rustle
H-Huh...?
rustle
GASP!
Before I knew it, daytime had already arrived, and not just that, but I was lying next to Evelina, her body neatly covered by the sheets.
"What happened...?"
I felt a pang of pain spike through my head, the effects of both the succubus’s energy and the heat of the moment from last night overwhelming my mind completely.
To my disappointment...
I had no recollection of last night.
I stood up from the bed and checked myself in front of her mirror, seeing a bitemark just on my shoulder, easily covered by the academy uniform.
Even if my head was fuzzy, the events that transpired last night were obvious.
"Dammit..."
I laughed, leaning over a desk as I ran a hand through my hair.
Disappointment...
A feeling I would have never expected to come from me, especially after being so close to her.
Being unable to remember what could have been the best time of my life?
Of course, I would be disappointed.
And here I thought just being close to her would be enough, letting the implication do all the work, but... words and promises are nothing when you experience the real thing.
"What a joke."
I opened the curtains to take a look outside, trying to clear my mind of things, but it was impossible.
How could I forget such a night? Was my mental resilience really that weak that I allowed myself to get overwhelmed?
"Cael...?"
Evelina muttered, sitting up and stretching on the bed like a cat, and just like mine, also had a bite on her shoulder.
"You look distressed."
"You’re not wrong."
She stood up from the bed, hugging me from behind, resting her chin on my shoulder.
"Let me guess, you didn’t remember a single thing, didn’t you?"
"How could you—"
"I’m the one with the succubus, remember?"
Evelina laughed, already heading to her wardrobe and grabbing a towel to get ready for another school day.
Her tone and approach were different from yesterday; she was back to being the classic villainess she always had been, just with a slight difference.
"But don’t worry about it too much, if it makes you feel any better, I guess you could call us official..."
"Really!?"
I turned around far too fast, my heart skipping a beat.
Evelina paused mid-step, towel draped over her shoulder, giving me an amused sideways glance.
"Don’t look so shocked," she said. "You already acted like we were halfway there anyway."
"That’s not what I meant," I replied quickly. "I just... didn’t expect you to say it so casually."
She smirked. "Casual?"
She stepped closer, lifting her hand and tapping the bite mark on my shoulder with a single finger.
"You call that casual?"
"...Point taken."
She laughed softly, a sound far less sharp than usual, then leaned against the desk beside me.
"For the record," she continued, "you didn’t ’black out’ because you’re weak. I was your partner after all, I’m sure you’re aware how susceptible you are to magic that came from me."
That... actually helped, even if I knew it already, but having her say it outright to me was comforting.
"So you remember everything?" I asked.
Her expression flickered, just for a moment.
"Enough," she answered. "More than you do."
She turned away again, heading to her bathroom this time.
"We’ll have to be careful going forward," Evelina said, her tone shifting into something more pragmatic. "This new... dynamic, it’ll attract attention. Dangerous attention."
"From the faculty?"
"From everyone, including my family."
She glanced over her shoulder, eyes sharp again, the familiar calculating glint back in place, yet it didn’t erase what lingered underneath.
"But," she added, "I don’t regret it."
That single sentence hit harder than anything else she could have said.
I exhaled slowly. "So... what does ’official’ mean to you?"
She hummed, pretending to think while pulling on her uniform.
"It means," she said at last, "that you’re mine."
Then, after a beat.
"And I’m not opposed to being yours."
She chuckled, fully composed now, every trace of vulnerability tucked neatly away.
"At the academy, we behave as usual," Evelina continued. "No public displays, no unnecessary risks. You’re still my... servant."
"Servant, like always then," I repeated dryly.
She smiled. "Privately, however..."
She approached me one last time before fully heading to her bathroom, stopping just long enough to brush her fingers against my wrist.
"...we’ll see."
A knock suddenly echoed from the door.
"Lady Evelina?" a maid’s voice called, bearing a message from her household. "Your father wants to have a word with you."
Evelina straightened instantly.
"Tell him to meet me at the academy lounge."
She looked back at me one last time, eyes lingering far longer than necessary.
"Now teleport back to your room," she said. "Before my father suspects anything’s up, it’s far too early for you to meet him."
"Got it."
SNAP!
[Profaned Step]
"You’ve done it now, Evelina..." She laughed nervously, entering her bathroom.
***
The familiar pull of warped space twisted around me, and the world inverted for a brief second.
Then I was back in my own dorm room.
Silence.
Morning light filtered in through the window, far less warm than the one I’d just left behind. My bed was untouched. Cold. Empty.
I sat down slowly, exhaling.
"So... that really happened."
I touched my shoulder again, fingers brushing over the faint mark beneath the fabric. It still tingled, like a reminder etched into my skin rather than a wound.
Official.
The word echoed in my head far louder than it should have.
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling.
Being Evelina’s ’servant’ was interesting enough. Being something more, something private, was a whole different kind of risk.
And judging by that knock on her door...
That risk was about to come soon.
But... hopefully won’t be much of a problem if I played my cards correctly, and god knows I have a truckload of them in hand.
"Business for today? Attend classes, fix my physique, and achieve another breakthrough."
With that date done, well... it’s back to the usual, gaining power and making sure I’m prepared for any future events.