During the lunch break,
Inside Delphine’s office,
“Have you prepared for everything?” Delphine asked, her voice a mixture of authority and concern, echoing through the room.
“… Yes, More or less” Aether answered, though his eyes were fixated on the strange ice wall she had created between them. The cold barrier shimmered, He couldn’t help but ask, “D-Delphine, what is this?”
Delphine didn’t answer immediately. She had created a half-ice wall to separate herself from Aether, a deliberate move to maintain a boundary.
“Here,” Delphine said, tossing a small scroll towards him. He caught it effortlessly and unrolled it, finding intricate and mysterious symbols inscribed on it.
Delphine then explained, “Once you pour arcane energy into this spell scroll, you will be immediately teleported to the farthest safe distance. If you find yourself unable to handle a fight or are severely wounded, you can always escape.
I know you don’t have knowledge like others and you might not even gather one flag but it’s fine… I pretty sure the Principal just want to see your hard work nothing more…
There is no point in winning if you lose your life. Life is more important than some fleeting victory, got it? Even if you cannot enter, I will teach you secretly whenever possible” She spoke with a stern and serious face, but when she saw his gentle smile, her heart fluttered unexpectedly, sending a warm sensation through her chest.
[+200 Affection]
“W-What?” she asked, her voice betraying a hint of vulnerability.
“… Delphine really worried about me… ah?…. Super! So you wouldn’t mind even if I lose the game?” Aether asked, his smile broadening, his eyes twinkling with genuine happiness.
“W-Well, I would be a little sad, but as long as you’re alive, nothing else matters,” Delphine admitted, her voice softening.
“Though I love to have a secret lesson…. I am not gonna fall fail, I promise you!!” Aether said with a serious face.
“… Hmph, Better be!”
[+200 Affection]
“However, I want something to motivate me,” Aether said with a sly smile.
“S-Something?” Delphine’s face turned red.
“Yeah, something only you can motivate me…” Aether’s smile grew even more, his eyes locking onto hers. He reached out and touched the ice wall before him. Within seconds, the ice crumbled into the water, as if something had drained its energy, the cold barrier melting away under his touch.
Splash
Delphine was astonished. ‘He’s growing stronger so quickly…’ she thought, her heart beating faster. “S-Stop!” she commanded, her voice tinged with desperation.
He stepped closer, his hand reaching out to touch her cheek. The contact sent a shiver down her spine, a mix of coolness and warmth spreading through her skin, causing her to gasp softly.
“Delphine,” he said softly, his voice laced with an intimate undertone.
“Y-Yes?” she responded her voice barely above a whisper, her heart pounding in her chest.
“I would be happy if you gave me a kiss but I think you won’t so…” Aether mumbled, his eyes tender and filled with a deep, smouldering intensity. Then, leaning in, he kissed her cheek gently.
“~chu~”
The touch of his lips was both electrifying and soothing, igniting a fire within her that she couldn’t quite comprehend.
[+300 Affection]
“!!!” Delphine froze like a statue, her mind spinning, her body tingling from the unexpected kiss.
“You look beautiful when you’re flustered….” Aether muttered, Though he wanted to kiss her lips, he held back, knowing she was shy despite her outward demeanour.
‘So, baby steps,’ Aether thought, but he couldn’t resist…. As a man, he pinched her lips lightly with his fingers, feeling their softness, and kissed his own fingers, his gaze never leaving hers, “You taste sweet~” he murmured, his voice a low, seductive whisper.
Sensing her rising aura of anger and confusion, Aether immediately took off, escaping from her presence before she could react.
Thud
Delphine fell to the floor, her face beet red. All she could hear was her racing heart, and the blood pounding in her ears.
“T-That brat!!!” she gritted her teeth, a mix of anger and lingering desire coursing through her. She couldn’t believe she had let him take advantage of her again.
‘Why am I like this?!’ she screamed inwardly. She had never let a man touch her face, much less kiss her, and here she was, flustered and out of sorts because of a teenage boy. Her heart still beat wildly, a tumultuous mix of emotions swirling inside her.
“Shit!! This is all because of that damn ‘Image’!!” she shouted in frustration, her voice echoing in the now empty office.
Suddenly, she felt a wet sensation. Looking down, she saw water flowing across the floor, remnants of the ice wall Aether had melted. She was truly surprised that he had managed to melt her ice in mere seconds. But then…
“Hmm?” She frowned, staring at the water with growing confusion and shock.
‘T-There was no a-arcane energy…’ she realized. He hadn’t used arcane energy to form heat to melt it…. rather he sucked it!
_____________________________________
Meanwhile,
Inside the Palace of the Aquaris Naiadae Empire,
“That’s all about yesterday’s incident, Your Majesty,” Taylor reported, kneeling before Empress Marisandra Naiadia.
The Empress, reclining on her luxurious bed with a bored expression, glanced at the reports.
“So Kaelen was trying to kill someone with the help of an unidentified person… ah,” she mumbled, disinterested in the affairs of others as long as her daughter remained unharmed.
She then threw a small box at her maid, who swiftly caught it.
The Empress instructed, “That was really challenging for our Royal Magicians and craftsmen to create. Make sure Aether takes care of it and tell him he needs to pay for that…” A smirk played on her lips before her eyes fell on Taylor’s ears, noticing the small purple stud earring, ‘That was new…’ Empress thought.
“….” The Empress silently stared at her maid.
Taylor glanced at the Empress, wondering why she was being scrutinized so intently.
The Empress parted her lips to say something but shook her head and said, “I heard you asked for a spell scroll from the Royal Magician…. Personally”
“Y-Yes… B-But I paid him the full amount from my savings,” Taylor hurriedly explained.
“It’s not about whether you paid him or not….” The Empress’s eyes flared up, exerting a pressure that weighed heavily on Taylor, “You hid it from me. Why is that?”
“I-I… I….” Taylor clenched her teeth, struggling to withstand the pressure.
“This is the first time you’ve hidden something from me. Why is that…. Fallen Princess?” The Empress pressed harder, her gaze cold and unyielding.
“I-I am s-sorry… I-I wasn’t trying to hide,” Taylor managed to say, her voice strained under the weight of the Empress’s scrutiny.
The Empress’s cold eyes suddenly softened as she released the pressure and asked, “Then why?”
“I… I don’t know,” Taylor said, shaking her head.
“Don’t know?” The Empress frowned and moved to sit beside Taylor. Though Taylor hesitated, she eventually sat beside the Empress. The Empress softly asked, patting her head, “Tell me… Who gave you this?”
Taylor hesitated before answering, “I-it was from Aether.”
“I see….” The Empress nodded, noticing a small blush on Taylor’s cheek. It was more than enough for the Empress to understand what was happening, “Is your heart racing whenever he is with you?”
“…. Y-Yes,” Taylor admitted, her blush deepening.
“….Oh dear…” The Empress closed her eyes, remembering a cheeky brat, before sighing. Her expression then turned icy cold as she said, “Don’t forget, you have to kill whoever I point to… that might include him in the future.”
“….” Taylor flinched, taking a moment before nodding seriously and saying,
“Yes, I am always Her Majesty’s tool.”
“… Good”