At this very moment, the air was filled with a calm and comfortable atmosphere that made Sylvie’s mind go blank, letting her thoughts wander aimlessly.
She instinctively recalled the mother-and-daughter chapter from that picture book she had seen before, and unconsciously fantasized about replacing the characters with herself and Teacher Fu…
No, no, no… what on earth was she thinking!
Sylvie nearly shook her head sharply out of reflex, but since she was currently having her hair combed by Floralia, she restrained herself with reason.
How could she possibly think of Teacher Fu in such a way…
Teacher Fu was such a sacred and noble elder… yet here she was, associating her with that kind of vulgar picture book… it was utterly sacrilegious and shameless!
But… to be honest, she didn’t know why… when she first saw that chapter, the image that popped into her mind was Teacher Fu’s figure…
Sylvie’s cheeks flushed slightly, and her warm body involuntarily twisted, clenching her legs together.
It must be because… she interacted with Teacher Fu the most in daily life, so it was natural to have such associations… yes, it was definitely not her fault!
Come to think of it, where had that book gone… could she have remembered the wrong place, or maybe it was still hidden in a small compartment inside her school bag?
She’d better look for it carefully later when she went back——
“All right, please turn your body a little? Now we’re on the back part~”
Floralia smiled as she instructed.
Sylvie snapped back to reality from her thoughts and hurriedly turned around, half-kneeling on the sofa with her knees, exposing her back to Floralia, then stayed perfectly still, afraid to move.
She silently waited for the wooden comb in Floralia’s hand to descend again, slowly running through the waist-length strands from the top of her head to the ends.
… It was almost like playing dollhouse pretend.
“Teacher Fu, can it be my turn now—”
Sylvie, immersed in the comfortable atmosphere, also spoke up a little to urge.
She especially loved inhaling the scent after a fresh bath—the mixture of shampoo, aromatics, soap, and Teacher Fu’s natural, enticing sweetness.
And when they swapped places, with her now combing Floralia’s hair, it was the perfect opportunity to enjoy the fragrance.
“Hm, I won’t trouble you today, Sylvie. I can comb my own hair.”
Unexpectedly, Floralia smiled and gently declined her offer.
“Eh, eh?!”
Sylvie’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“But… but… you always used to—”
“I’ll just dry it with magic. Get some rest early.”
Floralia interrupted, then put away the wooden comb, and after a brief word, pushed her wheelchair toward her bedroom.
Sylvie’s expression fell a little, but she dared not say more.
Because in her heart, Floralia’s commands were absolute and indisputable—for now at least.
Sylvie lowered her head, got down from the sofa, and silently followed Floralia.
But when they reached the bedroom door, Floralia seemed to remember something, turning around to press her index finger against Sylvie’s forehead.
“…Hm?”
Sylvie blinked in confusion.
Floralia considered for a moment, then spoke clearly:
“By the way, Sylvie…
“You’re a big kid now, and your own bedroom has long been ready. So, starting today, I think… we should sleep in separate beds. We shouldn’t sleep together anymore.”
“W-what?!”
Sylvie could hardly believe her ears.
Though Floralia’s gaze was gentle when she said this, her words were resolute and carried an undeniable seriousness.
“Why… but I still want to sleep hugging Teacher Fu…”
“You’re about to become a trainee Paladin. Later, when you go to the knight academy in the royal capital for further studies, you’ll meet new teachers and classmates and make new friends…”
Floralia explained slowly.
“At that time, if your classmates find out that you’re still the kind of kid who needs to hug me to fall asleep, it’ll be very embarrassing~”
“Eh… really…”
Sylvie stared blankly at Floralia’s retreating figure back into the bedroom.
Why? She just wanted to sleep hugging Teacher Fu—why was that something to be embarrassed about?
She couldn’t understand…
Sylvie shook her head helplessly, hesitated for a moment, then obediently returned to her own bedroom.
