Chapter 640 Archer Doesn't Discriminate
[Aeris Redcliff's POV]
Aeris looked at the brown-skinned elf with blonde hair and bright yellow eyes staring at him.
He shrugged before answering. ''I don't know what you mean.''
The elf sighed as she got straight to the point. ''We know you're a girl. It's obvious by the way you look at our husband, and you do look female.''
That's when the girl with pink hair looked bothered, making Aeris even more anxious. ''Stop lying to us. What is your reason for being around Archer? Fame? Gold?''
Aeris started panicking because she thought the spell would work, but not with these girls. She undid the magic with a sigh, which didn't change much before explaining her reasoning.
''He's the only person outside my family to look out for me and show genuine worry. You must have seen it when he dealt with the bullies that have been making my life hell. Only my grandmother has ever defended me like he did.'' Aeris answered as she looked down at the floor.
After she spoke, she realized they were all staring at her with narrowed eyes. The only difference was her body became curvier, her chest appeared larger, and her facial features appeared more feminine.
Once Aeris returned to normal, she noticed a small redheaded girl with a tail swaying behind her, who was the first to bound over and speak. ''I'm Sera—one of Archer's fiances. So you were a girl. Why were you hiding it? I didn't think you were one, but with these small changes, it makes sense.''
Aeris continued to look down in embarrassment before answering. ''Well, students in the Summerfield Duchy tended to bully me due to being a wraith and the daughter of a noble family that's fallen from grace due to my father's poor handling of our old land.''
She looked down before taking a deep breath and continuing. ''I went into hiding due to the bullying, but when I got accepted into Starlight Academy, I decided to see if it would continue if I presented myself as a boy, but as you saw, it doesn't help, and they still treat me the same.''
They all nodded before she noticed a blonde elf with a devious smile. ''Let's keep this from our husband and see how long it takes him to figure it out?''
When everyone heard this, they giggled before Aeris noticed a black-haired girl with beautiful yellow snake eyes asked in a concerned tone. ''Aint that horrible? I feel like we're lying to him.''
The pink-haired girl who spoke before was the one to answer that with a chuckle. ''Well, only suspects Aeris of being a girl. Imagine his surprise when he finds out. It would be funny, especially if we tease him.''
'They want to play games with him? Why wouldn't they tell Arch?' Aeris thought to herself.
Aeris shook her head and asked. ''Why are you hiding it from it? Wouldn't that be lying? He will be upset.'' Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m
When Aeris heard that, he remembered what her mother had said. 'The Zenians are powerful Arcane magic users.'
Nefertiti began introducing the girls. "You might already know some of us, but I'll introduce everyone again."
"The girl who first spoke to you, with the golden blonde hair and yellow eyes, is Hemera Helios. The one with blue hair is Teuila Aquaria and the blonde lioness is Nala Lionheart.''
Aeris smiled at the girls as Nefertiti was about to continue speaking. ''The silver-haired is Talila Helios and is Hemera's niece. It seems you know Leira, but then the last lady is Halime Nagendra.''
She greeted them all and rreceivedwarm smiles in return but wanted to clear the air. ''I judge him as a friend. He stood up for me when many wouldn't because of what I am.''
Once she was finished speaking she stood nervously amidst the group of girls, she felt a wave of apprehension wash over her. The revelation about gender had left her feeling exposed and vulnerable, unsure of how the others would react.
But as she looked around at their expectant faces, she was surprised to see warmth and understanding in their eyes.
With a tail swaying behind her, Sera stepped forward with a kind smile. "We're really glad you decided to be honest with us."
Aeris felt a sense of relief flood through her at Sera's words. Maybe she hadn't made a mistake in revealing her true self.
"Thank you, Sera," she replied, her voice still tinged with nervousness.
Teuila chimed in next. "Yeah, we can tell you're genuine. And we appreciate that. So here's the deal. We're going to keep up the charade with Archer for a bit longer, just for fun. But don't worry, we'll make sure he finds out eventually. In the meantime, let's all be friends, okay?"
As Aeris stood nervously amidst the group of girls, she felt a wave of apprehension wash over her. The revelation of her true gender had left her feeling exposed and vulnerable, unsure of how the others would react.
But as she looked around at their expectant faces, she was surprised to see warmth and understanding in their eyes. Aeris wanted to ask one more question. ''Does it bother you that I'm a Dark Wraith?''
Everyone's head snapped toward her before Teuila grinned. ''No girl. We're all different races, and Archer doesn't discriminate. I'm sure they would claim here that a ghost girl caught his fancy.''
Aeris started laughing with everyone before they began gossiping and telling her about Archer's escapades when he met some of them in his younger years.
[If there are any mistakes, point them out, and I'll edit it. Thanks]
