Chapter 566: Anomalies..

“Uhm… Alice, I think you’re misunderstanding something. It’s not that I forgot about you, it’s just that—”

“Just what?”

…Shit.

My mind went blank. I couldn’t come up with the right words to ease her. I’d gotten so used to the girls being in harmony—so used to their strange unity—that I assumed Alice wouldn’t really get mad at me over these little things.

I thought she’d just brush it off with her usual laugh.

But right now?

The look in her eyes told me she wanted something more.

What should I even tell her?

I shook my head, forcing myself to look at her.

They say the best way to handle problems like this is honesty.

A happy Alice equals a happy me.

“Well… honestly, I just thought everything between us had become so natural that I didn’t need to think twice. It’s not that I forgot about you, Alice. I just assumed you were fine with the others being around me more often. After all, you all see each other as sisters now. And also… I did miss you. Every single day. But considering how busy you were, I didn’t want to add to your stress. So I kept my distance instead of bothering you with my selfishness. Sorry.”

Alice blinked, caught off guard.

For a moment, she just stared at me, lips parting like she wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.

Then, with a small grumble under her breath, she puffed up her cheeks and sighed.

“…I-It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize.”

Her voice wavered, but she kept it steady enough to pretend otherwise.

“I’m not exactly mad. And you’re right—the other girls, they’re my sisters now. We agreed to share you, to hold equal love and equal time. That much is a given.”

She shifted her gaze away, her tone softening, the edges of her irritation fading into something far more delicate.

“But Riley…” Her crimson eyes flicked back to mine, shimmering faintly. “You’ve never been a source of stress to me. You’ve never been a bother. So at least… at least come and bother me during my research once in a while.”

How adorable…

I couldn’t help but smile lightly. “Alright then, I’ll freely bother you as much as I want.”

Her eyes instantly lit up, shining like she’d just won a prize.

“Yes! Although I’m not exactly jealous of the other girls, it’s unfair that they get most of your free time. You know I also need my daily dose of Riley~. Ah, and also… please visit me in my research room around ten in the morning or one in the afternoon. That’s usually when Lorraine drops off extra reference material for us to analyze. Ehehe~”

I narrowed my eyes at her suspiciously.

Was she seriously scheduling me like some sort of research break toy?

Knowing Alice, she was absolutely planning to use my presence as an excuse to slack off.

Still, I sighed quietly to myself.

No need to point that out. If that made her happy, then so be it.

“Now then…” Alice suddenly leaned forward, her eyes sharpening into that familiar mischievous gleam. “Let’s ask the other important question.”

My brows furrowed. “There’s more bothering you?”

“Hehe~ Riley… while I wasn’t around, be honest with me…” Her tone grew dangerously playful, like a cat cornering its prey. “Have you been doing it with them?”

“….”

Her lips curved upward. “Hmm? Why are you so quiet all of a sudden? Last bit of news I heard from a trusted source was that you’ve been going around trying to impregnate Seo all night.”

I nearly choked. “That’s a lie! You know how the rumors around me spread… And although Seo does sleep on my bed and gets… well, overly physical sometimes, I haven’t touched her yet.”

Alice tilted her head. “Yet?”

I froze, realizing I’d said too much. “…”

She sighed dramatically, placing her hands on her hips.

“Oh well. I suppose it was only a matter of time. I know your relationship with Seo would eventually lead to this point, so I’m not exactly surprised. I guess I should start considering her a fellow sister as well. She is a cute and honest junior, so I’ll allow it. But…”

She leaned closer, poking me lightly on the chest.

“A certain heads-up would’ve prepared me much better, you know?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, muttering, “I did inform Cheshire about it…”

Alice blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “I see…”

Inwardly, I groaned. So, Cheshire never told her, huh… that damn whimsical cat.

“So what about my other sisters~?” Alice leaned in, her eyes narrowing in mischievous curiosity. “Did you do anything with them while I wasn’t around?”

I sighed inwardly, already feeling the pit of danger beneath me.

If I lied, she’d know.

If I told the truth, she might explode.

Either way, I was walking on thin ice. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to answer.

“Well… in the mornings… Rose sometimes asks me to, well… wreck her throat. And Snow often times—”

I froze mid-sentence, realizing immediately I was about to step straight into a death trap.

“Wreck her throat?”

Alice blinked, tilting her head in confusion, until the meaning clicked. A pink blush lit up her face, climbing all the way to her ears.

“O-Oh…”

She got quiet for a moment, fidgeting slightly before snapping her gaze back at me, cheeks puffed up in defiance.

“Then w-wreck mine as well!!!”

…What?

“…..”

“W-WHAT?!” She stomped her foot lightly, eyes glistening with stubbornness. “I-I’ll have you know I was your first in everything! I’m sure I can do it better than her!”

Although the sudden boldness in her voice almost made me laugh, there was no mistaking it—this side of Alice was both unbearably cute and ridiculously dangerous.

She’d grown bolder recently, saying things without hesitation, maybe testing me… or maybe testing herself.

I didn’t answer her right away. Instead, I stepped forward silently, watching as her crimson eyes widened.

“H-Huh? W-wait, wha—ah!”

I leaned in and gently bit her earlobe.

