“Shit!” Upon seeing the person in ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) front of him, Vinny was so frightened that he threw away the disposable tissue in his hand and fell off the bed in the monastery.
“How disappointing, Lord Vinny. You’re being so rude. Am I really that scary?” The silver-haired girl, the culprit, touched her cheek and tilted her head innocently, pretending to be cute.
“How... how did you get here?!” Vinny rolled off the bed, rubbed his face, and quickly checked his body. Only after confirming that he was still Vinny did he breathe a sigh of relief.
He thought the nightmare had come true.
“I heard my classmate was injured in an accident. Can’t I come to visit?” Aesphyra propped her chin with one hand, smiling as she watched Vinny sprawled on the floor, making no move to help him up.
Yeah, this was Aesphyra’s usual attitude toward him. No mistake there.
Vinny’s tense nerves relaxed.
“So, Vinny, did you have a nightmare?” Aesphyra teased. “As soon as I arrived, I saw you looking miserable, muttering things like ‘no’ and ‘help.’ What scary thing did you dream about?”
“Yeah, I did dream about something scary,” Vinny said, glancing meaningfully at Aesphyra.
No wonder he had a nightmare. It was about Aesphyra of all people. With this jinx by his side, it was hard not to have a nightmare.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in the polluted zone of Reiswyn, clearing out monsters? Why are you back? Skipping work? Don’t you care about your midterm grades?” Vinny frowned, still too shaken to meet Aesphyra’s gaze.
“Yep, I’m too tired. I didn’t feel like going, so I decided to skip. At most, I’ll just get expelled,” Aesphyra said, completely indifferent.
“You’ve already completed the clearance quota?!” Vinny didn’t believe she could be so nonchalant.
Knowing Aesphyra, he immediately guessed that she must have already finished the quota.
No way, right? How long has it been? Clearing monsters usually takes at least a week, or at least three to four days.
Even if Aesphyra is the protagonist, she couldn’t have completed the quota in such a short time, could she?
“Vinny, do you know how long you’ve been asleep?” Aesphyra asked, her tone leisurely.
“No idea.”
“It’s been two days.”
“I’ve been asleep that long?!” Vinny frowned. Indeed, when you’re asleep, time has no meaning.
“Yep,” Aesphyra said, sitting on a high stool, playfully crossing her slender legs clad in black knee-high socks.
“Many of the nuns here thought you were on the verge of death. I happened to hear about it when I returned, so I thought, as classmates, I’d come see you one last time.”
“Oh, so now that you see I’m not dead, are you disappointed?” Vinny shot her a glare, annoyed.
It was obvious Aesphyra had exaggerated the situation to mess with him.
His injuries were serious, but not life-threatening. The nuns had treated him promptly and thoroughly, and with medication, recovery was just a matter of time.
Yet this little troublemaker had made it sound like he was on death’s door just to scare him.
“Hmm, maybe just a little?” Aesphyra teased.
“So, to make sure I wasn’t completely dead, you stayed by my side to scare me, and when I woke up, you’d finish me off, huh?”
“Vinny, that’s so hurtful. I came here sincerely to visit you,” Aesphyra said, putting on a ‘you’re breaking my heart’ expression.
But Vinny knew better. This little imp was a natural-born actress. Not a single word or expression from her could be trusted. Anyone who believed her was a fool.
When it came to honesty and sincerity, Aesphyra was light-years behind Mireixia.
Both were female leads, but the difference was staggering.
Ah, the protagonist.
“Oh, visiting a patient, and you come empty-handed?” Vinny glared at Aesphyra. “Not even a fruit basket? Are you here to visit or to mock me? Honestly, even if you’d just grabbed a few sour, bitter, tiny oranges from the greenhouse outside as a gesture, I’d feel like you cared.”
No gifts were one thing, but knowing he hadn’t eaten in two days, she had the audacity to eat a lollipop right in front of him, as if she wanted him to see.
Eating candy in the middle of the day? You’ll get fat!
Vinny cursed silently.
“But those oranges are grown by the academy. How could I just take them? Vinny, are you really so hung up on formalities? Fine then.” With that, Aesphyra handed the lollipop she was eating to Vinny, smiling sweetly.
“This is my gift. If you don’t mind, give it a try?”
Vinny could even see the shiny saliva on it.
Glancing at Aesphyra’s playful expression, Vinny clicked his tongue.
If he dared to take a bite, he was sure he’d be teetering on the edge of life and death again.
This purple-eyed demon knew he wouldn’t cross the line, always finding ways to tease and humiliate him. It was infuriating!
Be careful, or you’ll flip the boat one day!
“Sorry, I’m disgusted. Ew, isn’t that gross? It’s covered in your saliva!” Vinny shot her a glare.
“And giving a patient something you’ve already eaten? Not even dogs are treated like that!”
“But I’m not teasing a cute, lively puppy,” Aesphyra stuck out her tongue. “Puppies are much cuter than you, Vinny.”
Damn it.
Vinny felt that if he kept talking to Aesphyra, he’d be the one getting roasted.
You purple-eyed demon, don’t get too cocky. One day, I’ll put you in your place!
Just because you’re the heroine, you think you’re so great?
Think I’m scared of that nightmare? Well... actually, I am a little.
But they say dreams are the opposite of reality. It’s not impossible that one day I’ll kick you to the curb.
Hmph, just you wait. When I rise to power, I’ll step on your head!
“By the way, how’s Mireixia? Is she okay?” Vinny thought of something and decided to stop bickering with Aesphyra, quickly asking.
“Mireixia is fine. She only suffered minor injuries. The nuns checked her, and there’s no sign of poisoning,” Aesphyra answered truthfully, though there was a hint of something deeper in her eyes when she heard Vinny’s question.
