Chapter 154: Requesting Aria
The gentle, golden rays of the morning sun spilled through the window curtains, bathing Eren’s dorm room in a warm glow.
Eren blinked his eyes open slowly, his entire body giving off a dull, absolutely satisfying ache. Pale crimson scratch marks ran down his shoulders.
He let out a long, exhausted yawn, stretching his arms toward the ceiling until his joints popped in relief—an achievement of surviving a hungry villainess boss.
Rubbing the remains of sleep from his eyes, Eren looked down toward the foot of the bed. The thick blanket was pitched like a heavy camping tent directly over his torso, emitting body heat and a delightful, familiar weight resting over him.
Grinning, Eren playfully caught the edge of the blanket and lifted it to peek inside the cave.
There, nestled against his bare chest was a breathtaking, dark-blue-haired beauty.
Aria lay curled beneath the sheet, her gold eyes glaring straight up at him with murderous intent and an enormous pout.
"Good morning," Aria rasped, her voice still hoarse from last night’s vocal exercise. "Did you finally decide to wake from a coma?"
Eren chuckled at the sight. She looked exactly like a grumbling, over-pampered house cat—one that aggressively despised its owner’s antics yet stubbornly refused to leave his lap for even a single second.
He cupped her soft, milky cheek with his palm. "Good morning to you too, my lovely fiancée."
Aria grumbled something under her breath and immediately bit his thumb with a playful chomp.
"Ow! Hey, you can’t eat your fiancée!" Eren yelped, pulling his hand back with a grin.
Huffing dramatically, Aria sat upright and yanked the heavy bedsheet completely away from him, wrapping it tightly around her until she looked like a burrito wrap.
She turned her back to him.
"After the unspeakable, shameless acts you did to my poor body last night," Aria huffed, refusing to look in his direction, "do not dare speak to me, Eren Volsver."
"Oh, please," Eren whispered, propping his head up with one hand as he admired the curve of her wrapped shoulders. "If I recall everything last night, my lady, who aggressively demanded rounds two and three even after playing with her body. Where did all that fierce Reedings pride disappear around three in the morning?"
"LALALA! I CAN’T HEAR YOU! I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE SAYING!"
Eren sighed at her childish protests, sitting against the headboard.
"So my fiancée is giving me the silent treatment now?" Eren asked, crossing his arms. "Are you really not going to speak to me at all?"
"Why should I?" Aria retorted with a sniff, keeping her back firmly turned. "You have many adoring women waiting for you. Go talk to them. What could you possibly need from me?"
He laughed and leaned forward to her ear, his voice a low murmur. "Well, that’s bad. I had this little gift prepared for you, but since you’re ignoring me... I suppose I’ll just have to toss it out the window."
The word gift fired inside Aria’s brain like a firecracker.
Her golden eyes sparkled with sudden curiosity. Forgetting all about her vow of eternal silence, she turned around to face him, her pout instantly disappearing.
"A gift? What gift?!" she demanded eagerly.
The moment she turned, Eren seized the opportunity and snatched her wrist, dragging the villainess straight against him, trapped in an inescapable morning hug.
"Look at you," Eren chuckled, resting his chin on her blue hair. "One of the wealthiest heiresses in the entire empire, yet you lose all composure the second someone mentions a free present. You’re quite greedy, my lady."
"You menace!" Aria hissed, her face burning as she squirmed against him. "If this is another one of your ridiculous pranks, I will—"
"Who said anything about pranks?"
Eren slid a hand beneath the pillows to retrieve a small box.
Aria’s breath hitched, her golden eyes widening as he opened the lid. Resting inside was an exquisitely crafted silver ring, similar to the design of the ring he wore on his own hand.
He took her hand, gently guiding the band onto her ring finger. It settled with a perfect fit. He kissed her knuckles before resting her hand tenderly against his cheek.
"Well?" Eren asked softly, his blue eyes locking onto hers. "How does it look on the future Duchess?"
Aria stared at the piece of jewelry, completely mesmerized.
She could easily buy many priceless diamonds and legendary gems, yet as she looked at this delicate silver ring, it felt completely different. The moment it touched her, a faint, soothing pulse hummed through it—like it connected her very soul to his.
It was more precious than every jewel in her family’s treasury combined.
Aria buried her face into his shoulder, holding him tightly.
"I love it...I absolutely love it, Eren."
"I’m glad," Eren murmured, gently stroking her bare back.
Aria pulled back slightly, planting a bright, sweet kiss directly on his cheek before giving a tiny, playful boop to his nose with a heartfelt giggle.
"I’ll love anything you give me, you idiot. Even if you handed me a polished rock."
Eren chuckled, enjoying the rare peace. After a quiet moment, he looked down at her eyes.
"Hey, Aria... think you could help me with something?"
Aria arched her brow with a sly smirk. "My, my... is my fiancé attempting to bribe a gift in exchange for favors?"
"Not a chance," Eren replied, shaking his head. "The ring is yours unconditionally. The help is just a humble request from me."
"I was only teasing, darling. Whatever you need... name it, and it’s done."
***
Aria stood before the full-length mirror, pinning her blue locks into an elegant half-updo. Through the mirror, her eyes narrowed at her shameless fiancé at the dining table, casually sipping a morning drink.
"Let me get this straight," Aria spoke, smoothing down her dress. "While you spend the time with that project for my sake, you want me to babysit that little purple-haired kitten?"
"Precisely."
"Because," Aria continued, checking her reflection, "The Substance fundamentally seals mana pathways. And since Violet naturally has huge mana reserves, it might turn her into a continent-level calamity that would wipe the academy."
Eren flashed her innocent smile. "Bingo, my brilliant future Duchess."
Aria tied off the dark ribbon in her hair and turned around, crossing her arms beneath her gorgeous bust that he played with all night, giving him an unimpressed look.
"You ravaged my body for three rounds last night and your very first request of the morning is ordering me to play bodyguard to a trembling cat?"
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(JOINING WPC SEPTEMBER SINCE IT ALIGNED WITH MY NEW STORY PERFECTLY. SEE YOU THERE TOO. 😊)