Chapter 74: Explain yourself
"Ack!" Seraphina gasped as her head hit Vlad’s solid chest, her hands planting on either side of his face, one of her legs slipping between his. Her crimson hair spilled across his face like silken threads, covering his vision in a veil of red.
"I-I’m sorry. I only meant to remove your foot," Vlad blurted, his face turning an instant shade of crimson, the fragrance of roses from her hair flooding his senses and clouding his thoughts. "I didn’t know you were this light."
Seraphina did not say anything. She pushed against his chest with her palms as she tried to get up.
"Ah," a soft moan escaped her lips as her hair pulled taut. Some strands of her hair were caught in the chain of Vlad’s jacket, tangled in the metal links.
"A-Are you okay? You didn’t hit yourself on the floor, did you?" Vlad asked, completely oblivious to the fact that his chain was pulling on her hair. His hands remained frozen at his sides.
"My hair," Seraphina whimpered, her forearms planting firmly on his wide chest, their faces drawing parallel to each other. There was only a nail’s length of distance between their noses, their warm and quick breaths trickling down each other’s skin, mixing in the narrow space between them.
Seraphina’s eyes were lowered, her face had reached the colour of her hair, a deep, burning crimson. Her fingers fidgeted with the chain as she tried to free the strands, her movements clumsy and rushed. The process was taking frustratingly longer than it should. Or perhaps every second their scents mingled was becoming overbearing for both of them. They could hear each other’s hearts beating loudly in their chests, a frantic rhythm that filled the silence.
Vlad was completely frozen beneath her, not even blinking his widened eyes, his fingers gripping the floor tightly as if trying to anchor himself. Seraphina was not faring any better. Her fingers trembled, refusing to form a proper grip as she struggled to remove the hair from the chain, the task growing more difficult with each passing moment.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, she finally freed herself and jumped away from his body like a startled cat, landing on the floor beside him with a soft thud.
Vlad also rose to a sitting position beside her, his breathing still uneven, his heart refusing to calm.
"Y-you scoundrel! How many offences are you going to commit on a single occasion?" she snapped, grabbing a handful of his hair with one hand while launching a barrage of fists with the other.
Bonk!
Bonk!
Bonk!
Vlad did not block her attacks. He definitely deserved the beating after one offence after another he had committed against her. Moreover, her soft punches did not hurt in the least. It felt as if a pillow was hitting his head, the impacts barely registering.
"I’m sorry. I have nothing to say in my defence," Vlad said, his head lowered and his voice low with genuine remorse. "I truly did not mean to make you fall."
"Tch," she clicked her tongue, pushing his head away, or at least trying to. He was immovable like a wall. "I am adding this to the list of things I must get my revenge for," she declared as she climbed onto the bed, placing one knee on the mattress before bringing up the other.
Her rear, covered only by a pair of thigh-length shorts, wiggled right above Vlad’s face.
Vlad immediately turned his head to the side.
’How can she be this defenseless after everything that happened?’ he screamed inwardly as he lay back down on the floor, staring at the canopy above.
For a few seconds, the room fell into a complete awkward silence. Vlad’s eyes were wide open, not even a wince of sleep in them. How could he fall asleep in a girl’s room filled with a fragrance that was surging heat through him, not to mention he could still feel the ghost of her soft and warm body on top of him?
"Seraphina..." Vlad called, his deep voice echoing in the silent room.
No response came.
’She fell asleep?’ He muttered inwardly. ’Am I the only one who is overthinking this whole situ—’
"What do you need now?" Seraphina’s sharp but low voice entered his ears, cutting through his thoughts.
"Was it true... that you suffered trauma because of the prank I played ten years ago?" His voice was hesitant, carrying a weight he rarely showed.
"So you finally decided to care now?" Vlad could clearly sense the retort in her voice.
Her tone turned lower, a hint of embarrassment filling it as she revealed, "I did not lie about anything except crying."
"So why are you living alone?" He asked. Instead of investigating, his tone carried more curiosity and something deeper, perhaps... worry?
"I do not sleep alone. Sophia comes to accompany me at night," she revealed, her voice softening. "She is busy with her research, so she did not come tonight."
Now that was a clear hit to Vlad’s conscience. To save himself, he had given lifelong trauma to a little girl. He had also been immature at that time, but not now. He should definitely take responsibility for the wrong he had done to her.
Naturally, he did not say those thoughts out loud, nor did he ask if the reason she had given him to stay was really about being caught by the warden or something else entirely.
"So... when is Senior Sophia returning?" He asked, rubbing his temple with his index finger, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"Tomorrow. Why? Would you have accompanied me if she did not?" Seraphina’s voice was playful as she asked this question, a hint of teasing lacing her words.
"..."
The rustling of blanket fabric echoed as her head popped out over the bed’s edge, her hair cascading down like a crimson curtain as her eyes fell on Vlad, who carried a flustered expression on his face. His cheeks had turned a shade pinker.
