Chapter 373: The Beginning Of The End [XXXV]

The next few weeks, Aestrea spent his time with Christina.

They went on dates and everything!

Just kidding… as he had promised, Aestrea used those weeks to strengthen his army, expand his influence, and stabilize every minor faction within reach.

Documents, negotiations, even military drills, he handled all of it with the same calm efficiency he pretended not to have.

Christina only watched with a mix of awe and guilt.

She had been doing all of this alone before?

He honestly didn’t know how she hadn’t collapsed yet.

And since Christina had been banned from the casino, thanks to her legendary cheating streak, it fell on Aestrea to go in her place.

He went with the intention to play fairly, truly, and sincerely.

He sat down, placed his bet, and even smiled at the dealer.

But when he saw three royal flushes appear on the table at the same time, something that was not just unlikely, but mathematically impossible…

Aestrea’s eye twitched.

And in the next moment, the casino was covered in flames.

Not metaphorically.

Literally.

People were screaming out misery, dying screams, and so, but Aestrea simply walked out, dragging bags of divine crystals like a casual shopper on discount day.

Unlike Christina, who kept quiet about other people’s cheating and only cheated in return, Aestrea found the entire setup insulting.

So he burned it down.

Fair.

And he ended up killing the boss of the casino while he was at it, accidentally earning the Authority of Greed.

Ahem.

Accidents happen.

Now, after an entire month of nonstop work, chaos, and questionable life choices, Aestrea was finally resting.

He lay on a soft, divine sofa, eyes half-closed, a relaxed breath slipping out.

“Ahh… this is so relaxing…” he muttered, melting into the cushions.

Christina stood behind him, giving him a massage with a focused, almost professional expression.

Her fingers dug skillfully into his shoulders, easing tension he didn’t even know he had.

“You worked way too much,” she said lightly, pressing on a spot that made him groan lightly. “If you didn’t take a break, I would’ve forced you.”

Aestrea simply chuckled lightly at her words.

“I wonder how you were able to deal with this kind of nonsense non-stop…”

Christina paused for only half a second before answering in a tone that carried a strangely shy warmth.

“Anything for you…”

He opened one eye, just enough to look back at her.

“Still… don’t overwork yourself again. I’d rather you not collapse one day.” Aestrea smiled faintly and closed his eye again.

“Hmn…” Christina hummed, her fingers trailing down his back as she continued the massage.

“I won’t collapse. I have you now, after all.”

“That doesn’t make me a life support system.” He snorted softly.

“No, but you make everything easier,” she whispered, leaning slightly closer to his ear, to the point of even blowing onto it.

Aestrea felt the sincerity in her words, but that little blow of air made his body shiver lightly, causing him to sigh lightly.

They chatted for a while about small things, complaints about paperwork, a few jokes, and light teasing about how Aestrea burned down an entire casino because he “didn’t like math that much”.

Everything felt peaceful.

Until Christina suddenly said, as casually as if she were mentioning the weather:

“By the way, I heard that the Goddess of Light is visiting the academy tomorrow… just before the end of the first semester.”

Aestrea’s entire body tensed instantly.

Christina instantly noticed, causing her hands to freeze on his shoulders.

“…Aestrea?” she asked slowly.

“Did something happen?”

He forced his muscles to relax, but the slight twitch in his fingers gave him away.

“Nothing serious,” he said too quickly.

“Just… remembering a few things.”

“A few things involving the Goddess of Light?” Christina narrowed her eyes.

Aestrea looked away, rubbing the side of his face as if that would help him hide his expression.

“…Maybe,” he muttered.

Truthfully, there was a reason.

A small one.

Well… “small” depending on perspective.

There was a tiny possibility the Goddess of Light was…

Just a little bit…

Obsessed with him.

“Haah…” Aestrea exhaled slowly, rubbing his neck as if the motion could soften what he was about to say.

“…It’s nothing dramatic,” he said, though both of them knew that whenever he said that, it was definitely dramatic.

“It’s just… something that happened back then. When your body was possessed.”

Christina’s hands stiffened instantly.

Aestrea continued, keeping his tone calm, almost detached.

“You remember… right? When the Goddess of Light descended through you.”

Christina swallowed, her expression tightening.

“I didn’t exactly have a choice but to fight her,” he muttered lightly, even though the memory held far more weight.

“Her Avatar was trying to erase everything around it. I had to kill it. So if she’s visiting tomorrow… she might be annoyed. That’s all.”

Christina’s face instantly darkened at his words.

It dropped as the floor had vanished beneath her… because she remembered that day vividly.

