The Extra's Rise - Chapter 605

Chapter 605: Two Princesses (3)

The tension in Arthur’s dorm room had shifted from competitive playfulness to something far more intimate. Both princesses had moved closer, their earlier rivalry temporarily set aside in favor of a shared understanding that they both cherished these rare moments alone with him.

Rachel was the first to move, her blue eyes soft with emotion as she cupped Arthur’s face gently. “I’ve missed this,” she whispered, before pressing her lips to his in a kiss that spoke of months of separation and longing.

‘Finally,’ Rachel thought as their lips met, her heart racing with the familiar intoxication that only Arthur could provide. ‘He’s here, he’s real, he’s mine.’ The possessive thought should have surprised her—after all, she was meant to be the pure, saintly princess—but around Arthur, such pretenses fell away entirely. ‘I don’t care about sharing him with others as long as I can have moments like this. As long as he keeps looking at me like I’m precious.’

The thought of other women touching him, kissing him, made something dark and violent stir in her chest, but she forced it down. The arrangement they’d all agreed to was practical, necessary even—but more than that, it was merciful. She’d learned the hard way during the Sophomore Ball that her jealousy, no matter how justified it felt, only ended up hurting Arthur. The memory of his pained expression when she and Cecilia had fought publicly still haunted her nightmares.

When they finally broke apart, Cecilia was watching with eyes that burned like crimson fire. “My turn,” she said simply, her voice carrying an edge of barely controlled hunger.

Arthur turned to her, and Cecilia felt her breath catch as she saw the way he looked at her—with genuine affection, desire, and something deeper that made her feel like she could conquer the world. She pulled him close, their lips meeting with a passion that had been building since the moment she’d walked into his room.

‘Mine,’ Cecilia’s thoughts echoed Rachel’s with startling similarity. ‘He’s mine, and I’ll destroy anyone who tries to take him away.’ The intensity of her feelings should have concerned her, but she’d long since stopped caring about such trivial matters as sanity when it came to Arthur.

As they separated, both princesses found themselves on either side of Arthur again, but the dynamic had changed. The competitive edge had softened into something more collaborative, as if the kisses had reminded them that they were united in their devotion to him, even if they remained rivals for his ultimate affection.

Arthur felt the shift too, his arms coming around both of them as they settled against his sides. The warmth of their bodies, the soft scent of Rachel’s jasmine perfume mixing with Cecilia’s rose oil, created an atmosphere of contentment that he rarely experienced.

‘I should feel guilty about this,’ he thought, but couldn’t quite manage it. These women had chosen him, knowing full well about each other, and had somehow made it work through sheer force of will and political necessity. ‘They’re happy, I’m happy… it’s unconventional, but it works.’

His thoughts drifted to the other two women in his complicated romantic web. Seraphina Zenith, the third princess he was involved with, had been notably absent from his communications during the winter break due to isolation training at her home, Mount Hua sect.

‘I should visit her soon,’ Arthur mused.

Then there was Rose Springshaper, daughter of Marquis Springshaper and heir to the Vakrt Corporation—the most powerful necromancy company in the Slatemark Empire. Their conversations during the winter break had been almost entirely business-focused, discussing potential collaborations between her family’s resources and his guild operations. The talks had been productive, but he realized he’d barely spent any personal time with her.

‘Rose deserves better than just business meetings,’ he thought with a pang of guilt. ‘Maybe I should take her on a proper date. She’s been so patient with the whole arrangement, and I’ve been neglecting the personal side of our relationship in favor of professional opportunities.’

“You’re thinking about the others, aren’t you?” Rachel said softly, her intuition as sharp as ever. There was no accusation in her voice, just understanding.

Cecilia’s grip on his arm tightened slightly, but she nodded in agreement. “It’s fine. We knew this would be part of the arrangement when we agreed to it.”

The maturity of their response still amazed Arthur sometimes. Here were two of the most powerful young women on the continent, both possessive to a degree that could be genuinely frightening, and they’d somehow found a way to share him without destroying each other—or him—in the process.

He still remembered the Sophomore Ball vividly. It had been a turning point for all of them.

‘They chose my happiness over their own possessiveness,’ Arthur thought, feeling a surge of gratitude and love for the three princesses. ‘That takes incredible strength.’

“I was thinking about taking Rose on a proper date,” Arthur admitted. “We’ve been so focused on business lately that I feel like I’ve been neglecting her.”

Rachel’s smile was gentle, though Arthur caught the brief flash of something darker in her eyes. “That’s thoughtful of you. Rose has been very accommodating about the scheduling.”

‘Accommodating,’ Rachel thought, the word tasting bitter. ‘More like calculating. She knows that playing the patient, understanding card makes Arthur feel guilty and pay more attention to her. Clever little manipulator.’

Cecilia’s expression remained carefully neutral, but her thoughts were similarly dark. ‘At least Rose keeps things professional most of the time. It’s Seraphina I worry about. That annoying half-elf.’

“What about Seraphina?” Cecilia asked aloud, her voice deceptively casual. “She’s been quiet lately.”

Arthur’s expression grew thoughtful. “She said she was in isolation training.”

Both princesses exchanged a look over his head—one of the rare moments when their rivalry gave way to shared concern.

“Let’s focus on now,” he said, pulling them both closer. “I have you two here, and I want to enjoy that.”

The tension immediately melted from both princesses as they remembered what mattered most: this moment, this connection, this rare opportunity to simply be with the man they both loved with an intensity that sometimes frightened them.

Rachel pressed a soft kiss to his neck, breathing in his scent like it was a drug she couldn’t live without. ‘I love him so much it hurts,’ she thought. ‘I’d burn the world for him if he asked.’

Cecilia’s fingers traced patterns on his chest, her touch possessive and gentle at the same time.

As the afternoon light filtered through the windows of Arthur’s room, the three of them settled into comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts about love, possession, and the complex web of relationships that somehow managed to work despite all logic suggesting it shouldn’t.