Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 121 - 120 - Talk with Selena.

The forest was quiet—too quiet.

Raven followed Selena past the crackling fire while the murmurs of his team and the increasingly unhinged squirrel continued without his involvement.

But the moment his boots touched the moss-laced floor of the grove, everything dulled.

It was like stepping into another world—a world of silver moonlight and fragile silence.

Selena stopped ahead of him, her back straight and her arms stiff at her sides.

Raven, on the other hand, waited.

She didn’t speak right away, and he didn’t push.

Instead, he watched the way her silver hair shimmered beneath the moonlight, each strand glowing like a thread of divine silk.

Her hands were clenched, and her knuckles were white. Even her breath was uneven, like a song that had lost its rhythm.

That was until she finally turned.

Her eyes met his—stormy blue, like a calm sea moments before a tidal wave.

"Raven," she began, her voice firmer than she felt. "You... saved me without even realizing it. Not just from danger, but from myself. You don’t even know how much you mean to me."

He remained silent, his arms folded and his expression unreadable.

"I can’t imagine a future without you, Raven. That’s how important you are to me," Selena added before she took a breath.

It was a deep one. The kind you take when you’re about to jump from a cliff.

"I want to stay by your side. Not just as a companion. Not as a friend. But as something more."

Raven blinked once. ’Am I getting proposed?’

"I know I’m not the only one," she added quickly, the words tumbling from her lips like stones from a crumbling ledge. "I know you and Clara are together, and I’m happy for her as a friend. And Siris, she is... Siris. But I’ve been waiting, and I thought maybe—maybe after everything—you’d give me a chance."

The wind rustled the trees softly, like even the leaves were holding their breath.

Selena pressed on. "You said we’d talk when things settled. Well, they’re settled now. So—"

She stopped. Her breath hitched.

She couldn’t speak any further.

She had confidently asked Raven for a talk, but now that it was time to talk, she couldn’t find many words.

After all, this was the talk where it would be decided whether she would remain by Raven’s side.

This was the talk that would decide the course of her life.

Raven’s expression, on the other hand, shifted, just slightly, as he saw Selena pause.

His eyes softened, but his voice came low and steady.

"...Selena."

She flinched.

"I’ve been thinking about it. A lot."

Each word felt like a step toward a verdict—a slow descent.

"I didn’t forget you. Above all, I never ignored you. But I have... responsibilities. More than I can count. And I have been busy with them."

Selena nodded slowly, lips trembling.

But as soon as he continued...

"I can’t afford distractions. Can’t make choices that’ll—"

Her heart dropped.

She couldn’t hear anything.

’It’s happening. He’s going to say no.’

That was all that she could think of.

She had prepared herself for rejection.

She thought she had.

But now that it was here, her chest tightened, her eyes burned, and her throat refused to obey.

What should she do after getting rejected?

’Should I kill him and then kill myself?’

’Maybe kill the others, then kill him, and then kill myself...’

Her eyes were slowly losing their color.

But then, Raven’s words pulled her back to the present.

"...but."

She blinked, feeling something different.

That ’but’ brought her some hope.

"...if I’m being honest," Raven continued, looking up at the moon as if it might judge him, "I don’t want to push you away either."

Raven didn’t want complex girls, but he didn’t mind Selena. She, like Siris, had grown on him—a little.

Selena’s breath got caught in her throat, her eyes widening.

"I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never been... the romantic type. And my life’s not normal enough to offer peace. But," he looked at her then, directly, "if you’re willing to be patient, I want to try. Slowly."

Selena’s lips parted, but no words came out.

"I want to get to know you better," Raven said. "Go on a few dates. Maybe one long one. Let’s take it step by step. No rush. No pressure. Just... us."

Silence fell between them like snowfall.

Selena stared at him, wide-eyed. "So... is that a yes?"

Raven shrugged lightly, the corner of his mouth twitching. "It’s a yes. Just with delayed settings."

She blinked again.

Then she launched forward like a silver comet.

"Raven!"

His eyes widened as her arms wrapped around his neck, and then her lips found his—soft, warm, and trembling with all the emotions she had tried to hide.

For a heartbeat, Raven froze, surprised.

Then his hands found her waist, holding her steady as her kiss deepened. The warmth of her pressed against him, her breath soft against his skin, her presence overwhelming in the best way.

"...It’s not wrong," he muttered against her lips, "we are in a relationship... kind of. Slightly. Delayed."

Selena laughed, her forehead resting against his. "I’ll take that."

He exhaled slowly, his eyes half-lidded. "Of course, you would."

She tightened her arms around him, burying her face into his neck. "You won’t regret this."

"Already regretting how soft you are. I’m going to get teased to death by Clara."

"I’ll protect you."

"...You say that, but she throws knives."

"Then I’ll kiss the wounds for you."

"...That’s better, I guess."

They stood like that for a while, hugging each other like that.

There were no masks or silence.

Just a delayed yes—and all the chaos that came with it.

..................................

A while later.

The campfire crackled lazily, casting orange light on the tired but contented group huddled near it.

