Chapter 263

Something about Ethan’s change in demeanor gave me an unsettling feeling.

‘Was he always like this? I remember him being a bit more awkward before.’

At least, when it was just the two of us, even the slightest contact in bed would make him jump. That was the Ethan I knew.

…Lately, though, we’ve been sharing the same bed more often, so his reactions have toned down a bit.

Sometimes, when I’m in danger, he saves me with unreal skill, which is kind of cool, but when it’s just us, he’s like an innocent boy with no experience with women.

I mean, this is the same guy who hadn’t even... until just before I almost died at Mechart’s hands. Wait, why am I thinking about this now?

My thoughts had naturally drifted elsewhere, and I quickly corrected myself, returning to the question Ethan had just asked.

“The wish… you can use it whenever you want, Ed.”

“Right? Don’t worry. Since it’s a precious wish you’re giving me, I’ll only use it for something truly important.”

“…The tea, it seems to have brewed perfectly, Ed.”

“Yeah, looks like it.”

“……”

—Pouring sound.

Where exactly is he planning to use that wish? I can’t help but feel uneasy.

And why does he keep staring at me like that? He’s never been this intense before.

The real problem was that I couldn’t seem to look away from Ed’s gaze. We were locked in eye contact, and even though my face felt like it was burning, I didn’t want to be the first to break away. I wasn’t guilty of anything, so looking away first felt like losing.

I didn’t know why he was acting this way, but I wasn’t about to back down. It was a matter of pride.

“……”

“……”

—Swoosh.

…It’s not like I turned away first. I just glanced down to make sure I didn’t spill the tea. It was a precious gift, after all.

After splitting the suspicious tea that Cashimilly had gifted us into two cups, Ethan and I both raised our cups and took a sip.

—Gulp.

‘…What is this taste?’

It kind of tastes like makeup. Is this how it's supposed to taste?

The pinkish color of the tea was suspicious enough. Maybe I shouldn’t have drunk it.

‘It doesn’t seem like there’s poison in it, though.’

Hmm, I don’t know. It’s probably just a unique tea that she gave us for the experience.

Plus, if the taste is weird, it makes for good small talk. Maybe it’s a subtle way to ease the awkwardness in conversations between couples.

Yeah, I should just casually ask Ed how the tea tastes and ease into the topic of what wish he might want. I could start with indirect questions to figure it out…

“What kind of wish are you planning to make, Ed?”

“……”

Wait, hold on.

I was supposed to ease into the conversation by talking about the tea, but why did I blurt out the question directly?

‘Well, whatever.’

What’s done is done. I might as well follow through. It’s not like I asked anything unreasonable.

“Don’t worry about it too much. I’m not going to ask for anything that would trouble you.”

‘Honestly, I don’t care what kind of wish you make, Ed.’

“Are you sure? You’re not going to ask for something ridiculous like a thousand gold coins to pay back a debt once I become a top adventurer, right?”

“Pfft.”

…Wait, what’s going on?

Why do I keep saying things that have nothing to do with what I intended to say?

I mean, it’s not like I’ve never thought about it, but… I wasn’t planning on actually asking. Really, I swear.

“Come on, Lil. Did you really think I’d ask for something like that?”

“Well, it’s because you won’t tell me what the wish is. I can’t help but imagine it’s something I can’t grant right away.”

“Hmm, I doubt you’ll ever become a top adventurer.”

“Are you underestimating my skills, Ed?”

“No, not at all. But adventuring isn’t for you.”

‘That’s not really your decision to make, is it?’

“…Fine. If you say I can’t, then I guess I can’t.”

…What is this?

Why is he so adamant about it?

And why does my mouth keep answering his ridiculous claims on its own?

I don’t know. My mind feels clear, but it’s like my body is acting on its own, saying things I don’t mean to.

‘Could it be… the tea Cashimilly gave us?’

Could this be some sort of truth serum? Is that why I keep blurting out what’s really on my mind?

No, no way. It can’t be. If that’s true, then everything I’ve said to Ethan just now was how I really felt, which doesn’t make any sense.

And Ethan’s behavior doesn’t add up either. He’s way too calm. He should be at least a little flustered. Sure, he’s acting a bit more assertive than usual, but still.

Does this mean he’s always been this transparent with me? That can’t be right. No one can be that honest all the time.

“……”

Oh, damn.

I don’t know what’s in this tea, but one thing is clear. Drinking more of it would be dangerous.

It won’t harm me physically, but I can tell it’s risky. If I drink any more, I might completely lose control of my words and actions.

I need to set the cup down on the saucer before I—

—Sip.

“……”

…It seems my body’s not listening to me anymore.

