“There is, but that, that kind of thing… is it really okay?”
The light in Sylvie’s eyes flickered uncertainly for a moment.
One finger nervously twisted the strand of hair falling by her temple, curling it again and again in hesitation.
“As long as it’s little Sylvie, it’s definitely okay~ Come on, don’t be shy.”
Floria opened her arms wide toward Sylvie, her face wearing a loving smile as she responded calmly.
At this moment, although they were still inside the dim secret chamber, Floria’s figure seemed to shine brilliantly in Sylvie’s eyes, like Saint Mary herself.
Sylvie was momentarily stunned, then could no longer contain the impulse in her heart and reached out toward this enticing holy light.
Five minutes later.
Floria emerged from the secret chamber, her expression radiant and full, energetic, cheeks flushed, eyes bright and clear.
Sylvie, being supported by her, staggered on unsteady feet, pale and thin, possessing a frail, almost dying beauty.
“I’m sorry, Teacher Floria… You clearly asked me to help, but I suddenly became like this…”
Sylvie’s timid voice trembled faintly with guilt.
“It’s okay, it’s okay~”
Floria smiled, waving it off, showing she didn’t mind.
Then quickly her face changed to one of worried concern:
“But Sylvie, you absolutely must take care of your health. If you feel unwell in any way, don’t keep it to yourself—always tell me in time, okay~?”
“Thank you, Teacher… but I… I honestly don’t know what happened… I was fine until just now, then suddenly got dizzy…”
Sylvie bowed her head sheepishly, looking a little downcast.
“Hm… it’s probably just because you’re new here and your body isn’t used to the capital’s environment yet… It shouldn’t be a big problem, just rest more and you’ll be fine~”
Saying this, Floria gave a soothing smile that eased Sylvie’s worries somewhat.
The radiant, approachable Floria was completely different from the aloof, dignified image she usually held.
Right now, Teacher Floria was like a ray of light in Sylvie’s life, descending from the heavens to illuminate the dark, damp corners of her introverted and insecure heart, making her feel unprecedented warmth, happiness, and a satisfying sense of desire.
“Creak—!”
The faint sound of the front door being pushed open came from downstairs, followed by hurried footsteps ascending the stairs, quick and urgent.
“Sister, I’m back! It’s been so long, did you miss me—huh, Sylvie?”
Sofia pushed open the master bedroom door enthusiastically, speaking to herself but then noticing Sylvie inside.
“What’s going on here…?”
She eyed Sylvie lying back on the bed and Floria tending to her with a cup of hot water with suspicion.
“Oh, little Sylvie came to me earlier, said she wasn’t feeling well, so I told her to lie down and rest for a while, and to drink more hot water.”
Floria replied calmly, her face serene as always.
“…Is that really all?”
Sofia’s gaze swept over Floria’s delicate face with a mix of suspicion and jealous caution—but as an experienced witch weathered by many storms, Floria showed no flicker of emotion, her face unreadable.
Noticing this, Sofia shifted her attention back to Sylvie on the bed.
“Little Sylvie, when you’re with Sister, what have you two been doing?”
Sofia knew perfectly well that although her sister appeared elegant, pure, and charming, deep down she was a cunning woman, capable of lying without flinching like a sly fox.
But she also knew that Sylvie, Floria’s daughter, was still a naive and tender girl who would certainly slip up if suddenly questioned like this.
“Ah… it’s just… like Teacher Floria said—”
Sylvie’s voice faltered as she glanced nervously at Floria.
Floria smiled back and gave her a subtle wink.
Their eyes exchanged a silent understanding mid-air, leaving Sofia at the door confused.
…Sylvie kept firmly in her heart what Floria had told her before entering the secret chamber.
Especially Floria’s strict instructions that after coming out, she was to act as if nothing had happened in the secret chamber, forget everything, and absolutely keep it secret from Sofia.
Sylvie naturally remembered these words well.
So although Sofia stared suspiciously at them for a long time, she still found no clue.
