Chapter 25: Livia is the happiest girl in the world

“Mr. Lynn… why are you here?”

After a brief moment of excitement, Livia slowly lowered her head.

She was hoping—hoping that Lynn would tell her this was all just a misunderstanding, that this nightmare would finally come to an end.

But after that brief glimmer of hope, the fear in her heart gradually took over.

She was afraid.

Afraid that if she asked, her terrible suspicion would be confirmed, turning into cruel reality.

As her imagination ran wild, the fear grew even stronger.

Livia wanted to ask for the truth, but she had already lost the courage to speak.

So… it’s better to just remain silent.

If she didn’t find out, at least she could spare herself some pain, couldn’t she?

“I…” Lynn rubbed his hands together, breathed warm air onto them, and then covered Livia’s frozen red ears.

“I’m just worried you’ll catch a cold.”

Lynn smiled slightly.

Livia felt the warmth from his hands on her ears, staring blankly at Lynn, gazing into the clarity in his eyes.

She could see it—Lynn wasn’t lying.

And in fact, he really wasn’t.

Lynn was genuinely worried that Livia might catch a cold.

After all, Livia was always clinging to him.

If she got sick during the incubation period, she’d probably end up passing it to him as well.

Given that, it seemed more economical for him to be the only one to catch a cold.

Livia shook her head, driving all the jumbled thoughts from her mind.

Mr. Lynn… he’s so kind to everyone.

But she had taken that kindness as if it were special, as if it were meant only for her…

Maybe such unrequited feelings were always doomed to have no result.

Thinking of this, Livia let out a long sigh.

She knew it was probably time for her to leave.

But the more she tried not to think about Lynn, the more the scenes of his kindness toward her kept playing before her eyes.

“I would never hurt you, Livia.”

The Heart Demon slowly sat down beside Livia.

“Lynn not loving you—it isn’t your fault.”

“You’ve already… done everything you possibly could, haven’t you?”

Her voice was still full of temptation.

Tears slowly fell down Livia’s cheeks.

She wanted to throw herself into Lynn’s arms and cry her heart out.

But it seemed there was no longer any room for her in his embrace.

Livia shifted slightly, burying her head in her arms.

Lynn looked at Livia’s crestfallen face and blinked in confusion.

Livia… what’s wrong?

He thought back carefully, then suddenly, a spark flashed in his mind.

Right!

Today is Livia’s birthday!

How could he have forgotten!

Lynn smacked his forehead.

Livia must be upset because he forgot to wish her a happy birthday!

Come to think of it, if it were his birthday, Livia would surely have prepared a surprise for him.

By all rights, he should have prepared a birthday gift for Livia, shouldn’t he?

Lynn sighed. He really was too forgetful.

“Wait for me a moment.”

Watching Lynn’s figure recede, even the Heart Demon finally let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s not your fault, Livia.”

“I know you feel helpless and sad right now, but this isn’t your fault.”

“Give your body to me, let’s declare our fury to the world together…”

“…Enough.”

Livia slowly stood up, interrupting the Heart Demon, her fair legs trembling slightly.

“I could never hurt Mr. Lynn, no matter what!”

She screamed hysterically.

“Even if—even if Mr. Lynn doesn’t like me, I still absolutely, absolutely couldn’t do it!”

At these words, the tears in Livia’s eyes finally burst forth.

Tears blurred her vision.

She kept wiping them away with her hands, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed.

Able to pick up, unable to leave, unwilling to let go.

Why did she feel this way?

“Sha… sha…”

With his hands behind his back, Lynn slowly walked up to Livia.

He crouched down, picked the purest, most beautiful white flower, and tucked it into Livia’s hair.

“It won’t do to cry any more, Livia.”

Lynn gently patted her head.

“Mr. Lynn…”

Livia sniffled, “Why did you only just find me now…”

“Well…”

Lynn scratched his head a bit awkwardly.

“Honestly, it’s kind of embarrassing. This afternoon, I think I sort of died for a while—Sophie was so anxious she even gave me mouth-to-mouth, haha…”

“Mouth… to mouth?”

“Yeah.”

Lynn nodded, his eyes still as clear as ever.

“But anyway, let’s not talk about that now.”

Lynn took out the bouquet he had prepared from behind his back and handed it to Livia.

He didn’t know exactly what Livia liked, but flowers could never go wrong.

“Happy birthday, Livia.”

“Sorry I’m so late…”

Before Lynn could finish, Livia had already thrown herself into his arms.

Familiar scent, familiar warmth, familiar peace.

“You dummy… Mr. Lynn, you big dummy…”

The petite girl nestled in Lynn’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Her happiness spilled out as tears.

Ever since she discovered the witch’s blood in her veins, Livia had ceased to be herself.

Selected for the Witch’s Academy, subjected to inhuman training day after day—every time she opened her eyes in the morning, it was just about surviving another day of brutal drills.

It had been so, so long since anyone had celebrated her birthday.

Even she herself had nearly forgotten it.

But Mr. Lynn still remembered.

Sweetness and gratitude gradually filled her heart.

In this moment, Livia felt like she was the happiest girl in the world.

“Click.”

The Heart Demon clicked her tongue in disdain.

“Lynn, huh…”

She stared blankly at Livia, blissful in Lynn’s arms, realizing she’d lost her chance this time.

But there’s always next time.

“I hope you can be her hero in time next time too, Mr. Lynn~”

The Heart Demon spoke, slowly melting away into the night.

After a long time, Livia finally calmed down.

“Sorry, Mr. Lynn, for letting you see me like such a mess today.”

The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder by the lakeside, a thin layer of fresh snow covering the ground.

With the witch’s magic gone, that little patch of snow cloud soon dispersed, returning the moonlight hidden behind the clouds to the land.

Lynn smiled, not really bothered.

Thinking about it, if it were his birthday and someone forgot, he’d probably be upset too.

It was understandable—only human.

Livia looked at the shimmering surface of the lake, then shyly began playing with the ends of her hair.

“Um… Mr. Lynn.”

“Hmm?”

“The moon is so beautiful tonight.”

“Is it?”

Lynn glanced at the moon.

It was full tonight, and indeed, the moonlight was brighter than usual.

“It really is.”

Lynn nodded.

“Oh, right.”

Livia scooted even closer to Lynn.

Her face flushed, she quickly pecked his cheek.

“Thank you for coming to find me.” Livia beamed.

Lynn was a little dumbfounded.

If he remembered correctly, a kiss on the cheek was already the highest courtesy a witch could offer.

Usually, it was only given when someone had saved a witch’s life.

No way… it was just a birthday, was it really worth such a grand gesture?

Lynn thought to himself, girls’ minds really were impossible to read.

But it wasn’t a bad feeling.

A chilly wind blew, and Lynn couldn’t help but shiver.

“Shall we head back?”

Lynn said.

“No, let me lean on you just a little longer.”

Livia held her flowers and leaned into Lynn’s arms, her lips curving in a happy smile.