The Wife's Secret

Xia Lun was asleep.

Aina held her breath, carefully extending her hand to wave it gently before his closed eyes. Her slender fingers carried a trace of hesitation, slicing through the air without disturbing a single moment of his peace.

Mm, he really was asleep.

Just to make absolutely sure he was soundly unconscious, Aina curled a finger and sent a tiny wisp of spiritual light into Xia Lun's head. A simple sleeping spell—when he woke the next morning, he would only feel refreshed and clear-headed, with no side effects whatsoever.

Xia Lun was now certainly in a deep sleep. As long as she didn't give him any major stimulus, no matter what she did to him, he shouldn't wake up.

Aina unconsciously licked her slightly dry lips, and a blush tinged with nervous excitement crept up her cheeks.

Now it was her time.

There were some things that, evidently, her husband must never know about.

"Xia Lun..."

Aina's fingers gently traced over the handsome yet soft lines of Xia Lun's face. She moved her body lightly, carefully climbing on top of him, straddling his waist, though she was cautious not to put her full weight down on him.

"So adorable, my little hero." Aina gazed at Xia Lun in a state of rapture. Those eyes, which usually held gentle, warm laughter, were now peacefully closed, long lashes casting faint shadows beneath his lids.

Aina first gave his lips a feather-light kiss. Then, a stronger surge of impulse welled up inside her, and she leaned down, hugging his head tightly, pressing his face deep into her soft and warm chest, as if trying to knead him into her own body. Then she buried her face into his fresh-scented hair and took a deep, greedy sniff.

"That's wonderful, my Xia Lun." Aina rubbed her cheek against Xia Lun's face with deep affection, her long, straight legs unconsciously tightening, clamping around his waist like vines twining around a great tree, entangling herself with him as closely as possible.

"So soft, so comfortable." Aina gently extended the tip of her tongue, licking the shell of Xia Lun's ear. She slowly opened her mouth, sharp canines parting, and breathed out a warm mist, drawing a thin, glistening strand of saliva as she nibbled on his earlobe.

When Xia Lun was awake, she could never behave in such a fawning, obsessive manner. Such burning, straightforward displays of emotion would likely only earn her his startled or even troubled gaze.

What's more, she was the Demon Lord—the natural enemy of a hero. Her pride and dignity simply wouldn't allow her to behave so disgracefully, like some lust-stricken fool, in broad daylight.

Aina also had deeper concerns: if she acted like this toward Xia Lun all the time, wouldn't he begin to think she was too frivolous, too easily won over? If so, he might stop cherishing her, or perhaps even start demanding more improper things from her... So maintaining their current dynamic was for the best.

"Ha, haka, hakaka... Xia Lun, how can you be this adorable?" Aina couldn't help but let out a low, giddy laugh as she began to pinch and knead Xia Lun's soft cheeks, just like Xia Lun would do to hers.

"Mmm—so adorable, my Xia Lun." Aina unfurled her crimson bat wings, and the wings flexed forward, folding snugly around both her and the Xia Lun beneath her, forming an airtight cocoon of blood-red flesh.

In this tiny world that belonged to just the two of them, she held him, rolling the cocoon back and forth across the soft bed, as if only through this somewhat childish act could she vent the affection threatening to overflow from her heart.

After a moment, the bat wings unfurled once more, folding back behind Aina's back, where they turned into a dark red mark on her smooth spine, like a delicate tattoo.

Aina pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the saliva off Xia Lun's face, ensuring no traces were left behind. Finally, she pressed her face against his chest, nuzzling once before contentedly lying down beside him, holding him in her arms.

Aina knew her limits, after all—she had only toyed with Xia Lun like an oversized doll, not doing anything more extreme.

In her view, true ecstasy and intimacy were ultimately experiences that required both parties to be awake, fully present together, to be perfectly enjoyed.

...

Xia Lun had no idea that Aina was busy fussing over him out there.

He was dreaming.

A very strange dream.

Everything around him felt so real—the solid support beneath his feet, the subtle movement of the air—all indistinguishable from reality... yet it all seemed so illusory, because in the real world, there could be no trees growing upside down from the sky, nor could there be a mirror-like ground.

"Hm... Where is this?"

Xia Lun could clearly perceive that he was dreaming right now.

In the sky above grew dense forests hanging downward, lush with foliage yet defying all logic by pointing toward the "ground" beneath his feet. And where he stood was a smooth, mirror-like surface that clearly reflected the inverted forest above, along with his own confused reflection.

Apart from himself, there didn't seem to be anyone else—no, not even any living creature—around.

Xia Lun scratched his head. No matter how many adventures he and his companions had been through, this was a first for him.

Xia Lun slowly crouched down and reached toward the mirror surface below... The moment his fingertip touched the seemingly solid "ground," it truly rippled with soft, gentle waves, just like the surface of water.

How strange—then how was he standing on it?

Xia Lun steeled himself and stopped hesitating. He leaned forward, and like diving into the deep sea, plunged straight into that peculiar mirror surface.

His vision spun wildly, and then... he entered the mirror world.

It felt as though nothing had changed. Above was still the inverted forest, and below was still the mirror surface... Whether he had entered the mirror world, or had come back from the mirror world to reality, was impossible to tell.

A decidedly eerie situation.

"Aina?"

Xia Lun tried calling out a few times, but there was no response.

Well, Aina probably hadn't fallen asleep yet... and even if she had, she wouldn't necessarily be in the same dream as him.

But Xia Lun wasn't discouraged. As an adventurer, he had never feared any challenge.

Hmm... though he supposed he wasn't really an adventurer anymore. After marrying Aina, he had settled down and kept to hearth and home... Was he getting back into the old trade, then?

But why had he come here? Why this strange dream all of a sudden? Could it really have something to do with that Beast God Pillar outside?

It seemed he couldn't wake up just yet, so Xia Lun decided to investigate this dreamscape thoroughly.

"Flight."

The familiar sensation of lightness enveloped his body. The goddess's blessing still worked. Xia Lun sped toward the forest above.