Helena walked back to her dorm room, her thoughts swirling with worry and guilt, especially about Aether.
Victor’s words still echo in her mind!
‘I mean… I lied to him! I told him I finished my exams and went home, but here I am, still struggling to even finish them,’ she thought, her face tightening in pain.
She let out a soft sigh.
The truth was, she didn’t want Aether to see her like this—weak, overwhelmed, and failing.
After all, she had already let him down once, miserably failing against Aqualina.
He had trusted her to save everyone, and she couldn’t deliver…. That failure still weighed heavily on her, and now, the idea of him seeing her flounder again was unbearable.
“Ugh… And now Fin is just making things worse!” she grumbled, irritation flashing across her face as she reached her door.
Helena opened it and stepped inside, her thoughts still jumbled. Without looking around, she closed the door behind her and began removing her clothes, dropping her scarf and shirt carelessly onto the floor. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t notice the figure lounging on her bed.
As she reached for her white innerwear,
“
Cough, cough.
“
Helena froze mid-motion, her body going rigid. Her heart raced as her instincts screamed to defend herself. Slowly, she turned toward the source of the sound, her eyes wide with alarm.
“A-Aether?” she whispered in disbelief.
Aether lay on her bed, his arms crossed behind his head, a mischievous grin on his face. He winked at her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Helena stared for a moment, and then her shock melted away. Before she realized it, she had launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
“Woah!” Aether exclaimed, his balance giving way as he fell back onto the bed with Helena on top of him.
For a few moments, she clung to him, burying her face in his chest as if he might vanish if she let go.
“Looks like someone missed me,” Aether said softly, his voice laced with amusement as he gently ruffled her hair.
“Hmm~” Helena nodded, her voice muffled against him. She felt safe in his arms as if all the burdens she carried had temporarily lifted.
…
But then, reality hit her, and her rational mind kicked in. She pulled back just enough to look at him, her expression shifting to surprise. “Wait a second! What are you doing here? And how did you even get into my dorm room?”
Before she could say more, Aether leaned in and pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh,” he murmured with a playful smirk. Then, without warning, he kissed her softly.
“~hmm~”
Helena’s eyes widened as her face turned crimson. She pushed him back with both hands, flustered. “W-What are you doing, you pervert?” she exclaimed, though she made no effort to move away from his embrace.
“Can’t I kiss my beloved?” Aether asked with an innocent smile, his voice warm and teasing.
Helena hesitated before smiling shyly. “O-Of course you can, but…” She paused, her expression turning serious. “You should warn me first! Otherwise…”
“Otherwise?” Aether leaned closer, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
Helena’s heart skipped a beat, her cheeks glowing pink. She puffed her cheeks and muttered shyly, “My heart might not be able to handle it!”
Aether chuckled, unable to resist her cuteness, and kissed her again, this time a little longer.
“Hmm~” Helena hummed softly before pulling back and placing her hands on his chest. She gave him a stern look. “Now tell me, how did you get in here?”
Aether sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to let it go. “Well,” he began, “I heard from a friend that someone was feeling lonely, so I rushed over to see for myself.”
He reached up to her neck. His fingers brushed against the tattoo there, and he rubbed it softly, his voice dropping to a tender tone. “I can feel it, Helena. Something’s bothering you.”
Helena’s expression darkened slightly, her shoulders slumping. “It’s fine, Aether. I’ll handle it,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aether shook his head. “Helena,” he said firmly, cupping her face with both hands. “You trust me, don’t you? There’s no need to hide anything between us.”
Helena’s lower lip trembled as tears welled up in her eyes. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.
“I-I’m scared something might happen to you,” she whispered, her voice shaky. And then, hesitantly, she told him everything—about Finnian’s threats, his obsessive behaviour, and her fears for Aether’s safety.
Aether listened quietly, his face unreadable as she poured out her heart.
When she finally finished, she looked up at him nervously, her voice trembling. “A-Are you disappointed in me again?”
Aether’s expression softened, and he shook his head firmly. “There’s no way I could ever be disappointed in you, Helena,” he said gently. “You’re trying your best, and that’s all that matters. Aqualina… That’s a different story, okay? You don’t need to keep punishing yourself over it.” He kissed her forehead softly, letting his lips linger for a moment.
Helena smiled weakly, her body relaxing as she rested her head against his chest. Despite the heavy feelings weighing on her heart, being with Aether made her feel like she wasn’t carrying them alone.
Just then—
Knock, knock
“Come in,” Helena called out instinctively, her voice slightly muffled but then…. Her eyes widened in panic as did Aether’s.
The door creaked open.
Thud!
“H-Hello?” Ashara stepped inside, balancing a stack of books in her hands. She blinked in confusion at the sight of Helena lying on the bed, the quilt pulled tightly over her. “Were you sleeping?” she asked, tilting her head.
“N-No—
HIK
—I mean, yes!” Helena stammered, glaring down at the quilt where Aether had just pinched her side. She felt his arm tighten possessively around her waist under the covers, and her heart raced so fast she swore it might explode.
She was already in underwear and much more Aether was hugging her body directly… which was something dangerous to her heart!!