Raven sat with the stoicism of a war general returning from battle. Except instead of armor, he was now clad in affection.

Selena clung to his right arm like a determined octopus, whispering things into his ear that would’ve made a lesser man blush.

Siris was latched onto his left arm, glaring icily at the right side like it was a cheating ex she hadn’t even dated yet.

Meanwhile, Clara—possessive as ever—had claimed the throne of Raven’s lap, arms looped around his neck and head resting on his shoulder like she paid rent.

It was not a triangle.

It was an isekai-level diagram that would make relationship charts explode.

"...I think my organs are being redistributed," Raven muttered under his breath.

"You love it," Clara murmured.

"No comment," he replied, looking into the fire as if it could rescue him.

Then, just as Raven was about to shift his legs to avoid becoming fully numb, rustling came from the far side of the clearing.

Boots on grass. Cloaks fluttering.

Then, from between the trees, a squad of teachers burst into the clearing like a highly confused but dramatically trained theater troupe.

At the front was a stern-looking woman with shoulder-length grey hair and sharp glasses: Professor Yulenne, known for her water-element magic and colder personality.

She held a staff in one hand and an urgent scowl on her face.

"We came as fast as we could!" She called, huffing with exertion. "We received the distress message! We were—"

She stopped.

Everyone else did too.

Because instead of a scene of carnage, what she and the others saw was... Raven, buried under two beautiful girls with a third one acting like a queen on his lap.

The rest of the group—Alex, Jake, Jessy, and Rufus—were casually roasting marshmallows, bandaged but relaxed.

The squirrel army was loosely patrolling, though notably missing a certain commander.

The silence was deafening.

"...What the hell?" One of the younger professors whispered.

Raven raised his hand in a weak wave. "Took your time, didn’t you?"

Professor Yulenne blinked, clearly recalculating her life choices. "We came the moment we received your squirrel message. A... rather spirited one. It bit two professors before delivering the note."

Raven narrowed his eyes. "You mean to tell me it took this long to respond?"

"We were already mobilized," she defended. "There were multiple demonic energy signatures in the region. We were investigating them. Carefully."

That made everyone freeze.

"...Wait." Clara sat up slightly, her expression darkening. "You know about the demonic humans?"

Rufus stood, drawing his sword a few inches instinctively. "That information shouldn’t be publicized right now. How—"

Professor Yulenne raised her hand calmly. "Relax. The Royals have recently made it public—at least to our institutions and city-level authorities. You weren’t informed yet because you haven’t contacted anyone outside the forest."

The group exchanged glances.

Raven’s eyes narrowed as if trying to spot cracks in her explanation.

But then, slowly, he nodded.

"That makes sense... I suppose." Though in truth, it didn’t.

Not fully. But it was good enough not to raise a scene. Yet.

The rest of the professors—once prepared for disaster—now stood awkwardly in a loose semicircle.

One even pulled out a healing potion before tucking it away with a sigh.

"Well..." Professor Yulenne straightened, adjusting her cloak. "If everything is under control, we can assist in further defense—"

"Denied," Raven cut in instantly.

Yulenne blinked. "Excuse me?"

Raven gestured toward the fire. "As you can see, the demon’s been dealt with. Siris is back. Selena’s recovered. I’m alive. Barely. But functionally. So... you’re not needed."

Siris, still hugging Raven’s arm, nodded. "I second Raven. They can leave."

Selena hummed, eyes closed, "I third it."

Clara added, "Unanimous decision. Bye-bye."

Professor Yulenne gave Raven a look only a professor can—the hybrid of disappointment, subtle approval, and the eternal curse of "you’re talented but a headache."

"Very well," she sighed, turning to go. "We’ll report to the capital."

But just as she turned, her gaze swept the clearing once more and narrowed slightly. "Wait. Where’s the squirrel? And the... pink one?"

Alex, who was asked the question, perked up from his marshmallow-skewering. "Oh, they left earlier. Something about a ’classified romantic conference of destiny’ or whatever. Seemed important."

Professor Yulenne blinked.

"...What?"

"They’re squirrels," Alex said flatly, as if that explained everything.

Which, unfortunately, it kind of did.

Yulenne considered pursuing the matter but thought better of it. "Alright. We’ll take our leave."

"Thanks for your hard work," Raven offered without sincerity.

With varying degrees of confusion and quiet muttering, the professors finally retreated into the forest.

Silence settled over the camp once again.

Then Jessy turned toward Raven. "So... how’s your emotional damage?"

"Layered," Raven replied.

She sipped her tea. "Looks like your harem route has officially opened."

Raven sighed. "I’m going to get stabbed one day in my sleep."

Jake, the ever-silent, gave a thumbs-up. Rufus was the same.

Selena tightened her hold again. "I’ll protect you."

Clara adjusted her position. "I don’t think anyone will stab you."

Siris merely whispered, "He sleeps next to me."

Raven, on the other hand, stared at the moon, wondering how the protagonist of the Raven Tale handled so many girls. fгeewebnovёl.com

He might need some advice.

Strangely, Crisaius’s face popped up in his head, making him sigh harder.

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