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36-40

YGTWHV [36]

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A low whisper tickled my ears.

Lakis who had drawn close to me at some point was holding me. His hair which covered his forehead slightly, his straight nose beneath it, and his gracefully curved lips were all transmitted to me very clearly.

His throat had recovered somewhat so he now spoke briefly without writing it down. Of course, there was still some roughness to his voice so the stuff he said was usually limited to situations like this, where he couldn't use a pen or paper.

Lakis held me with one arm and gently lowered me to the floor.

"Uh...thank you."

It felt a little awkward for some reason, but I thanked him first.

Lakis quietly stared at me, then his eyes crinkled as he gave a thin smile. It was an enchanting smile capable of bewitching people. It also gave me a slightly different sense of danger from when I fought him some nights ago.

That feeling soared when Lakis began to tidy up my hair which had gotten a little messed up because of what just happened. Whether it was his eyes looking down at me, his hands slowly moving in my hair, or even his Adam's apple above his shirt, it felt like they were all leaking pheromones.

Then when I met his eyes for the second time, I suddenly had a thought that didn't match the situation at all.

'If he acted like this to Anne-Marie in the novel, wouldn't the male lead actually be Lakis Avalon...?'

At that thought, I felt a little sorry for the son of a bit...I mean, for the brute Lakis Avalon who didn't know love in the novel.

Knock, Knock!

"Yuri unni."

Right then, someone called at the door. It was a very rare for someone to come looking for me so early in the morning. But the voice I heard at the door sounded familiar.

Lakis' eyes seemed to grow cold for a moment when it moved to the entrance. He quickly erased such signs from his face but the look in eyes seemed to be because he was annoyed at being disturbed. However, he soon went back to looking harmless and took a step back.

I immediately walked to the entrance. When I opened the door, the bright morning sunlight poured in.

"Hello, Yuri unni. Good morning."

Standing at the door, was a girl in a white dress and a cute flower ribbon in her glossy silver hair.

It was Hestia who I last saw at the festival. As expected, her adorable features were just like her elder sister's. However, Anne-Marie was a little more expressive while Hestia had a calm and mature atmosphere unlike that of a child.

"Hello. I see you got up early, Hestia."

"When you're an adult, you naturally lose your morning sleep."

Even now, Hestia was replying like a grown-up. But obviously, she didn't know that referring to herself as an adult when she was only 12 years old made her seem more like a child.

But honestly, I didn't hate this sort of conversation with the little girl.

"Not quite. Not all adults lose their morning sleep."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Personally, I sleep in when I don't have to go out."

"Then I'll correct myself. I'm an adult without morning sleep so it's normal for me to be up at this time."