Chapter 123: I Came to Confess…
Aureve stood on the edge of the field, the sun catching every sinful inch of the dress she'd dared to wear today, no longer the modest noblewoman draped in elegant silks, but a woman wrapped in temptation. The crimson fabric clung to her like it had been sewn directly onto her skin, molded to trace every curve of her body with worshipful precision. The sides of the dress were scandalously cut open from thigh to waist, revealing the soft, creamy lines of her hips with every subtle sway of her body. Thin golden chains ran across the open sides, glinting faintly, doing nothing to cover her, but everything to draw the eye.
The bodice was tight, shaped like it was crafted by a succubus tailor, lifting her breasts and squeezing them together until her cleavage became the centerpiece of the dress, heavy and full, barely contained by the thin strip of fabric that struggled to hold it all in place. The neckline plunged so deep it was practically an invitation, the edge resting just above her nipples, as if the slightest wrong move would let them spill free.
And the length… wow, the length was a joke. The back dipped lower than decency allowed, just barely covering the bottom curve of her ass, each step making the hem bounce and ride up over that round, perfectly shaped flesh, threatening to expose her completely. The dress left her legs long and bare, her thighs glowing in the sun, and each movement made the fabric flutter around her like it had a mind of its own, one that wanted every eye locked on her.
She wore it shamelessly, confidently, like she knew exactly what effect it had on anyone watching—especially Sylvaris. And the way her golden eyes followed him now, locked onto the flex of his back, the glisten of sweat sliding down his chest, the way his muscles moved beneath skin, it wasn't just admiration in her gaze.
It was hunger.
"Auntie, I don't think we've met before, have we?" Faylira's voice was sweet, far too sweet for the fire dancing behind her emerald eyes. She finally made her move, stepping forward with the grace of a fox who already smelled blood, and while her tone stayed polite, the intent behind it was anything but innocent.
She was going to find out exactly who this woman was, how she was related to Sylvaris, and more importantly, why she'd go out of her way to cheat on her husband with her own stepson. The memory flickered in her mind, sharp and unwelcome, Aureve, back in the royal manor, when Sylvaris had swept her away from Arathor, claiming he needed to treat her wounds. Yeah… right, she thought, her gaze sliding down the woman's barely-there dress, curves on full display, every inch of skin screaming for attention. Faylira didn't need to ask what kind of wounds he was treating.
And today, Aureve's outfit was the answer to all unspoken questions. It screamed it.
Her gaze, which had been lost in a dreamy haze as she watched Sylvaris, snapped back into sharp reality the moment the fox girl's voice pierced the air. Faylira's question struck harder than it should have, and for a brief moment, Aureve's composure cracked, her cheeks flushed with sudden color, warmth rising uninvited, but she caught herself just in time, masking it beneath a veil of practiced indifference.
She wasn't ready for this. Not yet. She wasn't ready to face the women that Sylvaris owned, the ones who already claimed their places beside him. And what she didn't know, couldn't yet grasp, was just how much everything was about to change. Not just her life. Not just Sylvaris's. But everyone's. And it would all begin in the span of one week.
"Ah, yes, nice to meet you. I'm the second wife of the family head, Aureve Saelithorn. Pleased to meet you." Her voice was calm, composed, laced with distant nobility as her lips curved into a faint, polite smile, but her eyes betrayed her. Despite the indifferent mask she wore, her gaze kept drifting toward Sylvaris, stealing glances like a woman trying not to fall again. She couldn't help it.
Something in her had shifted. Ever since yesterday… ever since he took her, the pain she'd carried for so long, the shame, the regrets, the weight of a life spent buried beneath duties she never asked for, had been lifted, if only slightly. It couldn't be a coincidence. That strange, aching freedom that stirred in her chest could only be traced back to him. And that was why she came today. Not just to see him. But to try and understand the feelings she couldn't yet name.
"Come, sit with us~" Faylira said, her tone playful but unmistakably sharp. "Sylvaris is in the middle of training and can't chat privately with you… hehe." Her smile was a dagger wrapped in fluff, and without waiting for a response, she wrapped her arms around Aureve's bare one, dragging her toward the shaded seats where the rest of the harem was gathered. Her hands lingered on the exposed skin with just enough pressure to make her point. She wasn't just welcoming her—she was staking her territory.
"Stepmother?" Lurevia's voice cut in, her brow furrowed with visible confusion. Sylvaris's only full-blooded sister narrowed her eyes at the approaching woman, instinctively stepping forward. "What are you doing here?". She was confused. She knew how much Aureve had meant to their father, and how complicated everything had gotten. But after yesterday, after Sylvaris had carried Aureve away like she was something fragile and precious. And now, dressed like that, she had her suspicions.
And it wasn't just Lurevia. Every woman in the garden fell silent the moment they laid eyes on Aureve, her body poured into crimson silk, that dress hugging every sinful inch, slit high, cleavage exposed, just a breath away from scandal. They were stunned. Impressed. Alarmed.
And when Sylvaris looked over by accident, and saw her...
He almost tripped.
Holy shit! his thoughts screamed, the blade in his hand suddenly feeling heavier than ever. She's hot like molten lava today. That dress? That walk? Did she seriously come here for round two—but in public?! What the fuck happened to that woman—she's insane! Hahaha! His mind spiraled, but he clenched his jaw, kept his posture, and forced himself to keep training like he hadn't seen her. Like his cock wasn't suddenly very awake.
And then—
"I came here today… to confess something to you all."
The words echoed across the garden.
Sylvaris dropped his sword.
It hit the ground with a metallic clatter, and he lost his balance, stumbling forward.
She's not going to reveal we fucked yesterday, is she?!
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