When they returned to the bedroom, Serveyia obediently followed along.
Both of them were in pajamas, which at least spared Lin Sheng the embarrassment of being completely honest with Serveyia.
“Little fox, remember—there’s no need to be nervous about tomorrow’s inauguration ceremony. It’s just a simple, straightforward event. All you need to do is go up there, make a round, accept everyone’s blessings, and then we can return to Qingli Hall, okay?”
“Mm, o-okay.”
Lin Sheng wanted to tell Serveyia that saying “don’t be nervous” to a nervous person was pointless, maybe even counterproductive.
But knowing Serveyia meant well, Lin Sheng thought for a moment and decided to keep quiet.
Still, seeing the hand Serveyia stretched toward him, Lin Sheng felt a bit curious.
“Serveyia, what are you doing?”
“Little fox, did you really forget? Or are you just pretending you don’t know? Your tail—your tail. This is the promised payment, isn’t it?”
So Serveyia’s memory was quite good.
Lin Sheng, who had hoped to escape this ordeal, was indeed doomed.
“I-I didn’t forget.”
Trembling, Lin Sheng handed over his tail to Serveyia.
To be honest, although his tail wasn’t that sensitive when held by the Saintess and Sofia Shadowclaw before, he couldn’t guarantee it would be as obedient in Serveyia’s hands.
“Good, as long as you didn’t forget. But it’s a pity—the Secret Art I prepared to help our Little Fox remember his promise has no use now~”
“Uh, Serveyia, what is the Secret Art?”
It wasn’t Lin Sheng’s fault for being curious.
Mainly, Serveyia’s expression when she mentioned it was a little frightening, reminding him of an old witch he’d seen before.
“Trust me, Little Fox, you don’t want to know. So, as our Princess, it’s best to remember your promise and not break your word.”
Fine.
Serveyia still didn’t satisfy his curiosity, and Lin Sheng didn’t dare ask further.
After all, his tail was still in her hands.
Who knew what would happen to it if he annoyed her?
Seeing that Lin Sheng had given up on asking, Serveyia happily stroked the fluffy tail in her hands.
After a while, it seemed not enough, so she buried her face directly into it.
“You—you—you! What are you doing?”
This was different from just stroking.
The warmth of Serveyia’s breath kept brushing against his tail, making it ticklish.
It wasn’t an intense sensation, but that faint, elusive feeling made it even harder to bear.
“Of course, I’m feeling your tail, Little Fox. It’s a rare experience~”
Lin Sheng had to admit, his tail did have a unique charm.
When he was curled up in it, his tail gave him a strong sense of security.
But did Serveyia also feel that same comfort?
“Serveyia, how does it feel?”
Maybe because her face looked so absorbed, Lin Sheng was curious what she was experiencing from his tail.
“Mm~ Like a little cake.”
“A little cake? Uh, Serveyia, you’re not going to bite it, are you?”
Serveyia’s description made Lin Sheng nervous.
Her face was still buried in his tail—if she took a bite, he’d have a rough night.
“Of course not. A tail is a tail, a cake is a cake. If I really bit it, wouldn’t I get a mouthful of fur? I’m not so hungry I’d bite a tail.”
Though she said she wouldn’t, the reasoning wasn’t exactly reassuring, which only made him more nervous.
And the result of that fear—his tail became much stiffer in Serveyia’s arms, as rigid as a baguette.
“Little Fox, why are you so tense? Your tail’s gone stiff.”
Feeling the once-soft tail turn hard in her arms, Serveyia unhappily patted it.
“I-I don’t want to either, but after what you said, Serveyia, I really got nervous…”
Lin Sheng didn’t feel it was his fault.
To him, his tail was his most sensitive spot right now.
Who could stand having someone bite it?
“All right, all right. I was just joking. There’s no need for you to be so tense, Little Fox. Even Bloodkin, who love to bite, wouldn’t take a bite out of your tail—oh, I mean with their mouth.”
Honestly, even with Serveyia’s reassurance, Lin Sheng couldn’t relax.
After all, even if she didn’t bite, his tail was still trapped in her arms—his weak spot, completely at her mercy.
“I-I’ll try, but I can’t promise it’ll work…”
Lin Sheng tried to relax, but could only manage to change his baguette tail into an ordinary hard loaf.
“Eh, it’ll do…”
Sensing the slight change, Serveyia knew Lin Sheng had done his best.
Though it was still a bit uncomfortable to hold, considering it was his first time as a fox and with a tail, giving him a little more time was fair.
Why did it feel like she was the one being wronged?
He was the victim here, but Serveyia looked reluctant, as if she was the one suffering.
But then, what would it feel like to hug your own tail to sleep?
If he wanted to know, he’d just try.
He had so many tails.
Even after giving one to Serveyia, he still had enough to hug.
Pulling a tail into his arms, Lin Sheng realized it felt better than any regular pillow—not just soft, but with a nice fragrance, too.
He’d always been a pillow addict, needing one to fall asleep every night, but now he had the perfect one.
“Good night, Serveyia.”
“Good night, my Little Fox.”
For the old Lin Sheng, it was still a bit early, but too much had happened today.
Both his body and his identity had changed drastically.
In the midst of all this, he felt tired—physically and mentally.
All he wanted was to get a good night’s sleep.
Tomorrow would be another battle.