The Return Of The Exiled Villain

"Koughf, cough!"

"Pftttt...!!!"

Coughs and spluttering erupted from every direction.

Selina nearly spat her ale across the table, Adrian froze mid-sip, and Claire’s face turned tomato-red. Even Lira’s usual blank expression cracked slightly as she coughed into her fist.

Ronan, however, was the only one who reacted with pure excitement.

"WHOAAA! Then let’s cheer for their future wedding—!!"

Thump!

Thump!

Before he could finish the sentence, two sharp elbows slammed into his sides at the exact same time, one from Selene on his left, the other from Maelis on his right.

"Guh—!!"

Ronan’s eyes bulged.

The sudden impact made him jolt violently, causing him to spit out a gross, foaming spray of saliva and half-drunk ale in a dramatic arc across the table.

"Bleeegh!!"

The disgusting mist landed on the snacks and a few empty cups. The entire group recoiled in complete horror and disgust.

"Ronan, you idiot!" Selina yelled, wiping her arm.

"Don’t you dare cheer for something like that so casually!" Maelis glared at him with murderous intent.

Selene’s smile was sweet on the surface, but her light blue eyes were sharp as daggers.

"Read the room, you dumbass."

"W-Why... two elbows... at the same time...? I was just being supportive...!" Ronan wheezed, clutching both sides of his ribs.

Lyra, still glued to Gray’s side like a lovesick koala, didn’t even seem to notice the chaos. She simply nuzzled deeper into his chest with a happy, drunken hum.

"Mmm~♡ Gray’s going to be my husband... He’s going to be mine forever..."

She tightened her arms around him even more, pressing her massive chest against his side as if trying to merge with him.

Gray could only close his eyes and sigh deeply, one hand gently patting Lyra’s back while the other rubbed his temple.

This night had officially gone from fun to dangerously unpredictable.

"If anyone’s marrying my big brother, it’s going to be me first!" Maelis puffed her cheeks, still glaring at Ronan.

"Oh? The sibling route is on the table now?" Selina burst out laughing.

"Well, it’s not like we’re real siblings!"

Maelis glared at Selina, who also shot back a glare, lightning almost escaping their eyes to attack each other.

Claire hid her burning face behind both hands, peeking through her fingers at Gray with a mixture of embarrassment and secret longing.

"This group is going to be the death of me..." Adrian just shook his head, looking exhausted.

Ronan, still recovering from the double elbow attack, raised his mug weakly.

"To... to Gray’s future happiness... and not getting murdered by his future wives..."

Selene and Maelis both raised their elbows threateningly again.

Ronan immediately shut up and shrank back into his seat.

Looking at the table that was now covered in a disgusting spray of Ronan’s spit mixed with ale, Gray sighed deeply.

"New set of food and drinks," he said flatly, raising his hand to flag down a waitress. "Ronan ruined the last one."

The waitress quickly cleared the mess and brought fresh plates and pitchers. Once everything was replaced, Selina slammed her mug down with a grin.

"Alright, enough moping! New game! Never Have I Ever... but with a truth spell this time. If you don’t want to answer, you drink. If you lie, the spell will make you spill the truth anyway. Fair?"

Everyone agreed immediately, the alcohol making them all far too eager.

Ronan cast a simple group truth spell on the table, making the air shimmer faintly with magic. The rules were set.

And so, the game began.

Selina leaned forward first, dark blue ponytail swaying as she grinned like a fox who had just found the henhouse. Her blue eyes scanned the girls with clear mischief before settling on the question.

"Round 1," she announced with a playful voice.

"Never have I ever... kissed Gray on the lips."

The table went quiet for a second.

"Never."

"Nope."

"I’d rather die than kiss him."

The boys, of course, were the first ones to answer. The truth spell also glowed softly, meaning that they were indeed telling the truth.

Lyra, already extremely drunk and glued to Gray’s side like a possessive koala, didn’t even hesitate.

She lifted her head proudly with a bright, loving smile, her golden-streaked ponytail swaying, and answered without drinking.

"Of course I have," she said proudly, her voice slurred but full of affection. "He’s my boyfriend. I kiss him on the lips all the time."

The truth spell glowed softly around her, confirming her words were completely honest.

Maelis puffed her cheeks, clearly jealous, but she still answered truthfully without drinking.

"I have too... but only once! And it was a long time ago, during a special moment," she said, sticking her tongue out at Lyra.

"It doesn’t count as much as hers!"

