Floria lay back on the bed in the bedroom on the first floor, the lingering scent of her just-finished bath still fresh at her nostrils.
Next to her, little junior Sophia was squeezed under the covers, completely naked and snuggling close.
Warm, soft—but the arms wrapped tightly around her waist were strong and unyielding, leaving Floria no chance to break free.
When exactly had it come to this?
Floria sighed sadly, asking herself honestly.
Though she had admittedly done some questionable things to satisfy her own mischievous desires… surely she didn’t deserve this kind of “punishment” in return?
The two of them squeezed together on the bed, Sophia using every ounce of her strength to make their body heat more fully intertwined.
In fact, just before being carried to bed and tucked in after her bath, Floria had tried to struggle and resist several times.
But lacking any magic source, she was completely outmatched in physical strength by Sophia, who was now fully grown and at full power.
Not only that, but Floria’s feeble resistance only seemed to ignite Sophia’s rebellious spirit further, making her even more excited and eager.
The arms that had been wrapped tightly around Floria’s waist gripped even harder.
For a moment, Floria felt as if she might be strangled into dizziness and fainting.
Yet on the other hand, though it was a bit embarrassing to admit… Floria found herself, for just an instant, somewhat addicted to this domineering, possessive claim that Sophia was making over her—a sensation that clouded her rational thinking, if only fleetingly.
“Big sister, how did I do just now?”
Sophia asked with a mischievous smile, then fixed Floria with a burning gaze that was impossible to ignore.
The space between them was so close that their breath brushed against each other’s earlobes.
Floria’s expression tightened at the question; after a brief silence, she scoffed dismissively and turned over to face away from Sophia under the covers.
“Tch… it was just… so-so, I guess.”
Though she said it like that, the blush coloring her cheeks stood out all the more vividly under the cold white glow of the moonlight, like a soft pastel shade that looked deliciously enticing.
“Oh…”
Sophia’s eyes flickered slightly, her tone deep and unreadable, as she loosened the grip of her arms around Floria’s waist.
“Then why did big sister just quietly agree to let me hold you to sleep afterwards? I thought…”
“Sophia, I let you have your way this time… but it won’t happen again—next time, no more of this—”
“Oh? Next time~”
Sophia chuckled lightly but didn’t continue.
Floria remained silent as well.
…She’d honestly never expected that Sophia’s tongue could be so agile and strong…
And that when she forced her legs apart, it was done with such ruthless intensity.
Even now, resting in bed, Floria still felt a bit weak in her legs, some spots lingering with a faint burning sensation.
If examined closely, Sophia’s movements weren’t very skillful—they lacked technique and were all raw emotion—but the emotion was overwhelming.
Watching Sophia peacefully asleep with eyes closed beside her, Floria sighed quietly in her heart.
But, still… this kind of blatant disrespect toward an elder, even bullying an elder in the bath… absolutely unacceptable!
Once she regained her strength and was back on top… she would definitely teach Sophia a harsh lesson in discipline and character correction!
For now, though, she’d just have to endure it… after all, it wasn’t that painful or unbearable…
Worried Silvie barely managed to fall asleep until midnight.
The next morning, what woke her from bed was her growling stomach, the smell of breakfast drifting up from downstairs, and the sound of cheerful voices.
“Eh?!”
Hearing the two talking, Silvie snapped her eyes open and sprang out of bed like a fish flipping.
It was Teacher Floria! Teacher Floria had come home safely!
She bounced energetically on the bed, then jumped down to the floor, running barefoot out of her room and darting downstairs.
Looking around, sure enough—there was Sophia standing at the kitchen stove alongside Floria, who was wearing an apron, chatting casually while cooking breakfast.
At the sound of Silvie’s footsteps, the two turned their heads simultaneously.
“Don’t bully my Teacher Floria!”
Silvie rushed forward in a single step, inserting herself between them and blocking Floria behind her.
Then she bared her small tiger-like teeth at Sophia, her face full of the fierce glare and scowl one uses against a villain.
“…?”
Sophia kept a polite smile, her innocent big eyes looking genuinely confused, then winked at Floria beside her.
