The Sour-Sweet Smell of Love

The Era of Chaos, 1818.

"Huh? That guy got away?"

Liyana's eyes widened. "What happened? I went through so much trouble to catch that phantom thief!"

"Aina was the one who caught her. It had absolutely nothing to do with you," Moke said, rolling his eyes at Liyana from behind.

Marie had escaped.

After capturing her, Xia Lun had handed her directly over to the city guards. But while the guards were escorting her to the church, she had somehow broken free of her restraints and slipped away.

By the time Xia Lun and his party received the news, it was already the next day. The thief was surely long gone by now.

"What should we do? Are we going to hunt her down again?" Liyana asked Xia Lun.

"There's no need. Our mission is already complete," Xia Lun said with a shrug.

They had already fulfilled Mr. Sander's commission and collected a handsome reward. Mr. Sander had been quite satisfied with their efficiency, expressing his hopes to work with them again if a suitable job came up.

Whatever happened next was none of their business.

Besides, Marie didn't seem like a truly bad person... just a bit of a pervert.

Aina sat quietly in the back of the carriage, hugging her staff.

Xia Lun moved closer to her.

"That binding magic you used to catch the phantom thief earlier... it was really impressive," Xia Lun praised.

"It was alright." Aina habitually replied with her usual icy tone. But then she remembered it was Xia Lun talking to her. As his girlfriend, perhaps she ought to show a little more warmth, so she added, "I don't use it very often."

"Really? I actually think that spell is quite handy." Xia Lun pondered for a moment. "It's a very strong crowd-control spell, and it can even be set up as a trap."

Marie's agility was nothing to scoff at, yet she had been instantly apprehended before she could even react.

"When facing enemies, it's much easier to just burn them to ashes," Aina said flatly. "There's no need to overcomplicate things."

"Heh, true enough," Xia Lun agreed. "Still, that was my first time seeing that spell."

"Of course. I invented it," Aina said casually, as if mentioning something completely trivial.

"You invented it yourself? Aina, you're amazing."

"It's a rather useless spell, not good for much."

"Don't say that. Didn't we just use it to catch the phantom thief? I'm sure it has plenty of other uses," Xia Lun said optimistically.

Little did Xia Lun know, not even in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that a thousand years later, this very spell would primarily be used on him... And as for the exact manner in which it would be used on him, that was something he could never possibly guess.

The roads of a millennium ago were far from smooth. Especially on the main routes traversed by merchant caravans, the path was frequently riddled with potholes.

Clatter—

The carriage wheels rolled over a deep pothole, causing the vehicle to jolt violently.

Xia Lun lost his balance and tumbled right into Aina's lap.

Aina remained perfectly composed. Looking down at Xia Lun resting on her thighs, she didn't shriek or make a fuss; her gaze was simply a little icy.

Xia Lun noticed that Aina's body was trembling slightly, as if she were trying hard to suppress something.

"Ah, sorry, I'll get right up," Xia Lun said, a bit flustered. He pressed his left hand down to brace himself against the wooden boards, trying to push himself upright.

"Yahoo!" Liyana suddenly hollered from outside.

Clatter—

Immediately after, the wheels seemed to hit another pothole, sending another violent jolt through the carriage.

"Drive the damn thing properly, you idiot!" Moke cursed loudly. He then stepped outside and began to bicker fiercely with Liyana.

At this moment, Xia Lun found himself in a rather compromising position. His head was resting on Aina's thighs, and his left hand was firmly planted on something incredibly soft.

Xia Lun squeezed it subconsciously. The texture was exquisite, and both the size and shape were absolutely perfect... He slowly raised his head, only to meet Aina's gaze. She was looking at him like he was a dead man.

Uh...

Xia Lun chuckled awkwardly. "Are you alright? Aina, I swear I didn't mean to..."

Smack— Without hesitation, Aina raised her slender hand and slapped Xia Lun across the face. She didn't hold back in the slightest, the sheer force of the blow sending him flying off of her.

Afterwards, Aina stood up in silence. Without saying a word, she moved to the furthest corner of the carriage, as far away from Xia Lun as possible, and slowly sat back down.

Xia Lun picked himself up off the floorboards. His cheek was burning hotly... but more than the physical pain, he felt a deep sense of shame.

Even though he had clearly done something wrong, Xia Lun surprisingly felt like... it had been worth it.

Xia Lun glanced at his left hand. The lingering sensation of that soft touch remained, giving him a sudden, impulsive urge to bring his hand to his nose and take a deep sniff.

He quickly shook his head, tossing the distracting thoughts out of his mind. How could he even consider doing something so perverted?

As for what had just happened... he had to admit that he felt incredibly relaxed whenever he was around Aina. With his reflexes, he easily could have prevented that little accident, but for some reason, he hadn't.

Did that mean that, deep down, he had intentionally wanted to take advantage of her? That he had actually been looking forward to something like that happening?

You're truly despicable, Xia Lun.

At some point, Musen had also followed Moke outside, leaving only Xia Lun and Aina alone inside the carriage.

Aina sat quietly in the far corner.

Why isn't that guy saying anything? Is he angry? Aina wondered silently to herself.

She had been furious just a moment ago, which was why she had slapped him so hard.

Had it been anyone else who dared to violate her like that, she would have incinerated them until not even ashes remained.

However, from Xia Lun's perspective, it must have been an unavoidable accident, right? It was only natural for him to be angry after being slapped for no reason.

Should I apologize to him?

Aina kept her small face stern.

She was the Demon King! With her pride, how could she apologize to someone so easily? Not to mention, the other party was the Hero...

Besides, Xia Lun had definitely taken advantage of her. That bastard had even squeezed... Even now, Aina felt as if the burning sensation of his fingertips was still lingering on her chest.

No, I won't apologize. Absolutely not.

But what if Xia Lun started ignoring her from now on? Aina couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry. She had gone through so much trouble to infiltrate this party; she couldn't let all her efforts go to waste now... She still needed to stay by his side to find the Hero's weakness.

If Xia Lun had slapped her for no reason, she would definitely be furious. It wouldn't even be out of the question for her to cut ties with him entirely...

She was supposed to be Xia Lun's girlfriend. Having him cop a feel shouldn't have been that big of a deal, yet she had let her emotions get the better of her and struck him.

To think that the magnificent Demon King couldn't even control her own emotions... How humiliating.

...

"Musen, what are you doing out here?" Liyana handed the reins over to him, more than happy to have someone take over her driving duties.

"The smell inside was getting too strong. I came out for some fresh air," Musen replied in a deep, muffled voice.

"A smell? Is there a weird smell in there?" Liyana asked suspiciously.

Moke nodded in profound agreement with Musen. "Oh, there is. The sour stench of romance."