Shattered Innocence: Transmigrated Into a Novel as an Extra - Chapter 546

Chapter 546: A ride and confession (3)
Aeliana inhaled sharply, burying her face deeper against his shoulder, as if she could press herself so close that she’d become an unshakable part of his future.

Because, to be frank—

She was scared.

Scared to hear that he didn’t feel the same.

Scared that he’d push her away.

Scared that she’d lose this man who had, piece by piece, stitched her back together.

But—

So what?

For years, she had hid.

She had lived her life under a veil, trapped in her room, afraid of people’s gazes, their words, their judgment.

She had given up on herself.

And then he had come.

This ridiculous, reckless, stupidly brilliant man—

And he had given her hope again.

So even if the future was uncertain, even if she didn’t know what his future or hers would be—

She knew one thing.

She would carve herself into his life.

She would make sure that when Lucavion looked ahead, when he planned his next move, when he thought about the future—

She would be there.

Right beside him.

Aeliana exhaled sharply, her grip tightening, her mind sharpening with a single, burning thought—

This man is mine.

Whatever he was planning. Whatever ambitions lay ahead of him in that academy, in the world beyond. Whoever waited for him—whether it was that woman, his master’s daughter, or some other fool who thought they could step into his life—

They would be fended off.

No one else was allowed near him.

Because she would make sure of it.

Aeliana smirked, pressing herself closer against him.

Lucavion was still stiff, his body tense beneath her grasp, his hands gripping the reins like they were his only defense. His breath was uneven, still caught between shock and uncertainty.

But she was certain.

This bastard wasn’t going anywhere.

She moved.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

Her fingers slid beneath the fabric of his coat, gripping the collar of his shirt.

Lucavion twitched. “Aeliana—?”

She ignored him.

With a swift tug, she pulled his shirt aside, baring his shoulder to the cool night air.

Lucavion sucked in a sharp breath, his muscles tensing beneath her touch.

And then—

She bit him.

Firm. Possessive. Undeniable.

Lucavion jerked, his entire body reacting before his mind could catch up.

“Hhng—”

Aeliana grinned against his skin.

Perfect.

But—

It wasn’t enough.

She lifted her head, her golden eyes gleaming under the moonlight.

“Your answer is irrelevant,” she murmured.

Lucavion turned his head slightly, his pitch-black eyes wide—stunned.

And there—

She saw it.

Her own reflection in his dark gaze.

She cupped his face, her fingers pressing against his jaw, holding him still.

“Wh—”

Lucavion barely managed to get a word out before—

She kissed him.

Firm. Unyielding. Final.

Aeliana’s lips pressed against his, firm and unwavering.

Her first kiss.

Something she had never done before—something she had never even imagined for herself.

After all, how could she?

When other girls were falling in love, when noble ladies were dancing at grand balls, whispering shy affections behind painted fans—

She was lying in bed.

While they were getting engaged, building their futures, laughing and dreaming—

She was trapped within four walls, veiled, hidden, forgotten.

She had missed so much.

Missed the joys, the heartaches, the moments that should have belonged to her youth.

And yet—

Did it matter?

Now that she was here, now that her lips were pressed against his, now that fate—whether by chance or sheer stubbornness—had led her to him—

Could she complain?

No.

Because this—

This was hers.

Lucavion—this bastard who had turned her world upside down, who had stolen her heart before she had even realized it was missing—

Was hers.

Her lips pressed against his, warm and unrelenting, and for the first time in her life—Aeliana felt it.

The rush. The electricity. The heat blooming in her chest, unfurling through every nerve, setting her skin alight with something she had never known before.

Her first kiss.

She didn’t know how one was supposed to kiss another.

Not really.

She had read about it, of course—romance novels stolen from her father’s library, whispered stories from the servants when they thought she wasn’t listening. She had heard of passion, of breathless longing, of kisses that made the world fade.

But books never captured this.

The real feeling of it.

Lucavion was stiff beneath her, frozen, unresponsive—his entire body locked in place as if his mind hadn’t quite caught up with what was happening.

‘Hah. So you really don’t know how to handle this, huh?’

She almost laughed against his lips.

This arrogant man, this ever-smirking bastard who never lost control—

Didn’t know what to do when she was the one taking charge.

And for some reason—

She loved that.

Aeliana shifted slightly, pressing a little closer, tilting her head—wasn’t that how it was supposed to go? How the books described it?

Lucavion twitched.

His breath hitched, and his lips—hesitant, awkward—parted just slightly beneath hers, as if testing, as if uncertain.

Aeliana’s heart pounded.

‘He’s… bad at this.’

It was awkward, unpracticed. No smooth technique, no effortless ease like she had read about in those stories.

And yet—

‘It’s kind of cute.’

The fact that he wasn’t pushing her away.

The fact that he wasn’t meeting her with teasing, or arrogance, or some flippant remark—

The fact that Lucavion, this man, was letting her do this at all—

Meant she had already infiltrated his life.

The kiss ended slowly, reluctantly, as if neither of them quite knew how to part.

Aeliana pulled back just slightly, her breath mingling with his, her golden eyes locked onto his pitch-black gaze. A thin, glistening bridge of saliva connected them for a fleeting moment before breaking, disappearing into the night air.

Lucavion looked wrecked.

His breath was heavy, uneven. His lips—slightly parted, slightly swollen—held a faint tremor, as if they still weren’t sure whether to chase hers again or demand an explanation.

Aeliana’s chest rose and fell, mirroring his own ragged breathing.

She could feel it—the pounding in her ribs, the leftover warmth lingering on her lips, the undeniable thrill running through her veins.

Neither of them moved.

Not Aether. Not Vitaliara.

Not even the wind.

Everything was still, as if the very world had paused to watch them.

The position they were in wasn’t exactly comfortable—her arms still wrapped around his waist, his hands gripping the reins like his life depended on it, their bodies pressed far too close.

But Aeliana didn’t mind.

Her lips curled.

“Haaah…”

“Haah…”

Both of them exhaled at the same time, their breath coming out in short, uneven waves.

Lucavion twitched.

And then—

As if snapping back into reality, he abruptly pulled his hand away from the reins, pressing it against his chest—right over his heart.

Aeliana felt the way it was hammering beneath his palm.

And then, in a voice barely held together—

“W-what…” He swallowed, his dark eyes darting anywhere but at her.

“D-did you just do?”

Aeliana smirked, her breath still heavy, her golden eyes glinting under the moonlight.

“Doesn’t it already seem obvious?” she murmured, tilting her head slightly.

Lucavion stayed silent.

Of course he did.

But she didn’t need him to answer.

Because she already knew.

She leaned in again, her voice softer now, smooth, confident.

“I just kissed the person I love.”

A pause.

Then, a slow, deliberate smile.

“Any problem with that?”