The Extra's Rise - Chapter 372

Chapter 372: Winter Break (12)

All good things must eventually come to an end.

My winter break with the four girls had been more than just a vacation—it had been a revelation. Days filled with laughter, quiet conversations that stretched into early morning hours, brief moments of connection that somehow felt more significant than they should have. The time had passed in a blur of shared meals, casual outings, and increasingly comfortable silences where words became unnecessary.

It had clarified something I’d been reluctant to fully acknowledge: I loved them. Not as abstract concepts or characters from a story I once read, but as the complex, flawed, extraordinary women they had become in my eyes.

I loved Cecilia’s fierce pride and unexpected vulnerability, the way her crimson eyes sparked with challenge one moment and softened with genuine affection the next.

I loved Rachel’s gentle strength and unwavering loyalty, how her healing touch conveyed more than her carefully chosen words ever could.

I loved Seraphina’s quiet intensity and analytical mind, the rare moments when her icy composure melted into something warmer, meant only for those she trusted.

I loved Rose’s thoughtful wisdom and steady presence, the way she observed everything with those perceptive brown eyes that missed nothing.

The emotions they stirred in me were achingly familiar—reminiscent of what I’d once felt for Emma in my previous life. She had colored my grey existence then, just as these four women illuminated my current one. The variety and depth of feelings they evoked made everything more vivid, more real.

Made me feel truly alive.

But this world was hurtling toward calamity. The Red Chalice Cult, the looming conflicts that the novel had only hinted at, the convergence of powers beyond most people’s comprehension—they all threatened the fragile happiness I’d found. For this newfound joy to last, I couldn’t remain complacent. I had to work harder, grow stronger, prepare for the coming storm.

Tomorrow, I would leave for my training with the Martial King. Today belonged to them—to my family and the four women who had claimed pieces of my heart.

The morning began with a elaborate breakfast prepared by my mother, who had seemingly decided to showcase every culinary skill in her considerable repertoire. The dining table groaned under platters of both Western and Eastern dishes, an eclectic spread that somehow worked despite its lack of cohesion.

“Mom, we’re not feeding an army,” I said, surveying the feast with bemusement.

She merely smiled, patting my cheek with flour-dusted fingers. “Consider it fuel for your training. The Martial King isn’t known for his gentle methods.”

My father looked up from his coffee, his expression a mixture of pride and concern. “Your mother stress-cooks when she’s worried. You should have seen what she prepared when you left for Mythos.”

“We ate leftovers for a week,” Aria confirmed, already piling her plate high with pastries. “Not that I’m complaining.”

The girls arrived just as we were sitting down—all four of them together, as had become their habit. Their temporary truce had evolved into something resembling genuine friendship over the past week, though the competitive undercurrent remained.

“We thought we’d join you for breakfast, if that’s alright,” Rose said politely, though the others were already taking their seats as if by prior arrangement.

“Fortuitous timing,” my mother replied with a knowing smile. “I seem to have made exactly enough for everyone.”

Cecilia surveyed the spread with appreciative eyes. “Lady Alice, you’ve outdone yourself. This rivals the imperial kitchen’s best efforts.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” my mother replied, clearly pleased. “Though I suspect you’re familiar with that concept, Princess Cecilia.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” Cecilia said with mock innocence, catching my eye across the table with a mischievous smile that made my heart skip.

Breakfast flowed into a day that seemed determined to pass too quickly. My father had taken the day off work—a rare occurrence that underscored the significance of my departure—and suggested a family outing to the city’s renowned botanical gardens.

“The winter exhibition is supposed to be spectacular,” he explained. “They’ve incorporated some new mana-reactive species from the Southern Continent.”

What began as a family excursion naturally expanded to include the four girls. No one questioned their inclusion—they had somehow become fixtures in our lives, as if they had always belonged there.

The gardens were indeed spectacular—vast greenhouses filled with plants that defied the winter season outside, some glowing with inner light, others moving with apparent sentience as we passed. In one particularly secluded section filled with luminescent blue flowers, I found myself momentarily alone with Rachel.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly, watching as a blossom responded to her proximity by pulsing more brightly. “Reminds me of the healing gardens in the Eastern Temple.”

“Do you miss it?” I asked. “Your home?”

She considered the question seriously, her sapphire eyes reflecting the ethereal blue light around us. “Sometimes. But home isn’t always where you’re from.” Her hand found mine, fingers intertwining with gentle pressure. “Sometimes it’s where you choose to be.”

