Chapter 150

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Chapter 150

Xerath thought for a moment, and said seriously, "I say this not because I feel old and have trouble with my legs and feet, but because my lifestyle overlaps greatly with those quirky old people, including going out only once every three or four months, not liking crowded places, not liking to talk about current trends, not even reading the newspaper much, always maintaining my outdated hobbies, and not wanting to change them at all."

Sylas had been laughing since she started speaking, and after laughing, she comforted her, saying, "Not at all, your hobbies are classic, and whether they are popular or not has no influence on them. And overall, they are very interesting."

Xerath politely replied, "Thank you for your comfort."

While eating, she started to slowly devour the steak in front of her. Sylas dared to look at her because she was so focused on eating.

Just as she remembered, her beautiful face still had a cold expression, except for a hint of humanity when looking at her.

Just like before, her heart couldn’t help but race and her breath became uncontrollable when she felt the silver-gray gaze on her.

But now, the difference is that she knows what it means. This is…this is because…

– Love, just like the love described in those forbidden books, isn’t nonexistent. It silently arrived even before she knew the words and pondered its meaning and appearance.

If a handsome and aloof tutor silently gazes at you, you will undoubtedly fall in love with her.

However, Sylas still had doubts. Currently, she only had one book that said this feeling is "love" or "affection" (with subtle differences), and there was no other evidence to confirm or deny it. This feeling made Sylas uneasy, but she couldn’t ask the only person she could ask.

Xerath wouldn’t fall in love with someone else, as she has never loved anyone before. So, assuming Xerath agrees to help after Sylas asks, "Teacher, I think I might be falling in love with you. Can you help me confirm or deny it?" Once the truth is revealed, how should she be treated?

Maybe Xerath would think that she would be someone who hinders her own work, and simply drive her away, so even if she could return to Aimekotes, she would not be able to return to Xerath’s heart.

After dinner, as usual, Xerath took her to the bottom of the tower and then walked back, completing a day’s worth of exercise. Then she sat on the couch, comfortably sinking into it, and a book flew in front of her eyes.

This also hid her gray eyes, Sylas felt a bit reluctant. Those eyes were addictive, with incredibly beautiful patterns inside, and in the middle was a deep well, capable of completely mesmerizing people.

However, it was presumptuous to directly stare at her without any reason, which always made Sylas feel like she "couldn’t get enough."

She couldn’t get enough, she wanted to look at her, didn’t want to do anything else, just wanted to watch her.

But it’s also okay like this, she sighed, looking at Xerath’s curves that fit classical aesthetics very well. Now someone (or rather, a book) gave her actions a definition, that’s "desire," one person’s desire for another person’s physical presence. It seemed like everything had settled from chaos, the impurities crystallizing, and nothing could hide in the pure liquid – what happened between them, to be clear, Sylas’s one-sided feelings for Xerath, truly were romantic love.

Sylas always wanted to give her many, many things that she believed would make her happy and share a lot of her own joy with her.

But besides that, she also wanted to receive her kisses, hugs, and… something deeper. This idea made her tremble lightly, with a heavy ache in her heart.

"Sylas？"

"Hmm? Hmm? Teacher…" Sylas scrambled to sit properly, feeling ashamed as she lowered her head. It seemed like nothing could escape those pale, fiery eyes of Xerath’s, maybe she had already seen through Sylas’s thoughts…

"Why do you always look at me? Do you need help with something? Facing any trouble, hmm?"

"No… no, nothing."

"Are you sure? You can discuss anything with me, without feeling… embarrassed or thinking it’s unnecessary to trouble me. Protecting you is the most important thing."

Is that so, this matter would bring both shame and trouble to you… Sylas still shook her head, then suddenly thought about how Xerath always rejected her hugs. Could she have sensed Sylas’s hidden motives for seeking affection and kisses even before Sylas herself realized it?

The archmage wasn’t exactly opposed to her gaze, just a bit embarrassed. However, Sylas’s eyebrows furrowed gently, and her emerald-like eyes shimmered with many unspoken thoughts. She wanted to speak up, but was afraid to.

It was a heart-wrenching look, to the point where the archmage dismissed the idea of having this pitiful young girl sit beside him—she would likely be unable to resist the impulse to embrace and kiss her.

If it could bring her comfort… if this was what she wanted… I am willing to give it…

-No, your motives and her motives don’t align.

Sylas was waiting for her to speak, and she was also waiting for Sylas to speak. Their eyes met in the air, completely ignoring everything around them.

