I was here first

Yanshan City, where skyscrapers loomed faintly amidst the snow and wind.

Flickers of festive red adorned the scene.

It was the glow of countless households, their warmth illuminating the night as they bid farewell to the old year and welcomed the new.

The air buzzed with excitement.

Voices rose in a lively clamor.

The chime of bells echoed through the city, amplified by supernatural forces, washing away the weariness accumulated in people’s hearts after a year of toil.

Yet, Xu Xi had never imagined that, just after midnight on New Year’s Eve, he would receive a veiled confession from his mechanized maid.

“Ailei.”

Xu Xi sat on the edge of his bed, locking eyes with the silver-blue clarity of the maid’s gaze.

“You don’t have to become my wife to join my household registry.”

“Ailei knows.”

The girl gave a slight nod, indicating she had long been aware of this fact. “But I only wish to be your wife, your spouse.”

Once, the RTX-9090 had been a mere automaton—a household service robot.

Even if its core brimmed with boundless emotion, it could neither fully comprehend nor articulate them.

But now, Ailei understood. And she wanted to express it to Xu Xi.

In the dimly lit bedroom, Xu Xi pressed further, unease creeping into his voice. “Ailei, do you know what matters most between spouses?”

“Master, it is love.”

The soft glow of the lamp cast shadows across the maid’s delicate features.

Her calm eyes, deep as an unfathomable ocean, held an inhuman detachment.

Yet when they rested on Xu Xi, ripples of warmth surfaced, dispelling the coldness, filling her gaze with tenderness.

“The love of companionship, the love of care, the love of acknowledgment, the love of concern.”

“All these forms of love together make a spouse.”

“Master.”

Ailei suddenly smiled, her eyes curving like gentle crescents. “A long time ago, I struggled to define love. It seemed so complex.”

“But now, I think I understand.”

“When you wiped my lenses, that was love.”

“When you prepared my chassis, that was love.”

“When you endured pain to tolerate my whims and stubbornness, that too was love.”

“All this time, you have loved me. And when I realized this, I understood something very important—”

She tilted her head slightly, resting it against Xu Xi’s arm.

Her gaze drifted toward the window, her voice as light as the wind.

“I. Love. You.”

“I love it when you praise me.”

“I love it when you care for me.”

“I love it when you’re by my side.”

“I love your companionship, your gentleness, your quirks—every part of you.”

“Master,” the mechanized maid concluded, “since we love each other, becoming husband and wife is only natural.”

Though no law recognized their union, in Ailei’s eyes, their bond and shared history had long made them true partners.

“Those are my lines! Mine!”

Hidden in the shadows, Wu Yingxue’s eyes widened in agitation. She nearly rushed out but held back, fearing her sister and the Hero might notice.

Krisha remained expressionless.

Her face was calm, her eyes unreadable.

She glanced at Ailei outside, then at Wu Yingxue beside her, arriving at a conclusion.

Indeed, the greatest threat came from one’s own kind.

“I must do something,” the witch murmured, pondering how to rescue Xu Xi from the clutches of this perilous mechanized seductress.

……

In the courtyard, Xu Xi’s bedroom.

Ailei stepped closer, an entry form in hand, pressing herself almost entirely against Xu Xi.

So near that he could see his own reflection in her azure eyes.

“Master, please sign.”

“Once you write your name, this form will take effect.”

The winter chill did nothing to dampen the maid’s assertiveness.

She took Xu Xi’s wrist, guiding his warm palm back to her cheek. “May I, Master?”

“Ailei, I…”

Xu Xi could feel the weight of her devotion, heavy and undeniable.

But at the same time—

In the corner of the room, martial energy and arcane forces seethed, threatening to tear through space itself.

The closer Ailei drew to Xu Xi, the more violently the space trembled.

Yet just as the tension reached its peak—

Thud—thud—

Thud—thud—

Loud knocking interrupted the maid’s advance and quelled the roiling energies.

“Great Sorcerer, are you awake?”

“There’s something I need to discuss with you.”

It was Servia.

On this fateful New Year’s Eve, a fourth visitor had arrived.

“A coincidence?” Ailei’s expression was one of utter bewilderment. She had never imagined such an intrusion at this critical moment.

After a brief pause—

Under Xu Xi’s hesitant, conflicted gaze—

Ailei made a familiar decision.

“Master, please wait a moment. I must step away.”

Space split apart.

A hidden pocket dimension formed.

Like shattering glass, the fabric of reality fractured into a web of cracks. As Ailei prepared to slip inside, she came face-to-face with Krisha and Wu Yingxue.

Three supreme beings.

Three girls.

For a moment, dead silence engulfed them.

As if all sound in the world had vanished in an instant.

“Why are you two…?” The mechanized maid short-circuited briefly.

“I was here first.”

The witch reasserted her claim.

Then she stepped aside, allowing the frowning Ailei to enter the hidden space.

“Am I late?” Ailei asked.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Krisha replied.

Beings of the same nature regarded each other warily, momentarily forgetting the noblewoman beside them.

Wu Yingxue: “……”

With an imperceptible ripple, the fractured dimension mended itself.

The bedroom returned to normal—leaving only Xu Xi, utterly bewildered.