Inside and Outside the Carriage

Order Era, Year 1137.

"Are you leaving now, Liyana?" Maya waved reluctantly at Xia Lun and the others.

These past few days had been enough for Liyana and Maya to become good friends.

Though, under Mo Lini's watchful eye, they remained just ordinary friends.

"Thank you so much for taking care of us, Maya." Liyana held the reins of the drake. "I'll miss you."

"Me too."

"If we get the chance, we’ll meet again." Liyana turned away with a flourish, waving her hand. "As lovely as this place is, I won’t let the scenery along the way stop me from marching forward..."

Liyana kept adding dramatic flair, as if she were the leader of the group.

"We’re off now, Miss Maya. You’ll probably be busy from here on out." Xia Lun gave a hearty laugh.

With the appearance of the labyrinth, Abandes was bound to become a hot topic among adventurers.

"Hehe..." Maya scratched her head sheepishly, mirroring Liyana’s mannerisms—as if she’d already been influenced by her.

The drake set off at a steady pace, beginning the journey back.

Mo Lini still felt like things were a bit unreal. After all, everything had been resolved far too smoothly.

Xia Lun arrived, Xia Lun stormed the Grand Cathedral, Xia Lun fixed the problem, Xia Lun left...

The time it took to settle things was far shorter than the time Xia Lun and Aina had spent locked in their room.

It didn’t seem wrong, but it was a far cry from the thrilling adventure Mo Lini had imagined.

Yet, Liyana and Musen seemed perfectly at ease, as if this was exactly how adventures were supposed to go.

Liyana took charge of driving the carriage, bringing Mo Lini along for the ride, insisting she shouldn’t stay cooped up inside and needed to see more of the outside world.

Mo Lini hugged her storybook and glanced at Liyana, who looked quite happy.

As mentioned earlier, they were now returning to the small village to escort Joli back to the Elven Forest.

"Wow, I never expected my little nephew to become so strong. Even Xia Lun praised his swordsmanship..." Liyana sounded excited. "I wonder what kind of face he’ll make when he runs into those elves who used to bully and isolate him back in the village... Hehe, just thinking about it gets me fired up."

Mo Lini nodded slightly. She’d read similar plots before.

"Liyana, were you and Mr. Joli close?" Musen’s voice came from within the storybook.

"Ah, Joli was a shy and introverted kid, but deep down, he was really kind." Liyana fell into reminiscence. "Even though he didn’t have a happy childhood—no elven children wanted to play with him—he never complained. He just quietly trained to get stronger... Though, he really had no talent for archery. No matter how hard I tried to teach him, he never improved."

"Liyana, if Mr. Joli never improved, could it have been your fault?" Mo Lini tilted her head up to look at her.

"Impossible! I put my heart into teaching him!" Liyana protested indignantly.

Admittedly, Mo Lini was definitely Moke’s descendant—the way she delivered her sarcasm felt exactly the same.

Still, Mo Lini was much cuter than Moke. At least patting her head didn’t come with the risk of getting bitten.

"How dare you say that to me, Mo Lini! You’re going to regret it..."

"Liyana! You’re still driving the carriage—be careful!"

The two of them tussled playfully.

......

Inside the carriage.

"Here, this is for you."

Xia Lun pulled out a bouquet of white roses from his coat.

"Ah, thank you, Xia Lun. This makes me so happy."

"Aina, you already knew, didn’t you?"

His earlier attempt at secretly picking flowers hadn’t escaped Aina’s notice.

"I had no idea... But since you gave me a gift, I should reward you."

Aina leaned in closer.

Xia Lun retreated slightly, but the carriage offered little space to maneuver. Soon, his back was pressed against the wooden wall.

Aina had already cut off all his escape routes.

"Aina... This really isn’t appropriate." Xia Lun avoided her gaze, looking troubled.

"What’s inappropriate? No one outside can tell what’s happening in here."

Aina crawled forward like a predator, one hand pressing against Xia Lun’s chest while the other slowly lifted the hem of her skirt.

Xia Lun’s eyes locked onto what lay beneath, his throat tightening. The sight was like an abyss—impossible to look away from.

"Liyana... Liyana and the others are right outside. There’s just a wooden board between us. We can’t do something like this." Xia Lun continued to resist.

"At night... weren’t we just separated by a wall?" Aina countered. "You didn’t hesitate back then."

"That was different... That was in a room. This is a carriage."

Xia Lun turned his head away. "Besides, Liyana will be coming in later. We can’t dirty the seats... You know how you are, Aina. You can’t control yourself..."

"I’ll clean it up with magic." Hearing this, Aina’s cheeks flushed slightly.

"Think about it, Aina... Is it right for an innocent child like Mo Lini to sit on a seat like that? I heard she even does planks on them." Xia Lun cupped Aina’s face, speaking seriously.

Aina pursed her lips and finally relented, slowly climbing off Xia Lun.

"Fine, Xia Lun. I suppose I wasn’t thinking. We’ll wait until tonight."

"Good girl."

Xia Lun let out a relieved sigh and gently patted Aina’s back.

A man had to have principles. Once you compromised once, it became easier to lower your standards again and again.

"But at the very least... you owe me this much."

Aina sealed Xia Lun’s lips, once again becoming the greedy conqueror.

Xia Lun sank into the soft seat, his right wrist pinned by Aina as she guided his hand to a plush curve.

Aina’s clothes were exquisitely made, the fabric smooth as milk gliding over his fingertips.

The only shame was that these garments rarely lasted more than a night, vanishing without a trace before dawn.

Xia Lun remembered how, in the past—even after marriage—Aina would often close her eyes when they kissed or went further, always insisting he turn off the lights.

"Hah! D-do you think you’re that handsome? Don’t get cocky. Why should I look at you...?"

Whenever Xia Lun asked about it, Aina would turn away, refusing to meet his gaze.

Xia Lun knew it was just her shyness and never pressed further.

But now, the tables had turned.

"Xia Lun, look at me. Don’t you dare blink." Aina pulled back just enough to speak between breaths.

Xia Lun: "..."

"My eyes will dry out." Xia Lun could practically see hearts swirling in the depths of Aina’s pupils.

But Aina pressed on, kissing him once more.

"Your eyes... should only hold me."