“Usually, I’m the one who makes Teacher Floria’s meals! She doesn’t even need to cook herself… as long as I’m around… um…”
As Silvie spoke, her voice gradually lost confidence.
Her mind was still foggy from just waking up, and now, after saying it, she suddenly recalled her earlier speculation that “Sophia might be Teacher Floria’s new spring of romance.”
…But Silvie quickly reconsidered—that didn’t change the fact that Sophia was clearly a rival competing for Floria’s affection.
“Eh, I’m not bullying your mother~”
Sophia stuck out her tongue playfully, smiling cheekily and shrugging, holding a carrot in her hand.
“It was your mom who got up so early this morning and woke me up too, saying today is a special day for your new enrollment, so she wanted to cook breakfast herself~”
“Hm?”
Silvie’s suspicious gaze swept over the female knight before her, then decisively declared:
“You’re lying again! You… you naughty… naughty Paladin!”
Silvie searched her mind for a suitably harsh insult for a long time.
Because Teacher Floria had told her that no one could become a Royal Capital Paladin without being a paragon of virtue and kindness.
To call a paladin a “naughty” or “bad egg” was the worst kind of insult in the world.
“Pfft… hahaha…”
Unexpectedly, Sophia was not angry at all when she heard that.
Instead, she covered her mouth, unable to hold back joyous laughter.
“Hahaha… Big sister, you don’t suppose you teach little Silvie to talk back like this on purpose, do you?”
“…No way, my teaching methods are perfectly normal, okay?”
Floria frowned slightly, then struck Sophia’s grinning head hard with the soup ladle in her hand.
“Ow—”
Sophia let out a mock pitiful cry, quickly covering her head—but mostly for show.
Though Floria knew well that with her current strength, she couldn’t have hit that hard, she still felt a sense of victorious satisfaction at Sophia’s exaggerated antics.
Hmph, as long as little Silvie was around watching, Sophia wouldn’t dare do anything to her—especially nothing as indecent as exploring secret places with her tongue like last night.
She then turned her gaze back to Silvie, bending down to gently stroke her head.
“Little one, what did Teacher Floria teach you? When you come to the big city, you must be polite and not act impulsively. Have you forgotten?”
“Ugh… I… I remember…”
Silvie avoided eye contact and answered hesitantly.
Her eyes also took the opportunity to glance at the necklace tucked beneath Floria’s collar—sure enough, it was hidden away.
“But… um… I’m just… a little unhappy…”
As she spoke, Silvie’s fingers intertwined nervously, fidgeting.
“Alright, alright, this time it really was me wanting to get up early to surprise new-enrolled little Silvie, so it’s not Aunt Sophia’s fault.”
Floria’s tone softened as she patiently explained, bending down to rub Silvie’s cheeks.
“Okay… but I still wish Teacher Floria would spend more time with me~”
Silvie hugged Floria’s arm, pouting as she spoke sweetly.
“It’s fine, I’ll just make breakfast first. There’ll be plenty of time to spend together afterward~ How about this: the kitchen smoke is thick, so you go get dressed and wash up, then come sit at the table. Breakfast will be ready soon~”
“Mm—!”
Silvie nodded vigorously in response, then ran out full of energy, secretly chuckling in her heart.
Heh heh heh… Actually, I’m already an expert at winning Teacher Floria’s favor!
Over the years, Silvie had always felt that Teacher Floria treated her with respect.
Specifically, Floria never brushed her off with a “you’ll understand when you grow up” like other parents.
On the contrary, Floria took Silvie’s concerns seriously.
From Silvie’s experience, even if she accidentally upset Teacher Floria, as long as she expressed her grievances and made a request, Floria would calmly explain and reason with her patiently.
And then, if she acted a little coquettish, Floria would soon be smiling again~
Heh heh heh… Teacher Floria is really simple and easy to handle~
So, before I’m sure whether Teacher Floria is really having a “second spring” romance or not, I absolutely must protect her from someone like Sophia—the clearly scheming villainess!
Thinking this, Silvie clenched her small fists tightly with determination.
Teacher is so pure, kind, gentle, and easy to fool—if someone like Sophia tricked and bullied her, that would be awful—
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