The Extra's Rise
Chapter 649 - 649: Extraction (4)

It was a very heartwarming moment. And cute too. Reika had become a bit guarded and serious over the months, so to see she had such an adorable side was refreshing. Her kissing style was endearingly innocent—her lips eagerly seeking out mine as she trembled from every touch, like she couldn't quite believe this was really happening.

Finally, we stopped kissing and our eyes met. Her eyes were always so dazzling, in the shape of violet flowers that took my breath away. Those unique irises seemed to shimmer with emotions she was still learning how to express.

"M-Master I have s-something... something to do!" Reika stammered, her face flushed the most beautiful shade of pink I'd ever seen. She scrambled out of the room with such haste that she nearly tripped over her own feet, and I had to hold back a laugh at how utterly adorable she was being.

'Wife #5 captured,' Luna commented in my mind with what I could only describe as smug satisfaction, making me cough into my fist.

"Things happen," I muttered under my breath, trying to ignore the knowing amusement radiating from my bond with the qilin.

'Uh-huh,' Luna said, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes. 'I suppose for someone like you, getting five wives is just natural, huh? What's next, are you going to accidentally seduce the Empress herself?'

I ignored the increasingly sarcastic qilin in my head as I exhaled slowly. That was the easy part, I realized. I liked Reika and she liked me. The confession had been beautiful, natural, right.

Now came the hard part—telling the four other girls. I hoped it wouldn't be too difficult to explain. After all, they'd been understanding about sharing my attention so far. Surely adding one more person to the mix wouldn't cause too much drama.

Of course, as they say, hopes do a wonderful little thing. They meet reality with all the subtlety of a runaway carriage.

"Arthur," Rachel said slowly, her voice carrying that dangerous edge that immediately put me on high alert. "Please, could you repeat that for me once more?"

I was currently in the estate's sitting room with Rachel and Kali. Reika and Rose had departed for the Ashen Territories that morning to oversee the extraction process with the employees from both Ouroboros and Vakrt who had traveled all the way here. Which left me alone to face this particular conversation.

Why was Kali here, you might ask? Simple strategy. I needed a human shield, and what better option than a Zombie Princess who was technically already dead and therefore theoretically harder to kill again?

Kali, for her part, seemed to be enjoying the show immensely. She was lounging in an armchair with the kind of relaxed posture that suggested she was settling in for quality entertainment. Her dark eyes glittered with barely contained mirth as she watched the proceedings unfold.

"I like Reika," I said to Rachel, trying to keep my voice steady and confident. "I want to date her."

Rachel blinked once. Twice. Then, slowly, she smiled. It was a brilliant smile, worthy of the future Saintess she was destined to become—radiant, beautiful, absolutely breathtaking.

Of course, that assessment only held true if you focused solely on her lips.

When you looked at her eyes... well, that was an entirely different story.

"Hmm," Rachel hummed thoughtfully, the sound carrying dangerous undertones. Then, in that voice that usually made my heart race for entirely different reasons, she called my name: "Arthur."

Usually, her sensual, light, silky voice would send pleasant shivers down my spine when she said my name. Oh, I did get shivers down my spine this time. Just for an entirely different—and significantly more concerning—reason.

"You see," Rachel said as she rose gracefully from her seat, clapping her hands together with the kind of deliberate cheerfulness that immediately set off every alarm bell in my head, "I was actually preparing something very cute for you."

She pulled out her phone with a flourish, her smile growing wider by the second. "Could you help me choose the design?"

'Is it a dress?' I wondered hopefully. Maybe she was planning some kind of romantic outfit for our next date. That would be nice and normal and not at all threatening to my continued well-being.

Then my eyes focused on her phone screen, and I froze completely.

"Umm," I said carefully, my voice suddenly much higher than usual, "is that a cage for your phoenix?"

The image on her screen was indeed a cage. Golden, ornate, beautifully crafted—and decidedly human-sized.

"Oh no," Rachel said with an innocent tilt of her head that fooled absolutely no one in the room, "my Aurelis is a free spirit. He would never tolerate being caged."

My eyes wandered slightly from her phone, and I noticed she was holding something else in her other hand—something that looked suspiciously like a set of golden shackles. For the sake of my sanity and continued mental health, I decided to ignore that particular detail entirely.

'I did not see that,' I thought desperately.

'You absolutely did,' Luna commented with unhelpful glee. 'And might I add, those look like they're inscribed with some very interesting runes. Binding runes, if I'm not mistaken.'

"It's for you," Rachel said sweetly, her smile growing wider as the golden flecks in her brown eyes increased in luminosity. "After all, a man like you should be properly secured, don't you think? It's only fair."

