Chapter 189: Her confession

A few minutes later, Seraphina came out of the bathroom in her nightdress, her skin glistening with a faint sheen of moisture.

Vlad was still seated at the dining table, his back facing Seraphina. She slowly moved towards him and asked, "Why are you still sitting here?"

No response came from Vlad. When she reached beside him, she realised that he was fast asleep, sitting cross-armed on the chair, his back straight.

She sat on the floor beside him, her face resting on the edge of the table as she looked up at his peaceful face.

"You have been following the trolls for almost four days straight without eating or sleeping," she murmured in a gentle tone, grabbing his hand on his thigh. "You must have been exhausted. Why did you sleep on the chair? How am I supposed to carry you to the bed without waking you up?"

"I was waiting for you," Vlad’s sleepy voice came as he slowly opened his heavy eyelids, revealing his crimson eyes beneath. His grip tightened around her soft hand, his fingers intertwining with hers. "But I don’t hate the idea of you carrying me to the bed," he chuckled, still half asleep.

"Did I wake you?" Seraphina asked, lifting her head from the table.

Vlad shook his head. His half-opened eyes fell on her knees, which were touching the cold floor below.

He suddenly pulled her up with the hand he was holding, the motion causing her to sit on his lap. A small gasp escaped her lips.

"C-commoner?"

"The floor is cold," he murmured. His hands slowly wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him until her lower back touched his abdomen. His chin rested on her shoulder, his calm breath brushing against her ear. "Let me warm you."

Seraphina was left completely taken aback by such an intimate position. It was the first time Vlad had made a move on her, and it was so unexpected that she was completely losing her mind. She knew that he was barely awake, not even knowing what he was doing. The exhaustion of the past few days was finally catching up with him now that he had let his guard down at the only safe place in the Forest of Death. Even though he was forcing himself to stay awake, his body was no longer listening to him, leaving him in this half-asleep state. Yet even in his sleep, he was instinctively caring for her.

The realisation alone made her heart race and brought a small, shy smile to her face.

She raised her hand, gently placing it on his cheek, and whispered, "L-let’s move to the bed first. You may keep me warm there."

"Hmm," Vlad agreed in a husky voice.

"L-let me move—"

Before Seraphina could finish her words, Vlad picked her up in a princess carry and slowly moved towards her room, his steps wobbly.

The fear that they might fall and the excitement of the current situation surged through her all at once. She didn’t know what to do or what to say.

She simply grabbed him tightly by the neck and closed her eyes, leaving her fate in the arms of the half-asleep Vlad.

He somehow managed to reach the bed, guided by muscle memory. The moment he arrived at the edge of the bed, he fell forward onto Seraphina, her face pressing between the bed and his broad chest.

"C-comm—" She stopped mid-word, taking a short gulp. "Vlad," she called him, trying to push his heavy body off her.

"Hmm," Vlad responded with a groan.

"I-I can’t breathe," Seraphina muttered, squeezing her eyes shut. "You are too heavy."

Vlad slowly dragged his body downward until her face was free. He placed his head on her chest, one leg between both of hers as he lay in the most comfortable position his subconscious mind could think of.

"You are so comfy," he whispered, brushing his cheek against her chest, causing her to flinch in shame and something deeper. If he were awake, she would have slapped the heck out of him for this offence. There were steps to these things, after all. How could he just place his face there when he hadn’t even confessed to her?

She would only let it slide this time because he didn’t know what he was doing. Wait, if he was doing all of this in his sleep, he wouldn’t remember anything by morning, right?

"Sera~" Vlad’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Why were you angry at me?"

"You made me worry," Seraphina muttered, her tone low. "You went to locate the trolls alone. Do you know how dangerous it was?"

If Vlad were awake, he would have definitely argued about how he only did what was best for the mission and even brought back the undeniably important information.

However, only his subconscious thoughts were coming out right now.

"I’m sorry for making you worry, Sera."

"One more thing," Seraphina added in a sulking tone. "I hate it when you call me Lady Seraphina. Even if there are people around, just call me Sera."

"Okay, Sera," Vlad replied, moving his arms beneath her neck as he hugged her while lying atop her. "I will do whatever you say. But don’t be angry with me. It makes me restless."

The unfiltered words of Vlad widened her eyes, her pink irises trembling as she took a deep breath.

For a few seconds, she said nothing, her entire focus consumed with calming her racing heart. It was beating so wildly that she felt as though it might burst right out of her chest.

"Vlad," she called him, digging her hands into his hair at the back of his head, where she gently massaged him. "Lift your head. I want to tell you something."

With a few groans, Vlad slowly lifted his head, his half-closed eyes fixed on Seraphina’s serene face.

She moved her hands to his cheeks, cupping them between her palms. Mustering up every bit of her courage, she raised her head, her soft lips reaching his forehead, where she gently kissed him.

Several seconds later, when she parted her lips, she whispered,

"I love you, Vlad."