Chapter 156: Catching Brother on a Date

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Catching Brother on a Date

As they walked, Ophelia heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes. She subconsciously opened her mouth to speak, but Tyler, who was beside her, pressed a hand over hers. "Princess, don’t worry. It’s someone we know."

Ophelia was puzzled. "Someone we know?"

Then, two figures—one tall, one short—emerged from the bushes. Seeing who it was, Ophelia was a little surprised. "Laxus, Ali. What are you two doing here?" As she spoke, her gaze landed on Laxus and Ali’s intertwined hands.

Laxus noticed her stare and let go of Ali’s hand, looking as guilty as a thief caught in the act. Ali’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly displeased by his reaction. She reached out and took Laxus’s hand back into hers. "Ophelia isn’t a stranger. Why did you let go? It’s not embarrassing to be with me."

The tips of Laxus’s ears turned bright red. Looking a bit embarrassed, he muttered, "It just feels a little awkward." Being caught on a date with Ali by his own younger sister gave him an indescribable feeling. Ophelia had been trying to set him and Ali up before, but he had always found excuses to refuse. Now that he had taken the initiative to be with Ali, he somehow felt like a hypocrite.

Seeing how uncomfortable Laxus was, Ophelia stopped teasing him. "Laxus, since we ran into each other, we might as well have a picnic together."

"What’s a picnic?" Ali tilted her head, her eyes full of curiosity.

"A picnic is when everyone gathers in the forest to roast meat, eat fruit, and enjoy the scenery," Ophelia explained.

"Oh, I see! Yes, yes! Let’s have a picnic right here," Ali happily agreed, clapping her hands. "Laxus, I want to eat roast rabbit meat. Hurry up and go hunt some."

"Laxus, I want mutton. Preferably a tender goat," Ophelia added, mimicking Ali’s coquettish tone.

Laxus glanced at Ophelia and smiled helplessly. A gentle smile touched his lips as he agreed. "Alright, I got it."

After Laxus left, Ali finally remembered that Ophelia was still standing right there. She looked at her with a hint of worry. Seeing no signs of displeasure on the other woman’s face, she finally relaxed and stuck out her tongue playfully. "Ophelia, I’m usually very gentle, you know."

Ophelia smiled and shook her head. "It’s fine. Just be yourself." Laxus was indeed her brother, but she didn’t want Ali to feel stifled or wronged just because of that connection. Seeing that Ophelia wasn’t angry about her bossing Laxus around, Ali completely let her guard down.

Ophelia then led Ali to a nearby stream. She took some fruit out of her woven basket and washed them in the water. Ali’s beautiful eyes fixated on the fruit, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips. "Ophelia, is this a new kind of fruit you found?"

The strange fruits grew in a cluster. They were purple, looking quite round and plump.

"Yes, I just found them in the forest. They taste pretty good. You can try some in a bit."

Hearing that they were edible, Ali’s interest was instantly piqued. Her eyes curved into little crescents as she smiled, looking at Ophelia with a face full of anticipation.

Seeing her gluttonous look, a faint smile graced Ophelia’s face. "Here, have a taste."

Ali picked up a purple grape and popped it into her mouth. "Ophelia, this fruit is absolutely delicious! It’s sweet and sour, and really appetizing."

"Eat as much as you’d like if it’s good, but don’t overdo it. You don’t want to upset your stomach."

Since Laxus had gone hunting, Tyler stayed behind. He remained close to Ophelia and Ali, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings to ensure their safety.

The three little dragon cubs also came over to play with Ali. After a short while, Ali was covered in sweat and slumped onto the ground in exhaustion. "Ophelia, their energy is way too boundless," she said, wiping her sweat and panting heavily.

Ophelia looked at the three little dragon cubs on the ground, who clearly hadn’t had enough fun yet, and said softly, "Be good now. Auntie Ali is tired. No more roughhousing. Go nearby and help me gather some branches. I’ll roast some meat for you all later."

"Yay! Yay!" Dan’er and Ali cheered joyfully.

Kohen, the eldest cub, didn’t say a word. He simply turned around and went to pick up dry branches from the ground. The three little dragon cubs were tireless. In no time at all, they had gathered a large pile of firewood.

"Tyler, you can start the fire. Laxus should be back soon," Ophelia instructed. She then walked over to her woven basket and squatted down. In reality, she was secretly buying barbecue seasonings from the shop in her System Space. That’s right, she planned to make grilled mutton skewers today.

She had discovered that the shop in her System Space had absolutely everything—except for actual food. It even had things like barbecue grills and roasting racks. However, to avoid arousing suspicion, she refrained from bringing those items out.

Before exiting the System Space, she glanced at her points. She already had two million points, meaning her System Space was ready to be upgraded. She wondered, "What kind of reward will I get when the System Space levels up again?"

By the time Laxus returned with a rabbit and a goat, Tyler had already gotten the fire going. Following Ophelia’s instructions, he had also found a flat green stone nearby.

With all the ingredients ready, Ophelia directed the two males to their next tasks: whittling bamboo skewers and skewering the mutton!

Watching them work, Ali’s hands grew itchy to try. She scurried over, wanting to help. But she was a pampered young lady who had never lifted a finger to do domestic chores, let alone manual labor. After skewering only a few pieces of mutton, her hand was pricked by a barb on a bamboo stick.

"Ouch, that hurts!" Ali winced, looking at her hand, which had immediately started to swell.

Ophelia and Laxus immediately stopped what they were doing. 𝐟𝒓ℯⅇ

"What’s wrong? Did you prick your hand?"

"Let me see." Laxus took Ali’s hand without hesitation and examined it carefully. Seeing a small bamboo splinter lodged in Ali’s soft, white index finger, he gently tried to pluck it out with his fingernails. But the splinter was far too small, and his calloused fingers couldn’t get a grip on it. Before long, Laxus was sweating profusely from anxiety.

The splinter stuck in her hand was extremely uncomfortable. Realizing it wouldn’t come out, Ali started to panic. "Ophelia, will this splinter be stuck inside me forever? Am I going to die?"

"No, don’t worry. Give me a second. I’ll go find something to pull it out. I promise." She pretended to rummage through the woven basket nearby while secretly buying a needle from the System Space’s shop.

When Ophelia approached with the needle ready to extract the splinter, Ali flinched and pulled her hand back in fear. "Ophelia, that thing is so sharp! It’s definitely going to hurt if you poke my hand with it. I... I don’t want to."

"It won’t hurt, trust me," Ophelia promised earnestly.

Feeling apprehensive, Ali gritted her teeth and extended her hand anyway. Watching the needle get closer and closer to her finger, Ali was so scared she held her breath.

Just then, her vision went dark as a scalding-hot body pulled her into an embrace. It was Laxus. The sudden contact made her heart skip a beat.

By the time her vision cleared, the splinter in her hand was gone, along with the stinging pain.

"See? It doesn’t hurt, does it?" Ophelia smiled.