“You know,” XÄ«’s voice was very soft, “I’ve read the letter from the Duchess. She’s already arranged for you to go to the Magic Academy in the Capital, giving you the chance to learn more magic techniques.”
“Ever since you started being able to turn things into flower petals, I’ve faintly sensed that you’ve obtained some truly unbelievable magic… and that you also hope to become even stronger… Perhaps it won’t be long before you begin a brand-new life. That’s really good for you, Young Master. Even though I’m reluctant, I could never bring myself to say anything to stop you.”
“…”
Just like last time, XÄ« showed no sign of wanting to take advantage of the hypnosis to do anything secretive or bad to him.
She was simply sharing the thoughts she felt too shy to say directly to his face.
The room was pitch dark. As the girl rested her fluffy head on his shoulder, Lin Nuo didn’t need to pretend to be dazed and entranced this time. He simply listened quietly to her confession.
“I want to become stronger too. If we ever face something like that again next time, do you really want me to hold you back?”
“I definitely don’t want that.”
“Right now, with you by my side, I naturally want to cherish every moment we spend together. Who knows… once you leave and meet other girls, you might forget all about me…”
In the past, whenever she hypnotized Lin Nuo and told him these things she wanted him to know, being with this version of him felt incredibly addictive to her.
But today…
The topic seemed to be one she didn’t want to face. Even though the manor was full of life, and just standing by the window earlier she could see the lush, leafy trees outside—tomorrow morning she could pull back the curtains to bright, beautiful sunlight.
Yet…
The moment she thought about how, for a while, the person she most wanted to see wouldn’t be here…
XÄ« suddenly felt an indescribable touch of loneliness.
“Mm.”
Hearing Lin Nuo’s response, XÄ« snapped back to herself in a fluster and hugged his arm tightly as usual. The girl stayed silent for a long while, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes.
“Lin Nuo… I think I’m actually feeling a little lonely.”
“…”
After hearing that, Lin Nuo was stunned. He never expected XÄ« to murmur something like this.
“Let me ask you something. I really want to know… that night when you were sent away and then came back, what were you thinking?”
XÄ«’s crisp voice sounded a little different from her usual sweet elegance. She rested her chin seriously in her hand, her two soft, pink feet swinging back and forth.
“Or rather… what do you think ‘liking’ someone means?”
“…”
Lin Nuo didn’t answer right away, but the determination in his eyes grew a little firmer.
Perhaps because he saw XÄ« sincerely and passionately opening her heart to him. Perhaps because he remembered that girl from the original story who was inexplicably sacrificed. And now, hearing the feelings she was pouring out… Someone who cared about him this much—both in the past and now—was probably the first person to do so. This affection was likely more precious than anyone else’s in the entire manor. It was priceless.
Since she thought he was hypnotized and wouldn’t remember anything after waking up…
Then using this time to respond to her more…
What was wrong with that?
After a long silence with no answer from Lin Nuo—which was clearly within XÄ«’s expectations—her expectant gaze gradually dimmed.
“You’ve never liked anyone, never had your heart moved, so you still can’t answer?”
“Seeing someone for the first time brings sudden delight; being with them for a long time still makes the heart race. I think liking someone is like that.”
“Mmm~ Can you say it again?”
When Lin Nuo repeated it,
XÄ« savored the words for a moment. Her eyes quickly curved into crescents. It seemed no matter whether “first sight” or “long acquaintance,” the words had struck right into her heart.
“…An answer with unexpectedly cultured depth.”
Finding his words a little profound, XÄ« shifted position, leaning over onto Lin Nuo so he could clearly see the shoulder strap sliding down her arm. In an ambiguous tone, she asked,
“Then when I said earlier that you could do anything you wanted to me… what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking… if I could touch you.”
“!!”
“…Young Master, really!”
She seemed surprised by the answer—and even more surprised at her own shy reaction, biting her lower lip. Realizing that the hypnotized Lin Nuo wouldn’t know about these expressions she was making because of his teasing,
XÄ« soon relaxed again, gently patting her soft cheek and trying to find more questions.
“If you had the chance, would you want to go to the Magic Academy in the Capital to study magic?”
“I would.”
