Chapter 181: The Sweetness of Being a Kept Woman

Lia buried her face in the book, the complex runic formulas on the page now twisted into a tangled mess in her eyes.

Klein’s lips had been warm, with a barely perceptible sweetness.

Her cheeks were very hot.

How could he do that so naturally, and then say those words in that tone?

She turned a page in the book, but couldn’t read a single word.

The sofa beside her dipped slightly, and Klein’s presence drew closer.

“The book is upside down.”

Lia’s body froze. She looked closely, and indeed, the text on the page was upside down.

She quickly righted the book and cleared her throat.

“I was checking the print quality.”

“Mmm,” Klein replied, his voice betraying no emotion. “Are you done checking, Professor Lia?”

“I’m done.” Lia closed the book and set it aside, not daring to look into Klein’s eyes. “No problems.”

“That’s good.”

He didn’t speak.

A silence fell over the room, with only the soft crackling of the magic crystals burning in the fireplace.

Lia felt her heartbeat grow louder and louder, and she was even afraid that Klein would hear it.

She secretly raised her eyes and glanced at the man beside her out of the corner of her eye.

He was leaning against the sofa, reading a report on high-energy magic concentration, his expression focused, as if the person who had just made a move was not him.

Lia felt a little annoyed.

She shifted her body, trying to move away from him.

The hand that was turning the report stopped.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“No.”

As soon as she spoke, he reached out, pulled her and the blanket into his arms, and let her lean against him.

“It’s warmer now,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Lia’s back was pressed against his firm chest, and she could clearly feel his steady heartbeat and the warmth radiating from him.

She gave up struggling.

“You’re abusing your power,” she protested in a low voice.

“I have no power.”

“This is an outrage.”

“Mmm,” Klein said, turning another page of the report. “You can file a complaint with the Magic Association.”

Lia fell silent.

She knew a complaint would be useless.

She leaned her head back, finding a more comfortable position.

“Klein.”

“Mmm?”

“Don’t you need to guide the apprentices?”

“They’re on vacation.”

“Why?”

“I asked them to write a ten-thousand-word paper on the ‘observer effect’.”

Lia could imagine the wailing of those apprentices.

“You’re a devil of a mentor.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Lia reached out from under the blanket, took a sip of the lukewarm milk on the table.

“Augustus really did allocate the funds.”

“I saw,” Klein said. “The Minister of Finance’s carriage blocked half the street this morning.”

“With this money, the construction of the accelerator can be three times faster.”

There was excitement in Lia’s tone. “I’ve already asked the alchemical workshop to start customizing the core components.”

“What about the cooling system?”

“I’ve drawn up the rune array for your ‘Absolute Zero Field’ and given it to Master Eleonora,” Lia said. “She said she can try to use life magic to catalyze the stability of the runes, which would increase the success rate considerably.”

“Very good.”

“Klein.”

“Mmm.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Curious about what?”

“The things I’ve drawn,” Lia turned her head and looked up at his jawline. “Those theories and designs that are completely beyond this era.”

Klein put down the report in his hands and looked down at her. The firelight from the hearth was reflected in his blue eyes, as was her face.

“I’m more curious about you.”

Lia’s heart skipped a beat.

“Wh-what’s so strange about me?”

“You have many secrets.”

Klein’s fingers gently ran through her long golden hair. “Sometimes, I feel like you’re a book I can never finish reading.”

“Every page holds a surprise.”

His voice was low and magnetic, sounding by Lia’s ear.

“I don’t want to know where your secrets come from.”

“I just want you to know.”

He lowered his head, his forehead resting against hers.

“No matter where you come from, from now on, you can only stay by my side.”

Lia looked into his eyes, which were so close to hers. There was no probing, no suspicion, only a clear possessiveness.

She felt her face start to burn again.

“You’re… too domineering.”

“I’ve always been this way.”

***

The next day, the ground-floor laboratory of the mage tower was completely transformed. The originally empty space was now piled high with all sorts of precious materials.

The chief craftsman of the Royal Alchemical Workshop and his team were stationed here almost twenty-four hours a day, waiting for Lia’s orders at any time.

Lia was wearing practical work clothes, her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She stood before a huge blueprint, speaking to several high-circle mages and master craftsmen.

