Chapter 515: The Heavens Shall Fall (LVI)
The divine city’s central plaza was alive with energy, music drifting through the air, colorful stalls lining the wide cobblestone paths, and the scent of grilled ats, sweet pastries, and fresh flowers everywhere.
Aestrea walked at the center of the group, surrounded by all fifteen of his won. The sheer size of the gathering drew plenty of stares, but he paid them no mind.
"You really ant it, didn’t you? All of us at once," Vivian, walking gracefully on his right, glanced up at him with a soft smile.
She seed to still be a little skeptical, but now that they were on the plaza... all of them realized that he was actually telling the truth.
"Of course, I did."
"I’m still processing this. I thought you were joking when you said it in the bath." Christina, clinging to his left arm, let out a small laugh.
From a few steps behind, Zeva called out with a grin, "If there’s no fighting allowed, I’m going to be bored in ten minutes."
"Then let’s make a bet. First one to start a fight loses." Yara imdiately shot back, grinning widely at her.
Even outside, the two of them didn’t hide their competitiveness towards each other.
"You’re both going to behave," Vivian said calmly, though there was clear amusent in her voice.
Lumi bounced up beside Aestrea, her eyes sparkling. "Master! Can we try the sweets first? There’s a stall with glowing cotton candy over there!"
"Lead the way." Aestrea nodded with a small smile.
The group moved toward the food section. Lumi practically dragged him to the colorful stall, pointing excitedly at the floating, shimring clouds of sugar.
"Two of the rainbow ones, please," Aestrea said to the vendor.
When the vendor handed them over, Lumi took one happily and imdiately offered a piece to Aestrea.
"Say ’ahh~’!"
He opened his mouth and let her feed him.
"Mhm...?"
To his surprise, the candy lted sweetly on his tongue.
"Good?" Lumi asked, beaming.
"Very good," he replied, earning a happy little spin from her.
Christina leaned in from his left and stole a small piece from his hand, popping it into her mouth.
"Mmm. You’re spoiling her too much."
"You’re next," Aestrea said, breaking off another piece and feeding it to her directly. Christina’s cheeks flushed slightly as she accepted it.
"What about ? I want so too." Mia suddenly appeared on his right, pressing close to him with an earnest look.
Aestrea turned and fed her a piece as well. Mia made a show of licking his fingers slowly, smirking when Maria gently scolded her.
"Mia, we’re in public..."
"What? I’m just tasting~," Mia replied innocently.
By now, Zeva and Yara had already wandered off to a nearby skewer stall and were now in a full-blown eating competition, both talking with their mouths full.
"These are mine!" Zeva declared, grabbing another skewer.
"Like hell they are!" Yara shot back, snatching two at once.
Alaine stayed dutifully close behind Aestrea, occasionally adjusting the collar of his coat or offering him a napkin when needed.
"Master, please tell
if you need anything. Water? A seat? Anything at all."
"I’m fine, Alaine. Relax a little, and try to enjoy the fact that we’re out here..." he said gently.
She smiled softly but remained attentive.
Rose and Violet walked together a few steps behind. Rose eventually gathered her courage and moved closer to Aestrea’s side.
"Um... thank you for bringing us all out," she said quietly.
"It’s... really nice."
Violet nodded beside her, adding shyly, "I was nervous at first, but... I’m happy."
"Good... Make sure to enjoy yourselves," Aestrea reached out and gently ruffled both their heads.
They both turned pink but smiled brightly.
Chaerin stayed near the middle of the group, occasionally glancing at Aestrea.
When their eyes t, she gave him a small, warm smile. He returned it, and she seed content with just that.
"This is quite the gathering. People are staring." Isabella walked beside them, observing the group with a calm and doting smile.
"Let them stare," Aestrea shrugged.
Lilith sauntered up from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist for a mont and purring into his ear:
"If you get tired of all this sweetness, I have much more... exciting ideas for later."
"Behave."
Aestrea gave her a light flick on the forehead.
"Pwhehehe~" Lilith just laughed playfully.
Ruli and Leaf kept darting between stalls, occasionally running back to show Aestrea little trinkets they found.
"Teacher! Look at this glowing bracelet!" Ruli exclaid, holding up a delicate silver band that shimred with soft colors.
"It changes color with your mood!" Leaf added excitedly, bouncing on her toes.
Aestrea smiled faintly and bought one for each of them. Both girls lit up with bright smiles and gave him quick, enthusiastic hugs before running off again to explore more stalls.
Vivian watched them fondly before turning to Aestrea. "They really adore you."
Before he could reply, Christina suddenly perked up, pointing toward the wide river that cut through the center of the festival district.
"Look! They’re starting the lantern boat rides!" she said excitedly. "We should all go on one together. There are big ones that can fit large groups."
"Yes! Let’s do that. I want to see the floating lanterns up close." Mia imdiately agreed.
"It does sound quite romantic..." Maria nodded gently beside her.