“So being with me really can’t compare to those boring magic techniques…”
“That’s not how it is. The reason I want to learn magic is so I can see you even better in the future.”
“!!!”
“We’re being a little…”
These unabashedly romantic words made XÄ« suddenly lose all strength, collapsing beside Lin Nuo. Half of her slightly flushed face burrowed into the blanket that still carried his scent.
“It’s… a bit too flirty!”
“…”
Now was the time to cover your face, wasn’t it!
Weren’t you the one who loved throwing straight balls?
How did your high attack turn into low defense?
“What’s Young Master thinking about?”
“I’m thinking… if you hadn’t met me, such a perfect woman like you would end up with some other jerk.”
“Hmm~?” The smile in XÄ«’s crescent-moon eyes instantly became even brighter. “Now you’ve realized I’ll only end up with you, right?”
“I already said it and you still don’t believe me!”
“…”
XÄ« fiddled with her fingers under the blanket, carefully wondering how much longer she could keep playing like this with a Young Master in this state.
Then she remembered hypnosis seemed to have a time limit, depending on the mental strength of the person being hypnotized… Keeping the Young Master under control for too long and making him lose his sense of security probably wasn’t good either.
Buzz—
The red glow in XÄ«’s palm flashed once more.
This time, satisfied with the answers, she quickly ended the hypnosis.
“XÄ«, you just now—”
“Shh.”
Just as Lin Nuo tensed every muscle, preparing to go through the act of slowly regaining clarity from daze to consciousness to deal with XÄ«,
A soft finger pressed against his lips first, telling him not to speak.
Lin Nuo understood. She liked this kind of atmosphere.
“See, the sky’s still like this. This time I only hypnotized you for a few minutes. It’s all because Young Master confessed too quickly… Were you going to ask what I did to you after hypnotizing you?”
Seemingly very pleased that her Young Master had grown so accustomed to her hypnosis—neither resisting nor questioning—Xī said with a sugary smile,
“If hypnosis didn’t prevent lying, I really wouldn’t have known that deep down, Young Master has such strong possessiveness toward me… and wants to do such naughty things with me…”
“Look at your collar—it’s all messed up. Young Master was frantically pulling at his own clothes just now, begging me to take you~”
“…”
That was clearly you pulling at it earlier!
Not only making things up,
but now you’re adding drama for yourself too!
Lin Nuo had already witnessed XÄ«’s contrasting sides once before. Each time, it was a very unique sight.
She didn’t say it, but she loved romance. The way she looked when baring her heart was so pure.
And at times like this, she became so seductive, carrying a kind of dominating “big-sister” vibe that was truly hard to resist.
“I won’t hypnotize you anymore. Let’s just stay like this. Don’t be shy—is there anything you want to say to me?”
“There is.”
“You want to know my feelings? You can just ask me directly. You don’t need to wait until I’m hypnotized to tell me. Even without hypnosis, I won’t lie to you. Maybe some of your thoughts… we could talk about openly.” Lin Nuo said.
“Really? You really think that?”
“…”
Not entirely…
If she only felt safe enough to confess when he was hypnotized, then not revealing that he hadn’t actually been successfully hypnotized was actually a good thing.
In the dimness,
XÄ«’s lips curved even more playfully as she rubbed Lin Nuo’s face. “To be completely honest… those things written in the books you like to read, about tying someone up—I’m a little curious. It’s just a pity I’ve never experienced them.”
“…?”
“Young Master saying it like that… it feels like if we don’t have a really honest talk right now, it would be such a shame.”
“…?”
The girl’s tone carried a hint of regret.
Lin Nuo tilted his head slightly and caught the long-suppressed, sickly desire in XÄ«’s eyes. It seemed she had truly been provoked!
That’s not what I meant by being honest at all!
Amid the rustling sounds, XÄ«’s hand reached out from under the blanket, her small fingers gently measuring the size of his wrist.
As if preparing to lock him up and monopolize him once more…!
“You know, about things like this,” XÄ«’s slender fingers slowly slid down, resting on his already messy collar.
“What if I tell you everything honestly and end up scaring you?”
“…”
Thank you.
You’ve already scared me.
Tap, tap, tap…
A few light sounds. He felt the buttons on the front of his clothes being undone one by one, as though the few defenses he had were being gradually invaded.
