146. Xiling, Played in the Palm of Her Hands
The first rays of morning sunlight hadn't yet pierced the clouds when the electronic alarm clock blared abruptly in the dimly lit bedroom. A pale arm suddenly emerged from under the covers, turning off the alarm. Kiana sprang from the bed, her long, silvery-white hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall.
"I absolutely can't mess this up..." she muttered softly, her bare feet touching the cold floor. The wardrobe door was gently pulled open, and from a pile of haphazardly arranged clothes, she picked up a pair of light blue slim-fit jeans and a beige cardigan.
She tied her hair into a high ponytail and twirled in front of the full-length mirror, the girl's eyes gleaming with a determined light.
"Perfect!" She gave herself a thumbs-up in front of the mirror.
"I'm going to give Xiling a real surprise today!"
Raising her fist to encourage herself, Kiana tiptoed through the dimly lit living room, even holding her breath as she passed Xiling's bedroom—Xiling should still be fast asleep behind that closed door.
Lemuen's room was equally quiet; it seemed Lemuen hadn't woken up yet either.
"God's on my side!" Kiana silently pumped her fist.
The Tarnished hadn't returned yesterday; he was continuing his unfinished training.
The refrigerator door opened, and Kiana looked at the ingredients inside, a confident smile spreading across her face.
She took the ingredients out and brought them to the kitchen.
The Tarnished wasn't there, and Lemuen hadn't woken up yet; now was the perfect opportunity.
She would make a sumptuous breakfast to impress Xiling, and if possible, she'd feed Xiling herself.
The thought of feeding Xiling made Kiana smile, and she felt even more motivated.
"Watch me!"
"First, rinse the rice…" Kiana quietly recited the cooking steps she had crammed last night, pouring the white rice into the pot.
"Then add water… wait, how much again?" She frowned, pulling out her phone. The screen was still displaying the "Beginner's Guide! Simple Breakfast Tutorial" page.
"Strange, why won't it light?" Kiana wondered, turning the gas stove switch.
"Ah! I need to turn on the main valve!" She slapped her forehead and tiptoed to turn on the gas.
When the blue flame finally danced merrily, Kiana almost cheered. She quickly covered her mouth.
"Next, fry the egg…" She confidently cracked the egg, but then used too much force, and eggshell fragments mixed with yolk fell into the pan.
The kitchen quickly transformed into a battlefield—the clanging of spatulas against pans, the gushing of water from the tap, and Kiana's frantic footsteps mingled together.
Meanwhile, in the room, a figure slowly opened her pink eyes.
Lemuen immediately looked down at the figure in her arms—Xiling was still sleeping peacefully, her even breathing, through her thin nightgown, lightly brushing against the sensitive areas of her chest.
A strange current surged up her spine from the spot where the breath had touched, and Lemuen unconsciously tightened her arms, pulling Xiling deeper into her embrace. An unnatural blush rose on her fair cheeks; the unfamiliar pleasure of this intimate physical contact both confused and fascinated her.
Lemuen greedily inhaled the scent of Xiling's hair. Why had she been so foolish as to keep her distance before? This feeling of having someone completely under her control was simply addictive.
"Bang!" A muffled thud suddenly came from the kitchen, followed by Kiana's suppressed gasp. Lemuen stopped what she was doing, a playful smile spreading across her face.
"Sirin..." She murmured softly, her gaze gently sweeping across the doorway.
"Up so early to prepare breakfast?" Looking down at Xiling in her arms, she winked mischievously.
"You're going to suffer later...you deserve it."
"But, hmm...I should leave Sirin with something to look forward to."
Lemuen didn't intend for Kiana to see this scene; it would be too cruel for the girl. She quite liked the child.
"Looks like Sirin will be finished in a while."
A meaningful smile played on Lemuen's lips, completely ignoring the clattering of pots and pans outside. She tightened her arms around Xiling, pulling her deeper into her embrace. Suddenly, a bold idea flashed through her mind, and her gaze unconsciously drifted downwards.
She looked at the sleeping Xiling in her arms and swallowed hard.