It was Titus who woke up Xerath with his movement, her book had landed on the sofa. The startled archmage stood up, covering her cheeks with both hands, looking very tired. She patted her face and said, "We went through a big whirlwind. Do you need to rest in advance? It’s already… eight o’clock."

School life pushed Sylas’s bedtime back to eleven o’clock. She didn’t want to lose two hours of time spent with Xerath for no reason. But the archmage’s next words dispelled her worries.

"Shall I walk with you back home?" She lightly placed her hand on Sylas’s shoulder, but unfortunately, the little rascal suddenly yawned at this moment.

She shyly smiled, and the archmage enjoyed seeing her in this bashful state. She almost couldn’t resist teasing her by touching her chin, thinking, "It’s so amusing when she has no idea how she behaves like this, I used to be so happy then," the archmage thought. But in the end, Xerath only smiled a little shyly and patted Sylas’s shoulder, gesturing for her to get up.

Sylas was urged by her to go downstairs and returned to her own room. Although no one had lived here for about half a year, it didn’t become deserted. Everything was in its rightful place and neatly arranged.

"Um… the room has been well protected after you left, so it’s quite clean. But… I haven’t tidied up yet. You go for a shower first, and Hyectra and I will change the sheets and covers for you." For some unknown reason – well, she knew, but she didn’t dare to think too deeply – she showed a rare panic when saying this, but it quickly disappeared. Sylas felt a sense of regret, thinking "I’ve grown apart from Xerath." She nodded, took off her coat and tossed it into the nearby basket, then turned and entered the bathroom.

For some reason – actually, she did know, but she didn’t dare to think about it – she didn’t lock the door. She turned on the water, let it heat up, poured it into the bathtub, and quickly lay down. The whirlwind easily created bubbles with a variety of magical washing materials. She lay among the bubbles, reminiscing about their eye contact just now.

It was so wonderful, she wanted to experience it a few more times. In order to make the eye contact seem more natural, she should… pretend to contemplate or appear thoughtful. She couldn’t help but lift her head slightly, luckily seeing herself in the mirror.

Like this? Like this? Like this? These expressions seem a bit forced, Xerath might find it strange and start asking questions, and then I might not be able to keep it a secret.

"Sylas？"

"Hmm? Ah?"

"…Can I… come in?"

Sylas’s heart suddenly started beating faster. Scenes that didn’t seem like something an archmage would do, but that she had read about, began to flash in her mind. The content was so fresh in her memory because it had only happened earlier today.

"The gloomy mage barged into her bathroom while she was taking a bath. Of course, a stranger shouldn’t do that, but now he was her only caretaker, like a father. The image of her deceased father bathing her still lingered in her memory. But the mage’s gaze, like a chilling snake, crawled over her exposed skin, not only giving her the creeps but also making her feel embarrassed and a strangely excited."

–Please stop.

"…Oh, sure, you can. I didn’t lock the door."

The archmage was only wearing a shirt, vest, and matching trousers. After coming in, she leaned against the door and said to Sylas, "The sheets have been changed, and I remembered to put away the towel for you. It’s right here."

She put down the towel but hesitated to leave. It wasn’t because she finally decided to put her improper thoughts into practice, but because she was more worried about something else, something Sylas was hiding from her.

But not knowing how to start, she simply stood there.

Their eyes met again in the mirror, and Sylas had a feeling that she was being scrutinized, especially her chest area. It reminded her of the "chilling yet thrilling" sensation that had flashed through her memory just now.

Why… why is she standing here? Why doesn’t she leave?

Sylas unconsciously straightened her body, causing splashes of water to joyfully fall from her. The archmage averted his gaze, trying to politely avoid any physical contact with her.

Can’t look either.

Her young and tender body had a faint pink glow at various protruding parts, which became more noticeable due to the stimulating hot water. Especially around the joints, and also…

"Sylas… are you getting up?"

Sylas was stunned. It wasn’t a habit for her to avoid Xerath’s gaze, and at school she had learned that there was nothing particularly worthy of reproach when same-sex individuals saw each other naked in non-public settings. But… in the forbidden book, the description of observing and touching each other’s bodies was depicted as secretive and exciting, just like the present environment.

She suddenly felt a bit unusual shyness, but she couldn’t figure out whether she should act naturally as before or cover up her body a little.

But Xerath seemed to have no intention of leaving, after initially averting her gaze, she turned her head and now her eyes were directly on her, not on Sylas in the mirror.

Her hair stood on end, and her blood surged.