The blue sky turned dark, and the night wind swayed the surrounding trees.
When everyone was resting with their families, Aveline was sitting on her bed while looking at the stars through the window.
Maybe it was because she was finally home, or perhaps because the atmosphere was so calm and peaceful.
At that moment, her heart throbbed with happiness as if the quiet night had lifted all the burdens from her shoulders.
'What a beautiful view!'
As she was savoring the breathtaking scenery before her, the sound of someone knocking on her door reached her ears.
Aveline instantly stopped looking at the night sky and shifted her gaze to the source of the sound.
A moment later, Elara's voice rang out.
"Mother, are you there?" Elara was standing before Aveline's room while hugging her pillow to her chest.
"Come in. The door isn't locked." Aveline replied.
After opening the door, Elara didn't step into her mother's room immediately.
Instead, she stayed where she was.
"Mother, can I sleep with you tonight?" Elara asked in a soft, low voice.
Aveline was startled because Elara usually slept alone in her room.
After recalling what had just happened, she understood the reason why her daughter suddenly desired to sleep with her.
With a soft smile on her face, Aveline tapped the bed beside her. "Of course, come here."
Elara closed the door and lay next to her.
Mystically, she instantly felt calm, peaceful, at ease, and comfortable, as if her mother's warmth was protecting her from everything.
Elara embraced her mother's left arm and said, "Good night, mother."
Aveline kissed her forehead gently before finally smiling lovingly. "Good night, my angel."
Shortly after that, Elara fell asleep.
That night, she felt like she was sleeping on a soft cloud because her mother's presence washed away all the uneasiness within her.
----
The following day, the citizens gathered in the village square to prepare for the party.
They had postponed the village feast when Aveline was missing. Now that she had returned, it was time to celebrate it.
After preparing for about nine hours, everything was finally ready. The previous empty square was now buzzing with joy and cheerful voices.
Long wooden tables were filled with food and drinks, while a gentle breeze carried the scent across the area.
As the adults ate and joked happily, some children ran around under the glow of the lamps with happy laughter.
At that moment, the village square had transformed into a small paradise where only happiness and laughter existed.
"Ren, I heard you killed a 2-star mage and managed to escape from a 2-star shifter despite carrying the village chief. Not bad! Not bad! Haha!" Darian laughed loudly as he slapped Ren on the back.
"Well, I was just lucky." He chose to act normally because luck had indeed played a big part in it.
Darian poured beer into an empty glass before finally placing it in front of Ren. "Here, have a drink. This is to thank you for saving the village head and killing an awakener for the first time."
Ren didn't drink it immediately because he had never drunk alcohol before.
"Ren, real men drink beer. You won't officially be considered an adult if you've never had one." Of course, Darian was lying because he just wanted to get Ren to drink it.
Ren had reached the legal drinking age, and they were at a party, so having a beer was a must.
And in his eyes, a party was not complete without it.
Ren grabbed the glass and drank it.
As the beer passed through his throat, an unfamiliar sensation spread throughout his body.
His chest suddenly felt warm, and his mind went a little fuzzy for a moment.
Ren strangely found himself unable to stop, as if he were drinking the most delicious elixir in the world.
After he emptied his glass, he put it down on the table and wore a satisfied expression.
"How is it?" Darian asked.
"Amazing!" Ren gave a thumbs up.
"Haha." Darian laughed loudly. "Now, you are officially an adult, Ren! Haha."
Ren said nothing and only smiled at him.
A few minutes later, music came from the speakers and four people stepped forward to dance together.
At first, the others only cheered for them while drinking their beer, but a moment later, more people joined in.
In a short amount of time, more than twenty people danced together.
Their faces were full of smiles, and their hearts throbbed with happiness.
None of them felt shy as they danced freely, as if they were professional dancers who performed in front of their audience.
When Ren was enjoying the atmosphere, Aveline slowly approached him.
"Ren, can you help me get some beer from the warehouse?" She could not bring them alone, so she needed someone to help her.
"Sure." Ren agreed instantly.
"Village head, do you need my help too?" Daniel inquired.
"I only need one person." She refused instantly. "Just empty your glass. I will be back soon to fill it up."
"Alright!" Daniel replied happily before he drank his beer.
Then, both Ren and Aveline headed to the warehouse together.
A moment later, they reached their destination.
"Ren, do you enjoy the feast?" she asked.
Ren didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned his head left and right, checking whether they were alone or not.
After he was sure that no one was in the warehouse beside them, he walked closer to her and wrapped his hands around her slender waist.
Aveline's body tensed for a moment when he suddenly embraced her from behind. But even so, she did nothing and continued putting the beer bottles into the rack.
"Yes. It's amazing." It was the best party he had ever had in his two lives.
"Then, you must enjoy it to the fullest." Her eyes widened for a moment when he suddenly turned her to face him.
"I will." After saying that, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.
Even though she was startled, she welcomed the kiss immediately.
After savoring her tender lips for a few seconds, Ren broke the kiss. "Thank you for this happiness, my love. I'm really glad I came to your village."
Maybe it was because she was a little drunk, or perhaps because his sweet words charmed her like magic.
At that moment, she immediately pulled him closer to her and kissed him hungrily.
Ren was pleasantly surprised by her actions.
Since he wanted to share his happiness with her, he unleashed his kissing skills to make her mind go to cloud nine.
And his efforts were not in vain because her mind went blank shortly after that.
"You are really good at deep kissing, Ren," she praised him while wearing a lustful face as if she were trying to seduce him.
"Do you want to experience it again?" he asked playfully.
Aveline didn't answer, but she nodded her head, giving him a sign that she wanted more.
Without waiting for another second, he devoured her tender lips.
As they were intertwining their tongues wildly and lewdly, Aveline did something unexpected.
"Hmm?" his eyes widened in shock for a second.
'This is…'