Free Web NovelChapter 86: Chapter 86: A Terrible Premonition
Chapter 86: A Terrible Premonition
—ARIA—
"We will expect a reward from you."
The moment those words left Ezekiel’s mouth, something deep within my soul immediately screamed in alarm.
It was so freaking instinctive, like a primal warning that usually appeared right before disaster struck.
For a brief second, my vision blurred.
And then, I saw...
Wedding bells.
I swear I heard wedding bells.
My imagination immediately betrayed me with horrifying efficiency.
One moment I was standing in the servants’ corridor arguing with these unreasonable men.
The next moment, my brain decided to produce a vivid mental image of myself dressed in an elaborate white wedding gown while standing beneath a flower-covered altar.
That by itself would have been concerning enough.
Unfortunately, the nightmare did not end there.
Because standing opposite me weren’t one groom.
Nor two.
Nor even three.
There were four.
Four.
All of them.
Sebastian was smiling like he had already won.
Ezekiel looked insufferably smug.
Matthias appeared calm and dignified as though marrying someone alongside three other men was perfectly normal.
And Ren was holding my hand while looking entirely too happy about the situation.
The image was so horrifying that I physically shuddered.
Absolutely not.
No.
Never.
Over my dead body.
Actually, considering how ridiculous this world was becoming, even death might not stop it.
I immediately pushed the mental image away.
"Ooooh."
I rubbed my arms dramatically.
"That gave me chills."
They stared at her as though she had just spoken an entirely foreign language.
I stared right back.
The silence stretched for several long seconds before Sebastian finally broke first.
"Why are you reacting like that?" he asked suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. "You looked horrified."
"I was not horrified."
"You absolutely were."
"I was concerned."
"That is just a fancier word for horrified."
I immediately pointed at him.
"See? This is exactly why I am concerned."
Sebastian looked offended.
Meanwhile, Ezekiel pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Can we return to the actual topic before the two of you start another argument?"
"Fine," I muttered before crossing my arms. "I just want to know why you’re demanding a reward from me in the first place."
Ezekiel frowned.
"What?"
"I said," I repeated slowly, looking at all three of them one by one, "why are you asking me for a reward?"
My gaze swept across Sebastian, Matthias, and Ezekiel.
"You’re supposedly protecting the empire." freewebnoveℓ.com
I gestured vaguely toward the capital.
"The empire. The kingdom. The citizens. The people. All those patriotic things."
My eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"So why am I the one paying you?"
The three blinked.
I suddenly felt even more suspicious.
The fact that none of them answered immediately was already alarming.
"See?" I pointed triumphantly. "You’re all hesitating."
"Protecting the empire and wanting something from you are not mutually exclusive."
The moment Ezekiel said those words, I pointed at him without hesitation.
"I am not giving you anything."
The refusal came out so quickly and firmly that even Ren looked mildly surprised.
Ezekiel, however, looked personally attacked.
His eyes widened in genuine disbelief as though I had just committed some unforgivable act against him. For several seconds he simply stared at me, waiting for me to retract the statement. When I didn’t, his expression slowly shifted into one of profound betrayal.
"You’re not giving us anything?" he repeated.
"No."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
"Not even a reward?"
"Especially not a reward."
A dramatic gasp escaped him.
The sheer offense on his face made it look as though I had kicked a puppy in front of him.
"Then we are not doing anything," he declared immediately.
I blinked.
Then stared.
"Excuse me?"
"If there is no reward, there is no motivation."
"You literally just spent the last ten minutes talking about protecting the empire."
"Yes."
"And now you’re refusing to help because I won’t give you a reward?"
"Yes."
The answer came so quickly that it made my eye twitch.
"What kind of mage are you?"
"A practical one."
"You’re impossible."
"And you’re stingy."
"I am not stingy!"
"You refuse to compensate hardworking people."
"You are not working yet!"
"We are preparing mentally."
"That’s not work!"
"It is exhausting."
I could physically feel a headache forming.
Across from us, Sebastian lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose while Matthias released a long, suffering sigh that suggested he had completely given up on maintaining order. Even Ren looked torn between intervening and simply allowing the two of us to exhaust ourselves.
"You cannot demand payment for saving your own country," I argued.
Ezekiel folded his arms.
"And you cannot expect us powerful men to go to war without proper appreciation."
"It is your kingdom too!"
"And you are our future reward."
The sentence left his mouth before he seemed to realize what he had said.
The hallway immediately went silent.
My face froze.
Sebastian froze.
Matthias closed his eyes.
Ren’s expression darkened.
Even Ezekiel appeared to realize he had made a tactical error.
"What?" I asked slowly.
"Nothing."
"You just said something."
"I absolutely did not."
"You absolutely did."
"I misspoke."
"You said I was the reward."
Ezekiel looked away.
The coward.
"I did not."
"You did." freewёbnoνel.com
"You cannot prove that."
"Four people heard you."
"These people are unreliable witnesses."
"I am standing right here," Sebastian interrupted.
"You are biased."
"I don’t even know what side I’m on anymore."
"That sounds like a personal problem."
At that point, Matthias finally rubbed a hand down his face.
"Can we all stop speaking for a moment?"
"No," Ezekiel and I answered simultaneously.
