Chapter 40: A Night’s Embrace

Eileen watched Setia’s retreating back, yet made no move to follow. She clenched her fist, savoring the lingering sensation.

‘No, no!’ This was hardly the time for such thoughts. ‘It was an accident!’

Eileen quickly changed her clothes. After thoroughly cleaning the bathroom, she finally stepped out.

Setia was already seated on the bed, draped in a simple white nightgown.

“Setia.”

“Mm.” Setia nodded, yet consistently kept her back turned to Eileen.

Setia felt a burning sensation spread across her body, especially in the places Eileen had just touched.

Eileen placed her hand on Setia’s shoulder.

Setia’s body seemed to be trembling.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~”

The warm air from the hairdryer flowed over them. “If you sleep with wet hair, you’ll wake up with a headache tomorrow.”

Eileen channeled magic into the hairdryer. The small fire magic array within it released a suitable amount of heat as her magic flowed, which was then blown out by wind magic.

She gently styled Setia’s hair. “Will I ever see the day you tie your hair up yourself?”

“Perhaps?”

“I truly look forward to that day,” Eileen chuckled.

‘Eileen’s hands are always so gentle, and she’s incredibly patient with me. She’s willing to listen, yet I’ve done such things to her behind her back…’

“There, how’s that?” Eileen asked.

“Eh?” Setia took the mirror Eileen handed her. She had styled her hair into a very cute look, complete with a bow. “Eileen, you haven’t forgotten that I’m a necromancer, have you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why would you give me such a girlish hairstyle?!”

“Don’t you think it’s adorable?” Eileen inquired.

“The hairstyle is cute, I guess…” Setia mumbled softly.

“No, I meant you,” Eileen said, gently lifting Setia’s chin with her hand, urging her to get a good look at herself in the mirror.

This time, Eileen did not lift Setia’s bangs, as she knew Setia disliked it.

Eileen was extremely sensitive to temperature. She could distinctly feel Setia’s body temperature rising rapidly.

“No, I’m not!” Setia shook her head. “And! Eileen, you haven’t forgotten, have you? We’re about to go to sleep. All the effort you put into this hairstyle will just be undone.”

“Then I’ll just do it for you again tomorrow, won’t I?” Eileen didn’t find it bothersome at all; in fact, it had become a part of her daily life. Without it, she might even feel a little unaccustomed.

‘Damn you, Faltis! What have you done to my body?!’

“Oh, wait, no. Tomorrow you’ll be playing the necromancer again,” Eileen mused.

“Ah…” Setia’s disappointment was palpable.

“However, things should be resolved quickly. Then I can style you however I want,” Eileen assured her.

“Really?” Setia felt a flicker of anticipation… ‘No! She didn’t want things to be resolved so quickly.’

Once they returned to the Golden Dragon Sanctuary, their current arrangement would end.

Setia wished it could continue for a little longer.

“Speaking of which… is there only one bed in this room?” Eileen scanned her surroundings, but saw no other bed.

“Eh?!” Setia quickly confirmed it. No matter how she looked, there was indeed only one bed in the room. “I’ll go ask Liana to change our room, or get another one!”

Setia rose to leave, but Eileen caught her wrist.

“No need. I’ll just sleep on the sofa later.” After all, Eileen was unlikely to sleep much anyway.

“How can you? We really should bother Liana.”

“There’s truly no need. It’s already very late, and they’ve probably gone to rest. Besides, weren’t there many injured dragon slayers today? Liana probably doesn’t have any spare rooms for us,” Eileen explained, settling onto the sofa. “Moreover, we don’t actually need much sleep.”

“You’re lying! You were practically falling asleep this morning, and you haven’t rested properly all day,” Setia ruthlessly exposed Eileen’s fib.

Eileen felt a pang of frustration, unable to reveal the truth. “Well, that bed looks quite large. Why don’t we just sleep together?”

“Eh?”

‘How did things come to this?’

Setia felt Eileen’s breath and warmth against her back. Even with her eyes closed, she couldn’t fall asleep.

‘She hadn’t wanted this to happen!’

‘How had she so foolishly agreed?’

‘What should I do, what should I do?!’

‘There’s no way I can sleep now!’

But Eileen didn’t seem to mind as much. ‘Was Setia overthinking things?’

In truth, Eileen genuinely found nothing amiss with the situation.

Sleeping with someone of the same gender was perfectly normal, except for individuals like Faltis, who seemed… less than proper, a lesbian Dragon King.

Under normal circumstances, sleeping with a typical person of the same gender wouldn’t lead to any unexpected incidents.

Unless the other person wasn’t so ‘normal.’

But Setia, with her obedient, delicate demeanor, how could she be that kind of person—no, that kind of dragon?

Setia turned, meeting a pair of shimmering violet eyes. “Eileen… you’re still awake?”

“Mm, but I’m almost there.” Eileen couldn’t exactly say she was waiting for Setia to fall asleep, could she?

“Can’t you sleep?” Eileen asked.

“A little, yes. I usually sleep alone, after all.”

Eileen considered it for a moment… then decided against it. She would just obediently retract her tail.

However, without her tail, “Alright, go to sleep now, okay?”

Eileen directly embraced Setia. Setia’s temperature rapidly rose, but Eileen’s own body warmth expertly counteracted it.

She gently patted Setia’s back.

“Why do I feel like you’re treating me like a child?”

“Uh… just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding,” Eileen chuckled awkwardly.

Yet, this method proved remarkably effective. Setia was enveloped by Eileen’s scent, and Eileen’s embrace was undeniably gentle—not to mention the presence of two even softer things.

Setia’s breathing gradually became steady.

After confirming Setia was asleep, Eileen carefully rose from the bed.

She shed her nightgown, changed her clothes, and, after using magic to muffle any sound, departed through the window.

“If only… I could help you…” After Eileen left, Setia sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.