I was still not safe.
I didn't even get a chance to breathe before I felt her fingers slowly trailing along my stomach again.
It was so slow, so deliberate, that I almost jumped out of my own skin.
"Tsk—" I clenched my teeth, trying not to make any noise.
"You did well keeping quiet." Her voice was too sweet like she was praising a pet that had just learned a new trick.
"But you know, Aestrea… I'm not quite done teasing you yet."
Oh.
Oh, fuck no.
I slamd my hand down on the sheets, firmly this ti.
"Christina, stop!"
For a second, there was nothing.
Then I felt her laughing.
I could feel the vibrations of her amused giggle against my skin. It made my body tense up even more.
"You're so fun to tease, you know that?" she whispered.
Oh, I know.
And that was exactly the problem.
I squeezed my eyes shut, focusing on calming my heartbeat.
I needed to end this—now.
"You want to play gas, Christina?" I muttered, forcing my voice to stay steady.
"Fine. Let's play a ga."
She stilled.
"Oh?"
I inhaled sharply and leaned in just a little.
"Let's see how fast I can get you to leave this bed."
A pause.
Then she chuckled.
"You're welco to try."
I didn't hesitate.
I suddenly pushed my weight forward, rolling my body just enough to press her down against the mattress.
It was an awkward move, especially since she was still under the sheets, but it worked. She let out a small breath, montarily pinned.
I took advantage of that mont and brought my face closer to where her ear would be beneath the fabric.
"Christina."
"Get. Out. From. Under. The. Sheets."
For the first ti, I felt her falter.
She shifted slightly beneath , and for a mont, I thought I had actually won—
Then—
She giggled.
Oh, shit.
"Aestrea," she whispered back, and before I could react, I felt her lips press against my bare stomach.
A shock ran through
like a jolt of lightning.
I flinched so hard that I almost lost my balance.
Damn it, woman!
"You really do get flustered so easily…" she humd, her warm breath dangerously close to my skin.
Nope.
NOPE.
This is not happening.
Not here!
"Christina, I swear—"
"Shhh..." Her fingers grazed my side, and I almost let out a noise.
"You'll wake them up."
Wake them up?!
They literally just left!
I gritted my teeth.
Alright.
Plan B.
I grabbed the sheets and yanked them away from my body—
And there she was.
Christina was lying on her side, her blonde hair slightly ssy, her eyes glowing with amusent, and her lips curled into the most smug, infuriatingly beautiful smile I had ever seen.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Oh my, was I that much of a distraction?"
I'M GOING TO LOSE IT.
I sucked in a deep breath, trying—desperately trying—to compose myself.
"You are fucking insane."
She bead at my 'sweet' words.
"I know."
I exhaled sharply, my patience running dangerously thin.
"Are you done now?"
She placed a delicate finger on her chin, pretending to think.
"Hmmm…"
Then she suddenly rolled over, pressing herself against
before I could react.
"Christina—"
"Maybe just a little longer?"
My soul left my body.
I need to escape.
Now.
I grabbed her shoulders and firmly pushed her away.
"Enough. Seriously. I need to rest."
She pouted but didn't resist. Instead, she finally sat up properly, stretching her arms over her head with a lazy yawn.
"Fine, fine. I guess I'll let you sleep."
FINALLY!
I flopped back against the pillows, exhausted.
She watched
for a mont, her expression unreadable, before suddenly reaching out and placing her hand on my forehead.
I stiffened.
"What—"
"You're warm," she murmured, her teasing tone finally gone.
"You must be really tired."
I blinked.
For the first ti since she crawled into my bed, she looked… serious.
"…Yeah," I muttered.
"Kind of."
She sighed softly and then gently ran her fingers through my hair.
"Rest, Aestrea," she said quietly.
"I'll be here."
I should tell her to leave.
I should push her away.
I should—
Rustle...
But my eyes were already closing.
And before I knew it…
I was asleep.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Haugh..."
Blinking my eyes open, I stretched my arms slightly, feeling the stiffness in my muscles from lying in bed for so long.
This was my second day at the cathedral.
...I think.
Honestly, ti felt strange when you spent most of it either sleeping or dealing with a certain terrifying saintess.
Anyways...
I glanced around the room.
Thankfully, Christina wasn't here right now. Just that thought alone made
relax a little.
Instead, my eyes landed on sothing different—sothing that hadn't been there before.
A small envelope sat neatly on the bedside table, standing out against the plain white sheets and wooden surface.
"Oh? What's this?"
I mumbled, curiosity taking over as I reached for it.
The envelope was made of thick, high-quality parchnt, and the handwriting on the front was both elegant and familiar.
"Haaa..."
I couldn't help but sigh with a smile.
Vivian.
A na I hadn't seen in a long ti.
A na that brought back mories of lectures, training sessions, and the warm smile of my favorite teacher back at Silverleaf Academy.
And also... the first person I had a close relationship within this world.
