Chapter 36: Sleepless
"See, not so hard to get you here is it?"
Azalea’s gentle voice broke through Lumien’s disoriented thoughts as his mind struggled to catch up with what had just happened.
One second, he’d been standing by the window, and the next, he saw her shadow had come alive, slithering toward him before flinging him effortlessly across the room. Thankfully, from the look of it, Azalea seemed to have full control of her powers, ensuring he landed softly on the bed rather than the cold, hard floor.
"What the hell just happened?" Lumien finally managed to blurt out, his wide eyes fixed on his sister.
Azalea tilted her chin up, clearly proud of herself. "That was my ability. Surprised, aren’t you? I never got the chance to show it off while you were sick. But now that you’re healthier, I definitely couldn’t let the opportunity slip by."
"It wasn’t surprise—it was shock!" Lumien shot back, patting his chest. "Can’t you warn me first before doing something that dangerous? I swear my poor heart can’t take it."
Azalea rolled her eyes. "You’re being overly dramatic."
"I’m being serious here,"
"Hmph! Well, that’s your fault to begin with. Who told you to irritate me?" Azalea pouted, turning her head away as though she were the one who’d been wronged.
How is this my fault? You’re the one who suddenly decided to throw me across the room...Lumien thought, his lips twitching.
As expected of women—creatures as beautiful as they were incomprehensible. Even after living two lives, I still couldn’t figure out what went on in their minds.
He sighed, deciding it was better to let the matter drop. "I’m sorry,"
Azalea’s expression softened immediately, her pout giving way to a small, satisfied smile. "Alright, apology accepted. But promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"Don’t ever try to distance yourself from me again. I don’t like it," she said seriously, her crimson eyes staring directly at his.
Her words struck something deep within Lumien. He hesitated for only a moment before nodding. "I promise."
A bright, genuine smile spread across Azalea’s face. "Good. Now, let’s go to sleep."
"Hm? I’ll send you off to your room, then," Lumien said as he sat up briskly.
"What do you mean to send me off?" Azalea was stunned. She didn’t wait for an explanation, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and tugging him back down onto the bed.
Thud!
Lumien stumbled, landing back in the same spot he’d just vacated with a dumbstruck look on his face.
Damn it!
It dawned on him that his plan of playing fool just failed like that.
"Didn’t we already agree to sleep together tonight?" Azalea said.
Since when did I agree to that..? Lumien instinctively retorted in his mind.
As if she could read his thoughts, Azalea added, "Just now, you promised not to distance yourself from me again."
"But I didn’t mean it like this..." was what Lumien wanted to say, but the memory of her earlier serious expression made him bite back the words.
Finally, all that escaped him was a resigned sigh. "Alright, but don’t blame me if I’m not as soft as your pillow. Also, I move around a lot when I sleep. I always kick—"
Before he could finish, the mattress beside him dipped as Azalea scooted closer. Her body pressed against his side, and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as though he were her personal body pillow.
"You talk too much. Just sleep," she murmured softly with a trace of drowsiness. Her warm breath brushed against his ear, making it immediately turn red like a tomato.
Sleep? How am I supposed to sleep like this?!
Lumien’s heart pounded so loudly in his chest that he was sure she could hear it. Her arms pinned him in place, her face so close that her steady breaths fanned against his cheek. His right arm was trapped snugly between her soft breasts, and no matter how much he willed himself to, he couldn’t pull it free.
To make matters worse, her thighs rested dangerously close to his nether region, like gasoline added to an already raging fire.
This is torture, Lumien thought miserably. He wanted to cry at how unfair the situation was.
His hands clenched nervously at his sides, his face flushed a deep red. He kept his gaze glued to the ceiling, admiring it as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world—despite there being absolutely nothing to look at. He didn’t dare move, afraid that even the slightest motion might trigger some unwanted physiological response and send his hormones into overdrive.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to sprint to the bathroom and take the longest, coldest shower of his life.
Thump!
Thump!
