Chapter 234: Night Visit [18+]
The evening sun painted the sky in bruised shades of purple and orange as the Academy gates finally closed behind us.
Ariana’s hand felt small and warm wrapped in mine. We walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the bustling commercial streets toward the estate, the cool breeze offering a much-needed reprieve from the day’s endless lectures. Lately, she had remained happily buried beneath towering stacks of alchemical research in her new workshop, but tonight, she had insisted on walking back with me.
"You’re quiet today," I noted, squeezing her hand lightly.
Ariana looked up, her violet eyes catching the fading light. "Just thinking," she murmured, a faint, cryptic smile playing on her lips. "It’s nice to just... walk like this. Without a dozen people staring at us."
I chuckled, pulling her a little closer. "I’ll take the quiet whenever I can get it."
By the time we arrived at the estate, the chaotic, noisy atmosphere continued throughout the rest of the meal. The dining room was practically a warzone of domestic noise. Lily was passionately discussing ingredient inventory, Merle loudly complaining about the Capital’s suppliers, Irina arguing with absolutely everyone, and Nero silently listening and absorbing the chaos.
But sitting near the corner, Alicia was completely disconnected. She chose to stare blankly at the wall rather than comment. Her food was barely touched, her crimson eyes hollow and distant.
I frowned, catching Lily’s eye across the table. I subtly tilted my head toward Alicia, asking a silent question. Lily caught my gaze, let out a quiet sigh, and gave me a helpless shrug, mouthing an exaggerated ’I have no idea’ gesture.
Whatever was haunting Alicia, she had locked it up tight.
Once the dinner chaos finally settled and the dishes were cleared, I found Ariana lingering near the bottom of the grand staircase.
"It’s getting pretty late," I said, leaning against the banister. "Should I walk you back to the Academy dorms?"
Ariana shook her head, her silver hair swaying. "No need," she said, her tone carrying a strange edge. "I’ll be staying here tonight."
I blinked, a little surprised, but smiled. "Well, it’s okay. There are plenty of empty guest rooms either way."
Ariana didn’t respond to that. She just gave me a lingering, unreadable look before heading up the stairs.
An hour later, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, reviewing some guild paperwork, when the soft click of the doorknob echoed in the quiet room.
The door slowly pushed open, and the words completely died in my mouth.
Ariana walked in. She was wearing a translucent, silk nightgown. It was shockingly sheer, the pale fabric cascading down her shoulders but ending daringly high on her thighs. Beneath the thin silk, the distinct outline of a pair of black, razor-thin lace panties was completely visible, clinging perfectly to the soft, pale curves of her hips.
My breath hitched.
"W-What are you doing here... Ariana?" I managed to ask, my voice suddenly hoarse.
Ariana closed the door behind her with a soft click. She turned to face me, a confident, sultry glimmer in her violet eyes.
"What? Can’t a girlfriend come to her boyfriend’s room?" she murmured, taking a slow, deliberate step forward. "Of course she can..."
I gulped, my mouth suddenly dry as desert sand.
"Ha... look at you," she giggled softly, her gaze sweeping over my stunned expression. "Acting as if seeing me like this is the first time."
"Ha... but every time I see you like this... my mind goes blank," I admitted, my eyes involuntarily tracking the sheer silk as it shifted over her curves. "But what’s the occasion today...?"
She stopped right in front of me, her hands resting lightly on her hips.
"Do I need some occasion to express my love... huh?" Her voice dropped, carrying a mix of pouty frustration and deep affection. "It’s just that you seem quite stressed... always running around and all... so much that you have been ignoring me."
"Ignoring you?" I chuckled softly. I reached out, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her forward until she tumbled with a surprised squeak directly onto my lap. "You are my love. How can someone ignore their own love, huh?"
She shifted, settling her weight over my thighs. The sheer heat of her body seeped instantly through my trousers.
"And yet," Ariana murmured, her violet eyes narrowing slightly behind her glasses as she rested her hands on my shoulders. "You are spending so must time with Princess Celestia. Clara won’t leave your side, and even Elisha can’t seem to stop bringing your name up. And now you even picked up the task to teach Mariella marksmanship. I felt... neglected."
I let out a long, suffering sigh. "Hey, you can’t blame me for that. I have no control over how others feel, you know."
I wrapped my arms securely around her thin waist, pulling her flush against my chest. The warmth radiating from her was intoxicating. I buried my face in the crook of her neck, taking a deep, greedy inhale of her scent—a dizzying blend of sweet vanilla and faint alchemical herbs.
"Huh, as if..." Ariana huffed, though her fingers began to gently trace the back of my neck. "Sometimes I think the old you was much better... Arrogant... trash... bully..." She paused, a sly smirk touching her lips. "Well, at least no girls were around you then."
"Oh, my love..." I whispered against her skin, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the pulse point on her neck. "Don’t stress too much. You, and only you, are my love."
Ariana let out a soft, breathy sigh at the kiss. "Mmm..."
She shifted her weight again, her hips rolling in a slow, deliberate circle against my lap. The thin silk of her nightgown rode up even higher, exposing the smooth expanse of her upper thighs. The absolute, scorching heat of her ass, separated only by that razor-thin black lace, pressed directly against my groin.
My body reacted instantly. A hard, undeniable erection surged against the fabric of my pants, throbbing directly beneath her center.
Ariana stopped. She felt the rigid length pressing urgently against her.
Slowly, she looked down, then brought her gaze back up to mine. A deeply confident, wicked smirk spread across her flushed face.
"You say I’m the only one," she purred, her hips giving another agonizingly slow, grinding roll against my hardening length. "Ahhh..." she breathed out, her own eyes fluttering shut for a second as the friction sent a jolt of pleasure through her. "But your body is so impatient..."
"You’re doing that on purpose," I growled, my hands sliding down from her waist to grip the soft, plush curves of her ass.
"Maybe," she whispered, her hands moving to the straps of her translucent gown.
With a slow, agonizingly seductive motion, she pushed the thin silk off her shoulders. It pooled around her waist, leaving her upper half completely bare. Her pale, perfectly shaped breasts heaved with her quickening breaths, the rosy peaks already hard and pebble-stiff from the cool air of the room.
I couldn’t look away. It was a striptease meant to completely shatter my self-control.
"Ariana..."
"Touch me," she commanded softly, her hips grinding down hard again. "Mmm... yes..."
My hands moved up, cupping her heavy, soft breasts. I squeezed them gently, kneading the plush flesh while my thumbs flicked mercilessly over her hardened nipples.
"Ahhh! L-Lucien...!" she whimpered, her back arching beautifully as she thrust her chest deeper into my palms.
The wet, slippery heat radiating from between her legs was soaking through the black lace, dampening the fabric of my trousers. I slid one hand down her stomach, dipping beneath the waistband of those razor-thin panties.
She was already completely drenched. My fingers bypassed the lace, finding her swollen, slick folds.
"Aah...!" Ariana gasped loudly, her hands gripping my shoulders like a vice.
I began to stroke her, two fingers gliding smoothly through her slick wetness, massaging her sensitive core.
Slap, slap, squelch.
The lewd, wet sounds of my fingers working inside her filled the quiet bedroom, syncing perfectly with the frantic, rhythmic grinding of her hips against my aching erection.
"You’re so wet, Ari," I rasped, my thumb circling her clit, applying a steady, agonizing pressure.
"Y-Yes... oh gods, yes... keep doing that..." she sobbed out, her hips bucking wildly against my hand, her confident smirk melting completely into an expression of raw, unadulterated lust.
