Capítulo 376: The Beginning Of The End [XXXVIII]

Finally… after what felt like an eternity, Aestrea’s name was called.

The crowd shifted, heads turning, and Kael instantly slapped both hands onto Aestrea’s shoulders.

“GO GET HER, KING!” Kael shouted, loud enough for half the students to hear.

“Why are you yelling!?” Aestrea choked.

“Yeah. Good luck. Try not to die.” Tyrian sighed, but still patted his back firmly.

Kael nodded seriously… or as seriously as Kael could be.

“And hey, if she tries anything funny, just go for it, bro. TAKE HER BODY!”

Aestrea nearly tripped on air.

Students turned to stare at their strange interaction.

Aestrea glared back at his two “friends.”

“…Shut up.”

“We’re rooting for you!”Kael grinned wickedly.

“We believe in your survival instincts, at least,” Tyrian added.

Aestrea dragged a hand down his face.

“Why do I even hang out with both of you…”

“Because we’re the only sane ones here.” Kael puffed out his chest like he was proud.

“…You mean insane.” Tyrian blinked.

“Same thing., Kael waved dismissively.

“You do realize… It’s a simple discussion about my future, right?”

Neither of them replied to him and instead stared deeply into his eyes.

Aestrea sighed, rubbing his temples, but before he could escape, Kael grabbed his arm again.

“Oh, and if she tries to recruit you, seduce you, adopt you, marry you, or stab you, call us.”

“Right. I’ll send a signal flare,” Aestrea gave up treating them as normal and nodded dryly.

“May the gods protect you,” Tyrian gave him a thumbs-up.

“Especially the obsessed ones!” Kael added with a grin.

Aestrea inhaled sharply.

Then exhaled through his teeth.

Then forcibly pried Kael’s hand off his arm and started walking toward the private chamber where the Goddess of Light waited.

Behind him, the two idiots cupped their hands over their mouths and shouted:

“GO GET ‘EMMMMM!”

“DON’T LET HER KIDNAP YOU WITHOUT A FIGHT!”

Aestrea pretended he didn’t hear a thing.

He reached the door of the private chamber and twisted the doorknob before entering the place.

“…”

And the moment he stepped inside, he froze almost instantly.

His eyes widened so sharply it felt like his soul tried to escape through them.

“T-this…”

This wasn’t a normal private chamber to have a one-on-one session!

The entire room was decorated like something pulled straight out of an ancient wuxia wedding ceremony!

Soft, warm lanterns hung from the ceiling, covered in delicate red silk that glowed gently like embers floating in a quiet night.

The floor was carpeted in vibrant red, embroidered with golden phoenixes and dragons dancing in entwined patterns, symbolizing union and fate.

The air smelled faintly of incense and sweet lotus, drifting like a whisper of seduction.

Silk curtains draped from above, creating a hazy romantic mist that softened every corner of the room.

The windows were covered with red cloth, allowing only dim, intimate lighting to seep through.

A large round table sat on the side, covered with traditional red candles—each one lit.

And in the center of it all…

The wedding bed.

Covered in layers of luxurious crimson fabric, embroidered with golden threads that shimmered like they were alive.

A pillow sat at each end, and atop the sheets, stood a woman…

Olivia.

The Goddess of Light.

She sat gracefully on the bed, her posture perfectly straight yet undeniably alluring.

She wore a crimson bridal dress that wrapped around her divine figure with a softness that looked almost unreal.

Her hands rested gently on her lap, fingers delicate, almost shy.

And over her head…

A thin red veil, the kind meant to be lifted by the groom.

…By him.

Aestrea’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.

‘…Should I really send a signal to them?’

Their words from before sounded dumb, but right now… maybe they were right about him needing to send a signal for help.

Slowly, the Goddess turned her veiled head toward him, her voice soft and melodious, too calm given the situation, like she had been expecting this for centuries.

“You’re finally here, Aestrea.”

He blinked rapidly, taking an involuntary step back toward the door he had just closed.

“…Olivia, what… is this?”

The scent of the candles, the warm glow, the soft red fabrics gently swaying with the faint breeze, all wrapped around him like a net he couldn’t break free from.

Olivia didn’t stand as she didn’t need to.

She simply raised a hand slightly, invitingly, as if beckoning him into destiny itself.

“This is the place where you and I will speak… privately,” she smiled softly.

Aestrea frowned deeply.