She was a good, obedient child, so… even if she felt a little sad inside… she would definitely listen to Teacher Fu!
She tidied up and climbed onto her single bed, covered herself with the little quilt, turned off the Magic Crystal Lamp on her bedside, and gazed up at the pure white ceiling, unconsciously recalling that shocking image from today when Floralia was pinned down on the dining table by the knight lady.
Closing her eyes, the image of those slender, delicately parted legs and the single remaining open-toed high-heel boot still appeared in her mind, stirring a strange feeling she didn’t quite know how to handle.
It felt… a little itchy in her heart…
Closing the bedroom door behind her, Floralia finally breathed a sigh of relief, then took out that book, Orange Fragrance, from the drawer, her expression extremely stern.
Staring at the cover, where two pretty girls with half-exposed clothes were fiercely kissing—embracing above, and pressed together below—Floralia couldn’t help but frown deeply, her face resembling a meme of an “old lady on the subway staring at her phone.”
This kind of lewd picture book could have an immeasurable impact on minors!
How on earth had little Sylvie gotten her hands on something like this at such a young age?!
And flipping to the page specially dog-eared for that provocative scene, filled with pink hearts and onomatopoeia, beginning with a long complicated phrase starting “Gao ooooh,” Floralia couldn’t help but put a heavy hand on her forehead and sigh.
This, this, this… was Sylvie really exposed to this stuff every day at the town school?
It looked like she really had to control her properly—!
As the one who had hatched Sylvie from the egg and raised her in this world, Floralia felt it was absolutely necessary and her duty to set an example and take on the responsibility of educating Sylvie with proper Three Views, correcting her misguided thoughts.
As for this book…
Floralia glanced again at the indecently messy illustrations.
She’d keep it as “evidence” hidden with herself for now and find a chance to take it out and have a serious talk with Sylvie face to face.
On the other hand… though Floralia was one hundred percent opposed to this kind of rebellious teenage daughter mounting her mother in a “domineering” scene…
Putting that aside, it had to be said, the art style was quite good.
The girls on the pages, whether in clothing design, figure, or faces, were drawn very beautifully and attractively.
Even the creases pressed into their clothes, the sweat on their temples, and their facial expressions during emotional changes… cough cough…
Floralia swallowed nervously.
It had to be said, no wonder the little maid she personally hatched had such good taste in aesthetics—
She really didn’t know where that kid got such a refined art book… it couldn’t possibly have come from the Black Market for a high price, right? Her allowance probably wasn’t that generous.
Anyway, for the sake of educating the child, she’d endure humiliation, set an example, and critically examine it from start to finish first—
Near midnight.
Waiting outside the door, after confirming the light in Floralia’s bedroom had completely gone out, Sylvie tiptoed and pushed the door open a crack, sneaking into her room.
Without Teacher Fu as a human pillow, on the first night sleeping separately, Sylvie still tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep half the night.
So, she quietly climbed onto Floralia’s big bed and, like a sly little cat, slipped “ssslip” right into Floralia’s covers.
Hehe… she was just sleepwalking, so it was only natural she ended up on Teacher Fu’s bed~ That explanation was quite reasonable, right?
No choice, she had to get up early tomorrow, so this was the last resort—surely Teacher Fu wouldn’t blame her?
Surrounded by the sweet scent like a Rose Sea, a familiar sense of comfort welled up in her heart—
Nestled against the small, sweetly milky chest, her whole body felt like melting into a lump of soft clay.
Sylvie stretched out her slender arms, actively wrapping around the flexible waist of the sleeping witch lady, pressing their skin tighter together.
Huff huff… although she “couldn’t sleep together” anymore, Teacher Fu hadn’t said anything about… hugging Teacher Fu who had fallen asleep~
Sylvie comforted herself like this, nuzzling the soft body in her arms again, then comfortably closed her eyes.
… Strange, the bed felt a little damp… but no big deal—