Shirley's mouth went slightly agape as she dumbfoundedly stared at Davis. She couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth that she felt it was like a dream. Her lips kept quivering as she held the hem of his robe with her trembling hands while her face changed into one of heightened expectation.

"Really? You really love me...? From when...?"

Hearing Shirley's longing voice made Davis unable to endure feeling affection for her. It was magical, different than what he felt for Tina Roxley. It came from his heart, not at all strange or unnatural, invoking a joyous emotion in his soul rather than the hysterical confusion he felt for Tina Roxley.

That made him feel unreserved and more open that he couldn't help but resplendently smile.

"If I had to say, that would be when I left you at the secret entrance, afraid that I would stain your reputation as I have already kissed you once when I pinned you down on the bed to heal you of the aphrodisiac. I was rather afraid of hurting you as I had already acted like a prick towards you."

"However, after I went to the First Layer and returned, the little things you did, such as returning the spatial rings that I actually gave to you as compensation for hurting you, taking care of my little sister during the trials, and other possible things I wouldn't know that you had done for me made me moved."

"Still, I tried to replace those emotions with hostility until I learned from your royal father that you left the Grand Sea Continent to pursue your ambition."

Davis averted his gaze in shame, coming to realize that he had denied these emotions he had for her for a long time before he looked at her, his eyes peering at her in a solemn light.

"Say, am I your ambition? Or am I delusional for thinking that it should be the case?"

"No!" Shirley shook her head as she bit her lips and smiled, her eyes tearing up again, "You are not wrong. I wanted you to turn around and look at me, and to that end, I considered strength was the only option left..."

She was extremely moved by his reasons. It made her believe his words, further making her aware that it was not said with ulterior motives in mind.

Davis remained standing, feeling excitement well over him. She was not anyone's but his, and his alone contrary to what he previously thought. He thought that she would've been exasperated with him and moved on with her life after becoming a bit powerful and arrogant due to the Fire Phoenix Immortal's support, but she had not and remained thinking about him, making him feel intense emotions for her, wanting to make him reciprocate her feelings.

Shirley suddenly lowered her head, her cheeks becoming flushed in a crimson hue, stunning Davis with her sudden shyness.

"Davis~ I... I don't think that I can indulge in... bodily pleasures, but I guess... a kiss would suffice...?"

'Cu... cute!'

Davis found her extremely adorable that intense emotions welled up within him to kiss her, but unfortunately, he was merely a soul body, and he had determined himself to not be callous towards his women when sharing love. He couldn't help but wryly smile.

"Uhmm... Shirley... I am in a soul body. Did you forget?"

Shirley's body shivered before she lowered her head even more and completely looked down, gazing at her feet. Her pale face was bright crimson as she knew that she messed up even though she had gathered her courage to confess by asking for a kiss! The strange warmth radiating from him even though he was a soul-body had her fooled!

A kiss wasn't new to her as she had already been kissed by him once. However, it was vague.

She merely wanted to experience that again, now with all her sensations being bright and clear because she craved it herself since not a week passed by without her thinking about the time she could've made love with him on that fateful day!

Davis couldn't see her expression as she was looking all the way down. He became amused as he reached out his hand and placed his finger on her chin, lifting it up as he saw her embarrassed expression, her fatal beauty looking alluring to him that he had the impulse to take her crimson lips on the spot.

He felt regret for not bringing the main body, but the main body was in its own way deeply craving Evelynn as it indulged in her voluptuous body. He really couldn't complain as he now possessed the best of both worlds.

Shirley couldn't take the embarrassment anymore as her eyes caught him enjoying the look on her face. She grabbed his shoulders and buried her face on his chest, feeling a bit of warmth generating from him almost as if it were really a fleshly body. It made her feel content as she tightly wrapped her arms around him.

She was planning on leaving this place to look for him, but he came to her, which made her feel extremely joyous and felicitous. Unlike what she initially thought, he hadn't forgotten her and kept her in his mind.

"Davis~~~"

Shirley called out, feeling her heart rapidly beat like a maiden's.

"What?"

"I always loved you~~~"

Hearing her heartfelt words that were filled with euphoric emotions, Davis satisfactorily smiled, "I know... In comparison to you, I'm rather cowardly as I only dared to confess after knowing that you still held feelings for me..."

Shirley raised her head, looking at him with a frown on her brows.

