CHAPTER 57: 57

Evening – Crydias Estate, Rooftop Garden

The Crydias estate had once been a half-ruined manor, scarred by neglect and time, a symbol of decay draped in noble history. Now it shimmered beneath the stars like a reborn myth.

New marble shone where cracks had once spread like veins. Glass-paneled corridors reflected the moonlight.

The garden on the rooftop—once wild and overgrown—was tamed and nurtured into tranquil perfection, dotted with flowering moonlilies and small fountains that whispered like distant memories.

Alaric stood there alone, his silhouette framed by the wind.

The night was quiet, save for the low trickle of water and the occasional rustle of garden leaves. The lights of Caerywyn glittered beyond the estate walls, but they felt far away—like another world.

His hands were behind his back, his head tilted toward the horizon.

He did not hear her approach.

But he felt her.

Aurevia.

The soft click of her sandals against stone. The scent of her—winter rose and clean steel. Her presence was always like a still blade, waiting to be drawn.

He didn’t turn. But he spoke.

"You couldn’t sleep either?"

"No,"

She said, voice low.

"Too much noise in the silence."

Alaric nodded faintly, eyes fixed on the distant city.

"The night before a storm always feels like this. Still. Heavy. As if the world’s holding its breath."

Aurevia stepped beside him, folding her arms. She was dressed in a loose robe, the veil long removed. Her silver-white hair tumbled freely over her shoulders, catching starlight like frost on silk.

For a moment, neither spoke.

"Master,"

She said finally.

He looked at her, and she paused—gaze drawn to the weight behind his expression.

The facade of command, composure, and calm... it was cracking tonight. Just slightly.

"I’ve seen that look before,"

She said gently.

"When we first met. You wore it like armor."

"I still do,"

He murmured.

"Sometimes."

She studied him carefully.

"And what is it protecting now?"

His eyes drifted back to the horizon. A breath. A long silence.

"...A question,"

He said quietly.

"One I’ve been too afraid to ask."

Her heart skipped. The way he said it—slow, hollow, honest—it wasn’t like him. Not the one who silenced nobles with a glance or reshaped empires through whispers.

"What question?"

He turned to her fully now. No bravado. No calculated charm. Just... Alaric.

"Do you not like me, Aurevia?"

The question struck like a blade unsheathed in moonlight—clean, direct, and aching.

She froze.

"If you don’t,"

He said, forcing the words out as though each cost him air,

"I’ll release you. Truly. You can walk away. No seal. No title. Not a slave. Not a mistress. Just Aurevia."

His voice cracked faintly at the end. He swallowed it down.

"I won’t ask you to stay if your heart never belonged to me."

Aurevia’s breath hitched. Her fingers tightened around her sleeve.

"You... idiot,"

She whispered.

But her voice trembled.

He blinked.

"You think I stayed with you because of a brand? Or because I didn’t have anywhere else to go?"

She stepped forward slowly, every word layered with heat and weight.

"I watched you turn this broken estate into a sanctuary. I saw you carry burdens that would’ve crushed anyone else—and still manage to make tea for us the next morning."

Alaric opened his mouth, but she stepped even closer.

"You want to know the truth?"

He nodded.

Aurevia lifted a hand. Slowly. Hesitantly.

She touched his cheek.

And then—

She kissed.

A single press of lips, light as breath, but filled with all the things she hadn’t said until now.

"I love you,"

She whispered, eyes glistening.

"Even before I understood what it meant to be free, I loved you."

Alaric didn’t move.

Then—

He exhaled, low and shaky. And pulled her into his arms.

No hesitation this time.

His lips found hers.

The kiss was deep. Full. Not rushed or wild—but grounding. Like something both of them had been reaching for in the dark, only now finding the shape of it.

Her hands clutched his shoulders. His fingers slid into her hair, cradling her like a vow unspoken.

They kissed beneath the moonlight, in a garden that had bloomed from ruin—just like them.

When they parted, breathless, she rested her forehead against his chest.

"You said I don’t belong to you,"

She murmured.

"But I do. I chose to. Again and again."

He smiled into her hair.

"And I choose you,"

He whispered.

"Every morning. Every storm. Every silence."

They stood like that for a while, swaying gently as the night wrapped around them like a quiet promise.

*****

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

✶ I Reincarnated as an Extra ✶

✧ in a Reverse Harem World ✧

⊱ Eternal_Void_ ⊰

✢═─༻༺═✢═─༻༺═✢

*****

The morning sun poured golden light across the Crydias Estate, gleaming off polished stone paths and flowering trellises.

The estate, once a symbol of faded nobility, now stood reborn in splendor—its courtyards brimming with life, its air laced with honeysuckle and the distant hush of fountains.

But amid the calm, something stirred.

Aurevia stood near the rose arbor, distant. Her gaze was unfocused, her fingers worrying the hem of her sleeve.

"You’re being weird,"

Cellione said flatly, biting into a chilled pear.

