“Tulia,” she suddenly reached out her finger, a trace of curiosity in her eyes as she gently poked that astonishingly soft place, “Why… is yours so big here, and mine… is so small?”
The question was innocent to the point of cruelty.
Tulia: “……”
She felt the veins at her temple throbbing madly.
Before she could figure out how to answer this “philosophical question,” Lisbeth’s hand, full of curiosity, had already started exploring elsewhere.
When those slightly cool fingertips underwater were about to make contact, Tulia’s body stiffened all at once!
A fierce sensation exploded from deep within her, so intense she nearly cried out!
No! This can’t go on any longer!
This was definitely no longer within the bounds of “childish mischief”!
Tulia could no longer maintain the “tolerance” that belonged to Tulia.
She grabbed Lisbeth’s misbehaving hand, pulled it away from herself, and then, with a touch of embarrassment and annoyance, gave her pert little bottom a light smack!
“Pa—!”
The crisp sound echoed through the steam-filled bathroom.
“Lisbeth! If you keep misbehaving, you’re not getting any dinner tonight!”
“I wasn’t…” Lisbeth froze from the smack, muttering in a small, aggrieved voice.
“Still talking back!” Tulia felt as if veins were popping out on her forehead.
She grabbed Lisbeth’s hand, pulled her over her own knee, and with controlled strength, repeatedly smacked Lisbeth’s behind.
“Pa! Pa! Pa!”
“Are you going to admit your mistake or not! Huh?” she scolded fiercely as she spanked, but her tone carried no real blame only embarrassment and helplessness.
Pinned over Tulia’s knee, Lisbeth tried to struggle at first, but soon gave in to the relentless “attack.” She pulled a long, exaggerated face, eyes brimming with tears, and pleaded pitifully,
“I was wrong! I was wrong! Don’t hit me, don’t hit me, Tulia!”
With Lisbeth’s repeated pleas for mercy, Tulia’s “Family Law” finally came to an end.
She let go, and Lisbeth slipped away like a slippery little fish, escaping to the other side of the bath.
Turning her back to Tulia, she covered her slightly reddened bottom with both hands, her cheeks puffed out in anger, her face becoming a cute, puffy bun.
She said nothing, only glared at Tulia with those sapphire eyes through the mist, stubborn and with a hint of accusation, as if saying, “How could you actually hit me!”
She looked just like a kitten sulking after her owner took away her dried fish snack.
Tulia looked at Lisbeth’s aggrieved yet funny appearance, and all her embarrassment had long since melted away, leaving only helpless affection.
Leisurely, she leaned against the edge of the pool, picked up a bottle of aromatic oil from the Jade Stone Platform beside her, poured some into her palm, and crooked a finger toward the “little pitiful” across the bath.
“Hey,” her voice was tinged with lazy languor, “what are you spacing out for? Come over and give me a massage.”
Lisbeth was momentarily stunned, her mouth slightly open, as if she hadn’t registered the request.
“What are you looking at, I’m talking to you.” Tulia nodded toward her own tired-looking shoulders. “I’ve been running around these days house-hunting, moving… My old bones are about to fall apart. Aren’t you, as my Lisbeth, supposed to help out?”
She said this with righteous confidence.
Lisbeth’s puffed cheeks instantly drooped.
She glanced at her still-flushed behind, then at Tulia’s relaxed “I’m tired, come help” pose, and finally, under those eyes full of “expectation,” shuffled reluctantly over, dragging her feet every step of the way.
Like a little kitten forced to obey, she returned to Tulia’s side, muttering in a tiny voice, “…Got it.”
Tulia comfortably sprawled at the smooth jade edge of the pool, her arms draped over the rim, exposing only the elegant lines of her back and rounded shoulders.
Lisbeth, recalling what she’d seen before, placed her oil-slicked hands somewhat awkwardly on Tulia’s shoulders.
“Your grip’s off, and that’s way too light. Did you even eat?” Tulia closed her eyes, still issuing “instructions” from her lips.
Lisbeth could only puff up her cheeks again, turning the last of her little sulk into strength in her fingers, and pressed down hard.
Her hands landed right on a stiff knot inside Tulia’s shoulder blade.
At first, it sent a sharp, aching tingle through her, making Tulia involuntarily furrow her brow.
But as Lisbeth’s fingertips kept kneading, that soreness gradually melted, turning into a soothing warmth that spread from her shoulder blade to her fingertips, as if each tense nerve was being smoothed out one by one.
“Mmm…”
A soft, involuntary hum escaped from deep in Tulia’s throat.
“Tulia, are you really tired?” Lisbeth asked as she kneaded diligently, curiosity in her voice. She could feel how stiff Tulia’s shoulder and back muscles were.
“What do you think?” Tulia’s voice was muffled with relaxation as she turned her face and half-joked, “To scrape together tuition for you, this Four-legged Gold-Devouring Beast, to get into the Royal Academy of Magic, I’ve nearly worked myself to death.”
“Gold-Devouring Beast?” Lisbeth repeated the unfamiliar term in confusion, her hands slowing down.
“It means someone who… is really good at spending money and really good at eating, you little cutie.” Tulia laughed, not blaming her at all, more like sharing an amusing nickname.
When Lisbeth’s little hands pressed down firmly on a certain acupoint at Tulia’s lower back—
“Mmm—!”
A long sigh slipped from Tulia’s lips!
The sound, full of relaxation and comfort, echoed lightly through the empty bathroom.
Tulia didn’t even realize what sort of noise she’d made.
Deep down, Lisbeth was still just a child to her the clingy little thing she used to carry and feed.
That pure trust, born of blood ties, allowed her to drop all the masks an adult would normally wear in front of Lisbeth.
At this moment, she was just an ordinary guest, basking in a massage and enveloped by fatigue and comfort.
“Oh… yes… right there… a bit harder…”
Tulia even started to unconsciously give directions, her tone thick with nasal contentment.
She was completely lost in the sensation, her whole body relaxing under Lisbeth’s hands.
“Tulia, are you in pain?” Lisbeth, hearing Tulia’s “painful” moans, stopped her hands in concern.
“In pain, my foot! I feel great!” Tulia didn’t even bother to open her eyes, grouching lazily, “Don’t stop, keep going! Your technique… you’ve almost got the touch of a Headmaster.”
“Headmaster?” Lisbeth heard yet another word she didn’t know.
“It just means… someone really skilled at massage.” Tulia mumbled, half-joking as she enjoyed herself, “Keep practicing. If our family ever goes broke, you can always support me with these hands of yours.”
“Oh.” Lisbeth didn’t really get it, but since it sounded like praise, she kneaded even harder. Glancing at Tulia’s neck flushed from relaxation then down at her own flat chest, she asked seriously, “Tulia, you say I’m a Gold-Devouring Beast, but once our shop opens, can we become Gold-Making Beasts?”
That question pulled Tulia back a bit. She turned her face, resting her chin on her arm, and smiled at Lisbeth’s earnest expression.
“Of course. Once our shop opens, Tulia promises that as the ‘Chief Gold-Devouring Beast’ and ‘Chief Masseuse,’ you’ll get to eat Fruit Tart every day until you never want another bite.”
“Really?” Lisbeth’s eyes shone.
“Mmm… really…” Tulia let out another contented sigh as Lisbeth massaged her, “So… my good Lisbeth, for the sake of our bright, shining ‘future’… put a bit more strength in your hands…”
“Okay, Tulia!”
Spurred on by the encouragement, Lisbeth seemed full of vigor, working even harder on Tulia’s back.
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