…Although deep down she instinctively felt something was off, lacking solid proof, she had no choice but to let it go for now.
“Dear Miss Sofia, if you have nothing else to do, could you please leave my bedroom?”
Floria said with elegant laughter:
“I need to take care of Sylvie so she can rest well. This child is a bit shy and generally doesn’t like anyone else besides me to be present when she’s bedridden—Sylvie, isn’t that right?”
“Ugh, yeah… that’s right…”
“So, Sofia, if you have anything to discuss, come back later. I’m taking care of Sylvie now, so I’m completely tied up~”
“…”
Hearing their synchronized replies, Sofia’s expression stiffened for a moment, her fingers unconsciously gripping the ornamental sword hilt at her waist.
“Phew…”
She took a deep breath, then forced a polite, if forced, smile:
“Of course, of course… Then little Sylvie, you rest well. Tomorrow you have to get up early to go with me to complete the Enrollment Qualification procedures.”
“I’ll remember that; no need for you to remind me again. You may go now.”
Floria took the cue, her face breaking into a victorious, contemptuous smile, carrying the air of a noble lady dismissing a lowly servant as she waved Sofia off.
“…”
Sofia paced out of the room, maintaining a courteous smile.
But upon closer observation, one could see the slight grinding of her teeth in frustration.
“By the way, Sylvie, why don’t you quickly thank this knight lady for getting you the Enrollment Qualification?”
Before leaving, Floria turned her head and pretended to teach Sylvie a lesson.
“Today’s Second Lesson, you must know how to be grateful~ Just say, ‘Thank you, Sister Sofia, for your hard work—’”
Sylvie nodded, then obediently whispered in a weak voice:
“Thank you, Sister Sofia… Thank you for your hard work—”
“Hehe… You’re welcome. It’s my duty.”
Sofia responded with those words before hastily clicking her way downstairs.
Hehehe… today’s match was a complete victory for this witch lady!
Floria watched Sofia’s defeated retreating figure and smiled to herself.
She had just efficiently drained nearly half of Sylvie’s total magic source through physical contact, replenishing the void inside her own body.
…Originally, Floria hadn’t planned to “borrow” so much magic, but as she absorbed it, the feeling of her parched body being rehydrated and refreshed by the magic was oddly addictive.
Plus, Sylvie’s enthusiasm caused her to lose control and pull too hard, only noticing when Sylvie’s face turned pale.
However, despite this, the huge rank gap between them meant that even draining nearly fifty percent of Sylvie’s magic source only replenished about one-tenth of Floria’s internal deficit.
Though not a great recovery, this successful attempt kindled hope and confidence in Floria to resist Sofia’s control in the future.
This success made her realize that Sofia was not an omniscient being who could control everything perfectly.
And from Floria’s recent test, though Sylvie might be used by Sofia as a “weak spot” to threaten her, if she thought clearly, this could be turned around and used as well, making Sylvie a “Protection God” to shield her from Sofia’s harassment.
After all, as long as Sylvie remained unaware of her own past, Sofia would continue to use this weakness, holding Floria’s misdeeds over her as leverage.
If Floria kept this in mind, Sofia would surely not dare to do anything too extreme in front of Sylvie, nor come up with new schemes to exploit her other weaknesses.
So as long as she had a legitimate reason to stay with Sylvie, she’d be safe!
Floria couldn’t help but feel proud of her own cleverness.
Sylvie on the bed watched Floria humming happily, completely puzzled.
Though she didn’t understand what made her teacher so pleased, Sylvie thought that as long as the teacher was happy, everything must be fine, so she could be happy too.
Sylvie weakly tugged the corners of her mouth into a faint smile, then her dull eyes drifted down to the necklace nestled between Floria’s cleavage, causing her cheeks to flush.
Now that she thought about it, Teacher Floria wasn’t actually so untouchably high above her—
Sylvie relaxed her body and lay back, quietly recalling the secret chamber moments.
There, she had enjoyed the softness of Floria’s gentle embrace and loving caresses, deepening their bond in a way she never had before.