I give up. All I can do now is hope this time passes without any more incidents.

“So, Lil, what do you think I’ll wish for?”

“……”

“Lil?”

“……”

Ethan asked me again, but I avoided his gaze, staring off to the side.

Instinctively, I knew. If I answered him now, I’d blurt out something completely different from what I intended.

So, what can I do? The only thing I could do was stay silent. If I don’t speak, I can’t say something I’ll regret.

That’s the perfect solution.

“Lil, why the sudden silence?”

“……”

“You were the one who called me over because you had something to say. What happened?”

“……”

“That’s odd.”

Ethan flashed me a smile, clearly amused by my lack of response. Honestly, that smile was infuriating enough to make me want to punch him. But knowing my body was acting on its own, I held back. Something told me I might end up doing something entirely different if I tried.

“Then, how about this? If I ask a question and you don’t answer, I’ll take it as a yes.”@@novelbin@@

“……”

“Let’s start simple.”

“……”

“Were you expecting me to make some lewd request with my wish?”

What nonsense is he talking about? Why would I expect something like that?

I wanted to shout a firm denial, but my mouth betrayed me again.

‘What are you saying?’

“Yes, I was.”

‘………What?’

Wait, what did I just say?

“So, that’s it. You were hoping I’d ask for something lewd.”

“A-Ah, ah, ah.”

I wanted to say “no,” but the word wouldn’t come out. It was as if something inside me was preventing me from voicing my denial.

Ethan, on the other hand, seemed to interpret my silence as confirmation. With a sly grin, he leaned in closer.

—Smooch.

“Mm? Huh?!”

Ethan’s sudden kiss caught me off guard. I hadn’t expected him to just lean in and press his lips against mine so suddenly.

But no matter how much I wanted to pull away, I couldn’t. My stiffened neck refused to let me move away from his lips.

Taking my lack of resistance as encouragement, Ethan deepened the kiss, his lips parting as his tongue brushed against mine. And I…

“Haa, haa…”

—Lick.

…I found myself tilting my head and opening my lips, letting my tongue meet his.

I give up. Let whatever happens, happen.

‘It’s not like this is the first time we’ve kissed.’

We’ve kissed at least half a dozen times, and we’ve even had French kisses before.

Honestly, we’ve done things far beyond just kissing, so this doesn’t even count as something intimate anymore.

Yeah, this is nothing. There’s no reason to attach any special meaning to it. A kiss is just a kiss.

—Smooch, slurp.

“Hah, ha… mmm…”

After a few minutes of kissing, with our saliva mixing, Ethan finally pulled away slowly.

—Smooch.

“…Lil.”

“Yes?”

“If a lewd request was what you were hoping for, should I grant it?”

“As a wish?”

“No, not as a wish. Just because.”

“……”

“Because this is what you want, Lil.”

He thinks I want him to ask for something lewd? What a joke.

Just because I did that for him once before doesn’t mean I’m some kind of wanton woman.

This is about what he wants, not me. It’s obvious, especially with how tight his pants are. The bulge is practically staring me in the face.

But of course, he’s trying to put it on me. Typical.

“…Alright, Ed.”

…But, well, I don’t really mind.

After all, Ethan is the one who risked his life to save me.

He took down my biggest worry, and when I was at my lowest, he was the first to believe in me.

And besides, I owe him a lot, so even if it’s not technically a wish, I don’t really have a reason to refuse him.

“Just one thing, though. And….”

“I know, no going all the way, right?”

“…Yes.”

For a moment, I almost blurted out, "I don’t mind if you do."

No, not that I wanted to say it—it was more like my body nearly said it on its own.

I had to really focus to stop myself from saying something reckless, or else I might’ve lost my claim to the title of Saintess, which I had to pass down to Celesta.

…If it weren’t for this damn restriction of the pure Saintess, I would’ve just gone through with it and ended things right here.

After pondering for a moment, Ethan carefully made his request.

“Then, I want to… use my mouth.”

“Oh. With your mouth?”

…Well, sure. That’s fine, I guess.

I’ve already done that for him once before, so doing it again isn’t a big deal.

To be honest, I thought he might try to push things further, given how far we’ve already gone, but his request was surprisingly modest. For a guy who just kissed me so intensely, it’s a rather timid demand. Guess he’s still a bit of a kid.

I had considered the possibility of him asking for something more extreme, but it turned out to be far less than I anticipated.

It’s probably just that he really enjoyed what I did for him last time. That thought calmed me down a bit.

“Alright, Ed. Then go sit on the bed. If it’s just that… I don’t mind.”

“No, not that.”

“Huh?”

“I want to do it… to you.”

“……Excuse me?”

…That’s something I never even considered.