“That’s good,” Vinny sighed in relief.
“Vinny, you and Mireixia are really in sync, huh? You know, after Mireixia finished her treatment, the first thing she did was ask about your condition. The nuns told her you weren’t in danger, just exhausted and hadn’t woken up yet. They advised her to rest, but she refused and stayed by your side for two whole days and nights. She only left to sleep just now, and she asked me to stay here with you and notify her as soon as you woke up,” Aesphyra said, a smile on her lips that Vinny couldn’t quite decipher.
“I’m really curious what happened between you two in the Demon God’s plane.”
To others, Aesphyra’s words might have seemed innocent, but to Vinny, they carried a faint hint of jealousy.
He immediately recalled what Aesphyra had said to him in the nightmare.
‘You stole my spot. How are you going to make it up to me~?’
‘I won’t ask for much. Just give me your life as compensation.’
Thinking of this, Vinny felt a chill run down his spine.
“What? Jealous? Hmph, the bond between me and Princess Mireixia is something you, an outsider, will never catch up to. Got it? There’s no room for you to interfere!” Despite the lingering shadows from the nightmare, Vinny couldn’t resist the opportunity to roast Aesphyra. His mouth moved faster than his brain.
“Oh~ Is that so?” Aesphyra drew out her words.
‘Virtue +100.’
‘Current Virtue: 7504.’
Good news: He had finally won a round against Aesphyra, avenging his previous defeats and successfully making this troublesome woman lose virtue.
Bad news: He felt like he was digging his own grave.
“Indeed, that’s how it is,” Aesphyra said, her gaze deep as she looked at Vinny. “Vinny, you’re quite confident.”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m confident, so what?”
“It seems like a lot of interesting things happened between you and Mireixia in the Demon God plane,” Aesphyra said, her cat-like eyes narrowing.
“Whatever happened is none of your business. It’s between me and Princess Mireixia. Why are you asking? Mind your own business,” Vinny snorted.
‘Virtue +50.’
‘Current Virtue: 7554.’
Hah, looks like today was his day to crush Aesphyra.
But why did he feel so uneasy?
It felt like the holy sword was getting closer to his head.
“Vinny, can’t you give me even a little hint?” Aesphyra looked at him with hope in her eyes.
“With the way you’ve been treating me, you expect me to take you seriously? Dream on.”
“Alright, alright. Since you’re so adamant, I won’t press further. But I should remind you of something,” Aesphyra said, playing with a strand of her hair, a meaningful smile in her eyes.
“What?”
“Watch out for latecomers.”
Latecomers? Oh please! Not everyone’s got a dirty mind like you, you purple-eyed demon!
There was nothing between him and Mireixia. They were just pure friends, but so what? That didn’t stop Vinny from using it to piss off this purple-eyed demon.
Hah, I’ll piss you off to death, what then?
Now that a new villain had taken his former place, he was halfway to redemption. If Aesphyra dared to make a move on him now, it would be impossible. For one thing, what would Mireixia think of her?
Feeling more and more that the nightmare was just a bizarre dream and that his life was safe, Vinny grew increasingly cocky.
“Also, keep your secrets and the people behind you in mind,” Aesphyra said meaningfully.
“Huh? What secrets? What people behind me? What are you talking about?” Vinny frowned. “I don’t even know who’s behind me, and you do?”
Seeing Vinny’s reaction, Aesphyra didn’t press further. She stood up, leaving Vinny with an unreadable look before walking away.
What a puzzling person.
Just as Vinny was about to lie back down, he felt something at the foot of the bed. Sitting up, he saw a box of pastries with a pack of forks beside it.
It was a brand sold at the fortress in Reiswyn where Carillian Academy was stationed. Clearly, someone had bought it for him.
Could it be Mireixia?
No, unlikely.
Not only had Mireixia been by his side these past two days with no time to buy pastries, but Vinny also knew Mireixia well enough to know she wouldn’t think of such a thoughtful gesture.
This was more like something Aesphyra would do.
But would she really buy it for him?
Shouldn’t she dislike him and want him dead? Why would she buy pastries to comfort him?
And, despite bringing a gift, she hadn’t mentioned it earlier, choosing instead to tease him with the lollipop.
She didn’t even mention it when she left.
Looking at the packaging, it was a brand specifically designed for patients, easy to digest.
This was a high-end cake, not cheap.
“...Tch, that purple-eyed demon, going out of her way for nothing,” Vinny muttered, but he quietly opened the box.
The packaging was intact. If this had been when they first met, he might have suspected it was poisoned, but for some reason, he didn’t even consider that possibility now.
It seemed that, through their interactions, they had both gradually let their guard down and started to understand each other anew.
—
“Vinny, are you okay? How do you feel?” That afternoon, as dusk approached, the golden-haired, twin-tailed princess Mireixia, dressed in a fresh, clean school uniform, came to visit Vinny in his hospital room.
“I’m fine. Just a little hungry after waking up, but otherwise, I’m okay,” Vinny said, glancing at Aesphyra beside Mireixia. She had made sure Mireixia got some rest before notifying her that he was awake, so she could come see him.
“Are you hungry? Should I bring you something to eat?”
“No, I just ate something. I’m not hungry anymore,” Vinny said, deliberately looking at Aesphyra, who remained expressionless, as if she knew nothing about it.
“Princess Mireixia, are you okay? How’s your recovery?”
“I wasn’t seriously injured. Thanks to you, I’m fine.” Due to Aesphyra’s presence, Mireixia didn’t go into details.
“Also, didn’t I tell you not to address me so formally?”
“Uh, right. Mireixia,” Vinny scratched his head.
“You two are really close, huh~” Aesphyra tilted her head. “So enviable.”