“Hmm~”
A sound as satisfied as a cat’s came from Eleonora’s lips, making it clear she was truly enjoying the moment.
“How… how does it feel?”
Lilian asked in a trembling voice. Right now, her lower abdomen felt warm, and every breath Eleonora took brought a ticklish sensation that was hard to describe.
Lilian felt her whole body growing tense.
“So comfortable~” Eleonora moaned, her entire body soft as melted butter, sprawling across Lilian’s lap.
“All right.” Lilian replied offhandedly, opening her mouth to urge Eleonora to get up, “That’s enough… come on, get off…”
“No.”
Eleonora refused Lilian’s request with utter finality.
“Eh?”
Then stop breathing on me already!
Lilian felt her heart beating faster and faster.
Eleonora turned her head, lying on her back to gaze up at Lilian.
She blinked. When she saw Lilian watching her, she gave a small smile.
Then she closed her eyes.
Her cheeks flushed a little as she complained in a small voice, “Ophelia gets to sleep on top of you, but as your master, I can’t even lie down for a moment?”
Though it sounded like a complaint, there was a hint of grievance in her tone.
Lilian’s heart softened instantly.
Anyway, Eleonora wasn’t pressing her head against Lilian’s stomach anymore—let her be.
Lilian’s hand naturally fell onto Eleonora’s head, her fingers threading through smooth silver hair as if brushing it.
Every time Lilian stroked her, Eleonora made a soft, satisfied humming sound from her nose.
It was a bit like petting a cat—just missing the purr.
This really was a strange thing.
If she were still Li Lian in her previous life, at the thought of a lap pillow, she’d certainly be the one lying down.
She would never have imagined herself turning into a girl, and for two days in a row, providing a lap pillow for another girl.
Tho… though this kind of feeling wasn’t bad either.
Seeing such a cute girl, trusting and defenseless like a little animal, resting on her legs, Lilian always felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
A sweet sensation that made her raise her brows and tug up the corners of her lips.
No, no!
Lilian, oh Lilian.
You can’t keep sinking into this.
You, your sis…
?
Sigh…
“What’s wrong?”
Hearing Lilian’s sigh, Eleonora, who was still enjoying the caresses, opened her eyes and asked with concern.
“It’s nothing, I’m just a bit tired…”
“Tired?” Eleonora didn’t get up. She looked up at Lilian, her brows slightly knitted. “Am I too heavy?”
“No, it’s heart-tired…”
“Oh…” Eleonora seemed to realize something. “I’ve only been thinking about making you study runic inscriptions. You probably haven’t been resting much lately, right? How does it feel when you study? Are you exhausted?”
“I guess I’m okay?” Lilian responded instinctively, then realized Eleonora misunderstood her and quickly explained, “Wait, I didn’t mean that kind of tired. With you guiding my mana, it’s actually pretty easy.”
Well, not that easy. Lilian often lost control of her mana by trying too hard.
When learning [Fire], she nearly blew up the dressing table.
When learning [Water], she almost flooded the dressing table.
Learning [Wind] left the bedroom in shambles, books flying everywhere in Eleonora’s room.
And as for [Lightning], that time she had nearly paralyzed herself.
“Really? You’re not lying to me, right? Controlling mana is very mentally taxing.”
So having problems is normal?
Good thing Eleonora’s here.
Eleonora sat up, looking very serious as she gazed into Lilian’s eyes.
She seemed to be going into teacher mode.
“Learning is a gradual process. Don’t push yourself too hard just to make progress and end up hiding it from me.”
“I’m really not—”
“That’s good.” Eleonora’s face relaxed into a reassuring smile. She closed her eyes again, laid back down, and nestled herself into a more comfortable position.
“Then let me… stay a little longer…”
Controlling mana is really that mentally draining…
If Eleonora says so, it must be true…
Lilian’s hand continued to gently stroke Eleonora’s little head, but her mind wandered into deep thought.
She looked at Eleonora’s face—so white, so relaxed and joyful, yet looking closely, Lilian could still spot a trace of fatigue.
“Master, is that paperwork very tiring?”
“Mm?” Eleonora made a questioning sound through her nose, unsure why Lilian was asking, but still answered, “That kind of thing? How could it possibly tire me out.”
She sounded quite proud.
“Really…”
Lilian understood now where Eleonora’s weariness came from.
If just controlling her own mana was this exhausting, then… what about guiding someone else’s mana?
Especially when her own mana so often spun out of control…
Lilian’s hand paused.
“Thank you, Master.”
Lilian smiled, thanking Eleonora from the bottom of her heart.
“Eh?” Eleonora opened her eyes, the tips of her ears turning red. “Wh-why are you suddenly saying something like that?”
“Teaching me magic, and guiding me through runic inscriptions… it must be very tiring, right…”
Lilian’s strokes became even gentler.
“It’s not tiring!” Eleonora almost shouted, eyes squeezed shut as if to emphasize her words. “That kind of thing could never tire me!”
With that, she seemed to use up all her strength and buried her crimson cheeks back against Lilian’s stomach, muttering sulkily, “Idiot, don’t say it again…”
“Okay, I won’t say it anymore…”
Right now, Lilian would agree to anything Eleonora said.
But…
Why?
Why is she so good to me?
Why does she rely on me so much?
Suddenly, a question arose in Lilian’s heart.
That question she had shelved for so long, never daring to think about it deeply, finally surfaced.
Why?
Why make me a maid—couldn’t I have paid off my debt as a doctor too?
Why, every time I wanted to get stronger, did she always help me fulfill that wish?
Why teach me magic so patiently and diligently?
Why is she always so attentive to my moods and thoughts?
Just being family isn’t enough, is it?
And she’s not just coveting my body.
So why?
Why?
Lilian was confused, at a loss.
If there’s a problem, face it; if something goes wrong, fix it.
In her previous life as Li Lian, this was her code of action.
She took a deep breath and looked at Eleonora.
Should she ask?
Eleonora’s eyes were gently closed, breathing steady, clutching Lilian’s clothes with both hands, full of dependence and a faint smile on her face.
Just like that, Eleonora fell asleep, snuggling up to her like a child.
“……”
Lilian let out a breath.
She’s asleep now—let it go.
No need to wake her for something like this.
Let it be. This is good enough.
Suddenly, she found she couldn’t voice her question.
She dared not ask—nor did she want to anymore.
Not every question needs a precise answer.
Just thinking of that unknown answer made Lilian inexplicably uneasy.
She raised her right hand and found her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
Maybe it’s better to think of a way to repay Eleonora.
Looking at the sleeping Eleonora, Lilian made up her mind.
Let’s start… with giving her some rest…