He didn’t know how long time had passed. He wasn’t even sure if the steady thumping he heard was the ticking of a clock or the rigorous hammering of his heart. But he knew one thing: he couldn’t endure this any longer.
With a resigned sigh, he softly called out, "Azalea..."
No response.
"Sister..." His voice was softer this time, almost pleading. Still, there was silence.
Puzzled, he turned his head slightly. Her face was peaceful, her breathing steady. Her eyes were closed.
"She’s asleep... She’s actually fallen asleep," Lumien muttered, disbelief coloring his tone. His lips twitched between a smile and a grimace. "Damn..."
It was one thing to struggle with sleep because of someone else, but knowing that the very person responsible for your sleeplessness had dozed off so effortlessly was just another brand of torment.
"Damn it, I feel worse now," he whispered to himself. "Here I am, losing my mind and having all these inappropriate thoughts while she’s just... sleeping innocently, thinking of me as her little brother whom she can depend on."
He groaned quietly, burying his face with his other arm. "I’m no better than those hooligans out there, aren’t I? What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Just because I have a system that gives me quests with good rewards doesn’t mean I should complete them at the cost of my moral integrity... Yeah, starting now, I won’t use her for my daily quests."
"I won’t sacrifice my morals and gradually turn into a degenerate just for a few stats points..."
Unaware of the conflicting thoughts that ran through Lumien’s mind, Azalea continued to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.
...
At morning, as golden sunlight streamed through the open window, Azalea was the first to wake.
For a brief moment, she felt a flicker of panic at the presence of another person beside her. As her instinct kicked in, she nearly lashed out to kick the presence off the bed, until her groggy mind caught up. Her eyes widened in realization as last night’s memories came rushing back.
Ah, right. I slept with Lumien. And here I almost thought some fool actually had the audacity to sneak into my bed! Hmph, if that ever happened, I’d make them taste iron!
As the last traces of doubt cleared, a mischievous idea formed in her mind.
Since I woke up first, I might as well take this rare opportunity to observe his sleeping face up close! I bet he looks ridiculously cute when he sleeps!
She almost giggled at the thought and eagerly turned her head—only for her excitement to be replaced with shock.
"Lumien!"
"What’s wrong with you?!"
Her voice rang with alarm.
A deep, tired sigh came from beside her. "Ah, I see you’re awake... What’s wrong with me? I’m perfectly fine."
"Who are you trying to fool?! Look at your own reflection!" Azalea left the bed and quickly returned with a pocket mirror, shoving it toward him.
Blinking sluggishly, Lumien took it and glanced at his reflection.
His expression instantly froze.
His face wasn’t just haggard, dark circles loomed under his eyes like he hadn’t slept for days. He looked no better than a sleep-deprived panda.
"I... I see. I guess I just need more sleep," Lumien replied awkwardly. When he tried to hand the mirror back to Azalea, he realized just how stiff and uncomfortable his arm felt. A dull ache ran through his joints, and it didn’t take long for him to figure out why—he had stayed in the same position the entire night, barely moving, like a log. No wonder his muscles felt like they’d turned to stone.
Azalea frowned, her concern deepening. "Is it because of me? But you weren’t so against sleeping with me back then..."
She looked guilty, and Lumien instantly felt bad. There was no way he could put all the blame on her when she was looking at him like that.
"It’s not because of you, don’t worry," he said, attempting to reassure her.
Azalea narrowed her eyes. "You’re lying."
Lumien let out a helpless chuckle, unable to refute her accusation.
Azalea pouted but didn’t press further. Instead, she sighed and got up from the bed, walking over to the window. She drew the curtains shut, plunging the room into darkness.
"Then you should rest a little longer," she said. "We still have to visit the farm before noon, remember?"
"Alright," Lumien gave a tired smile.
Azalea walked back to his side of the bed and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Alright, big baby, go get some more sleep."
The warmth of her touch, combined with the exhaustion weighing down his body, was enough to break down the last of his resistance.
After staying awake the entire night, too tense to move, the moment Azalea pulled away and his body fully relaxed against the mattress, sleep claimed him instantly.