"The hero is a boy too..." She murmured softly, an unnatural blush rising on her cheeks. Her breathing quickened involuntarily, and a dryness rose in her throat. She leaned close to Xiling's ear:
"Xiling... can I... take a look?"
Silence was taken as consent. Lemuen carefully lifted the covers, and when she saw what was before her, she recoiled as if electrocuted, clutching her burning cheeks tightly with her hands.
(Uh... actually...) Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would leap out of her chest, but a bolder idea surfaced in her mind.
"Just... a touch..." Lemuen's trembling fingers slipped under the covers again, slowly moving down Xiling's abdominal muscles. When her fingertips touched that forbidden area, she bit her lower lip sharply, her pink eyes widening in shock.
"Ugh...!" A strange current surged from her fingertips up her spine. Lemuen gasped for breath, unable to control her exploratory movements.
Xiling let out a soft, unconscious moan in his sleep, startling Lemuen, who immediately withdrew her hand. She recoiled like a startled rabbit, one hand tightly covering her burning cheek. But quickly, curiosity overcame shame, and she cautiously approached again...
Lemuen was like a child who had tasted forbidden fruit, both afraid of being discovered and reveling in this immoral pleasure. Her breathing became increasingly rapid, her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Finally finished!" Kiana puffed out her chest proudly, but after glancing at it again, a strange sense of guilt crept in.
"I followed the tutorial exactly... how come it looks completely different?"
"Oh well, at least it's better than last time..." As if comforting herself, she nodded to the air and carefully picked up the plate.
Reaching Xiling's door, Kiana took a deep breath and gently knocked.
"Xiling? Time to get up and have breakfast~" Her voice held an undisguised anticipation.
The knocking echoed down the hallway. Xiling groggily opened his eyes; the first thing he felt was an unusually warm touch against him—a soft, fragrant presence was pressed close.
Wait, something's not right! Xiling immediately opened his eyes, realizing something was amiss. Before him was Lemuen's flushed face, her pajama collar slightly open…
"Haven't you hugged me enough?" Lemuen's voice trembled with shyness, but her pink eyes gleamed with a mischievous light.
Xiling released her as if jolted, somewhat embarrassed.
"Let me make this clear: I slept like a log yesterday. I'm not responsible for anything that happened."
As soon as he said that, Xiling realized something was off! This sounded like he wasn't taking responsibility at all.
"I don't think I did anything yesterday, right?"
Seeing Xiling still looking weak, pressing his head as if trying to recall what had happened, Lemuen smiled inwardly.
She casually straightened her nightgown and stood up.
"Maybe it's just my habit of sleeping with something in my arms..." She winked at Xiling and turned to open the door.
"Okay, don't think about it too much. I'll go open the door for Xiling first."
Just as Kiana, standing outside the door, thought Xiling hadn't gotten up yet and was about to use her Herrscher of the Void ability to go in directly, footsteps finally came from inside. Kiana breathed a sigh of relief, a happy smile spreading across her face. However, when the door opened, a pink figure came into her view, freezing Kiana's smile.
Standing in the doorway, Lemuen's smile remained gentle.
"Good morning, Kiana."
"Good...good morning, Sister Lemuen. You...what are you doing here?"
Lemuen elegantly tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her expression flawlessly natural.
"Having spent so much time with this guy, I've learned some of his habits. For example, he rarely calls for help when he needs it, so I came to keep watch."
"I-I see…" Kiana nodded mechanically, her tense shoulders relaxing slightly. This explanation was indeed reasonable, and she was somewhat annoyed that she hadn't thought of that.
A smile returned to Kiana's face.
"Um, I cooked something and was thinking of bringing it over to Xiling. There's still some in the pot, but it might not be to your liking." Kiana said somewhat apologetically.
Lemuen considerately stepped aside.
"How thoughtful. Then I'll leave Xiling in your care. I'll go wash up first." She calmly walked past Kiana.
In that instant of passing by, Kiana keenly caught another scent on Lemuen—Xiling's unique fragrance. This discovery made her heart clench.
