Ka-thump…
Flora almost reflexively jerked her leg away.
She’d been mentally prepared for something like this to happen, but she hadn’t expected the midnight visitor to be so direct.
She could hear heavy breathing.
The air in the dimly lit room seemed to grow thick just from that small movement.
【Am I really going to die here? Should I suddenly wake up and scream for help? No, Moliya’er is probably monitoring me at all times. Whoever dares to do this must not be afraid of being caught. Don’t tell me the villa’s power supply has gone out again.】
Flora had never thought and analyzed so quickly before, but one unexplainable thing after another kept happening.
She could clearly feel that the bracelet on her ankle—a sign of the monitoring magic—had vanished without a trace, and the oppressive sensation shackling her soul was gone as well.
The attention focused on her in the room had lessened considerably; it was obvious the surveillance had truly been cut off this time.
But what really unsettled Flora was that the person who’d lifted her blanket had begun to gently and carefully knead the foot they’d grabbed, using both hands.
A tingling numbness spread from her sole, turning into a warm current that made her sleepiness fade, and a primal urge began to stir within her.
What are you doing, what are you doing, what are you doing?!
Things were rapidly spiraling into some bizarre direction.
Flora wanted to spring up and slap that person to stop this, but her instincts told her the consequences would be dire.
Fortunately, the person quickly let go, not continuing any further.
Still, Flora didn’t lower her guard—this might just be foreplay.
Her worry was quickly confirmed.
“Fros…”
A voice, as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, drifted by her ear, bringing a slight chill.
“You’re pretending to be asleep, aren’t you?”
【Can you stop using that ghostly voice, Elka?!】
Flora never would’ve guessed that the one sneaking into her room in the dead of night and doing all this was the elf who’d vanished for days.
What kind of plan had Moliya’er and the others cooked up to make Elka pull something like this?
Did they realize she’d seen through this woman’s act, so they had her try a more direct approach?
This is getting ridiculous!
“You’re really good at pretending to be asleep. Heh, are you mad at me, Fros? Forget it…”
Seeing Flora ignore her, Elka murmured these half self-deprecating words, letting go and sitting at the edge of the bed.
“Right now, you must feel like everyone’s lying to you and trying to hurt you, right?”
What’s that supposed to mean?
Flora was already immune to this kind of familiar rhetoric.
Never mind how many times Elka had said things like this in the past—for example, just a while ago, the last person who’d said something similarly twisted had accused her of making fake medicine and toying with women’s feelings.
With that painful lesson, Flora had made up her mind.
No matter what this elf said, she’d just play dead.
But her attempts to predict the logic of her three teammates always seemed to fail.
“I don’t want to say any more pointless things to you either. No matter what I say, it’s useless if you don’t want to talk to me.”
Elka’s soft words left Flora speechless.
【I was all ready to ignore whatever you said, and now you don’t even want to talk…】
Now she truly felt at her wits’ end with the three women she’d lived with; they knew her inside out, while she couldn’t do anything against these women who’d always hidden their true selves.
Any plan felt like a fist punching cotton—utterly ineffective.
“These past few days, I haven’t slept well at all. If you don’t respond to me, can I take that as you not rejecting me?”
Of course you can’t!
Don’t you think that logic is absurd?!
But since Elka said it, she simply took it for granted that Flora felt the same way.
“Thank you.”
Before Flora could think any further or say anything, Elka’s weary thanks drifted over, giving her no chance to choose.
The blanket was lifted even more, and the elf girl’s soft, warm body slipped naturally into the bed.
The scent of gardenia grew stronger, and a hint of sourness became more pronounced.
A warm embrace, utterly intimate, with no distance at all—she just hugged her without any restraint.
No clothing in the way, maybe only in her underclothes.
This kind of passionate closeness was something Flora never thought she’d experience, but here it was, happening so casually.
Her mind went blank, and soon, a wave of intense disgust and nausea rose from deep within, swelling rapidly.
Flora had to wake up.
After all, with this kind of contact, even if she were really asleep, she’d be woken up.
“Mmm… you…”
Feigning a sleepy disturbance, she opened her eyes and met Elka’s misty, slightly swollen and red eyes.
Damn moon just had to rise right now.
It was like some effect out of a Western classical drama, when two secret lovers met and embraced in a scene charged with emotion—the chilly moonlight slanting in through the window.
Flora saw the elf’s golden hair gleaming with a faint light, noble and sacred, just like the first time she’d met her—making people want to keep their distance, yet unable to resist drawing closer.
She was still so beautiful, but the disheveled look was unfamiliar.
“Fros, I’m sorry.”
Seeing Flora was willing to look at her, Elka showed a satisfied yet defeated smile, her voice trembling slightly.
She hugged Flora even tighter, burying her face in her chest, unable to control herself.
It didn’t seem as fake as before.
But it must be acting, right?
It had to be.
“You’re really going to keep calling me that?”
Even Flora didn’t expect herself to sound so calm, as if the old Elka had possessed her, letting her put on a composed performance.
All those days of noble etiquette training had finally paid off.
“I… I don’t want to call you by that name, I…”
Her somewhat cold reaction struck at Elka’s deepest fear, making her respond messily, her thoughts a tangled mess.
【The magic you used on me, was it just to make me act close to you?】
Such a naive, almost ridiculous thought—yet, in this moment, she believed it.
Yes, as long as the girl in front of her was willing to let her hug her, that meant she still liked her, still desired her appearance and body, and wasn’t just some jerk who gave her fake smiles and insomnia.
It had to be so.
“Hey, you had a hand in turning me into this, so just call me Flora, all right? That’ll make things easier for everyone, and keep Moliya’er from having another fit.”
Elka managed to fool even herself, and her odd state was starting to unnerve Flora.
She tried to break free from the hug, but Elka only tightened her grip.
“I don’t care about her. Just let me hold you for a bit, please, just a little…”
【You like my body, and I like yours. That’s fair, right? Mm, no wonder I spent so much effort making this body. It smells so nice, so pleasant, so comfortable. I’m sure you think the same about me, and you must be enjoying my embrace right now, too.】
That was Elka’s initial thought, but soon, her muttering turned into a strange litany of Flora’s name, making Flora uneasy.
“Flora… Flora, Flora, hehe, my Flora, mine! Uuu…”
Her voice was filled with complicated and heavy emotions, leaving Flora dumbstruck.
As the murmurs faded, Flora felt Elka, after burying her face in her chest and taking a deep, hurried breath, go limp and fall asleep, as if treating her like a pillow.