"She’s always a bit weird,"

Virellen mused.

"But today she’s fidgety. Look at her hands. She hasn’t lifted her sword once this morning."

Serineth observed silently, the way Aurevia’s cheeks glowed a shade too pink, how her eyes flickered every time the name ’Alaric’ was spoken.

Aurevia turned to leave, but Virellen stepped in front of her, eyes narrowing.

"Did something happen last night?"

Aurevia faltered.

"I... no, I mean—"

"Spill it,"

Cellione snapped, stepping forward.

"We’ve seen the way you’re acting."

The words rushed out before she could stop them.

"We kissed."

The courtyard fell deathly still.

Serineth blinked slowly. Cellione’s pear dropped to the stone path. Virellen’s lips parted—but no sound came.

Aurevia’s shoulders hunched.

"He... asked me something. I panicked. I kissed him. On the cheek. But then—he... he kissed me. For real."

Silence crashed like thunder.

"You kissed first?!"

Virellen shrieked.

"And he kissed back?!"

Cellione shouted.

"I didn’t mean to!"

Aurevia cried, flustered.

"It just—happened!"

The three turned on their heels and marched back into the estate, dragging her behind them.

***

The room was a sanctuary of shadow and silk, morning light filtered through gauzy curtains.

Alaric stood near the desk, his robes half-fastened, reading over parchment lined with auction figures.

He looked up calmly as they entered.

"Ah. A storm arrives."

"We know," Cellione snapped.

"Know what?"

"About you and Aurevia,"

Virellen growled.

"You kissed her."

Alaric’s gaze shifted to Aurevia, who had gone very still beside the doorway. A slow smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Did she tell you?"

"Not the point!"

Cellione hissed.

Virellen crossed her arms.

"We deserve an explanation."

"We’re not dolls you get to play with and shelve at will,"

Serineth added quietly.

Alaric stepped forward.

Each footfall was deliberate, slow, echoing through the silence. He stopped in front of Aurevia.

She looked up at him, startled.

"M–Master, not here—"

"Here is fine."

His hand cupped her cheek, warm and commanding. His lips met hers—not in haste, but in claim. The kiss was a quiet storm, slow, sensual, reverent.

Her breath caught. Her body arched into him.

Then he deepened the kiss.

One arm coiled around her waist, pulling her tight. His other hand slid down—boldly cupping the soft curve of her ass. He squeezed firmly.

Aurevia gasped into his mouth.

He didn’t stop.

His tongue brushed hers—exploring, coaxing, savoring. The kiss deepened into something raw, molten. His fingers pressed again against her ass, eliciting a muffled moan from her throat.

Her knees buckled. She clung to him.

When he finally pulled back, her face was a battlefield of crimson, breathless awe, and naked want.

Alaric licked his lips.

His gaze swept across the other girls, daring them to speak.

"You asked why I kissed her."

He looked over his shoulder at Aurevia again.

"That’s why."

He stepped back, letting her go. She stood there trembling, face burning.

"I–I need to go. I can’t..."

She whispered, and stumbled out the door, her embarrassment near tears.

The door clicked shut.

The others were stunned into silence.

Virellen, usually flippant, said nothing for a long moment. Her chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. Her thighs squeezed slightly as she shifted, visibly affected.

"You squeezed her ass,"

She finally said, voice rough.

Alaric turned to her, amused.

"I did."

"In front of us."

"Yes."

Cellione looked shocked.

"She moaned. I heard it. Gods."

"You looked like you enjoyed the show too much,"

Alaric said smoothly, eyes on Virellen.

She stiffened.

"What are you implying?"

He grinned.

"I always thought your teasing was just talk. Didn’t realize you wanted in on the game."

Virellen looked away, her voice softer.

"You never asked."

Serineth whispered,

"Is this how it always is... with someone you love?"

Alaric stepped forward again, gaze sweeping across them.

"You’re all below seventeen. You’re not ready."

Cellione’s voice cracked. "Why her, then?"

He met her eyes.

"Because she gave herself to me. Without fear."

He looked at them each, one by one.

"Besides, She will be eighteen by the end of this year. "

He shrugged and walked to the doorway, pausing just before leaving.

"And don’t worry, I lowered my standardby one year becauseof her. So you shouldbe grateful to her instead. "

He winked at them and then he stepped out.

The three stood frozen.

Virellen whispered, voice tight with restrained heat,

"I hate how much that turned me on."

Cellione groaned.

"We let her beat us to it."

Serineth blushed.

"I want that too. But only when I’m sure I won’t break."

"But wait! Didn’t he just say he lowered his standards by a year? Doesn’t that mean..."

Cellione slsqid with wide eyes.

"He is going to make moves on Aurevia. Dammit. This is give one more reason to wanting to grow up fast."

Virellen said.

"Same"

"Me too."

Cellione and Serineth agreed too. But they can do nothing about it because their perverted master finally let go of his morals and finally embraced his perverted self.

-To Be Continued