"Yes, you're cowardly... If you were forceful with me, I wouldn't have been stupid enough to annul the marriage. You should've just shut up and married me along with Evelynn if you were going to take a second woman...!"

"Wha...!?"

Davis became flabbergasted at the sudden downpour of her aggrieved feelings. But her words, they were rather telling him to become quite the brute.

To be forceful with her...? What was the whole point of gaining consent then?

Was it a joke in the cultivation world?

Nevertheless, how could he make her understand that his aversion to having a second woman was vigorously broken by Natalya's forcefulness towards him?

When he needed an impetus to overcome that line, how could he even dare to take advantage of Shirley at that point in time?

However, his expression became filled with awkwardness as he felt that he must tell her what she was getting into.

Would she still accept such a person like him who had many wives?

Davis felt more nervous than ever before. However, he saw her face become stiff.

"Ahh...! I'm sorry...!" Shirley shook her head, "I didn't mean to say that..."

"I desired you because you were gentle, not because you were forceful... Uh... Why did I even say that?"

She felt upset and puzzled at her own feelings as she fumblingly looked at him, "I'm truly sorry... I have gone stupid again..."

Davis looked at her panic, realizing that she was probably afraid that he would've become angered at her. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well... You're not wrong, as it was my wrong decision that brought us apart."

"No!" Shirley cried again as she shook her head, "It was I who willfully and rashly brought the topic of our marriage in question and allowed us to mutually separate. I'm stupid, hateful, loathsome!"

Davis looked flabbergasted before he narrowed his eyes.

"Stop blaming yourself. Didn't I say that the key lay within me? If I hadn't said okay to annul our marriage agreement, this wouldn't have happened!"

"But-"

"No buts!"

Davis wrapped his arms tightly around her, appearing as if he would never let her go.

Shirley became stunned as her red eyes stared into his sapphire pupils, but then, a smirk appeared on his lips that caused her to blink.

"I think this much forcefulness is enough, right?"

Shirley blankly stared, not knowing what to say other than becoming moved. Her problems were too much so she acted like a spoiled and unreasonable woman in front of him, and yet, he didn't get mad at her and instead even placated her.

Her moist red eyes began to ripple again with intense feelings.

"Shirley, I'm going to marry Isabella in a month or so after returning to the Grand Sea Continent..."

Davis suddenly spoke, wanting to use this so-called forcefulness that she wanted.

"I see..." Shirley blinked before she brightly smiled, "So you have managed to conquer her as well while all that mistress-subordinate relationship was a farce to fool the hegemonic powers..."

"Hehe, you managed to already figure it out..."

"I just know... You managed to topple me into being this crazed for you, so why can't you topple that glorious dragon woman? It's simple as that..."

"I see..." Davis braced himself as he displayed his shameless smile, "There's still Fiora, Sophie, Niera, and another woman called Tina Roxley waiting to marry me, and I already made love with even on-"

"You...!" Shirley's expression changed.

It contorted into one of anger as she raised her head and snarled at him!

"You're not collecting me just for the sake of adding me to your flowery harem, are you!?"

Davis blinked, feeling her fiery anger flying at him as his heart clenched, but he snapped back at her.

"Of course not!"

"Then why!?"

"Because I love you!"

"Then fine!~"

Davis became dazed at her quick, fiery answer that he couldn't help but blink thrice.

"Shirley..." He called out her name and slightly paused, "... Do you still love me even when I have all those beauties to myself?"

"You're asking me this...?" Shirley squealed in a low voice as she looked at him endearingly with a smile, "I was okay with you having Evelynn and other women as well in the past. My worries were whether you would leave me one day as nothing but a decoration, and even if you didn't, your immortal master might arbitrarily take you away and... I absolutely reject such a future!"

Shirley's expression became obsessed as she stared at his sapphire eyes while her arms tightly held him.

"This was why I decided to step into the First Layer by risking my life along with Ellia and become an Immortal-level existence with my own power in the second place, while the first reason being attaining your love!"

Davis became stunned at her outburst before he felt incredibly moved!

When her whole reason to cultivate had become him on top of him possessing love for her, what was there left to stop him from making this alluring beauty his woman?

None!

Davis's expression returned to normal before he satisfactorily smiled.

"I'll ask you once again, Shirley..."

"Become mine!"

Shirley bit her crimson lips as she looked into his sapphire eyes that seemed to only have eyes for her.

"Gladly~"