Lucius finished the food and laid back down with a quiet sigh.
His body felt like it weighed twice as much as normal, the lingering ache behind his eyes finally dulling.
Luna, shy as ever, collected the empty bowl with careful hands.
"I’ll... I’ll just go wash this," she mumbled before padding downstairs.
Emilia, who had been half glaring and half sulking the whole ti, finally stood as well.
"I’ll leave too," she muttered, masking her frustration with indifference. "Not like you need here anyway."
The door clicked softly behind her, leaving only Lucius and Villy in the room.
Villy wasted no ti.
She reached at the table, pulled out the slim packet of dicine, and popped it open with practiced ease.
She handed him a single pill along with a fresh cup of water.
"My lord," she said gently, her dwarven voice carrying an unusual warmth, "you’ll feel incredibly sleepy after this, but by the ti you wake, your fever will have broken."
Lucius accepted the cup, watching her with tired eyes as she dissolved the pill directly into the water.
The clear liquid shimred faintly, then stilled.
She handed it to him, and he drank it in slow, greedy gulps.
As the dicine seeped into his veins, his body finally began to calm.
The throbbing headache that had been pounding since receded into a faint whisper.
His limbs loosened, his breaths ca deeper.
He lay back down, consciousness slipping away like sand through his fingers.
Villy leaned closer, watching as his lashes fluttered shut.
She placed a small, calloused hand against his forehead.
The burning heat had finally cooled to sothing manageable.
"Please rest," she whispered, almost like a prayer.
Her lips curved faintly, betraying a private smile.
...
Later that evening, Vanessa returned ho.
She carried herself with her usual confidence, boots clicking against the polished floor, but her mind was elsewhere.
Elara trailed just behind her, dressed in the crisp uniform of Grimmaw.
Vanessa glanced over her shoulder, lips quirking upward.
Elara really did look cute in the uniform.
It gave her a professional air even if her childish pout ruined it every so often.
’Since he’s ford his mana hearts,’ Vanessa thought grimly, ’I’m thinking of pushing for a raid.’
Ordinarily, it would be madness to assign such a task so early.
Raids were difficult, bloody, and demanding reserved for veterans with months of control under their belts.
But Lucius was no ordinary Awakener. Two divine-grade elents in one body... It would be a waste not to sharpen that power quickly, even if she hated accelerating him.
Besides he handled his first mission too quickly.
MIt won’t be that hard,’ she reassured herself, ’I’ll assign Villy too.’
Elara tugged at her sleeve timidly. "You said Master would be fine, right?"
"Yes." Vanessa’s tone softened as she opened the mansion door. "Villy gave him dicine. He should be asleep now."
The two won stepped inside. Vanessa blinked, then smothered a laugh.
The scene before her was unexpectedly... adorable.
All three young won — Luna, Emilia, and Villy were sprawled on the couch in the living room.
Luna on the left, Emilia on the right, Villy sandwiched between them like the anchor holding them in place.
Their chests rose and fell evenly, cheeks relaxed in peaceful slumber.
It was almost dostic.
"Seems like they’re getting along," Vanessa murmured under her breath.
She shook her head, an amused smile tugging at her lips, before leaning down to nudge Emilia awake.
The girl stirred, eyes heavy with sleep, clutching sothing to her chest.
Vanessa’s sharp eyes caught the fabric imdiately.
She narrowed her gaze. "...The hell are Lucius’s clothes doing with you?"
Emilia stiffened. "Erm—"
"My lady," Villy interrupted, eyes still bleary but voice sharp as ever. "Those clothes were on Lord Lucius’s bed. She helped carry them away."
Emilia bobbed her head too quickly. "Y-yeah, that’s right!"
Vanessa arched a brow.
"Mm." With a sigh, she let it slide. She wasn’t in the mood to interrogate further.
By then, Elara had already disappeared upstairs.
That girl wasted no ti.
Emilia slunk off toward her own room, abandoning the ragged bundle of clothes.
Villy stood, asked softly which room belonged to Luna, and without waiting carried the half-asleep beauty there herself.
Which left Vanessa alone in the room.
Her eyes slid toward the discarded uniform.
She hesitated.
Then she stepped forward.
Her fingers brushed the fabric, lifting it.
She brought it close to her nose. Her chest rose as she inhaled deeply.
The scent was... divine. It curled in her lungs, making her lips part slightly.
"...Am I being a pervert?" she whispered to herself.
Probably.
But she didn’t care.
’I just want to know how it slls in space,’ she excused herself, ridiculous as the thought was.
She inhaled again, slower this ti. The fragrance almost made her lips water.
A shiver traveled down her spine.
She set the clothes down reluctantly. "I should go check Lucius."
Her boots padded softly against the floor as she ascended the stairs.
She reached his room, hand brushing the knob but just as the door cracked open...
She almost bumped into Elara.
The younger girl’s cheeks were flushed pink, eyes lowered, lips pressed together like she’d been caught stealing sweets.
"G-goodnight, Miss Vanessa," Elara stamred.
Then, without another word, she scurried past and shut the door behind her.
Vanessa frowned. "...Weird."
Shaking her head, she entered.
Lucius lay snoring lightly on the bed, his face slack and calm.
The fever had left no trace now.
His chest rose with slow, deep breaths, and his lips were parted slightly in exhaustion.
He looked... cute.
Her fingers twitched with an urge.
’I want to pinch his cheeks.’
She laughed softly under her breath. "Alright, enough. I’m not a creep."
She turned to leave.
She really did.
But sothing tugged at her chest, an invisible pull she couldn’t resist.
He had hugged Elara and Luna to sleep the night before, couldn’t he do the sa for her?
Before she realized it, she was no longer standing but lying beside him.
His arm shifted unconsciously, curling around her waist, pulling her flush against him.
Her heart stuttered violently.
The warmth of his body seeped into hers and his breath tickled against her neck.
’If I want, I could pry myself off.’ She swallowed hard. ’But... I don’t want to hurt him.’
She rationalized, telling herself it was harmless.
Just a little while.
"I’ll just lie here for a while..." she murmured.
Her eyelids grew heavy.
Despite still being in her work clothes, she lted into the embrace, allowing the warmth to cradle her.
Sleep claid her quietly.
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