The silence that followed was deafening. Even Kali had stopped lounging and was now sitting forward with obvious interest, clearly deciding that this conversation had taken a turn worth paying attention to.

"Rachel," I said slowly, trying to project calm reasoning while internally panicking, "I understand you might be... concerned about the situation. But I think we should talk about this rationally."

"Oh, I'm being perfectly rational," Rachel replied, her voice maintaining that dangerous sweetness. "I've done extensive research into the most effective methods of ensuring loyalty and preventing... wandering."

She tapped her phone screen, and I really, really didn't want to know what other images she had saved there.

"The cage is spacious," she continued conversationally, as if discussing the weather. "Comfortable bedding, proper ventilation, regular feeding times. I think you'd find it quite accommodating."

Kali made a choking sound that might have been suppressed laughter. When I shot her a desperate look for support, she just shrugged and mouthed 'good luck' with obvious amusement.

"Rachel," I tried again, "you know I care about you. Adding Reika to our... arrangement... doesn't change how I feel about you."

For a moment, something vulnerable flickered across her features. The dangerous smile softened slightly, and I caught a glimpse of the uncertainty she was hiding beneath all the threatening jokes.

"I know," she said quietly, her voice losing some of its edge. "I know you care about all of us. It's just..." She gestured helplessly with her phone. "It's getting a bit crowded, don't you think? Five of us now. Sometimes I wonder if there's enough of you to go around."

The honest admission hit me harder than all her teasing threats combined. I stood up and crossed to her, gently taking the phone from her hands and setting it aside. Then I cupped her face in my palms, forcing her to meet my eyes.

"Rachel," I said seriously, "you're not interchangeable to me. None of you are. What I feel for you is unique, special. It doesn't get diminished just because I care about others too."

She searched my face for a long moment, those beautiful brown eyes studying me intently. Then, slowly, the tension began to leave her shoulders.

"You're sure?" she asked softly. "You're sure you won't get tired of dealing with all of us? We can be quite a handful."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Trust me, I've noticed. And no, I won't get tired of you. Any of you."

Rachel sighed, a sound that was half exasperation and half fondness. "Fine," she said, though her lips were already curving into a more genuine smile. "I suppose if it makes you happy, then I'm happy too. Even if it is terribly unfair that you get to collect beautiful women like some kind of romantic trophy case while we have to share."

"I hardly think it's that simple," I protested, but she was already rising on her tiptoes to silence me with a kiss.

This kiss was different from the one I'd shared with Reika—where hers had been sweet and tentative, Rachel's was confident and demanding. She kissed like she did everything else: with passion and determination and just a hint of possessiveness that made my heart race.

Her arms wound around my neck, pulling me closer as she deepened the kiss. I responded instinctively, my hands finding her waist and drawing her against me. The taste of her, the warmth of her body pressed against mine—it was intoxicating in a way that made me forget everything else.

"Ahem."

The pointed cough from across the room made us both freeze. Slowly, reluctantly, we broke apart and turned to find Kali watching us with raised eyebrows and a expression of exaggerated patience.

"Did you two forget I was still in the room?" she asked dryly. "Because while I'm sure this is very romantic for you, it's getting a bit awkward for the audience."

Rachel's face flushed bright red, the confident seductress from moments before replaced by a mortified young woman who'd just been caught making out in front of company. She buried her face against my shoulder with a muffled groan of embarrassment.

"Kali," I said firmly, "don't you have somewhere else to be?"

The zombie princess grinned, clearly enjoying our discomfort. "Not particularly. This is much more entertaining than anything else happening around here."

"Go find something to do," I ordered, making shooing motions with my free hand while keeping the other arm protectively around Rachel's still-blushing form.

Kali clicked her tongue in disappointment but rose from her chair with exaggerated reluctance. "Fine, fine. But you owe me for this interruption. I was just getting to the good part."

She sauntered toward the door, pausing just long enough to add, "Try to keep it down, would you? Some of us are trying to maintain our dignity around here."

The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving Rachel and me alone once more. The moment stretched between us, charged with possibility and the lingering heat of our interrupted kiss.

"Now, where were we?" I murmured, tilting Rachel's chin up to meet my eyes.

Her embarrassment was already fading, replaced by something warmer and more inviting. "I believe you were in the process of making it up to me for adding another girl to your collection," she said with a smile that was pure trouble.

I was just leaning down to resume our kiss when a voice echoed through the estate with enough force to rattle the windows:

"ARTHUR NIGHTINGALE!"

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