"They wouldn't…sleep in the same bed, would they?" The image that flashed through her mind made Kiana's steps mechanical. As she entered the room, her pupils dilated slightly, her gaze vacant. Her worst fears seemed to be confirmed—the older sister she had always respected might also be her rival in love.
But then, a voice jolted her awake.
"Um, what's wrong?" Xiling asked Kiana, who was holding the porridge, with a puzzled look.
He had already forgotten what had just happened. Even Lemuen didn't seem to care, so why should he care? Well, actually, he did care a little. Recalling the other's touch, Xiling… well, he didn't feel anything, except that the other was very soft and felt comfortable to touch. Other than that, Xiling had no other thoughts.
This is the power of a determined person!!
Kiana forced a smile and carried the tray to the bedside.
"I made breakfast and brought it to you."
Xiling smiled weakly, clasping his hands together.
"Thank you." He reached out to take the tray, but Kiana deftly avoided him.
The girl scooped up a spoonful of porridge, carefully blew on it to cool it, and then held it to Xiling's lips: "Ah~" Her eyes held a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, as if she were making a silent declaration of war.
"Never mind, you might not lose yet, Kiana, go for it!"
The smile softened, and Kiana slightly opened her mouth, "Ah~."
Xiling looked at the spoon, then at Kiana's stubborn expression, and sighed helplessly: "...Ah~."
It doesn't matter anymore; he's used to it. Once you've had a first time, you'll do it countless times.
Under Kiana's gaze, Xiling ate the slightly overcooked, mushy porridge.
"Is it good?" Kiana leaned forward unconsciously, her silver ponytail swaying gently with the movement, like a little animal waiting for praise.
Xiling gave her a thumbs-up.
"Not bad, much better than mine."
Hearing this, Kiana's eyes lit up, and her previously hunched back immediately straightened.
"Then eat more, there's plenty more!"
"Okay." Xiling swallowed the fried egg with sugar, shell and all.
No matter how bad the food was, it couldn't possibly ruin a person, unless the seasoning wasn't seasoning at all. Although Kiana's cooking was terrible, at least she hadn't poisoned it!
Kiana fed him spoonful after spoonful, the smile on her lips growing wider. Only when the bowl was empty did she reluctantly put down the spoon.
Then she remembered Xiling's problem and asked with some concern.
"Xiling, how are you feeling now?"
Xiling shifted slightly.
"A little better than yesterday."
Although he still didn't have much strength, at least he could now get out of bed.
"I see…"
Kiana gazed at Xiling's slightly pale face, the image of Lemuen sitting on him last night flashing through her mind.
"Xiling..." The girl took a deep breath, then suddenly leaped onto the bed like a nimble white cat, her knee precisely pressing down on Xiling's blanket.
"What are you doing?" Xiling asked, puzzled. What was she up to?
Just then, Kiana, blushing, without a word, cupped his cheeks in her hands, bringing her face close to Xiling's. Soon, their foreheads touched. Kiana, her face flushed, stared at Xiling.
But she saw Xiling looking helpless, as if asking what the child was doing.
"I told you I'm not a child!" Kiana screamed internally.
Why does this guy always treat her like a child? How is she small? She's even older than most people; she's about the same age as Sister Lemuen.
Why does this guy look at her like she's a child? Why not with the eyes of someone looking at a girl?
A flame of confusion burned within her. Looking at Xiling's lips, a bold idea rose in Kiana's mind.
If she didn't break the deadlock, the other person would always treat her like a child, and if she did anything out of line, they would definitely look at her differently.
Her body reacted before her reason. Just as they were about to touch, footsteps from the corridor felt like a bucket of cold water. Kiana jolted back as if electrocuted, almost falling off the bed.
"Take...take your temperature!" She frantically straightened her disheveled clothes. "Mei taught me this method..."
Xiling rubbed his forehead, which had been red from the impact, and sighed:
"You two-dimensional people..."
The light in the doorway was blocked by a figure. Lemuen was already standing there, her face bearing her usual gentle smile, but Kiana looked away guiltily.
Seeing Kiana like this, Lemuen's gentle smile remained, but no one saw the chilling emptiness deep within her pupils.
[Sirin, don't be too greedy.]
[That's mine.]