Seraphina nestled in Movira’s arms.
She wanted to shift her body a little to find a more comfortable position, but the movement tugged at her rear, and she couldn’t help letting out a soft hiss.
“Does it hurt a lot?” Movira reached out to help adjust her posture.
“A-a little bit…” Seraphina’s ear roots were still flushed red as she admitted in a small voice.
“If you act up again next time, it won’t be this simple.”
Movira’s tone carried a hint of warning, yet far more prominent was the helplessness and indulgence.
At the same time, she noted that Seraphina’s body was truly fragile and easy to injure.
She remembered using only the lightest of force.
Seraphina thought she was still angry, so she quickly shook her head and nuzzled against Movira’s shoulder.
“I won’t dare again. I really won’t dare.”
The two of them continued to hold each other quietly for a while, until Seraphina’s emotions settled and the faint sobs faded away.
Only then did Movira release her.
“Alright, put on your clothes and get up to move around a bit. I’ll go get some water for you to wash your face.”
Seraphina obediently returned to the bed.
Looking at the sunlight streaming through the window and casting long shadows across the floor, she finally realized it was already quite late.
Movira brought the water in.
Seraphina tentatively asked, “Are we heading back this afternoon?”
“You slept for quite a long time with that nap of yours. Perfect timing—pack up. It’s almost noon.” Movira said as she brought over a wet towel.
“Leaving this afternoon? Um… what time is it now?” Seraphina was about to reach for the towel when Movira deftly turned her wrist and dodged it.
“Don’t move.”
The other woman’s voice wasn’t loud, but it solidly interrupted Seraphina’s movement.
Movira sat down by the bedside, her body naturally leaning toward Seraphina.
Before Seraphina could react, the warm, damp towel covered her forehead.
The other woman’s movements were careful and unhurried, starting from the forehead and slowly wiping downward along her cheeks.
Fingertips occasionally “unintentionally” brushed across her skin, bringing a strange shiver.
She wanted to pull back, but Movira’s hand supported the back of her neck.
The force was light, yet enough to keep her from retreating any further.
“I already said don’t move.” Movira repeated.
The warm breath from her speech brushed against the tip of Seraphina’s nose, making it feel itchy.
“Close your eyes.”
Close my eyes? What for?
Seraphina didn’t know.
Seraphina was very nervous, but she still obediently closed her eyes.
With vision deprived, her other senses became abnormally sensitive.
The other woman’s movements were slow and deliberate, one stroke after another, as if wiping some rare treasure.
Rather than wiping, it was more like using the pretense of wiping to engage in close-range touching… rather than wiping, it was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Alright.”
After a long while, Movira’s voice sounded from extremely close.
Seraphina slowly opened her eyes and immediately fell into Movira’s eyes that were right in front of her.
She didn’t pull away immediately, and Seraphina also didn’t push her away as her heart had thought.
At the same time, the sensation on her face was reluctantly disappearing.
The air between the two seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of each other’s breathing.
At such a close distance, Seraphina could even see her own reflection in Movira’s eyes.
For a moment, she only felt that her cheeks were hotter than before.
Movira’s gaze lingered on her face for a while, finally landing on her lips that were tightly closed from nervousness.
Just as Seraphina thought something was about to happen, Movira straightened up, pulled away the distance, and put the towel back.
As if everything just now had only been Seraphina’s illusion.
“Feeling clearer?” Movira’s tone returned to her usual manner.
Seraphina quietly nodded.
She couldn’t find words to speak, only feeling that the places wiped were cool and refreshing, but the spots touched by Movira’s fingertips were like they were on fire.
“Alright, get dressed properly and go downstairs to eat something. We’ll set out to return this afternoon.”
When the two walked downstairs, the aroma of food was already wafting from the dining room.
What surprised Seraphina even more was that sitting by the dining table were not only Astraea, but also Dekalorin and Saint Eustacia.
“Yo, Sleeping Beauty is finally awake? That nap of yours was no joke—over a dozen hours!” Dekalorin spoke first, her face carrying her usual smile.
Saint Eustacia remained as cold as ever, only giving a slight nod in acknowledgment.
“Why did you come?” Seraphina asked a bit surprised.
They didn’t live with Seraphina; they lived in the royal palace.
“Just to send you off.”
“Oh… alright.”
Their arrival distracted Seraphina’s attention.
Under Astraea’s greeting, she habitually sat in the empty seat beside Movira.
However, she completely forgot about her rear…
Just as she touched the hard wooden chair, that sudden pressure still triggered the lingering pain.
“Ugh—!”
Seraphina’s body stiffened abruptly.
She instantly left the stool.
A sharp stabbing pain made her suck in a cold breath, and her eye sockets immediately grew moist.
Tears nearly spilled out.
In front of so many outsiders, she bit down hard on her lower lip and forcibly held back from crying out.
This is too embarrassing! …I absolutely can’t cry!
She justified to herself in her heart: This is clearly insignificant! She didn’t know why just this little pain made her want to cry. Maybe it just reminded her of that experience from earlier.
At this moment, Seraphina could neither sit nor stand, frozen in place with a very strange posture.
With a look of seeking help, she quickly turned toward Movira beside her.
Her fingers secretly stretched under the tablecloth and tugged at the other woman’s clothing corner.
Movira almost instantly met Seraphina’s eyes that were filled with mist.
Seraphina’s voice was as weak as a mosquito’s, almost squeezed out from her throat.
“It hurts…”
Just this one word, yet it carried a helplessness and coquettishness that even she herself hadn’t noticed.
“Wait a moment.” Movira quickly used magic to place a soft cushion on the chair.
“Alright, try sitting down?”
Seraphina only felt her vision blur, and a soft cushion appeared just like that.
But compared to the momentary surprise, what she wanted more now was to stop this strange posture of hers.
She carefully, yet a bit urgently, sat down.
The thick cushion effectively relieved the pressure.
Although there was still some discomfort, it was much better than that moment just now.
After sitting down, she didn’t dare raise her head to look at the others.
Especially Dekalorin—those eyes seemed capable of seeing through any emotion.
Fortunately, Dekalorin didn’t point it out.
She even deliberately provided a topic to shift everyone’s gazes onto herself, then directed her gaze toward Saint Eustacia.
“This time it’s not just to send you off. There’s also…” Dekalorin drew out her tone, “by the way, have Saint Eustacia go with you to the Demon Realm to stay for a period of time.”
(Volume 3 · Transformation of the Demon Realm (Is this still a sisterly relationship?!) Opening)