She still didn’t know that Floria’s lung capacity was… surprisingly impressive—!
At least far beyond her own.
During those minutes, her breath was filled with Floria’s mature, warm rose scent.
She tasted the lipstick on her lips and enjoyed the soft elasticity of the facial cleanser she used.
All this happiness made her head swim, limbs go weak, heart race, and her body gradually went limp, almost making her fall.
Floria, concerned, kindly stopped their “bonding” and helped her out to lie down and rest.
Damn it… if only my body were stronger… I could have held Teacher Floria a little longer…
Sylvie clenched her small fists, filled with regret.
After this time, when would Teacher Floria take that necklace out again…
Before then, I must train hard! Eat more vegetables! I absolutely can’t embarrass myself like this in front of her again—
“Sylvie, Teacher wants to discuss something else with you.”
Floria suddenly whispered softly in Sylvie’s ear, interrupting her thoughts.
“Hm? Teacher, go ahead, what is it?”
Snapping out of her chaotic thoughts, Sylvie blinked and asked.
Just as Floria opened her mouth, she suddenly turned her head sharply, narrowing her eyes toward the open bedroom door.
“Wait a moment.”
She steadied herself against the wall and walked to the bedroom door, nervously peeking around the corridor outside.
Then she closed and locked the bedroom door tight, using magic to thoroughly check the room from top to bottom before finally relaxing.
After this sneaky procedure, Floria returned to the bedside, meeting Sylvie’s puzzled gaze.
“When you stay overnight tonight… can you sleep here in my bedroom like now?”
“Eh…?”
Floria paused, then leaned in mysteriously close to Sylvie’s ear:
“And then… Teacher wants to borrow the outfit you’re wearing now for a little while—”
“Eh? My clothes? Teacher… you mean… um…”
Suddenly hearing such a strange request, Sylvie felt her brain freeze.
“After I leave tonight, you lock the bedroom door from the inside, no matter who calls or says anything outside, you mustn’t open it, okay?”
“I… I’ll remember… but what exactly is going on…”
Hearing Floria’s mysterious tone, Sylvie shrank back in bed, her expression slightly frightened.
“Don’t ask too many questions, just listen to me—Or… could it be that little Sylvie no longer sees Teacher as the most trusted person?”
Floria’s face showed a hint of sadness as she gently wiped the corner of her eye.
“No, no… I definitely trust Teacher Floria—”
“Good, good child~”
Floria instantly smiled through tears, reaching out to gently ruffle Sylvie’s hair.
“Then it’s settled. Tonight I’ll come to get the clothes—Oh, and absolutely, absolutely don’t let Aunt Sofia find out about this, everything I tell you must be kept secret, understood?”
“Mm, I’ll remember—”
Moved by Floria’s solemn expression, Sylvie nodded earnestly.
“Good child, now lie down and rest~”
Floria smiled reassuringly and helped Sylvie settle under the covers.
The room fell silent for a while, until Sylvie’s restless tossing soon broke the afternoon calm.
“…Teacher Floria, I want to hear you tell a story~”
Weakly, Sylvie spoke with a coquettish tone, her big watery eyes looking at Floria who was calmly meditating by the bedside to gather magic.
“…You’re not a kid anymore, so why still want to hear stories?”
“But I… just want to~ Teacher hasn’t told me a story for so long…”
“Alright, alright… then I’ll tell you a story… um… the Story of the Little Dragon Girl.”
“Yay—”
Floria stopped meditating, gently placing her hand on Sylvie’s forehead, brushing away the stray hair covering her brow, tenderly stroking her.
“A long, long time ago… there was a little dragon girl who took human form, living in the deepest part of the Demon Lord’s Castle…”
Listening to Floria’s melodious, soothing voice, Sylvie lay back contentedly, closing her eyes.
So happy—
Though her body still felt strange… being cared for by Teacher Floria like this made her life so blissful…
If only time would stop at this moment forever…
If only Teacher would always stay by my side…
If only Teacher belonged to me alone forever…
If only…