"The two thousand three hundred and twenty-fourth time... Shall we continue, Aina?"
"No... That's not how it's counted, Xia Lun," Aina exhaled softly, stubbornly insisting. "Only once per day..."
Xia Lun frowned. "Why? You clearly just—"
Aina covered Xia Lun's mouth, refusing to let him say the embarrassing words out loud.
Xia Lun still wasn’t convinced. "It should count as twice. Look, this is already the second round."
"But we never left the bed."
"You already—"
"I say it counts as once, so it's once. I’m the one keeping track," Aina cupped Xia Lun’s face. "Are you planning to disobey me, Xia Lun?"
Xia Lun naturally saw no reason to argue over such a trivial matter—especially since he didn’t even understand the point of this absurd counting.
"Of course, I’ll listen to you, Demon King-sama."
"That’s more like it." Aina flashed a triumphant smile.
"Then let’s continue. The two thousand three hundred and twenty-third time..."
Just as Xia Lun reached for Aina’s waist, she nimbly rolled away.
"What’s the rush? I haven’t rested enough yet," Aina chided.
"Can’t we continue without resting?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Xia Lun regretted them.
A magic circle flared beneath him on the bed, and ethereal chains burst forth, binding Xia Lun tightly.
The chains were mere manifestations of magic, intangible—not because Aina suddenly had a taste for bondage, but because this was a sealing spell.
"Was that really necessary, Aina?" Xia Lun forced a bitter smile, feeling as though even moving a finger was now a struggle. "I was just joking."
"I can’t afford to take jokes like that," Aina huffed. "You’re nothing short of a monster."
Xia Lun chuckled awkwardly—was that supposed to be a compliment?
He tried to break free from Aina’s sealing magic, but his usually unstoppable strength was now utterly useless. Under the seal, he felt as weak as an ordinary human.
Not just restrained—his power was sealed too?
"Don’t bother struggling, Xia Lun. Just wait patiently until I’ve rested... Though, if you don’t mind, I could use my hands—or my wings—to help you." Aina paused, licking her lips. "And if you really want to experience it... my mouth isn’t entirely off the table..."
"Aina, that’s unhygienic."
"Good, Xia Lun. Resisting such temptation truly lives up to your title as the Hero. You haven’t disappointed me." Aina nodded in satisfaction.
Xia Lun: "..."
His title as the Hero felt a little too cheaply earned.
Aina drew open the curtains.
Their room overlooked a lake, its dark, tranquil waters reflecting the glow of countless fireflies, blending seamlessly with the starry sky above until the two became indistinguishable.
The fireflies danced, as if the lake and the heavens were exchanging tokens... Tonight’s sky was clear, the silken moonlight draping over the lake like a misty veil, transforming the scene into something out of a fairy tale.
Xia Lun had chosen this spot for their cabin for a reason—first, for its seclusion, and second, for the view.
A thousand years had passed, yet nothing had changed.
Lying on the bed, Xia Lun turned his head to admire the forest outside—only for his vision to be completely overtaken by an even more breathtaking sight.
Aina stood before him, the pristine white forest now fully on display.
"I’ve rested enough, Xia Lun."
......
The Vampire Castle.
Feina lifted the hem of her crimson dress, stepping gracefully out of an ornate crystal coffin.
"Feina-jie, are you going out?"
The voice came from a smaller white coffin nearby.
"That’s right, Niya. I need to tend to the sacred domain entrusted to me by Lady Aina," Feina declared proudly.
"Sacred domain... That’s exaggerating. It’s just the house Lady Aina used to live in," Niya yawned lazily from inside her coffin, her voice muffled through the lid. "And cleaning is the servants’ job. Lady Aina wouldn’t mind."
"This is a task Lady Aina personally assigned to me. Of course I’ll take it seriously." Feina lightly rapped on Niya’s coffin lid.
"Ah... What I mean is, the maids are more professional. They’d clean it better—since Feina-jie can be a little careless sometimes."
"Keep talking like that, and I won’t let you stay overnight here anymore," Feina sniffed.
"Fine, I was wrong... Good luck, Feina-jie. I’m going back to sleep." Niya hugged her teddy bear and rolled over inside the coffin.
Feina stepped into a teleportation array.
When her figure reappeared, the scenery before her had transformed into a lush forest.
"The air here is wonderful..." Feina stretched leisurely.
Not only was the view splendid, but after tidying up, she could also laze around here for the rest of the day.
She had no intention of letting anyone else take this job.
Lady Aina’s master bedroom was the priority, followed by the guest room—since she’d be resting there. The remaining room wasn’t as important.
All three rooms were mostly unused anyway.
Her duties included not just cleaning but also inspecting the arrays Lady Aina had left behind. If any were damaged, she had to report them immediately.
It was early morning, and dewdrops clung to the grass, shimmering precariously.
"Hmm?"
Feina frowned. She thought she heard something strange.
A whooshing sound—like the swing of a blade.
What was going on? This area was protected by Lady Aina’s arrays. No one should be able to wander in by accident.
Following the forest path, Feina arrived at the lakeshore.
On the grassy bank, she spotted an elf meticulously practicing sword swings.
A man! A man had dared to trespass on Lady Aina’s territory!
"Who are you?!"
Feina’s sharp voice rang out.
Joli halted mid-swing, looking up in confusion at the sudden appearance of Feina.
Clad in a flowing crimson robe, her figure was breathtakingly curvaceous—paired with striking features, snow-white hair cascading to her waist, making her crimson eyes seem even more vivid.
"I—I’m Joli," he stammered nervously. "I just stayed here for one night..."
Feina’s pupils constricted. He had spent the night in Lady Aina’s house?!
Instantly, twin curved blades materialized in her hands as she charged straight at Joli.