TL/N: Sorry for no updates in the last two days; had some stuff to deal with IRL.
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"Francesca, you look a little different tonight," Vito whispered as he leaned in.
"Don't ask. If you want to know, the boss will tell you when the time comes," Francesca shook her head and replied to her brother.
She hadn't had a chance to look in a mirror, so she wasn't aware of her own changes. But she wasn't blind—she had clearly seen the transformation in Margaret after drinking that glass of water. Since she had drunk the same thing, the effects on her should be similar.
And such things weren't something she could discuss casually. Without Josh's or Margaret's approval, she wouldn't say a word—not even to her own brother.
As the Kahn family's head maid, Francesca understood the importance of secrecy.
Upon hearing her answer, Vito immediately understood and stopped asking questions, turning his attention to the duel in the training arena.
However, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Both fighters were Super Soldiers, and it was clear that they were going all out.
One was a super soldier from Earth, the other was an elite special operative from the Kree Empire. Though neither used weapons, their punches and kicks landed solidly, making for an intense and exciting fight.
As Mar-Vell attempted to suplex Carter, Carter executed an incredible mid-air twist and countered with a powerful kick that sent Mar-Vell flying before landing gracefully.
But the moment Carter turned around, Mar-Vell did a quick aerial somersault and sent Carter flying in return.
Neither seemed to hold back in the slightest!
"This is what you meant by 'strange relationship'?" Josh couldn't help but tease Margaret as he watched the fight escalate.
Margaret sighed and rubbed her forehead, choosing to remain silent.
Of course, their conversation had no effect on the ongoing fight.
"Hey, sweetie, don't you ever get tired?" Mar-Vell grinned after landing a blow to Carter's chest, causing her to take a few steps back. She seemed to enjoy the unexpected bounce for a moment before asking.
"This level? I can do this all day!"
Carter retorted while rubbing her chest and taking a deep breath, internally wondering if it would bruise. But without stopping, she charged forward again.
"Oh, here it comes," Josh muttered.
"Huh? What?" Margaret asked, confused.
"Oh, nothing. Just a famous quote," Josh shrugged.
"A famous quote? Are you talking about what Carter just said—' I can do this all day'?" Margaret asked, intrigued.
"Wait, you heard that?" Josh looked at his lover in surprise. He didn't remember Margaret having enhanced hearing.
"Yes. After drinking the water you gave me, I feel more energetic and my senses have become much sharper. I could hear their conversation very clearly... But what's the story behind this line?" Margaret admitted before continuing her question.
"Steve Rogers, Captain America. That was his catchphrase," Josh explained, but in his mind, he was contemplating something else—
The effects of the Elixir from the Pool of Eternal Life seem stronger than I expected... Perhaps I should have a glass myself?
He had only given it to Margaret and Francesca before, because once someone drank it, their appearance would remain largely unchanged for a long time.
This is an excellent beauty elixir for adult women.
Especially for Margaret, who is at the most attractive age of her life.
But Josh is different. He just turned 20 a few months ago. Although he is an adult, his face still looks quite young.
So he doesn't want to fix his appearance too soon—he wants to wait until he looks more mature.
However, if the Elixir from the Pool of Eternal Life really enhances the senses that much, then having a youthful face might not be a bad thing.
Looking at Margaret's radiant beauty, he now wonders if the elixir also strengthens the body.
If that's the case... will he get drained if he doesn't drink it?
Before, they were evenly matched in that aspect.
But now, it's hard to say.
While Josh was lost in thought, a strong force suddenly pulled him away from where he was standing.
While he was distracted, the battle in the ring had reached its climax. Without the use of weapons, Mar-Vell, the elite Kree warrior, had slightly gained the upper hand and delivered a powerful kick that sent Carter flying out of the ring.
Coincidentally, Carter's landing direction was right where Josh was standing.
Had she landed on him, it wouldn't have been life-threatening, but it certainly wouldn't have felt good.
Fortunately, Margaret reacted quickly at the last moment and pulled him away.
His chair, however, wasn't so lucky—it was completely destroyed beyond repair.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?" Carter asked quickly as she got up from the floor.
"Uh, no problem, no problem. Good thing Margaret reacted quickly. But are you two going to keep fighting? If it continues, I'm afraid the whole ring will be torn apart," Josh said, brushing the dust off his clothes.
It was at this moment, that he made up his mind—he had to drink that elixir. Seeing how strong Margaret had become, there was no way he would survive when they got back to their room if he didn't drink it.
"Uh, sorry about that. If you think it's necessary, you can deduct the damage from my salary..." Carter looked at the ruined training area and blushed slightly.
Josh's mouth twitched. Deduct it from your salary? Lady, with the destruction you just caused as a super soldier, if I really charged you for it, your salary would be deducted for the next hundred years!
"Come on, do you think I care about such a small loss? But you've sparred enough. If you go on like this, no one on this ship will get any sleep. It's time to call it a day. Margaret and I are going to bed as well," Josh said, waving his hand.
"This round is my loss. Let's fight again next time!" Carter said, nodding reluctantly at Mar-Vell.
In truth, as a super soldier, she was far from reaching her limit. Like Captain America, she could have fought for an entire day.
She had only been at a slight disadvantage.
But since it was just a sparring match and not a fight to the death, and they had already caused so much destruction, it wasn't worth it to continue.
"Of course! I'd be happy to," Mar-Vell replied with a smile.
And so a battle between the super-soldiers ended abruptly, leaving the audience wanting more.
Back in their bedroom, Josh was just about to drink some of the elixir when Margaret pushed him onto the soft, spacious bed and pulled his tie.
"Honey, I can do it this all day with you, too," she said with a playful smile.
"Uh, wait, Margaret, I'm really thirsty. Let me get some water first!" Josh said quickly.
"Thirsty? Don't worry, I've got water right here," Margaret teased.
Of course, she knew he wanted to drink that special water. But over the past few years, as Josh became more powerful, she hadn't had the upper hand for a long time.
Now that she finally had the chance, there was no way she was going to let it go.
Oh no... Josh immediately understood her intentions and could only sigh helplessly.
Well, if he couldn't resist, he might as well enjoy it.
Sigh... looks like I'll be going to bed late tonight.
(End of chapter)
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