20 Buying a House
"Anna, that necklace suits you perfectly; you look more like a queen than Queen Adele herself," Henry complimented.
"Emily, that ring you chose is also excellent, really matches your sweet temperament."
After leaving Snowland, the two women, despite receiving gifts, felt somewhat disheartened.
Fortunately, Henry quickly noticed their mood and used his praise to dispel their unhappiness.
Hearing their man compliment them, Anna's gloomy mood instantly evaporated, and she admired herself in the mirror for several rounds.
Emily was even more delighted; the man she liked had praised her appearance for the first time.
Emily then brought up,
"By the way, Henry, I've managed to get you a 10% discount on the house through my connections."
"You only need to spend 1080 gold coins to get that detached villa. If you're free this afternoon, we could take some time to look at the house."
"Of course, that's no problem at all," Henry replied, thrilled with the 10% discount.
His initial plan was to pay in installments, not expecting any discount.
Now, it seemed he would save about 120 gold coins.
"Emily, that's very impressive. It's well worth the jewelry I got for you from Queen Adele," he expressed his satisfaction with Emily's efforts and praised her again.
Emily felt like she was floating on cloud nine.
Before they went to see the house, Henry called his parents.
Learning that their son had become a formidable awakener with a means to earn money, Henry's parents gave their heartfelt blessings to their son.
However, regarding the old house, Henry's parents expressed their desire to continue living in their ancestral home.
Henry didn't insist and showed understanding towards his parents.
It was the place where the elderly couple had lived their entire lives, and naturally, they didn't want to leave it just like that.
Besides, Henry had reached a stage of independence and needed a more private space, especially so he wouldn't have to worry about the sounds of his intimate moments with Anna being heard outside the bedroom.
Come to think of it, Henry realized Emily seemed to prefer staying in the living room.
He wondered if she ever heard anything from the bedroom.
After pondering for a moment, he shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Why would he think such things about his teammate?
Emily, with her sweet voice and beauty, General White Tiger's sister, surely wouldn't have such peculiar habits.
She was clearly a considerate and well-behaved girl, even bringing a pack of toilet paper when they ran out at home.
...
The group drove to the location of the detached villa.
Even before entering the property, Henry had already decided to buy it.
"1080 gold coins well spent," he thought, admiring the villa's luxurious exterior, spacious swimming pool, and the creative use of a forest as a fence, almost like a piece of art.
After waiting outside for a short while, the landlord hurried over, taking off his hat to greet them.
"Hello everyone, I am the nephew of the original owner of this house, you can call me Little Martin," the man greeted them.
Dressed simply and carrying a leather briefcase typically used for work, his accent wasn't local.
"As you might have guessed, this house was inherited by me from my uncle two months ago. His only son passed away three months ago while entering a dungeon. My uncle also passed away from grief."
"Please accept my condolences; your uncle must have been a good father," Henry said politely.
Little Martin shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Their relationship was rather complicated. But rest assured, there are no issues with the house. I tried living here for two months but couldn't adapt to the climate, so I decided to sell it."
Henry nodded. "Let's go inside and take a look at the interior."
Little Martin took out the keys, opened the villa's grand entrance, and led everyone inside.
"My uncle actually owned two villas. The one next door was also his, but a lady bought it a few days ago. You really should meet her; she's the most elegant person I've ever met."
Henry half-listened to Little Martin's chatter, his attention more on the house's interior.
The entrance hall on the left side of the door was built with dark yellow cabinets, giving a warm tone.
The furniture inside was made of mahogany, showing signs of patina, suggesting it might have been passed down for decades.
The living room was spacious yet inviting.
Buying this house would certainly save some money on furniture and fittings.
Henry nodded in satisfaction.
After touring all six bedrooms, he decided on the spot to sign the contract.
After discussing with Little Martin, they brought in a professional to draft the contract.
Henry paid 100 gold coins as a down payment, the only amount he had on hand, agreeing to pay the remaining sum within two years, with a minimum monthly repayment of 50 gold coins.
"Congratulations, Mr. Henry. You are now the owner of this house," Little Martin said, pleased.
"There are new bedding supplies in the storage room, and two streets away, there's a domestic service center where you can hire a maid to take care of the housekeeping."
After receiving the initial payment and signing the contract, Little Martin seemed very happy.
As a nephew unexpectedly inheriting a substantial fortune from his uncle, it was quite a rare event.
After seeing off Little Martin, Henry lay on the leather sofa, relishing his new property.
Then, turning to the two women, he said,
"The master bedroom on the left upstairs is for me and Anna. Emily, you can choose any other room as yours."
"Since we're teammates and will be interacting frequently, it'll be convenient for you to have a room here."
"I'll need a separate guest room as well," Anna suddenly said.
"Why?" Henry asked, surprised.
"In case another woman like Queen Adele comes to seduce you, I can make room for her. We can't all squeeze into one bedroom, can we?"
Inside, Henry thought, "Why not? Even four people could."
But outwardly, he feigned righteousness.
"Alright, you jealous woman. You can choose the room, but now you have to face my wrath!"
With a smirk, Henry picked up Anna and carried her upstairs, her face turning red as she struggled symbolically.
"Wait, at least let's get some new sheets and bedding from the storage room first."
After setting up their room, the two eagerly retreated to the master bedroom, reveling in their first intimate encounter in their new home.
Emily stood frozen in place.
"They just left like that, without considering my feelings?"
The living room was silent except for her own breathing.
In the vastness of the house, she felt somewhat lost.
The quietness suddenly seemed too overwhelming.
Emily remembered the times she could hear Henry and Anna's intimate sounds from the living room, but here, there was nothing.
"Why does this sudden emptiness feel so unbearable, like a craving?" Emily thought, restless on the living room sofa.
Eventually, she couldn't bear it any longer.
Standing up, her face flushed, she muttered to herself, "Just two minutes, I won't listen for more than that."
She tiptoed to the guest room next to the master bedroom, closing the door behind her with a thud.
Hours later, Emily emerged from the bedroom to find Henry and Anna in the living room discussing what to have for dinner.
"Uh, did you see any toilet paper in the storage room when you went earlier? The guest room is out of toilet paper," she stammered, gesturing towards the guest room.
"I checked it out just now; it's a really nice room. So, I'll stay here from now on!" she quickly added.
