Hearing Xayah's utterly blatant and explicit questions, Darha was slightly stunned. A bizarre look surfaced on her brow as she glanced at Faen beside her, as if asking, 'Is this how you educated her?'
To this, Faen merely shrugged his shoulders, indicating that this wasn't his fault, but simply the path Xayah had chosen for herself.
With a sigh, Darha waved her hand and said, trying her absolute best to maintain her composure, "I don't have any such plans yet."
Hearing Darha's answer, Xayah instinctively frowned. But just as she was about to speak, Faen slapped her ass and said calmly, "Be quiet, Xayah."
At his command, Xayah, who had been eager to lecture her, immediately clamped her mouth shut submissively.
Faen then continued: "As the Awakened One Karma, Darha has her own unique responsibilities.
Being worshipped and admired by so many people also means she is much further removed from them. She isn't as free and unrestrained as you, and she certainly can't just act recklessly on her whims."
Hearing Faen defend and explain things for her, a touch of warmth surfaced in Darha's eyes. However, she didn't add anything more, simply nodding silently.
As if realizing something, Xayah nodded thoughtfully. She then bowed slightly toward Darha and said, "I apologize. Just now, I was projecting my own situation onto yours."
Hearing Xayah's apology, Darha returned a gentle, understanding gaze.
She didn't feel any disgust toward Xayah because of such matters, as Darha could more or less sense that the reason Xayah had become like this was highly likely due to ingesting an excessive amount of Faen's Joy Factor.
Although this would make one wonder if Faen was manipulating things behind the scenes, Darha did not attribute all the blame to Faen.
Because Darha didn't actually know what kind of person Xayah truly was at her core.
Including now, this was only the second time Darha had met Xayah—the first time was during the meeting just now, making this their first true, familiar encounter.
And based on Darha's own perception, although the Joy Factor could drastically alter someone's temperament in a short period, it was by no means brainwashing. Rather, it continuously amplified a person's core self-awareness, leading them to make their own judgments and choices, ultimately transforming them into whatever path they themselves chose.
And for Xayah to end up acting like such a ravenous little slut...
After a moment of silence, Darha sighed and asked, "Do you really want to know about my relationship with Faen that badly?"
"Yes!" Xayah nodded immediately, but then thought for a second and added, "However, I can understand your position. If it's inconvenient, you don't have to say anything."
Having been thoroughly 'educated' by Faen, the current Xayah now more or less realized that Darha's situation wasn't as easy as it looked. Burdened with countless responsibilities, she couldn't easily make the "correct" choice of complete submission as freely as Xayah did.
Hearing Xayah's response, Darha fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
Originally, Darha hadn't wanted to discuss this matter too much, because it was far too intensely private even for her.
But at the same time, Darha was ultimately still human, and she too harbored a need to share and communicate with others.
Gifted with premature wisdom, Darha was only five or six years old when she first arrived at the Temple of the Everlasting. Although she recognized her own uniqueness very early on, the incredibly long years of ascetic cultivation after entering the Temple had cost Darha her so-called childhood, as well as the ability to interact with others as equals.
Although this matter was extremely sensitive, having spent time around Faen, Darha could more or less perceive some of the Joy Factor's capabilities.
Setting all else aside, at the very least, someone like Xayah who had already made her choice of complete submission could essentially be deemed completely trustworthy.
As long as it didn't involve betraying Faen or harming his interests, to Xayah, all of Faen's other bitches were her like-minded companions...
Although this ability—akin to mental enslavement—might seem despicable, considering that this was a choice Xayah made herself under the influence of her own intense lust, and that she happily wallowed in depravity after making it, Darha wasn't really in a position to judge too harshly.
But regardless, this meant that the girls claimed into Faen's harem were trustworthy, people to whom she could safely bare her inner thoughts.
Realizing this, Darha actually felt a slight temptation to open up.
Because at any other time, whenever any Ionian—man or woman, young or old—laid eyes on Darha, their first reaction would be to excitedly bow in worship, treating her as a living legend, a walking deity.
This left Darha, more often than not, completely lacking a target for equal, peaceful conversation.
So much so that, for Darha, the most relaxing period of time in her memory was wandering around Piltover with Faen.
Although they didn't do anything back then, merely strolling around casually, the feeling of not being watched, not being worshipped on bended knee, of just being treated as a normal girl, was something Darha found unforgettable even now.
However, Darha also knew that she could only dabble lightly in such indulgences, because all of Ionia was still waiting for her guidance.
But right now, this was her own private space within Ionia... so loosening up just a little bit shouldn't be a problem, right?
Darha vaguely remembered Faen mentioning that his harem sluts would chat while getting ruthlessly pounded at his wild orgies, sharing what situations they had encountered recently and what help they needed, thereby exchanging information and helping each other solve tricky problems.
To be completely honest, Darha actually felt a little envious.
But as the leader of Ionia, even if Darha was willing to become just another one of Faen's sex slaves, letting Faen thrust deep into her womb and pump her full every single day to bear his seed and offspring like Syndra was doing...
She probably still wouldn't be able to engage in that kind of mutual aid and camaraderie with the girls stationed in Piltover, Zaun, and Bilgewater.
Because they were separated by far too great a distance...
Or perhaps, Darha simply wasn't fully mentally prepared for that step just yet.
But now, looking at Xayah appearing before her, Darha felt this might be a good opportunity to understand their dynamic...
The Vastayans and the Ionians had been alienated from each other for a very long time. If she could use this method to make Ionia whole again, leading everyone towards prosperity under the guidance of the Spirit of Ionia... then sacrificing a bit of her own privacy and dignity didn't seem like much of a big deal, did it?
With these thoughts in mind, after a brief silence, Darha stated calmly: "My virginity was only taken by Faen today."
Seeing Darha suddenly bring this topic up so openly, Faen was a bit surprised. He quickly frowned and corrected her:
"Not 'taken', not 'taken'. I absolutely did not force you."
To this, Darha just shrugged her shoulders and amended, "Fine, I gave it up to you just today."
She then shifted her gaze back to Xayah once again and said, "Although it feels incredibly shameful to talk about this, I hope we can communicate much more honestly and openly with each other from now on."