Chapter 47: Tenderness

“Are you alright?”

As soon as Milis left, Luo Xiya immediately hugged Roman tightly, refusing to let go as she carefully ‘checked’ on him.

Stopping her wandering hand at his waist, Roman shook his head and nudged Luo Xiya with the back of his head.

Her snowy peaks rippled from his nudge, and a blush crept up Luo Xiya’s cheeks.

Running her hand through Roman’s silky, smooth hair, Luo Xiya continued, “She seems to have a different kind of feeling for you.”

She had already softened her words, what she really meant was that Milis was interested in him.

“No way…”

Roman felt Luo Xiya was overthinking things.

Someone like Milis, never mind her status or strength, just her personality made it hard for Roman to believe she would have those kinds of feelings for him.

“Why not? Do you trust her that much?”

Luo Xiya sounded a little displeased.

“Of course I don’t trust her…”

Roman explained softly.

Only then did Luo Xiya hum quietly and stop questioning him.

In truth, she was a bit shaken herself, if she hadn’t suddenly decided to visit the Back Garden, who knew what that so-called Saintess would have said or done to Roman while she had the chance.

“How did she find you here?”

That was the real reason Luo Xiya was suspicious, Milis just happened to find the Back Garden where Roman was resting?

What a joke.

If it weren’t for Milis’s status, Luo Xiya would have labeled her as a third-rate stalker on the spot.

“It was all its doing.”

Roman smiled and pointed at Cake, who was playing with flowers in the grass.

Luo Xiya immediately understood, then walked over and lifted Cake by the scruff of its neck, holding it in the air.

“You little traitor, helping someone else steal from me?”

Luo Xiya’s jealous tone made Roman quickly snatch Cake from her hands, worried she might hurt it in a moment of excitement.

“Alright, alright, nothing happened, did it?”

Roman comforted her gently.

But Luo Xiya wasn’t as easygoing as Roman.

They hadn’t even left home and already there were girls trying to get close, what about the future?

Roman, on the other hand, thought of Milis approaching him under the pretense of Cake, and the words she left unsaid.

“In any case, she’s dangerous. You’re not allowed to talk to her anymore.”

Luo Xiya declared domineeringly.

“Alright, I got it,” Roman replied, coaxing her.

Unknowingly, the relationship between the two had grown much closer.

The earlier caution and restraint had vanished without a trace.

Luo Xiya narrowed her eyes and suddenly pressed Roman down into the flowerbed.

“You’ve rested long enough. Let me see how well you’ve recovered.”

As Roman stared at her wide-eyed, Luo Xiya gently stroked his cheek and laughed softly.

Before Roman could protest, she sealed his lips, leaving him no room to resist, and he could only let his consciousness melt away.

Fortunately, Luo Xiya wasn’t the type to truly go overboard.

She didn’t drag Roman into a wild scene with nature in broad daylight, she simply kissed him all over.

After a while, Roman lay on the grass, breathing heavily, while Luo Xiya rested on top of him, burying her face in his neck.

“Last night, the way we were… could it be…?”

Roman suddenly remembered something and couldn’t help but worry.

It wasn’t that he rejected such things, but if something happened without any preparation, it wouldn’t be good for either of them.

“Did you forget my Extraordinary Talent?”

Luo Xiya nuzzled his neck as she spoke.

Only then did Roman realize, that’s why she was so carefree last night.

She wasn’t worried at all; she could just use the magic in her body to dissolve it.

“What, you don’t want children?”

Luo Xiya asked him directly and openly.

“That’s not it…”

Roman didn’t know how to explain.

He was only sixteen, still a kid himself.

The thought that something might actually happen made him feel a little disillusioned.

“Even if you wanted to, I wouldn’t agree now.”

Luo Xiya said suddenly.

“We’re still so young. What’s the rush? Even my mother hasn’t started nagging me about this, so why should you be anxious?”

She hummed lightly, biting Roman’s ear as she spoke.

“By the way, you didn’t take what she said earlier to heart, did you?”

Luo Xiya suddenly raised her head, staring at him intently.

In her memory, Roman had kept his head down and said nothing the whole time.

Thinking about it now, it did seem a little suspicious.

“I was lying to Milis at that time,” Roman said weakly.

“Hmm?”

“After talking with her for a while, I realized she’s a rather arrogant person.”

“That’s not just ordinary arrogance,” Luo Xiya snorted.

“If she’s not interested in something, she won’t even look at it. But if she is interested…”

Roman’s voice suddenly trailed off.

“Hmph, of course I know she’s interested in you,” Luo Xiya said, licking his earlobe.

Roman’s face, which had just calmed down, began to heat up again.

He knew this was Luo Xiya’s way of ‘getting back at’ him, so he didn’t refuse, letting her lick his earlobe as he panted and said,

“She acts like she’s above question when she cares about something. I was alone then, and after I accidentally offended her, she started getting handsy. So after that, whatever she said, I just kept my head down and ignored it. Sometimes it’s better to endure than to make her an enemy.”

Listening to Roman’s gentle explanation, Luo Xiya grew increasingly dissatisfied and said, “I’ll find a chance to teach her a lesson someday.”

That startled Roman, and he quickly stopped her.

“Don’t do anything rash.”

“What do you mean, rash?!”

Luo Xiya was even more dissatisfied now.

“She may be arrogant, but when it comes to Extraordinary Talent, she’s actually stronger than me. Still, that doesn’t mean she can beat me.”

“So you really want to fight her?”

Roman retorted.

Luo Xiya snorted, “Every year, the Holy Light Church holds a grand ceremony for the entire Continent. Every nation sends an envoy to attend. It’s a diplomatic event, but I’ll find a way to settle accounts with her. Does she think she can avoid me?”

Listening to her, Roman couldn’t help but wonder if Luo Xiya was a bit petty.

Of course, he wouldn’t say that out loud, especially since he was still pinned under her.

But Luo Xiya wasn’t done yet.

She immediately dragged him into more shameless mischief, and the whole morning passed in a daze for Roman.

***

At noon, the two of them walked out of the Back Garden side by side.

Roman deliberately put some distance between himself and Luo Xiya, buttoning the topmost button of his collar, not daring to show even a bit of skin.

Luo Xiya scratched her head, looking both embarrassed and defensive, “Red marks aren’t supposed to show up so easily, right? And they fade quickly, don’t they? Roman, is your constitution really okay?”

Roman finally couldn’t stand it anymore.

He quickened his pace and ignored her completely.