Matthias stared at us.
Then he looked at Sebastian.
Sebastian looked at him.
The two shared the expression of men who had witnessed something deeply unfortunate.
Ren finally stepped forward before the argument could continue spiraling into complete nonsense.
"My lady."
The moment he spoke, the tension eased slightly.
I turned toward him.
So did everyone else.
Ren looked exhausted.
The poor man had confessed his feelings tonight, kissed me, survived Cynthia’s breakdown, endured the arrival of three jealous noblemen, and was now forced to watch me argue with Ezekiel like an angry child.
Honestly, he deserved a medal.
"My lady," he repeated patiently, "perhaps this discussion would be better continued tomorrow."
The simple suggestion immediately forced me to pause.
Because now that he mentioned it...
I was tired.
My entire body suddenly felt heavy and Ren seemed to notice.
His expression softened slightly.
"It is already past midnight," he said. "Everyone is exhausted."
He glanced briefly toward the estate grounds beyond the corridor windows before continuing.
"Your father may return from the banquet at any moment."
The effect of those words was immediate.
The atmosphere changed completely.
Sebastian visibly straightened.
Ezekiel stopped arguing.
Matthias became suspiciously quiet.
The reaction alone made me narrow my eyes.
"Why are all of you suddenly quiet?"
"No reason," Sebastian answered immediately.
"Absolutely no reason," Ezekiel added.
"None whatsoever," Matthias finished.
The synchronized response was so suspicious that I nearly laughed.
"Fine. Then I’m going to sleep."
Without waiting for another argument, I turned around and began walking away.
Honestly, I had reached my limit for the night.
I had survived a banquet, rejected a prince.
Witnessed Cynthia completely lose her mind.
Slapped her twice.
Discovered these powerful men were apparently competing over me.
And somehow ended up negotiating war rewards in the middle of a hallway.
At this point, sleep sounded like the only reasonable solution.
Unfortunately, reason seemed determined to abandon me entirely.
I had barely taken two steps when the entire estate suddenly trembled.
The floor lurched violently beneath my feet.
A deafening rumble exploded through the night.
The stone pillars lining the corridor groaned.
Cracks raced across the walls.
Dust and fine debris rained from the ceiling.
The chandeliers above us swung wildly.
For one terrifying moment, I genuinely thought the estate was collapsing.
An earthquake?
My heart leapt into my throat.
The corridor erupted into chaos.
Sebastian immediately moved.
Matthias reached for me.
Ezekiel’s hand shot forward.
Even Ren reacted at the exact same moment.
All four of them were trying to reach me.
Trying to shield me.
Trying to pull me toward safety.
But before any of them could touch me, a horrifying pressure exploded through the corridor.
A wave of power swept through the hallway with such overwhelming force that everyone was thrown backward.
Sebastian crashed into one of the pillars.
Matthias dug his heels into the floor in an attempt to resist.
Ezekiel’s summoned mana shattered around him.
Even Ren was forced back several steps.
The strength behind it wasn’t merely magical.
It felt ancient.
My eyes widened.
"What..."
Before I could finish the words, an arm suddenly wrapped firmly around my waist.
I froze.
The familiar scent of forest rain and wildflowers drifted into my senses.
A familiar aura.
A familiar presence.
A familiar danger.
My entire body went rigid.
No.
No, no, no.
Slowly, a soft laugh echoed beside my ear.
"After giving it some thought," a familiar voice murmured lazily, "I have decided I dislike rejection."
My blood ran cold.
Aelith.
The realization hit me like lightning.
I twisted around instinctively.
And there he was.
Standing directly behind me.
His silver hair shimmered beneath the moonlight spilling through the broken windows.
His expression was beautiful.
Yet what truly froze me in place wasn’t his appearance.
It was his eyes.
The emerald eyes that had always seemed warm and playful now glowed a frightening crimson.
Like fresh blood.
Like a predator that had finally stopped pretending to be tame.
The sight alone sent chills down my spine.
Aelith’s smile widened slightly as he looked at the men staring at him.
"Good evening."
The casual greeting somehow made the situation even worse.
Every instinct in my body screamed danger.
Yet Aelith appeared completely relaxed.
As though he were visiting old friends rather than invading a noble estate.
Then his arm tightened slightly around my waist.
"I changed my mind." he playfully spoke.
Yet the power rolling off him made it impossible to mistake his intentions.
"I’ll be taking her with me."
For a single second, nobody moved.
Then everything happened at once.
"No!"
Ren’s voice broke first.
Ezekiel reacted too.
"ARIA!"
Mana exploded around him.
Brilliant golden light erupted from his hand as countless magical symbols appeared in the air.
His reaction was so fast that most mages would have struggled to even follow it.
The future duke drew his weapon with frightening speed.
His mana surged violently.
Matthias was already attacking
Ren had abandoned all caution entirely.
He was running toward us.
My heart dropped.
"Aelith, wait—"
Before I could finish speaking, his hand gently covered my mouth.
Aelith adjusted his hold around me.
His arms supported me carefully as my strength vanished.
The prince lowered his head slightly.
And for the first time, all traces of amusement disappeared from his expression.
What remained was something far more dangerous.
"You should have accepted my proposal, Aria, my darling."
