Chapter 122: Privilege In Danger

Smiling, Elias walked into the room and carefully closed the doors behind him.

’How cute.’

He glanced toward Natasha, who was still sitting on the bed and gazing at the window, before walking over.

As he climbed onto the bed, he stored his boots inside his Inventory, causing them to disappear from his legs as though they were never there.

He then carefully moved closer to her, trying not to disturb her peaceful mood.

However, she immediately noticed the mattress shifting beneath his weight and turned toward him.

Their eyes met.

Elias forced an awkward smile before sending her a Mental Whisper.

[Good morning...?]

Natasha stared at him for several seconds, and her faint frown deepened before she pointed toward the notebook and quill resting nearby.

He understood immediately.

He picked them up and handed them to her, and Natasha quickly began writing.

Where were you last night?

[Busy...]

She immediately wrote another question.

With what?

[I was taking care of Monica.]

Her frown gradually disappeared, but she was clearly not finished.

You could have told me.

’Is she my mother?’ He furrowed his brows and continued to answer.

[I wanted to, but...]

Natasha tilted her head slightly.

But?

[You went to sleep. Or at least pretended to.]

She stared at his face for several seconds, and Elias could almost see the question forming in her eyes.

’Is he trying to act stupid?’

If he hadn’t called her cute to her face, she would not have needed to pretend to sleep in the first place.

She eventually lowered her gaze to the notebook and wrote another sentence.

So everything is fine now?

He nodded.

[Yeah. I met the merchant as well, so there should not be any more problems.]

She nodded in response and closed her notebook.

After that, neither of them spoke.

They simply remained there, looking at one another as their eyes met across the small distance between them.

He found himself becoming absorbed in her golden eyes. There was something strangely peaceful about looking at her like this, without needing to worry about anything else for a few moments.

Then his heart gradually warmed.

He moved closer and lowered his head onto her lap before closing his eyes with a contented smile, looking almost like a child waiting to be caressed.

Natasha blinked at him in surprise.

Then a soft smile appeared on her lips.

She gently ran her fingers through his crimson hair and began caressing his head.

Elias’s smile widened.

They remained like that for several quiet minutes, with Natasha continuing to stroke his hair while Elias enjoyed the warmth of her lap.

Bang!

The doors suddenly burst open.

Elias immediately raised his head.

Stella stood in the doorway, still wearing her black nightgown, and her expression was unusually saddened.

’Huh?’

Elias looked at her in confusion.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

Stella did not answer immediately. Instead, she slowly walked toward the bed, her crimson hair falling around her face as she approached.

Once she reached the bedside, she finally spoke.

"I also want a lap pillow," she said.

Elias stared at her.

Then he slowly turned his head toward Natasha.

’Did she do it for her before?’

A faint displeasure appeared in his eyes.

That lap was supposed to be his.

He could give Stella anything else she wanted, but he was unwilling to share this particular privilege.

Elias looked back at Stella and smiled.

"You can lay your head on my lap."

Stella’s eyes immediately brightened.

"Husband’s lap pillow!" she exclaimed before jumping onto the bed.

Elias chuckled as the two shifted positions.

Stella rested her head on his lap, and Elias gently brushed his fingers through her crimson hair while his other hand softly patted her abdomen.

A peaceful smile appeared across Stella’s face.

"Husband lap pillow is the best..." she mumbled as her eyes slowly closed.

Natasha watched them with a small frown.

That was supposed to be her place.

He glanced toward her and smiled, quietly pleased that he had managed to keep his lap to himself.

Natasha could only furrow her brows in confusion.

About half an hour later, Stella had completely fallen asleep.

Elias carefully adjusted her position so that she would be more comfortable before turning toward Natasha and sending another Mental Whisper.

[Do you also want to sleep a little longer?]

Natasha immediately understood what he meant.

Nowadays, whenever they slept, they had begun to embrace each other closely, sharing warmth and touch throughout the night. It had made their sleep calmer and their nights more peaceful.

However, the sun was already shining through the window.

It was morning, and they had things to do.

Natasha shook her head before stepping down from the bed.

"Figures..." he mumbled with a faintly bitter tone.

Because he had spent so much time taking care of Monica, he had not been able to sleep while embracing Natasha the previous night, something he had unexpectedly grown quite fond of.

He sighed reluctantly and began moving to get off the bed.

However, the moment he shifted, he realized that Stella was holding his hand.

Elias blinked and tried gently pulling his hand free, but her grip was too strong.

’What the hell?’

He pulled again, but Stella’s grip remained firm.

He shifted closer and tried waking her, but instead of releasing him, Stella instinctively moved in her sleep and wrapped her other arm around his chest.

Her leg then shifted over him, effectively pinning him against the bed.

Elias stared at the ceiling.

He tried freeing himself again, but after several unsuccessful attempts, he finally gave up.

’Forget it.’

He closed his eyes.

However, the moment he did, he became painfully aware of her body pressed against his.

Her refined muscles and powerful physique belonged to a woman who had trained for years, while her mature body was completely different from the childlike personality she displayed.

Elias immediately pushed those thoughts away.

’Do not think about it.’

He reminded himself that although Stella was his wife and possessed the body of an adult woman, her current mind was still that of a child.

It was a strange situation, and Elias had no intention of taking advantage of it.

Instead, he placed one hand gently against her back and began softly patting her.

’One day...’