The day she had betrayed… Aestrea.

Her hands slipped from his shoulders, fingers trembling slightly.

“…I see,” she whispered.

Her gaze lowered, shame creeping slowly into her eyes.

Aestrea noticed this, but didn’t offer any comfort. He hadn’t… truly forgiven her yet, and wasn’t planning to until she made a bigger sacrifice.

He simply looked away, as if the entire subject was nothing more than a passing thought.

“I’m just saying,” he added casually, “if she seems hostile tomorrow, that’s probably why. Nothing for you to worry about.”

Christina’s fingers curled against her palms, and her shoulders sank just a little.

“I… understand.”

Aestrea leaned back again, letting the silence settle like a quiet barrier between them.

Christina bowed her head slightly, gathering herself before continuing his massage, but this time her touch was more hesitant, unsure, as if afraid she no longer had the right to touch him so casually.

She traced slow, careful circles along his shoulders, barely applying pressure, her hands trembling just faintly.

Aestrea let out a light groan of satisfaction when she pressed a good spot, but even then, the lack of confidence in her movements was impossible to ignore.

“…A little higher,” he murmured.

She obeyed immediately, but it felt like she was mechanically following orders.

Aestrea’s brows twitched slighly.

Another soft groan escaped him when her thumbs pressed into the tense muscles at the base of his neck, but despite the pleasure, something felt… off.

Wrong.

The Christina he knew had a gentle boldness in her touch.

Even when she was shy or excited, she put her feelings into everything she did.

Her massages were always quite grat, and Aestrea could easily feel her devotion, affection, sometimes even quiet longing.

But now?

It felt like fingers made of hesitation.

Like she was touching a delicate statue, and not the man she loved.

Like she thought she would break him by accident.

Aestrea gritted his teeth softly.

“Enough!”

Before she could shift to another spot, he reached up and suddenly grabbed her wrist. Christina froze, breath catching in her throat.

“A-Aestrea…?”

Without a word, he pulled her downward until her body leaned over him.Then, with one smooth motion, he guided her into his embrace.

“Kyaa!” Christina gasped, her hands instinctively bracing against his chest as she found herself pressed against him, their faces close, her heartbeat hammering against his ribs.

He looked up at her with a calm, unreadable expression, but his eyes were sharp.

“Stop acting like you’re afraid to touch me,” he murmured.

Her breath hitched.

His hand slid gently to the back of her waist, holding her in place, not harshly nor gently, but with a certainty that told her she wasn’t being pushed away.

“A-Aestrea…”

Her warm breath slammed against his nostrils, causing his lips to part open lightly as his gaze lowered to her delicate lips.

Aestrea tilted his head slightly, and then he kissed her without any hesitation.

“Mmn♡!”

The soft sound escaped her before she could stop it.

His lips pressed gently against hers at first. Almost instantly, Christina’s body reacted as her fingers curled into his shirt, pulling herself closer without even realizing it.

The hesitation in her hands melted almost instantly as her body remembered what her mind kept doubting.

“Mmnh…”

Her lips parted just a bit, responding to him, and Aestrea’s hand slid up her back, steady and confident, guiding her into a deeper kiss.

Their lips moved together softly at first.

Chu…

Mm…

Chu~

Just simple, gentle, warm pecks that made Christina melt into his hold.

Then his fingers lifted her chin slightly, and the kiss deepened.

“Ah, mmh…♡”

Christina let out a sweet, breathy sound as her body pressed closer, her earlier guilt replaced by a desperate need for warmth.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him in as she kissed back with growing boldness.

Their lips parted for a brief moment, letting a tiny string of breath between them.

And then, Christina leaned in again.

“Mm… Aestrea…”

Her whisper trembled as their mouths met once more, the sound of their kisses filling the quiet room with an intimacy that words couldn’t express.

Aestrea didn’t dominate the kiss nor let her drown in guilt, he simply matched her pace, letting her feel the solidity of his embrace.

It was just a reminder that she wasn’t unwanted. And though he hadn’t forgiven her completely…

He wasn’t exactly pushing her away.

Christina’s cheeks were completely red as she finally pulled back, lips slightly swollen, breath uneven.

“…Aestrea…” she whispered, her voice trembling lighly.

He brushed his thumb across her lower lip, which was still warm and wet from their kisses.

“Better,” he murmured in satisfaction.

Christina ducked her head, heart pounding so fast she thought it might burst.

Aestrea simply pushed her head to his chest as he looked at the ceiling.

“Nihih~”

Her occasional giggles made him laugh.

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