The spell shimmered around her, verifying the truth.

Claire turned bright red the moment the question landed on her. She fidgeted with her fingers, staring down at the table as if it might swallow her whole.

Then... not being able to hold back, she raised her mug and quickly took a big gulp out of it.

"Ohh... Claire, you...?"

Ronan was a little speechless at her actions... gritting his teeth slighly before his lips curled back into a smile.

’...It could have been a kiss on the cheek!’ he warned himself inwardly.

The other girls also drank from their mugs.

Now all eyes turned to Selene.

She sat elegantly, her long, light blue hair cascading over one shoulder.

She knew very well that their relationship had to stay completely private because of Lyra. She couldn’t risk revealing anything more than necessary.

Selene didn’t answer.

Instead, she simply lifted her mug gracefully and took a slow sip, choosing to drink and skip the question entirely.

The truth spell flickered around her, but because she drank instead of answering, it didn’t force her to reveal anything.

"Oh? Selene drank without saying anything? That’s suspicious~" Selina’s grin widened, even though she too had drunk.

Maelis narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but Selene only smiled sweetly, tilting her head with perfect innocence.

"A lady never tells~"

She kept her tone light and playful, never confirming or denying it outright.

Lyra, still clinging tightly to Gray’s arm, puffed her cheeks slightly but didn’t press the issue, at least not yet. She was too drunk and too focused on staying glued to him to start a fight right now.

The game continued without pause.

And Ronan, who had been watching the entire exchange with wide-eyed excitement, suddenly slammed his mug on the table and leaned forward with a big, dumb grin.

"Alright, my turn! Never have I ever... liked someone from this group right here at this table!"

The question landed like a bomb.

For a moment, the table went completely silent, and then, the girls started answering one by one.

"Yes. Obviously." Maelis answered immediately.

"Yep. More than once." Selina smirked and answered without hesitation.

"Y-Yes... I have..." Claire’s face turned bright red, but she still answered in a tiny voice.

"Yes~" Selene simply smiled and answered softly.

Lyra, however, stayed silent.

She didn’t answer.

She simply hugged Gray tighter and buried her face in his neck, refusing to say anything. Everyone understood why she was already dating him. There was no need for her to answer.

But the real surprises came from the boys.

Adrian, who had been quietly observing the whole time, suddenly spoke up in a calm but slightly embarrassed voice.

"...Yes. I have."

The table erupted.

"EH?!" Ronan yelled.

"You too, Adrian?! Who?! Tell us!"

Adrian just shook his head and took a sip of his drink instead of elaborating, clearly not wanting to say more.

Leon, sitting with his usual ’royal’ posture, answered next without any hesitation.

"Yes," he said smoothly, his gaze flicking briefly toward Maelis before returning to the table.

Everyone already knew he had feelings for her, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. But the biggest shock of the entire night came from the quietest person at the table.

Lira.

The expressionless girl with her usual blank face slowly raised her mug and took a small sip.

Everyone would have thought that she was skipping the question, but then, she opened her mouth and actually answered.

"...Yes."

The entire table froze.

Even Ronan, who was usually the loudest, stared at her in disbelief.

Lira, the girl who was always emotionless, always calm, always seemingly uninterested in anything romantic, had just admitted she had liked someone from the group.

Ronan, who was sitting right next to her and was probably the closest to her in the entire group, leaned forward with sparkling eyes, completely excited.

"Who?! Who do you like?! I’m curious now!"

Lira turned her head and gave him a completely blank, emotionless gaze.

"No."

The single word was delivered in her usual flat tone, without any change in expression.

Ronan blinked.

"Eh? But you just said yes..."

"I’m not telling."

The table exploded into laughter and teasing.

"Lira has a crush?! This is the best revelation of the night!" Selina clapped her hands excitedly, laughing out loud.

"Even the ice queen has someone she likes?!"

But then, everyone turned to Gray.

"...What? Do I also need to answer while I have Lyra in my lap?" Gray tilted his head and asked with a faint smile.

Ronan eagerly nodded.

At his words, Gray sighed and then spoke flatly.

"I have and still do."

Shine...

The truth spell glowed, confirming he was telling the truth. But then... after glowing once, it glowed once again.

"...What?" Ronan’s face dropped in confusion.

The others were also equally bewildered.

But then, Leon, who was silent for most of the game, curled up his lips and spoke out directly, in a playful voice.

"Doesn’t this mean that Gray also likes someone other than Lyra?"