He cautiously stepped deeper into the room, choosing, out of sheer survival instinct, to sit at the small round table covered in red candles rather than anywhere near the absurdly extravagant wedding bed.

Olivia’s veiled head tilted ever so slightly, and even without seeing her face, he could feel the faint sting of disappointment radiating from her.

As if his choice of seating had wounded her pride.

His jaw tightened.

Of all the insane things he had faced… demons, divine beings, gods with unstable personalities…

A surprise wedding chamber from the Goddess of Light herself was not on the list.

‘Of everything that I thought that would happen… this… I really didn’t expect.’

His lips twitched lightly, both annoyed and confused.

“Seriously…”

His voice turned much colder than normal.

“What is this?!”

His tone echoed through the silk-draped room, bouncing lightly against the red-veiled windows.

Olivia didn’t respond right away.

She simply sat there on the wedding bed, still as a painting come to life.

The red veil slightly obscured her features, but he could see the faint outline of her lips pressing together, as if she was trying to control something, whether that was irritation or perhaps an eagerness she didn’t want to reveal too quickly.

The silence stretched.

“Olivia?”

Finally… she spoke.

“…I don’t know why you’re acting so dumb.”

Her voice changed a little, turning a little colder with a hint of authority.

Then, in a tone of unmistakable certainty, she continued:

“This is clearly our wedding room.”

Aestrea sighed deeply at his words.

He rubbed his temples before speaking in the most straightforward voice he could muster.

“Listen, Olivia… I don’t like you.”

The words were blunt, but Olivia’s expression didn’t change at all.

In fact, her response came so quickly, so casually, it was as though she had rehearsed this exact moment.

“I know,” she replied lightly.

“But you will.”

BOOOOOOM!!

A sudden surge of divine pressure erupted around them, shaking the air itself.

The red candles tilted, flames dancing wildly.

The silk curtains trembled like leaves caught in a storm.

Aestrea narrowed his eyes, though he remained seated, unmoved. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the pressure dissipated, melting into a tranquil silence.

“Even if I need to force you…”

Aestrea’s expression didn’t change much, but he slowly shifted his posture, letting a faint flicker of feigned curiosity enter his gaze.

He tilted his head.

“…Why? If anything, I thought you’d want to kill me.”

He let a slight smirk tug at his lips.

“After all… I kind of raped your avatar, destroyed your ‘purity,’ and you’re the Goddess of Light and Purity.”

The words stabbed straight at the core of what she represented, something that should have made her furious, humiliated, or at least shaken.

However… Olivia smiled instead.

In his eyes… that smile gave him a deep sense of déjà vu.

“That’s exactly why, Aestrea…”

She slowly rose from the wedding bed.

Her movements were fluid, deliberate, every step with divine grace as she approached him. The faint rustle of her red bridal dress filled the air, the scent of lotus following her like a whisper.

Aestrea blinked.

“Huh?”

Olivia stopped before him, lowering her veil-covered gaze until her delicate hands gently rested on his shoulders.

Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper.

“Because you took my purity… I would lose my status as the Goddess of Light.”

She leaned closer, so close he could feel her breath through the veil.

“But if it’s my husband who took it…”

Her lips curved, faint and tender.

“…Then it’s fine. Right?”

Without waiting for his answer, Olivia slowly, elegantly lowered herself onto his lap.

Her bridal dress pooled around him like a crimson river. Her fingers curled lightly on his shoulders, anchoring herself to him.

Through the thin veil, her eyes glowed with a mixture of longing, obsession, and an almost frightening certainty.

Her smile deepened.

“Aestrea… this fate is already decided.”

“So, now…”

Her breath ghosted across his cheek.

“…lift up my veil.”

The candles flickered as though the world itself held its breath.

Aestrea froze slighly.

‘…Honestly, although I was deeply sure that doing this would be fine… why do I have a bad feeling about this?’

Noticing his hesitation, she tilted her head ever so slightly, the red fabric brushing his chin.

“Aestrea,” she whispered, her voice was velvet-smooth and frighteningly patient.

“This is your right as my husband.”

Her fingers tightened just a little on his shoulders, enough to feel, not enough to restrain.

“Go on,” she breathed.

“Lift it… and look at the face that now belongs only to you.”

Her tone was sweet.

Her aura was suffocating.

The entire wedding chamber seemed to lean in, the candles bending toward them, curtains shivering, the faint perfume in the air growing thicker.

And Olivia patiently waited… for Aestrea to lift the veil.

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