Motivation

Era of Order, Year 1138.

Aina pushed Xia Lun's hand away, snatched the towel from him, and briskly wiped her own cheeks. "So clumsy. I don't need your help."

The guy wasn't cleaning her at all; instead, it felt like he was using windshield wipers to evenly spread bird droppings across a car.

Moreover, Xia Lun's movements were far too gentle, as if he were terrified of hurting her, treating her like some fragile glass doll.

"After all, your skin is far too delicate, Aina. I couldn't bear to scratch it," the cunning hero argued self-righteously.

She was the Demon King. Would she really be so fragile as to be scratched by a towel?

Aina twitched her dainty nose. It stank.

Aina suspected Xia Lun was doing it on purpose, but when her gaze met his slightly innocent and fawning eyes, her heart softened, and she held back her reprimand.

"I'm going to take a shower. Don't follow me!" Aina issued the order decisively. Then, she gave a light stretch and walked barefoot toward the bathroom, not even bothering to drape a piece of clothing over herself for modesty.

If a guy like Xia Lun followed her in, she definitely wouldn't be able to get a proper wash.

"Yes, Lord Demon King. As you wish." Xia Lun was already very satisfied today and didn't press Aina any further.

As Aina walked out the door, Serry came up to greet her, circling around her feet as if somewhat confused.

A cold, flat mechanical voice sounded without any fluctuation. "Report: Detected a massive residual trace of Master Xia Lun's aura on Master Aina's body surface..."

Bang!!!

Before it could even finish speaking, Serry was kicked flying, embedding deeply into the hallway wall and making the ground tremble.

Inside the room, Xia Lun was startled and shot up from the bed.

Despite taking a kick from Aina and nearly smashing through the wall, Serry didn't have a single mark on its body. It merely extended two slender metal mechanical arms from its sides, waving them about somewhat frantically.

"What happened?" Xia Lun pulled the embedded Serry out of the wall.

"Hmph! Broken machine."

Aina retracted her foot, two unnatural blushes spreading across her cheeks. Leaving the man and the magic puppet with nothing but a beautiful view of her back, she slammed the bathroom door shut with a bang.

"Did you say something wrong?" Xia Lun looked at Serry with a strange expression.

"Analyzing Master Aina's aggressive behavior... Integrating emotional fluctuations, verbal feedback, and target keywords... Determined that Serry's inappropriate remarks triggered intense embarrassment and anger in Master Aina... Sensitive trigger word: 'residual aura'... Corrective directive: Future communications will strictly avoid related vocabulary regarding Master Aina..." The blue light on top of Serry flashed rhythmically as it conducted a rigorous logical analysis.

Xia Lun roughly understood what Serry was saying and felt a bit embarrassed. After all, it was his doing.

"From now on, unless Aina orders you to, speak less." Xia Lun lightly kicked Serry.

"Received Master Xia Lun's directive... Master Xia Lun and Master Aina possess equal highest authority... Detected a directive conflict... Overwrite the directive issued by Master Aina three hundred and twenty-one years ago: 'Occasionally accompany her for casual chats'?" Serry's gemstone light shifted to an inquiring yellow.

Xia Lun's outstretched hand paused in mid-air.

Three hundred and twenty-one years ago... Aina... gave a magic puppet the order to "occasionally accompany her for casual chats"?

Xia Lun gently placed his hand over his own chest. An indescribable sour ache instantly gripped his heart.

Even Aina, during those long, cold years of losing him, had to seek a little verbal comfort from Serry?

"Yes, overwrite the command." Xia Lun slowly crouched down and gently touched the gemstone on top of Serry, revealing a somewhat complicated smile. "Thank you... but from now on, I will be the one keeping her company."

...

"What are you doing?"

Aina was rubbing her long silver hair with both hands. Slender streams of water cascaded from the magic array above, flowing from the top of her head down to her toes, eventually disappearing into the floor drain.

"I really can't with you," Aina sighed, shaking her head. She opened her arms to Xia Lun, who was standing at the doorway. "Come on, then. But after I finish washing, you're not allowed to make me dirty again."

Xia Lun walked up, rubbed Aina's head, and then pressed down on her shoulders, making her sit on the small bathroom stool.

"I'll wash your hair for you."

Xia Lun gently massaged Aina's beautiful hair, his hands full of white foam that emitted a fresh minty scent.

Aina mumbled in her heart; Xia Lun actually didn't seem to be taking advantage of her.

It was simple to know Xia Lun's motive; she just needed to see if he physically had a motive right now.

After all, they were both completely naked right now.

Aina glanced back.

Mhmm. Aina breathed a sigh of relief.

But a hint of dissatisfaction rose in her heart. Didn't this mean Xia Lun wasn't interested in her?

From behind, Xia Lun gently lifted Aina's arm.

The wet towel carefully wiped back and forth across her shoulder a few times, circled her arm, and smoothed down to her underarm.

Aina's arms were very slender. Xia Lun's hand could wrap around them perfectly, as if it had been meticulously designed to do so.

The damp towel wrapped around her wrist and wiped downward. The water left a transparent film on her flawless, delicate skin before immediately disappearing.

"Mhm... Xia Lun, is there something you want? Or do you have a request?" Aina narrowed her eyes in pure enjoyment. "Just say it directly. I'll satisfy your demands."

Unprovoked flattery usually hides ulterior motives.

But applied to Xia Lun, this didn't seem to hold true.

"Why would you think that?" Xia Lun couldn't help but laugh. "If there's something I want, I'll fight for it myself... I'm not a child relying on their parents."

"So you mean you want to call me Mother... Ah!" Before Aina could finish her sentence, she let out a cry of surprise.

Smack—

Xia Lun's palm landed unceremoniously on her backside, leaving a faint red mark.

"Wu... I'm sorry." Aina knew she was in the wrong this time and shouldn't have said that, so she straightforwardly apologized to Xia Lun.

Xia Lun pinched Aina's small face.

"You just hit me!" Aina said with some dissatisfaction. "And now you're squishing my face!"

Was that really the main point?

Xia Lun, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, said, "Stand up, let me dry you off."

Aina was quite cooperative, allowing the towel in Xia Lun's hands to follow the path of the water, wiping every inch of her skin.

"I will keep you good company from now on, Aina," Xia Lun whispered softly by Aina's ear.

"What's wrong? Why say something like that all of a sudden?" Aina said with a soft laugh.

"It's nothing." Xia Lun pulled Aina into his embrace, burying his face in her damp hair and taking a deep breath.

Aina nimbly turned around, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed Xia Lun's lips.

She had finally found this guy's motive.