Back on Earth, Christian sat in his office, his gaze fixed on the figure standing before him — Beta, the latest creation he had completed.
He had lingered on her design longer than expected. But, in the end, he gave her the same black hair and crimson eyes as Alpha. The only difference was her build — slimmer, petite, almost delicate.
Whether it was Anastasia’s lingering influence on him, he couldn’t say.
But it seemed his taste in women had changed, if only slightly.
Now, if Alpha and Beta were to stand side by side, the contrast would be clear. Beta looked like Alpha’s younger sister, but that felt just right. So, he decided not to question it further.
With his gaze still on her, he suddenly said, "Okay, introduce yourself."
Beta straightened slightly, her hands rubbing together before her fingers intertwined. She looked back at him, her lips curved into a small smile as she spoke:
"I go by Beta. Third in line, but the first to ask why."
"I assist, mostly. Small hands, steady focus. I resemble Alpha, Iris says — but I’ve heard that resemblance can be misleading."
"Zero keeps count. I keep quiet... when I feel like it."
"There’s loyalty wired into me, but love... Master left that undefined. I think you want me to find it."
Christian blinked, nearly tripping out of his chair at her words.
Beta only blinked back, her crimson eyes gleaming as an almost imperceptible smile played on her lips.
He couldn’t help but wonder if he had really made her .
Her introduction danced along the fine line between robotic and human, and he knew — if she wanted to — she could have sounded for more human than that.
Despite being made in just two weeks, Beta was already the best among his androids, without a doubt.
Maybe in combat she fell a little behind the other two, but in all the other areas, she outshone them. Her program, her personality, even the smart-ship installed into her — every detail was on another level compared to theirs.
She had been designed for tasks that required absolute precision, and for that reason, he had poured a considerable amount of effort into her construction.
That’s why her choice puzzled him.
’Maybe that’s cute, in its own way?’
The thought made Christian chuckle, and he told her to sit down for now.
Still, his eyes lingered on her. He couldn’t help but trace the path from what she once was — mere scraps of metal, lifeless pieces scattered in a workshop — to what now sat before him, seemingly breathing, blinking, indistinguishable from humans.
The longer he looked, the stronger the weight of how far he had come pressed down on him.
A sudden interruption snapped him from his reverie.
Iris’s voice, teasing and dripping with sweetness, filled the room just as her hologram flickered into existence. She appeared in a set of scandalous lingerie, her pose deliberately provocative, as though crafted to demand his attention.
Her holographic eyes shifted toward him, glimmering with a mischievous spark, and her voice purred once again.
[Master, if you want to admire someone, should that not be me~?]
Christian let out a laugh, half-amused, half-defeated, at her shamelessness.
But Iris was not finished. With a tilt of her head and a voice laced in silk, she added.
[Hurry up already, and make my body... please~]
Christian’s laugh didn’t stop at Iris’s antics, and seeing that, Beta suddenly stood up. She moved toward the desk, leaned forward, and lowered her upper body, pressing against the surface in a way that revealed the deep valley of her breasts, not hidden by her tight outfit.
"Look at me too, master~" Beta said with a playful tone.
Christian stared at them for a moment. His gaze flicked between Iris’s hologram and Beta’s body, but then, unbidden, the image of his sister and Eva’s breasts flashed in his mind, and he shook his head.
The real deal was really different!
Even with that thought lingering, he still found himself watching over their playful banter. His mood, weighed down by not seeing his sister and Eva, and by working this tirelessly for so long, felt like it was finally being lifted... but only for a moment. Discover more novels at novel✦fire.net
Because, inadvertently, his thoughts drifted to another woman — Anastasia, the one who had still not come back.
It had only been two weeks since she left. For someone like her, more than five hundred years old, maybe two weeks meant nothing. A blink of an eye. But for him, the silence pressed heavily.
He wondered if she was not coming back at all.
Had something happened to her? Or had she simply changed her mind?
Unsure of her situation... unsure of her intention, Christian found himself drowning in questions.
Unaware of how many presents she was gathering for him — how precious they were — he sat with only the weight of his own complicated feelings.
On one side, he wanted her to return. She had grown on him far more than he expected.
Her playful personality aside, even when Anastasia simply stayed silent, quietly observing him from the side, he missed those moments.
Her presence, in itself, was something nice to have around.
But... on the other side, he also wished she wouldn’t return.
His insecurities, born from her overwhelming strength, had not disappeared. They sat there, like shadows at the back of his mind.
Which of these feelings was stronger?
That’s why, in the end, he still hoped she would come back. And if she wanted to go away, then at least... wait. Wait until he raised his Lie Detection skill high enough, until he made it strong enough to work even on her. Only then could he uncover the truth behind her words before she left.
At least then, he would know which attitude to hold onto.
If her intentions were truly genuine, if she really meant good for him, then he could stop suppressing himself, and simply do what he wanted — let things take their natural course, if there was any chance between them.
And if not... then he could cut the budding feelings he held for her before they rooted too deeply.
It had been nearly two and a half months since he first began developing the Lie Detection skill.
And yet, until the last moment when he saw Anastasia, he still couldn’t glean anything from her.
Would it really take that long?
Christian knew the answer was no.
The skill was already level six, halfway through to seven.
It was advancing at lightning speed.
Maybe because the ability itself wasn’t too complicated.
Maybe because he now had the Concentration skill that sharpened his focus.
Maybe because his comprehension was nearing three hundred.
Maybe because his knowledge bank had expanded so far, giving him more references to draw from.
Or maybe it was because he had first assigned three Idle slots to it, then eventually devoted all six.
In the end, he couldn’t be sure which factor contributed the most. But what he did know was this—
The strongest part of him, the truest desire in him, really wanted Anastasia to hurry and come back.