“No, the redundancy of this energy circuit is not enough. At peak output, it will erupt like a volcano.”

“And here, the material’s resistance to magic fatigue must be increased by two more tiers.”

“I don’t care what method you use, be it enchanting or tempering, I want to see results.”

“The geometry of this part cannot have the slightest deviation. I need you to use shaping magic to form it in one piece.”

She spoke quickly, her thoughts clear, her instructions precise.

The senior experts around her, who were decades older than her, were like a group of students listening attentively before her.

Klein stood in the shadows not far away, quietly watching her shine in her own domain.

An attendant walked over with a drink, intending to give it to Lia.

Klein stopped him with a hand.

“Give it to me.”

The attendant was taken aback for a moment, then respectfully handed over the tray.

Klein took the steaming cup of fruit tea and walked towards Lia.

“Take a break.”

He held the cup in front of her.

The surrounding noise seemed to disappear at this moment.

Lia looked up, and when she saw it was Klein, her tense expression softened.

“Why did you come down?”

“To see if my investment is paying off,” Klein said.

Lia took the fruit tea and took a sip. The warmth spread from her throat to her stomach.

“Don’t worry, the return on investment will definitely exceed your imagination,” she said with a smile.

“I don’t care about the return on investment.” Klein’s gaze fell on her slightly furrowed brow, which was a result of her concentration. “I only care about the investor herself.”

He reached out and gently smoothed the crease between her eyebrows with his thumb.

“Don’t work too hard.”

Lia’s cheeks were a little hot.

The mages and craftsmen around them tactfully lowered their heads, pretending to study the blueprint.

“I know,” she said in a low voice.

“Master Horace just sent a communication,” Klein said, withdrawing his hand as if nothing had happened. “He said his side has successfully simulated the initial form of a high-energy particle stream.”

“Really?” Lia’s attention was immediately diverted. “So fast?”

“He said he used his apprentice Maas as a living target to test the particle stream’s penetrating power.”

Lia: “…”

“Master Horace is as unconventional as ever.”

“What about Master Laplace?”

“He bought a mountain outside the city,” Klein said. “He’s going to build an observatory on the summit to search for new galaxies.”

***

In the evening, after a busy day, Lia finally returned to the top floor of the mage tower.

She threw herself into the soft sofa, not wanting to move a single finger.

Klein walked out of the study, holding a clean towel.

“Go take a bath,” he placed the towel on her head. “Dinner is ready.”

Lia soaked in the bathtub for over half an hour before she felt alive again.

She changed into a comfortable nightgown and walked out of the bathroom, drying her hair. In the dining room, Klein was already sitting at the table.

On the table were a simple three dishes and one soup, all to her liking.

“I feel like I’m being kept by you,” Lia said, sitting down and picking up her knife and fork.

“Any objections?”

“None,” Lia said, cutting a piece of roasted meat and putting it in her mouth. “Lord Benefactor, may I make a request?”

“Speak.”

“I want to eat tiramisu tomorrow.”

Klein’s movements paused for a moment.

“Alright.”

After dinner, the two did not read or work separately as they usually did.

Klein took Lia to the terrace of the mage tower.

The night sky was particularly clear tonight, without a single cloud. The silvery moonlight fell on them, as if draping them in a thin veil.

“Look,” Klein pointed to the sky.

Lia followed his finger.

In the night sky, countless tiny points of light were slowly moving, forming a magnificent river of stars that spanned the entire sky.

“What is this?”

“I remember you once said that the world we are in is just a speck of dust in a huge star system,” Klein said. “I used Laplace’s star chart data to simulate its general appearance.”

Lia looked up at the brilliant river of stars made of magic, her heart filled with awe.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Mmm.”

Klein took out a small box from behind him and handed it to her.

“What’s this?” Lia took it curiously.

She opened the box.

Inside lay a necklace.

The pendant of the necklace was an ice-blue gem, cut into a perfect star shape.

Under the moonlight, it emitted a soft and pure light.

“This is…”

“I condensed it with spatial magic,” Klein said. “It has no offensive or defensive capabilities.”

“Its only function is that whenever I sense where you are, I can find you.”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

The Imperial Evening

AngstFantasy RomanceImperial Palace

Read Now →
Not interested