I woke up with the strange feeling of not being alone.
The first thought was confusion. The second, warmth. Only then did real awareness come when I felt breaths different from mine, too close to be a coincidence. I opened my eyes slowly and stared at the bright ceiling of the room, taking a few seconds to accept what my body had already understood.
Liriel was lying to my left, her face serene, hair spread across the pillow. Elara slept on the other side, one of her hands resting on my chest as if it were the most natural place in the world. Vespera was farther away, but still present, her body turned to the side, as close as her reserved nature allowed.
All without clothes.
I swallowed hard.
My body didn't hurt. There were no signs of physical exhaustion. Only that uncomfortable feeling that something important had happened without my mind properly registering it.
"This didn't happen," I murmured to myself.
But it did.
Or almost.
I stayed still, trying to reconstruct the previous night. The memory came in scattered fragments. The silent mansion. The drink that kept circulating. Laughter. Conversations without weight. The atmosphere getting warmer without anyone noticing exactly when.
But there was no clear memory of us going further.
Elara moved first. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at me without surprise.
"Good morning," she said, her voice hoarse.
"Good morning," I replied, still confused.
She looked around, then at herself, and sighed. "So… we're all alive."
Liriel woke up shortly after, blinking a few times before smiling far too calmly for the situation. "I see the night ended in an interesting way."
Vespera opened her eyes last. She observed the scene in silence for a few seconds, then spoke. "I don't remember us doing anything other than sleeping."
That sentence hit me with relief and concern at the same time.
"Me neither," I said. "So I think… we didn't."
Elara frowned. "Even so, this isn't exactly normal."
We sat on the bed, the strange atmosphere hanging in the air. No explicit embarrassment. No attempt to hide what was obvious. Only the awareness that something needed to be said.
We went down for breakfast shortly after. The table was set, simple, organized by the servants. The contrast between that normality and the internal chaos I felt was almost irritating.
We ate in silence for a few minutes.
Then I took a deep breath.
"I need to ask something," I said.
All three looked at me at the same time.
"We've been through a lot together. Missions, near deaths, debts, battles against demon generals." I paused for a moment. "I don't know how to pretend that none of this matters."
Elara grew serious. Liriel tilted her head slightly. Vespera didn't look away.
"I don't know what the right shape for this is," I continued. "But I know I don't want to move forward pretending we're just some ordinary group."
The silence became heavy.
"I'm asking," I finally said, directly, "if you want to stay with me. Not as something temporary. But as wives."
Elara's eyes widened. Liriel fell into absolute silence. Vespera took a few seconds before responding.
"You don't ask small questions," she said.
"I don't know how to do it any other way."
Elara was the first to smile. Not a playful smile, but something more sincere. "I thought you were never going to say that."
Liriel nodded. "We've walked together for too long to pretend this is sudden."
Vespera crossed her arms, thoughtful. Then she sighed. "If it's to choose, I prefer to choose now."
My chest tightened.
"So… yes?" I asked.
"Yes," they said, one after the other.
The feeling wasn't explosive. It wasn't euphoria. It was something deeper. Stable.
After breakfast, we went to the guild to take a simple mission. An escort for merchants to the neighboring city. Nothing complicated. Just work.
The journey was calm until halfway through. Bandits appeared on the road, poorly organized, far too confident.
"You don't know who we are, do you?" I asked before advancing.
There wasn't a real fight. Only efficiency. In a few minutes, everything was resolved.
The merchants thanked us more than necessary. We received the reward and returned.
At night, the mansion was silent again. The weight of the day finally fell on me when I lay down.
The bedroom door opened shortly after.
Elara entered first. Then Liriel. Vespera closed the door.
No one needed to say anything.
This time, there was no drink. No confusion.
Only choice.
And I knew, with absolute clarity, that from then on, nothing would ever be simple again.
But it would never be lonely again either.