A strange feeling settled in my chest as I carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the card inside.
The letter began:
| To my beloved Star Student,
I can already imagine your face as you read this. Hopefully, you're at least a little happy to hear from , rather than groaning about having to read a letter. Knowing you, you probably sighed the mont you saw my na, didn't you?
I'll keep this simple (or at least, I'll try). When I heard what happened to you, I won't lie—I panicked. The news of your injuries spread fast, and for a mont, I truly feared the worst.
But when I confird that you were alive, I felt sothing I hadn't in a long ti: relief so deep that it brought
to tears. Yes, you heard that right. I cried. You can laugh all you want, but I don't regret it.
Aestrea, do you even realize how much you an to us? Not just , but everyone back at Silverleaf?
Mia, that fiery troublemaker, nearly set the training grounds on fire when she found out. She wouldn't stop pacing for hours, talking about how unfair it was that she wasn't there to help. Maria, the quiet one, actually yelled at the headmaster when he refused to give her any information at first. (You would have been proud. I was.)
As for Derek and Jas? Oh, those two. They've been training like madn. I think they've convinced themselves that if they get strong enough, they'll be able to stand beside you next ti—though I doubt they'll ever admit it. They keep saying they're "just making sure they don't fall behind."
We all miss you, Aestrea. The academy feels different without you.
I know you have your own journey to walk, your own battles to fight, but don't ever think for a second that you're forgotten.
Every student you left behind rembers you, looks up to you, and wants to see you again.
Rest up well, Aestrea.
We're all waiting for you.
P.S:
Fun fact: they all tried to sneak out of Silverleaf Academy just to co see you. Yes, you read that right. Every single one of them, including the ever-so-rational Maria. They planned everything—routes, disguises, everything. Unfortunately for them, I caught them before they could leave. I've never seen a group of students look more guilty in my life.
Still, if I'm being honest? I almost let them go. Because, truthfully, I wanted to co too.
I miss you, Aestrea, and will probably dream of you tonight.
From your favorite professor, Vivian. |
"......."
I stared at the letter for a long mont, feeling sothing tighten in my chest.
Damn it.
I really wanna go back already.
Well, I just need to hold on for a while.
Once the exams are over, I'll finally be able to return to Silverleaf. Back to my old routine. Back to the people waiting for .
But…
There's a really small problem.
What do I do about Yara and Eleonora?
I never planned on sleeping with either of them.
It just… happened.
Also, both of their "empires" are based right here in the capital.
I don't know what they'll do when I try to leave.
If I can leave, of course.
They might kidnap
or sothing.
There's also Zeva...
But nah...
We haven't gotten past the last step yet so—
BAM!
A loud noise snapped
out of my thoughts.
"Hey~"
A smooth, sultry voice called out, sharp and playful.
Speak of the devil.
There she was.
Wrapped in bandages from head to toe.
Well, almost.
She sauntered over and then slid into the chair beside my bed.
Crossing her legs effortlessly, she smirked down at .
"How are you doing?"
"Great."
Her smirk widened.
"And how's that missing hand?" She tilted her head, a hint of amusent appearing in her green eyes.
I rolled my eyes at her words.
She chuckled, leaning back in the chair.
"Relax. You've been given full credit for taking down that oversized rock, so you'll get more than enough money to buy an artifact or potion to regrow it."
Huh?
Wait, what?!
I sat up so fast my body scread in protest.
"AGH!"
A wave of pain crashed through .
My vision blurred for a second.
"Oi, calm down." Zeva clicked her tongue, gently pushing
back down against the bed.
"Like I said," she continued, "you were the one who did most of the damage. I just stepped in to land the final hit. So, I gave you the credits for the kill."
I licked my dry lips.
"...So… how much am I getting?"
Her smirk deepened.
"3,920 Platinum Coins."
I blinked.
My brain stalled.
Oh.
I'm rich.
Not crazy rich, but rich.
Still, not even close to enough for a Dragon's Heart.
In the last auction where a Dragon's Heart appeared, his value was over 40.000 Platinum Coins, which was more than enough to buy a castle and even more!
So, I was still very far off.
"Oh... and how much does it cost a healing potion for this kind of injury?" I couldn't help but ask curiously.
Hearing my question, Zeva put on a thoughtful expression.
"Depends. For your hand? Maybe 500 to 1,500 Gold Coins. But if you want to heal your mana pathways too… at least 100 Platinum Coins."
I swallowed hard.
My money…
Calm down.
At least it's not 1,000 Platinum Coins.
"Ah… great," I muttered under my breath.
"Well, that's all I wanted to tell you."
Zeva stretched as she stood up, giving
one last glance before turning toward the door.
But then, she stopped.
Slowly, she turned back to , her lips curling.
"Next week. Saturday. 11 PM. et
at Eternum's Hotel."
She licked her lips, eyes gleaming with sothing dangerous.
Then, with a wink, she was gone.
Of course.
She hadn't forgotten our promise.
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