. But he, Li Ke, hadn't been all that firm either. Otherwise, things wouldn't have ended up so awkward.

Hinata only shook her head and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's all right, Lord Li Ke. This is a ninja's fate, after all. Besides, Himawari chose this herself, didn't she?"

Li Ke didn't answer. No matter what, Hinata was the one hurting the most.

"I suppose so, but it was mostly my fault."

Holding this soft, married woman in his arms, Li Ke felt the intensity of Hinata's emotions for the first time. Yet she seemed so calm—not shouting or making any attempt to vent her feelings.

To be honest, for the first time, Li Ke wondered whether his habit of collecting women like trophies was really such a good thing.

"This isn't Lord Li Ke's fault. It's ours."

After choosing to accept Li Ke as her husband, Hinata had come to terms with a lot of things. Ultimately, she simply lacked the strength. If she could have killed everyone who coveted