"As long as the boat doesn’t sink from our weight!" Zeva grinned.
"If it does, it’s definitely not because of your chest," Yara laughed, giving a mocking look to Zeva’s chest that was a little smaller than hers.
"Grrrr!"
Zeva growled at her, but a stare from Vivian was more than enough to calm her down, causing her to avert her gaze and whistle as if nothing had happened at all.
The group quickly made their way toward the river dock, where several large, beautifully decorated magical boats were waiting.
Each boat was wide and flat, with comfortable cushioned seating arranged in a circle and soft, glowing lanterns hanging all around.
The attendant’s eyes widened when he saw the size of their group, but he quickly arranged the largest boat for them.
Once everyone was on board, the boat was gently pushed away from the dock and began drifting slowly down the river.
Soft magical lights floated around them as hundreds of paper lanterns drifted across the water’s surface, creating a breathtaking scene of floating lights.
Aestrea sat near the center. Vivian settled gracefully on his right, Christina on his left. The rest of the girls spread out comfortably around them, so leaning against the railing, others sitting close together.
Lumi sat cross-legged on the floor near Aestrea’s feet, srized by the glowing lanterns. "It’s so pretty... like stars in the water..."
Zeva leaned against the railing beside Yara, both of them surprisingly calm for once as they watched the scenery.
"This is actually nice," Zeva admitted.
"Didn’t think I’d enjoy sothing so peaceful."
"Don’t get used to it. I still want that rematch later." Yara smirked.
Rose and Violet sat together across from Aestrea, both looking enchanted by the lights. Violet occasionally glanced at him shyly, while Rose gave her quiet encouragent.
Alaine remained standing attentively behind Aestrea, gently adjusting a thin shawl over his shoulders even though the night was warm.
"Is the temperature alright, Master?"
"I’m fine, Alaine. Sit down and enjoy it," he told her softly.
She hesitated but eventually sat down close behind him, looking happy
And then, Chaerin, who had been quietly sitting nearby, finally gathered her courage.
She stood up and moved toward Aestrea. Without saying anything, she carefully climbed onto his lap and settled against him, resting her head on his chest.
"Papa..." she whispered softly, almost shyly, as she nuzzled closer.
Aestrea’s expression softened instantly.
He smiled gently and wrapped one arm around her, patting her head with slow, affectionate strokes.
"Haaaa~" Chaerin let out a contented sigh and relaxed fully against his chest, looking peaceful and happy.
Lumi, who had been watching from the side, puffed her cheeks out in a small pout.
"She was already an adult, and yet, she still wanted to be spoiled!" Lumi comnted, her voice carrying clear jealousy.
Aestrea chuckled quietly at her reaction.
He gently adjusted Chaerin so she was sitting more comfortably on his right leg, then patted his left thigh invitingly.
"C’re then, you little glutton."
"Yay~!" Lumi’s eyes lit up instantly.
She practically hopped over and plopped herself down on his left leg, wiggling happily until she was comfortable.
Not even a second later, she reached over and started tickling Chaerin’s side mischievously.
"Hehe~"
"Kyaa! Lumi!" Chaerin yelped loudly, squirming in surprise and trying to push the sli girl’s hands away.
"Stop that!"
Lumi only giggled harder, her playful laughter ringing out as she continued her light tickle attack.
"You can’t hog Papa all to yourself!"
Chaerin gave her a stern look, though the corners of her mouth were twitching with suppressed laughter.
"You’re such a child..."
Aestrea smiled fondly as he watched the two of them bicker playfully on his lap.
His arms rested comfortably around both girls, keeping them steady as the boat continued its slow journey down the river.
"You two really never grow up when Aestrea is around," Vivian shook her head at their antics, smiling softly.
"It’s kind of cute though." Christina laughed softly from his other side.
"Careful, Lumi. If you keep acting like that, I might steal his lap next," Mia leaned in with a smirk, blatantly staring at his lap.
"Mia..." Maria gently scolded her.
From the front of the boat, Zeva called out teasingly, "Hey! Save so lap space for the rest of us!"
"Yeah, I want a turn too!" Yara barked out a laugh.
"Us too! Us too!" Ruli and Leaf both raised their hands excitedly.
Aestrea simply shook his head in amusent, one hand still gently patting Chaerin’s back while the other rested on Lumi’s waist to keep her balanced.
"You’re all going to sink the boat if you keep this up," he said dryly, though there was clear fondness in his tone.
"...Oh, yeah~? And I’m going to sink on your c—"
Thwack!
Before Lilith could finish her words, Aestrea smacked her head.
At those actions, the girls around him laughed hard, causing Aestrea’s smile to soften slighly, thinking that it was a good idea to bring them here.
Except for one thing...
They all felt truly real.
And... he hadn’t found a single mistake in the way that they acted.
’...Maybe, he morphed into one of my friends instead of the girls?’
He pondered, frowning slighly.
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