Ashara raised a brow, her frown deepening. “Should I come back later?” with an awkward and sad face.
Helena, remembering her promise and she didn’t want to lie to her new friend, shook her head vigorously, “No! There’s no need. We can—
HIK
—study together!” she blurted out, her face flaming.
Aether sighed audibly under the quilt, ‘Come on, Helena. At least try to lie better in situations like this.’
Helena was not very good at lying!
But then looking at her soft thick body that matured a lot after the summit, he couldn’t keep his lips away.
Helena’s eyes widened when she felt a soft sensation in her stomach.
Ashara gave a small smile and stepped further into the room, her eyes wandering across its sparse interior. “Your room’s so… empty,” she observed softly, setting the books on the desk.
Helena chuckled awkwardly. “The temple doesn’t give me much money, so there’s not a lot here. If you want, we could go study in your roo—”
“NO!” Ashara interrupted sharply, her tone so direct that Helena froze. “Anything but that!”
“Okay,” Helena mumbled, hastily nodding. They settled into a makeshift study session—on the bed, of course, since Helena stubbornly refused to get up.
Helena started to tremble her cheeks turning red when Aether played on her belly button.
But after a few minutes, Ashara couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Why are we studying on the bed?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“I am hiding some—uh—
HIK
—I just like reading here,” Helena stammered, her face growing impossibly red. She felt Aether’s fingers brush against her hip under the quilt, sending an involuntary shiver up her spine.
Aether slowly moved to the core but then,
/What are you
doing,
Aether?!/ she shouted telepathically.
Aether’s voice purred back in her mind, /Teaching someone how to lie convincingly./ His hand slid on her thigh, and she could feel his sly grin without even looking.
“W-WAIT!” Helena yelped suddenly, sitting up and nearly tossing the quilt.
Ashara flinched. “What’s wrong?”
Helena’s mind scrambled for an excuse, “I-I forgot to get water before we started studying. C-Could you grab some for me? It’s in the kitchen… Please?”
Ashara frowned, suspicious but saying nothing, “Alright,” she said reluctantly, heading to the kitchen.
As she walked out, she glanced at the darkening sky and smirked to herself. Her eyes flickered momentarily with something unreadable.
Back in the bed, Helena threw the quilt aside and glared at Aether, who was still lounging with an infuriatingly innocent expression. “What are you doing?!” she hissed, her cheeks blazing red.
“Didn’t I tell you?” Aether replied, leaning forward with a wicked grin. “I’m teaching you to lie.” He kissed her abdomen softly, his warm breath tickling her skin.
Helena’s toes curled involuntarily as memories of their previous touches flooded back. Her voice turned shaky, “A-Aether… Ashara is here, and I really need to study! P-Pretty please~”
That fateful night she really felt this same kind of feelings…. the same hotness that pooled on her core.
Aether’s grin widened at her pleading tone. ‘Oh, dear, she’s stroking my ego even more.’ he glanced at her bra he could visibly see her nipple turning hard and even more her underwear slightly stained.
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a teasing whisper, “Then let me lick it~”
“L-Lick? Lick what?” Helena’s brows furrowed in confusion when his eyes motioned to stain on her white underwear.
Her entire face, neck, ear…. everything turned crimson, “Y-YOU—”
Before she could finish,
“Ahem.”
Helena froze and quickly yanked the quilt back over her, barely managing to cover Aether. She peeked out to see Ashara holding a water bottle.
“T-Thank you,” Helena stammered, reaching for the bottle. But her hand paused as her eyes widened.
Ashara looked…
big
.
“Hmm?” Ashara tilted her head. “Is something wrong?” Discover hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire
“N-Nothing. It’s just… you lo—” Helena began but didn’t finish as the water bottle suddenly tipped over.
Splash, splash!
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Ashara exclaimed, her tone dripping with exaggerated shock. Helena gasped as the water drenched her and part of the quilt.
“Here, let me help!” Ashara said quickly, reaching for the quilt.
Helena’s eyes widened in panic, “T-There’s no need for that!” she said hastily, gripping the quilt with all her strength.
Ashara tugged harder. “But the water will soak in! We need to dry it fast!”
Helena’s face flushed an even deeper red. “D-Don’t worry about the water… I-I like it spreading on my bed!” she blurted out in a panic.
Ashara froze, staring at Helena with an amused expression.
‘Does she even realize what that sounds like?’
she thought, barely suppressing her laughter.
Then, with a mischievous glint in her eye, Ashara said, “Oh, look! It’s Finnian!”
“Wait, what?! How did he….!!”” Helena instinctively turned to look behind her, only to find the room space.
“There is no one here….” When she whipped her head back around, she froze.
Ashara’s expression had shifted to one of shock. She was staring at Aether!! The quilt was already in her hands.
Helena let out a nervous laugh, her voice trembling. “Ha-haha… I-It’s Aether….. S-Surprise..Hah-aha…ha”
Ashara’s expression didn’t change.
Seeing Ashara was not buying it, Helena crouched down, burying her face in her hands. “I-I can’t believe this…” she mumbled, mortified.