A soft, sharp shriek slipped from her lips, her body trembling from the sensation.

“R-Riley! What are you doing?!” she shouted, but the hands she pressed against my chest were weak, trembling, not really pushing me away.

Her skin was as warm and soft as ever, carrying that sweet familiar scent that made it impossible not to get drawn in.

I let go of her ear, only to trail my lips down to her neck.

A warm kiss lingered there, and she flinched, her voice breaking into a stifled moan.

“W-Wait—hnn~”

I pressed down on her shoulders gently, guiding her back just enough to make her shiver, before marking her neck with a wet smack.

A faint red mark blossomed on her pale skin, proof of my mischief.

When I pulled away, a thin trail of heat lingered between my lips and her skin.

Alice stood frozen, trembling lightly, her face flushed as crimson as her eyes.

She looked at me directly as her face got brighter.

If there was one thing I realized about Alice, it was that she was surprisingly weak on defense when it came to this sort of thing.

She trembled lightly, her fingers brushing up to cover the mark I had just left, her cheeks glowing crimson.

Her hand lingered over the faint red spot right below her neck, nestled in between her collarbones, as though shielding it from view.

“Why did you do that?” she asked, her voice quiet, almost a whisper.

“To give you an estimate,” I replied casually.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Estimate?”

“Rose always asks me to go even deeper than that…”

“…….”

Silence fell between us.

Alice froze, her crimson eyes widening slightly as she slowly began to process my words. Then, when it clicked, she stiffened, staring at me like she wasn’t sure whether to hit me or hide her face.

“M-Maybe… after I get a bit of practice… we can do it,” she muttered, her voice nearly breaking.

I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant by “practice,” but if that was what she wanted, then I wasn’t going to deny her.

Satisfied, I smiled lightly and nodded.

“Alright.”

Alice pouted faintly, though her fingers still lingered at her neck, tracing the warmth I had left there.

She seemed lost in her own thoughts, as if weighing something against herself.

I sighed. I had a feeling this conversation would come back to bite me one day.

“Since you’re free now, Alice,” I said, changing the subject, “what about training with me for a short while?”

She blinked, her head tilting slightly before she answered, “Well, I don’t mind, but… are we going to use our authorities?”

“If possible, no. But my authorities will probably come out unconsciously, so… just try to stop me with all you’ve got if it happens. For now, I’m going to go all physical. You can go all out if you want.”

“Okay then~!” she said cheerfully, as though the earlier tension had never happened.

Alice clapped her hands together, and in that instant her entire presence shifted.

Her pink hair deepened into a striking red, and her golden eyes gleamed into an intense crimson.

Above her head, threads of light coalesced, forming into a glowing crimson laurel crown.

I had told her to go all out, but this…

Her final form, right from the start?

The moment her transformation settled, an oppressive weight pressed down on me, dense and suffocating like the air itself had been thickened a hundredfold.

My body registered it instinctively, my blood humming at the pressure.

I couldn’t help but smile.

Now, feeling pressure like this was a luxury in my new body.

….

“…..!”

“Lu—”

“Lucas!”

Startled by the sudden call of his name, Lucas’s eyes widened as though waking from a dream.

His mind snapped back to the present, his focus sharpening just enough to register the familiar face in front of him.

Janica had stepped closer, her brows furrowed in concern as her hand reached up to touch his forehead.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick, perhaps?”

“No…” Lucas gently lifted her hand away. “I’m fine. I was just… in deep thought, that’s all.”

“Deep thoughts?” Janica repeated, her tone doubtful.

“Haha…”

The truth was stranger than anything he could admit aloud. It wasn’t deep thought—it was closer to blankness.

He’d been drifting into these states more and more often lately, moments where he was certain he was thinking of something, but when he tried to hold on to the memory, there was nothing there.

A void. Like the thought had never existed.

Yet, buried in that emptiness, he felt one thing clear: whatever it was he had forgotten, it was dangerous. And he had to stop it.

Janica wasn’t convinced. She tilted her head slightly, lips pressing into a thin line.

“You’re a training enthusiast, so getting sick is probably the least of my worries when it comes to you. But…” her eyes narrowed, “you’ve been acting really weird these past couple of days, you know.”

Lucas forced a small smile, trying to ease her worry. “Sorry for making you worry. But really, I’m fine.”

Janica still looked at him doubtfully, but before she could reply, Lucas felt a sudden pinch on his chin. His head was pulled sideways, his gaze redirected.

He blinked.

“Hm. Nothing seems wrong with your body,” Evelyn murmured, her fingers lingering against his face as her crimson eyes studied him closely. “Maybe it’s something mental? Or magical?”

“No… nothing at all, Evelyn…” Lucas’s voice trailed faintly, his expression dazed under her direct gaze.

Smack!

The hand on his chin was slapped away in an instant.

“Was grabbing his face necessary?” Janica snapped, glaring at Evelyn.

“Fufu~ I just wanted to see his expression up close,” Evelyn replied with a playful smile, clearly unbothered.

“Yeah, right…” Janica muttered under her breath, her tone sharper than she probably intended.

Lucas gave a nervous chuckle, caught between the two of them as their eyes locked, silent sparks of tension crackling in the air.

’I wonder how Riley handle situations like this……’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep