Lin Nuo’s confidence had risen once again by several degrees as he quietly peeled away more of the bedding, the lower half of Princess Amidina’s thin, cool nightgown coming into view.
During this, Amidina only shifted her slender calf slightly.
But before the leg, so close to him, could kick him away, Lin Nuo was quicker—grabbing it in one swift motion, pulling it into his embrace, and finding the most comfortable muscle group to gently massage with just the right amount of pressure.
Seeing Amidina’s sleeping face relax slightly under his massage, her calf also loosened, allowing him to continue without resistance.
The anxious heartbeat that had been lodged in Lin Nuo’s throat finally settled completely.
It seemed she really wouldn’t wake up easily.
Only…
‘She smells so good!’
The princess’s scent was overwhelming.
Her long hair, unbound and falling freely, gave off a fragrance distinct from the honey and rosewater lotion she had used—a scent that stirred his mind in an unsettling way.
Her calves, freshly bathed, not only looked silky and tender to the touch, but even seemed to emit a faint, delicate aroma.
His gaze traveled down along the jade-like leg in his arms, and then… those two fair, pristine little “ice creams” — could they also be…?
‘…Probably, right?’
If someone less mentally disciplined were here, they’d probably take this chance to unleash an epic surge of passion…
Even without going that far, just touching like he was doing—one, two, three, four times… heh heh…
‘Ugh! What am I thinking about again?’
Suddenly, Lin Nuo’s foolishly smiling face got two sharp punches from himself.
‘Oh no… could I be… a foot fetishist?!’
‘Absolutely not! It’s definitely the effect of the scent… No! If I lose control of my little head in this situation, it’ll become my big head!’
Reclaiming his intelligence, Lin Nuo pressed his temple and fixed his gaze as if entering sage mode.
Now was the time to focus on the real matter!
So, where would Princess Amidina’s Sacred Relic be hidden?
For an elf blessed by the Goddess of Nature, such an important item—one powerful enough to control thoughts unnoticed—would surely be kept close to the body.
It might even be shrunk by magic and tucked away somewhere easily sensed by its owner but completely unexpected by others.
Of course, bedtime wouldn’t be an exception…
Lin Nuo stroked his chin and rigorously examined Amidina from head to toe.
His gaze finally settled on the place he had initially suspected.
‘Would this work?’
With both hands behind his back, Lin Nuo pulled out two slender rods made of white jade he had specially prepared.
“Your Highness, please forgive me.”
Princess Amidina’s eyelids were closed, but as if troubled by a bad dream, her brows subtly furrowed.
It seemed as if, even in her deep sleep, she sensed a strange presence before her, her breath momentarily faltering.
Lin Nuo held the two miniature jade sticks like chopsticks and moved closer to Amidina.
Clamp the little watermelon, then pull it open.
But… nothing!?
Lin Nuo’s eyes narrowed in thought.
‘If Amidina had used containment magic, besides shrinking, she might have also employed transformation magic, making her Sacred Relic even harder to detect—perhaps smaller than a needle’s tip.’
Ancient texts on hiding sacred items recorded that the safest method was to create an extremely tiny wound on the skin—smaller than a grain of rice—and then shrink the item to match the wound’s size, covering it with skin tissue…
So Amidina’s Sacred Relic could be anywhere on her body.
‘If not here, then… Could it be inside the covering over the little watermelon?’
Lin Nuo gently tugged at the already strained wrapping.
The next moment, he suddenly noticed Amidina’s normally steady breathing had grown heavier, her whole body stiffened as if disturbed in a sweet dream, and her curled lashes even twitched slightly…
‘Gulp~’
Swallowing nervously, Lin Nuo froze, no longer moving.
The room fell so silent it seemed a pin could drop.
Only the burning candles revealed the passing of time.
After an unknown interval, as Amidina seemed to slip back into her peaceful slumber and her breathing returned to normal, Lin Nuo gave up searching inside the little watermelon’s wrapping and only inspected its smooth, flat surface—finding nothing.
He flipped her wrist, slender as jade, searching thoroughly, but still nothing.
Drawing closer, inch by inch, he scanned the delicate skin of her slender waist—still nothing.
Peeking at her underarm… eh?
She moved again!
But still… not a single hair could be seen.
Bathed in the flickering candlelight.
After a fruitless search, Lin Nuo moved to the foot of the bed, his gaze falling on Amidina’s straight, slender jade legs.
They were his last hope.
The two jade chopsticks in his hand had been warmed to a normal temperature before entering the room, so even direct contact with Amidina’s skin wouldn’t startle her with a cold shock.
Lin Nuo looked down at her pale, white toes, then put the tools away.
That was enough.
Even if tomorrow he faced Xiafuya’s Truth Ring, he could honestly say he hadn’t touched any important parts of Princess Amidina’s body tonight!
After all, it was the chopsticks that touched her, so what business is it of Lin Nuo’s?
Still… Lin Nuo rubbed his hands and crouched down.
If it’s the princess’s feet, they probably aren’t considered important parts, so there’s no need to be so cautious with chopsticks.
Absolutely not because he wanted to touch them—just a time-saving method, that’s all.
He’d heard that feet were one of the most youthful parts of the body, representing a woman’s grace and purity, naturally attracting men…
Lin Nuo used to be skeptical.
But seeing the princess’s jade-like feet, fitting perfectly in his hand, slightly cool to the touch—probably due to rarely seeing sunlight—the skin on her instep seemed even finer and smoother, like warm jade.
Her pale, rounded, and plump toes looked like grapes, curling shyly under his touch, then tensing with nervous sensitivity.
Maybe… they were a little alluring?
Lin Nuo followed her ankle, searching for suspicious spots.
When he noticed Amidina’s breathing quicken again, he paused, sensing something unusual, a flash of doubt crossing his eyes.
Perhaps it was just her sleeping habit, or maybe she was aware of such brazen, direct contact—her two jade legs had, compared to before, slightly closed inward.
The candlelight was dim, but Lin Nuo even faintly saw a light pink flush spreading behind her ears.
Her vermilion lips looked as if bitten gently from within, struggling to suppress something.
…No, he must be mistaken.
Blushing…
After his talks with Feng Aotian and Xiafuya, Lin Nuo knew that even a sleeping beauty might react slightly to unfamiliar touches, but it was nothing serious.
Besides, being half-asleep, she wouldn’t remember the whole process, and a blush didn’t mean Princess Amidina was awake.
Based on how much Amidina resisted men approaching outside the city moat—the way she endured humiliation with shy stubbornness, her body limp but struggling—
If she were fully conscious and knew Lin Nuo had practically lubricated her entire body to steal her Sacred Relic…
His jade chopsticks and little water buffalo would have been broken to pieces by now.
Pulling back his gaze.
This time, Lin Nuo didn’t pause long and quickly continued his task.
After all, touching the little “ice creams”… ugh!
Searching for a Sacred Relic on ice cream like that—if caught, he could just say he was helping the princess examine her foot’s fortune!
Using that excuse, Princess Amidina would probably only be embarrassed and angrily kick him a few times…
Such pretty feet—getting kicked a couple of times wouldn’t hurt.
But after meticulously checking her ankles, insteps, and arches, Lin Nuo refused to give up, even spreading each toe one by one to examine them—no wounds, not a single flaw or callus.
‘…Nothing!’
Lin Nuo felt a chill across his scalp.
It was over!
This was bad!
Hope dwindled further as Lin Nuo slowly, very slowly lifted his head.
Could his last, last hope really lie in that one place he hadn’t searched yet?