Sefina felt the heat on her face had just subsided a little, but now it flared up completely with a whoosh.
Of course, she knew that this dilapidated stone house had only two beds. One belonged to her sleeping grandmother, and the other… clearly belonged to Theresa.
There were no extra blankets, not even enough space to lay out a futon on the floor…
“Mmph—!!”
Sefina let out a short sound, her fingers unconsciously twisting the overly long sleeves.
Reason told her this was the only sensible choice, but emotionally… the superposition of her past and present life made her feel extremely ashamed and nervous about the idea of “sharing a bed with a girl she had just met.”
Theresa looked at her once again flushed face and flustered demeanor, and couldn’t help letting out a light laugh. This time, her smile carried a hint of teasing:
“What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll steal your blanket? Don’t worry, it’s very warm.”
Theresa lifted a corner of the blanket, revealing the padding inside, which, though worn, looked dry and warm.
“Hurry up and come over, it’s cold outside.”
In the end, the desire for warmth, trust in Theresa, and a deep-seated craving for this sense of dependence overcame her shyness.
Sefina shuffled her feet, like a cautious cat, slowly edged to the bedside, and then, under Theresa’s amused gaze, stiffly climbed onto the bed and slipped under the covers.
The blanket fell, bringing warmth that enveloped her whole body, along with the other girl’s warm body heat and light breathing.
Sefina’s whole body stiffened. She lay straight as a board, not daring to move an inch.
“Relax, Sefina.”
Theresa’s voice sounded in her ear, drowsy and gentle.
“Good night.”
“Good night… Theresa.”
Sefina responded softly and closed her eyes.
The hay beneath her rustled softly. The warmth and sense of security emanating from beside her felt so real.
On this stormy, snowy night, in this dilapidated yet warm little room, her battered body and drifting soul seemed to have finally found a temporary harbor to rest in.
A long-lost peace slowly enveloped Sefina…
Although her heart was still beating a little fast and her cheeks were still burning, as the two small bodies pressed together, Theresa seemed to find Sefina’s thawed body extraordinarily warm—like a human-shaped heater, more reassuring than the thin blankets at home.
So she unconsciously hugged tighter, even nuzzling her little head into Sefina’s neck.
As for Sefina…
She only felt incredibly awkward and ashamed…
It was their first meeting, and just a few hours ago they had been fighting over food, and now they were… sharing a bed and being held so tightly…
Although reason knew it was a necessary measure for two lonely children to keep warm in the harsh winter, but… but the part of her soul belonging to her past life as an adult male still made her blush fiercely and her heart pound like a drum.
Theresa, holding her tightly, breathed evenly and long, sleeping peacefully, seemingly completely free of Sefina’s complicated and tangled thoughts.
After all, in Theresa’s eyes, this was just the most natural act of mutual snuggling between two girls of the same age.
Her heart was like pristine snow not yet touched by dust—pure and straightforward, utterly different from Sefina’s soul filled with a sense of incongruity.
Time trickled by slowly. Even with her eyes closed, Sefina could not truly fall asleep for a long time.
Until Theresa’s warm and even breath, accompanied by soft sleepy murmurs, gently brushed against her cheek and ear…
That night, Sefina did not sleep very peacefully, her thoughts in disarray, but her body was always wrapped in a kind of addictive warmth.
Sefina’s long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.
The scene of the dilapidated stone house in her dream receded like a tide, replaced by the familiar ceiling of a train car and bright sunlight.
In her ears came the steady, rhythmic “clatter” of the train, along with the muted conversations of passengers in the car.
Then, she sensed something was wrong.
Sefina blinked, her consciousness gradually clearing.
The angle of her vision, and the unusually soft and springy sensation under the back of her head and neck…
This was definitely not the feeling of leaning against a hard window or seat back.
Sefina slightly turned her stiff neck and looked upward.
The first thing that came into view was Versie’s elegantly featured face.
She was looking down at her, her ice-blue eyes shimmering with gentle and delighted light.
And she… was lying on Versie’s lap, her legs together, and even covered with a plush blanket from who knows where.
As expected…
Sefina immediately understood in her heart.
It was almost certainly this girl who, while she was asleep, “secretly” moved her head onto her lap.
Judging by her expression, she was probably enjoying this “lap pillow” feeling, right? Just like before at the Duke’s mansion…
When Versie saw Sefina wake up, the smile on her face deepened, and her tone carried just the right amount of apology and consideration, as if she were genuinely a kind student concerned about a teacher who had accidentally fallen asleep:
“Ah, Teacher Sefina, you’re awake? I’m so sorry. Seeing you sound asleep, your head slid onto my legs, and I was afraid of waking you, so I didn’t dare move it…”
Her voice was gentle, and her acting was flawless.
Sefina sneered inwardly.
‘Heh, she was quite good at pretending.’
‘What “slid onto legs”? Clearly she had deliberately done it.’
But Sefina showed nothing on the surface.
She simply propped herself up and sat up from Versie’s legs with a hint of “hurriedness,” a feigned embarrassment and apology on her face, perfectly playing the role of a teacher who had lost composure in front of a new student:
“I should be the one apologizing, Versie. I accidentally… fell asleep on your lap. It must have been tiring, right?”
Sefina raised her hand to rub the back of her neck, as if it were really just an accident from poor sleeping posture.
“It’s nothing, Teacher, you’re too polite. It wasn’t tiring at all.”
Versie quickly waved her hands.
However, beneath her lowered eyelids, a sly smile quickly flickered in her ice-blue eyes.
‘Having the teacher’s head on my lap feels so good~~’
‘And that expression on her face when she woke up, it was so cute!’
Sefina took in the subtle change in Versie’s expression and gave another light snort in her heart.
Since she enjoyed this feeling of having Sefina completely in the dark while she secretly pulled tricks, Sefina might as well oblige her and continue playing the role of the “unaware” aloof teacher.
Watching Versie perform with such self-satisfaction was actually rather amusing.
This state of “seeing through but not exposing” allowed Sefina to regain a bit of the composure of a teacher looking down on her student’s little tricks.
Sefina stopped dwelling on this “lap pillow” incident.
She straightened her slightly rumpled skirt and hair, sat up properly again, and turned her gaze to the window.
However, the scene outside the window made her pause slightly.
At some point, fine snowflakes were sparsely falling from the lead-gray sky, swirling in the air currents stirred up by the speeding train.
The outlines of distant fields and hills became blurred, the world a silent gray-white.
It’s snowing.
Winter has come again…
Sefina gazed quietly out the window, not moving her gaze for a long time.
If Theresa were still alive, maybe she would be just like her, a teacher at a magic academy, with a group of students who were both mischievous and adorable…
Maybe she would be watching the snowy scenery outside the window with her right now, chattering about past winter memories…
Maybe she would also get drowsy at noon and use her lap as a pillow to take a long nap…