Chapter 259: No touching at improper places

"What else have you and Seraphina done?" Chloe demanded, her face still hovering above Vlad’s. Seraphina had claimed that they were alone in the room for a whole night. They wouldn’t really go all the way, right?

"Nothing more than kissing and sleeping together," Vlad answered honestly. Chloe slowly blinked, as if relieved that the worst hadn’t happened yet. So, Seraphina was all bark and no bite.

After a brief pause, she asked, "How many kisses?"

"Eh?" Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want to know that?"

"Tell me!" Chloe frowned, shifting on his stomach as if trying to put more weight on him. Pressing her soft rear against him did make his face turn slightly red. If only she knew that the reason wasn’t her weight, but something else entirely.

"Twice," Vlad revealed. "If I include the one she gave me in front of you."

Chloe gave him a silent stare. The last line wasn’t really necessary. But soon, her focus shifted elsewhere. She straightened her back, sitting calmly on his abdomen as if it were completely natural.

"Twice in the restaurant," she murmured to herself, counting something on her fingers. "And once in the room."

Her lips curved into a faint smile.

"Two plus one is three. Three is greater than two."

The smile on her face couldn’t even be called a smile by anyone else, but to Vlad, it looked almost smug. It was as if she had just emerged victorious in something.

"By the way, why are you wearing my hoodie?" Vlad asked, his lips curving in curiosity.

Chloe moved half of her face inside the hoodie until only her eyes were visible. "Because it smells so good," she revealed, her tone low. "I wear it every night before sleeping. It feels like I’m sleeping with you."

Her hands, half-hidden inside the hoodie, with only her slender fingers peeking out, reached toward her face in shyness as she continued, "I want more of your clothes."

The moment she finished her sentence, Vlad grabbed her by the waist and suddenly turned on the bed, making her back touch the mattress as he leaned over her.

"What are you doing?" she gasped, a little taken aback.

Vlad didn’t reply. His crimson eyes simply gazed at her in silence, making her squirm under their intensity. He lowered his face, his lips gently pecking her cheek. The moment his lips touched her soft skin, Chloe’s face turned beet red, her eyes widening.

She hadn’t even recovered from his sudden affection when he moved to the side of the bed and pulled her into a hug, her back pressing against his chest.

"You can have them all," he finally replied, his deep but low voice entering her ears.

Chloe swallowed, her heart beating louder than necessary.

"Thank you," she replied, grabbing Vlad’s hands at her abdomen.

She had longed for this moment for years. To sleep in Vlad’s arms again. And now that he was holding her so firmly, Chloe wasn’t really sure that she could actually sleep. She felt as if sleeping would be a waste of this moment. She wanted to be cuddled by him for the whole night.

"Chloe," Vlad’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yes," she answered.

"May I move my hands inside the hoodie?"

His unexpected question left her speechless, heat rushing to her face.

"No touching at improper places," Chloe stated her condition.

"Got it." Vlad’s hands immediately moved inside her hoodie, naturally pulling its hem upward. She immediately realized that she shouldn’t have permitted him.

After all, her lower body, clad in nothing but a pair of pink underwear, was completely exposed now. Thankfully, Vlad wouldn’t be able to see her exposed like this since he was holding her so closely.

The moment his cold hands touched her warm tummy, she immediately squirmed from his touch.

"The blanket," Chloe murmured, feeling exposed. One part of her felt so exposed that she wanted to remove his hands, while the other wanted him to keep touching her.

So, the blanket was the solution she came up with.

Vlad pulled the blanket upward, grabbing it with his toes. Once they were covered up to their shoulders, Vlad’s hands began tracing over her soft abs. His broad hands were large enough to cover nearly her entire abdomen.

"Your tummy is really so soft and warm," Vlad commented, his hand never stopping.

"Stop saying useless things and go to sleep," Chloe muttered, grabbing his mischievous hands so they wouldn’t wander anymore.

Vlad merely chuckled at her flustered figure. "Goodnight, Chloe."

"Goodnight, Vlad."

---

Atop the roof of a building, a few kilometers away from the inn where the Lumberjack family was staying, a man with dark hair that faded into sea-green along the edges stood beneath the moonlight. The small antlers on his head shone under the moonlight. His emerald eyes gleamed with a faint glow as he sensed every presence throughout the city.

He could only sense people as stars, not their actual forms. Those with greater power glowed more brightly than the others.

In the building where the Lumberjack family was staying, two stars glowed the brightest. One was black, while the other glowed pale purple.

"Yes, Miss Principal," Aldric said in his usual professional tone, holding the phone to his ear. "I have been keeping an eye on Vlad from the moment he entered the city."

His glasses reflected the lights of the city, the eyes behind them fixed on the distant inn.

"I haven’t sensed anyone suspicious around Vlad or his family," he explained further, giving his report for the entire day.

A soft but serious feminine voice came from the other side of the phone.

Aldric nodded. "Yes, Miss Principal. I will make sure that no harm comes to the students. I will stay here until they return to the academy. If I find anyone suspicious, I will immediately capture them."

"Don’t capture them," the feminine voice ordered from the other side. "Kill them on the spot."

Aldric’s brows twitched. "But, Miss Principal. We can obtain useful information from the assassin—"

"I’m not taking any risk with my students," the voice came, sharp and final.

Aldric blinked. "Yes, Miss Principal."