The simple honesty in her words made something tighten in my chest. Before I could respond, there was a deliberate cough from behind us.

“If you two are finished with your private tour,” Cecilia said, her tone light but her eyes narrowed slightly, “the others are waiting at the central pavilion.”

Rachel didn’t release my hand, instead offering a serene smile. “We’ll be right there.”

The day progressed with similar moments of connection—Seraphina discussing mathematical theories with my father, Rose helping my mother identify rare herbs in the medicinal garden, Cecilia challenging Aria to increasingly ridiculous dares among the exotic specimens. I moved between these vignettes, savoring each interaction, storing memories against the coming separation.

As evening approached, we returned to the penthouse for a final dinner together. The atmosphere was lighter than I’d expected, filled with stories and laughter rather than the melancholy I’d anticipated. Even Aria seemed determined to make the most of our last night, setting aside her usual teasing to share genuinely funny anecdotes from her time at Slatemark Academy.

After dinner, as my parents and Aria retired to give us some privacy, the five of us moved to the balcony overlooking the city. The night was clear, stars visible despite the urban lights below, the air crisp with winter’s lingering chill.

“So,” Cecilia said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over us, “are you going to write to us while you’re being tortured by the Martial King, or will we have to storm his fortress to check you’re still alive?”

I laughed, leaning against the railing. “I’ll write when I can. Though from what I’ve heard, I might be too exhausted to manage coherent sentences.”

“We’ll take incoherent scribbles,” Rose offered with a gentle smile. “Just to know you’re thinking of us.”

“I’m always thinking of you,” I admitted, the words slipping out before I could consider their weight. “All of you.”

The confession hung in the air between us, more significant than it might have seemed to an outside observer. I watched as each of them processed my words, their reactions as distinct as their personalities.

Cecilia’s eyes widened slightly before her expression settled into satisfied certainty, as if I had merely confirmed what she already knew. Rachel’s cheeks flushed with delicate color, her gaze dropping momentarily before meeting mine with quiet happiness. Seraphina remained outwardly composed, but I caught the subtle softening around her eyes that betrayed her true feelings. Rose’s smile deepened, reaching her eyes in a way that transformed her entire face.

“We know,” Seraphina said simply, speaking for all of them. “Just as you know we think of you.”

The conversation shifted to lighter topics after that—plans for the coming semester, predictions about new students, theories about the training the Martial King might inflict upon me. But the undercurrent of my confession remained, coloring every word and glance that followed.

As the night grew later, we moved inside, settling in the living room with its panoramic views of the city. The girls had gradually migrated closer throughout the evening, until we formed a tableau that would have raised eyebrows in more formal settings—Cecilia leaning against my right side, Rachel nestled against my left, Seraphina seated at my feet with her head resting lightly against my knee, and Rose perched on the arm of the sofa, her fingers occasionally brushing my shoulder.

“We should go,” Rose said eventually, though she made no move to rise. “It’s getting late, and you need rest before tomorrow.”

“Stay,” I said, the word emerging as little more than a whisper. I cleared my throat, attempting a more casual tone. “I mean, it’s our last night. There’s no point in separating now.”

No one disagreed. No one moved. The city lights continued to glimmer beyond the windows, time slipping away in quiet conversation and meaningful silences.

Later, as the others drifted into sleep around me—Cecilia’s head on my shoulder, Rachel curled against my side, Seraphina and Rose leaning against each other nearby—I found myself pondering the strange path that had led me here. From a previous life reading about these characters to now loving them as real people, from an ordinary existence to one filled with power and purpose beyond anything I could have imagined.

All good things must eventually end, but some endings were merely transitions to beginnings. Tomorrow I would leave for training, growing stronger to protect what I had found. The coming months and years would bring challenges that would test all of us, dangers that the novel had only hinted at, choices that would determine not just our fates but those of many others.

But for tonight, in this moment of perfect stillness, surrounded by the people who had given my second life meaning and purpose, I allowed myself to simply exist in the present. To feel the weight of Cecilia’s head on my shoulder, the gentle rhythm of Rachel’s breathing, the quiet presence of Seraphina and Rose nearby.

Tomorrow would come soon enough, with all its demands and dangers. Tonight was ours, a perfect memory to carry forward into whatever awaited us.