Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 57 – Something Unexpected…

Steam still lingered in the air when Adam stepped out of the bathroom, and the coolness of the room immediately struck his damp skin.

He wore a towel wrapped around his waist while his other hand rubbed through his wet hair, letting the droplets run down his neck and slide across his bare chest.

However, the moment he crossed the doorway, his feet came to an abrupt halt.

Because there, sitting on the edge of his bed as if it were the most natural thing in the world, was Alice.

And not only that, but she also had Nox in her hands, gently stroking his head with a tenderness that contrasted completely with the expression of absolute delight lighting up her face.

The small dragon, for his part, seemed to be enjoying the petting immensely, as he kept his eyes half-closed while emitting a deep purring sound that vibrated in his chest.

Adam blinked once. Then again. And then the initial shock gave way to a wave of disbelief that tensed every muscle in his body.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a rough voice, though he immediately added a second question that seemed even more urgent to him: "And how did you get in?"

Alice, however, did not even bother to look up. Her fingers continued sliding over Nox’s small scales, tracing soft circles behind his tiny ears, and only when the silence stretched for several more seconds did she respond in a casual tone:

"I’m your girlfriend, aren’t I?" She finally lifted her eyes toward him, and a mischievous smile curved her lips. "It seemed right to make a copy of your key."

Adam parted his lips to reply, but the words died before they could form. Because, really, what could he say in the face of such stupid logic? So instead of protesting, he simply let the towel he had been holding over his hair drop and walked toward her with slow, deliberate steps.

His expression had turned serious. Too serious.

And Alice noticed it—of course she noticed it—but before he could open his mouth, she lifted Nox with both hands and held him in front of Adam’s face, as if the hatchling were some kind of adorable shield.

The small dragon tilted his head to one side, clearly confused by the sudden movement, and his eyes blinked with curiosity as he looked at his owner.

Adam looked at both of them without knowing how to react. Because the scene was so absurd, so completely unexpected, that for a moment his mind went blank.

"This..." he began to say, but Alice interrupted him immediately.

"I didn’t think dragons actually existed," she murmured, and although her words sounded light, there was a genuine spark of amazement in her eyes. "And that my boyfriend would have one..." she paused, slowly lowering Nox until he rested against her chest, "and hide it from me..."

Then her voice dropped several tones, turning husky as a flirtatious smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"I’m surprised—and excited."

Adam swallowed. Because that shift in tone had been so sudden, so shameless, that for a moment he didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about it.

However, beyond Alice’s insinuations, there was something that troubled him far more. Something that overshadowed every other emotion and made his stomach tighten with apprehension.

Nox.

The last thing he needed was for anyone to know of his existence. Dragons supposedly shouldn’t exist—or at least that was what everyone believed—and if the news that he possessed one reached the wrong ears...

’This is bad,’ he thought as he clenched his jaw. ’Very bad.’

Alice seemed to notice the change in his expression, because her playful look softened instantly. And then, without warning, she hugged Nox against her chest and looked Adam straight in the eyes.

"Don’t worry," she said in a firm voice. "I’m not planning to tell anyone about this."

Adam watched her in silence for several seconds, but no matter how much he wanted to believe her, no matter how much he wished he could trust her words, he simply couldn’t.

The risks were too great, the consequences too severe, and he had learned long ago that empty promises were worth nothing.

"How can I be sure of that?" he finally replied, and his tone made it clear that this was not a rhetorical question.

Alice tilted her head, and for a moment she seemed to consider his words. Then, however, a different smile appeared on her face. It wasn’t flirtatious or playful, but something more... determined.

"Really?" she murmured.

And before Adam could ask what she meant, he felt it.

An enormous amount of mana burst from Alice’s body like an invisible wave, spreading throughout the entire room until every corner was saturated with its presence.

But it didn’t stop there, because that power began to intertwine with his own, wrapping around it, connecting with it, until both energies were bound together in a link that Adam recognised instantly.

’A Mana Oath,’ he thought with wide eyes. ’She just made a Mana Oath.’

And he knew perfectly well what that meant. Because that kind of contract was absolute, unbreakable, and the consequences of breaking it left no room for doubt.

Death.

Just that simple. Just that final.

"Done," Alice announced with a satisfied smile as the mana gradually dissipated. "Do you trust me now?"

Adam stared at her, and for the first time since he had found her in his room, he didn’t know what to say.

Because she had just put her own life on the line just so he would trust her, and that was... that was...

’She’s crazy,’ he finally concluded. ’Completely crazy.’

But before he could say that thought out loud, Alice released Nox. And the small dragon, excited at the prospect of reuniting with his owner, spread his wings and launched himself straight toward Adam’s chest.

Adam caught him on pure instinct, but the impact made him step back, and in that moment he felt the towel around his waist loosen.

And fall.

The cold air of the room hit his skin all at once, and Adam froze completely as he processed what had just happened.

Alice, for her part, slowly lowered her gaze. Her eyes travelled over his body from top to bottom without the slightest trace of embarrassment, and when she finally met his gaze again, a sideways smile curved her lips.

"Well, well..." she murmured in a tone dripping with amusement. "Look what we have here..."