Whoosh—
“On my territory, I feel bad seeing you get hurt. Even sleeping together like this—I’ve endured it for a very long time.”
“Your father and mother won’t be back for another month. The two of us should at least do something to make the most of this wonderful time when it’s just the two of us.” XÄ«’s voice grew increasingly unrestrained, carrying a sickly sweetness:
“Doesn’t Young Master think so too?”
“…”
No!
Ten—no, twenty times no!
He was starting to understand why XÄ« had put Fatty Bird outside just now.
The family’s priestess seemed… about to do something bad again.
Lin Nuo swallowed hard. “You tell me first what you want to do. Let me think about it…”
“Do I really need to spell it out? From what I’ve researched, the handcuffs to lock your hands should have an inner diameter of about five point five to six centimeters.”
“I even added a ratchet to adjust the tightness. If Young Master misbehaves, I’ll tighten it down to about four centimeters to bind you really securely. If you’re good, I’ll loosen it to around seven centimeters to give you more room to move…”
“Everything Young Master can imagine—I’ve prepared it all.”
XÄ« held his wrist. Her eyes carried a madness that could swallow a person whole, staring into his pupils. The love in her gaze surged even more violently.
“I really wish right now you would struggle. That way, I could tie you up with a clear conscience and let you see the memories that belong to just the two of us…”
“?”
Then maybe… I should just keep pretending I’m always hypnotized by you.
Whoosh—
XÄ« suddenly threw off the blanket already steeped in her scent and once again wickedly stroked his face, making him look toward her.
“Young Master probably still doesn’t know… the lip gloss I used on your mouth earlier had Liyang Grass in it…”
“I kissed you for so long. The taste was pretty good, right?”
As she spoke, XÄ«’s fingers gathered magic power and forcibly lifted his closed eyelids, compelling him to look at her.
“The way to undo the Liyang Grass is lying right in front of you.”
“Will you follow your thoughts, or…”
Damn it!
How is she so good at this!
Who could withstand this!
“…I have no thoughts.”
Lin Nuo tried to let his rational mind take control, calming his breathing as much as possible while looking at her. “Things like this—including what you mentioned… the kissing… can only be done with someone you like.”
“Don’t do this again. I’ve already done too many things with you that I shouldn’t have. I hope you can think clearly.”
“So Young Master is worried about that?” XÄ« pressed relentlessly. “But haven’t you noticed…”
“Noticed what?”
“I already like you so much I can’t stand it.”
“…!”
“Speaking of which, why is it always me saying I like you? What about you? What do you think?”
“At a time like this… let’s not joke around, okay? I feel like you don’t really understand this topic very well…”
Gritting his teeth, Lin Nuo gently pulled her soft body into his arms to stop her from moving recklessly.
“It’s just lip gloss. Even if there was Liyang Grass, the amount must be tiny.”
“You’re not a tool for me to vent these things on. No matter what you say this time, I won’t touch you at a moment like this.”
“So that means… other times would be okay, right?” The curve of XÄ«’s lips became even more suggestive.
“…If you really insist on putting it that way, then better than right now.”
Just wanting to get through this night quickly, Lin Nuo gritted his teeth and prepared to get up to take a shower. “When the time comes, if you say it’s okay, then it’s okay. Anyway, tonight I definitely won’t…”
“My lip gloss actually didn’t have any Liyang Grass.”
XÄ« pulled him back down. “So… you couldn’t even tell. Doesn’t that mean you were a little moved too, just waiting for me to confess first…?”
“Or maybe… ‘anytime is fine’ is actually what you really think…”
“Right, my dear Young Master!”
“? ? ?”
A trap!
It was a trap all along!
“That’s not what I meant. Why don’t you ask me again…”
Lin Nuo panicked.
But XÄ« was no longer listening. “I knew your mouth was stubborn. Stubborn is good—it lasts longer!”
“Help! Mmph! Someone’s—someone’s going to—mmph!”
He tried to get up again, but the girl behind him yanked him back into the bed, pressing him down into soft warmth.
The familiar position once more.
Those lips, carrying a sweet smile and long-restrained desire, landed on his. The girl closed her eyes, sealing his breath. In one night, countless waves quietly surged…
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.