Chapter 253: Not as a family but as a woman

With one last round, the waiter removed all the empty plates from the table and placed the final dish. Divine Silk Noodles.

Chloe’s cheeks looked like white dumplings with all the food she had stuffed into her mouth. Sauce and food crumbs had created a makeshift makeup around her lips.

If not for the long napkin tied around her neck, she would have completely ruined her new sweater made of soft pink fur.

"Look at the mess you have made," Vlad sighed, wiping her face with the napkin around her neck.

With a big gulp, she swallowed everything down her throat. Now that her mouth was empty, she answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "I have you to clear my mess."

With that declaration, she pulled the bowl of noodles toward her.

She had only grabbed the fork when she noticed the empty seats in front of her.

"Where are Mama and Dad?" she asked, finally turning her eyes toward Vlad beside her.

"They went to the roof to get some fresh air," Vlad replied. His eyes darted between his storage ring and Chloe’s serene face, which looked even more heavenly beneath the moonlight.

’Mama and Dad are not here,’ she murmured inwardly, her grip tightening around the fork. ’I should ask him quickly before they return.’

Her lavender eyes rose, meeting Vlad’s face. "I want to ask you something."

"Yes, what is it?" Vlad responded immediately. It was shocking enough that Chloe had actually focused on something when there was a bowl of noodles waiting in front of her.

"What wish did you write in the lantern rite five years ago?"

Vlad’s brows rose, his lips parting. Shock was evident on his face.

"Wh-why do you ask that all of a sudden?" he demanded, clearly flustered.

Chloe blinked. She had never seen him so flustered before.

"Just curious," she replied innocently.

"Did Mom tell you?" he asked, facepalming.

"Unh," Chloe nodded. "So what was it?" she asked again, leaning closer.

Vlad took a deep breath to calm himself. Since he had already prepared himself for this day, he might as well tell her this as well.

"I wrote that I want to become the Legendary Knight."

Chloe wasn’t surprised at all. She had already figured that this was the wish he must have written. But then why had he not let her see his wish back then? And why had Elaria told her to ask him this question?

"Also," Vlad’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. His crimson eyes lowered in embarrassment, a faint rosy hue forming on his cheeks. "I want to marry Chloe and love her like Dad loves Mom."

Tang...

The fork fell from Chloe’s hand, hitting the wooden table. No expression formed on her stoic face. Slowly, a visible surge of blush spread across her face, turning her white cheeks deep red. Even her ears turned crimson.

Her heartbeat suddenly quickened as she swallowed hard. She immediately turned her head forward, grabbed the fork, and blurted, "Must be a childhood wish. You must not have been aware of the meaning when you wrote it. I’m just your Chloe baby. Nothing more. Don’t worry. I don’t misunderstand."

Vlad simply gave her a silent stare, his face unreadable as she blurted more sentences at once than she ever had before.

"Chloe," he called her in a calm tone, moving his chair closer to her. "Want to play a game?"

"Game?" Chloe tilted her head, the crimson never fading from her face.

Vlad nodded. He pulled a strand of noodles from the bowl with a fork. "The one who reaches the center of this noodle first will have the whole bowl to themselves," he explained the rule of the game.

"But it’s already mine," Chloe groaned, clearly unwilling to accept a bet that would only endanger her final meal of the night.

"Not anymore if I reach the center first," Vlad declared, quickly placing one end of the noodle in his mouth.

"My noodles!" Chloe immediately inserted the other end between her lips.

Vlad had only reached halfway to the center when she slurped it in a flash, reaching the center with nothing but sheer instinct to protect her food.

A faint smile formed on her lips as she savored the delicious taste of victory in her mouth. "I won."

Perhaps still unaware that Chloe had already reached the center, Vlad continued slowly moving forward, his face drawing dangerously closer.

Chloe’s breath caught in her throat as his warm breath brushed against her skin. To let him know that she had won, she said again, her voice barely above a whisper, "I won..."

Vlad still didn’t stop. He gently raised his hand and cupped her cheek in a tender touch. The strand of noodles slowly disappeared between them, just as the crescent moon outside the window slipped behind their faces, leaving only the soft glow of the night as Vlad’s lips finally met Chloe’s.

Her grip tightened on her sweater until her knuckles turned white, as if trying to anchor herself while the whole world tilted.

Vlad pressed her lower lip between both of his, breaking the strand of noodles before slowly parting.

"Do you still think that it was a childhood wish?" he asked in a low whisper, his deep crimson eyes demanding an answer.

For a few seconds, Chloe didn’t say anything, as if she still hadn’t processed what had just happened.

Her hands were shaking as she grabbed the collars of his blazer. "If this is a joke, I will kill you."

Vlad brushed his hand over her soft cheek, his eyes narrowing with warmth as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

"I love you, Chloe," he confessed, his voice firm but unbelievably warm. "And I mean it as a woman, not my family."

She took a low gasp, her irises trembling, and her grip only tightened on Vlad’s collars.

Tears began pooling in her eyes, making Vlad’s brows rise in worry.

His eyes lowered. "Was I the only one—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Chloe suddenly pulled him closer and pressed her lips against his in a decisive peck.

For a moment, the warmth of her soft lips caught him completely off guard. But the surprise quickly faded, replaced by the same tenderness as he responded to her kiss. His lips gently lingered against hers, drawing her upper lip between his as she returned the same gesture to his lower lip.