Charlos held out a hand and said quietly, "Help me up."
Amira and Amina hurried over at once. Amina bent down and gently scooped up Shalria, while Amira helped Charlos stand steady.
Charlos panted. "Ugh, I'm exhausted. I want to sleep."
Shalria leaned against Amina's chest, her eyelids drooping, and murmured, "Big brother, I want to sleep too."
Akali bowed beside them. "Of course. I'll arrange for someone to take Princess Shalria back to her bedchamber to rest."
Shalria whipped her head toward Akali and shook it. "No. I'm sleeping with my brother tonight."
Akali paused briefly, then answered respectfully, "Yes."
A short while later, Charlos lay on a soft, spacious bed. Shalria lay beside him, breathing evenly and sleeping soundly.
Outside the room, Amina whispered to Amira, "Sis, what do we do if we get hungry tonight?"
"If you're hungry, eat." Charlos suddenly opened his eyes.
"Oh, right. We haven't had dinner yet."
He reached out and gently patted Shalria beside him.
Shalria slowly opened her eyes, her voice thick with sleep. "What is it, big brother? I'm so tired..."
"Let's eat something before we sleep, or all today's training will have been for nothing."
Shalria nodded listlessly. "Ah... okay."
Charlos gave an order. "Get some food ready, quickly."
Akali nodded gently. Soon, the servants brought enough sumptuous food into the bedchamber to fill an entire table.
Shalria immediately ran over and reached for a drink at the edge of the table.
Charlos raised his hand to block her and said helplessly, "Have a couple of bites first, then drink."
"Okay, I know, big brother."
Shalria obediently answered, then grabbed a pastry from the table and took big bites.
Charlos looked at Amira and Amina standing nearby and said warmly, "You two, come eat too. There's so much food, and you must be exhausted after training all afternoon. Akali, you too."
"Yes."
They sat around the table together, and before long, most of the food had been devoured.
Once Shalria had eaten and drunk her fill, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve, flopped onto the bed, and refused to move another muscle.
Charlos looked at her messy little mouth and was about to find a tissue when Amira spoke softly. "Charlos, leave it to me."
As she spoke, she took a tissue from nearby and carefully wiped the corners of Shalria's mouth clean.
By then, Shalria could barely keep her eyes open. The moment her little head touched the pillow, she began to snore softly.
Looking at the two sisters standing beside the bed, Charlos suddenly remembered something and casually asked, "Oh, right. We haven't arranged a place for you to stay yet, have we?"
Amira shook her head gently, her voice mild. "Charlos, anywhere is fine for us."
Charlos yawned, drowsiness washing over him, and said offhandedly, "Then sleep in this bed tonight too. It's big enough for everyone."
Amira and Amina instantly stiffened, a flicker of embarrassment crossing their faces.
But before either could respond, Charlos tilted his head, closed his eyes, and fell fast asleep.
Silence settled over the bedchamber.
Amina leaned close to her sister and carefully lowered her voice. "Sis... is this really okay?"
Amira looked at the three sleeping figures, her heartbeat a little unsteady, and whispered back, "It... it should be fine."
Clear birdsong slowly drifted in through the window.
Shalria slowly opened her eyes and looked up to find herself nestled in Charlos's arms. She smiled secretly to herself. Hehe, my brother is so handsome.
Charlos opened his eyes as well, stretched, and muttered, "Ugh, I'm so tired. I ache all over."
Shalria giggled.
"Stop laughing. Time to get up."
Charlos sat up and immediately noticed Amira and Amina lying on the same large bed, still fast asleep.
Shalria puffed out her cheeks and huffed. "Those two are so out of line. I'll wake them up right now."
Charlos pulled her back into his arms and motioned for silence. "Shh. Let them sleep a little longer. It probably isn't time yet."
Akali was already standing quietly before the bed.
"Saint Charlos."
"Looks like we still have plenty of time."
Akali bowed slightly. "We don't have much time left. Breakfast is ready, and we'll begin training after we eat."
Shalria clenched her little fists and shouted at the sisters, "You two, get up! Food's ready! Once we've eaten our fill, it's back to training!"
Amira and Amina jolted awake and immediately answered, "Yes!"
The sisters turned to look at Charlos.
Charlos nodded gently. "That's right. Let's eat first, then keep training."
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Training never stopped on the palace's training grounds.
Akali stood to one side and commanded in a firm voice, "Keep attacking!"
As soon as she spoke, Amira shifted slightly, instantly transforming into her holy angel form as her pure-white wings fluttered. She raised her leg and lunged forward, a thick, jet-black layer of Armament Haki instantly coating her lower leg as she unleashed a swift, powerful kick at Amina!
Amina immediately focused, spreading her dark wings as Armament Haki swiftly enveloped her entire arm. She took the fierce attack head-on, and the two forces of Haki collided with a deep, heavy thud.
Watching from the sidelines, Shalria gaped in astonishment. She turned to Charlos beside her, her eyes full of surprise. "They're improving so fast! What about you, big brother?"
Charlos casually picked his nose, looking utterly confident. "Of course I'm improving fast too. If you don't believe me, try attacking me."
Shalria's eyes lit up. Without another word, she lowered her head and rammed it straight into Charlos's stomach!
Charlos had no time to react before a dull thump rang out.
He clutched his stomach and grimaced, crying out in pain, "Ah! My stomach!"
Shalria tilted her little head with a knowing look. "Hehe, looks like you haven't mastered Haki yet, big brother."
Charlos slowly climbed off the ground, rubbing his stomach as he stubbornly insisted, "Hehe, Shalria, I've definitely mastered Haki! I just wasn't ready. Try again. This time, there won't be any problem!"
"Really?" Shalria's eyes lit up.
"Of course!"
The instant he finished speaking, Shalria threw convention out the window. Rather than ram his stomach, she lifted her short little leg and landed a precise kick right in his crotch with a thump!
Charlos's pupils shook. His legs instinctively clamped together, his entire body froze, and the air went utterly still.
A moment later, his limbs went limp, and he toppled stiffly to the ground. With nothing left to live for, he stretched out a hand and said in a trembling voice, "Akali..."
Akali immediately halted the training and hurried over. "Stop!" She asked, "What's wrong, Saint Charlos?"
Charlos forced the words through gritted teeth. "Get a doctor."
Akali's expression turned serious. "Understood!"
Inside the palace, Charlos lay on the bed while a doctor bent over him, examining him carefully. Shalria stood nearby, covering her mouth as she giggled.
Charlos turned to Akali and ordered in a low voice, "Have them leave."
Akali stepped forward and held out a hand to stop Shalria.
Shalria frowned and glared at Akali. "You dare stop me?"
Charlos spoke up. "Shalria, go outside."
"No, I just want to take a look."
"No. You can't look."
Nearby, Amina quietly leaned toward Amira and whispered, "Sis, you don't think Charlos's got damaged by that kick, do you? I heard that thing is really important to men."
Shalria, who had still been demanding to go over and look, abruptly stopped. She turned toward Amina, hurried over, and pressed her for answers. "You just said it's important? What do you mean? What exactly is it?"
Amina brought her mouth close to Shalria's ear and quietly explained a few things.
After listening, Shalria's little face gradually turned bright red. She stared wide-eyed and muttered in dismay, "You... why didn't you tell me sooner?"